Widemouth surf kayak competition

This weekend saw the annual Shoreline Widemouth handicap surf kayak competition. Using a slightly different format to most competitions, surfers get to surf at least three rounds, with their results from previous rounds helping to determine their next round. Then after three rounds there is a semi and a final.

After the competition there are two sets of results, the overall results, based on the results of the finals, and the handicap results based on your finishing position less points based on your age and experience.

I got a first and two seconds, which was not quite enough to get me into the semi's, but it should leave me with an overall result of joint 11 ( I hope!).

The surf was small, it started small, and as the tide rose it got worse, not necessarily smaller, but it ended up with surfers pretty much riding the shore dump!

Yet another round up!

Sorry readers, yet another 'round up'. This time we've got Squirt boating in the sun on the river Exe, Louise and I before and after our XC Mountain bike racing adventure at Haldon, and some old pictures of Paddling the Upper Dart at a good level!

Sunshine and squirt boats on the Exe

Louise feeling nervous before the fully sussed race at Haldon

Both of us feeling exhausted after the race

Check out the race results HERE

Somewhere on the Upper, After stopping to rescue a boat!

Euthanasia looking chunky!

A bit of Dartmoor sun and cycling

Some more quick pictures, this time of me enjoying a bit of spring sunshine whilst biking on Dartmoor. The sky was blue the trails were dry, and the riding was awesome!

I'm trying (vaguely) to get ready for a Mountain bike race this week at Haldon. Fully Sussed are running a series of races, including some Thursday night evening races. I'll be giving it a go, its all just for fun!

Cornish Slabs

Here's a few quick pictures of a Mutant killer Cornish slab that I took at the weekend.

Strangely there was no one riding it!

Sorry its been so long.

Sorry its been so long, I feel like I've barely been able to spend any time in front of my computer recently! So here is a quick run down of what you've missed in the last three months.

Christmas; New year; A whistle stop tour of the UK; Mountain biking; Surfing; Kayaking the Dart; Kayaking the Severn bore; Kayaking the Walkham; A week in Scotland; A new Mountain bike; New Camera stuff; And plenty more!!

Here is a few pictures of just some of this stuff.

Climbing in the Scottish highlands

Cycling round Loch Rannoch

Fun in the snow Loch Morlich

A muddy cycle in Epping Forest

New Macro Camera gear

The Upper Dart

New Yak Team member, Extreme Frog!

Competing at Whitsands Bay surf kayak competition

Ewart Khan, warming up for the Walkham

Team AS/Yak surfin' it up!

On the Severn Bore - I'm the kayaker on the wave on the left of the picture

Waiting for the Severn Bore

Ewart Waiting for the Severn Bore

More fun from the weekend

So after all the fun of Gene 17 APWE it was time to hit the water on Sunday. There had been loads of rain, and the rivers had all been huge early in the morning, but by the time I hit the river around lunch time the level had already dropped to a good, but still fairly high level.

I started off with some squirt boating with Dan W, Tom B and Hazel W. The seam at the Weburn/Dart confluence was awesome, although my squirting technique still needs much more practice. However I still got some epic, and scary downtime!

Then it was back to top wave for a quick surf session with Tim C, and Hazel, and any other passing paddler who wanted a quick surf!

Boat of choice?! Top wave over run by Jackson kayaks!

Tom B, Dan W and Hazel after some mystery move action at the Weburn/Dart confluence

Me getting my Squirt cool on!!!!! NOT!

Gene17 APWE 2009

This weekend saw the annual Simon Westgarth Gene17 Adventure Paddlers Weekend. Saturday night saw three Presentations, Below and Beyond Machu Picchu, the B.U.K.E Kayak-Nam, and Olaf 'Big-O' Obsommer. The Presentations were then followed by the usual Raffle and prize give-away. Then to wrap the night up the dance floor was cleared, the lights were switched off, and the tunes were turned up to 11! The mighty Cheese opened things up with a blistering set, before DJ Redbelly got down, dirty and ravy with it!

Check out the pictures...

Above and beyond Machu Picchu

Kayak-Nam

Big O

Dave Carrol gives some free prizes away

The raffle gets underway

Cheesey provides some blistering tunes

DJ Redbelly gets the rave on

Simon Westgarth

The Party gets going

The party in full swing

A rich, full weekend

What a great weekend; A rich, full weekend as I like to say. Over the weekend I managed four runs on the river Dart, each one in a different type of Boat. I started off on Saturday with a playboat run down the Dart Loop. The level was good, but just to low for Top wave to be Awesome, and just to high for Triple playwave to be ripping. Bit of a bummer, but good fun none the less. Then I switched to the squirt boat, for my first try at sinking at the 'Breathalizer' seam. I had a few 'so-so' mysteries, but I got my first taste for proper downtime, when I got sucked down into the depths! It really did take my breath away, but I can't wait to get in there again and get some more squirt boat action.
Then on Sunday I had an Upper Dart run with Tom and Andy, again a nice level, a fraction higher than when I ran it last week. Followed by a Loop run Tandem in the Open boat with Louise.
What a great weekend! Great weather, great water levels and great paddling!!

Great Autumn colours on the Loop

Tom and Andy Below Surprise Surprise

Andy, in the meat of Euthanasia

Dan and Andy testing new uses for creek boats!

More River Dart paddling.

I've managed a couple of runs on the Dart in the last few days. I managed to squeeze in an Upper Dart run with Andy and Simon Westgarth. The levels was ok, but it could have been just a little bit higher. But we had fun, and there was enough water to make it worth while.

Early on the Upper Dart

Andy, Just after the first steep rapid on the Upper Dart

And then a few days later I managed two runs on the Dart Loop. Once tandem with my wife in our open canoe, and once in the playboat. The level was a bit higher, covering half the slab at newbridge, possible the highest we've run the Loop tandem. But it did mean that all the rapids were really good, and the play wave a Triple fall was great. I did surf the wave in the open boat as well, but it did end with a small out of boat experience, check the picture below! Can you tell me what I did wrong? Then Ewart, Andy, Tom B and I had a good run in the playboats, with all the usual antics!! Check out why we call Andy the Fat-Man!

Me, about to loose control, can you see what I did wrong?

Tom B in his squirt boat, on the triple play wave

The one and only Fat-Man

Queuing for a go on the play wave