Floating My (new) Boat: Quest LV

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

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?!

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

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?!

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

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

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’