REGENTS NEWS | SUMMER 2014

he recounts his epic trip from Devises to Westminster...in 24 hours!

We also have a few words from those who have recently undergone additional training which as you know benefits everyone at the club. Steffi Thorhauer and Ian Tokelove did their Level 2 and Wilderness First Aid training respectively

David Midgley's film about his epic travels down the Amazon are potentially up for an award so I have added a shameless plug in order to get his as many votes as possible. Support your fellow Regenter!

And at the 11th hour Sean Clarke has kindly submitted a piece on kayaking the Verdun Gorge. All a bit last minute and a long way to travel for the weekend but we would expect nothing less from Mr Clarke.

And that's it! Happy reading!

ContentsAlps Report: 2014 3

Banzai Bonanza on Château Q 6

The Ultimate Endurance Test 7

Into the Wild 8

Coach Class 9

Expedition of the Year 9

Gorging Out 10

Letter from the editor-at-large

Apologies for the delay but at long last I have managed to cobble together a lovely little newsletter for your perusal. I had been holding off publication until we had a few more submissions so hopefully this batch will give you enough to get stuck in to.

As you would expect, we have the annual Alps Report which will give you some insight as to what we got up to last month in France. The weather was not always brilliant but the adventures and carnage were plentiful. Read what everyone has to say was their best bits.

In addition to this Phil Seely has given us an article on what it was like to actually raft Chateau Q, upping the numbers of Regenters who managed to navigate this challenging gorge, if not in an actual kayak.

I particularly encourage everyone to have a read of Eoin A. Murray's article - The Ultimate Endurance Test - in which

Position Available!The position of newsletter editor is up for grabs should anyone fancy taking on the role.

The newsletter is an important asset to the club, keeping members informed about what is going on and it reaches all members of the club which the RCC Facebook page does not. It is an important club resource which should be kept going and only requires a minimum about of time to collate articles and check spelling.

If you are interested in the role and want to know more, please do contact me at editor@regentscanoeclub.co.uk

…and so yet another Alps trip is done and dusted, and by pretty much all accounts it was a resounding success. Water levels were good (though like most rivers, we have probably paddled it lower) and as you would expect there was the usual amount of carnage and car trouble. Rather than listen to me waffle on about how well Sean,Myles (in a highly professional and supervisory capacity) and I managed the trip, here's what others had to say…

NAME: Tom BeaumontNUMBER OF PADDLING YEARS: Lots and lotsBEST RIVER OF THE TRIP: Lower Guisane ‘cos it was so exciting and we all survived – Ralph, Ruben, Ian W and Ed). And (cheating!) Upper Guil with Sarah, Kate, Alex C and Ralph leading ‘cos our group worked well together and all the other groups were fantastic in providing safety and rescue cover.

MOST MEMORABLE EVENT: The beauty of the mountains with their fresh snow fall mid-week.

NAME: Kate BaldersonNUMBER OF PADDLING YEARS: 2 yearsBEST RIVER OF THE TRIP: Middle Clarée. It was very fast and exciting, the Lower more mellow but still interesting and really beautiful.MOST MEMORABLE EVENT: Going over the weir on my first ever run of BTG. I was hugely relieved and slightly surprised to still be in my boat!

NAME: Katie CoffieldNUMBER OF PADDLING YEARS: Approximately 5 years (yeah, I know I should be better!)BEST RIVER OF THE TRIP: Upper Guil as the gorge bit is super fun and it was way more challenging than when I did it last year at lower levels.MOST MEMORABLE EVENT: Too hard to say! The big waterfall on Le Fournel was certainly memorable. As well as the carnage on the Gironde…

ALPS REPORT: 2014 NAME: James Mogie NUMBER OF PADDLING YEARS: 4 yearsBEST RIVER OF THE TRIP: Hard to say as they were all fantastic in their own way. However I'll say Lower Guisane. Purely as I've never ran it before, it was exciting and beautiful to look at.MOST MEMORABLE EVENT: Daryl swimming while atop a rock.

NAME: Mark Donaldson (aka The Don)NUMBER OF PADDLING YEARS: 2.5 yearsBEST RIVER OF THE TRIP: Gironde, the upper section was fast and furious!MOST MEMORABLE EVENT: Trying to eat a cake without using my hands.

NAME: Philip Seely NUMBER OF PADDLING YEARS: About 8 yearsBEST RIVER OF THE TRIP: The Guil, because of the awesome scenery.MOST MEMORABLE EVENT: So-called

friends from Regents laughing as we rafters were marooned on a rock in the middle of a Grade 4 rapid on above the Guardian Angel gorge on the Guil.

NAME: Debs (not Debbie) MackieNUMBER OF PADDLING YEARS: 1 yearBEST RIVER OF THE TRIP: Sunshine Run - it was my first Alpine river, I was terrified before getting on and I made it down the whole thing, including the Rab wave, without swimming!MOST MEMORABLE EVENT: Budgie Smuggler shopping at the hot springs with Daryl, Sean and "Mystery" Alex.

NAME: Amy LilleyNUMBER OF PADDLING YEARS: 10 yearsBEST RIVER OF THE TRIP: Gironde because it was the only river with high water - a great adrenaline rush. :)MOST MEMORABLE EVENT: Paddling the Durance Gorge for the first time.

NAME: Steffi ThorhauerNUMBER OF PADDLING YEARS: 5 years BEST RIVER OF THE TRIP: Upper Durance…I think that's the one, the one where they did Ralph's boat rescue. Loved it 'cause it was bouncy and fierce and I was amazed to feel comfortable on that .MOST MEMORABLE EVENT: My swim on Les Guilleberts, or more accurately, the massive bruise on my bum, size of a £20 note and exactly the same colour.

NAME: Reuben SmartNUMBER OF PADDLING YEARS: 3 or 4 years, I thinkBEST RIVER OF THE TRIP: Lower Guisane – full-on nonstop rock dodging, stopper boofing paddling. I'm sure it's a casual paddle for some, but I was a missed paddle stroke shy of a swim the whole way down.MOST MEMORABLE EVENT: Krzysztof's dance moves on the slack line. He has a better leg shake than Elvis.

NAME: Sarah Ford (aka Fordie)NUMBER OF PADDLING YEARS: 2-3BEST RIVER OF THE TRIP: Sooooo many…but the Onde/Clarée for their beauty (will go back and run it in bigger water next time) or BTG for the achievement of doing it upright after being terrified!MOST MEMORABLE EVENT: Rafting Château Q, Guardian Angel and Triple Steps. Massive adrenaline rush, something new and an amazing opportunity to see grade 5/6 rapids up close without being upside down in a kayak!

NAME: Sean ClarkeNUMBER OF PADDLING YEARS: 3 yearsBEST RIVER OF THE TRIP: Le Fournel on the last day. I love that river and got to introduce all the intermediates to it.MOST MEMORABLE EVENT: Château Queryas Gorge - 'cause I got to run it in a playboat with Daryl and Krzysztof and we all took rolls at the most inappropriate moments!

NAME: Mark RoweNUMBER OF PADDLING YEARS: 9 years (?)BEST RIVER OF THE TRIP: Middle Guil, sun shining, good group, most continuous grade 3/4 river I've paddled, even though I was severely punished by it for dropping my guard. Felt really good up to that point.MOST MEMORABLE EVENT: More because it was weird and a bit surreal than anything else, Heidi (our sat nav) taking us through the centre of Paris on the way back. Saw the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and drove over the river Seine.

NAME: Myles JohnsonNUMBER OF PADDLING YEARS: 2 yearsBEST RIVER OF THE TRIP: Le Fournel. Boofing off a 25ft waterfall (or maybe a tad lower). Was amazing (and a little scary!) Great sense of achievement.MOST MEMORABLE EVENT: Watching Matt descend from respectable lawyer to wine-downing, dessert-guzzling (no hands), crane-climbing maniac in the space of about 2 hours… Impressive performance.

NAME: Ben McPheeNUMBER OF PADDLING YEARS: 6-8 yearsBEST RIVER OF THE TRIP: Middle ClaréeMOST MEMORABLE EVENT: Jasmin Thai (the shot glasses) [For those of you who go to the Old Town for dinner at the only Thai/Vietnamese restaurant, there is a "happy ending" at the end of each meal!]

NAME: Olga BeschastnykhNUMBER OF PADDLING YEARS: 3 years.BEST RIVER OF THE TRIP: Le Fournel. Because of "park & huck!" Ultimately though, not only did the sun finally come out and grace us with a beautiful day up high in the mountains, but also Sean ran a brilliant intro to boofing and ultimately got EVERYONE launching off the biggest drop. MOST MEMORABLE EVENT: Launching myself off the "Weir of Death" on the Gironde. I know I screamed, then swam and then nearly made Tokey swim. I'm still not quite sure what happened in between screaming and swimming though – need video evidence!NAME: Ian Tokelove

NUMBER OF PADDLING YEARS: 10 years.BEST RIVER OF THE TRIP: They were all good, but if I had to choose: Briançon Town Gorge. A short, sweet run which I always enjoy, but don’t always get to paddle. MOST MEMORABLE EVENT: For funny, the sight of half a dozen Regents paddlers standing on a mid-river boulder as their raft guide tried to free the jammed raft, just downstream of Chateau Q, would be hard to beat. The rush to get back on the freed raft was also pretty funny. (Matt D has footage of this).

NAME: Julia HallNUMBER OF PADDLING YEARS: 2.5 yearsBEST RIVER OF THE TRIP: Briançon Town Gorge – exciting and pretty – when you have caught your breath to look.MOST MEMORABLE EVENT: It is a toss up between relaxing in the spa and rafting Guardian Angel gorge (after the relatively easy Château Q) – think the latter just about wins…

While was standing in the car park, just after a vigorous run down the upper Guil, a rather piratical-looking, bearded rafting guide came up to me asked, "Are you the kayakers who want to go down the gorge?" After a brief hesitation, when I remembered a conversation earlier that day about a possible rafting trip, I replied that it was probably indeed us.

After quite a bit of faffing, and arranging lifts for the journey's end, a rafting team was assembled consisting of myself, "The Don", Julia, Olga, Kate and Sarah. Our rafting guide, Stefan, then drilled us as a team in dry-land exercises on how to paddle the raft. Main commands were, 'Paddle hard!' and 'Hard right!' or 'Hard left!' followed by (if all else was to no avail), 'Banzai!' At the call, 'Banzai', we were all to cower in the bottom of the raft and fervently hope that we would be spared capsizing. Stefan told us that capsizing a raft in the Grade 4/5 conditions was 'trés serieux' (translation: very serious!), but that we should not worry too much about it as he would hopefully think of something to do about it.

Thus assured, we embarked and the raft floated off to the start of the top of the Château Queyras gorge. With a brief glance at the castle above, the descent began. Faster and faster we plunged down a narrow gorge. We slipped through some gaps which seemed narrow enough to catch us. Somewhere in the bowels of the gorge we swept past a trio of kayakers in a small hollow, and wondered at the level of skill you would need to able to negotiate all this in a kayak.

Emerging from the gorge a complicated set of rapids appeared. A large rock in the middle of the stream came looming up at us. It was too late to avoid it, and we were caught! We were stranded on a rock in the middle of a raging Grade 4 rapid. Stefan directed us in some heaving and rocking motions to try and shift the craft. But to no avail. High above on a bridge, a Regents group was looking on and laughed at our appalling predicament. A new and more desperate tactic was now to be tried: everybody was to crawl out on to rock, float the raft off with no one in it, and re-embark when successfully shifted. Accordingly, we disembarked carefully, and clung to the rock. Stefan coolly shifted the raft, and held on the rope while we slid aboard. Nobody was lost, and we continued on.

Stefan told us that capsizing a raft in the Grade 4/5 conditions was 'trés serieux' (translation: very serious!),

but that we should not worry too much about it as he would hopefully

think of something to do about it.

The Guardian Angel gorge, which followed, is different in character from the Château Queyras: a complicated series of drops and obstacles, with some highly serious swirling holes (or 'siphons'). Stefan worked us hard through them, with plenty of 'paddle hard!' orders shouted from the helm. A few 'Banzai!' calls were thrown in too. We pulled up before one particularly big hole, and everyone got

out and had a look. We stared at a truly terrifying whirlpool and undercut. Stefan advised us that he would have to float the boat through this without any crew, as a heavy craft would probably be caught in the hole, and everyone thrown out and swept up in a vortex, quite possibly never to emerge alive!

Grateful to be spared such a fate, we waited on the river bank, and watched Stefan skilfully float his raft over the raging maelstrom. We hung out there a bit longer while a throw line was made ready for a group of kayakers that we had met before in the Château Q gorge, who were now attempting to negotiate the Whirlpool of Doom. Again, we marvelled at the kind of skill needed to survive in a kayak in conditions like this.

We floated on. A couple more disembarkations were required for obstacles, which required some heavy lifting to get our raft up and over rocks. Finally, we reached our get-out. We said our 'au revoirs' to Stefan, our cool and skilful rafting guide, and gratefully boarded Tom and Ed's wagons for the ride home.

Banzai Bonanza on Château Q

Using the rationale that it is perfectly acceptable to raft that which you can't paddle, a motley crew of Regenters braved Guardian Angel and Tripple Steps in a small rubber boat. PHIL SEELY fills us in.

Never rise to a dare made over a couple of ales, right? That’s the golden rule. Well, in all honesty, back in summer of 2012, taking in the setting sun overlooking a white beach on the island of Harris, the Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race didn’t seem like that big a deal, at least not the 4-day version, our original intention. But just the idea of the race sucks you in, and before you know it, tales of ‘the Canoeist’s Everest’, its ‘Cockleshell Heroes’ origins, and Sir Steve Redgrave’s non-completion (along with three other Olympians) back in 2012, and you’ve unwittingly started thinking about the nonstop overnight version of this classic endurance race.

PROBLEM 1: We’re in our mid-40’s and mid-30’s respectively, and although we’re both fit, neither of us have kayaked in anger since our scouting days some 20+ years ago. SOLUTION: Fortunately there are many blogs on the t’interweb written by brave souls that have previously completed the race, with all sorts of fitness advice, nutrition planning, and mental exercise regimes. OK, so we’re both happy to dedicate the time to swimming, running, cycling and canoeing, we both like eating lots, and we’re both stubborn as hell – naturals!

PROBLEM 2: Although we live only a mile apart in deepest, darkest, rural east Devon, I work in London during the week, so

training together is going to be problematic, particularly as neither of us are keen to eat into precious young family time at the weekends. SOLUTION: Find local clubs that we can train at individually during the week, and train together at odd times on the weekends that don’t interfere with anything else. Welcome to Regents Canoe Club for me – top (or second top) pick on Google when searching for ‘London canoe club’ – how was I to know that the majority of the water rats are whitewater junkies?!

PROBLEM 3: (Why do problems almost always come in threes?): Lack of kit –somehow messing around in the surf on the west coast of Scotland or down in the west country in play, inflatable canoes (purchased with our children in mind) doesn’t really cut it. SOLUTION: Commit to the race by buying a boat on eBay and charging ahead regardless (a fairly standard male response, so I’m reliably informed!). Welcome to the Arrowcraft K2 Doublet – not made for speed, but wonderfully stable, and the like of which has been completing the DW for many years.

So off we go with our training last

October, pin-balling our way along the Grand Western Canal at the weekend, and for me during the week, desperately trying to keep a whitewater craft in a straight line. As winter sets in, it turns out that wet, cold and windy

Friday evenings bouncing along the Taunton-Bridgewater Canal are far more fun than being in our local in front of the fire enjoying our favourite scrumpy – why had no one mentioned this before?! Sunday mornings see us up in the darkness as we try to master travelling up the Exeter Ship Canal and back down the river Exe without capsizing. And I’m now completing 3-4 laps of the Regents Canal basin without endangering fellow paddlers or getting in Krzysztof’s way as he performs his tricks in his playboat.

As winter sets in, it turns out that wet, cold and windy

Friday evenings bouncing along the Taunton-Bridgewater Canal are far

more fun than being in our local in front of the fire enjoying our

favourite scrumpy – why had no one mentioned this before?!

The Christmas and New Year holidays offer us the perfect opportunity for some longer paddles together, and we’re slowly getting the hang of things. The fine art of portaging we’ve got down to about 20 minutes per lock, so with a mere 77 to complete during the race, that should take us about a day without even thinking about the bit on the water in between! We’re lucky enough to enjoy the company of some great wildlife on our training runs though, with tiny kingfishers darting ahead of us, bats fooled by head-torches on kamikaze missions, and the swan that chased Stewart, my race partner, deserving of a special mention too. We reward ourselves with two Sunday roasts at the one sitting after one particularly long training session – this is what it’s all about!

At the beginning of January the race is open for participant registration, and we

commit – 125 miles in one go, here we come! We recruit our support crew to help our endeavours too – it turns out that without their help on race day, we’d never have made it – post race the lads are less impressed, dubbing the whole thing ‘the worst pub crawl we’ve ever been on’ (sorry, we’ll make it up to you, I promise!). Ian White kindly takes me under his wing at the club (I suspect that pity is his main motivation!) – his sessions on improving my technique and lessening the descent into extreme fatigue prove invaluable, and I am very grateful to him for his kindly advice and patience. Training steps up a level at the weekend, with 15-20 miles

The Ultimate Endurance Test

It takes a hefty pair of "cojones" to chuck yourself down some challenging white water but the Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race is a real test of endurance and stamina. Despite the odds, EOIN A. MURRAY and a friend decided they were up for the challenge to complete "the Canoeist's Everest" where previous Olympians had failed…

Wilderness First Aid training makes sense for white water kayakers. Our trips take us into remote, physically challenging environments where professional medical care could be a very long time coming. We also do a lot of driving, and inevitably some of us will experience accident scenes where fast medical care could be necessary before paramedics arrive.

April saw ten of us undertaking Wilderness First Aid training with the Muir-Walker Medic’s Co-operative, in Whittington Park, Islington. Over two days we learnt how to fix dislocations, treat hypothermia, bandage all sorts of gory injuries, perform CPR and generally be useful if someone gets badly hurt or ill when we’re around.

Two days of training obviously doesn’t make any of us experts, but it does provide a basic knowledge of first aid skills, and the confidence to use them. I’d recommend the training to anyone – you may never have to use it, but it’s good to be prepared.

Thanks to Mark Rowe for organising the training. Find out more about Muir-Walker training www.muir-walker.coop

As with other forms of training, the club can subsidise courses such as this one. See www.regentscanoeclub.co.uk/training.html

not uncommon for weekend sessions, and I can usually finish off 4-5 laps of the canal basin. We start fund-raising too, for three chosen charities (Save the Children, Practical Action and the Devon Wildlife Trust), and set ourselves an ambitious target of £6,000.

As Easter and race day approach, we start to knock off some small milestones – we’re averaging over 100 miles per month, I can manage 6 laps of the basin, and we knock off the full length of the newly re-opened Grand Western Canal, complete the entirety of the Taunton Bridgewater Canal, and manfully struggle through the wind from Exmouth to Exeter and back again in choppy conditions. But there are moments of doubt, too – the furthest we’ve been in training is around 7 hours, which is a fraction of the 24+ hours that the actual race will take, and there are dark moments when our technique goes to pot as well.

We approach the race start in Devizes early on Easter Saturday morning filled with a mixture of apprehension and excitement – although we’re doing this for ourselves, there’s an awful lot of people that we don’t want to let down – family, friends, support crew, folks that have given generously in our fund raising. We’ve got our nutrition strategy worked out, 6 ten minute stops along the way, and we’re hoping to finish in a little over 24 hours. Well over 200+ crews are due to compete this year (although only 130 or so will finish), and we set off in decent conditions with a light-ish (8) wind in our faces. At the back of my mind, one thing has stuck from a blog that I read: “make it to Reading, and you can finish the race," and that’s all that I’m focused on for now. The first section is all the way along the Kennett and Avon canal, the course is fairly straightforward and it's all new to us having not paddled on any section of the course before. We try not to be too put off by the pencil-thin racing boats that go shooting

past and just stick to our pre-determined rhythm and pace. The camaraderie among competitors is amazing, and the support all the way along from well-wishers keeps spirits high.

…there are moments of doubt, too – the furthest we’ve been in training

is around 7 hours, which is a fraction of the 24+ hours that the

actual race will take, and there are dark moments when our technique

goes to pot as well.

The day flashes by and we’re still feeling pretty good as we reach Reading and the river Thames only a little bit behind schedule. And then it’s into the night time section, the portages getting more complicated, restrictions placed on support crews as to where they are permitted to provide support, and the disorienting nature of the wide river in the darkness eating at our confidence. We lose two hours on that section before reaching Teddington, and I confess there are times when I question whether we’ll make it. With such a short window to catch the turn of the tide for the final run up to Westminster, the pressure is on, and we’re not helping ourselves with the odd wrong turn and getting a little lost on occasion.

The crowd on the outskirts of south-west London though is amazing, our support crew get some more fuel into us, and we’ve just managed to catch the tide. The river is a different beast altogether now, and we are very happy with our supremely stable boat – it may not be the quickest, but in terms of coping with the wash from a speeding river taxi, it does its job nicely. Despite having

worked in London for nearly 24 years, I impress Stew with my lack of knowledge of London bridge names (although I suspect that someone may have moved them around deliberately to confuse me!). With just half an hour or so left to run, the heavens open to unleash a torrential downpour of biblical proportions, somehow fitting for an Easter Sunday morning. Within sight of the finish line, we watch the boat in front of us capsize, with the crew immediately retrieved by the safety boat from the drink, although they’re probably no more soaked than we all are by that stage (the good news is that they got back and did make it to the finish line).

With such a short window to catch the turn of the tide for the final run up to Westminster, the

pressure is on, and we’re not helping ourselves with the odd wrong turn and getting a little lost on occasion

And then the race is over, a brief pumping of the arms as we go underneath Westminster Bridge and then the wobbly climb up the steps to be greeted by friends and family – it’s an emotional moment, not one that I will forget for a long time to come. We're 103rd, in a little under 28 hours, but all that really matters is that we finished.

I know that I won’t be doing this particular race again – there are other challenges out there, perhaps an endurance canoe race on each continent, but I’ve enjoyed this one, the whole thing – the training was tough but rewarding, the detailed planning completely worthwhile in the end, and the sum of money that we’ve raised for charity (and the sense of personal achievement) makes it all worthwhile.

Into the Wild

Every year (or there abouts) RCCorganises Wilderness First Aid Training which members can sign up for and is a huge benefit to the club. IAN TOKELOVE gives us a brief synopsis of what you can expect.

the training in March 2014. But that was just the training! Over the next 6-12 months RCC members will be offered a variety of free coaching by three members who are hoping to complete their coaching portfolio and assessment to get that piece of paper that entitles them to say: ‘We are Level 2 coaches’. So, watch that space!!

I can assure you Level 2 is not just about forward paddling, different strokes and rescue skills; it’s a whole load more and combines theoretical thinking with technique, fitness thinking such as diet, core training, tactical thinking and fun games. Hard to imagine that one can squeeze all of that into a 40 minutes session.

Over the next 6-12 months RCC members will be offered a variety of

free coaching by three members who are hoping to complete their coaching

portfolio and assessment to get that piece of paper that entitles them to

say: ‘We are Level 2 coaches’.

Inspired? RCC doesn’t have that many formal coaches but we are lucky to have lots of informal helpers with great paddling and open boating skills which accounts for endless river leading, free coaching/start training, rolling and beginners courses. If you want to further your paddling experience, I strongly recommend looking into coaching. It helps improve your own skills and understanding of techniques. It is extremely rewarding and fun. And at Level 2, should you hate your job, you could even think about it as an alternative career option. So, if you are bored of just paddling along and need a new challenge think coaching.

Coach Class

STEFFI THORHAUER set herself the goal of completing her Level 2 coaching in 2014 which will be of huge benefit to many members of RCC. Here she gives you an idea of what to expect on a the course and the potential to take advantage of some free coaching at the club.

Do you enjoy the rewarding feeling of smiley faces?

I did my Level 1 coaching course in October 2011 coupled with the Foundation Safety and Rescue Course, an essential training course if you are a regular river paddler.

I wanted to know more about coaching but realised quickly that it wasn’t just about that. It was an opportunity to learn more about different boats and their capabilities. It was a recap on essential safety such as throw lines and different ways of rescuing swimmers and boats – which came in handy when I had to throw Sean a line on the Alps trip in 2012 who managed to go over in an eddy, he he. And, it was a great way to better my own skills.

So, I started helping on the New Members Nights and Introduction to White Water Kayaking courses. I also managed to squeeze in a little bit of leading. And in autumn 2012 I took over the organisation of the RCCs New Members Nights. You know - its fun! It’s a great way to share a passion, do something rewarding and keep fit. And it’s a great change to my at times draining unrewarding day job.

Spurred on by Clarissa and Sean I finally fulfilled my 2014 resolution and signed up for the Level 2 coaching course and completed

David Midgley, a computer programmer from London, England, dreamed of doing something BIG, and different. A wild idea in a Scottish bar became a ten year project: learn to kayak, and then paddle the Amazon from Source to Sea. Darcy Gaechter and Don Beveridge met "Midge" in Ecuador during his travels and skill build up while he was preparing for the Amazon. He recruited us to help him run the whitewater portions of the source (the Mantaro river in Peru) and we decided to join him for the rest of the journey. Intrigued because we had paddled for years in Ecuador's Amazon basin, we wanted to see the world's biggest river. Darcy would become the first woman to paddle the entire Amazon. When we started the trip, more people had walked on the moon than had traversed the Amazon from start to finish. Now, with our journey completed, that number is tied. Twelve.

This video starts high in the Peruvian Andes at the headwaters of the Rio Mantaro, the newly recognized longest source of the Amazon, and ends 148 days later on a beach at the Atlantic Ocean. We started with altitude sickness and went from snow and freezing temperatures through high desert to steaming

jungle. We passed through Peru's notorious "Red Zone" famous for drug runners, Shinning Path insurgents, and wary indigenous people and paddled through pirate infested waters in Brazil. We had nothing but great interactions with all the people we met along the way.

Shot mainly on GoPro, but also some Sony handicam and Canon T3i, this video is a short compilation of our 5 month journey. Whitewater rapids, miles of flatwater, mosquitoes, blazing sun and pouring rain couldn't stop Midge from reaching his goal: First Englishman to paddle the Amazon from Source to Sea.

OTHER "FIRSTS" OF NOTE: • Darcy Gaechter, first woman to paddle

the Amazon from Source to Sea (and first Vegan!)

• First trip to complete source to sea on the Amazon in kayaks (other trips used other craft, or bypassed long sections)

For more information visit our trip website kayaktheamazon.comAnd vote for us for "Expedition of the Year" at canoekayak.com/canoe-kayak-awards/vote/expedition-of-the-year/

Check the first cut of the Kayak The Amazon short film! https://vimeo.com/99224610 and vote us Expedition of the Year here: http://www.canoekayak.com/canoe-kayak-awards/vote/expedition-of-the-year/By DAVID MIDGLEY.

Expedition of the Year

Once again, I found myself packing a boat and paddling kit for another trip. This time a “big boat”. And Easyjet! I can’t stand Sleezyjet!

Firstly I realise a creeker is a LOT bigger than a play boat and weighs a LOT more. I left out most of the kit remembering it’s only a one day paddle. I also remember it’s a committing Grade 3 BUT Grade 5 consequence. I take out my elbow guards but can’t bring myself to leave my throw line and firsd-aid kit – even though I’m a client and know that everything is being looked after!

I speed through check-in and had to take the boat to the bowels of the airport to x-ray (too large for conveyor belts). A bottle of wine later and I board the plane. And wait. Two hours sat on the plane until we change planes. Four hours later we eventually take off. Fingers crossed my boat made the plane change – I need a drink!

After almost taking out a dozen people with my boat through Nice airport, I meet Lowri who whisks me away to our gite to meet Dave Fairweather – another BCU L5 coach – I’m beginning to feel very safe now. A couple of glasses of local wine and we’re off to rest up for the big day.

Thankfully Dave had done the shuttle with William (our local guide) whilst my flight was delayed so we had a quick 20 minute drive

to the get on. It was a bit grey and a light rain was falling but it was warm. The water itself surprised me – I was expecting alpine chills. It wasn’t exactly Ugandan bath water but no need for pogies!

Turns out I’m the only client. I have Lowri and Dave, William the local guide and Robin Knapp (the author of the Verdon Gorge bit in the South Alps guidebook) as my group. Boy do I feel like a over-protected newbie again!

The gorge starts out as a bimble as the cliffs start to close in. William informs us of the Neolithic evidence found in the area and points out where old bridges used to exist. The first section is about the gorge closing in and the cliffs turning from orange/brown earth tones to more grey limestone hues. The paddling is mild but exactly what was needed as my eyes are like saucers admiring the immensity of the gorge itself. Little did I realise that this is just the start and I haven’t seen anything yet!

Gigantic undercuts of what would have once been utterly immense

flows are visible and they now create mega cave-like sections

for us to paddle through.

The further into the gorge we head, the more remote it feels. There are no roads visible and only the occasional walking path. Gigantic undercuts of what would have once been utterly immense flows are visible and they now create mega cave-like sections for us to paddle through. We float into a small cave and admire the complexity of the rock formations and how the water has actually made the gorge. William informs us that at higher flows you can actually hear the boulders being pushed around by the currents in the caves.

Several kilometres on, we approach the true entrance to the gorge – where you can no longer simply walk out – it would be a severe and gruelling climb/clamber up and over boulders and ridges.

The true marker for this is the L’Estille rapid which has the last bridge over the river until the end of the gorge. It’s a wiry footbridge from which we inspect. The rapid itself can be broken down and is quite straightforward – just don’t f*ck up or you end up going under the massive rock which used to support the old footbridge until it got washed over and created a giant siphon in the middle of the river. Sheepishly I agree to run the rapid. All fine until I realise I’m not in the eddy we agreed to meet in – a nervous ferry glide in front of the siphon and a big sigh of relief.

The next section is truly in the gorge. It gets narrower but with big committing boulder gardens. William’s comment, “This is just like a big slalom run – follow the water but make sure you follow my line – I cannot see the last person in the group so always make sure there is line of sight,” wasn’t half wrong. For most of the next section you could only see the person in front and the person behind. We rarely all sat in the one eddy. There were several shimmies over low covered rocks and tight squeezes spent pretty much on full edge clawing your way between the rocks. At one point it was so narrow that there was absolutely no room for a paddle so it was a sequence of palming off the sides of rocks.

Gorging Out

After stumbling across the Verdon Gorgein the South Alps guidebook, SEANCLARKE did a little research, watched a few videos and thought to himself:“Why not? It looks scary but amazing!”So no less than two weeks after returning from the Alps, he was back in Franceto tackle the gorge.

from the top: In the caves; Lunch break, In the gorge.

Over the course of the next couple of hours, we look up to hundreds of metres of cliff face, left and right — sometimes little more than two metres to sometimes up to about fifty or sixty metres. The gorge changes shape as it twists and turns through the limestone with massive rock outcrops giving way to sheer cliff faces then back to immense undercuts.

We stopped at a confluence with a tributary and paddled up it. The water was an inky blue and gave a very eerie sense on being in another world altogether.

We opted to paddle on and get the next two big features done before lunch. Styx (aptly named) is formed by a giant undercut. From outside, it looks like pitch-darkness inside and you wish to have a coin on you for the ferryman. It’s a two drop entrance rapid into the cave. William informs us not to go hard right and under no circumstances to go

to the very back of the cave - a giant siphon which has seen the end of several paddlers over the years. Unsurprisingly, I was utterly bricking it at this point. I opted for the slightly easier left line in and down - taking the left line a little too sharply and scraping my knuckles off the rock. Actually quite a straight forward rapid - it wasn’t until I was in the eddy in the cave that I remembered to breathe! From inside you can actually see a lot more than you think you will.

L’Imbut is a little paddle on downstream. It’s effectively a tunnel system caused by massive boulders having fallen on top of one another. We stop at an eddy above the entrance. William tells us we MUST go right of the big rock blocking the direct entrance but it’s easier to catch the eddy on the left and then ferry over. I managed the eddy with no problem. My break out and ferry were possibly the worst in all paddling history - I actually thought I was a goner at one point. Thankfully I corrected at the last moment and swung round into the tunnel. I’m pretty sure I saw a wry smile on William’s face as I paddled past him and his throw line.

Inside is dark but has some natural light from gaps between the boulders. After a little in-boat clamber over a constriction, we paddled through to the end and then out of our boats for the exit (the only other way out is underground!) Boats carried up three metres to then seal launch back down on the other side - a pretty one sided butt-cheek balancing effort to get back in our boats.

We stopped on a rocky beach for lunch shortly after this. We debated the merits of flat versus more rounded rocks for skimming then jumped back in our boats for the final third of the trip.

Not too much of the gorge itself left – but no time to relax yet. Some more slalom-like sections and we make it to Le Rideau (the Curtain) which basically means you cannot

see the line until you are literally less than a boat length away from it. At the levels we paddled, it was a 90 degree turn at the last second followed by a tight squeeze through a gap barely big enough for your boat.

The next bit was the bit that almost got me. A very short section with two minor portages – literally getting out lifting the boat one to two metres and then back in again – all in the knowledge that the reason we are portaging is the siphons that are all around us and immediately below you when you get back in on the second portage. My first entry back into my boat ended up with a very undignified wet arse incident that filled my boat considerably. Thankfully I was able to empty my boat at the second portage.

The final rapid of note had two overhanging rocks – one left and one right that from above look like there was no conceivable way through without smacking your face off either…or both. As you descend, however, there is pretty much no way that was going to happen. I made it down fine. Lowri took a high brace and Dave took a roll – I felt much better about my paddling – let’s not talk about the incident that shortly followed where Lowri laughed heartily from behind as I managed to only just escape from a sideways pinning between two rocks because I wasn’t paying attention!

The final section commences as you kiss or pat the final rock of the gorge on the way out as a way of thanking the river gods that you a) made it out and b) are still with all your kit.

The final rapid of note had two overhanging rocks – one left and one right that from above look like there

was no conceivable way through without smacking your face off

either…or both.

The final section is a long flat exit to the lake. You know you're almost there when you reach the mini waterfall. We finished up with champagne on the river bank to celebrate a truly amazing day. Thirty kilometres in five hours and twenty minutes from get on to get off. For the most part, I felt like a little kid exploring new worlds all over. I’m never going to forget it.

It’s with great thanks for a truly amazing adventure to Lowri, Dave, Robin and most certainly to William for setting up throw line cover when needed and making sure I felt comfortable yet pushed. I highly recommend this trip to any seasoned paddler with a sense of adventure and wanting to reconnect with their inner child’s inquisitive exploratory mind!

Disappearing into Styx

Waterfall at the end