I thought, "I'm fit....I've paddled before (though not on moving water)...how hard can it be?!" Within a couple of hours of being on the water, my illusions were smashed, my whole body ached, my lovely new boat I was so precious about was all scratched up, and I had acquired a more appropriate level of respect for kayaking! ! I was also exhilarated, and having a great, if challenging time!
It's the same situation for so many Scout leaders across this and other County's: we spend a night a week teaching different kids the basics of paddling, in a fairly packed programme of events. Our lives are busy enough and we have little time to focus or develop our own skills. We become complacent, and plateau...SSWAC are an excellent antidote to this. Their coaches are of the highest level - they are constantly training themselves and keeping abreast of current practice, and they run these courses both for the experienced to maintain their standards, and for the novice to learn new techniques, and critically, to practise on moving water.
After arriving at the bunkhouse, we had a quick briefing, and then off to bed. Yes, the usual snoring punctured our beauty sleep, and I was becoming slightly apprehensive for what lay in store the next day.
Cooked breakfast at 8am and briefing at 9...we were ready to leave and "shuttle run" our different teams to the River Dart. There were the inexperienced and learners - including myself; those hoping to gain their 3 Star Kayak Award, and the old hands who come along to keep their own skills honed, and show the rest of us how to do it. This final group were to paddle "the Loop" - a more challenging section of the Dart, the next day. During this paddle, I capsized 3 times, once on a (in my eyes) fairly steep stretch of rapids, and also had my shoe sucked off my foot.
Still, all in all, a pretty good way to spend a weekend, and I look forwards to doing it again!
Damian Merciar (2 and a half Star)
Assistant Scout Leader
1st Cuddington (Warspite)
The week was part of SSWAC and Warspites continued development to facilitate expansion of the activities both groups are able to offer Surrey Scouts. It was enjoyed by all, even with the abuse their bodies took from the physical exertion to bouncing off of rocks while swimming. A huge thank you to Richard Hunt from Warspite for organising the week and our thanks also go to course director was Ray Goodwin (Ray Goodwin Coaching) and his assistant Jules Burnard (Voyageur Coaching). Assessment next Easter anybody? For all those on the course the aide memoirs offered by Jules will be uploaded for use when we have the link.
My weekend with SSWAC on the Canoe camping expedition was a bit of an adventure. We travelled the length of Godalming and Wey Navigations in canoes, eventually ending
up in the Thames at Walton. The adventure all began at 09:30 when, after a quick briefing, we were off travelling through woods and meadows.
Each lock we passed had a different story and the scenery kept on changing. It is a totally unique way to experience Surrey.
It hardly felt like twelve miles when we reached our campsite at the Send Scout hut, where we prepared our supper, pitched camp and enjoyed a well-earned rest.
The next day we would be travelling an equal distance. However, we had to carry canoes across roads and other obstacles to bypass the locks.
The best lock was the Cox’s lock in which we had an opportunity to navigate down the weir, under the guidance of the SSWAC instructors- an exhilarating and exciting
experience. Then later at Weybridge lock we travelled along the end of the weir and through a short tunnel beneath one of the nearby roads. At this point our journey
was drawing to a close. As we left the last lock of the Navigation we entered the Thames and began the final stretch to Walton Bridge.
For me the expedition was very rewarding, whether we were just gently plodding along the canal past farms and buildings or white watering down weirs.
The experience has increased my love of paddling and I definitely want to do another SSWAC expedition soon.
We ventured out on Saturday morning for a weekend on the water. Teamwork was essential to make portages over locks as swift and efficient as possible.
Paddling in pairs we shared good conversation and laughter and after a long day of paddling we relaxed together with a tasty meal. A great weekend of adventure and
exploration in good company and a great activity, would recommend it to anyone :)
Sarah Baxter
Oliver
1st Molsey (Jaguar) Sea Scouts
Katie
Phoenix Explorer Scout Unit
Reigate Network’s Duke of Edingburgh on the Wye - July 2010
On Wednesday 14th July, Reigate Network set off on their Gold Duke of Edinburgh down the river Wye in South Wales. We hired boats from SSWAC and conned
Mark and Roger into training us up and being our supervisors for the expedition. We were slightly concerned by reports of seriously low water levels the
week before our trip, but luckily it chucked it down most nights so we had just about enough water to paddle in. We had a few incidences of getting stuck
in shallow water which was quite entertaining. We started at Glasbury and finished in Ross, camping for three nights on route. Our campsites ranged from a
bit of grass by the river on the first night, to a posh campsite with proper showers and toilets on the last night. Our project was to create a photographic
tourist guide to the Wye, so we became proficient at identifying various birds and wild flowers along the way. We all felt that our paddling skills had
really developed over the four days and really enjoyed the expedition experience. We’d like to say a big thank you to Mark and Roger for all the patience
and hard work they put into our expedition training, and for all the time and support they gave throughout our expedition.
Reigate Scout Network
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