This September saw me making the all-too-familiar 12 hour commute up to Fort William, Scotland. It doesn't usually take much persuading to get me to go to Scotland, and this was no exception. I had been unemployed for two weeks, and couldn't wait to get away from the flats of West Sussex. The fact that Andy had promised there was going to be a girl in the team just sealed the deal!
The plan was for me to go up to join the team I would potentially be going to Chile with (if I got a job in time!) and get to know them all. Chatting to them on Facebook whilst planning the trip I could tell it was going to be fun. I'm not going to lie though, it didn't start well.
We met at Tony's in Watford, the plan was to go via Andy's (in Nottingham) and pick up the other half of the team to arrive in convoy. The car I was in, however thought it would be hilarious to listen to Radio 4 for the entirety of the journey, with the promise that Gardener's Question Time was going to be good. Of course, I didn't believe there was actually a radio show called Gardener's Question Time, how wrong I was. To be honest, I'm fairly sure none of them enjoyed listening to it either, but they suffered through it to prolong my pain. After what seemed like a surprisingly short journey, we arrived in Fort Bill, freshened up and headed out for a curry and a pint.
Saturday morning rolled around and we managed to get ourselves out of bed and to the Moriston just in time for what was supposed to be the last shuttle of the day from the car park to the river (thanks to Dave Rosseter and Glenmore Lodge for providing the bus and trailer). We had a good day on the Moriston with, as expected, no swimmers (from our team anyway). About half way down we noticed quite a few people on the bank and a bit of a hold up, we quickly found out there was a boat pinned in the main line down the rapid. Andy got out to start trying to get it out and I stayed in the eddy above to ensure everybody either waited or took the other line down the river right channel. A few minutes later, with eddies above the pinned boat starting to get very full, I left some of the other members of the team to pass the message on and I jumped out to try and assist with the recovery of the boat.
When I got to the crew on the bank, it took me a second to spot the boat. It was well and truly pinned. Andy was perched tentatively on the very edge of the water trying to clip the barely visible grab handle of the boat with a karabiner attached to the end of a long branch. The reason they had been as yet unsuccessful was that the duct tape that attached the karabiner to the branch kept washing off and the karabiner came detached from the branch (but still attached to a rope). I took my prussik out of my BA pocket, untied it, and used it to attach the crab to the branch. I could also see that Andy would be able to get closer and have more control if he had someone "stacking" the back of his BA. Next attempt the boat was clipped, and with about 15 people on the bank, it was long until we had it out, but it wasn't in great shape! We then left getting the boat to the road to the team who had originally lost it (the swimmer was fine!).
We carried on down (fishing several swimmers and boats out along the way!) and went for a second, slightly less eventful, run.
It was great to see so many people out on the river together, and seeing everyone helping out other paddlers whether or not they had ever met them before. I guess that is a big attraction to a lot of people at big paddling events, that there are so many people on the river, you're bound to find plenty of people willing to help you out. If you're lucky, you might even find an aspirant Level 5 Coach with their own whitewater coaching and guiding company to help you un-pin your boat!
Saturday night meant the party at the gun club. From everyone who was there, I want to say a massive thank you to all the organisers and contributors. I even won a Pyranha hat and t-shirt, neither of which fitted!
Sunday meant that the organisers had planned for the Garry to be releasing, but given the high water levels we decided to head out run something different. After heading up to the Kiachnish and seeing a brown churning mess that even the locals were running away from, we decided that the best decision for the team was to find something else. We ended up on a particularly high lower Roy, great fun. The closest thing to a big volume river that I've found in the UK (when it's high.)
We had a quick blast down, with a couple of the team swimming, this was the first time I had really had a chance to see how well the whole team reacted to a difficult situation that required a few of us. Despite there being no eddies for a long time, it was seamless. I had Steve on the back of my boat, Andy got out in front, ensuring the rescue wouldn't float into trouble, Tim was just behind him, chasing the boat, Tony had already grabbed the paddles, and the rest of the team were alert, looking for eddies and re-assuring the swimmer. After a couple of hundred of meters with Steve on the back of my boat I took the first eddy - mid river. Tim was already there waiting for Andy's signal to say the next rapid was ok to chase-boat down. Steve was already out of the water when Andy gave us to signal to continue the chase, instantly Tim and I made the decision to swap roles, as he was up against the bank and knew Steve better, so I peeled out and continued the chase. I caught the boat up and realised the river was to fast to tow a full boat to the side, so I was left with the only option of emptying the boat across mine mid-rapid. I got the worst of the water out and clipped a sling to the front grab handle - Andy was frantically jabbing his hand at an eddy river left. Last chance. I looped the sling over my shoulder, turned upstream and starting ferry gliding as hard as I could, managing to just take the eddy and not get dragged out the back of it. The eddy wasn't the greatest, and all I could do was hold onto the slippery wall and wait for help. Within 30 seconds Andy was there, grabbed the sling, pulled the boat out and starting emptying it, just as Steve arrived. The rest of the team had roped Steve from the eddy mid-river and pulled him out at the side. I can't lie, I was impressed and very re-assured. It's nice to paddle with a team who are level-headed and efficient when things start to go wrong, especially when you're hoping to go to Chile with them in a couple of months.
After getting off the Roy, we still hadn't had enough so we decided to head over to paddle a very-high Gloy. I'd paddled this river once before a couple of years ago, but it was much lower, and I didn't remember it being very good. The difference in high water was amazing. The Gloy had turned into a brown churning conveyor belt through a tiny tree-lined ditch. We split into two teams and left a decent-sized gap between us. The first team would be led by Andy and the second by Tim, I was asked to take position at the back of the second team. The briefing was simple "It's read and run, enjoy it. DO NOT miss the eddy behind the bridge on river-left." Unbeknown to some of the team was that just beyond the bridge was a Grade 5 ledge drop, with some fairly sticky holes in it (it is portage-able). The bridge created a small 1-boat eddy which was your only chance to get out and scout the drop. 3 of us planned to run it, with 3 different lines. Andy stepped up first, nailing his river-right line with a boof over the final hole. With Andy joining the safety team, Nat was next. She had planned a subtly different line, still finishing river-right.
It didn't go well, Nat got the entry right, but fell victim to the final hole, which was as vicious as it looked. After a bit of down time, she pulled her deck, but didn't resurface straight away. Everything seemed to go quiet, everyone was staring down into the hole waiting watching Nat's boat bob in the hole, clearly empty. I was stood upstream, looking down into the scene below feeling useless for being so far away. The next thing I saw was a rope fly backwards from Andy. He was looking down into the hole, but somehow spotted Nat re-appear downstream of him, and bagged her with a laser-guided throw line, thrown out the back of his hand. James was only a split second behind Andy, and had also thrown his line, before quickly hauling it in and clambering down the bank to grab Nat out of the water. She was safe.
Nat's boat then decided it was it's turn to make a move, and disappeared downstream at an alarming rate. With the team downstream and on the other side looking after Nat, Meg and I started the chase. My boat was still upstream of the drop, waiting for me to go next, it would take too long to get it, carry downstream and put back on. There was only one thing for it, time to start running. The bank was a nightmare, knee-deep marsh, and before long the banks started getting higher and higher, the river going into a gorge. We saw Andy and James below us. They had chased the boat down the river, and were overtaking us. A few minutes later we made caught them both up. They were sat in an eddy and had seen the boat. It was in a strainer upstream of them, but there were no eddies to get to it. Luckily, out of instinct, both Meg and I had our throw-lines in hand as we started our chase and used these to create a hand-line to get down the steep bank to the boat. Using the standard combination of brute force and ignorance, we managed to pull the boat out and clip a line on it. I clambered up the bank with the other end of the line and started to haul the boat out. Once the boat was out the water, Meg clambered up the bank and joined me. So we had the boat of out the river, on the bank, and about a mile downstream of where the incident took place. Job done? Far from it. For those of you who don't know Natty Cordon; she is a "disabled" paddler. After an accident a few years ago, Nat has been left permanently on crutches, and carries a pair of split crutches in the back of her boat. When I used the term "disabled" by the way, the picture that should conjure is the paralympian super-human type image. It's inspirational how little Nat lets her injury affect her. But this was one time where she needed our help, we needed to get her boat back upstream and across the river to her. Now, I don't know if you've ever run over a mile, through knee-deep marsh, in a drysuit and several layers of thermals, in a hurry but it's safe to say, I was pretty knackered! In fact, I could barely lift the boat up, let alone face carrying it back all the way I had just come. James offered to take it, but both he and his boat were already downstream of us, so it would've been pointless. So Meg and I decided to take it together. Carrying it was pretty slow progress, I was so tired I had simply clipped a sling to the handle and looped it over my shoulder, but it didn't seem to be making anything faster. No option to drag it, the bank was too steep and hilly. Nothing for it, just got to man up and get on with it. About half way back we were met by some of the rest of the team, thankfully ones with fresh arms! I knew this was a team I wanted to be a part of. It wasn't paddling with Rush Sturges, Ben Marr, or Eric Jackson, and some of the team weren't paddling at as high a standard as others, some portaged or took photos whilst others ran big stuff. But wow was this a good team. There where no by-standers. There weren't some people rescuing and other people "spare". Everyone had a job, if they didn't, they found one. I was so relieved to be met by members of the team telling me I didn't have to carry the last half I could've cried! When we got back to the drop where it had all started everyone's boats had been carried to the bottom for them, other than mine, the team thought I might still want to run it! I was flattered, but broken. It was the second river of the day, in high conditions, plus multiple rescues, and I'd just seen a very good paddler take a nasty swim from missing a single stroke. You have to know when it's not your day, and to walk away. I told the time, I wasn't going to push my luck, the team didn't need another swimmer. I started walking back to my boat, leaving some of the team to get Nat's boat to her. Tony had beaten me to it, seeing that Nat's boat was almost back with her, I was knackered, and knowing it wasn't an easy portage, he had gone to get my boat for me. God I love this team.
The rest of the river was good fun, and despite being slightly shaken, Nat was still in high spirits. We headed back to the bunkhouse, stopping off on the way at Spar, where a little bit of flirting went a long way to getting some free hot dogs that were about to be thrown out!
Sunday saw us head out for the Kinglas/Orchy combo. Luckily it wasn't possible to park at the top of the Kinglas due to roadworks, so we got the treat of having to carry up it (some of us carrying 2 boats!). We had a great, and pretty uneventful, day. After a few of us running it, Tony had a word with himself, stepped up and took on Eas a Chathaidh (the second Grade 5 on the Orchy). Well done mate, knew you could do it, just had to believe in yourself! All in all, another great day and beautiful rivers with some amazing people, one of the many reasons I love this sport, and Scotland!
We finished the day with a pint in the Bridge of Orchy hotel, where I received a phone call telling me that I had got the job, I could go to Chile with this team! Needless to say we celebrated the news and a fantastic week in the Clahaig Inn that night!
Thanks to the team for an amazing weekend, and a massive thank you to everyone who was involved in organisation of Wet West Padddlefest. It was a fantastic event, and I know I speak on behalf of the entire paddling community when I say we can't thank you enough for all your time and efforts, long live Wet West!
The plan was for me to go up to join the team I would potentially be going to Chile with (if I got a job in time!) and get to know them all. Chatting to them on Facebook whilst planning the trip I could tell it was going to be fun. I'm not going to lie though, it didn't start well.
We met at Tony's in Watford, the plan was to go via Andy's (in Nottingham) and pick up the other half of the team to arrive in convoy. The car I was in, however thought it would be hilarious to listen to Radio 4 for the entirety of the journey, with the promise that Gardener's Question Time was going to be good. Of course, I didn't believe there was actually a radio show called Gardener's Question Time, how wrong I was. To be honest, I'm fairly sure none of them enjoyed listening to it either, but they suffered through it to prolong my pain. After what seemed like a surprisingly short journey, we arrived in Fort Bill, freshened up and headed out for a curry and a pint.
Saturday morning rolled around and we managed to get ourselves out of bed and to the Moriston just in time for what was supposed to be the last shuttle of the day from the car park to the river (thanks to Dave Rosseter and Glenmore Lodge for providing the bus and trailer). We had a good day on the Moriston with, as expected, no swimmers (from our team anyway). About half way down we noticed quite a few people on the bank and a bit of a hold up, we quickly found out there was a boat pinned in the main line down the rapid. Andy got out to start trying to get it out and I stayed in the eddy above to ensure everybody either waited or took the other line down the river right channel. A few minutes later, with eddies above the pinned boat starting to get very full, I left some of the other members of the team to pass the message on and I jumped out to try and assist with the recovery of the boat.
When I got to the crew on the bank, it took me a second to spot the boat. It was well and truly pinned. Andy was perched tentatively on the very edge of the water trying to clip the barely visible grab handle of the boat with a karabiner attached to the end of a long branch. The reason they had been as yet unsuccessful was that the duct tape that attached the karabiner to the branch kept washing off and the karabiner came detached from the branch (but still attached to a rope). I took my prussik out of my BA pocket, untied it, and used it to attach the crab to the branch. I could also see that Andy would be able to get closer and have more control if he had someone "stacking" the back of his BA. Next attempt the boat was clipped, and with about 15 people on the bank, it was long until we had it out, but it wasn't in great shape! We then left getting the boat to the road to the team who had originally lost it (the swimmer was fine!).
We carried on down (fishing several swimmers and boats out along the way!) and went for a second, slightly less eventful, run.
It was great to see so many people out on the river together, and seeing everyone helping out other paddlers whether or not they had ever met them before. I guess that is a big attraction to a lot of people at big paddling events, that there are so many people on the river, you're bound to find plenty of people willing to help you out. If you're lucky, you might even find an aspirant Level 5 Coach with their own whitewater coaching and guiding company to help you un-pin your boat!
Saturday night meant the party at the gun club. From everyone who was there, I want to say a massive thank you to all the organisers and contributors. I even won a Pyranha hat and t-shirt, neither of which fitted!
Sunday meant that the organisers had planned for the Garry to be releasing, but given the high water levels we decided to head out run something different. After heading up to the Kiachnish and seeing a brown churning mess that even the locals were running away from, we decided that the best decision for the team was to find something else. We ended up on a particularly high lower Roy, great fun. The closest thing to a big volume river that I've found in the UK (when it's high.)
We had a quick blast down, with a couple of the team swimming, this was the first time I had really had a chance to see how well the whole team reacted to a difficult situation that required a few of us. Despite there being no eddies for a long time, it was seamless. I had Steve on the back of my boat, Andy got out in front, ensuring the rescue wouldn't float into trouble, Tim was just behind him, chasing the boat, Tony had already grabbed the paddles, and the rest of the team were alert, looking for eddies and re-assuring the swimmer. After a couple of hundred of meters with Steve on the back of my boat I took the first eddy - mid river. Tim was already there waiting for Andy's signal to say the next rapid was ok to chase-boat down. Steve was already out of the water when Andy gave us to signal to continue the chase, instantly Tim and I made the decision to swap roles, as he was up against the bank and knew Steve better, so I peeled out and continued the chase. I caught the boat up and realised the river was to fast to tow a full boat to the side, so I was left with the only option of emptying the boat across mine mid-rapid. I got the worst of the water out and clipped a sling to the front grab handle - Andy was frantically jabbing his hand at an eddy river left. Last chance. I looped the sling over my shoulder, turned upstream and starting ferry gliding as hard as I could, managing to just take the eddy and not get dragged out the back of it. The eddy wasn't the greatest, and all I could do was hold onto the slippery wall and wait for help. Within 30 seconds Andy was there, grabbed the sling, pulled the boat out and starting emptying it, just as Steve arrived. The rest of the team had roped Steve from the eddy mid-river and pulled him out at the side. I can't lie, I was impressed and very re-assured. It's nice to paddle with a team who are level-headed and efficient when things start to go wrong, especially when you're hoping to go to Chile with them in a couple of months.
After getting off the Roy, we still hadn't had enough so we decided to head over to paddle a very-high Gloy. I'd paddled this river once before a couple of years ago, but it was much lower, and I didn't remember it being very good. The difference in high water was amazing. The Gloy had turned into a brown churning conveyor belt through a tiny tree-lined ditch. We split into two teams and left a decent-sized gap between us. The first team would be led by Andy and the second by Tim, I was asked to take position at the back of the second team. The briefing was simple "It's read and run, enjoy it. DO NOT miss the eddy behind the bridge on river-left." Unbeknown to some of the team was that just beyond the bridge was a Grade 5 ledge drop, with some fairly sticky holes in it (it is portage-able). The bridge created a small 1-boat eddy which was your only chance to get out and scout the drop. 3 of us planned to run it, with 3 different lines. Andy stepped up first, nailing his river-right line with a boof over the final hole. With Andy joining the safety team, Nat was next. She had planned a subtly different line, still finishing river-right.
It didn't go well, Nat got the entry right, but fell victim to the final hole, which was as vicious as it looked. After a bit of down time, she pulled her deck, but didn't resurface straight away. Everything seemed to go quiet, everyone was staring down into the hole waiting watching Nat's boat bob in the hole, clearly empty. I was stood upstream, looking down into the scene below feeling useless for being so far away. The next thing I saw was a rope fly backwards from Andy. He was looking down into the hole, but somehow spotted Nat re-appear downstream of him, and bagged her with a laser-guided throw line, thrown out the back of his hand. James was only a split second behind Andy, and had also thrown his line, before quickly hauling it in and clambering down the bank to grab Nat out of the water. She was safe.
Nat's boat then decided it was it's turn to make a move, and disappeared downstream at an alarming rate. With the team downstream and on the other side looking after Nat, Meg and I started the chase. My boat was still upstream of the drop, waiting for me to go next, it would take too long to get it, carry downstream and put back on. There was only one thing for it, time to start running. The bank was a nightmare, knee-deep marsh, and before long the banks started getting higher and higher, the river going into a gorge. We saw Andy and James below us. They had chased the boat down the river, and were overtaking us. A few minutes later we made caught them both up. They were sat in an eddy and had seen the boat. It was in a strainer upstream of them, but there were no eddies to get to it. Luckily, out of instinct, both Meg and I had our throw-lines in hand as we started our chase and used these to create a hand-line to get down the steep bank to the boat. Using the standard combination of brute force and ignorance, we managed to pull the boat out and clip a line on it. I clambered up the bank with the other end of the line and started to haul the boat out. Once the boat was out the water, Meg clambered up the bank and joined me. So we had the boat of out the river, on the bank, and about a mile downstream of where the incident took place. Job done? Far from it. For those of you who don't know Natty Cordon; she is a "disabled" paddler. After an accident a few years ago, Nat has been left permanently on crutches, and carries a pair of split crutches in the back of her boat. When I used the term "disabled" by the way, the picture that should conjure is the paralympian super-human type image. It's inspirational how little Nat lets her injury affect her. But this was one time where she needed our help, we needed to get her boat back upstream and across the river to her. Now, I don't know if you've ever run over a mile, through knee-deep marsh, in a drysuit and several layers of thermals, in a hurry but it's safe to say, I was pretty knackered! In fact, I could barely lift the boat up, let alone face carrying it back all the way I had just come. James offered to take it, but both he and his boat were already downstream of us, so it would've been pointless. So Meg and I decided to take it together. Carrying it was pretty slow progress, I was so tired I had simply clipped a sling to the handle and looped it over my shoulder, but it didn't seem to be making anything faster. No option to drag it, the bank was too steep and hilly. Nothing for it, just got to man up and get on with it. About half way back we were met by some of the rest of the team, thankfully ones with fresh arms! I knew this was a team I wanted to be a part of. It wasn't paddling with Rush Sturges, Ben Marr, or Eric Jackson, and some of the team weren't paddling at as high a standard as others, some portaged or took photos whilst others ran big stuff. But wow was this a good team. There where no by-standers. There weren't some people rescuing and other people "spare". Everyone had a job, if they didn't, they found one. I was so relieved to be met by members of the team telling me I didn't have to carry the last half I could've cried! When we got back to the drop where it had all started everyone's boats had been carried to the bottom for them, other than mine, the team thought I might still want to run it! I was flattered, but broken. It was the second river of the day, in high conditions, plus multiple rescues, and I'd just seen a very good paddler take a nasty swim from missing a single stroke. You have to know when it's not your day, and to walk away. I told the time, I wasn't going to push my luck, the team didn't need another swimmer. I started walking back to my boat, leaving some of the team to get Nat's boat to her. Tony had beaten me to it, seeing that Nat's boat was almost back with her, I was knackered, and knowing it wasn't an easy portage, he had gone to get my boat for me. God I love this team.
The rest of the river was good fun, and despite being slightly shaken, Nat was still in high spirits. We headed back to the bunkhouse, stopping off on the way at Spar, where a little bit of flirting went a long way to getting some free hot dogs that were about to be thrown out!
Sunday saw us head out for the Kinglas/Orchy combo. Luckily it wasn't possible to park at the top of the Kinglas due to roadworks, so we got the treat of having to carry up it (some of us carrying 2 boats!). We had a great, and pretty uneventful, day. After a few of us running it, Tony had a word with himself, stepped up and took on Eas a Chathaidh (the second Grade 5 on the Orchy). Well done mate, knew you could do it, just had to believe in yourself! All in all, another great day and beautiful rivers with some amazing people, one of the many reasons I love this sport, and Scotland!
We finished the day with a pint in the Bridge of Orchy hotel, where I received a phone call telling me that I had got the job, I could go to Chile with this team! Needless to say we celebrated the news and a fantastic week in the Clahaig Inn that night!
Thanks to the team for an amazing weekend, and a massive thank you to everyone who was involved in organisation of Wet West Padddlefest. It was a fantastic event, and I know I speak on behalf of the entire paddling community when I say we can't thank you enough for all your time and efforts, long live Wet West!