Draining the Exe

The Environment Agency, and Exeter City Council have decided to lower the water level in the river Exe between Mill on the Exe and Trews Weir. The EA are doing this so they can check the pilings and steel shuttering around the river bank, as well as some water drainage outlet valves, meanwhile the City Council will be dredging Cricklepit creek.
They've dropped the river level by opening a sluice gate at Trews weir. This has dropped the river level by 2-3 feet. There is now no longer any water running over the weir. We'd kind of hoped that by some luck, the opening of the sluice might create a great playwave. However what it has created is a walled in hole of death! The tow back must be a minimum of fifteen feet, probably more like twenty feet! Plus when chatting to a bloke from the EA he also reckoned that the sluice was Anti-scour with lots of concrete blocks in the bottom. Definitely not a place to be!

The walled in hole of death

Trews weir with no water on it

More Harlyn Surf

Sorry, no exciting surf pictures today, I was far to busy taking a pasting in the waves to get any. But we had a wonderful day at Harlyn. We headed up in Ewarts Truck, with his (hungover) house mate Phil.
The waves were quite bizarre, I've never really seen anything quite like it. The swell was rolling in fairly quickly, then jacking up superfast, sucking all the water off of the beach, then dumping hard and fast! You'd paddle into a wave, and just as you were taking off the bottom of the wave would drop out, leaving you looking at a four foot drop, into really shallow water, and then a thick lip would slam down onto the bottom. If you were lucky you'd have survived the drop and managed to get out infront of the wave before it closed out on your head, if you were unlucky you'd get nailed on the drop in, and then the lip would pound you into the seabed!
Ewart and Phil, both on boards, got some serious poundings by the waves, meanwhile I was on the waveski, and although I couldn't get driven into the sand, cos I was strapped to the board, I still got some heavy weight thrashings!
But on the upside, the weather was amazing. Clear blue skies, the sun blazing down and not a breath of wind.
Here's a couple of the pictures I did manage to get off of the water.

Ewart, Phil and the truck

Check out Ewarts new long board, and my art-tastic pic!

The amazing weather on the drive home

A Dart Double Header

My Whitewater luck seems to be holding. After two runs on the upper Dart last weekend, I was in for a classic double header on the Dart today. Not just paddling the upper, but swapping for playboats at Newbridge and playboating on the loop as well. The water level was sweet, higher than last weekend, but not yet BIG, covering most of the slab at Newbridge. I hooked up with Andy "the fatman" sorted out some boats, gear and a shuttle and we were off.
Trying to find parking spaces at Newbridge was a nightmare, but I managed to squeeze into a space, loaded creekboats onto Andy's car and headed for a much quieter Dartmeet. Andy and I had a quick bet, How many groups would we pass on the upper? We both reckoned about 5, how wrong we were! The upper was really busy, so we just put our heads down and paddled on, I didn't even get any pictures till we got to the paddle out! But we did pass somewhere in the region of 12 groups and knocked off the upper in about 45mins.

They don't call him the Fatman for nothing!

Andy, somewhere on the paddle-out of the upper

Top wave was OK, but not yet at it's best, so we had a few quick runs and then headed on down the loop, safe in the knowledge that the wave at Triple Three would be perfect. On the way down the loop we bumped into Dan, Dom and Tom B, who were squirt boating on the seam at the Webburn confluence. They all seemed to be getting some funky rides, lots of neck deep mysteries, and Dan and Tom both getting some long head under rides.

Tom B, Dan and Dom in their squirt boats

Dom, resurfacing. Is he gasping for air, or because of the cold?

Dan about to head for some downtime

The Triple Three playwave was just as good as we had expected, but the crowd was bigger than we had hoped for! But after a few minuets it started to thin out and we were able to get back on the wave fairly quickly. Andy decided to test out his dry suit by going for a few swims, jumping on other peoples boats, and generally lounging about in the river!! Somehow I just wasn't feeling the playboat vibe though, and seemed unable to do much more than front surf and flail (yes I know I can't do much more than that normally, but I was really struggling today!) Eventually though it was time to head on down the river. Once again we were able to make use of the excellent shuttle bus from Holne bridge to Newbridge.

Andy on the Triple Three wave

Benny 'the editor' Love, "It's alright, but it's not as warm as Uganda"

Andy, trying to surf on the back of Rosie C's boat!

All in all a great, busy, day on the Dart. I just hope the pattern of low pressures keeps up for a bit longer, and brings more water for the rivers and surf for the beaches.

One of Andy's rides at Triple Three

On the Upper Dart, at last!!

It's taken sometime this season, but finally I managed to paddle the upper Dart this weekend! The water levels so far this winter have been a bit all, or nothing. So when its been 'All' and the rivers have been bank full I've taken to the playboat and the Loop. And when its been lower I've taken to the surf with the waveski.
But this weekend, with the surf looking blown out, and the rivers not too low and not too high, I at last managed to get onto the upper and try out my new creek boat. I've got myself a Liquid Logic Jefe.
I met up with Dan, Owen, Jason, Rupert the giant, Jack and little Arthur, and with Tom B driving shuttle two runs were on the cards! The river level was ok, just lapping onto the slab at Newbridge and everyone was up for a laugh. As you can imagine all sorts of comedy, silliness, racing, spraydeck pulling etc.......
The Jefe rocked! easy to paddle, comfortable, maneuverable and it boofs like a dream. I just hope I managed to get out and paddle it again before this season ends.

Little Arthur getting ready for another attempt at Euthanasia

Everyone getting on at Dartmeet

Dawn Patrol

The Dawn Patrol, always one of my favorites. I love the whole 'thing' of a Dawn mission, getting up early, putting in the time and effort, and getting your rewards. Today, Ewart and I left Exeter at 6.30am, to head to Sidmouth to get some surf. We'd done our home work, checked the swell, the wind and the tides, loaded up our gear, and we got our rewards.
It was still dark when we arrived at Sidmouth, but we knew the mission was a success already. Just visible through the darkness and low clouds, dark lines of swell rolling towards the beach, and lines of whitewater peeling across the beach.
We weren't the only ones who'd done our home work, we were also joined at the beach by Rob H, and another lone surfer. But four people is hardly busy, especially when you've got the whole beach to spread out on!
Unfortunately it was too dark for the go-pro camera to really work well, and we didn't have enough time to wait for it to get light, but I got a few pictures, which I've lightened up.

Ewarts first time back in the water since his second shoulder dislocation

Small, but clean and a great way to start your day

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!

2007 rocked, but heres 2008.

Lets hope for more of the same 3Rider action for the next 12 months.