Fast tracking myself has been a challenge that is nigh on impossible, as to do something quickly you need to miss out the mistakes which take up time by learning from the best in the game. The best people in the game are few and far between in this country. Sprint Kayaking is a minority sport and as I have realised by training at nearly every club in the south, the place to be for the fastest improvement is London. All serious canoeists travel to London to train, to get the depth of competition required to gauge how good you really are. What purpose does it serve to be the best at your local club if you turn up at a national competition only to be thrashed and ultimately humiliated? This issue is compounded by the technical nature of sprint kayaking and that most clubs don’t have dedicated coaches. Sprint kayaking is the most technical sport I have attempted to master. I never would have thought to be the case, but even months after learning, I had only just scratched the surface. All my fitness, strength and power, hours in the gym and on the lake counted for very little when a chubby 14year old girl effortlessly moved passed me, while I thrashed and fought my way through the race. She was technically sound and that is what is required in the first instance to move a sprint boat fast.
It is evident now that we have taken a slow track in the way we have progressed in the sport; not in time but in relation to the number of sessions we have done. We haven’t started canoeing like most with one session a week; we have thrown ourselves into it with complete commitment and enthusiasm. Typically training on the water five times a week and land training including specific weight training, running, swimming and cycling seven times a week from the start. This is where we have gained momentum and improvement at a greater rate than the typical canoeist and also why I feel like my input hasn’t yielded the results that I set myself a year ago. My targets were inline with the athlete being coached on the fast track programme and even with the quantity of training in place, without the quality of coaching and expert knowledge we have not been able to attain the results we were aiming for. However in this year I have markedly improved my paddling, strength and fitness and by taking the route with a big detour we managed to gain a strength in character, confidence and self belief that cannot be given to you by a coach. However it is now time to go to London to get some decent coaching and combine strength and fitness with technique to see if I have what it takes to make a boat go faster than anyone else.
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
Friday, 5 September 2008
5 x falling in champion!
This weekend is the last Sprint Regatta of the season. I have no idea how much we have improved but the last two weeks it has seemed the odds have been against us.
Firstly we have a serious transport problem. The head gasket went on our car then our mothers car then yesterday on the way to our last paddle session the exhaust decided to fall off my borrowed Grannies car! So it seemed doubtful that we were even going to get to Nottingham but luckily living on a farm it was fixed or temporarily welded back on . . . it could still fall off on the way to Nottingham!!! (please no)
This last month we have had the honor of training with Elmbridge Canoe Club. One of the foremost canoe clubs in the country. At one of the regattas someone pointed out the Kayak legend Ivan Lawler, 6 times world champion. If you want to be the best you have to surround your self in the best so we approached Ivan to ask if we could train with them. We told him our back ground and he said if we had been on the fast track programme we must have some bite about us and agreed to see us.
Elmbridge Canoe Club is based is Weybridge so we trecked up there to meet Ivan and his group of youngsters he coaches. We went through loads of skills that we had never been taught to help our stability issues. It was very refreshing to have his input, he truly is a gifted coach and his methods were similar to the rowing coaching we used to get. A no messing around attitude and if you show willing, he has a lot of time for you.
The next morning Rowland Lawler Chief Coach of Elmbridge and yes Ivan’s Dad who coached him to victory was taking the session in the morning. We had already done a session with Ivan first thing and we were asked if we would like to join the group where about 40 paddlers get on the water and are split into 3 groups. One of our main issues is we find it very hard to paddle in wash as so we thought we should just go for it. Whats the worse that can happen, we fall in!
So we got on the water and were circling in our boats while everyone came on. We recognised a few paddlers from the GB squad and I suddenly thought what the hell are we doing here?? We were put in the third group and Roland set the first 2 groups off. Well the whole river turned into the sea and then he set our group off, after 500m I fell in! I couldn’t believe it! Antonia bless her was worried and waited for me. I quickly got back in and we managed to catch up with them again in time for the 2nd effort. But yes I fell in again! The groups just seemed to paddle off into the distance and as I had a bit more of a swim I wasn’t sure I would catch up with them so headed in that direction anyway. I eventually saw them and realised they were actually charging towards me so quickly spun the boat and joined in a head of the wash, I managed to stay in for this one! Amazing! They started setting people off with the slower ones first. Roland shouted out “what’s your name” at Antonia, she answered “Antonia” he replied, “can’t say that your name is Tony!” Then said to me, “your Tony’s friend”! Charming! So he set Tony’s friend off first, yes me, then Tony. This worked a lot better not being in the wash, but I managed to fall in another 2 times!! The choppy water is my biggest enemy, the Hunstpil is so flat and if there is wind it’s coming from one direction so can get use to it. We found to improve we just have to paddle more often with a group it’s the only way forward.
Our biggest problem is living 40mins from our nearest river and 2 hours from our nearest decent club. We spend so much time traveling around the country and it really takes it out of you. We will be into winter training after this regatta and need a solid season if we are going to make the improvements we need by next Summer. Hopefully this winter wont be too bitter or we might just find our selves in Australia again!
Firstly we have a serious transport problem. The head gasket went on our car then our mothers car then yesterday on the way to our last paddle session the exhaust decided to fall off my borrowed Grannies car! So it seemed doubtful that we were even going to get to Nottingham but luckily living on a farm it was fixed or temporarily welded back on . . . it could still fall off on the way to Nottingham!!! (please no)
This last month we have had the honor of training with Elmbridge Canoe Club. One of the foremost canoe clubs in the country. At one of the regattas someone pointed out the Kayak legend Ivan Lawler, 6 times world champion. If you want to be the best you have to surround your self in the best so we approached Ivan to ask if we could train with them. We told him our back ground and he said if we had been on the fast track programme we must have some bite about us and agreed to see us.
Elmbridge Canoe Club is based is Weybridge so we trecked up there to meet Ivan and his group of youngsters he coaches. We went through loads of skills that we had never been taught to help our stability issues. It was very refreshing to have his input, he truly is a gifted coach and his methods were similar to the rowing coaching we used to get. A no messing around attitude and if you show willing, he has a lot of time for you.
The next morning Rowland Lawler Chief Coach of Elmbridge and yes Ivan’s Dad who coached him to victory was taking the session in the morning. We had already done a session with Ivan first thing and we were asked if we would like to join the group where about 40 paddlers get on the water and are split into 3 groups. One of our main issues is we find it very hard to paddle in wash as so we thought we should just go for it. Whats the worse that can happen, we fall in!
So we got on the water and were circling in our boats while everyone came on. We recognised a few paddlers from the GB squad and I suddenly thought what the hell are we doing here?? We were put in the third group and Roland set the first 2 groups off. Well the whole river turned into the sea and then he set our group off, after 500m I fell in! I couldn’t believe it! Antonia bless her was worried and waited for me. I quickly got back in and we managed to catch up with them again in time for the 2nd effort. But yes I fell in again! The groups just seemed to paddle off into the distance and as I had a bit more of a swim I wasn’t sure I would catch up with them so headed in that direction anyway. I eventually saw them and realised they were actually charging towards me so quickly spun the boat and joined in a head of the wash, I managed to stay in for this one! Amazing! They started setting people off with the slower ones first. Roland shouted out “what’s your name” at Antonia, she answered “Antonia” he replied, “can’t say that your name is Tony!” Then said to me, “your Tony’s friend”! Charming! So he set Tony’s friend off first, yes me, then Tony. This worked a lot better not being in the wash, but I managed to fall in another 2 times!! The choppy water is my biggest enemy, the Hunstpil is so flat and if there is wind it’s coming from one direction so can get use to it. We found to improve we just have to paddle more often with a group it’s the only way forward.
Our biggest problem is living 40mins from our nearest river and 2 hours from our nearest decent club. We spend so much time traveling around the country and it really takes it out of you. We will be into winter training after this regatta and need a solid season if we are going to make the improvements we need by next Summer. Hopefully this winter wont be too bitter or we might just find our selves in Australia again!
Sunday, 3 August 2008
No rest for the wicked!!!!!
Recently I went on a family holiday in St. Ives. Even though I was slightly apprehensive about sharing a house with extended family with 3 teenage boys (my cousins and brother) I was quite looking forward to a break from training and working day in and day out. I find it very hard to just stop. A lot of the time I don’t feel like I deserve a break. I train more than the average person so I spend working in my spare time to make up for it.
From when I get up at 6am till I go to bed I am either training or working which doesn't leave any time for socialising and relaxation.
A few days before this much looked forward to relaxing holiday a letter came through the post from Sport England inviting Antonia and I to testing for the Girls for Gold Scheme. Great Britain are doing another scout for talented athletes in Cycling, Modern Pentathlon, Windsurfing, Bob Skeleton and Rowing. I don’t know if we are insane but somehow we couldn't resist doing the testing. It would have been like closing a door on opportunity. With this testing due, only a week after the holiday we had to get in some quality sessions. So we took our road bikes and loads of training kit and off we went.
No it's not a big seal it's my Dad. The sea really is that colour - Beautiful!
The day we arrived our cousins got us in the sea and we swam a mile across the harbour. Ok it wasn’t that intense but I did have my little?? 21 yr. old sister Suzanna on my back for half the way as she didn’t think she would make it.
Day 2 was Antonia’s birthday. We were going to take it a easy so we got the bikes out to go for a discovery peddle around. We saw a sign to Land’s End and thought how exciting lets cycle there and get the train back!. OH MY GOSH it was soooooo hilly. Up a hill half an hour....., down a hill ......2 seconds, up a hill...., down..., there was no flat the whole way!! As we hadn’t prepared for it, by the time we got there we were staving and in shock. There was no train station, in fact there was nothing apart from a touristy shopping complex. I had such a sugar low I could barely walk, but we found the pasty shop and had the most AMAZING pasty I have ever tasted. We then rang Suz and got her to pick us up. She wasn’t amused and granny had told her not to come and that we should cycle back!!! Perhaps she was right but we wouldn’t have made it before dark and Ant’s birthday BBQ would have been over!
Another ridiculous idea was going for a run first thing before breakfast, along a the coastal path to Zenner, it was 7 miles. We thought, 'that will be a good run there and back.' It started off fine then turned into extremely rocky terrain so we had to run where we could and climb the parts we couldn’t. Antonia described me as a mountain goat to some passers by!! After an hour it turned very misty and there was nothing but cliff edges, rocks, sea and gorse. There was no escaping and there was no way we were turning back so we carried on. Luckily we found a stream half way and had a drink out of it - I couldn’t taste dead sheep so think it was all right. We got to our destination after 2.5hrs (I'm sure it was more than 7 miles!) and were so pleased to see a cafe in the tiny Cornish village we ordered a huge lunch at 11am plus it had a bus stop. We weren’t running back!
Amongst pier jumping and swimming with seals, we also went mackerel fishing which was a big mistake. Five minuets into it I felt so sick I had my head over the side - Dad thought I was just taking the fishing very seriously until he himself was sick, followed by my Auntie, then my little cousin then my sisters. At that point the fisherman said he better take the hospital boat back to shore. I am never doing that ever again!
The last adventure we went on was a trip to Portrieth, to go Surfski kayaking with Holly, who we had met on the fast track programme. The Surf was huge and we were using these kayaks you sit on instead of sitting in. We paddled through the surf to get 'out back' which was great fun.We fell off and had to quickly get back on before the next wave crashed over us, then paddle as hard as possible to make it over the next wave. Once we were through the breaking waves, there were yet more huge rolling waves. It was awesome fun. Holly is into Quadrathlon which is swimming, kayaking, cycling and running - I have to do that one day, I may as well put all these skills to use.
So, not very relaxing holiday! Although it was a break and I don’t do sunbathing anyway. Plus the boys made it much more fun and they learnt the valuable skills of washing up!
We had testing last weekend for the Girls for Gold. I don’t want to say too much about it. I was really glad I went and again they sell you the dream of competing at a home Olympics. What they don’t say is there are no guarantees, you can give up everything and give it your all and then that isn’t enough either. But for me it’s worth that risk, it’s not a risk it’s a choice to take the opportunity.
From when I get up at 6am till I go to bed I am either training or working which doesn't leave any time for socialising and relaxation.
A few days before this much looked forward to relaxing holiday a letter came through the post from Sport England inviting Antonia and I to testing for the Girls for Gold Scheme. Great Britain are doing another scout for talented athletes in Cycling, Modern Pentathlon, Windsurfing, Bob Skeleton and Rowing. I don’t know if we are insane but somehow we couldn't resist doing the testing. It would have been like closing a door on opportunity. With this testing due, only a week after the holiday we had to get in some quality sessions. So we took our road bikes and loads of training kit and off we went.
No it's not a big seal it's my Dad. The sea really is that colour - Beautiful!
The day we arrived our cousins got us in the sea and we swam a mile across the harbour. Ok it wasn’t that intense but I did have my little?? 21 yr. old sister Suzanna on my back for half the way as she didn’t think she would make it.
Day 2 was Antonia’s birthday. We were going to take it a easy so we got the bikes out to go for a discovery peddle around. We saw a sign to Land’s End and thought how exciting lets cycle there and get the train back!. OH MY GOSH it was soooooo hilly. Up a hill half an hour....., down a hill ......2 seconds, up a hill...., down..., there was no flat the whole way!! As we hadn’t prepared for it, by the time we got there we were staving and in shock. There was no train station, in fact there was nothing apart from a touristy shopping complex. I had such a sugar low I could barely walk, but we found the pasty shop and had the most AMAZING pasty I have ever tasted. We then rang Suz and got her to pick us up. She wasn’t amused and granny had told her not to come and that we should cycle back!!! Perhaps she was right but we wouldn’t have made it before dark and Ant’s birthday BBQ would have been over!
Another ridiculous idea was going for a run first thing before breakfast, along a the coastal path to Zenner, it was 7 miles. We thought, 'that will be a good run there and back.' It started off fine then turned into extremely rocky terrain so we had to run where we could and climb the parts we couldn’t. Antonia described me as a mountain goat to some passers by!! After an hour it turned very misty and there was nothing but cliff edges, rocks, sea and gorse. There was no escaping and there was no way we were turning back so we carried on. Luckily we found a stream half way and had a drink out of it - I couldn’t taste dead sheep so think it was all right. We got to our destination after 2.5hrs (I'm sure it was more than 7 miles!) and were so pleased to see a cafe in the tiny Cornish village we ordered a huge lunch at 11am plus it had a bus stop. We weren’t running back!
Amongst pier jumping and swimming with seals, we also went mackerel fishing which was a big mistake. Five minuets into it I felt so sick I had my head over the side - Dad thought I was just taking the fishing very seriously until he himself was sick, followed by my Auntie, then my little cousin then my sisters. At that point the fisherman said he better take the hospital boat back to shore. I am never doing that ever again!
The last adventure we went on was a trip to Portrieth, to go Surfski kayaking with Holly, who we had met on the fast track programme. The Surf was huge and we were using these kayaks you sit on instead of sitting in. We paddled through the surf to get 'out back' which was great fun.We fell off and had to quickly get back on before the next wave crashed over us, then paddle as hard as possible to make it over the next wave. Once we were through the breaking waves, there were yet more huge rolling waves. It was awesome fun. Holly is into Quadrathlon which is swimming, kayaking, cycling and running - I have to do that one day, I may as well put all these skills to use.
So, not very relaxing holiday! Although it was a break and I don’t do sunbathing anyway. Plus the boys made it much more fun and they learnt the valuable skills of washing up!
We had testing last weekend for the Girls for Gold. I don’t want to say too much about it. I was really glad I went and again they sell you the dream of competing at a home Olympics. What they don’t say is there are no guarantees, you can give up everything and give it your all and then that isn’t enough either. But for me it’s worth that risk, it’s not a risk it’s a choice to take the opportunity.
Nat Champs Review
I have finely found time to write on here. The Nationals had it’s highs and lows. In kayaking you are promoted on your 500m and 1000m time so it’s important these races both go well. The 500m are always first, we had a heat I was in the first one and Antonia in the second. We both came 3rd in our heats and got exactly the same time! In my final there was a lot of pressure building up I felt a lot better in the Plastex and we have trained everyday in the boats bar 4 so I was expecting massive improvements. Got off the start and was going OK until with 200m to go I fell in. Distraught! I was in the frame of mind, why the hell do I do this? All the time spent put into it and I can’t even show that in a race. After a bar of chocolate I felt better. Ant got a 3rd which was really good. My other k1 races went OK but had blown my chances of a promotion.
Our k2 however was a different story. We had a tub of a boat but was pretty stable and we felt confident. We both wanted the same thing, to destroy the opposition and we had that faith in each other that we were going to go all out. The categories had been merged together so we were now racing a higher division. We were really looking forward to the races as this was our first time competing in a k2 since Australia where we got so annoyed with each other we nearly through ourselves out of the boat mid race.
500m I had steering issues and we came 4th, very annoying but we came back for the 200m and blasted it down the course and came 2nd. The best race of the weekend and made my training pay off at last. The race takes a minute, it’s just full power the whole way. Then the 1000m the next day we got a Bronze.
Ant got a bronze for her 1000m K1 as well. There was a harsh cross wind and I was on the far side where it was a lot worse OK!!. . .
Our k2 however was a different story. We had a tub of a boat but was pretty stable and we felt confident. We both wanted the same thing, to destroy the opposition and we had that faith in each other that we were going to go all out. The categories had been merged together so we were now racing a higher division. We were really looking forward to the races as this was our first time competing in a k2 since Australia where we got so annoyed with each other we nearly through ourselves out of the boat mid race.
500m I had steering issues and we came 4th, very annoying but we came back for the 200m and blasted it down the course and came 2nd. The best race of the weekend and made my training pay off at last. The race takes a minute, it’s just full power the whole way. Then the 1000m the next day we got a Bronze.
Ant got a bronze for her 1000m K1 as well. There was a harsh cross wind and I was on the far side where it was a lot worse OK!!. . .
Tuesday, 8 July 2008
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
The National Champoinships
On the 3rd of July Antonia and I have been kayaking for a year. It's been the quickest year of my life . . . I say that every year but this one was ridiculously quick.
This weekend we are competing in the National Championships in Nottingham yes the lovely Holme Pierrepont where it all began, the same regatta in fact we watched last year with the chosen 12 who started the fast track programme. I remember watching all the kayak races thinking . . . yeah a couple of months and I will be able to do that!!! I can safely say this project Antonia and I took on has been harder than I ever imagined.
The hardest thing has to be, to enjoy a sport I have never done before. The normal way to get into a sport is either as a child where you naturally have more fun what ever it is you do or you have a go at something new and if you like it, build up gradually. We were thrown into the sport to which we were thrown out of every day for most of the year in my case, and then asked constantly if I am having fun??? Well no not really but I can’t give up till I have cracked it! The point is without out the deep foundations of canoe and kayaking usually built over years, the love of it is a bit false. I love water sports, training hard and competing but the actual love of Sprint Kayking has to come through over time. It's hard to do when there is so much pressure on us to get good quickly. A whole year later and I am only just starting to feel the love and that has come through meeting inspiring people, experiencing different disciplines of kayaking, actually racing and for not being rejected by my kayak for 3 weeks now! A year on I realize I have only just scratched the surface of an amazing sport, I couldn’t possibly give up now, I will see how things are looking in another year.
As for the Nationals, yes I am nervous but I am going to race for the love of racing. We have nothing to loose and everything to gain.
p.s. I missed rowing enormously over the weekend of Henley. The Bristol girls (and guy coxes) did the best the club has ever done and I am very proud of them.
This weekend we are competing in the National Championships in Nottingham yes the lovely Holme Pierrepont where it all began, the same regatta in fact we watched last year with the chosen 12 who started the fast track programme. I remember watching all the kayak races thinking . . . yeah a couple of months and I will be able to do that!!! I can safely say this project Antonia and I took on has been harder than I ever imagined.
The hardest thing has to be, to enjoy a sport I have never done before. The normal way to get into a sport is either as a child where you naturally have more fun what ever it is you do or you have a go at something new and if you like it, build up gradually. We were thrown into the sport to which we were thrown out of every day for most of the year in my case, and then asked constantly if I am having fun??? Well no not really but I can’t give up till I have cracked it! The point is without out the deep foundations of canoe and kayaking usually built over years, the love of it is a bit false. I love water sports, training hard and competing but the actual love of Sprint Kayking has to come through over time. It's hard to do when there is so much pressure on us to get good quickly. A whole year later and I am only just starting to feel the love and that has come through meeting inspiring people, experiencing different disciplines of kayaking, actually racing and for not being rejected by my kayak for 3 weeks now! A year on I realize I have only just scratched the surface of an amazing sport, I couldn’t possibly give up now, I will see how things are looking in another year.
As for the Nationals, yes I am nervous but I am going to race for the love of racing. We have nothing to loose and everything to gain.
p.s. I missed rowing enormously over the weekend of Henley. The Bristol girls (and guy coxes) did the best the club has ever done and I am very proud of them.
A Kayaking Adventure!
Over my Birthday Antonia and I were invited to go Sea and Surf Kayaking in beautiful St. Davids in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Matt Brown thought it would be great for us to broaden our kayaking knowledge and most importantly to ‘have fun’ - something I find hard to do when my life consists of training, working, training, working, training, bed.
We met Olivia ex British junior Wild water racer and Matt at lunchtime, got kitted up and headed down with the play boats. We had to paddle over to the next bay to get to the good surf. Now these boats don’t go in a straight line as they have to be able to maneuver easily in waves, so this was very hard work and as the sea was very choppy I started to feel very sea sick. My goal became to paddle as quickly as possible to the other bay and get out onto lovely flat none-moving land. I got half way across and turned to check where the others were, to my surprise they were further away than I expected. I waited for Olivia to paddle over and she informed me Antonia was also feeling sea sick and finding the paddle over almost impossible. I waited for a bit but really need to get to land. I got to the surf and a big wave came . . . ok 2ft but I was side ways on and capsized. I was in shock, Matt had told us what to do in the event but after all the talk of them being so stable I seriously hadn’t thought it was going to happen. While under water with the tight neoprene deck around my waist which firmly attached to the cockpit I actually thought, ‘oh my god I am going to die on my birthday’! Then I found the pull thing at the front of the deck, pulled it and tumble-turned out of the boat. I had an emotional few seconds and walked to the shore with my boat. Antonia padded over to join me with an anxious look on her face after seeing me under water for what felt like a long time. Olivia came to the rescue with some Brioch - chocolate bread. The three of us sat on the beach eating, Antonia and I wondering if this was a weekend of torture!
We got back in the boats with the sea sickness and shockness subsided and actually had brilliant fun. As I find with surfing there is nothing better than being out with the raw elements. Matt came to join us as he had gone back to let his dog the soppy rockwieller Boffy out. We fell out loads of times but it really didn’t matter.
For our second session we went sea kayaking. These are different types of boats again. Long, like our sprint kayaks but very stable and able to carry enough equipment if you became stranded for at least a week. Antonia and I were actually amazed at how much safety equipment we had to take. A spare tent, a flair each, a gas cooker, spare paddles are just an example of what measures we had to take. This made me slightly worried about how dangerous sea kayaking was.
So we set off, the sea was so clear, we paddled round the cliff edges and saw lots of different bird life. We then paddled across to Ramsey Island. It was a bit choppy and Matt was explaining about the tides and eddies but nothing too threatening had made me think we might be firing up the gas stove in the luminous orange tent while firing off flares!
Out of no where a huge school of Porpoise were jumping in and out of the water just in front of the boats. They are a part of the whale/dolphin family. It was so amazing to see in such a natural environment. Going from being in heaven I was suddenly in my worse nightmare. The sea turned into conditions I have never witnessed in person. Huge un-breaking waves with eddies that took my small boat away at least 100m in the space of a few seconds. Matt was very calm and told me direct instructions to follow. I managed to get back to them but the whole time thought a huge wave would tip me up and I would be carried to a cliff side and thrown against it. Antonia however was very calm and took it all in her stride I was very impressed. We got through it and paddled back, it was dimpsy dark and I was still getting visions of being on the show 999 as we had been gone for a good 2,5 hours and felt very tired plus Antonia was singing the theme tune out load! But that night as we tucked into a huge well deserved dinner I felt we had just had the most incredible adventurous day. Also we now know we would NEVER attempt an Atlantic crossing in a rowing boat or kayak.
We met Olivia ex British junior Wild water racer and Matt at lunchtime, got kitted up and headed down with the play boats. We had to paddle over to the next bay to get to the good surf. Now these boats don’t go in a straight line as they have to be able to maneuver easily in waves, so this was very hard work and as the sea was very choppy I started to feel very sea sick. My goal became to paddle as quickly as possible to the other bay and get out onto lovely flat none-moving land. I got half way across and turned to check where the others were, to my surprise they were further away than I expected. I waited for Olivia to paddle over and she informed me Antonia was also feeling sea sick and finding the paddle over almost impossible. I waited for a bit but really need to get to land. I got to the surf and a big wave came . . . ok 2ft but I was side ways on and capsized. I was in shock, Matt had told us what to do in the event but after all the talk of them being so stable I seriously hadn’t thought it was going to happen. While under water with the tight neoprene deck around my waist which firmly attached to the cockpit I actually thought, ‘oh my god I am going to die on my birthday’! Then I found the pull thing at the front of the deck, pulled it and tumble-turned out of the boat. I had an emotional few seconds and walked to the shore with my boat. Antonia padded over to join me with an anxious look on her face after seeing me under water for what felt like a long time. Olivia came to the rescue with some Brioch - chocolate bread. The three of us sat on the beach eating, Antonia and I wondering if this was a weekend of torture!
We got back in the boats with the sea sickness and shockness subsided and actually had brilliant fun. As I find with surfing there is nothing better than being out with the raw elements. Matt came to join us as he had gone back to let his dog the soppy rockwieller Boffy out. We fell out loads of times but it really didn’t matter.
For our second session we went sea kayaking. These are different types of boats again. Long, like our sprint kayaks but very stable and able to carry enough equipment if you became stranded for at least a week. Antonia and I were actually amazed at how much safety equipment we had to take. A spare tent, a flair each, a gas cooker, spare paddles are just an example of what measures we had to take. This made me slightly worried about how dangerous sea kayaking was.
So we set off, the sea was so clear, we paddled round the cliff edges and saw lots of different bird life. We then paddled across to Ramsey Island. It was a bit choppy and Matt was explaining about the tides and eddies but nothing too threatening had made me think we might be firing up the gas stove in the luminous orange tent while firing off flares!
Out of no where a huge school of Porpoise were jumping in and out of the water just in front of the boats. They are a part of the whale/dolphin family. It was so amazing to see in such a natural environment. Going from being in heaven I was suddenly in my worse nightmare. The sea turned into conditions I have never witnessed in person. Huge un-breaking waves with eddies that took my small boat away at least 100m in the space of a few seconds. Matt was very calm and told me direct instructions to follow. I managed to get back to them but the whole time thought a huge wave would tip me up and I would be carried to a cliff side and thrown against it. Antonia however was very calm and took it all in her stride I was very impressed. We got through it and paddled back, it was dimpsy dark and I was still getting visions of being on the show 999 as we had been gone for a good 2,5 hours and felt very tired plus Antonia was singing the theme tune out load! But that night as we tucked into a huge well deserved dinner I felt we had just had the most incredible adventurous day. Also we now know we would NEVER attempt an Atlantic crossing in a rowing boat or kayak.
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