Ive been off playboating for a while now, preferring to spend time in the jefe as it means I feel confident when I jump on creeks. I found the specialist nature of really short bouncy boats unrewarding, as my main aims in paddling lay elsewhere. Ive been wondering whether this has been the right policy, so went for a fresh approach and asked for ideas. DBP spoke and im paddling a trickster to test it out!
I used to have a trickster when they first came round, so knew what to expect. The length slows cartwheels down a lot, flatwater stuff is possible, but rewards good technique and the aggressive edges on this boat mean that its at home on waves not in holes. The boat did have forward speed compared to a modern playboat but the slicy ends mean that constant weight adjustment forward and back are needed to avoid digging the nose in. The hull was really loose, and on a better wave it coiuld have really strutted its stuff as it has real speed down the wave. Blunts require speed rather than bounce, which is difficult to adapt to, but it did feel more rewarding to be able to 'surf' and move around the wave.
I wanted rolling practice and i got it! It had the raised 'power seat' in it and it was hard work. Actually quite frustrating on the kent as I kept losing it in boils! On organised water (the leven) it's easier to manage though. The best bit was the feeling that moves just looked better with the longer ends, and nobody expects an old boat to pull any moves these days!
Downsides? Even for this class of boat, Its not the right model as i'd want something more forgiving. Secondly it still felt pretty alien from the jefe, which was my criticism of the butt bouncers.
So here's my conclusion. Playboating isnt about the boat, its a state of mind. That can be done anywhere an any boat. Im thinking 'playboating' rather than 'playboat' and suddenly its dawning on me again what the appeal is. In the old pyranha phrase - 'play the river'.
But this transferability of skills thing is still an issue. So I need to move closer to the jefe again. That means i'll just aim to do different moves. Ithink its the learning that payboating accelerates, it doesnt really matter what. I learnt to carwheel in an rpm, so that should be possible, screw ups, blasting retendos, eddy line cartwheels etc. Realistically i'll use it most on the leven so would like to run the bridge and weir with confidence as well. I'd love one of the new LL remix's but will have to go retro. Blade?
Well actually the old jefe with weld is holding up perfectly well, but it was time for a change. Changing boats periodically feels good for my boating, it makes me think about what im doing and that can only be a positive. The problem has been that the Jefe has been a fine boat, does everything asked with pretty much no vices. Now they do it in different sizes as well though, and have reworked the smaller and larger versions.
I've gone large. I'm bucking a trend on this one, but have never felt the standard jefe has been too big, and have been squirted and flipped several times! The idea of a bit more stability, a bit more autoboof, a bit more punch, and the ability to carry kit for multidays all appeals, for both foreign trips and microcreeking. Basically a bit more Jefe!
The original jefe had two issues, one was the pretty flat back deck and te other those aggresive rails on the tail which made the boat rail, then stall, when on aggressive breakouts. Both the Chico and the Grande have resolved this (hopefully) by rounding the back deck and radically softening those flares on the back quarter.
So I took the grande beast out for its first run out and was pleased with the decision. Just a real good level on the kent, but it felt lively and responsive. Autoboof was definately present. I dropped over the weir by the footbridge without a stroke and it didnt bat an eyelid. I put it in the most compromised positions possible on the kent and it was solid. Situations that ive flipped the jefe in as well. drop over force falls, down the barrel at gunpowder, centre line on the L shaped weir, and the hit boof into the curler in the ledge above that were all good - and at a good level. Basically it gave confidence to go on and explore what it was capable of.
Downsides? The ouftiting looks great, but is a pain in the arse (similar to all the major manufacturers now). The default setting for the seat is obviously too high. I dont want extra leverage in a creek boat, I want solidity and to be able to trust it. I want flexibility of outfitting not instant comfort in the shop. The knowledge that this outfitting cost more, and is worse than, the previous version is irritating as a consumer. 'Super double x system 32 outfitting' should be an optional extra, not standard. Next time gimme a basic seat and lump of foam. If you want to bundle something else in then, i'll have some spray on contact adhesive and a surform plane please. Gripe over. I'll adapt it to suit me and the boat itself feels good, with the other outfitting sound.
BTW seeing as flames are passe now, i've embraced 'vomit yellow' as the colour of choice !
Now i need to decide on the playboat to compliment the beast, but we'll come back to that one.
Boating is a good cure for a hangover. I wasnt realy feeling it when driving up to aira beck and was kind of expecting just to mince around looking and pulling some logs out. When I got there I was met with a large dose of enthusiasm to get changed and get on. most unseemly in my condition! After fumbling round to get some order in my head which is required to get changed, we duly arrived at the middle put in. The river was low, but I figured that would be good to learn this run as its new to me, and it would take some of the stress out of it! Turns out to be a grand little run, which feels long as it has quite a lot of inspection and a sprinkling of portaging. The rewards are some nice mid grade rapids and falls with two or three sections which will up the adrenaline levels. All garnished with some nice scenery and even a bit of sun (check out the 'spraybow' at the start of the vid, and it looked better when you were there!). Head sorted.
Embedded video hits rainchasers! What will they think of next?
Two calls on technical support came in really handy this week. Thanks to Shorty and Rob respectively for the assistance below;
I went for the long overdue computer rebuild last weekend. In the end i did it with Shorty, who knows that stuff, so I was in safe hands. I was kinda looking forward to just wading in and seeing how it went - (thouroughly expecting to need shortys technical suport at some point) but it worked out well I think doing it with someone who knows their stuff. The hardware side seemed manageable, but i got pretty lost with the software stuff. The new machine is up and running and should now mean I can do video stuff for the site as well.
The jefe has also sprung a leak. having been reassured that LL plastic welds really well, I stripped the boat down ready for Rob to work his magic welding it together. He used the following method - clean the split - drill small holes at the end of the split - 'stitch weld' using a soldering iron - melt new pastic into the split (from cockpit rim) +repeat for the other side. having watched him do it I can recommend his services at the very reasonble rate of a few pints per hour! I'd be pretty happy to use the same method myself, now having watched someone who knows how to do it. The iron didnt look like it was in danger of going straight through the plastic and needed firm application to get the effect in the picture. Theoretically the weld should be as strong as the rest of the plastic now. There is only one way to find out...
Ambition is a funny thing in my kayaking. Lose it, and I tend to find it harder to motivate to go out. Lose the motivation, and my skills drop off. Lose the skills and the ambition drops further. A vicious circle.
Pretty much throughout my time kayaking there has always been something there as an ambition to reach. In the early days is was getting down the harder local and scottish rivers like the Upper Duddon, Nevis and others.
Watching videos also instilled the ambition of 'I want to do that'. I remember watching old videos like '5 Idaho classics', 'A breath of whitewater' and others, and wondering whether i'd ever get on that kind of stuff, really wanting to do it. Looking back it was the ambition to do it that made it happen. Time spent in a boat, repeating the familiar runs endlessly, learning, watching, learning. The North Fork of The Payette was the river that inspired me in each of those films. I've done it twice now, and although i'd love to make it down the 15 mile class 4/5 rollercoaster again, my attention has turned elsewhere.
There have been many other ambitions, rapids I'd portaged an dwish i'd run, sections I'd come away from, new countries to visit, different video to inspire. The details are unimportant, but the ambition has, more or less, been constantly there.
rainchasers has sucked in quite a lot of the focus over the last year or two, but I'm at a transition now. I need the next big focus to arrive. There is one ambition lurking in the subconscious, but I dont feel ready for it. The logistics of time and finance are against me, and form a convienient excuse. Ultimately though, im just scared, and I cant see how id get to the point where I'd feel comfortable and confident getting on this run. Maybe thats the point though.... I didnt fell either comfortable or confident when I got on the North fork...
So I'll settle on another goal. Hopefully get that done, see where things are after that...
jacks covered it, but here are some more pics of the upper esk in lowish water. Well worth the walk in, and worthwhile without two harder double drops at the top.
I think that's what it comes down to. Thats how I justify it, explain it. That's how I get back on after hearing how a seemingly innocuous rapid can cause a fatality like the one on the Crake last week. I guess rationally we all know that a set of circumstances could come together and there will be an accident It could be on the river, road or anywhere else.
I paddled the rapid in question a couple of days after the accident, trying to retrieve the kit lost by the group while trying to affect a rescue. It was an odd circumstance, and the mood was serious, but I still couldn't resist messing about with on the water. Playing near the spot a man drowned at, then moving down to look for more lost kit.
I questioned whether this was 'tasteful', but its going to happen sometime. The river was just the same as before the accident and didn't seem to care. Sort a boat out, retrieve some throwlines. Then go for an aggressive high cross with a carve into the eddy and back outin one move, whizzing the tail past the offending rock, which was still defiantly kicking up a small rooster tail. It still feels good.
None of us set out to hurt ourselves on the river, we all make calculated risks about what to run and how to run it. The more I put myself in the position of looking at a line and making judgements about the risks involved, the better my judgement seems to be. That is one of the great things about kayaking, managing the risk is very life affirming. I think all adventure sports share this is in common, and for me it happens on the river. Even on the Crake two days after a fatality.
Just a quick one to say im back and have been out, but have had no time to post. I also need to collect thoughts a bit. Id written two post to go up at new year before the accident on the crake but It feels daft just saying nothing about such an event.
I just want to try and express how I deal with such news in terms of my own head for boating. Anyhow, gotta go and do some kayak stories in the pub....
So the BCU have taken it upon themselves to spend another day straying off the only topic in town - access - and getting all fuddy duddy about a comedy show. Catherine Tate is going to be seen be seen killing a character off paddling off a fall screaming 'am i boverered'. This is my response to the BCU's response;
"- Portrays canoeing as a dangerous sport (which it is not) and put off
some newcomers to the sport"
It is a dangerous sport - thats why I like it. Those who think it's safe are at the most danger.
"- Raise concerns about Child Protection and Health & Safety"
.. and thats bad because.....? Do pedophiles not go canoeing for some reason?
"- Highlights fractions between canoeists and river users. The BCU encourages and promotes good relations between all river users and urges canoeists to act responsibly and with courtesy to all"
There are fractions between canoeists and "other river users" the more its publicised it is, the more people will see the ridiculous and unnecessary nature of the conflict (which only exists in England and Wales). So happy christmas to the BCU. Next year some humour and perspective please.
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