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BigMike

Member Since: 13 Jul 2010
Location: Lancashire
Posts: 2253

wyvern, how old are you? If you're anywhere around late thirties early forties we'll know one another. I was british and european c1 champion in the late 80's

3rd Aug 2011 8:44pm

wyvern

Member Since: 13 Dec 2009
Location: Cornwall
Posts: 2117

2012 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Firenze Red

Hi Mike
wow -one of my heros!!

But maybe I'm just a tad older than you

I paddled a sprint C1 in the 70's and 80's
did marathon and sprint, did C2 for the GB team when at Richmond, and raced K1 & K2 at Snr B level at the same time ... never a superstar but had a lot of fun!
Did a little white water and the odd slalom in K1's & C2's (remember the Banana boats??) , but hated busting up all my boats !!

Poppy - TDCI (Puma) 110XS 2.2 - Camper conversion - see the build here - https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic56530.html
Elgar -TDCI(Puma) 110XS Dormobile - now sold
Devon & Cornwall 4x4 Response - DC126

3rd Aug 2011 9:04pm

BigMike

Member Since: 13 Jul 2010
Location: Lancashire
Posts: 2253

well, you'll be familiar with martyn hedges (rip) etc?

3rd Aug 2011 9:06pm

wyvern

Member Since: 13 Dec 2009
Location: Cornwall
Posts: 2117

YIKES!!!! thats a blast from the past!!!!

Take alook at my gallery - got a pic of one of our K2s on our previous defender training for DW....!

3rd Aug 2011 9:10pm

Zagato
Site Supporter

Member Since: 08 Jan 2011
Location: Billingshurst West Sussex
Posts: 5013

wyvern wrote:
Hi Zagato
Thames decent –25 miles a day for a non-racer is a good distance and should take you about 6 days but it depends on the type of craft you intend to paddle. A true kayak is the best way to go as a SOT are much heavier and harder to carry when needed.
If you are in a SOT,. Then make sure that you have your bum higher than your feet, have a good footrest, dont lean backwards (definitely no backrests!) have good paddles with proper hand grips, and don’t go too fast at the onset.
If you have not paddled before, or have only minimal experience, then I would strongly recommend you pop into one of the canoe clubs in your area (Adellstone, Royal, Richmond, Elmbridge) and ask for some paddling advice - as you can hurt yourself if you overstress your wrists and get repetitive strain injury through poor technique for that distance.
I paddled Cricklade to Westminster in 27hrs non-stop some years ago ... but that was a fun thing to do as we were training a decent of the Mississippi that never came off and had to find a long downhill paddle to practice on!

27 Hrs

I was just going to toddle along at 3-4 mph in my totally inappropriate monster sit on

with tent, trolley, Trangier and a bit of scoff on board

If I can get the sail on it in time that would help occasionally, wind direction willing! Fortunately the "barge" is only 27 KG, so light enough to haul out fully loaded and stick the trolley wheels on

I loaded it up with a lot of stuff from my boat as I'm having a clear out which was handy, it can take 140KG of load as well as me so it is going to be pretty handy in Chichester Harbour - saves messing about with a tender, trailer and outboard

First time out I paddled against the tide so that I knew I could always get back again, it's not the speediest of things but OK when you get it going and was well within my abililty to go against a 5 knot tide for 1/2 mile to the boat - going with the tide will be the answer, same as with the boat.

I'm knocking on now at 45 but if I ever get experienced enough to go in a proper sit in job in choppy seas I might progress onto one.

Thanks for the tips & advice

Can't wait to have a leisurely sightseeing paddle up the Thames - complete serenity, peace at last

4th Aug 2011 7:55am

GREENI

Member Since: 22 Aug 2010
Location: staffs
Posts: 10383

So, have any of you guys heard of Jon Goodwin...I'm sure he was an Olympian??

4th Aug 2011 8:30am

wyvern

Member Since: 13 Dec 2009
Location: Cornwall
Posts: 2117

Hi Greeni
I know the name, He was a C2 paddler in the early 70's when I was just starting in the sport, he did some other stuff as well I seem to remember .... possibly the colorado decent?? maybe with Mike Jones on the nile?

He was a white water/slalom paddler where I was a sprint and marathon paddler, so I dont think I met him.
Canoing is like cycling in many ways, we have diffrent areas of skill that dont actualy touch each other much..think of a road bike, a track bike, a BMX bike and a mountain bike ... canoeing is the same in its extreem edges.

Sprint and marathon go together as the boats and paddles are the same, the winter training is in the form of lng distance work, with the summer taken up with sprint racing.
Slalom is a unique sport that requries a heap of skills to get arrond the course, and white water down river raceing needs the ability to read the river and maintain a high boat speed.
Polo is more like open warfare with a ball in a pool, and surfing uses a specific boat that has no other use!

so while all these all come under the term 'canoeing', each one is a stand alone sport in its own right.
We do have some crossover (from sprint into white water as the boat speed is needed for example) but most of the time paddlers tend to stay with in their chosen fields as to excell takes lots of dedication.

clear as mud maybe! Poppy - TDCI (Puma) 110XS 2.2 - Camper conversion - see the build here - https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic56530.html
Elgar -TDCI(Puma) 110XS Dormobile - now sold
Devon & Cornwall 4x4 Response - DC126

4th Aug 2011 11:26am

GREENI

Member Since: 22 Aug 2010
Location: staffs
Posts: 10383

Thanks for the info Wyvern, Jon is a very keen who used to come to my bike shop a lot, he did mention something about being an Olympian !

Well I think I've made a decision to go for a SOT Ocean Kayak....they do starter kits for around £360..I'll see how it goes!

6th Aug 2011 7:31am

BigMike

Member Since: 13 Jul 2010
Location: Lancashire
Posts: 2253

A SOT is fine for pottering about in calm water but not for open sea or any kind of swell

6th Aug 2011 9:20am

Zagato
Site Supporter

Member Since: 08 Jan 2011
Location: Billingshurst West Sussex
Posts: 5013

I called quite a few shops, tour companies, training centres etc before I bought as Chichester Harbour can get quite hairy at times although I would never go out in more than a Force 3, especially wind over tide (can be worse inside the harbour than out with a 6 knot wind over tide in Force 6 upwards

. I called a few companies around the Harbour area and a Trident 15 SOT was fine.

You can use them for up to choppy sea conditions, they just aren't as good as longer sit in types especially for touring. The fishing models are designed to cope with a chop, throw out your anchor, get your rod up, just the job. More people are buying them so sea tour companies are beginning to do coastal tours specifically for SOT's - one place in Guernsey was mentioned when I called around and a company in Falmouth are looking into setting up coastal tours for SOT's, they say they are fine in a swell and bit of chop just not as good as sit ins designed for sea touring that can also cope with tougher conditions!

It all sounds doable as long as you have an awareness of your craft, the sea and local conditions etc the same as sailing. I am always very cautious and take things very slowly, I'm not so sure I would take mine out in open sea conditions unless I was part of a group. I think a more appropriate Kayak, training and plenty of experience are required for me to make that step, by that time you would have a sit in also!

I'm going on the Thames with mine for leisurly paddles and the same in Chichester Harbour. Putting the sail on and a rod or two will add interest and the kids will be old enough soon to join me

6th Aug 2011 2:35pm

GREENI

Member Since: 22 Aug 2010
Location: staffs
Posts: 10383

Right.....Just so you guys don't think all your info was wasted....

I've just purchased 2x SOT Mysto Ocean Kayaks

I'm gonna pick them up this evening, got 'life jackets' coming next week as well as paddle leashes!
I'm sure they'll fit on my SD roof rack (which may get 'modified' to suit putting kayaks on

)

Anything else I really need??? (apart from lessons maybe

)

12th Aug 2011 10:13am

Lorryman100

Member Since: 01 Oct 2010
Location: Here
Posts: 2686

A 50lb boat rod/reel and line and some bait to fish for Tope, great fun in a kayak.

12th Aug 2011 10:20am

GREENI

Member Since: 22 Aug 2010
Location: staffs
Posts: 10383

I don't like fishing...I always feel sorry for the fish

Weird or what??

12th Aug 2011 10:28am

Lorryman100

Member Since: 01 Oct 2010
Location: Here
Posts: 2686

Tope are a shark species and you throw them back

The fun bit is they can tow you for miles in a kayak whilst letting them run

12th Aug 2011 10:37am

GREENI

Member Since: 22 Aug 2010
Location: staffs
Posts: 10383

Now I'm just down right intrigued

12th Aug 2011 10:46am

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