Learning Lessons on the way to Dancing Ledge, October 2008

The first lesson was learned on the way to the meeting point for the trip at Swanage: don’t rely on the Sandbanks ferry outside the holiday season. It was closed for rebuilding of the slipway, and some of us didn’t know. Fortunately, those that were taken by surprise, including me (supposedly the organiser), were in good time and went the long way round without delaying the ones with the better local knowledge.

Lesson two was a completely new one to me. We had put three sea kayaks on the car the evening before, for Bev, Jake and I, to give ourselves a more relaxed start the next day. When we took them off at Swanage Bev gave a cry of surprise: “There’s a pigeon in my boat!” Yes, always check your boat for stowaways, even if you loaded it on the car yourself. A young pigeon must have perched on the kayaks, slipped between the two cockpits, and rode from our house to Sandbanks, then the detour round Poole harbour, to Swanage. It looked pretty ragged and confused to say the least. Dot put it under some bushes in the park, but I can’t help thinking a knock on the head might have be the most humane action.

Despite the various dramas we were away from the beach by 10:30, and enjoyed a lovely paddle to Dancing Ledge. There was a gentle swell of a little less than 1 metre, but the reflection of this off the cliffs, together with some smaller waves, confused the sea and made it a bit more interesting. It was still calm enough to get in close to the rocks though, and enjoy the detail of the geology and the bird life.

Graham’s Events List had stated Swanage to Dancing Ledge as the trip route, but I was hoping to go further. When we got there though, young Jake was getting tired, or bored perhaps, and Graham Mussett working hard to keep up in a white water boat, so he was already thinking about how tired he’d feel on the way back. The swell on the ledge would make landing a little tricky, but the alternatives further West I thought might be more difficult. We agreed to stop there for an early lunch, and I asked a couple of the plastic boaters to go in first and help those in fibreglass boats to land. They had interesting landings in the surf that was breaking onto the ledge. It wasn’t big, but the ledge slopes down from West to East, so the surf was complicated by a reflected wave running across the ledge sideways. Unfortunately some paddlers thought the best way in was to ride the surf, which might work in small surf on a friendly beach, but wasn’t the easiest ride there. Inevitably they were broached by the breaking wave or, if they controlled that, by the reflected wave, and were pushed up the beach sideways or on a diagonal. Poor Richard Jennings, in his brand new boat, did just that and christened the bottom with some scratches through the pristine gel coat. Ouch. Sitting with those watching and worrying on the sea, I recommended they wait for a small wave to lift their boat, and paddle in on the back of the wave rather than surf it in, but the advice from those already on the ledge was different, with shouts of “Paddle!” as a breaking wave curled at the next person’s stern. A couple more kayaks went bouncing up the ledge, with a few grazed hands and arms after boats capsized. Fortunately, Bev and Jake were last in. They understood the problem and the solution, and made perfect landings. Phew!

As usual, after a relaxed lunch in the sun, there was little appetite for paddling any further, so we helped each other to launch off the ledge again. The waves had reduced a little but it was still interesting, trying to time the launch to avoid the bottom of the swell which left the edge of the ledge a couple of feet above the trough. Mike Worth was noblest of us all, and found himself last and alone on the ledge, but a walker took pity on him after his first failed attempt and gave him the hefty shove he needed to clear the ledge. We returned to Swanage on a slightly smoother sea, with fantastic views of a peregrine working its way along the cliffs above us for several minutes, and fascinating views of the seabed below.

Apart from the kayakers’ guide promoted on our site, there is another great guide to this bit of coast: “Inshore Along the Dorset Coast” by Peter Bruce, now in its fourth edition. I know Peter, having worked with him on another of his books, “Heavy Weather sailing”, and have a lot of respect for him and his books. This guide contains excellent photos, navigation notes, tidal information and history, all designed to be of interest for those pottering along within spitting distance of the rocks. A good one for the Christmas present list perhaps.

Barry D.

Woolacombe September 2008

It was supposed to be a surf weekend!

All I have heard is, from Ross:-

There was some very small ocean swell but no wind. It did feel like being on a lake at points. We went for a 12k paddle around the rocks as well. There were enough waves to get martin swimming more than once!!

Some photos from Barry attached

Liffey Descent

Just a picture (from Nick L) of Dave and Jo Ratford having run Wrens Nest weir

Paddling in Finland

This year the Deakin family summer holiday was in Finland, and as usual we inflicted some heavy doses of rain on our hosts. The lakes were well above their normal summer levels, up to a metre in some cases, and this represents an impressive amount of rain considering how much of the country is covered by lakes.

We stayed at the summerhouse of the Gleed family, old friends of ours and now club members, which is a fantastic old log house beside a lake in central Finland. We had hoped to spend several days paddling, but the weather was fairly cold, windy and wet, and we weren’t inspired to go camping. We did hire a couple of lake touring kayaks for the day, from a campsite a few miles away. Jake and I paddled them to the summerhouse, and all the adults and children there had a very happy time in them. They are excellent touring boats: light, tough and with enough directional stability for any novice to paddle them where they want to go. Mark Gleed and I paddled them back again late at night, and that was a very relaxing night paddle.

We also hired two Coleman open boats and two touring kayaks for a day from another base. The owner took us 20 km upstream of his base and our two families paddled back through the lakes and connecting rivers. We were really lucky with the weather that day, with plenty of sun and the wind behind us or calm. The scenery is lovely, but with no high hills and most of the ground tree covered, a canoe is a great way to see it. If you walk you only tend to see a few metres around you, but out on the water the views are much wider. It was a very varied trip, with lakes and islands of various sizes, and the rivers between them sometimes flat, sometimes with simple rapids. Mark didn’t agree with the description of “simple”, as he navigated down 200 metres of grade 2 rapid, with quite a few hazards, on his first day in an open boat. No problem though. There was only one essential portage on our route, around a small power station, and that was effortless because an excellent trolley was provided.

There are summerhouses scattered around the lakes, but they are mostly inconspicuous, there are hardly any people, and other boats are a rarity. We were there in late August, relatively late in their summer season, but it would never be busy. An advantage of that time of year is the low numbers of mosquitoes, and they weren’t a problem for us. Also in low numbers were the birds. We saw very few anywhere and that was probably also because we were after the breeding season. Fish were abundant though, and the boys caught plenty on rods and in a fish trap, mostly pike and perch.

Canoe hire was about 25 Euros for 24 hours, but transport was extra. As in the rest of Scandinavia, you can exercise “everyman’s right” and camp virtually anywhere for the night, but there are designated fireplaces along walking trails and popular canoe routes. Many of these have firewood provided, and often with a sleeping shelter and perhaps even a toilet.

It is very much as I imagine Canada to be, with similar scenery and more water than you could paddle in a lifetime, but much closer.

13 Seconds to get off Charton Bay

The August Bank Holiday weekend started off fine enough - and Ladram Bay proved a good launch site. A smooth sea, impressive stacks, light winds and sun. There were only 4 of us (Elliott, Rich, Simon and I) – which kept the faff and shuttle to a minimum. We were on the water by 09:30

We made the 24 kms to Charton Bay by 2pm (despite trying to keep things slow and easy)

We knew that this was the best camp on our way to West Bay, in hind sight we should have continued but we opted for a lazy afternoon on the beach. Besides It gave Elliott a chance to practice his camp skills

However, growing storm clouds and rain extinguished our fire and found a design fault in my bivvy bag. The outcome - a sleepless and soaking night. (I should have paid a little more attention to the design of my pit – a lesson learned).

We sat on the beach all morning waiting for a 'break in the break'. The heavy dumpers were coming every 7 seconds and we reckoned there was little chance of a successful launch of 4 boats in these conditions. We walked the mile long bay to check out the launch conditions and to try to raise a mobile signal for a shipping forecast (continuing F4 all Sunday, heavy rain showers overnight, picking up to F5 Monday).

Eventually (by mid day) the period between large dumping sets had stretched to a respectable 13 seconds. Was this enough to launch the 4 kayaks or should we wait it out for another wet night on the pebbles? And a stiffening forecast?

In reality the launch was a piece of cake and we rode a 2 meter swell on to Lyme Regis and the sanctuary of the Cob. Here we arranged for a ‘Taxi driver from hell’ to re-unite us with the vehicle at Ladram

Treweryn June 2008

Fri 13^th

After a flurry of e-mail with the details, I arrived at Tyn Cornel at 3ish as planned, had a short chat with Pete & Jean (campsite owners) to check how many had booked, just you & Tim Hough, there are 3 tents over there but they’ve gone for a paddle (Dave Cunnea, Kevin Coombes & Pete Ambrose). I pitched camp with just the basic facilities (caravan, awning, fridge full of beer); I roughed it without electric hook-up, to stay in the same field as the group. Dave Ratford was the next to arrive, he expressed concern the river was a bit rocky, I assured him open boats did paddle the river & fortunately when the water was switched on next day most of the rocky ditch disappeared. Tim & Charlie Hough arrived next, followed by Ross & Martin. At about the same time so did 3 million midges, the final solution was to congregate in my awning with one of those smoky midge repellent coils & drink, until sent to bed by the camp police (loud intoxicated voices are frowned upon after 11pm).

Sat 14^th

After breakfast with the surviving 2,990,000 midges a shuttle of sorts was arranged, with Tim, Charlie, Ross, Dave C, & Kevin off to the top start, (Tim via the shop in Bala to collect 2 BA’s to replace the ones left at home). I passed on the Chipper – campsite phase, but the conversation included such information as swims Tim 2, features graveyard, ski slope, NRA wave, etc. An enjoyable paddle at the same time Dave R, Martin & myself were inspecting the course when Dave bumped into 2 open canoeists & arranged to go down the river with them. Martin & I joined the others at the campsite and ran the rest of the river, a pleasant grade 2 with frequent boulder rapids, I vaguely recall Martin looking extremely soggy, although he did appear to be enjoying himself. The final rapid Bala mill fall was shot without incident or capsize, and lunch beckoned. After lunch Tim, Charlie, Ross, Kevin & Dave C, had a second run on the top course, Dave R found a pub somewhere. After the evening meal everyone congregated in the awning to discuss the day’s events & dodge the midges, there was no need for the camp police to curtail the festivities as most were a little tired.

Sun 15

Sunday’s events flowed swiftly & smoothly, all breakfasted & packed away by 9:30. The shuttle over and the first group at the start of the top site by 10:10, the course was swiftly covered & the second group met at the campsite at about 10:30. Dave R had made arrangements to paddle with new found friends. I did hear a rumour that Charlie had a swim on the Top site & spent the journey to Bala willing Tim into the water, unsuccessfully. The time swam by for some, Martin was spotted affectionately hugging rocks, but otherwise happy, Bala reached in record time by 12 ish, cars loaded, and goodbye’s said, then off home. I would like to thank Pete Ambrose and Ross for providing the safety cover and everyone else for a great weekend.

P.S. The midges were a pain, the recommended miracle cure appears to be Listerine and water mix, a change of campsite, or possibly both.

Dorset Coast May 2008

Only 4 of us braved the forecast to paddle from Sandbanks to Ringstead over the weekend. The forecast proved pessimistic and we had a great trip - and we saw Puffins and Peregrins - so there!

Soca, Slovenia

6 members of Southbourne and Ringwood Clubs enjoyed a weeks paddling in Slovenia

Thames Weekend May 2008

Avon 2008

What a great day it turned out to be. After spending the previous night in the New Forest helping with a scout night hike in wind and rain I was really pleased that I made it to the Avon (you will wish you had gone Liz). More than thirty people set off from the Alderbury launch in sunshine and a high river and it was good to see so many taking advantage of this one day’s access.

We were soon at Longford Castle where I expected the weir to be washed out, but in fact, it presented a challenging stopper for the few who got in to it. I was taken by surprise and found myself very inexpertly struggling to get out- I can’t remember when I last practised this. Ross was there to offer lots of advice and Mark G gave it a good try while the rest looked on.

Soon after this we saw an Osprey fly over carrying a fish (at least I was told it was a fish by Laura as it was a bit of a blur to me). There weren’t very many birds on the trip but Chiffchaffs were singing all the way, we saw several Grey Wagtails, occasional Little Egrets, Grey Herons, a Kingfisher and lots of Swans.

At the first bridge I had just gone through when there was a crash behind me and I looked round to see Laura with her paddle stuck in the ironwork of the bridge while she hung on to it. Help soon arrived in the form of Mark G who struggled to release the paddle, dropping his own in the process and then capsizing. I did not think he could hand-roll and hoped he would stay in his boat for a rescue which he duly did. Meanwhile someone had managed to extricate the paddle and we were all off again.

Lunch stop came very quickly making me really aware of how short the old trip used to be before Barry put the effort in to negotiating the longer route. We portaged round the weir and then played in the pool below for a while and I lost my woolly hat which got flicked off by a branch and sank before I could retrieve it. Bev was then very generous as she lent me her prized cap which she had all those years ago when we paddled in Finland. I looked after it with great care and was able to return it unscathed.

There were two nice weirs to play on and the last was very enjoyable with a good standing wave which was very hard to get on to, but great if you did.

At one of the weirs Ross and Sarah had a go at a high cross or something similar and shipped a bit of water, whereupon Ross suggested that they try again. Sarah’s response was very determined and they didn’t!

The section through Downton was very interesting and the final part was superb in warm sunshine.

I still wish we could paddle in late April but this certainly was a great day out. Thanks again to Barry for organising it.

Lepe to Beaulieu 24 Feb 2008

But it was all too boring for Tim in his new boat (purchased for playing in 'swellies')

Exmoor 9/10th February 2008

A January Weekend on the Torridge

The week before the trip the Torridge had been over its banks, so we were a bit unsure of what to expect. It had fallen back to its normal level though, and was perfect for the mixed group of novices and old cripples. Perhaps that’s a bit unfair, I was the only real cripple, and we did have my boys Jake and Lee, and Jo Ratford, with us to bring the average age below fifty. I was nursing a herniated disc and had the pleasure of looking on while the others did all the boat carrying. I could get used to that! In the canoe I was fine, kneeling in a perfect posture for the back injury, and I felt much better after two good days of gentle paddling.

Ros and Dave worked hard to convince the less enthusiastic old paddlers that we could run both the sections proposed for the weekend, together on the Saturday. They didn’t really succeed, so we left one car at the mid point to run a shuttle for those who expected to drop out there. In fact everyone paddled the full 18km from Sheepwash Bridge to Beaford Bridge without complaint, apart from Nick Leatherdale, whose kayak back strap had failed and left him in real discomfort. As usual we didn’t get afloat till mid day, but the weather was excellent for January, little wind and plenty of sun, and paddling till 4:30 was no problem.

Newcomers Graham Mussett and his son James came along just for the first day. They had a bit of trouble negotiating the tight bends and trees, and each had capsizes. There were a few worried looks on the old faces when Graham went into a tree and capsized, in a classic “strainer” situation. Fortunately I was just behind him, pulled his kayak free, and he righted himself with support from my stern. James was not to be outdone and followed his father’s line precisely. He wasn’t so lucky with a rescue and had the second of three swims. He got very cold at lunchtime but several people took pity on him, rallied round, and got him into some of their spare kit. They both were pretty tired come the end, but enjoyed it, I think, despite the cold.

Nick had brought a ready-made curry, so was able to satisfy his addiction for a couple of pints in the pub with a few other drinkers, whilst the not-so-desperate went back to heat the dinner up.

On Sunday Liz Gibbons went walking and Nick went photographing, so we were a depleted group. We paddled from Beaford to Torrington, an even more leisurely trip, with a couple of weirs to add interest. Lunch was typically laid back, with a sunny, grassy field to nap in. After that we took a look at the first weir, a simple slope with a drop of about 4 feet, but with very little water. A simple slide for the kayaks. I pushed my canoe afloat before Bev had a chance to stop me with cries of “You’re not. Not with your bad back!” and it was no problem – provided you had a solid brace on the weir face. With a drop that high an open canoe gets very unstable. With its bow in the water and stern resting on the lip of the weir, none of the wide mid-body is in the water, so the stability has to come from the paddle. Sorry Dot, whatever your protestations at the time, the photo shows your paddle high-bracing in the air. Still, you have to get your money’s worth out of your dry suit sometime I suppose, and you must get really hot in it. Mikes Farnden and Worth, and Dave Chadwick all did great jobs of recovering from some impressive angles, whilst others declined the support stroke challenge.

The second weir was a much smaller and simpler vertical drop, with little chance of capsizing, but with much more flow it looked more daunting. I knew the telling off from Bev would be far more painful and long lasting than the cold shock, if for some reason I did capsize, so I thought I’d better not risk it a second time. Only Dave and Jo Ratford shot it. Even that came only after some serious bullying from me, and comparisons with the much more threatening weirs on the Liffey, that, apparently, they were in training for. Ros White even put off the rest of the kayakers by portaging her brand new creek boat. Should have bought a flat water touring boat if you’re not going to paddle down hills in it Ros!

Simon Burke and Marion Leatherdale were open canoe partners for the first time. After a few nervous moments early on Saturday, Marion’s confidence in her novice partner grew, but not enough to try the weir. Simon enjoyed it so much he went out a bought himself a canoe.

The wildlife highlight came on Sunday, with two otters spotted swimming in different reaches of the river. The Torridge is notable for the lack of any development or roads along the banks so perhaps it is a more likely place to see them than most rivers we paddle.

Most of us returned to the cottage to try and eat up some of the food, but we had to concede defeat on all the cakes Jo had baked. Thanks to all the caterers for another great feasting weekend.

Yoof-anasia

Introducing some New Forest Explorer Scouts to Grade 4 proved very successful - I was pleased with this photo of Rees exiting Euthanasia on the Upper Dart

Fri 13th

Sat 14th

Sun 15

Fri 13^th

Sat 14^th