Martlet Kayak Club

After a late night ferry crossing, 1 car, 2 people, 2 bikes and 2 boats arrived in Calais ready for an adventure.  Dropping by Paris (only 300km away) seemed like a good idea, so we spent the early hours driving round the empty city.  By the time we arrived at the Eiffel Tower it was dawn and we made our way south just as the morning traffic started.
2 hours of sleep later and several more hours of driving we hit the alps!  A glass of wine or two before putting up the tents and we had arrived.
The next day more happy campers came and we tested our boats out on the nearby lake, before taking on our first Alpine river – the Durance – the day after.  The Durance was great – turquoise blue waters, birds of prey wheeling overhead and Big and Bouncy Wave Trains the whole way down!  In fact it was so good that we did it again on the Tuesday!
On Wednesday people went their separate ways:  Some of the crazier paddlers headed off to tackle the Guil gorge section (one part of which Andy apparently decided to do on his head).  Other (perhaps even crazier) people flung themselves and their bikes down the mountain in full body armour.  Sarah and I decided to go to Italy for an icecream.  It seemed like the safer option, but rally car driving skills were required to negotiate the narrow winding mountain passes.  We climbed to over 2800 metres, saw 10 marmots and a camel, and sampled 3 flavours of icecream!  Success!
Back on the water for the next couple of days, we were joined by Niki and Bill from York Canoe Club.  On the Thursday we did the Upper Guil – with lots of eddy hopping and fantastic views of Chateaux Queryas as we neared the get out.

On Friday we headed for the Ubaye, where we pretty much all practiced our swimming and boat retrieval skills!  But any nominations for swimmer of the year were more than compensated for by the surrounding mountains, non-stop rapids and paddling (or swimming) through the gorge and under the Roman bridge.
We headed to Embrun that evening for Mussels night and stumbled on some traditional French dancing.  The rather heighty Duncan dancing with the rather less tall 6 year old was quite a sight to behold.
Saturday there was still time for some more downhill mountain biking and walking before Martina and I set off back on the long road to Calais.  It was hard to leave the Alps and all the others still having fun.
All in all, spectacular scenery, fabulous company and great paddling!
Highlights:
Andy (said casually) ‘Sanne, is that your table on fire?’
Sarah being picked up by her BA by a French raft guy and then, realising it wasn’t one of his rafters, cast like a sack of potatoes into the eddy
Waking up to coffee and fresh pain au chocolat every morning (even when we were sleeping on the side of the motorway) – thanks Martina!

So… Same time, same place, next year, anyone?

River Ouse Trip - Lewes to Hamsey Weir and back

Sunday 27th June 2010

Well, it may have been the day England got knocked out of the football, but we had a glorious June Sunday to paddle the Ouse. It was a perfect opportunity for our open canoes to be out. It also provided an ideal first ever river trip for our new members.

Just aboutr MOOving water!

Martin gets some impromptu coaching from Andy, well he never did much paddling leaving Paula to do all the hard work at the back!

At Hamsey Weir

Harry’s first successful seal launch!

John during the successful first part of his seal launch……………….

John again during his equally successful third phase of his SEAL launch……………. the swim of shame ;o)

Second time this year we’ve picnicked here. Both times gloriously hot!

Martin

The return through the narrow cut through

Next trip will be the River Arun - Watch out for more news shortly!

Spring Surfkayak roadtrip in California……..

Despite me forgetting it was Mothers Day when I arranged this trip, I was pleased and relieved to be joined on a lovely sunny Sunday by a small but elite group of paddlers for this trip. We parked up and got changed appropriately enough next to Harvey’s brewery.

We paddled upstream with the tide, and met an iceberg on the way

We arrived at Hamsey Weir just before the tide turned, with a small wave on the upstream side of the weir.

This photo is whilst we picnicked and the tide is just about to turn. The Weir is almost invisible at this point.

Anyhow, picnicking commenced on a lovely grassy bank and it was almost too hot in the bright sunshine!

We made our own simple entertainment. Laughing at Zack, who fell in!

and playing an impromptu game of polo

Then, after a quick session on the strengthening wave, now on the downstream side of the weir, we set off back to Lewes.

Back in Lewes we met up with Tobin Debbie and Issac for a quick beer, before the trip back to MKC. A nice paddle that we’ll definitely be repeating in the summer!

Saturday arrived at last and the morning was ….. bright and crisp, as befitting a December paddle. The sun shone and everyone arrived in time for the 11.00 am departure from the club. Everyone, that is, except for Adrian! When he finally arrived he was very late, with no reasonable excuse, but impeccably dressed. After the drive we met up with Mike C and a friend from Adur Canoe Club, and with Mick O of Arun Canoe club. They’d been forced into sampling the beer early at “The White Hart”, conveniently situated just next to the get in bridge whilst they waited for us. All in we had 13 paddlers on the water, an excellent turnout for our first Arun paddle. As a club we are just “dipping our toes in the water” of the possibilities of the Arun. We will be paddling it again next year and further exploring its sections.

After retrieving Mike C we got changed and ready to shuttle,

Mike still able to balance apres pre-paddle drinks,

Whilst we were there we detoured up the last 100 metres of the Rother to check out Pulborough Weir,

Club members Sanna and Sara took advantage of the placid water to practice their canoeing skills,

Although I’m not sure the paddling duties were split evenly,

Nikki with her stealth pogies,

Martina looking very photogenic!

Ruth and Aidrian, and some bearded geezer in a red suit!

The get-out at Greatham Bridge, two hours later!

Thanks to all who came along. A great way to spend a Saturday in the run up to Christmas!

Rob

We scouted the loop section on Friday afternoon at the lowest level I’ve ever seen. After retiring to our hostel, Powdermills, the rain thankfully started. It rained so much we started to worry that the river may have risen too high! After a thankfully faff-free start we arrived at the river early to find the Dart at a perfect level. The water was just lapping over the stone ledge at Newbridge. We were a large group of over 20, so we split into 2 groups.

These photos are mostly of the group led by Andy and Dai, taken by Andy on the Saturday. If you have your own photos, be brave and post them up.

The two groups re-group at the first eddy for a chat!

Dai, demoing the huge green river machine

Charlie, looking relaxed

Zack, still with paddle intact!

Dale

Sanne

Sian

Nat

Chris O

Rob (me!)

Cliff and Paula and somewhere a canoe in the whitewater!

Agnis at Seal launch rock

We’ll draw a veil over Sunday’s paddle, as unfortuneatly there are no photos.

Pretty uneventful day really …………  ;)

We had beautiful weather for our annual trip to the River Wye. This trip is run as an introduction to moving water for newer members, but is such a sociable event it always attracts seasoned paddlers who come along for the great atmosphere. This year we camped at two sites - with most staying at a new site to us at Christchurch whilst some stayed at the riverside Wyedean. Lets just say there are pro’s and con’s to both sites!

The gentle waters of the Wye from Kerne Bridge (grid reference for this is SO583188) to Symonds Yat East were paddled on Saturday and a lot of coaching and catching up with old friends done. The club paddled as three groups, Dai running a Fondation Safety and rescue course as they travelled.

As my group paddled we practised ferry gliding and breaking in and out of currents,

We also concentrated on the most important of skills “Gurning” with Dr Pollard providing the experience to supervise at an advanced level

Soon solo gurning and even tandem gurning could be undertaken without coaching

At lunch we found time to practise stone skimming

Whilst I practised breaking out with my eyes closed

Not sure what Nikki, Graham and Sanne are up to here!

If you haven’t been on a MKC trip away before this is a great introduction and is organised and run by Chris Childs, normally the second weekend in September.

If you were on the trip and took photos on the Sunday, or were in one of the other groups PLEASE ADD your photos and comments.

Rob

On the Sunday of the Dart Weekend, we fancied a change of scenery from the barely runnable dart (low levels again) so we ran a river new to many of us, the Lower Walkham. The river starts at grade 1-2, building up to a nearly continuous 3- last section. Most significantly, 2 rapids towards the end claimed several swims and a canadian each. These swims, along with a very nasty pin near the start of the trip made for an interesting couple of hours. The river finished with a lovely clean wave right by the get out, which made for good front surfing practise. Jamie

Caroline and I were lucky enough to have a month in Hawaii. 2 weeks on the North Shore of Kuaui, followed by 2 weeks in Eastern Maui in a wonderful remote town called Hana. While this wasn’t a surf trip (there was also the minor detail of us getting married ), I took my surf kayak and managed to get on the water around an hour a day.

Hawaii has historically been seen as a rite of passage for the top board surfers in the world - everywhere I surfed deserved a large amount of respect and thought, particularly being a lone boater on the North Shore in the Winter.

* The surf is powerful and the standard of surfing the highest on the planet. You need to be really sure of your roll, the way you’ll get out of difficult situations (”what happens if I swim?”), and totally confident with your ability to be safe around others - you need to be totally in control, able to avoid collisions in heavy / crowded conditions, and know the rules. Absolutely no dropping in, although some of the locals might (nothing personal, they do it to everyone from time to time) and a smile and ‘hello’ always worked.
* Did I say the standard was high? I saw 2 of the Top 5 pro surfers in the world, Andy Irons (a Kauai local) and Joel Parkinson in the space of a week in Kauai. You wont paddle out straight to the peak and dazzle anyone with your moves, but you will get some nice comments and respect if you behave modestly and respectfully, show your safe, and then hit some big moves.
* Kuaui was paradise. The weather was a stable 23 degrees for two weeks with constant long-distance swell between about 6 and 14 feet. Kuaui is a genuine, friendly place with many surfers absolutely intrigued to see a kayak being thrown around like a shortboard. If you stay in Hanalei then there are a bunch of spots very close by dependent upon conditions; Hanalei Bay Point (one of the best waves in the world - you can ride hundreds of yards, with varying sections from super fast down-the line races, softer rippable shoulders, and pitching lips), Lumahai beachbreak (when the sandbars and swells are right, is likened to pipeline by the locals - even on a small swell this place barrels in really shallow water), Cannons, Rock Quarry, Kealia, Gas Chambers, Pine Trees all within 20 minute drive.
* Maui is also beautiful but less welcoming. On the North Shore, its really competitive and you need to be careful. When I finally got up the confidence to paddle out at Ho’okipa (just a mile or so from the world famous bigwave spot of Jaws), it was pretty intimidating and crowded - not a place to drop in or swim. We stayed in Hana, on the East Coast (a pretty hairy 2.5 hour drive from the waves on the North) which was pretty secluded and not so consistent for waves - in fact, we didn’t see any swell over a foot or two in ten days. Hana is a fantastically local, unspoilt place to escape and enjoy nature and time - and it can be classic for surf, just not this time.

Perfect, tiny, shorebreak barrels at Lumahai - also the scene of our wedding a few days later;

Heavy shorebreak at Pine Trees (Kauai). When the point is firing double-overhead at Hanalei, this place can be going off with heavy barrels. Standard of juniors surfing here is world class.

Hanalei Bay Point is one of the finest waves in Hawaii. Between 1 and 3.5 meters, you can ride shoulder to triple overhead walls for hundreds of yards (if your quick enough). On a single wave, you can run for your life to make a section, hit a couple of airs, get covered up a couple of times and annihilated in the bowl to finish. I don’t have many pictures of this finest wave because; 1) Its over quarter of a mile out to sea 2) I generally surfed at dawn when Caroline was in bed.

She got these couple of pictures when I paddled out alone (there was no-one else out there when I paddled out) with a 4 meter swell. The waves were breaking with 20 foot faces, and the spot was totally out of control. I caught one ride (the ride of my life - a 100 yard race across the reef, triple overhead), then got destroyed as I paddled back out.

I’m in the foam pile here, I was fortunate to get away with this and headed straight back to the beach.

Lumahai was out favorite spot. It has tiny little barrels right up against the beach. I broke my boat here but had a blast.



A little air off the backside…..

As heavy as it gets at 2ft

And sometimes you just have to pay the price

The bodysurfing was fun, too…..

Kayak storage, Kauai style

When the North shore of Kauai got out of control, we headed down to Kealia, on the east coast. A super-powerful little beachbreak which was always better than it looked!




Another bald, mammal breaching…..just off the beach

MAUI

Hana was beautiful; we stayed in a botanical garden, and I surfed at a historic spot called Ke’annini (the ‘Upright wave’). In ancient legend, a Polynesian king landed at this spot and called the gods to bring waves for him to ride. Apparently (many of the Hawaiian legends are pretty mysoginist) two maidens saw this great man, and attempted to turn his head by removing their clothes. For some reason, they were turned to stone - and those rocks represented the extent of the wave and one of them, Popalana, was actually the rock on which our apartment was located.

Unfortunately, the swell really didn’t reach the East Coast and I surfed these (extremely un-Hawaiian) peaks for 10 days straight.

“Beautiful spot, wheres the surf?”

We have the wheels, shame about the surf…..

Caroline enjoying the surroundings……

There were other passtimes, like jumping off 40 foot cliffs……

Hana has its own canoe club. Although the season hadn’t yet started, I did get talking to some of their competitive athletes - the outrigger canoe racers. They made matters worse by telling me that they couldn’t remember the last time they hadnt seen any waves for 10 days……….apparently, there is a reef a couple of hundred meters offshore from Ke’anini which would break from 10-30ft and was sometimes ridden by the 20ft long outriggers……

Caroline gets some bodysurfing in…..

On the way back to the mainland (and the Santa Cruz competition), we dropped by Ho’Okipa and finally I got some real waves on Maui……

This was one of the coolest moments of the entire trip. A turtle (bottom left) poked his head up to check me out on the inside….”Hey, get back to the river, bra!”

And then it was back to the airport and home via the Santa Cruz surf festival, which is a story for another day……….

With the guarantee of calm water coaching conditions Llangorse lake in the Brecon Beacons provided the club with the opportunity for some focused coaching for our members. During the weekend we ran a range of training and assessments - BCU 2 and 3 Star tests and the Canoe Safety Test.

As always with MKC trips it was also a great social occasion.

Andy and Dai talking through Safety equipment carried and giving a pre-wet session course briefing.

The weekend also provided an opportunity for our aspirant coaches to gain valuable experience. Rich leading a briefing session with Dai.

Nat leading a frisby warm up session!

Jamie, Steve, Sue and Robin during a session.

Talia refining her forward paddling technique.

Our other lake users! Couldn’t resist interupting my coaching to take this shot….

We stayed at a superb hostel that had its own climbing and horse riding centre. Several club members are experienced climbers who were happy to share their equipment and give non-climbers a great experience.

Me (Rob), Andy and Cliff

Jamie and Ian on the wall, Cliff, Dai and Rich on belay

This was the first year the club ran this weekend. I really hope we run it again this year!