Adam and I knew that we would find it hard to fit in the really long paddles that we would need in the run-up to the DW. I had hoped that we would do some of the Waterside series as training but it turned out that on every race weekend we were committed to other friend and family events (everyone we know’s turning 40 this month) so our windows of opportunity to get a really long paddle in were dwindling. Yesterday was to be our Waterside D replacement where we would find out our canal pace, practice our portaging and feeding and get Dad and John up to speed on their supporting duties. We had decided to put in at Pewesy instead of Devizes so that we would not have to do the first 12 miles of pretty dull paddling without a portage, but much more importantly we would carry on past Newbury and head up to Aldermaston in order tp familiarise ourselves with that section of the course. This was where things began to unravel for us last year and we wanted to go back and get it in our heads and see the obstacles in daylight. It was going to be a long day in the boat as we only had a handful of two hour plus paddles in the bag in the last few months but we wanted to see if the technique work that we have been doing had made any difference to our ability to paddle the boat well. The next 31 miles would tell us.
The put in at Pewsey was easy with an accessible car park and the weather was perfect, being quite cool, although weakly warm when the sun made the odd appearance. We found we were too hot to start with but within an hour or so it had cooled down and was very comfortable for most of the paddle. We had the usual 15 minute shakes as Adam settled down but we had a nice easy paddle up to Wotton all on our own in order to find our rhythm. Straightaway we focussed on our technique, with me trying to ‘spear my feet’ and keep my hands high while Adam got his rotation going.
The first major obstacle was going to be the Savernake Tunnel. I knew that we would get through ok but I was worried about encountering a boat trying to get through the tunnel from the other direction, despite us having a light on the front. As it was I need not have worried; it was possible to see very clearly through the tunnel and the water was dead calm, however there was a lot of weed and other debris that had got caught-up in there, making paddling quite difficult. We tip-toed through and then got our heads down to negotiate Crofton.
We walk/jogged the whole of Crofton, expecting to meet Dad and John at the bottom, but they had unexpectedly turned up in the middle. We passed up the offer of a feed and kept on plugging away, breaking out into a trot when we felt like it, but we didn’t rush it particularly, knowing that we were going to have a pretty big feed at the end of the flight. We got there and had a sarnie, jelly babies and a bottle change. We were not using carbs drinks, instead using nuun in our bottles for electrolytes and hydration and relying on carbs through solid food. It’s very easy to stand around and have a chat and I think D & J were a bit surprised at my insistence that we get going again so soon. This need to get going and keep moving was however tempered with the need to keep relaxed when we were moving. As the paddle progressed we were more careful to slow ourselves down and not rush unnecessarily and avoid making silly mistakes that would cost us a lot of time. In the main, we achieved that pretty well although there were a few things which cost us a bit of time. For example my paddle came loose. All of a sudden I found myself slapping the water and I realised my feather angle was non-existent. Luckily we were at a portage although it took a few minutes to get a screwdriver. I’ll be sticking the plastic locknut back on for the race to avoid this happening again. Adam and I also managed to ship some water into the boat which we then had to get out. Another minute or two lost as we sorted it.
We got into Hungerford and it was at this point that I developed a back problem on my right hand side which sent a sharp pain that stopped me paddling for a moment. Bad thoughts raged and I thought that we were going to have to stop but gradually over the next half an hour it faded away. I can only think that I tweaked something during a portage. It was a bit of a worry at the time but seems ok now. It rather highlighted how quickly things could potentially turn to worms. It reinvigorated my focus on my technique once more.
The section before and just after Hungerford is densely populated with locks and a big part of this paddle was to give us the opportunity to get our portage routine squared away. We are not fast at portaging. Adam’s a big chap and getting out the boat is a big effort for him. Allied to that, we do not have the advantage of a lightweight kevlar boat that we can carry on the cockpit, so portaging requires us to get the boat out of the water by the cockpit first, before going to the handles to shoulder the mystere. This takes time. Not much time, but significantly more than just picking up the boat and running, and over 40 portages this adds up significantly. But, we got a good system going and I feel we were as efficient as we could be, also using the portages to take drink and a haribo or two to top up our sugar levels.
After seeing D and J at Kintbury, this time eating some of mum’s bread pudding, we were on the final section before Newbury and here the locks begin to thin out, which allowed us to get back into a better rhythm. We could definitely feel the effects of hull drag on the boat but we had the mystere bouncing along nicely and we were feeling really good about how the paddle had gone. Newbury came up quickly and after another bread pudding stop and a haribo top-up we pushed on towards our next meeting with them at Midgham. As I said earlier, it was in this section last year that we started to push too hard to make up on lost time and ultimately was one of the causes for us to retire, so again, we tried to keep relaxed and maintain our technique and tick off the locks. This section has the two left turns after lock 88 and 94 but they really are no problem. We had to duck for a couple of low bridges and got through them comfortably and Monkey Marsh was open, although I made a hash of it and tried to put the boat in in front of a dredger. Another minute lost while we found a different get in point.
We were both getting a bit more clumsy as we got tired and at the second to last lock before Aldermaston we made a hash of it. I was busy saying hello to to a woman walking her dog and when I looked around Adam was floating in the water; apparently a BA strap had got caught. Not how we wanted to end the paddle but we had a really good recovery and found ourselves in Aldermaston ahead of schedule. Unfortunatley, J and D were not there. They had missed us at Woolhampton and then a road diversion in Aldermaston meant that it was another 40 minutes before they got to us. We got out our dry kit in the boat and waited. An unfortunate end to the day, but in the grand scheme of things, small beer. We were really pleased with how the day had gone with us finishing uninjured and feeling like we had not taken too much out of ourselves.
We were really pleased with our speed in the water. Despite it being the canal, we were faster in the water than we though that we would be and that’s a big testament to the work that we’ve put in over the winter. Hopefully, when we get on the Thames and we have less portaging to deal with then we will be able to maintain a good average speed. Don’t get me wrong; we’re still looking at a finishing time in excess of 25.5 hours, but we know that we can hit the cut–off times at Newbury and Dreadnaught and hit the tide window at Teddington.
I am now officially looking forward to April 7th.
No comments:
Post a Comment