Dawn patrol!
After the weekend of rain we had the Thames had to rise! It has Shepperton is back in full swing, not the wave of legends, but a pretty good fluffy hole to play with can’t be bad. The water down here still seams pretty high but up stream it seams to be falling, fingers crossed for more rain….. Shepperton is still odd, Steve the normal lock keeper is on holiday and the stand in seams to be following the rule book with alternative gates open, (no wave) Steve is back on Friday so hopefully normal service will be resumed then.
(first of the true winter fun!)
North / South split
It’s been a while since I paddled a new river but with the river of Wales full of water and a weekend off it seamed only fair to go forth and paddle. Me and Ali set off early Saturday morning and headed to the Mellte in south Wales we reached the river and found it at a good level, this river really doesn’t give you much of a warm up!
(Ali at the start of a good day)The put in is below a pretty chunky waterfall (we didn’t run) you then get about five paddle strokes in and fly off a super cool, must be about 15 footer! Big auto boof really nice and then it just carry’s on, we didn’t really stop and look at much, as I dropped of the edge of the 25 footer I kinda wished I had!
(Not a great picture! but a great little drop at the bottom of the river) But it was all good. Really nice river, after the long walk back to the car we loaded up and headed north, driving threw Wales was really nice great autumn scenery, bloody long way through didn’t realize the place was that big! With the rain hammering it down we arrived at Plas y Brenn for dinner and to meet up with the big man Sam Ellis and local boy Evans. The rain continued to fall and river rose like crazy we all went to sleep with ideas of huge spate runs on tiny unknown welsh rivers infesting are dreams.
(The boys at the get in on the glen!)
(The Big man Sam, Drops into fairy falls) When we awoke all the water had gone thought! And we decided to start are day with a cheeky run down the Fairy Glen on the Conwy, I’ve never done this run but it’s one I’ve wanted to tick off for a good number of years, allegedly this is the UK’s test piece run! I’m not sure if it’s the hardest thing I’ve done in the UK but it’s up there! I think we had a low to medium level, but it’s a good solid run, powerful drops really nice technical rapids, Pipe line was my personal favourite. A really nice solid run! Then we set off for a bit of a scout about, by now it had started raining hard again but none of the river we looked at had much water in, bit odd we all thought! But ……. So any way we headed back the fairy Glen for another bash, by the time we got back the water here had come up a fair bit and all the drops seamed a good notch or two up on the first run, Pipe line was great fun again, the whole river was great fun a really stout test, think we did the run in about 15 minuets! It was way cool! I also have to admit to my love of my Everest! Some days I don’t like it, but on days like this I just love it.
(Ali and Me! in the rain at the bottom)Stays up in the water really well, moves around nice and positive a really nice safe easy boat to use, not saying I made a hash of anything! But even if you do fudge a drop the boat really looks after you, surfaces nice and controllably and fast to get going again a really top top boat! And what a top weekend’s paddling. Two days, two new river, Great.
(Weapons of choice loaded for another run!)
Oh and on Saturday night we went out to a local pub for dinner, I’ve never laughed at the graffiti on the wall of a toilet so much………….
Testing testing.
Ben came down today from Palm/Dagger, he brought with him some new toys. In particular the new Dagger Axiom, a boat witch has been designed to take over from the HUGELY popular and successful RPM. Not an easy task then really…….. To Start with, as soon as you jump in the boat you realize that this boat has been designed to be comfy, a better knee position than the old RPM and much improved foot room make a big difference. Easley adjustable seat, thigh rest and foot plate foot rest make’s it easy and quick to set up and get going. On the water the full length rails allows the boat to carve and turn really precisely, the soft side profile provides really good initial and secondary stability, meaning that even at boiley Shepperton the Axiom’s handling is predictable and very user friendly. On the wave it was a joy to paddle; good bow rocker means the nose stays up easily and cruses around well. As a river runner the Axiom looks set to be a winner, good down river speed teamed with good edges for easy eddy hoping, but still with a good node towards play boating, big tail squirts and wave surfing fun should be had by all! But for a beginner getting into moving water the solid and predictable handling should encourage and improve your boat handling double quick! Looks like a really well thought out and built boat. Oh………..easy to roll too! Nice….
Few dry land shoots 
And on the water! 3 gates at Shepperton! SWEET!
Classic Shepperton!
For a bit more Axiom info have a look HERE....
Have a read and sign up!
Even if you have not paddled the Rizzanese river sign this form. It's a great river and would be a real shame if it was lost!Stop the building of the dam on the Rizzanese in Corsica island
If we do not react, a 131 feet high dam will tower over the bed of one of the most beautiful wild rivers of Europe.
We call for a halt of the works on the Rizzanese, in order to discuss properly other options less harmfull for the island.
The hydro-electricity is said to be green and sustainable: it is not so obvious.
The truth is that a river with a dam is a dead river.
The works on the river's site have started, justified by a technocratic gibberish that tries to turn this looting into a good thing.
The Rizzanese doesn't belong to us, neither it does to politicians and opportunists.
The Rizzanese belongs to nobody, it is a free river and a treasure that we should be able to share with our children, great-children, great-grandchildren...
Big dams are the last resort, when there is no other possibilities, when different choices have been discussed; this is not the case in the Rizzanese.
In order to face the real energy problem in Corsica without destroying an exceptional river.
In order to face the real employment issue while being respectuous of the nature, producing sustainable jobs outside the cities.
In order to avoid the desertification of villages becoming a fatality
We ask for the cancellation of the works, in order to discuss properly other options less harmfull for the island.
sign...
This is poor!
I’d almost say paddling wise it’s been a little dull over the last couple of weeks! The clocks have changed the nights are dark and cold and there has been a distinct lacking of good rain. As a result the Thames is low plus the slalom season has finished, but then as if by magic the rain has begun once again, the heater has started to work in the changing room at Shepperton scc, and I’ve enjoyed a good day in a power boat down on the south coast and started a bit of climbing again, plus we have a new Saturday girl (Holly). Hopefully the winter will now start in earnest and we can enjoy a wet six months of paddling par excellonce.
If you can’t guess, “Oh Jon Boy is on the phone! Hell mate……………la la la ………so on………”
Anyway getting back, I keep forgetting to take the camera when I go paddling, so I have no photos of any paddling this week, but there you go. Oh apart from this one of Mike in the “Bullet”
One thing, I do have a tomato on my tomato plant and I have a picture of that! Enjoy.
