River flow is a significant factor

Here is a nice picture of some rowers...........chatting. Sometimes they like to row four abreast and cut each other up. Saturday morning is particularly sporty in this respect.

I really had to struggle to motivate myself this morning at 6.00am to put my kayak gear on and walk to the river. I take 0.5 litre of water and two tiny LED lights the size of five pence pieces.
The lights velcro to the front and rear of my Carolina 14 for paddling in the dark. Even at this time in the morning there are occasionally rowers on the river and the lights reduce your chance of getting a smack round the back of the head with an oar. The boat is in the garden and getting to the river underneath Marlow bridge is a two minute walk from the house using a small two wheeled trolley to pull the boat along the pavement. The bin men think I am mad. As I put the boat in the water I noticed ice around the rim of the cockpit. The river state light at the rowing club was amber this morning rather than the red earlier in the week, good news for avoiding a clout round the head, there should be no rowers. I paddled away from the bridge using my best paddling technique, five minutes flat out takes me to Bisham (pronounced bis - ham) church then one minutes rest paddlng. The rest paddling is more like what we will be doing on the DW. The next five minutes flat out take me to a large steel barge moored on the left of the river just up from Bisham Abbey. The next couple of minutes rest paddling takes me the start of Temple Island. The flow of the river against the boat is significant here, occasionally you get a bump underneath the seat like a whale has passed under the boat. I can only guess that there are currents rotating between the river bed and surface that hit the bottom of the boat. The final paddle to Temple lock is a slog against the current and it looks like the bank is standing still and the current knocks the nose of the boat offline constantly. Finally I reach the lock cut but you need to get 15ft into the cut to get out of the swirling waters. I paddle to a steel ladder in the cut and turn the boat round for a rest and drink, the dark is starting to lift. It has taken me 23 mins for a 1.5 mile journey that takes 18 mins in the summer. The paddle back is uneventful except that it takes me 10 minutes! 1.5 miles in 10 mins is 9mph average! This boat paddles at 5mph through the water so the flow today was really significant. Hope it is like that on DW!

Training For Efficiency

We booked a training session with Marsport to cover efficient paddling and portaging. It started in the shop at Reading on a paddling machine in front of a mirror to get the technique right. Rotating the trunk, high hand hold, correct paddle entry, cycling action with the legs, knees together etc etc. We then moved outside to our kayak to paddle up and down getting the technique right. Then onto portaging. Approaching the dock at speed at a 45deg angle, kicking the rudder at the last minute to steer the nose away from the dock and applying maximum braking. Get out of the boat simultaneously, pick it up by the cockpit rims, flip it over using the paddles onto our opposing shoulders and jog away.
The training was very worthwhile and we have many hours of preparation on the water to perfect the techniques.

Newbury to Reading

We drove to Wharf Street car park right next to the Kennet & Avon Canal and unloaded the boat. It wasn't obvious to us which way to go towards Reading but as it was morning we reckoned we should head towards the sun. I walked into the canal cafe in my paddling gear and said to the lady at the counter "I know its a daft question but which way to Reading?". She kindly confirmed our reckoning was correct.

There were a couple of changes for todays trip. Len Funnel was my partner and we were trialling a new pair of Werner paddles. Both sets of paddles are of very light carbon fibre/resin construction but one set is for a strong flatwater paddler and the other is for extended sea trips. This was a big mistake. The paddles look like they have a similar cross sectional area but the sea paddles were like paddling with a couple of lolly sticks. We pressed on.

Having not paddled on the canal before the first shock came at the third lock when we went to put the boat back in the water and it looked a long drop from the bank. We decided it was too much of a drop and walked along the bank until we found a shallow area where we stepped into the water with the boat. Later we were to appreciate that such drops are normal.

The lack of any appreciable flow was interesting and we had a lot of problems with drag from leaves collecting on the nose. Jumping up and down and leaning back had no effect. The nose is too long to reach the leaves with the paddles but when we went over a small stick it cleared the leaves instantly. We then had some exciting times running over grass and small bushy outcrops as part of our clearnace strategy. The drag from the leaves is quite considerable, slowing the boat and producing a heavy wake. We are definately going to get a 45deg nose fairing to fix this problem.

Fobney lock was a nightmare of our making. We saw the stream on the right, bridge and muddy bank but rejected it as a launch site. We ended up manhandling the boat above our heads to get down the tight steps to the mill stream grating. Not good and we knew it. Of course I checked out the DW lock notes later at home and the correct procedure for Fobney is burnt into my mind.

The various swing bridges were interesting. A couple of them were very low indeed and we learnt that we can get much lower by leaning forward than by leaning back limbo style. We slowed up to a virtual standstill for all the low bridges as a serious head injury seemed odds on if we took them at speed.

One very large and impassable swing bridge looked like it was on a B road. Portaging on the right tow path side is fine but you have to cross the bridge and launch from the left bank otherwise you end up in the driveway of a school.

Paddling along the canal through the centre of the Reading shopping area was fun and we soon joined the Thames. We paddled the few hundred yards to the Reading Canoe & Watersports Centre and went into Marsport. They very kindly stored our boat overnight and called a taxi for us to get back to Newbury - thanks guys. Very good of you. They had a manikin dressed in all the required DW kit so there are bits and pieces I will be buying tomorrow when I get the boat.

The trip took 4hrs 45mins for about 20 miles which seems slow. There are three reasons I can think of: paddle issues, no flow, various portaging mistakes.

The taxi got us back to Newbury and on leaving the carpark we had a demonstration of the darker side of life. It was Cheap Street about 5.10pm and dark. The swearing first alerted us to about 15 youths squaring up to each other in the road to the right of the car. A big guy in a parker (fur round the hood) strode up hands by his side and hit one of the other scroats with such ferocity that it pole-axed him and he collapsed on the road. There was no movement apart from his hand twitching. His mates picked him up and he started to walk of a fashion and then they all started to disperse. I hope he is OK.

Marlow to Teddington.

Marlow is at Mile 70 of the race and Teddington is at Mile 108 so we had 38 miles to cover. With no support crew we both had 2.5 litre camelbacks, 2 packs of sandwiches each and loads of cake.

We dropped the boat in the river under Marlow Bridge and adjusted the foot rests and seat backs. I had bought a speedcoach gold digital speedometer for the boat as it has an automatic backlight which will be essential through the night on DW. The theory is that by regulating our effort throughout the race (by running at a set speed through the water) we stand the best chance of finishing.

We left Marlow lock at 08.55. The first challenge was at Maidenhead where you take your boat out of the water just past the weir, walk across Boulters Island and drop the boat into the weir stream. The water was a foaming torrent with re-circulating currents. To prevent getting pushed into the bank we had to make several attempts to launch the nose of the boat towards the centre of the stream and paddle hard. We were very thankful to be in a stable boat.

Windsor Bridge lock is a challenge as you have to get out on the right, then cross to the left over the lock gates to put your boat in the water. If you stay on the right you end up in a boat yard.

As we passed the Castle grounds we had several drive bys from the Castle security and then saw a 30ft river boat approaching at speed. As soon as he saw us he slowed but the wake behind him consisted of four sets of 2 1/2 foot waves that cames over the boat and into the cockpits - thanks mate.

Not sure what the island is called at Old Windsor (Ham Island?) but it smells like most of your toilets empty into the Thames.

We didn't stop to eat or drink. One of us would carry on paddling while the other munched cake. Some fisherman were looking incredulously at me as we passed them. I was eating cake with my paddle by my side as Rob paddled. Rob shouted at them "he has been doing that since Marlow".

At Sunbury lock I was pooped but the lock keeper said it was 2.5 miles to Molesey and then 5 miles to Teddington. Molesey arrived quite quickly but the stretch between Molesey and Teddington took an age. The young lads in rowing 8s on this stretch were very polite as we passed them. Not sure which school they came from but they did the school proud.

We were both relieved to get to Teddington at 15.40. Within a couple of minutes of getting out we were getting very cold and were thankful for the waterproof jackets in the rear hatch of the boat.

38 miles in 6.45hrs an average of 5.63mph was a good result for us. If we could do that speed on DW we would finish in 22hrs 20 min. Our aim is to complete DW in less than 30 hours. The down side is that we had completed less than 30% of the course distance and we were pooped. More training required!

Middle Aged & Never Raced Kayaks

I moved to Marlow in 2006 and being 2 minutes walk from the river it seemed a good idea to get myself a Canoe to keep fit and see some of the most beautiful scenery in the Thames valley.

If you want to get the "latest cool boat" then you are expected to buy what I would call a floating water butt with the hydrodynamics to match. These are in fact "playboats" and it is awfully cool to play in the weir, slide off the river bank and do lots of rolls and generally immerse yourself in dirty river water at every opportunity. This is all great to show how much testosterone you have. You can buy lots of manly kit to complete the image and if you want to travel even short distances you will need biceps like Arnie as you leave a wake like a laden coal barge.

So a "Playboat" was not for me. I wanted something fast to cover distances at speed. The first thing I learn't was that the generic term "Canoe" that I had used all my life was incorrect in this day and age. A "Canoe" is the open top version that the Canadians use in the films (beaver tail hats and all that) with single paddles. What I wanted was a "Kayak" where you sit in an enclosed cockpit with a double paddle.

I bought a Carolina 14. An inexpensive plastic Kayak that is stable and runs well in the water. It has hatches front and back that are large enough to put in camping gear, clothes, your lunch etc.

Stability is very important for a middle aged paddler. You can buy all manner of fast kayaks that will tip you out in seconds. Its not funny and its very hard to stay upright. If you want to paddle unstable kayaks then you should have started to learn from about age 8.

Fast is a relative term with all displacement boats. You can only drive them so fast and then all your energy goes into producing a wake. When you start to exceed the hull speed you hear the noise of the wake behind you. For the Carolina 14 you can put in maximum paddling effort and move through the water at 5.5mph or paddle along with minimum effort at 5mph through the water. In terms of power you are probably expending 500 watts at 5.5mph and 200 watts at 5mph.

When training with the Carolina I wanted to know how quick I was going so I bought a Garmin 301 gps that goes on your wrist. I could see instantly how fast I was going but this bore no relation to effort. If I paddled upstream close to the bank I did 5mph and then if I moved to the centre of the river I slowed to 3mph for the same effort because of the increase in river flow midstream.

To measure effort I needed to know how fast I was moving through the water so I bought a SpeedCoach. Using a tiny impeller stuck to the bottom of the hull with a magnetic pickup inside the hull you get a digital read out of speed through the water, average speed etc.
Now I paddle upstream to Temple Lock at 5.5mph through the water and back to Marlow again at 5.5mph through the water but my speed over the ground may be 3.5mph upstream and 7.5mph downstream. You never know quite what the speed over the ground will be because the flow of the river changes markedly day to day and depending on the season. That is why a gps is of limited value to measure effort.

Staying fit is good but being fit does not make you a good paddler. You use an unusual set of muscles paddling and they need to be developed. Paddling for the first time your muscles will fag out before you reach 30% of your aerobic capacity. An Olympic paddler has muscles that can use 90% of his aerobic capacity. The long and short of it is there is no substitute for paddling to develop the right muscles.

I had heard about the DW from my business partner who has done it twice to varying degrees of success. The first time he borrowed an old, blunt and heavy two man kayak (K2) from a scout group having done no training. He got as far as Marlow (non-stop) with his race partner which was a massive achievement with no food and drink. His support crew got bored at the first meeting point and went down the pub.

The second time he did DW was with his boss over four days and it was all highly organised.

I wanted to do the DW non-stop event as a personal challenge and to raise money for a Charity close to my heart. He was keen to do it with me but I wanted to make sure we were well organised, prepared, fit and with the proper kit. The DW non-stop event is for two man boats only (for safety), non-stop, 125 miles through the night. There are 77 locks where you have to pick up your boat and run to the next bit of water.

It seemed to me that getting the right boat was very important. The boat needs to be fast, stable and lightweight. There was a lot of pressure to get a racing K2 so we went to our local club and tried them out. The racing K2 boats are rated for stability from 1 to 10. We tried a Condor and at stability 8 it is one of the more stable boats. Every time we moved away from the waters edge we were tipped in. So we tried every other K2 in the club and concluded it had to be a light, stable boat with a rudder.

I studied sea kayaks as they have to be much more stable but they are heavy and slower because they get a pounding on the sea and need to be tough to run up beaches etc. I did find a solution though. Nelo made a lightweight Waterman of carbon kevlar that came out at 20KG. Most other sea kayaks are 30KG plus. I called the UK distributor and he was reluctant saying the cockpit openings were small. He called me back saying the factory would build us one in our colours specially for DW with: large cockpits, no front storage hatch or deck lines for lightness, carrying handles, comfortable seats with back straps and an under stern rudder with spare. It would take 6 weeks and sure enough we had it delivered within that time.

Yesterday was our first outing to complete one of the sections of DW. Marlow to Teddington.