Christmas Barge

I am feeling really positive about my kayaking at the moment. I think I banished a few demons by going out midweek, another session on Sunday cemented my feeling that I could be able to do the DW in my new boat. There are still some concerns, but not as many.

Heading to Chichester canal with my DW partner who took out an old Talisman that she bought a few weeks ago because she is worried that her Hobby2 is too heavy. Considering it is December, the weather was really mild and unlike my session on Thursday there was pleasantly no wind.

We set off at a fair pace and stayed mostly together, though early on I was struggling with stability when I got into the churned water of her wash. There were also few narrow boats out doing a Father Christmas run http://chichestercanal.org.uk/boat-trips/father-christmas/, which gave me more churned water to deal with. I wimped out when they went past deciding to hug the bank and wait for the wash to pass rather than paddle through and risk a capsize.

After we turned in the basin I waited for a stunted little barge to leave ahead of me not realising that I would have been considerably faster than it had I committed to go, I then found myself stuck behind it unable to get too close because if I found the wake from a slender Talisman a bit of a problem, the backwash from this inelegant tub was causing me havoc. Eventually they slowed to observe a belligerent heron and I gritted my teeth and ploughed through the bow wave.

I had fallen some distance behind my friend and really had to put the power down to catch up. I found my focus and worked really hard trying to keep the paddle cadence up. Usually when I try to speed up I eventually catch the paddle awkwardly and end up setting myself up for a tank slapper but for about two kilometres I was in the zone. I don’t think I have worked that hard in a kayak for a long time but was a really nice feeling to be flying along only focusing on catch, rotate, power, catch, rotate, power.

We started a second lap and I was much happier dealing with the disturbed water from another kayak, probably because I had to deal with that barge earlier in the morning. We had some impromptu “efforts” whenever we drew alongside (you remember efforts from when I had that taster session at the Wey kayak club?) at full power I was generally the faster, be it I have a quicker boat, more strength, or both.

We had completed 10k in a little under an hour and twenty minutes and I finally had to deal with my current nemesis, namely getting out. I decided to try this week from a fishing pontoon rather than at the quayside where we put in, because it was a little bit lower (and wasn’t made of concrete which has been scratching my boat). I did achieve what I think is my first dry exit from a K1 but it wasn’t pretty and for anyone watching I'm certain it resembled a seal hauling itself onto a beach.

I think I have two main challenges at the moment, dealing with turbulent water and getting out of my boat for portages. Both essential for the DW but they are bite sized things to work on.