Having returned from Uganda just a few days before, and having already done a local flat water session, I was keen to get back on the whitewater, if admittedly slightly smaller and significantly colder water!
With it being well over a month since any UK hole boating, and near enough a year since last paddling at Cardiff, I headed down on the Saturday and paddled on 8 cumecs to adjust to this conditions, water and also just to have some fun. Although it was initially quite stressful being in a carbon on a smaller 'river' with many more boats, I did begin to relax and get used to the water again. After a couple of hours boating, I was really beginning to get the hang of the course again, and figuring out how to do shallow loops, link moves and McNasty.
On Sunday, with the water on lower levels in the morning I took the chance to catch up with friends and traders, some of which I hadn't seen since before Nepal! Soon we were able to register and the water was cranked up to 10 cumecs - the same level as the competition. It was super busy with both eddies to camera wave overflowing, and there was no relief on the wave as you were often joined by a creek boat, raft or sometime both. It was one big game of chicken, with a few freestyle moves in between!
After having thought I had dialled in camera wave on 8 cumecs quite well, 10 cumecs provided a whole new challenge as I found the feature steep, shallow and flushy. Regardless it was great to see so many boaters on the water and trying new tricks, but you could see everyone was struggling with the features. With the queues only increasing in length, I took the opportunity to jump in a Jackson Zen and play eddy hopping down the course!
It was then competition time! With the Boater X and Freestyle running simultaneously, it was busy but awesome. After a few basic moves, I decided as it was jam heats to try some of the moves that wouldn't typically go in my 45 second ride, which had varying degrees of success.
Then it was time to just chill out and watch everyone else, before I was back on the water (in even colder conditions) for super finals. In the end I finished 3rd - it wasn't my best but I did enjoy the weekend, and motivated to get some solid training in before GB Selections at Cardiff in a couple of weeks.
With it being well over a month since any UK hole boating, and near enough a year since last paddling at Cardiff, I headed down on the Saturday and paddled on 8 cumecs to adjust to this conditions, water and also just to have some fun. Although it was initially quite stressful being in a carbon on a smaller 'river' with many more boats, I did begin to relax and get used to the water again. After a couple of hours boating, I was really beginning to get the hang of the course again, and figuring out how to do shallow loops, link moves and McNasty.
On Sunday, with the water on lower levels in the morning I took the chance to catch up with friends and traders, some of which I hadn't seen since before Nepal! Soon we were able to register and the water was cranked up to 10 cumecs - the same level as the competition. It was super busy with both eddies to camera wave overflowing, and there was no relief on the wave as you were often joined by a creek boat, raft or sometime both. It was one big game of chicken, with a few freestyle moves in between!
It was then competition time! With the Boater X and Freestyle running simultaneously, it was busy but awesome. After a few basic moves, I decided as it was jam heats to try some of the moves that wouldn't typically go in my 45 second ride, which had varying degrees of success.
Then it was time to just chill out and watch everyone else, before I was back on the water (in even colder conditions) for super finals. In the end I finished 3rd - it wasn't my best but I did enjoy the weekend, and motivated to get some solid training in before GB Selections at Cardiff in a couple of weeks.
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