Rollalots Blog

Which Way Down the Equatorial Plug Hole?

2011-12-13T15:30:00.001Z

The Hypothesis

Rumour has it that here in the Northern Hemisphere watervortices down a plug hole anti-clockwise owing the Coriolis Effect of theearths spin. Using the same principal I will always favour taking the rightline through the gnarl. Of course, paddling in the Southern Hemisphere goingleft seemed to work for me, and water drains clockwise. Obviously, this is allrubbish – but we had to have a scientific quest to justify a paddling holidayin Ecuador didn’t we?. Bang on the equator, surely the water drops straight downand the safest line will always be centre – well, that was the hypothesis wewent out to test :- ) Dave Surman, Andy Newell and I

The Laboratory: Wet and Warm

Tena (about 4 hours drive South East of Quito) and capitalof the Napo Province, is arguably the most popular kayaking destination inEcuador. Tena was originally founded by missionary explorers and retains awonderful frontier atmosphere - A real jungle town that lies at the confluenceof the Tena and Pano rivers. These rivers soon join the Misahualli and flowinto the Napo River the 9th largest tributary to the Amazon. The city sits atan altitude of around 500M – it is hot, steamy, wet. We paddled at thebeginning of the ‘not so wet’ season (Dec to February) the main kayakingseason. The heaviest rains come in April, May, and June. But don’t let theweather put you off – it is invariably hot and sunny for part of the day –thunder storms bubbling up in the afternoons. Wet and warm – a kayakers dreamenvironment.

Tena lies one degree South of the Equator but we reasonedthat this would have minimal effect on our experiment, particularly in view ofthe good selection of cafés and restaurants offered and the opportunity to enjoyCoco Ron cocktails at Spiders bar- a time honoured way of finishing a paddling day

A couple of hours drive North of Tena, the adjacent Quijoscatchment, at around 1500M altitude, offers some cooler boating. Both EndlessAdventure and Small WorldAdventures are based here at San Francisco de Borja (Borja). Most kayakersvisiting Ecuador sample the rivers in both these catchments

The Logistics

On all previous paddling adventures I have managed to flywith my own kayak. However, flying American Airlines through Miami we electedto hire boats from the good folk at EndlessAdventure who have a fleet of decent (although somewhat battered) creekboats on offer.

Jondachi Put In

To make things even easier, and to appease Chris Ryman at EndlessAdventure who was concerned about our losing / trashing more preciousboats, we elected to purchase a ‘Gringo Warm Up’ – three days where EndlessAdventure provided guiding, shuttles, lunches and, perhaps most importantly,wisdom and knowledge.

Dave S on the Quijos

We enjoyed thehassle free boating so much during these three days that, having counted thedollars, we elected to continue with guides for the remainder of our stay. Forus three gentlemen, no longer in the flush of gnarl boating youth, with limitedtime, and even less savvy, this proved perfect - No faff, good company andmaximum paddling time.

Andy N, Rio Piatua

Guiding is not essential – Transport to putins and get outs is comparatively easy to arrange with taxi drivers in their4wd pick-ups. Many of these drivers are familiar with the runs and know all theaccess points. Some, like Elluardo seem to have an infinite knowledge and candescribe the character of the river, grades, lines, levels, etc. etc.. – But pickyour taxi driver well to avoid getting lost in the jungle. However, if you wantto maximise your time in a boat and minimise time spent planning, scouting longdrops, waiting for transport etc. we would highly recommend talking to EndlessAdventure.

Walk in to the Jondachi

The Rivers

This region seemsto cater for every kayaker – big water playful runs to low volume steep creeksand everything in between (I even spied 4 sea kayaks on the top of a busheading down to the Napo for a jungle float trip). We were looking for thegrade 4 runs and there were plenty of these to choose from

Jungle Access

Eight days paddlingover a two week holiday ticks my box (and made my ‘Over 50%’ rule).Particularly considering it takes two days travelling each way from the UK. Wepaddled

Rio Jatunyacu – a30 km grade 3 warm up on the first day – A Big volume, wide, bouncy,playful run

The Upper Misahualli(Lodo and El Retin sections) from san Francisco to Archidona about 20 km ofcontinuous grade 4 creek boating – a Boof galore run that we enjoyed so much wejust had to return later in the week for another run

Butterflies on the Upper Mis

The lower Jondachi /Hollin).The long muddy walk in was rewarded by a stunning 38 km of grade 4 pool droppaddling through thick jungle with waterfalls cascading down the steep valleysides.

Sandra B Rio Jondachi

Rio Quijos (Borja and El Chaco sections) 20 km ofpowerful and steep grade 4 pool drop fun

Rio Cosanga: Aftera night of heavy rain a 10km beating of continuous busy grade 4 with powerful hydraulics– fast, furious and brown

Rio Piatua: 22 kmof grade 4 cruisy low volume creeking. Being chased by menacing thunder cloudsdown to the confluence of the Rio Anzu

Dave S Rio Piatua

Rio Tena (Uppersection to the Town): A Grade 2 and 3 bimble float in the sunshine stopping fora few beers on the way and to play with the river kids - An excellent chilldown before the long journey home.

River Kids giving kayaking a go on the Tena

There were lots of runs that we, either, didn’t have time tofit in, or, for the grade 5s, the inclination and balls to run. Our one regretis missing the Overnighter on the Hollin – one of my passions in kayaking is journeyingand spending nights on river beaches. However, we arrived at the Hollin put into find it already high and the sky black with thunder clouds. The risk of aflash was very real and we moved elsewhere. However, this does illustrate thatthere are always options. Rainfall is usually very localised – while one riveris full, tanking brown an adjacent river might be running low and clear.

Rio Hollin

This is South America

Bear in mind, this is South America, and a degree offlexibility and tolerance always helps. If the taxi driver insists that youcrouch in the well of the cab to avoid detection as he negotiates a policecheck point with dodgy paperwork, so be it. Rooms in lodges and hostels mightnot be entirely free of tarantulas and other creepy crawlies. What you getserved up in an eatery might not necessarily be what you thought you ordered.And if you have an aversion to Avocado or bananas you might struggle. If asloth hangs down from the rafters and grins at you while you are trying toenjoy a steak – live with it!

But, in the main things work out just fine. Our taxi driversinvariably turned up at the get-out within a few minutes of our arrival, with acase of cold beers (even on Sundays when new laws prohibit alcohol). And for afew bucks you can hire a little old granny to carry your boat down a muddy trackto a river for half an hour (oh the shame :- ).

My Little Granny Porter

The locals are great too –children treat the rivers as their playground. It is not uncommon to findyourself being shown the lines through a boulder choked river by a bunch of tenyear olds riding tubes.

The Hypothesis Proved?

So back to our scientific quest then, did we prove thatwater goes straight down a plug hole when on the equator? Did we establish thatthe middle line through the gnarle works best? Hmmm we did find plenty of holesto experiment with and, I for one, was most diligent in my studies of thesefeatures. But, no, we didn’t prove the centre line (which seemed to get me intosome of the larger holes) and we did learn that water and, more to the point, boats in Ecuadorian holes don't seem to goanywhere. Indeed my coveted 9-year ‘no swim’ record was trashed by theseequatorial waters.

Dave S

However we didprove, beyond doubt, that Ecuador offers some fine boating even for ‘soft core’boaters like us. An abundance of quality grade 4 runs where the boulders aresmooth, the water is warm and the beer is cold.

Information

The Kayakers Guideto Ecuador –not all the runs are included and please remember the flash floods inthis region are frequent and extreme the rivers can come up feet in seconds andrapids are constantly remodelled. Some updates to the published guide areincluded at http://www.kayakersguidetoecuador.blogspot.com/

But talk to Endless Adventure too, they are masters at sorting out logistics, hiring boats, fixing accommodation, problem solving and, of course, guiding

Thanks Chris Ryman and Andrea of Endless Adventure for your hospitality, flexibility and company and, of course, Dave Gore, Abby Dent, Abraham Herrera for safely guiding these three Englishman down some splendid jungle rivers

If the above doesn't convince you to consider paddling in Ecuador, perhaps a few more images might

Floating on Eire

2011-08-26T18:32:00.000+01:00

It is said that the only way to tell the seasons apart in Ireland is by the temperature of the rain. And how true that proved. But the images here lie - they tell a story of sunshine, calm seas and settled highs. In reality, these were in short supply but who cares! We enjoyed our tour of the west, taking in Donegal, Mayo, Gallway, Kerry and Cork

Small Craft warnings invariable blasted out of the VHF every day and there was certainly no shortage of wind. But the fact that we were 'camper van kayaking' and not doing any multi-days meant that it was simple enough to load up the boats and find sheltered venues. Whatever the wind direction, the indented coastline of the West Coast, coupled with the skerries and islands always provide alternatives a short distance away. We managed to bike or boat almost every day and were rewarded with some stunning locations and great craic, all washed down, of course, with copious amounts of the other national drink.

A flavour of what Ireland has to offer camper vanning sea kayakers

Seals, of course

Stunning 'wild camps' - this one in Donegal gave us over a week of paddling and biking on our door/camper step

Now - that has to beat finishing a days paddling in a bivvy :)

Beautiful deserted beaches

Calm sheltered waters

A little bit or Irish Caribbean

Chilly morning swims

Misty mountain biking

Long shadows

Plenty of history

Who says the sun doesn't shine in Ireland!

Wheels

2011-06-23T17:41:00.003+01:00

I can't believe more than a year has passed since I posted anything on this much neglected blog. I guess a little 'catch-up' is called for - and it needs to take in the purchase of a new set of wheels. Swanky camper wheels to be clear - not some rusty under-powered old bay window combi (ahhh fond memories) but a pristine VW California with a bit of muscle and 4wd.

So, this past year has seen less time spent crawling into a bivvy bag and more snuggling under a duvet in the spacious double bed under the Cali 'pop top'. Must be an age thing but I really am quite enjoying the comfort of it all - so long as I can still crawl into that bivvy and anjoy a few sleepless nights of discomfort from time to time.

Anyway - the major plus is that my wife loves the camper too and even camper based sea kayaking. Some images from trips to Spain and Brittany

Spain and Camper Biking

And Brittany with boats added :)

Right round Wight

2010-06-25T10:19:00.002+01:00

It’s about time I made a trip around the Isle of Wight. It’s on the doorstep and it has been on the agenda for a long time, but, somehow I had always found an excuse to enjoy some of the more scenic paddles along the local coast instead.

And so I joined Rich H, Chas and Ross one glorious June weekend – setting off on a Friday afternoon for a ‘circumnavigation’.

Unfortunately the weekend fell closer to neaps than springs and we were facing Force 3/4 Northerlies. We had also chosen the weekend of the JP Morgan Round the Island sailing race which boasted more than 1,700 entries!

There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat. And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures (William Shakespeare, of course)

Well, because of one thing and another, we left Keyhaven shortly before slack water and, with an anti-clockwise plan, paddled into the evening up to Grange Farm, against the ebb. We had just managed to pitch the bivvies and walk to the pub before they stopped serving food.

The morning gave us one of those crystal clear sparkling skies that you only get when the clouds clear after a night of rain. And there was a true spectacle on the horizon – a long string of hundreds of yachts as far as the eye could see.

With 25 kms under our belt – we faced an easy day on Saturday, riding the flood 35kms to Foreland – time for coffee and Carrot Cake at Ventnor too. It was a long camp at Long Ledge (either that, or turn the corner into stiff Northerlies for an alternative exposed site) – we chilled. The VHF blurted “Northerly Force 4/5, occasionally 6, veering West”

Time and tide wait for no man (Geoffrey Chaucer)

True enough – that’s why we had to get up at 3am, to ensure that we were away in time to catch the ebb back to Keyhaven. No worries though – we were in for a ride on the renowned Solent tidal conveyor belt. Rubbish, the conveyor belt was broken for most of the day and we paddled 8 hours non-stop through sloppy seas and annoying wind to cover the 45kms. Getting to Hurst just in time (before the flood through the narrows kicked in)

Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. Harriet Beecher Stowe

Good fun, hard work, great company – not to be repeated!

Jungle Chill

2010-04-30T15:38:00.005+01:00

Exploring the mellow side of kayaking in Nepal

The Plan

Back to one of my favourite places – Nepal. It was another Rainsley tour – this time with a large group of 15. The intention – to split into two teams. Team Thuli were the hardcore group intending to spend 5 days on the continuous 4+/5 Thuli Bheri. The Jungle Chill team principally comprised the SWAGS – Seniors, Wives & Girlfriends of Team Thuli. The Jungle Chill team was looking for something different - balking at the challenge of the Thuli and, owing to frailty, injury and/or inclination had elected for a more sedate 5 days on the Bheri. Both groups would then meet up at Surkhet to spend 5 days on the Kanarli river and a few days winding down in Bardia National Park.

Getting There
Driving direct from Delhi was, perhaps, a mistake. Delhi to Surkhet took close to 24 hours. The border crossing took 5 hours to clear – with dollars and rupees exchanged to smooth the way and a considerable amount of form filling. Immigration (at just one of the half-dozen checks) involved a remarkably slow officer hand scribing all the details we had provided on Form FI1X3xd into a huge leather bound ledger. It took him 10 minutes per entry and with 15 of us we had to rely on samosas to keep us going. It was amusing to see the uniformed immigration staff receiving backhanded rupees from all rickshaws, carts and bikes carrying loads across the border. There seemed to be a recognised backhand tarrif that everyone knew. Approaching cyclists would watch the officers carefully and try to time their progress to best miss being collared for the charge.

We had all been travelling non-stop for 48 hours by the time we reached the dubious sanctuary of a hotel in Surkhet.

Bheri
Downstream of the ‘hard core’ Thuli Bheri, you find, in Pete Knowles words “One of the most scenic rivers in Nepal with golden cliffs, green jungle, crystal clear green water; white beaches, excellent fishing, good bird watching; coupled with a powerful current and sparkling rapids of moderate difficulty”

We spent a relaxed 5 days enjoying the 140kms of this river, from Devistal to the confluence of the Kanarli and down to Chisapani. Pete’s description proved spot on – with a run through four beautiful gorges, punctuated by pristine beach camps, and some very mellow grade 3/3+ paddling.

We had read of boaters in this region of Nepal finding signs of leopards and tigers at beaches, and seeing pythons, crocs etc. We only had close encounters with scorpions and huge hornets. The latter objected to sharing my cag and gave me a sharp reminder to shake out kit at every opportunity. The birdlife on the rivers was remarkable

This was the ‘Wild West’ of Nepal – an area that sees far less tourism than the normal Nepal destinations. This was noticeable with the quality of the river beaches we found for camps each night and the reception we experienced from the local villagers and the constant and cheerful calls of “Namaste” and “Bye bye bye bye bye”

Tourism, particularly in this region, virtually ceased altogether during the Maoists ‘Peoples War’ from 1996 to 2006. While an uneasy Peace Accord and power sharing now exists, we had half expected to be collared by Maoists for a generous ‘gift to the cause’ to ease our passage. Indeed, on one occasion we were called over by a group waving the Maoists flag but carried on our journey with a wave from the sanctuary of the middle of the river!

We always chose camps away from villages and on the opposite side of the river to any habitation. This was not, so much, to avoid the locals altogether, but to give us some privacy and avoid village ‘latrines’. However, Dungas invariably enabled resourceful children to paddle across to us for a visit – to perch on rocks around our camps and watch our curious goings on. They were keen to try on our gear, sit in boats and watch our fire making and cooking skills.

Self-sufficient multi day paddling in creek boats implies severe restrictions in the clobber that you can bring along. We slept in bivvy bags and ate freeze dried high calorie expedition food packs – amongst the group we had a huge range of these – although, with few exceptions, they all taste the same. Chilli flakes, tobasco and supplement Coconut Crunchies help – as did the Kukri Rum

We arrived at Chisapani on schedule to find chaos. Having carried our boats and gear up the steep stone steps, and through (literally) a pig sty to enjoy our first cold drinks (we had been living off filtered river water for 5 days) we learnt that the Maoists had called a two-day ‘Road Strike’. We had intended to bus to Nepalganj, pick up our ‘resupply’ gear and join Team Thuli at Surkhet. The police, however, warned us that Nepalganj was blocked off, “too dangerous, fighting in the streets until 5pm tomorrow” (how they could timetable the cessation of violence was beyond me). Anyway, to cut a long story short, we ended up piling our boats into a couple of ‘Press Jeeps’ and headed for a lodge in Bardia National park. As luck would have it, we ended up at “Forest Hideaway” – the very lodge that we had booked to visit a week later – and Mohan (the owner) proved a great ‘fixer’. After a morning trekking through the park looking for tigers, a bus was waiting for us, and we arrived at Surkhet, a day late, but within an hour of Team Thuli (who had their own story to tell)

Kanarli
The Kanarli is one of finest big volume rafting and kayaking trips in Nepal – and normally a 7 to 9 day excursion. We had allowed 5 days – which seemed optimistic, considering the fact that on the first day we didn’t put on until 5:30 pm and we had some 200kms to paddle.

There were 14 of us now – the two teams joined - less one that we had lost in Bardia (not to Tigers, but wrist injury). A huge group – but it’s a huge river, with huge beaches. The first two full days on the river provided us some fine Grade 4/4+ white water. The low levels experienced at this time of year seemed to give the drops added gradient, and some fun technical ‘hole-dodging’ runs.

By early afternoon on the second full day things began to quieten down. “Red Canyon” didn’t provide much action and we soon hit the flats. Occasional grade 2 headwall rapids offered some respite until we pulled over at what we affectionately called Buffalo Shit beach.

We had made remarkable progress, paddling over 100kms of grade 4/4+ water in a little over two days – but we now had 80kms of flat paddling ahead of us.

We elected to start early the following morning and make the most of the cool and the downstream winds (winds turn up stream in the afternoon). The Kanarli licks along at a fair old pace. I am one of those that need to know where I am at all times and I could tell how quickly we were eating the flats. When I reported on progress for some unknown reason certain team members started to consider going for the finish. I could see no benefit in this (as I would sooner be on a river beach than anywhere else) but cold beers were too tempting for others and we ended up paddling the 80kms in one day. And so, we had paddled the Kanarli in, effectively, 3 days and we were at Forest Hydeaway for some Ëverest beers a day early.

Bardia and Forest Hideaway

We enjoyed our 2 days at Bardia – a long jungle trek was rewarded by the sighting of one of the 25 one-horned Rhinos in the park, together with wild Elephant, Blue Bull antelopes, Swamp, spotted and Hog deer, wild boar, Langur and Macaque monkeys and a huge number of birds. We visited Elephant and crocodile breeding centres and danced with a local dance troop and Bardia staff – even demonstrating a poor rendition of Auld Langsyne. We never saw those Tigers though.

Volcation
It was on the long 24 hour bus trip trip back to Delhi that we heard rumours of a volcano eruption in Iceland causing havoc. Sometime overnight I received a text from Virgin telling me that my flight was cancelled and to please contact them to re-schedule or get a refund. On our eventual arrival at good old Hotel Lohias in Delhi we congregated to sort out our Virgin flights. We managed to book on 27 April (9 days after our scheduled 18 flight) – and only then by agreeing to pay for Premium Economy (an additional £110)

The Hindustan Times reported that Delhi was experiencing its hottest April in 52 years at 44 degrees. A smog haze hung over the whole city and the air was stifling and sultry. We spent our ‘Volcation’ days variously in markets, forts, temples, tombs, the United Coffee house and western Malls.

But we also spent four or five hours each morning, in queues at the airport, trying to secure stand-by seats back to the UK – being fobbed off by harassed Virgin staff and moved on by machine-gun toting security. I now choose to forget the details of the extended Volcation in Delhi!

Conclusion
Initially I had been keen on the Thuli trip – drooling over videos and images of such fine whitewater. However, I was becoming increasingly aware that I could no longer pretend to be a hardcore paddler. Hard continuous boating and portaging 3kms along dubious paths with fully laden creek boats was no longer a realistic proposition, allowing for advancing years and a dodgy back. Several months before the trip I had battled with the idea of ‘downgrading’

However, there is so much more to expedition paddling than the thrill of hard white water. I enjoy such trips for more than the action – for the journey, taking you to different places, different cultures, the wildlife, the camps, and the camaraderie of river mates. This 'Jungle Chill' trip ticked all the right boxes.

In terms of the all too important Paddle-to-travel ratio that I always use to weigh up adventures, it was supposed to be a 17 day trip with 10 days of paddling (well over my 50% rule) – but, with the enforced Volcation in Delhi and the rushed job we made of the Kanarli, the ratio of 24 days to 8 days was a poor 1/3 - Just as well the paddle days proved so much fun then.

My thanks goes to Mark Rainsley for putting it all together, and to my river mates for such good craic

Many more images are given here
And mapping here

Soaking up the Souks

2010-02-20T15:53:00.001Z

If you have to shop - let it be in the souks of Marrakech

The narrow winding derbs

Tasty tajines

the riot of colours

textures

and tack

are all good

Tees Hook Up

2009-11-02T14:44:00.010Z

Isn't the internet a wonderful thing! - Up in Yorkshire for a week, with a boat, but no paddling buddies. Thanks to the Durham Uni CC web forum I was able to find a few lads to go boating with. (Rory, above, and Paul)

A Mild day, adequate water and the Upper Tees proved a fun paddle and very Photogenic.
Salmon Leap (or 'Dog Leg') rapid

And Low Force falls

Loads more photos here http://www.flickr.com/photos/rollalot/sets/72157622716949060/show/

July Trading

2009-07-19T07:38:00.004+01:00

Strong winds - but summer rain. Trading down from a Sea boat to a River boat and the rare privilege of paddling our rivers in a warm green English July

Rain is Liquid Sunshine (Los Burritos)

Exploring Gokova

2009-05-30T15:05:00.004+01:00

On the flight home, Frances turned to me and asked "can we do this again next May?" - this was the result I was looking for, I have found a formula for sharing paddlesport with my better half - sun, gentle paddling, deserted beaches and chilled days in foreign waters.

There were a few moments during the week when I thought the plan might not work. The time when she called out to me "there's a bloke up there with a gun calling us" (we had wandered into a military zone) and the afternoon when a force 5 had picked up a 2 metre swell (but we were camped on a sheltered island)

But, exploring the Gulf of Gokova, in South West Turkey, with a couple of rented sea kayaks proved an excellent week

The Region

Turkeys South West Coast where the Aegean Sea meets the Mediterranean Sea is often referred to as the Turquoise Coast on account of its azure seas – tempted!. A quick browse of Google Earth will reveal a rugged, pine forested coastline with lots of inlets, bays and islands.

We explored the Gulf of Gokova, which lies 40 minutes North of Marmaris (and a couple of hours drive from Dalaman Airport). This area offered a comparatively wild and remote coastline with many small beaches in sheltered bays - with little or no road access or settlement within the expanse of pine forest

The region is very quiet – no one around except the odd fisherman and passing yachts and Gulets (the latter, are beautiful yachts carrying tourists from the Turkish resorts on day or week excursions)
The paddling – conditions and climate/weatherIn late May we enjoyed cloudless skies and temperatures in the low 30’s. The prevailing winds are North West and normally pick up in the afternoons to force 3/4. On a few days these generated a significant swell (to 2 metres) – but can easily be avoided in the sheltered bays
We were on holiday, not on ‘an expedition’, and enjoyed a leisurely paddling routine. Up with the dawn, packed up and away between 07:00 and 08:00, paddling (with stops) through to 13:00 and then lounging around the chosen beach camp for the rest of the day. Take a tarp for shade

Camping

There is no shortage of beaches suitable for camping. All are of similar character, narrow and pebbly (don’t forget sleeping mats), often with some shade afforded by scattered pine trees and vegetation. The nature of the thick scrub behind the beach makes it difficult to explore beyond the fringe

Unexpectedly we found rubbish a big issue. Almost all beaches are cluttered with washed up debris. Vast quantities of plastic line the shore. At first we found this disturbing, but quickly became accustomed to executing a quick tidy-up and ‘litter pick’ before establishing each camp. A word of warning, however, the debris may include a fair share of fishing tackle and a barbed hook in a foot on this remote coastline would (and almost did, in our case) bring your holiday to a swift endThe pine tree forests of this region are plagued by fires throughout the summer. While, for this reason, I believe fires are forbidden in the area, we built small contained fires on the pebbles each night – but well away from any vegetation

Wildlife

This area of South West turkey is reputed to be teeming with birdlife, but the particular stretch of coast that we explored had surprisingly little (only gulls and cormorants) The insect life proved much more interesting with many species of arachnids (some beautiful some looking decidedly mean).

There were a few mosquitoes and horse flies about but too few to cause a problem. Snorkelling proved a pleasant way of passing the hot afternoons. Lots of urchins and fish but no colourful reefs

Equipment
An outfit called “Alternatif Outdoor” established in 1991 will, in addition to running guided tours, rent sea kayaks and gear out to ‘independents’. We took our own paddles, PFDs and camping equipment and hired boats (Prijon Seayaks) and decks from Alternatif. If we hadn’t been so fussy we could have hired everything we needed. But, take your own maps and charts (we laminated Google Earth maps) – the charts that Alternatif can supply are very limited. Surprisingly we had good mobile reception everywhere we went. We took a VHF but never used it.

Alternatif Outdoor Kenan Evren Bulvar, Camlik Sok. 10/1, Marmaris, Mugla, Turkey Tel 00 90 252 417 2720 Email: info@alternatifoutdoor.com Web: http://www.alternatifoutdoor.com/

Provisions
Everything you are likely to need can be purchased in Marmaris before you leave. Shops are open 7 days a week and bread, pasta, tuna, fruit, vegetables, snacks etc. can all be purchased from the small supermarkets. We had to carry sufficient water for 5 days 30 litres (6 x 5 litre bottles) proved just right. Theoretically, we might have been able to acquire water at ‘Ali’s place’ (tucked away down the deep inlet of Kargili Koyu) on the 4th day, or scrounge some from one of the yachts

Marmaris

Ahmet, who was driving us and our boats to the get in, laughed at our smiles as we left Marmaris in the rear view mirror. He remembered, just 20 or so years ago, when Marmaris was a sleepy fishing harbour. Now, there’s only a tiny scrap of the original character remaining, the rest has been swallowed up by the ever growing tourist resort development. Restaurants and clubs vie for your custom, a ‘Full English’ breakfast available at every corner to aid your recovery after a night of Karaoke and foam parties. While 24 hours at either end of our trip was more than enough time here, Marmaris is not entirely devoid of charm, set within a beautiful bay and kept remarkably clean and tidy

Getting There
Flights from the UK to Dalaman Airport are frequent – and shuttle buses from the airport to Marmaris are cheap and easy

Costs
Sadly the ‘bucket airlines’ don’t fly to Dalaman and we couldn’t find flights cheaper than £300 (indeed, the cheapest we found came with apartment rooms in Marmaris thrown in!). Alternatif charge 30 Euros a day for each sea kayak (including paddles, deck, PFD, bilge pump). This, together with the 75 Euros for transfers at the beginning and end of the trip means that the whole holiday doesn’t come particularly cheap – but we would still recommend it!

More Photos here http://www.flickr.com/photos/rollalot/sets/72157619051956918/show/

Published in "Canoe & Kayak UK" Magazine September 2009

Long Boat on Long Island

2009-04-20T07:24:00.006+01:00

Strange as it seems, there is a long boat beached at Long Island, Poole Harbour.

Long Island, owned by the Rempstone Estate, was put on the market back in 2007 and big forbidding ‘PRIVATE KEEP OFF’ signs have since adorned its shores. Before this we had often landed to enjoy a picnic and short stretch here when paddling in the harbour. The occupant of the barge didn’t want to be drawn into a conversation (it was still early in the morning) but it would seem that the long boat is being used to accommodate security guards charged with preventing anyone landing on the island.

As I understand it, someone has submitted a ‘rights-of-way’ application and over 100 people have given evidence that the island has been visited and used as a public right of way for 30 to 50 years. I believe the sale of the island has been put on hold until the outcome of this application is known.

Security guards on an island in Poole harbour! I guess if I owned, and was trying to sell, an island in Poole Harbour I wouldn't be keen on folk wandering all over it either

Still, it didn’t seem to phase the Round Island seal we spied swimming close to its shores and we still enjoyed our short ‘Breakfast on Brownsea’ paddle.

Yoofanasia

2009-02-17T09:50:00.005Z

We had waited many months for the conditions to be suitable for introducing a few very keen 'yoofs' to the joys of the Upper Dart. We wanted it just below the ledge with mild air temperatures. 15th February was perfect. A grand day out.

Above, Ben (16) exiting Euthanasia

Below Jacob (15) negotiating Boulder Rapid

And Jake (13) on Euthanasia

Never too young

A Sequence on the Lyn

2009-02-02T14:34:00.007Z

1st February and the temperature never crawled above freezing. Levels on the East Lyn were low and the river chossy. This sequence follows Chas through some of the gnarl at the beginning of the gorge section.

To complete the sequence another paddler goes deep below the drop that Chas is pictured entering above

My numb fingers were struggling with the camera controls but we were off the river before the first flurries of snow arrived that heralded the approaching storm. We restored our circulation over the obligatory Devonshire Cream Teas that always round off a good day out on the Lyn.

Seal at Christchurch

2009-01-03T16:11:00.004Z

During the Christmas week, with the rivers of Dartmoor empty, I took my sea boat out a few times.

On New Years day I paddled from Mudeford up to the tidal limit of both the Stour and the Avon (to give me some much needed exercise and to clear a hangover!).

I was fortunate enough to have a close encounter with a seal just at the entrance to the Avon (SZ 162 922) – he popped up next to the sea kayak, gave me a few welcoming snorts and swam around and under the boat before departing. I was so suprised I forgot to get my camera out - but the above is fairly close

I don’t think I have ever seen seals in Christchurch Harbour before? (But, that could be a memory thing!).

Nice start to 2009 anyway!

Scouts on the Walkham

2008-11-10T09:19:00.004Z

Another autumn grade 2/3 paddle for scouts and club. The levels were improved, swim count remained the same, and the slot gave them some excitement. Gloomy weather though

Dog Low Loop - irresponsible paddling?

2008-10-21T14:07:00.007+01:00

Mid October - it hadn't rained for two weeks, the rivers were going to be low. But I had promised to take some scouts and club paddlers down an easy stretch of water. Diaries had been set weeks (if not months) in advance.

It is debatable, in my view, that paddling the Loop section of the river Dart in low conditions has any significant impact on the environment. However, the current concensus seems to be - only paddle when the rivers are full.

For those of us that are unfortunate enough to lead busy lives hundreds of miles away from white water, the options for 'organised' trips such as this are usually cancel or paddle regardless - re-arranging for another weekend, particularly when this involves obtaining access permission, is often not an option

Well, we went ahead, paddled responsibly, and the youngsters enjoyed a great introduction to white water

13 Seconds to get off Charton Bay

2008-08-26T09:19:00.009+01:00

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. We made Charton Bay by 2pm

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. Growing storm clouds and rain extinguished our fire and found a design fault in my bivvy bag. The outcome - a sleepless and soaking night. While the storm had passed by first light, it left a 'boat breaking' dumping surf in its wake.

We sat on the beach all morning waiting for a 'break in the break'. 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?
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.

South Coast July?

2008-07-08T06:47:00.005+01:00

We rarely get any kind of surf on the South Coast in the summer - that is why there is a growing interest in sea kayaks. But July isn't offering much sea kayaking weather. Windblown and messy at Highcliffe but enjoyable all the same

Less Than Three?

2008-07-03T06:32:00.003+01:00

More and more of our canoe club members are taking up sea kayaking to while away the summer when the rivers are dry. A couple of weeks ago a few of us enjoyed an 'afternoon at the races' and the swells and waves came close to tipping us over. It seemed sensible for us to devote a few evenings to practice 'rescues'. How difficult can it be to get back into your kayak should the unthinkable happen?

We tried a variety of assisted and self rescues from the 'leg over' and 'ladder' to the re-entry roll with various degrees of success.

Perhaps the overriding lesson learnt was – getting back into a sea kayak alone is more difficult than it looks. Either lots of practice or don’t paddle alone or don’t fall in!

I enjoy paddling alone - but, while my roll has always proved solid, I will make a point of practicing other techniques (eggs and baskets)

Worbarrow Camp

2008-05-29T17:21:00.004+01:00

Mid May and an uneasy forecast - but the easterly swell and wind pushed us along nicely - from Sandbanks to one of my favourite camp spots at Wobarrow.

Now, courtesy of Mark Rainsley, a guide to sea kayaking the whole of the South West coast is available http://southwestseakayaking.co.uk/promotional-bumf/

I wonder if we will see more kayakers enjoying the Jurassic Coast in the future?

5 days on the Soca

2008-05-02T18:37:00.008+01:00

We were blessed - with good weather and high river levels, for a memorable and relaxing five days paddling on the Soca

When the water wasn't white

It was unbelievably blue

And always playful

We are watching you

2008-04-16T17:38:00.001+01:00

Snapped this morning

Images from India

2008-04-09T07:10:00.029+01:00

12 of us have recently returned from a mini-adventure to paddle in the Indian Himalayas – targeting areas that see few paddlers or tourists. The trip was arranged by Mark Rainsley (big thanks)

A selection of images tells the story.

Rishikesh - Yoga centre for a warm up paddle on the Holy Ganges

Launching on the Pindar (a tributary of the Alaknanda)

A 3 Day paddle with loaded boats down the Alaknanda (from Chamoli to Rudraprayag)

A day on the Mandikini (Agastyamuni to Rudraprayag)
A day driving

A day paddling the Yamuna gorges
Two days on the Tons

Over the pass for two days on the mighty Sutlej

A final day chilling (recovering) in Shimla

Escape

2008-03-11T19:52:00.002Z

Not long now - Hoping for some quality rivers, some good weather and lots of fun.
Locking the office door in 10 days time :-)

Beaulieu Seal

2008-02-25T12:01:00.004Z

Is it unusual to encounter (Common?) seals in the Solent?. We came across this one while paddling into the Beaulieu river. She wasn't overly bothered by the presence of 20 inquisitive kayakers!

A clear sky

2008-02-19T07:17:00.004Z

Are those dark bits storm clouds?

There's no water locally and still no rain forecast - the white water season seems to have dried up, the third trip cancelled. It's back to the sea kayak this weekend I guess.

Still I have a few river trips to foreign parts to look forward to :-)

A Frosty February Morning on the Forest

2008-02-11T10:21:00.000Z

No Paddling this weekend

Exiting Euthanasia

2007-12-24T12:53:00.000Z

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

Running for Higher Ground

2007-12-10T12:45:00.000Z

Dartmoor saturated - time to look for some opportunistic runs. Trekking around 'Gutter Tor' with plenty to float our boats even at the very top of the Plym

And plenty more within 1km

Rhossili - a sight for paddle starved eyes

2007-10-28T08:55:00.000Z

Towards the end of October and the rivers remain dry - Rhossili proved a sight for paddle starved eyes. Moderate clean surf uncluttered by other boards and boats

Hedging Bets

2007-10-15T08:18:00.001+01:00

Dartmoor remains boney but a Classic surf weekend was on the cards - would the clean swell reach Kimmeridge on the South coast?

Just as well I loaded the sea boat!

Off the water

2007-09-15T17:15:00.000+01:00

A few weekends without floating my boat - it was time to build a toy shed

Sand in the face

2007-09-06T07:29:00.000+01:00

Redend Defaced
A short paddle out to Old Harry took us past Redend Point on Studland at the weekend. Here the coloured sands, in the Redend Sandstone of the Eocene Poole Formation, are well-exposed (in more ways than one).

For the technical bit .... "Iron oxides have been reprecipitated in the sandstone at various horizons in an irregular manner that does not correspond to the bedding There is liesiegang banding that has probably originated when pyrite was oxidised and iron-bearing solutions moved out from the pyrite source. The colour yellow or brown is typical of limonite or goethite, but in patches the bands are represented by a red iron oxide like hematite"

But all that doesn't stop some idiots leaving their mark

Summer Rain

2007-08-22T07:13:00.000+01:00

Mid August - and a planned sea kayak weekend was diverted to Dartmoor rivers (all running at a good winter level). What a crazy year. And the next weekend, all rain had vanished and it was to the coast . . . .

The Verdon Canyon - paddling underground

2007-08-06T15:37:00.000+01:00

During the course of a family holiday, Andrew and I managed to include the surreal experience of paddling through the Verdon Grand Canyon in Provence. Aided by Deb Pinniger, who knew the route through the numerous siphons and sieves along the way (negating the need for endless scouting), we managed to complete the 35km run in 7 hours.

An excellent but wierd paddling experience - something between canyoning and kayaking

Deb also came with a 'shuttle bunny' and so we were able to avoid many additional hours of shuttle driving at either end of the day. Consequently, we were back to the Gite in time for dinner with the girls

Weather Window

2007-07-09T17:35:00.003+01:00

For some inexplicable reason, and after a soggy month, the weather cleared up for a weekends paddle from Sidmouth to West Bay.

Bad weather chased us east along the coast on Sunday but never caught us up. Rain returned on the drive home.

A River Avon Blog

2007-06-26T16:26:00.002+01:00

Over the last few years I have been receiving an increasing number of phone and email enquiries concerning paddling the River Avon. Many of these are tourists visiting the area, many others are 'locals' who have, perhaps, enjoyed canoeing during their holidays on the continent and want to take it up here. The vast majority have been blissfully unaware of river access issues.

Rather than explaining the situation again and again I have finally got around to setting up a 'blog' that provides some information http://theriveravon.blogspot.com/

A Calm Day

2007-06-11T08:45:00.001+01:00

The Dorset Coast doesn't get much more benign than this (heading West from Lulworth Cove)

High Queue

2007-05-31T13:19:00.001+01:00

It's a msitake to walk up Snowdon on a bank holiday monday. The queue stretched 5kms along and 800 metres up!

SORTed by Ryanair

2007-05-21T17:28:00.001+01:00

Sort, Pyrenees (for a weekend!?)

I usually consider the 5 hour drive to North Wales a long Haul for a weekend, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity for one pence flights for a weekend's boating in the Pyrenees.

Leaving in the middle of the night, for an early Saturday morning flight to Pau followed by a 4 hour drive across the mountains to Sort we didn't get on the Rio Noguera Pallaresa until 4pm.

With 35kms to paddle to the take out I questioned the wisdom of the plan. But, the river was tanking along. A big, bouncy continueous grade 3 and 4 run woke us all up and we reached the get out by 7pm for well deserved cervezas
Sunday proved to be more drive than paddle as we searched for sections suitable in the high conditions. We found a 3/4 section way up in the alpine meadows that fitted the bill.A long way for a weekend's boating - but great fun all the same

Debating Access

2007-05-12T17:40:00.001+01:00

I attended a Consultation meeting called by the Environment Agency on ‘Strategic planning of water-related sport & recreation’ held at Bovington 9th May.

This was one of four meetings held across the South West to discuss local and regional access issues. The Bovington meeting specifically targeted the Dorset, Wiltshire (Avon), Poole & Bournemouth area.

There were about 20 organisations that attended, including Surfers, water skiers, horse riders, sailors and, of course, anglers.

It has to be said that Brighton Uni organised the day very well. Each organisation produced an A1 poster prior to the event stating the main issues. Participants were split into two groups and each group ran through four workshop sessions

The fact that the BCU and RCC both attended meant that canoeing interests could be represented in both groups.

The value of the exercise, no doubt, will be known in the fullness of time but the river access issues and case were strongly aired. It was staggering how many attendees at the meeting did not know that canoeists were unable to paddle the rivers! At least our attendance afforded the opportunity to educate the un-informed and, hopefully, bring new allies to the cause!

I didn’t come away from the day too jaded – but neither did I come away fired up with enthusiasm and optimism!

Symposium

2007-05-08T07:36:00.001+01:00

n. pl. sym·po·si·ums or sym·po·si·a (-z - )

A meeting or conference for discussion of a topic, especially one in which the participants form an audience and make presentations.

A convivial meeting for drinking, music, and intellectual discussion among the ancient Greeks
[Latin, drinking party, from Greek sumposion : sun-, syn- + posis, drinking; see p (i)- in Indo-European roots.]

Well, I guess 'Symposium' was an accurate name for the Anglesey gathering of sea kayak 'anoraks'. There was certainly plenty of drinking and talking going on over the weekend - with a, perhaps, unhealthy bias towards the one subject.

200+ sea kayakers from around the globe met to chat, paddle, drink, padlle, snore, paddle. Although I felt a little like a (river) 'fish out of water' the Symposium did give me the opportunity to experience the handling of big boats in big swells, overfalls and tidal races. I did learn that sea kayaking doesn't always have to be a mellow side of paddlesport

Floating My (new) Boat: Quest LV

2007-04-22T09:52:00.001+01:00

Picked up my spanking new Quest LV on Friday afternoon.

6am Saturday I was off to 'float my boat'.

I hated the sound of those pebbles crunching against that brilliant white hull as we seal-launched off the beach but at least we didn't head West down Chesil Beach (pictured), opting for a more interesting 'around the Bill' trip in the sun.

Kayaking is Not a Crime

2007-03-26T14:27:00.001+01:00

Once a year we are 'allowed' to paddle our local river (Hampshire Avon) - and this year, through negotiation with 7 new landowners, we were given permission to paddle an extra couple of miles. All in all, 10 kms from Alderbury to (almost) Woodgreen.

We were shouted at and challenged before we put on the river, and again a couple of times on the float down. Why? it was outside the fishing season so we disturbed no fisherman, we left no footprints and drifted quietly along disturbing nothing and committing no crime.

Despite the angst we enjoyed our quiet day on the river - It's too bad that there are some miserable folk around that, through snobbery and intolerance, do their best to spoil life for others

Global Warming - perhaps not such a bad thing for paddlers?!

2007-02-26T16:36:00.000Z

It's the end of February 2007 - we only have a few weeks left of the 'white water' season - but what a season it has been! I love mild and wet!!
I have managed to get down to Dartmoor/Exmoor more times than I should have over the season, with runs on all sections of the Dart, the Walkham, Tavy, Erme, Lyn, etc. Indeed, it's been 8 home runs on the Upper Dart so far. Not once have I had to cancel a trip due to low levels. And only once have I had to scrape ice off the windscreen as I set off on a Sunday dawn.
No numb fingers, no ice-block feet, no hunting around for rivers with enough water to paddle. And they are now forecasting a long hot summer for Sea Kayaking! Life is good

This last weekend it was to the Erme again - enough water and sunshine. The 'Slot' provided some entertainment (rope retrieval of swimmer, boat, paddles and a left shoe) and the Gorge was magnificent

BBC NEWS | England | Old law may prove paddling rights

2007-02-23T10:00:00.000Z

BBC NEWS England Old law may prove paddling rights

And on the News http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6390000/newsid_6390400/6390487.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm

What have I got him into?!

2007-01-24T18:09:00.003Z

While Andrew was running Huka Falls during his paddle tour of NZ I was perusing the latest issue of the Canoe & Kayak magazine.

There was an article by Doug Cooper on river running techniques. As chance would have it Doug had used a photo of Andrew and I running a section of the Coruh (Turkey) a year ago. I just happened to be in the front and Andrew was behind.

Doug had used this to illustrate what he calls

'The Mother Duck' approach "where an experienced paddler leads a less experienced paddler" blah blah.

I don't think Andrew would appreciate the "duckling" inference!!!

Who will be leading who next time? (and, will I follow :-))

Tavy

2006-12-03T15:53:00.001Z

A few of us were lucky enough to catch the middle Tavy at a perfect level on the 3rd December.

The last few times I’ve bothered to check this run out it has either turned out to be flooding through the trees or a bony ditch, but, when the levels are right, it is a great G3+ run

Walkham

2006-10-29T15:56:00.001Z

There wasn't much interest in this trip - only 5 of us (Ros, Dave, Ant, Andy and myself). All the others missed a good day.

The levels were low - but the sun was out and it was warm. The first mile was a bump and scrape, but things livened up and we found plenty of entertainment and some nice waves to surf. - and we had the whole river to ourselves (no sign of any other paddlers)

Ant styles the ‘drop-slot’

Stormbound Mariners - in July!!

2006-07-08T15:59:00.001+01:00

The forecast was ‘iffy’ for this years ‘Dorset Coast Camp’ – but 5 of us needed the sea air. Paul, Richard, Elliott, Tim and I set off from Swanage in sunshine that Saturday. The intention was to paddle to Lulworth, stopping overnight somewhere on route, and using the morning tidal assistance. Despite an early rise, hiccups in navigation and the long shuttle that the plan involved meant that we were not on the water until 11:30.

We elected to paddle close in shore which gave us some shelter from a stiffening headwind and afforded us views of the cliffs and wildlife (including Puffins) but also meant that we spent the whole day paddling against wind and tide. We didn’t get to Kimmeridge until 16:30.

Divers at Kimmeridge informed us that the forecast had deteriorated, with the arrival of a F8 gale expected within the next 6 hours. We battled on against growing seas and wind, finally seeking shelter in the bay to the lee of Warbarrow Tout.

Sure enough, the gale hit us overnight – and rising from our wet pits early Sunday morning (woken by the crashing surf) the sea was none too friendly.

Sheltering from the rain and enjoying one of Richards brews we discussed options. It was still blowing F5/6, - we could hang around until the afternoon in the hope that conditions would improve sufficiently to allow our onward journey, or we could attempt an ‘evacuation’. We plumped for the latter and Richard and I set off for the 5 ½ mile walk to Lulworth to retrieve his vehicle. Leaving the others (still in their pits) to pack up.

All went well, and we even managed to persuade a range warden to open the gate at Tyneham to allow us to drive down to the boats.

Good fun

Alps

2006-06-17T16:05:00.001+01:00

3 Ringwood members (Tim, Ross & I) joined 7 from Southbourne CC (Chas, Richard, Graham D, Martin, Gareth, Luther and Mark) for a packed week in the Alps.

Travelling overnight we arrived in Briancon at around 1pm on the Saturday - and even managed a paddle that afternoon.

We paddled 7 days straight and took in some classic runs (Guil, Durance, Ubaye, Guisane, Clarree, Onde, Gyronde, and the Dora Riparia across the border in Italy) There were lots of minor epics, mishaps and problems to make the trip amusing but that is for others to recount. An excellent paddling week.

“Gone with the Wind” Sea Kayaking Scotland

2006-05-28T16:08:00.001+01:00

An Idea is hatched
I was seduced by photos and tales of sea kayaking amongst the Scottish Islands – sun-kissed white sand beaches, isolated idyllic camps, frolicking seals and otters. An ideal location for a first sea-kayak holiday. I voiced my intention at the annual RCC video night in January and a group of 10 was established within minutes. It seems I was amongst others that shared the ideal.

Plan A is achieved
Over the following months, poring over maps, charts and trip reports, I settled on the Knoydart / Moidart region. I even went so far as to plan the routes. A base camp at Back of Keppock (near Arisaig), a 3 day circle tour of the Sound of Arisaig / Moidart, a re-supply at base camp, and then a 3 day circle tour of the remote Knoydart area to the Sandaig Islands. All this planning was, of course, to prove a complete waste of time!

Plan A is thwarted
Despite having lived in Scotland (many years ago) I was convinced that the end of May should provide ideal sunny still sea kayaking conditions.

By the 14th May we had 14-day forecasts for the weather – but these were rubbish, they were suggesting inclement weather

18th May (10 days to go) “Have you seen the forecast Graham? It doesn’t look good”
20th May (8 days to go) “Have you seen the forecast Graham? Should we change our plans?”
21st May (7 Days to go) “Have you seen the forecast Graham? Perhaps we should go up later and all throw ‘sickeys’”
24th May (4 days to go) “Have you seen the forecast Graham?” “I don’t believe it – we will go anyway”

And we did – some, however, against their better judgement!

The Gathering
We had all found the campsite by Saturday evening – there was Dot and Mike, Dave and Annie, Georgia, Richard, Elliott, Ross and myself – with Frances, Hannah and Finny joining us for a non-paddling week. All agreed that the location was breathtaking. All agreed that the weather was c**p. We adjourned to a pub in Mallaig and talked alternatives over sea-weed beer and fish and chips.

“Force 4 or 5 Northerly, 6 later. Sea state moderate to rough, Heavy
Showers”

And so began the pattern of the week. Each morning and evening we would huddle around the VHF (normally in the rain) and listen to the forecast. Then, maps would be brought out, sheltered waters sought and endless plans and alternatives hatched and discussed.

Crack of Noon was the norm

It was difficult to raise enthusiasm in the mornings – lying in the tent (after a sleepless night listening to Elliott and Ross’s snoring) listening to the rain and wind lashing the fly. The renowned RCC ‘get-up-and-go’ attitude !! vanished and ‘Crack of noon’ starts were quickly established as the norm.

Despite all that Neptune hurled at us we managed to paddle every day – and we were rewarded for our efforts with some truly beautiful locations and idyllic camps.

Sunday saw us retreat to the inland Loch Morar for a 16k paddle – finding some sheltered lagoon-like and midge infested bays for lunch before a battle with headwind on the return leg
Monday we ventured into Loch Nan Uamh, paddling amongst seals and finding a great island lunch-stop

Tuesday and Wednesday was the highlight. The winds had dropped and the sun was out. We managed to escape the base camp and make our first ‘journey’ from the head of Loch Ailort almost 40k back to Arisaig.

We camped overnight at one of those isolated pristine sandy bays that I had dreamt of. After a camp fire meal we sat on the beach and watched seals, otters and Red Throated divers put on a show for us. The return through the Skerries of Loch Non Ceall proved a beautiful paddle.

Thursday and the wind had again picked up and veered to the West. We found sheltered water and our final camp in Moidart before the long drive home on Friday.

We never reached Knoydart and the Sandaig Islands (that’s saved for another time) – but we had a good week and our battles against the elements were rewarded by glimpses of what sea kayaking in Scotland can be. I fully intend to make an annual pilgrimage to the Scottish Islands. But next time I won’t make any plans – just go with the wind, so to speak.

Lundy - What could go wrong?

2006-04-29T16:13:00.001+01:00

Bank Holiday weekend and I joined 10 others for a paddle to Lundy. A trip put together by Mark Rainsley (UKRiversguidebook). In Mark’s words the plan …

Friday night...we will journey to North Devon and camp …. presumably we'll arrive late and leave at the crack of dawn.
On Saturday morning, (29th April) if all looks good to go, we have to all be on the water and set off no later than 10 am. Lee Bay is a tiny launch point, so it'll take a while to get us all on the water (we'll have to carry each loaded boat across the road and launch them one at a time)...so actually, you need to be ready, packed and changed by 9.30 am. … There is good parking at Lee Bay.

The crossing...if it is good to go, I'll call the Coastguard and let them know what we're up to. If we launch and then decide that we don't like the conditions, we can still pull out and turn back in the first hour or so if need be. However, if the conditions are good, then the actual paddle should be no big deal...just a mellow four hours of slow plodding.
Landing on Lundy... …. If we are lucky, the island manager will send a Landrover to transport all our gear the 4-500 vertical feet up onto the top of the island. If we're not lucky, then we've got a grim slog up the road carrying all our gear…
The campsite is up on top of the island, as is the pub, shop, etc. In theory you can buy all the food and drink you need at these places. Sunday. The ideal scenario would see us doing a paddle around the island. Obviously, if it looks like the weather will turn bad on Monday, we'll have to come back on this day.

Monday...the crossing back will need to either be done late in the afternoon (arriving back at Lee Bay at nightfall), or before the crack of dawn. We'll see how it all goes depending on weather, inclination, etc.

Disclaimer...obviously we'll look at the weather and plan as best we can, but be aware that there is a small but notable probability that we'll end up stuck on the island due to the weather. In this instance, you have the option of either dumping your boat (back another weekend for it?) and taking the ferry back...expensive and entirely dependent on the captain's good grace...or of calling your work on Tuesday morning to explain why you are in the middle of the Bristol Channel. So...don't say I didn't warn you....
What can go wrong? Mark Rainsley

What did go wrong then?

1. Chas drove over to pick me up at 6:30 pm Friday evening, anxious to get away. But he had forgotten his paddles and had to return to Barton on Sea

2. On arrival at Lee Bay for the launch we discovered that the car park was closed. The consequent delay in departure would cost us a lot of energy later that day

3. Having enjoyed some interesting conditions through the races off Morte Point, followed by a relatively relaxed paddle ¾ of the way, the final hour of the 21 mile crossing turned to two as we lost all tide advantage and paddled into a freshening headwind. It took us close to 5 ½ hrs to make the crossing.

4. In various states of weariness we unloaded our kayaks on the beach. Chas had just enough energy to utter some well chosen expletives when he found his sleeping bag was afloat in his leaking rear hatch

5. The island Landrover was conspicuous by its absence and we spent the rest of the afternoon lugging kit up 182M to the camp ground at the top of the island.

6. Chas still had enough energy to issue even more expletives when he discovered his tent was busted.

7. Huddled around the VHF the following morning we listened to the forecast Force 5 or 6 winds due that afternoon or evening, with more lousy weather into the next day. It meant a return by Ferry on Sunday or Monday evening

8. I was with three others that, not relishing the prospect of getting home at 2am Tuesday morning, negotiated passage on a chartered ferry on Sunday, sacrificing a paddle around the island for a poorly considered work ethic!
What went right?
1. At least the conditions proved ‘good to go’ (if not come back) – it could easily have been otherwise

2. With the exception of the last couple of hours, the crossing was fun – both the races and the subsequent leisurely paddle assisted by the spring tide, with the sun up were great

3. The camping ground on Lundy is excellent – and only 50M from the Pub

4. The pub serves a good local brew ‘Lundy Experience’ and has an excellent menu

5. Lundy is a beautiful island – 3 1/2 miles long by 1/2mile wide and rising 400 foot out of the sea where the Bristol Channel meets the Atlantic. A rugged coastline, steep cliffs and windswept grassland, steeped in history. There’s a lot to see – everything from lighthouses and quarry buildings to the remains of a wrecked WW2 German bomber.

6. Most of the Island is a Site of Special Interest and the seas surrounding it are England's only statutory Marine Nature Reserve.There’s no shortage of wildlife – Soay Sheep, Seals, Peregrine, Gannets, Auks, Fulmars, Shearwaters etc.

7. The Island Manager and port crew were more than helpful – only too glad to assist us in arranging passage for kayaks and paddlers on the private charter ferry

8. Great company – it seems that whenever you throw a group of kayakers together for a weekend this is always the case.

9. I arrived home fresh, sun burnt and satisfied!
The ‘ayes’ have it then – a great trip. I can’t wait to return – hopefully at a weekend of settled weather when I can squeeze in all the three legs of the journey that were intended.

While it is not a trip to be taken lightly, if the conditions are ‘good to go’ – GO

Thanks to Mark R for conceiving, planning and leading the trip, Chas for the lifts and everyone else for the craic.

Another Moor Season

2006-02-21T16:21:00.002Z

The Autumn of 2005 proved one of the best seasons for ages. I was on Dartmoor almost every Sunday for 3 months – it was shocking to find that, at this time of year, I visit Dartmoor far more often than Fordingbridge or Ringwood and I dread to think what it has cost me in petrol.

But then, in January, it all dried up

A "serious drought" may strike the South East, Environment Minister Elliot Morley has warned. England and Wales have had the driest January since 1997, with many areas getting less than a third of their average rainfall.

The Met Office said England and Wales had 33.2mm of rain throughout last month, making it the sixth driest on record.

We managed a last low run on the Upper mid-January, joined by Georgia and Chris D And then the Moors became seriously dry – and I began planning the summers Sea Kayaking trips!

Indeed – I had the Sea Kayak out of moth balls and on the Dorset Coast early February when, ordinarily, the moors should be stonking

Going Deep on the East Lyn

2005-12-11T16:24:00.001Z

Andy and I joined Dave, Cheryl and Ron for an entertaining run down the East Lyn in December

Another World - Dorset Coast

2005-07-16T16:27:00.001+01:00

My introduction to Sea Kayaking I’ve no idea why I began to experience a growing interest in long pointy Sea Kayaks – it could have been accounts from others on club sea trips (but these were few and far between), perhaps the photos that Douglas Wilcox posts to UKriversguidebook, maybe the long summers with no surf and no rivers or the number of paddling friends that have recently acquired ‘the knowledge’ or a latent desire not to shave. Who knows, but I already had the Tilly hat – all I needed was a boat.

As luck would have it, just as this growing interest was becoming an itch, I heard that Liz Sambell was selling Steve’s old Nordkapp HS. Elliott brought it down for me to try out at Mudeford one Tuesday. He had already discounted purchasing it himself – explaining that his manly physique prevented a comfortable ride. It was this Tuesday evening that I began to acquire ‘the knowledge’ (you can’t flat spin a sea kayak, bow rudders are less than useful, and the turning circle is more akin to that of a Boeing 747 than a Wavesport EZ) – what amazed me, however, is that I loved it – fast, comfortable and a brand new set of attainable skills to learn. Needless to say, I had bought the boat within 24 hours – just in time for Paul T’s Dorset Coast Camping trip the coming weekend

I spent the next couple of evenings trying to acquire more of the knowledge – I started delving into a book on Sea Kayak Navigation – but put it down after 5 minutes. Far too much to learn there, tides and tidal streams, charts and bouyage etc – it was clearly not a question of pointing the boat downhill and enjoying the ride. Anyway, I figured that for a paddle along the coast West of Swanage I should be OK keeping the land on my right.

I turned then to thinking about the kit list – but, hell, the boat had these cavernous holds so no thought was necessary it could hold anything I could think of. Aware that my knowledge remained weak, and I was paddling with the elite of RCC’s sea kayakers!, I had a plan to ensure that my inexperience wouldn’t stand out - I invited a friend (Richard) who, despite having his own Sea Kayak, had only paddled a few times before. If anyone was going to be the butt of the Jokes, let it be Richard rather than myself

7 of us met at Swanage on a glorious morning - Paul T and Elliott, Dot and Mike, Tim B, Richard and I. The normal chaos of an RCC river trip was outstripped by this Sea Kayak business. We took over the beach by the pier – boats, drybags, stoves, tents, bowls, gallons of water – the mountain of ‘stuff’ that we were taking was awesome.

I watched the others pack their boats, trying to establish if there was a recognised protocol – but having seen Paul picking up handfuls randomly and slinging them into holds I felt confident that there was no established system and that I wouldn’t make a complete fool of myself. What was a little worrying was that Richard seemed to know what he was doing. Perhaps even more worrying was all the strange stuff Elliott (Mears) was packing

We set off at around 11:00 - the plan being to paddle 15 miles to Warbarrow Bay, against the tide and a light prevailing wind. This seemed at odds with common sense but who was I to argue. We glided off into an azure sea – the long sleek boats shifting along with so little effort. The Nordkapp has a reputation for being very ‘tippy’ but I had quickly become accustomed to this on the previous Tuesday, and found the secondary stability excellent - now, fully laden, it proved very comfortable. Hugging the Coast to avoid the tidal stream we made good progress. Kittiwakes and Guilimots were around, but no Puffins and no ‘Durlston Dolphins’.

After a short stop at Dancing Ledge we approached Aldhelm’s head. Despite the tides there seemed to be white horses – the promise of some play at the overfalls there, but, sadly, nothing of consequence and so on to a late lunch at Chapman’s Pool.

Mid afternoon and the tide had turned, but any advantage that this might have offered was wiped out by a quickening South Westerly, eventually picking up to F6, stirring up a nice chop. While progress became a little more laboured, the sun still shone and the sea became playful. By the time we reached Kimmeridge (5’ish) some were feeling weary and by the time we hit Warbarrow (6:30’ish) we were all keen to find a camp spot out of the wind. Having gamely paddled the whole length of Warbarrow bay (twice!) we settled on a mid-point spot for bivying amongst the rocks.
It seemed idyllic and the wind had dropped but a few problems then arose.

Paul’s hatch covers were found to have perished – the toilet roll was amongst the sopping casualty list, and to cap this Tim found un-exploded shells sharing the paperless facilities
No one had any ‘real’ coffee – ‘Instant’ would prove a first for Paul
And Elliott, keen to practice his newly acquired ‘bushcraft’ skills discovered the beach was almost entirely devoid of timber, yet alone bushes. A thousand plastic bottles was no substitute

Still, we set up camp, managed to find a few timber spars and Elliott opened up his box of tricks to light a fire (insisting that the gas lighter, offered, was not ‘playing the game’). Meals were cooked, beer and wine opened and the conversation was so entertaining that Tim managed to stay up until gone 10pm!

I could hear Paul, of course, rattling pots and stoking the fire before 6:00 the following morning. An early start was clearly on the cards so a quick swim and I joined him for ‘instant’. 3 hours later Dot and Mike surfaced – it was close to 10:00 before we were all ready to leave. I guess this was an early start by RCC standards.

The air was still, the sea glassy and the tide with us. An easy 15 mile drift back to Swanage lay ahead. At Kimmeridge the previous day there was a notice on the dive board exclaiming 20M visibility!! And we found ourselves in another world – drifting across an aquarium. Our boats were now ‘flying’ over clear waters, the sea bed, fish, anemones and other sea life clearly visible below us. It was hard to lift our eyes up to the cliffs to watch the Peregrines!

We were at Swanage by 3pm, having hardly noticed the distance paddled – quick Ice creams and we were offSo this is what Sea Kayaking is all about – OK, certainly in the conditions we had, it does not provide an adrenaline fix, but it does open a whole new and changing world to explore while getting some needed exercise. I’m looking forward to the next time I can get out in my sea boat.

Coruh - Dads and Lads in Turkey

2005-06-21T16:29:00.001+01:00

Andy was now 17 – an age when his keenness to travel and his growing abilities as a paddler were only matched by his inadequacy of funds and far too many exams. I was looking for a suitable venue for a short ‘Dad and Lad’ trip – a taster of foreign lands and big water. The Coruh (pronounced “Choroo”) in Turkey seemed to fit the bill.

The Coruh is set in the remote rugged north east corner of Turkey – far away from the tourist hot-spots of the South. The river flows east, along the Kacgar mountains, and into Georgia before breaking its way North through to the Black Sea.

I knew that the river offered some fairly continuous and high-volume class 3-4+ rapids in June - just after Andy’s exams were due to finish. I also knew a few paddlers that had been out there and asked them what the likelihood was of the two of us finding other paddlers to hook up with. They were doubtful, but Water By Nature ran trips out there with everything laid on. More £’s of course, but who cares – we are off paddling.

Chas and his son Richard also elected to join us – deposits were paid and we settled back to a few months more work/exams. There were a few preparations to make too – Andrew needed a ratchet back-rest retro-fitted to his King pin and Richard found he could no longer get into his booster and had to purchase a new boat. The £’s were already flowing.

Water By Nature (WBN) warned us shortly before departure that Turkish Airlines can refuse to carry kayaks. Despite having successfully flown kayaks to different parts of the globe before, this put the wind up us on the way to the airport. We had packed and re-packed to get everything (including kayaks etc) below the 23kg weight allowance.

We arrived well before the check-in desks opened - better to leave plenty of time and catch the check-in staff in good unrushed moods when travelling with kayaks.

"I'm sorry Sir, but there will be a small handling charge of £11 per 'surf board'.

That was it, no hassle, no worries and 3 hours to kill before departure (more £s). We arrived at the Sultan’s Inn, Istanbul at mid-night. - time only for quick minerals on the roof terrace before turning in.

The following morning it was a flight to Erzurum, where we were met by WBN guides. We loaded up the battered Morris for a 3 hour road trip through the mountains – snow still on the peaks.

Late afternoon saw us at the banks of the Coruh, near Maden, some 30km’s upstream of Ispir. We (the four of us together with 6 other ‘punters’) gathered around for the normal pre-trip briefing – tent maintenance, camp hygiene and dunny protocol. Most of Clive’s words were drowned out by the gurgling chatter of a thousand frogs and the incessant whine of a million mossies. I did pick up a bit of good news, though – the Coruh was running much higher than normal for this time of year – a 10-year high that should provide for plenty of fun.

After 2 days travelling, listening to the sounds of the river (and frogs and mossies) and anticipating some fine paddling in the days ahead we drifted off to a sound sleep. We were blissfully unaware of the Brown Bear and large Snake that visited 100m from camp during the night.

Clear blue skies and growing temperatures joined us for a mellow grade 2 warm-up in the morning – a chance for getting accustomed or re-accustomed to big-volume paddling. After a couple of hours clouds brewed up - then thunder, lightening and hail as we hit the lunch stop. We sheltered under an old steel football stand at a long-forgotten and abandoned football field - shivering.

The afternoon run (another 15K down to the steps of Ispir) was great. The river soon entering a narrow gorge to provide fairly continuous grade 3 with loads of nice wave trains and surf waves - all read and run. A few paddlers pulled out and joined the Landrover but Andrew was totally pumped - a huge grin on his face as he discovered the fun in volume.

Cold and knackered after a long days paddle, we pulled out just before the Joan Collins set of rapids and wandered down to take a look at the first 3 Ispir Steps (Joan/Alexis/Bitch). Easy to choose lines down these class 5 falls when sipping beer from the bank but, at these levels, no one was to run them - the Landrover shuttled us around to a camp a few hundred metres downstream (just above Dynasty and Stud).

The clouds had disappeared, and the evening sun was sufficient to dry out the kit and warm up our bones. Beers and nibbles were out, a fire lit and the conversation lively. We had left the mossies far behind (they were only ever a problem that first night).

The second days paddle was a reasonably mellow 30 km grade 3 run. The sun was shining and there were endless waves to play on. It should have been an uneventful day but there were 5 swims in the morning. We soon appreciated the advantages of having a road running alongside the river. We had a Cat raft but this was purely for rescues (picking bodies up and getting them back in their boats) and not for passengers. With the Landrover running along side us – paddlers who found it all too much could hop out, sit on the roof and take the photos. With the numbers whittled down we enjoyed a fast and playful afternoon. We must have spent over an hour at a single dream wave.

After a good day on the water, moonlight, Moussaka and a good Islay Malt around a camp fire - followed by Turkish Delight - what more could you ask for.

The following day saw more of the continuous grade 3’s – floating through beautiful scenery, looking out for Rollers, Bee-eaters, Hoopoes and red Kites, drifting past many Byzantine castles perched high on the hills. We hiked up to one of these at Tekkale (“single-Castle”) for lunch – trekking across the rice paddies and picking mulberries and cherries off the trees on the way.

There were a few long 4+ rapids to run in the afternoon and scouting the first of these (‘Perfect Portage’) I knew that this would prove the biggest test for Andrew yet. It is one thing to run a long hard rapid yourself, but watching your son take on the challenge is much much more difficult!! I needn’t have worried – hearing his adrenaline-fired whoops all the way down.

After another long days paddle we clambered with our boats for a few hundred yards up to Cemile’s paddlers pad. This is a small pension in the tiny village of Tikali that has existed since the days when Dave Mamby first opened up this river for paddlers back in 1982. Indeed Dave still frequents the place, and joined us for dinner and the following days paddle. Photos of paddlers from all over the world are pinned to the walls. Sleeping arrangements are on simple wooden platforms. We took over Cemile’s gardens, drying kit and setting up the kitchen etc. The big farm house table was set and, despite being Wednesday, we declared it ‘Red Wine Thursday’ and enjoyed a civilised dinner.

A long paddling day followed – in the morning we headed up to Sarigol to paddle the river Bahal down to Yusufeli. The Bahal made for a pleasant change – very continuous lower volume alpine style grade 3 – with clear icy cold snow melt, running through a beautiful valley with plenty of entertaining drops. We pulled out in the middle of Yusufeli town and enjoyed hot soup and kebabs at a restaurant – still donning wet kit.

After the late lunch around half of us elected to run the Coruhs best ‘Yusufeli Gorge’ – a 1 hour continuous roller-coaster grade 4+ ride with 5 or more major rapids. We spent almost as long scouting the rapids from the Landrover first before returning to Yusufeli, paddling down the Bahal to its confluence with the Coruh and running the gorge. The falls proved significantly larger than they appeared from the road – but we enjoyed an incident free and fun filled end to the day.

It was gone 6:30 pm when we pulled in, loaded and returned to Tikali

Sadly sickness hit the camp that night – and Andrew and I were amongst others that missed a repeat run of the gorge the following morning before the road trip back to Erzurum. A Hamam (Turkish Bath) and massage, followed by a gourmet meal that evening finished off the trip nicely and prepared us for the flight home the following day and a return to work/school

Colorado - Grand Canyon (Chilled)

2004-05-30T16:58:00.001+01:00

February 2002 (a long time ago) I learnt that Chris Sladden was putting together a Grand Canyon trip (a chartered commercial trip with Flagstaff based ‘Outdoors Unlimited’) – it didn’t take much prevaricating to put my name down.

Over Two years passed before I met my fellow paddlers at the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas – a more unlikely venue for a meeting of river runners I couldn’t imagine.

It turned out that there were to be 7 kayakers, 2 C1 paddlers and 15 rafters – a party of 24. A bus ride to Marble Canyon Lodge (near the Lees Ferry put in) and we met the Outdoors Unlimited crew of 9. There would be 6 Oar rafts (to carry the gear and beer, together with surplus rafters), one paddle raft and two safety kayakers. The group now stood at 33 – an armada. For the next 15 days this motley bunch of misfits of various sizes, shapes, ages, nationalities and backgrounds would forge a river community on a float down one of the world’s great canyons.

Words and images fail to adequately capture the essence of a trip down the Colorado through the Grand Canyon. The journey is much more than the paddling – it’s the magnificent scenery, the desert environment, the geology and wildlife, the hikes in spectacular side canyons, the new friendships made on the way, the tranquillity of kipping under the stars on pristine river beaches a mile below the earth’s surface well away from any gadgets and mobile phones.

The River

For around 270 miles, from Lees Ferry to Lake Mead, the Colorado cuts through the giant uplifted land mass of northern Arizona, exposing successive rock strata (down to the 1.7 billion year old Vishnu Schist) during it’s passage. The canyon reaches a giddy depth of one mile. The river itself has an average width of 300’, and reaches over one hundred feet in depth. At the time of our Journey (May) the river levels were a low to medium flow of around 400 cumecs (varying during the day with the releases from Lake Powell) The temperature was not too hot, the sky was a continuous blue and the water clear (not the muddy red silt laden flows that give the Colorado its name). Everything about the Grand Canyon is big – and it takes a few days to become adjusted to the scale.

The river drops around 1700’ during its journey – an average of around 8’ per mile, but most of this fall is taken up by the 165 rapids which account for less than 10% of the 270 miles. With a 15 day float, we would encounter an average of 11 rapids each day. The majority of these are big-water read-and-run grade 2 to 3+ wave trains, perhaps with one or two easily avoided holes and pour-overs – ‘big water = big lines’ holds true for most.

More often than not the rapids are wide open and you can decide how big you want to go – aim for the hair line through crashing waves and holes or cut the top laterals and aim for the smaller flows well away from the action. Indeed, the majority are so friendly that it wasn’t long before everyone was choosing to ‘go big’ dropping into the wave holes just for the crack.

Some rapids, up to grade 4+, however, require a little more respect and scouting (e.g. Hance, Crystal, Granite, and Lava). Indeed, the latter appeared quite daunting from a view point some 200’ above the river – meaty holes, fearsome laterals, huge crashing waves and a narrow line through these on river right. Over the ‘flats’, the river still swirls along at around 4 mph - making the sections between rapids both relaxing (floating along staring at the awesome canyon walls towering above) and entertaining (try waltzing in the same whirlpool as an 18’ oar raft!).

A Canyon Day
The Crew from ‘Outdoors Unlimited’ were a tireless and highly professional bunch that organised camp routines and practices that kept all healthy and well fed and ensured that there would still be fresh steaks and vegetables, and ample grog even on the 15th day (with no re-supplying feasible). Days floated by with the river, there were too many experiences and incidents, too many hikes and rapids, to recount in an article such as this. Perhaps it is best to describe a typical ‘Canyon Day’.

The Coffee Conch goes at around 5:30 – by this time it is light, although the sun will not have hit the high canyon walls above. But the Canyon Wrens descending call (such a big sound for such a small bird) will have heralded the day and dragged me from a sound sleep before the Conch is blown. (5:30 sounds early now, but on the Colorado we had soon ditched our watches and were operating entirely on Conch-Time)

I crawl out of my bedding roll (stuffing it directly into a dry bag before scorpions have had a chance to invade) and take a wake-up dip in the cold river – emerging refreshed but blue. I Wander down to the camps kitchen area to pour my first bucket of coffee and, perhaps, a slice of melon. If the urge is on me I sip the coffee while chatting in the ‘Groover line’ – with 33 campers there is almost always a queue to use the ‘facilities’ (ammo box behind a rock) in the morning.

By my second bucket of coffee the breakfast conch sounds – muffins, hash browns, bacon and a couple of over-easy eggs (or perhaps pancakes and syrup) and I’m set for the day. Pack up the dry bag and take it down to the communal tarp. By 7am the tarp holds a mountain of gear ready for loading to the rafts. I don the paddling kit and spend a few moments washing the red Colorado sand from my kayak.

“Hey y’all - last call for the boot bag” – 33 pairs of boots or sandals for the side canyon hikes are hastily shoved into the communal bag.

“Last call for water” - those who haven’t already done so, fill water bottles from the filtered water container. It’s going to be another hot day; buckets of filtered and treated river water will be needed to keep all hydrated

“Last call on the Groover” - The line for the ‘facilities’ should be diminished by now, the rocket box is normally the last bit of kit to be packed away and loaded. For those unfortunate enough to have missed the call – there’s always the ‘Day Tripper’, a small ammo can with all the essentials. Park rules - what you take into the canyon has to come out with you.

By 07:30 we are loaded and set off down the river. We paddle for may be an hour before pulling over at a beach. A hike is planned this morning – perhaps 3 hours – returning to the river hopefully before the sun has become too fierce. It’s still early in the year, but day time temperatures will be 300 to 350C. The Boot bag is broken open, we fill two water bottles each, don hats and sun screen and set off on the trail up a side canyon.
The water sculptured rock closes in on us and we soon lose sight of the Colorado 500’ below us. The trail continues precariously along the steep canyon sides, a Mule deer cocks its head at our passing but is undisturbed; lizards scamper away from our feet. We climb on until we reach a waterfall at the head of the canyon.

We can go no further – a dip in the pool below the fall washes away the sweat. Scarlet Monkeyflowers and ferns cling to the canyon wall drinking in the spray. Many of the cactus are flowering at this time of the year. We pass around the GORP (a tub or granola, oats, raisins and peanuts) and set off back down the trail to the boats. A couple of crew missed the hike and have prepared lunch – a table groans under ingredients for tortilla wraps.

We have about 15 miles of paddling to cover in the afternoon. Within a few minutes we reach the first wave and jostle to catch it on the fly. The river flows are big and fast, it’s not always easy to catch the waves – but when it happens, particularly where the wave is steep and crashes, the rewards are immense.
Occasionally we find an eddy-served wave and let the rafts drift on ahead of us while we pause for play. We reach a larger rapid and clamber up the bank for a vantage point to inspect. This one is long, technical and, of course, big. The line is discussed – not always easy to discern in the maelstrom of white. Break out behind the first evil pourover into the ‘duck pond’ (Ha ha!), then move left through crashing waves away from two huge holes – cut back right for a ride down the wave train. With dry mouths we peel out and attempt to hold the line (which looks so different at river level). All through – we eddy out and watch the rafts – hoping for a flip – but just whoops of triumph as they all make it through.

We pull into camp at around 5pm, form a ‘baggage line’ for unloading the rafts and then explore the beach for a suitable ‘sleeping pod’ (an area of sand between boulders on a river moraine) and layout our tarp. Beer nets have been floating behind the rafts for the last hour, the Buds are chilled. A dip to clean off and a time for quiet reflection or for exploring the environs, chasing Desert spiny Lizards or trying to coax a Chuckwalla out from a crevice in the rock. A game of Horseshoes is underway.

The Conch sounds for snacks (crackers, dips, olives, fruit). A few more beers and the conch sounds again for dinner (tonight, trout and trimmings). A fire is lit, Will gets out his guitar, and we spend an hour or two before crawling into our bedding roles. The moon is bright, the stars awesome, another great Grand Canyon day – there are plenty to follow.
A ‘trip of a lifetime’ without a doubt – awesome, mellow, chilled. Thanks to Chris Sladden for putting it all together, to the crew from Outdoors Unlimited and to all the ‘punters’ for the superb company.
(Published in "Canoeist" Magazine August 2004)

2.2 into 2 Won't Go

2003-11-21T16:30:00.001Z

The Walkham, feeding into the Tavy (below Tavistock) had been on my ‘hit list’ for a few seasons - but somehow I had never quite managed to get it together – a grade 3 paddle from Bedford Bridge (Walkham) to Denham Bridge on the Tavy. There’s something I really enjoy about a mellow paddle on uncharted waters.

The first mile was a little disappointing – a grade-1/2 bimble. After this the river began to cut in, the gradient increased and we began to enjoy fairly continuous grade 2 and 3 rapids - falling well within everyone’s ‘comfort level’. An excellent training ground for ‘eddy hopping’ with lots of small drops and micro eddies all along the way

The only drop of particular note was a 1 meter drop/slot affair with an ominous horizon line where the river disappears down a narrow slot. Peeling out to the eddy below and looking back at some anxious expressions at the top and I figured that this might provide a little back-looping entertainment – Hailing Tim down he ran the slot at an unintentional 170 degree edge – heavy bracing, through the slot and out – no worries. Karl had a good line and joined me in the eddy.

Honestly I didn’t push him out of this eddy, despite what he says. I merely intimated that the eddy was, perhaps, not quite large enough for the both of us and that, perhaps, it might be best if he moved downstream, through the narrows, to find his own eddy. My attention returned to those waiting to make the run when I heard a call from behind

"Graham, I seem to be stuck"

Perhaps I should explain that Karl was paddling his relatively new I3 – now this is a short boat (something around 2.2M), but Karl had failed to appreciate that some Dartmoor Creek narrows don’t reach that giddy width. 2.2 into 2 won’t go – and it didn’t when he tried to negotiate the narrows broadside.

Now, I have never known anything really phase Karl and, sure enough, he was sitting in his broached boat, at a 45 degree edge with a broad grin coupled with a slightly puzzled expression.

We all gathered on the bank staring down at ‘Calm Karl’ and all of us now adopted his puzzled expression. He was comparatively stable – the deck was holding, jumping ship might well have worsened the situation. We attached a couple of slings to the stern first and tried to budge it – but no go, we fed a line to the bow (on the opposite side of the river) and tried pulling across – but that didn’t work.

Eventually Tim, who had crossed the river further downstream, was able to release the bow and the day (and Karl) was saved. I was somewhat relieved when the others elected to walk the slot and so avoid a repeat performance of what could have proved an epic

Zambezi - Old Crocs Tour

2002-10-30T16:48:00.002Z

Any paddler should know what the Zambezi is like .. it features in many of the mags and on many of the videos. Often billed as the best white water run on the planet - big warm water, huge bus swallowing holes, evil whirl pools, classic surf waves … and crocodiles! – how the hell did I end up there?

Well, thanks to my family, I was up for a trip in 2002 somewhere and all I had to do was identify the location. Mmm .. Nepal? .. I would love to go there again. Chas was selling his IZ230 on Mark Rainsley's web site message board .. I indicated that I might be interested for a ‘Nepal in the Fall’ trip. People then started to butt in:

Mark asks .. "What are you paddling this time Graham, … the Zambezi is good in October"
I reply, with no uncertainty, "The Zambezi is beyond me"
Mark points out that, according to Si, it’s easier than the Fu in Chile
Chas says .. "the IZ230 is sold, but can I come to Nepal/Zambezi with you"

Then I watch the video "Wicked Liquid" again (and again, and again) until, eventually, I’m beginning to visualise me there, surfing those big waves just like a pro.

Of course, I also received much sound advise from certain members of Ringwood Canoe Club – generally on the insanity theme. (These same members were heard planning the divvying-up of my kit should I not return!)

I started to collect some information …There was an outfit called TheZambezi.com, set up last year by Muzza (NZ) and Andrew (Sven) Bolton (UK) who had already run 5 or 6 kayak trips down the Zambezi. …. October is the end of the dry season out there, the river will be at its lowest (oh, great, nice and easy).

So we went, Chas and I, flying out to Livingstone (via Joburg) at the end of October. Those kind people at British Airways taking our Kayaks for nothing (although we were severely limited with our weight allowance of 23Kg)

Sitting in the departure lounge I started to read the ‘lonely planets’ guide to Zambia. This included a special section on Adrenaline Sports …

"Down stream from Victoria Falls, the rapids of Batoka Gorge can be run by kayaks … if you know what you’re doing (like really know)"

Did I ‘really know’ what I was doing? – of course, the author wasn’t a paddler, what did he know!, besides, Chris Wheeler had told me it’s big … but easy (but then, he would!). I read on ….

"August to October : the main rafting period. Water continues dropping. The later the season, the bigger the rapids, and the braver the rafters"

That can’t be right can it?, the rapids get bigger when the river level drops? I’m already through passport control – there’s no turning back and I obviously don’t know what I’m doing …….

Having flown overnight and made the connection in Jo’burg for our onward flight we arrived at Livingstone, Zambia, early afternoon. Watching the unloading of the plane we were relieved to see the boats had also made it. The customs official was busy on her radio as Chas breezed through, but she finished her call and raised her eyes just as I was approaching the door carrying the kayak. She wanted a payment of around £350 deposit to bring the boat in to Zambia – this would be returned to me when I left the country – but as 2.3 million Kwathca! Fortunately Sven had arrived to pick us up and, after some debate, managed to sort things out.

Frazzled and travel weary we finally made it to Fawlty Towers backpackers lodge for a few hours rest. Here Chas and I (later to be known as the ‘old crocs’) met Bryan McKenzie from Canada, the third and final paying member of the trip.

Preparation and Training
Of course, before tackling a river like the mighty Zambezi it’s important to prepare and train adequately – to become a perfectly honed and fit paddling machine. Consequently, Chas and I had grabbed a few hours at Woodmill weir during the summer – eventually developing skills sufficient to stay upright, and even throw a few ends.

This training regime was supplemented by extended bath times - following (what later proved to be sound) advise from fellow paddlers "for the Zambezi – practice holding your breath" I ditched the shower in favour of deep baths with plenty of bubbles (to simulate the Zambezi's aerated water) and a stop watch. – at least I smelt good.

Final preparation was to be undertaken on the evening of our arrival. This comprised a Booze Cruise on the Upper Zambezi (countless Mosi beers while watching elephants, Hippo, Impala and Zebra, etc. from the deck of the ‘African Queen’) followed by a drinking session at ‘Hippos Bar’ where Bryan, Chas and I got to know our two guides Sven and Ben Brown.

The first Run of Batoka Gorge
The after effects of the long flight and of the boozy booze cruise the evening before was, perhaps, not the best grounding for our first run of the 24km Batoka Gorge (Rapids #1 to 18). We signed the indemnity forms over a hearty breakfast at Muzza’s place, then took the long climb down the gorge to the ‘Boiling Pot’ at the foot of Victoria Falls – this has to be the most awesome river put-in on the planet.

My knees were trembling when we reached the bottom, where the porters had left our boats. Rapid #1 "back against the wall" was directly ahead of us – here the 100m deep gorge pulls a sharp 90 degree turn, causing water to pile into the wall. We all made the ferry, avoided the wall pasting and I began to relax. The next two rapids "Between Two Worlds" and "Bits and Pieces" were relatively straight forward, and there were long pools between each of the rapids … hey .. this is going to be OK. But …

Within a few more minutes we reached #4 "Morning Glory" and the first of the major rapids. We got out and looked at this one – a long rapid with a couple of prominent holes. The line was discussed – eddy out at top right, skirt the first hole, power to the left of the wave train, line up for the bottom hole and, hopefully, get spat out into the pool below. I got the first bit right but, needless to say, the rest of the rapid I tackled in an inverted position – I rolled up spluttering at the bottom, conscious that a big croc lived in the pool below, not quite sure what had happened but knowing that I had seriously misjudged the power of the water.

No harm, let’s try the next - #5 "Stairway to heaven", billed as the largest commercially rafted rapid in the world. Here a steep ramp runs between a 15’ pour-over on the right and the infamous ‘Catchers Mitt’. Disappearing over the horizon line, heart in mouth, I was confronted with more of the white stuff than I could previously have imagined – a huge, seemingly impenetrable mountain of water. "Look for the window"…someone must have pulled the curtains…no, there it is, power through, wow.. still upright… awesome.

#6 "The Devil’s Toilet Bowl" was next (who makes up these names?) – a steep drop skirting a mean hole, and then …

#7 "Gulliver’s Travels" the longest (650M) and most technical of all the Zambezi rapids. We stood on the bank for a long time here trying to fix the line in my mind .. eddy out right, ferry centre, skirt the Diagonal, miss the crease, catch the tongue flowing river right, just bypassing a crashing hole, and then… into the ‘Land of The Giants’ – a huge crashing wave train and some fairly inevitable quiet time here. Not an easy rapid, this one – it’s length, the string of moves you have to pull together and the punishing (but exhilarating) giants was amazing.

#8 gives you the options of the mighty ‘Muncher’ in the centre, or the "Star Trek" run (going boldly where no man has gone before) – or a sneak route between, if you get it right!

#9 "Commercial Suicide" – no way – not for paddlers of our ability anyway, although we watched Ben breeze it while we walked

#10 – a comparatively easy wave train but with the intimidating name of "Gnashing Jaws of Death"!

#11 "Overland Truck Eater" is, at higher levels, a unique barrelling and surfable wave but, sadly, at these levels it proved to be a big hole followed by some angry boils that toyed with me for ages, tail spinning, rolling and eventually releasing me unscathed.

#11B, 11C, 12A and, finally, we had reached the infamous 12B (the middle of the ‘Ugly Sisters’), said by many to be the finest play wave in the world. At the low levels now, however, it was not at its best – very steep, crashing and unforgiving. Disappointed that I didn’t manage to get on the wave at all on this first occasion (Later in the week I was rewarded with a few really exhilarating, but short, rides here)

#13 "The Mother" was a comparatively simple yet huge wave train (big air here when my boat left the water). But 14 through to 18 passed in a blur – punch drunk and battle weary I was, at this stage, running on empty and autopilot – crashing through ‘The Narrows’, ‘Washing Machine’, ‘The Terminators’, ‘Judgement Day’ and, even, ‘Oblivion’ without major mishap (although plenty of tip-ups).

We arrived at the get out knackered but elated, to start the half-hour near vertical climb out of the gorge to camp at the top. A load of paddling experiences and adrenaline in just one day! It was hot and muggy as we pitched our tents. Thunderstorms accompanied our steaks and beer. Despite the hard basalt ground I drifted off to sleep re-running Gullivers Travels – but, in my dreams, I had a perfect line!

Back for more punishment
The following two days were spent re-running sections of the gorge (1-13, 11-21), returning to Fawlty Towers each night. We were beginning to get used to the power of the Zambezi, it’s whirlpools and boils, the rapids and their lines. #4 and #7 continued to give me pastings, and the ‘Catchers Mitt’ caught me once but we were beginning to relax and enjoy the other aspects of the gorge, its scale, beauty and wildlife. Baboons, Vervet Monkeys and Rock Dassies scampered along the banks, Black Eagles and Kites soared above us. We were even getting used to the climbs out of the gorge each day.

A day of rest and recovery – catching up on sleep and chilling at Fawlty Towers and we were ready for the ‘Multi-Day’ Us 5 paddlers were now joined by Davis, rowing a gear raft, and we took three days to paddle from the Boiling Pot, down through the gorge and to Moemba Falls, some 25kms beyond the last of the numbered rapids (#25). The awesome river running was now complimented by beautiful river beach camping, excellent camp cuisine, classic African dawns and dusks, the Zambian trots! and paddling through Croc. Country ….

Paddling as a ‘healthy herd’

While crocodiles are around in some of the pools within the Batoka Gorge and, indeed, we had seen one or two, these are generally small and few in number. However, for the final 25km push from rapid 25 to Moemba Falls Crocs become more numerous. On this day the four remaining kayakers (Chas, suffering a dodgy stomach, was lounging around in the raft sipping Dioralyte and iodine cocktails) adopted a different approach to the previous days. We paddled fast, as a tight group, through the long slack water sections, trying to give the impression that we were a healthy herd, continually scanning the banks for signs of crocs, ready to "paddle like f . . . ." if we saw one slip into the water. We took breathers at each of the fourteen rapids along the way. In reality, we only saw three crocs all day – but I must confess to a slight (and, I’m sure irrational), raising of the heart beat all day!

We pulled in to the final take out above Moemba Falls, cleared baboon shit from the rocks to sit and stare at the gnarly water of Lower Moemba. . While Ben, the only one with any inclination to run these falls, scouted the lines and rehearsed his strokes, I again returned to the ‘did I really know what I was doing?’ question. Yes, I think I did. I took some beatings, I took a swim, but I had enjoyed everything. Nyami Nyami (the Zambezi river god) had, perhaps, played with me a little but, in the end, had granted me a safe passage and a fantastic trip.

If your comfortable on grade 4 and have a really dependable roll then the Zambezi has to be an ‘ultimate’ trip. TheZambezi.com did us proud. Sven and Ben (and Muzza and Donna) looked after us well, both on and off the water, they organised all the logistics so that all we had to do was enjoy the paddling and the gorge.

If your up for it - get to it
(Published in "Canoeist" Magazine February 2003)

A Stroll in the (gnarly Scottish) Park

2002-04-15T11:48:00.002+01:00

Easter 2002, I plugged into Chas’s Scotland week

Travelling up to Fort William on the Saturday I joined the party in a pub in town – a motley crew of 6 of various shapes, sizes and ages – but all with a desire to throw themselves down gnarly drops and falls. There was Chas Couchman, Tim Rex, Steph Druits, Andy Levick, Graham Dunn and (non-paddler) Tom.

For the 4 days I spent with this lot there proved to be more beer than water. Consequently, our paddling was limited to those runs that still work when rivers are low. The Etive, Roy Gorge, Fechlin and Spean Gorge, however, all provided for some great grade 3 to 4+ entertainment – lots of tight technical paddling, gnarly holes, drops and falls with names like ‘Head Banger’, ‘Multiple Choice’, ‘The Brothers Grim’, ‘The Constriction’, ‘Fairy Steps’, ‘Witches Cauldron’, ‘Letter box’, ‘Crack of Doom’, ‘Crack of Dawn’, and ‘Big Mans Falls’ (to name a few).
These runs are all short, very scenic, and characterised by blind corners and drops often requiring bank inspection and protection – and there are a few nasty undercut 5’s that are best portaged. We had plenty of back-loops, a few swims and scraped knuckles but Chas still insisted on describing most runs as ‘A Stroll in the Park’

Family River Fun

2001-08-21T16:32:00.001+01:00

Over the last three or four years we have taken our summer hols in France - and these have always included a few days paddling the French rivers including the Dordogne, Ardeche, Ciron, Dronne, Chassezac, Lot and Aveyron.

While we always travel with a couple of kayaks, with 6 of us, these need to be supplemented with the hire of boats. We normally opt for the typical unsinkable plastic Rotomod canoes that seat 2 or 3 - but have hired more traditional 'old towns' and 'sit-on-tops'.

Confined to the school hols, some river sections are very crowded - the Ardeche, for example, is a real circus with fleets of yellow and pink plastic canoes (most manned by complete novices) floating (often up-side-down) in a constant stream of chaos. However, if you select your river section carefully you can end up with the river to yourself.

Last year we were in Aveyron and the Upper Lot - a river that is dam controlled and therefore allows for some good grade 2+ paddling even in the August school hols. We spent 4 separate days on the river - and when we got the dam releases right, the river filled as fast as the Treweryn and gave levels that were comparable with the Dart, with plenty of play waves, (but at 30 degC a much more enjoyable experience! - have you ever felt like diving in to cool down on a Dart trip!).

There’s a great play hole at Estaing (used for French Freestyle competitions) – Finny was catapulted a good 6’ off the boat when we went down this on sit-on-tops. At Entraygues, 15 minutes from our Gite, I found another play wave that I could enjoy all to myself, especially for early morning sessions before breakfast.

This year (2001) we were staying 50 miles further East and tried the river Aveyron – which offered great scenery, plenty of chutes, a slalom course, and some pleasant grade 2 paddling

Nepal: Sun Kosi and Tamur

2000-10-20T18:50:00.001+01:00

The Sun Kosi is billed by Peter Knowles as "one of the 10 best whitewater rafting trips in the World. Big rapids, warm water, beautiful scenery and great camping make this a classic multi-day river trip. A great trip for intermediate and advanced kayakers"

Kathmandu proved to have changed little in the 18 years since I had last been there - still vibrant, colourful, noisy, smelly, still the horns of rickshaws and the incessant approaches from street vendors "tiger balm / rickshaw / hashish / cheap hotel … sir" - I loved it. We spent a day sight seeing and organising supplies and kit before heading off to the river the following day - a short 3 hours away from the city.

The Sun Kosi flows East from Kathmandu, forming the watershed for most of Eastern Nepal. It drains the highest mountains in the world before emerging into the Northern plains of India where it joins the Ganges.

We put in near Balephi on the Upper Sun Kosi, some 30 kms from the Tibetan border. Our trip was to take us some 280 kms to Chatra, close to the Indian border.

The paddling starts gently and gradually builds up. The first two days at grade 2/3 give plenty of opportunity to warm up and get used to the volume of water. Each of the following days saw one or two major rapids (Meatgrinder, Hakapur, Jaws, High Anxiety, El Wasto, Jungle Corridor, Big Dipper to name a few) together with many smaller quieter rapids with play waves and friendly holes.

The volume of water increased as each major tributary joined us to reach around 800 Cumecs at the Jungle Corridor. This was BIG volume water - huge wave trains, swirling eddies, whirlpools, bus swallowing holes and grabby 'funny water'.

Once adjusted to this volume of water, however, the rapids proved, in the main, very straightforward - while there were huge holes to avoid the lines were generally obvious and were little more than roller coaster rides along huge wave trains.

There were exceptions of course. Hakapur (G5) is perhaps the meanest fall on the river and I experienced the kind of whooping you get from missing your line in big water - I clipped a hole at the run in, rolled up just in time to crash backwards into Hakapurs maw which promptly caved my deck in and off leaving me pirouetting vertically in a swamped boat with little option than a long hard crashing swim. (After watching my efforts all other Kayakers elected to walk this one!)

The Tamur flows into the Sun Kosi shortly before Chatra. Having completed the Sun Kosi we bussed up to Mulghat and spent a day running the 25kms back down to the confluence. This proved the best days paddle I think I have ever had - 5 hours of almost continuous big volume grade 4/4+ rapids. About 45 rapids in all, most 'read and runnable' but some requiring careful scouting.

By this stage I had learnt lots about paddling big water and Ash's Ashram provided a great finale - a long technical rapid with several 'must-make' moves - what a blast!

A normal day saw us paddling from around 10am to 4pm - under scorching sun. Nights were spent camping under the stars on fine sandy river beaches. Almost invariably local children would appear from nowhere and would sit for hours watching the goings-on. Evenings were spent preparing meals, sitting and chatting around fires with beers and Rum punch. Sometimes we shared beaches with dead bodies or large spiders on other occasions we would wander up to a local temple or shower under a waterfall.

We finished the trip with a another day in Kathmandu - washing the sand from our kit/hair, eating fine steaks, spending rupees and lapping it all up before we had to return to our real lives. I had crammed a load of fun, a wealth of experience and memories into a short two weeks I would advise anyone to do the same! You don't have to be a 'hair boater' to paddle in Nepal.

Top Slot Drop Fun

1999-11-21T16:16:00.001Z

I hadn't paddled the Erme for a couple of years, and my last encounter with this steep, technical grade 4 gorge included a fairly frightening experience on what is know as the 'drop and slot' (I had vowed not to run that particular fall again).

I joined Victor, Andy and James from Poole Harbour CC for this year’s trip. Technically it was a Solent CC trip but, having tied my boat on the rack on the Saturday night Mike Tonkin phoned to cancel. Having then removed my boat from the rack, Victor phoned after 11pm to say he was going anyway. Increasingly, 3 clubs get together to muster up enough bods for this kind of trip.

It proved to be low conditions, just above 'paddleable' limit - but it still provided a lot of fun with some very tight and steep falls and much 'boofing' off slabs. The drop and slot was no problem.

But we found an even better gorge to paddle in the afternoon - awesome (but I have promised not to divulge it's location to anyone!!)

Galicia

1998-03-18T12:46:00.003Z

Galicia – a quiet whitewater playground

1998 and I was invited to join a short ‘reconnaissance’ trip by Woodmill to Galicia.

The Region
Galicia is situated in the North West corner of the Iberian peninsula, bordering Portugal. A mountainous region (with peaks at around 2,000 M) and steep gorges. We had (unseasonal) wall-to-wall sunshine for the duration of the stay in mid-March.
The guide ‘Kayak en Galicia’ (in French and Spanish) The guide ‘Kayak en Galicia’ (in French and Spanish) by Andres Sio Gonzales describes 23 rivers within the region, which include 30 grade IV – V1 sections and over 25 "plus faciles" – easier grade II/III runs. Some of these rivers are dam controlled and retain paddleable levels well into the spring.
All this paddling territory is enjoyed by only 20 local Kayakers. To crown that, no permits are required, and the small group of paddlers have got the system so well organised that they can phone up dam operators to order more (or less) water. These guys enjoy perhaps one of the best and emptiest white water playgrounds in Europe or beyond.
The Rivers
These lived up to Andres’ photos. In the short time available to us we paddled a number of rivers that seemed a good sample of the many available in the region:-

The Rio Deva – a shallow, narrow ditch but with a few interesting drops that offered a good grade II/III warm-up, exercising travel weary limbs.
Rio Mino - (grade II) but at 200 cumecs this took a number of Dartmoor paddlers by surprise.

Rio Lerez – (grade IV/V) : The Classico section proved to be classic – perhaps best described as a scaled up East Lyn. After about one kilometre of III, the river bites in to a gorge and becomes pretty continuous IV punctuated by some exhilarating V falls.

Rio Deza (III/IV(5)) – that’s a hell of a confusing grading isn’t it! - another ‘Classico’ run

We broke our return journey with a short grade II bimble on the Sella (the last stretch of water of any interest in the Picos still open to kayakers).

I had enjoyed a week of paddling in the Picos several years previously but things had changed and most rivers were out of bounds. We weren’t allowed on the river until 11am, and kitting up at 11:03 we were challenged by some bloke in a uniform who looked pretty disappointed when he saw our permits – sad! (he had failed to notice that while Phil had 5 permits for himself, the four other paddlers were technically at fault!).
Published in Canoeist Magazine July 1999

Buck the Sea Lion

1997-04-19T16:02:00.000+01:00

During 6 months on a Galapagos Island, tagging turtles I had built up quite a relationship with some of the wildlife. A one legged Lava gull relied on my fishing for much of its sustenance, and a family of Pelicans sat next to me when I fished (nicking most of my catch).

In April, a young male Sea lion (that I named “Buck”) started to frequent the beach and watch my comings and goings. He didn’t let me approach too close when he was sunning himself on the sand – so we kept our distance from one another, but he always appeared grateful when I threw him some scraps from my fishing.

This had gone on several weeks when a storm threw up a bit of swell and I went out to enjoy a bit of body-surfing. To my surprise, Buck came in to join me. Tentative, at first, after a while he was surfing at my side, pushing me and steering me through the waves (probably horrified at my ineptness!). The ice was broken, and we enjoyed several more surfing sessions over the coming weeks until one day he decided to move on. I missed his company

Smuggled into the Khyber Pass

1997-04-18T09:20:00.006+01:00

Travelling 3rd class by train, from Karachi on route to Peshawer, we had been befriended (and rescued) by Manzoor. He couldn’t do enough for us, putting us up for a night at his half-built house and then driving us around the North West Frontier and through the tribal area of Darra. Darra is a smuggling centre for guns, drugs and all black market goods. A real dive.

We were keen to see more of the ‘tribal lands’ and, if possible, the Khyber Pass while we were staying in Peshawer. However, the authorities were stopping all foreigners because Russian troops had been in the area the day before. No worries, Manzoor had lots of friends and one, ‘Princy’, knew a well respected ‘black-marketer’, an Afrida Headman and managed to smuggle us around a check point to this blokes house.

The tribal areas are scary places. They are virtually autonomous with a Wild West 'rule of the gun'. Manufacture and trading of arms and smuggling seemed the principal activity. Everyone armed to the teeth and living in fear.

The 'family strongholds' are mini-forts. Mud brick construction, with watch towers - forbidding places. On arrival at 'ours' Frances was taken away to cook chappattis with the women - us men fired a few rounds from the headman’s locally made 7mm rifle. (Frances, on hearing the shots, was convinced that I had been shot!)
The following day we left for the Khyber Pass proper with Princy and his friend. We were lucky to get there - thanks to our Afrida who was well known and persuaded the authorities. The Khyber Pass is a real fortress - both natural and full of Pakistan and old British gun emplacements. Smuggling tracks are everywhere. Mules are trained to make their own way across the border, loaded with goods.

Amazing place - from the top you could see the snow capped peaks of the Afghan hills

Slow Train to Wau

1997-04-17T16:41:00.002+01:00

I caught the Train from Khartoum to Wau 3rd Class – the ‘Slow Train to Wau’. And slow it was, often at walking pace, preceded by a guard checking tracks for damage and sand cover. There were a few break downs on the way, too – spent most of one day at Babanusa with the engine in pieces.

The third class carriages were unbearable. I decided to take my chance on the roof, where I spent almost all the journey (6 days) – squatting and chatting (gesticulating) with a roof full of Dinka tribesman, sleeping head to toe across the camber of the roof – too crowded to fall off as the train rocked on at a few miles an hour.At one stop at a village, some hopeful Dinka travellers tried to clamber onto the already crowded roof of the train. A bit of a barny ensued. The soldiers disembarked from the military carriage and lined the train to prevent any more attempts. The Dinks didn’t much like being told what to do by the Sudanese (Arab) army. One shot a guard with his home made rifle. Only a slight cut on the head but the tense stand-off lasted for several hours. Spear wielding Dinks lined up against rifle toting army, glaring at each other.

I was relieved when the whistle blew and the train started to chug on before a full scale war could erupt.

Baboon Hunt at Tabaan

1997-04-17T16:33:00.005+01:00

I had been working with a UNICEF Hand-Pump crew for a week or so, travelling around Southern Sudan in an old Bedford Truck

The Chief and Elders at the village of Tabaan suggested we might all enjoy a ‘Bush Roast’ to celebrate the new hand-pump that we had installed. Consequently, I joined a small hunting party armed with nets and spears. We spent all night and caught one baboon (well, I didn’t, they wouldn’t trust me to do anything but watch)

The following morning, They set up a rush screen in the village ‘green’ to shield a shallow bowl of water to allow me to wash. With the privacy of the screen, I stripped off for a full (and much needed) body wash – unfortunately, I slipped on the soap, crashed through the screen, and, to the delight of the entire village that had gathered to watch, lay sprawled naked (and very white).

I won’t forget Tabaan!

Sting Ray Chouda

1997-04-17T16:22:00.001+01:00

Spending 6 months on a Galapagos Island, tagging Turtles does strange things to the mind. Writing articles for a spoof magazine “The Quinta Playa Gazette” helped to while away the time – as did building an English Pub out of drift wood and whale bones! This was titled “QP Angling Corner”

A technique has been developed on location at Q.P. (Quinta Playa, Isabella Island, Galapagos) for the exploitation of the relatively abundant supply of Sting Rays. This has resulted in an important addition to the Q.P.pot and has proved a valuable and nourishing source of protein.

The question of harnessing this food source has puzzled GG (Galapagos Graham) for some time, but many earlier attempts met with failure. In late March GG tragically lost the only machete at QP after plunging it deep into a ray and watching it swim out to sea. Not to be beaten a spear was then fashioned from a mangrove branch and in early April this, too, failed – being snapped in two by a particularly strong
ray.

On the 30th April (with replacement spear and Machete, (courtesy of the ‘Burro Express’) success at last arrived as the new, complex, and somewhat primitive technique was rewarded with the first Ray some 40” long and 26” wide. The technique used is fairly basic and can be carried out by any turtler of reasonable intelligence, if these few steps are followed.
1. Find a ray
2. Standing seaward of ray in shallow water, move cautiously forward
3. With legs astride to afford perfect balance and to avoid stinging tail, plunge spear home
4. Hold machete high above head and swing strongly to severe poisonous tail
5. Using club fashioned from drift wood, hammer spear home (4 & 5 can be undertaken in reverse order depending on circumstances)
6. Manoeuvre Ray shoreward being careful not to dislodge spear and allow tail-less ray to escape (they are buggers)

This technique has proved highly successful and ‘Sting Ray Chouda’ has become a favourite

1977

1997-03-21T18:11:00.001Z

Surf's up. As usual, tomorrow morning will be spent glueing the bow back on the boat

1976

1997-03-21T18:09:00.001Z

Big boats, old bangers and the Dee Tour

1975

1997-03-21T18:08:00.001Z

Look at that old-school technique - cringe

1969

1997-03-21T18:05:00.001Z

Flat water and the kit's the same - getting bored with this

1966 and all that

1997-03-21T18:03:00.001Z

Not Impressed with the kit - hope things improve

1958 Yes - 5o Years Ahead of the Game

1997-03-21T17:58:00.001Z

How's that - starting my Blog 50 years ahead of the game!

Can't promise I will keep it up though. Life looks much too interesting

I wonder what a kayak would be like out there?