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Aire Waves
Leeds Canoe Club Blog. We paddle... lots!
Airewaves used to be Leeds Canoe Club's magazine letting people know what the club was upto. Its quite hard work pulling together a publication letting people know what the club is doing and publishing dates in advance is always hard as things tend to change. Step forth the blog.. Push button publishing for the masses. So here is the idea a few people in the club take it in turns to write up trips and talk about things in the club.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007The Leven 27th Jan 2007 (The Lakes part 2)
Hungover we put on above the brick shoot weir just below Newby Bridge, dropped through the mill force, through the graveyard section, down the two tier drop and past last years egress point (almost seems like I'm taking these details straight out of a book). I'm trying to speed through to the new and exciting stuff.
The lower section, dum dum dum. (Menacing music, not stupid, stupid, stupid).
The first thing we came across was the large weir (Water close weir), Bob picked the line and went for it, plummeting over the edge, with a thud. He disappeared from view, we waited anxiously whilst he reappeared and gave us the signal to follow his line. A few of us did, landing nose first on big rock. Stephan and the others picked a much nicer line about 10 feet to the left.
I've put this in as a cautionary note not to follow Bob's line.
The next drop was the Eagerly awaited grade 4 rapid,Backbarrow Bridge. We had stopped on the way up to look at this feature, and assess our lines, at least one portaged (perhaps to save his "not swimming since he started" record, you'll work out who this was later).The rest of us ran it. A few swimmers, myself included (although I did have a good reason) the others I fear just lacked the skills, and one or two fluked it.
We eddied out river right above the drop and awaited the all clear signal. Ferry glided across into the flow, sweep stoke picked our line and paddled for it. As I neared the bottom of the Grade 4, still upright it occured to me that I was in an unfamiliar boat, and hadn't done my capsize drill, if there were to be an issue how do I know if I would have gotten out alive. I wouldn't. There was no time like the present, if your going to do a test capsize, you may as well make it an extreme test capsize at the bottom of a GRADE FOUR rapid. I had a quick go at rolling in the aerated water, just for effect, fluffed it, swam. Sat on the side with the others eating biscuits and drinking from varoius flasks.
(If your interested in seeing the drop, professionally photographed, its on the inside of the back cover of the "White water Lake district")
The next weir was a compulsory Portage around Grade 5+ Weir, although there was some speculation that it could have been done on that day without a problem, but as no one would lend anyone else there boats to do it in, the question will have to remain unanswered, or taken as No.
This was followed by a second weir, with a couple of easy eddies immediately above to sit in, nice.
Then another little weir, was followed by what the book describes as an entertaining rapid. This proved a little too entertaining for some, with at least two swimmers here.
Then another big weir with an long slide.
Then fisherman's island go left for grade three, go right for grade four. There was a debate after, whether this was the wrong way around, but everyone survived, some better than others.
The following are all true and took place at The Low wood egress point.
1) Jonathan through Bob's bung in the river.
2) Bob through his own car key's in the river in an attempt to demonstrate how Jonathan had lost his boat bung.
3) I forgot my car key, and didn't discover this until I was at the other end of the shuttle, bugger.
Just the facts:
1) Weather was ok, a little cold for the swimmers.
2) Water level was nice, a little scrapy in places, but ok.
3) On the water snacks were Caremel Rockey's and hot fruit juice.
© Leeds Canoe Club