Beginners River paddling group 24/1/24
River Kent Kendal.
This was the 2nd in a series of meets for this new group. The 1st session had been based at kendal leisure centre, with a dry then wet session in the pool.
The group was split in 2, with am and pm starts and was led by Mike H, Mark W and Mark Mc.
Morning group.
We met at Kendal rugby club and after sorting boats we then did a quick shuttle to the start at Sandybottoms on the River Kent. The wide pool was perfect for practising some basic skills and utilising where the Kent and Mint rivers flow into each other.
Ferry glides, boat control and breaking in/out were a few of the things taught and practised. We didn’t see any otters as reported by a passing dog walker but it was a lovely spot. This was followed by a trip further down the Kent to the egress point just before Victoria bridge for Mike and Clare. Plenty of opportunity to practice and start to recognise river features and what to avoid! The temperature of the water wasn’t tested, as it didn’t look too toasty -leaving that for another day…
A really good morning, lots learnt and much more to build on! With many thanks to the leaders.
Ann-Marie, Clare and Andrea with Ray as chief photographer.
Clare
Afternoon session Giles Wilson.
4 paddlers assembled at Sandy Bottoms at the gravelly confluence of the Rivers Mint and Kent. Giles Wilson, Sally Soady, Megan Green & Judith Neaves. We are a mix of novices, sea kayakers and returning river boaters, putting into practice the previous week’s theory and pool sessions.
Coaches Mike Hayward Mark Mcguire & Mark Webster were able to give us near one-to-one tuition which is great for communication and asking questions.
After a safety briefing, the first unofficial lesson was : don’t get in your boat when it’s too shallow! We began by holding position in the flow and then progressed to breaking in & out over the all-important eddy line. River boats spin very readily and it’s easy to get transfixed on the front of your boat and forget to look up at your direction of travel.
Ferry gliding: maintaining a constant angle, lifting the flow sided edge and only using forward strokes is definitely easier when you fixate on the bank where you’re heading.
Next, combining entering the flow with a couple of 360° spins: Turning is even more effective when the paddle is sighted all the way around the front and reverse stroke.
Moving downstream, the lesson was to plan our course and obtain a better view of potential hazards ahead either by breaking out into available eddies or moving to the outside of the bend to get a better view.
However even a small dip in the river level ahead can hide details. In the first rapid section, avoiding “Vs” : tell-tale signs of submerged rocks makes sense. But it’s going to take some practice for a novice like me to interpret the myriad lumps of water, foam and chunks. My take-home from this, as I scored a hatrick of hefty thuds, was my river boat is a lot better than me!
We were now all getting confidence in moving around the river. Kent Viaduct has some decent eddies created by the stanchions and opportunities for breaking in/out. One of us decided it was time to check that the coaching team were able to deal with a capsize at this point! They did, and the paddler got to the bank quickly and was shortly reunited with her boat.
Scrambling out at the egress at Beezon Fields, we all felt we had a decent brain and body workout and we’re all looking forward to the next session in the series.
Giles
Lakeland Canoe Club 