The Paddling Adventures of Andy R

With a busy summer, writing the blog has been at the bottom of the priority list! Loads of time on the water has resulted in many happy customers getting the training they need and those much deserved certificates!

Since last time of writing, I’ve also had a visit from the karma police and a much heralded swim in the Tryweryn. The water spirits get us all eventually! Just nature’s way of reminding us who is in charge out there. Talking of nature, the river levels have been up and down this last month, although luckily not enough to cancel sessions, but a two star course nearly had to look for a new venue.

The big news since the last blog has been we nearly acquired some premises in Ironbridge, I say nearly because we have been badly let down by the freeholders who were going to lease the site to us. After all the hard work put in by ourselves, the support staff at Natwest bank and our accountant this has been quite a deflating experience. One thing I have learnt from the experience is that rich people really are bone idle and I don’t like estate agents.

 So here’s to a summer on the water and see you all out there paddling what ever floats!

Congratulations to Matt, Max and Jack on passing their BCU Two Star Award. Well done guys, not only did you complete the award, but had a good clean run down Jackfield Rapid! Enjoy your trip down the Wye and I hope you get to use all your new skills.

A first for AR Kayaking was our first all ladies group last Saturday – and what a course it was. I don’t think so much fun has ever been had on the River Severn. A big thank you  to Jackie, Amanda, Jane and Chris; for making a morning in canoes and kayaks so enjoyable. I hope the pictures appear on the web!

Now we’re well into BST the Thursday Night Sessions will be starting on 28th April. There has already been a lot of interest shown this year and we may have to run a booking system this year, so get any requests for favourite boats in early!

Banwy Trip

With Welsh river levels on the rise Paddlemaster and the Smurfs headed off to the Banwy to get in what was to become a late season paddle. The Banwy is one of those strange rivers that needs loads of rain to make it do-able. Once the spring arrives it becomes a stone beach full of nettles, so this may have been the last chance to get down it before the end of winter.

When we got to the river, the water level was already dropping and the sun poking out from behind the clouds. Although the trip was a bit of a scrape – Team Smurf acquitted themselves well with no major dunkings or swims. The video isn’t our most exciting, but it does how beautiful the Banwy can be and how powerful the floods were this winter. Just take a look at the trees that have washed down and remember to respect the river, for even the mildest stream can become a raging giant.

Around this time a young man called Chris booked in for some coaching towards a Two Star assessment, after some intensive training I can congratulate him on passing his assessment.

March has also seen the return of weekly paddle sessions, until the clocks change these are going ahead on Saturday mornings. Once we’re back to BST, regular Thursday night service will be resumed.This week saw the signs of spring on the Severn and an eager team of old and new paddlers heading upstream to the Buildwas play pot. This might not be a full on rapid, but it certainly gives newcomers a taste for playing the river.

Talking of playing, we’ve had a new addition to the AR Kayaking fleet – a little red Bigdog Kaos! At only 6’2″ this boat fits nicely in the back of the car, giving plenty of opportunity to sneak a play session after work. So if you see someone on the Severn paddling what looks like a plastic bucket, it could be me!

The idea was a trip down the Severn and a couple of runs at Jackfield. The reality was a cold damp morning with water levels holding up and flattening most features. So not much to play on, but Cliff got the experience of running boils and ‘funny’ water – a type of paddling that requires more power than skills.

I just hope spring isn’t far away as this chilly grey weather is no use to anyone. Even snow and ice is useful – closes schools and makes the hills exciting!

During the recent recession we’ve heard a lot about double dips. Today Afon Banwy  produced a second peak on the Environment Agency gauge. Usually the Banwy peaks under heavy rain and then is good to paddle a couple of days later, this time it peaked again today. A quick text to Chris (an instructor who lives in the area) for her opinion gave me all the info I needed to cancel the trip.

‘The Vyrnwy is coming out. The Banwy brown and ugly. I’d give it a miss.’

This was followed by a flood alert being issued for the road at the get out. That was it, trip cancelled – time to ring the crew and fetch the boat off the car. It was almost fate, both Phil and I had the same idea – load up in daylight for a quick get away in the morning. Just the sort of action that angers the river gods into sending a flood to keep you grounded.

Paddling a flood or not paddling is a difficult decision. I’ve paddled floods, I’ve got scary pictures of Chris and I running the Vyrnwy and struggling to get under low bridges. With Bill, I  ran through Shrewsbury during the big flood of 2000. Guiding others is different, yes they want it exciting; but you don’t want to scare someone so much that they don’t want to paddle again or lose expensive equipment during a long swim. I know how it feels – I’ve paid into both accounts.

So here’s to next weekend! Hopefully a dry spell in the week should calm things down a little and then back out to play. Lets face it, paddling is all about playing. If it becomes anything else, when the stakes become bigger than a knocked ego – you should ask yourself seriously why you’re out there and will you being there have any impact on the history of kayaking? If you find yourself unable to answer – go home and get a life that matters.

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