Tag Archives: Boating

The Geek Paddle Fest

May 30, 2009 – 7:47 pm

So this has been an idea festering for a bit.  The Geek Paddle Fest.  The main idea being that we go to the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham and have a big Yeee Ha! on the white water course.

For the uninitiated, you will be able to join in and enjoy the day.   Come along and enjoy the fun.  This really will be a fun day for anyone, whether you have paddled before or not.

So the idea: A day on the white water course at the national water sports centre in Nottingham.  I figure some of us will be ok paddlers and some of us may be complete virgins.  I intend the day to be something for everyone.

White water rafting is a big thing on the course, and we have the chance to get stuck in and have a fun time. No experience is needed and we will have a guide to look after us.  It is a fun filled ride down a bouncy course.

We will have access to demo boats and equipment, so come along and try the latest kayaks on this newly improved course.

I am yet to set a date on this trip.  I’m interested to hear from people with ideas for potential dates.  I’m thinking late July, early August?

If you would like to sponsor this trip, then get in touch!

Who knows, we could even enter a geek raft in the British Rafting Champs in October??!!!!

Hoping that @ActionLamb and @girlygeekdom come along.  I think we probably need a wiki.  But in the mean time, if you are interested in this, leave a comment and lets get this happening.

Image courtesy of Ebygomm under a Creative Commons license.

By chris dalby | Posted in Boating, Tech Watch | Comments (0)

Maiden Voyage of the new boat

November 2, 2008 – 8:14 pm

We took the new canoe out for it’s maiden voyage today. I finally finished fitting it out this morning and couldn’t resist the opportunity for a test drive.

Courtesy of a post over on songofthepaddle.co.uk, we decided to go and have a flat water afternoon on the River Medway, which is only about 30 minutes drive.


View Larger Map

We got there quite late and so only had an hour on the river. But it was worth it. Gosia was in her element and a great way to spend an afternoon.

Really pleased that we’re up and running with it now and it was a good chance to check it floats! Roll on Tyne Tour next week.

By chris dalby | Posted in Boating, Culture, Video | Also tagged , | Comments (0)

My new boat

October 4, 2008 – 5:05 pm

My new boat

After getting back from my Alps paddling trip, I just had to go out and buy myself a new canoe. I spent ages thinking about which one to get. I had my heart set on a We-no-nah 15 Prospector for a long time and was aiming to drive to the Alps trip with one of those on the top of the car.

In the end I decided on the Venture Canoes Prospector 15, for a number of reasons.

I wanted somthing that I could paddle both solo and tandem with my wife
Something suitable for flat water trips and whitewater
Something that could handle a bit of bashing around

I spent long and hard thinking about this.  It’s not the sort of thing you buy that often.  Thanks to Blue, Matt Blue and Phil Hadley for letting me bore you with my questions.  I bought this from Kent canoes that is well stocked, 20 minutes drive away and meant I could drive to the store and came back an hour later with the boat and lots of new paddling kit.

I’m really looking forward to getting this out on the water.  Next comes the job of drilling some holes in it and rigging it up with the bouyancy, painters and kneeling thwart.  Not for the feint hearted when you are drilling a hole in a perfectly servicable boat.

By chris dalby | Posted in Boating, Culture | Comments (1)

Final Day of Paddling the Ardeche

October 2, 2008 – 7:45 pm

My final day of canoeing was spent on Day 1 of the Ardeche River, in France.  When I say Day 1, I’m referring to the section of river you normally do if you just run the river for one day.  You get on at Creps and get off at Chame.


View Larger Map

The day started off learning to surf a wave backwards in an open canoe. We did this on the rapid called Peachy. A great training venue, we had a good play here.


Learning to surf an open canoe backwards from chris dalby on Vimeo.

After this we paddled down and found a place for lunch with Ollie Van’s group from Bicton College that were all paddling kayaks.

After lunch, we dropped down the river and eddied out top left backwards on the rapid called British Airways.


Eddy left backwards on British Airways from chris dalby on Vimeo.

To finish the day off, Charlemagne never dissapoints. Everyone descended backwards and eddied out to have a play. We had great fun here. Bashing the kayaks out the way and jumping on the wave. Great to see the tandem surfing too. Albeit in slightly small boats. After playing solo on the wave, I decided to surf the wave tandem with Blue and had a swim trying to surf the wave backwards. Shame I didn’t get that on camera, but you do see me swimming while tandem with Danny.


Charlemagne Backwards from chris dalby on Vimeo.

A cracking end to an amazing two weeks. The end of the video sums it up. The last days paddling for the whole of the season for those guys who travelled home the next day.

Thanks to everyone on Blue’s Paddle Training for making me feel welcome and sharing some memorable times. Inspiring me to run out a buy a new boat. Stay tuned for that one and more video footage.

A huge thanks to Blue, Matt Blue and Phil Hadley for putting up with me on the courses and training. Really enjoyed being a trainee in your sessions.

By chris dalby | Posted in Boating, Culture, Video | Also tagged | Comments (0)

Paddling the Upper Ardeche

September 27, 2008 – 1:06 am

After the high jinks of the Apls, I have been glad to get down to a bit of rest for a few days and a spot of work. Being on a campsite with wifi is awesome and means I am the same as at home.

This afternoon I went paddling with Matt Blue down the Upper Ardeche. A stalwort of the GB rafting squad, I worked with Matt back in 199something. His first season, my last. He since went on a skills mission, worked many seasons on the Ardeche, worked as a raft guide on the Zambizee and now paddles on the GB Raft squad.

We had spent the afternoon driving round looking for a river worth running. Then as if by magic, it appeared that the tap had been turned on. The river started appearing high and running well. Transporting water from a reservoir, down many levels, into the town to keep the resources moving. Amazing to see resource management and movement happening. Nonetheless, we embraced the water level and had a great paddle down a few hairy rapids.

There are two rivers feeding this. The Font blah de blah de blah (apparently), and the Ardeche. A great afternoon paddling. Some great rapids. Big and bouncy. Lots of rocks.


Upper Ardeche in an Open Canoe from chris dalby on Vimeo.

After this, Matt ran back the 2k to the bus with trailor and returned to collect us and get home. We stopped off for a Mc Doo and the obligatory walk round a sports shop and I bought a new river nife and tape for rescues.

Looking forward to 4* Leader training. Bring it on.

By chris dalby | Posted in Boating, Culture, Video | Also tagged | Comments (1)

Alps Trip – Day 3 – The Rab

September 27, 2008 – 12:34 am

Waking up after another bivvy and another night spent round a huge fire and N glasses of vino (N being the positive integer greater than 1). People were practising their bushcraft skills of making an ashtray out of a log and burning the hole using embers and sticks from the fire.

Ipod music and a great night had by all. We had already paddled back to Carlsberg after having the most amazing steak dish, with three different sauces, plus a huge salad and a strange pasta and ham dish that lived under the dangling steak and received the nasty end of of the flamed cognac. Picutres to follow.

The Rab is a nasty rapid on La Durance river, in the French alps. The import thing to remember is that rapids change. And nasty rapids eat you and change.

I was paddling tandem down this rapid and we swam like fish. I love this photo. Still paddling to the bitter end.

Paddling the Rab, on La Durance, France.

I recorded this video of everyone coming down the Rab. Not for the feint hearted in an open boat. We unanimously love the typewriter move that sucks from the chicken run to the nasty hole. We did laugh.

Check out the video here:


La Durance paddling from chris dalby on Vimeo.

By chris dalby | Posted in Boating, Culture, Video | Also tagged | Comments (0)

Alps Trip Day 2 – Via Ferrata

September 25, 2008 – 1:27 pm

We came to the Alps intending to canoe. However, a local Via Ferrata proved too good an opportunity not to miss. If you have never heard of a Via Ferrata, think of it as climbing for tourists. Throughout Europe, there are loads of these setup by either regional authorities to promote tourism to the area, or by commercial operations. The course consists of a fully bolted and cabled route. Wearing a climbing harness, helmet and Via Ferrata kit consisting of 2 slings with karabiners, you can safely traverse the route with virtually no risk.

This is not climbing. The course is made easy by a series of large metal staples allowing you to safely climb vertical and overhanging rock faces with virtually no climbing experience. They do leave out the odd staple here and there, to make life a bit tasty on occassion and to get the heart pumping. Especially at that height. ALso, various bridges and wires, making it look like a scene out of Indiana Jones. There are also a series of zip wires spanning both sides of the gorge at it’s highest. As we were out of season, unfortunately these were closed :(

The one we were doing was the Via Ferrata in la Durance gorge, which provides excelent views of the white water river below and the surrounding area. Not for the feint hearted, the Via Ferrata is 800m in length and 250m in height. Quite something dangling at that height off a sheer rock face with a video camera in one hand while holding on for dear life.

If you are interested in doing this, here is a link to the website of the organisation running the course.

Here is the video I shot:


Via Ferrata la Durance Gorge from chris dalby on Vimeo.

I also shot a series of mobile video as it became a bit hairy trying to dangle at that height with a video camera. Even so, still pretty difficult with a mobile!

By chris dalby | Posted in Boating, Culture, Video | Also tagged | Comments (0)

Alps Canoe Trip Day 1 – Serre-Poncon

September 23, 2008 – 8:24 pm

After getting to the Ardeche and settling in at the campsite, I spent the first night meeting up with the rest of the instructors on the paddling course and quaffed a few beers in anticipation of the trip.

We left the Ardeche on the morning of Friday 19th September and headed to the French Alps for Serre-Poncon, near to the town of Gap, where we would bivvy at a secluded spot right on the lake. The bivvy site, known as Carlsberg, because if Carlsberg made bivvy sites, they would probably be the best in the World.

The drive to the Alps took 5 hours, followed by the obligatory trip to Decathlon to buy a few last minute essential items of sports kit. We arrived and paddled the 2k distance in open canoes to the bivvy site in the dark.


Agrandir le plan

Map of Gap

I’ve never paddled a canoe at night before. Not like this. Not carrying 3 days worth of supplies and in truly stunning surroundings. The moon was not strong, but the stars were out and we were treated to a wonderful shooting star display and a great view of the milky way. A truly stunning place, we did not see another sole there for the whole time. Set overlooking the lake, a remarkable place to bivvy. Reminds me of everything I enjoy about being in the outdoors.

We made the 2k, pulled our boats and kit out the water and carried everything to the bivvy site to meet the rest of the instructors. When we got there, they had already setup a great camp and had a huge fire going. Everyone was sitting around, drinking wine and talking with great expectation of the days ahead. People were carving things out of wood for the camp and doing bushcraft skills. A real back to nature experience.

Here’s a video of the morning after this night.


Serre-Poncon from chris dalby on Vimeo.

At the end of this video, you will see Martin paddling an open canoe using a stick. He was dropped off to go a walk up the mountain you can see behind him by himself. Early into the walk, his rucksack straps broke and he had to turn back. Liuckily we had left a canoe over that side of the lake, but no paddles. So he paddled the 2k with a stick.

By chris dalby | Posted in Boating, Culture | Also tagged | Comments (0)

Prologue to the Alps Canoe Trip

September 23, 2008 – 6:13 pm

If you follow me on twitter, you probably know that I have disappeared for a few days on a canoe trip to the south of France. I have hooked up with a friend of mine that is running a canoe instructor training course down here and it was too good an opportunity to miss.

I arrived last Thursday afternoon, courtesy of Ryan air from Luton to Nimes and transferred to the Ardeche, South of France. My connection with the Ardeche is that I worked there for a few years when I was a lot younger as a canoe instructor. Paddling the river, teaching groups of English children how to paddle a canoe at an outdoor activity centre.

I left the outdoor education industry when I was 22, having completed 5 summer seasons working for an outdoor education company, as I felt there was not a career path capable of paying the right money for the amount of responsibility. This was shortly after the Lyme Bay incident that massively shook up the whole of the outdoor education business. And rightly so. I shudder to think how many lives I was responsible at the tender age of 22. Leading groups of 50+ people down the Ardeche river on a weekly basis in the southern French climate on a white water river. The buck stopped with me. They were the best days of my life and those memories stay with me always.

Things have changed somewhat since I left. Many of the people I worked with are now top of their game in the canoing world. Something that I hugely admire. Both professionally and from a lifestyle point of view. It’s something that I felt I would never be able to achieve. So I moved on. But I still enjoy paddling and I am making a huge effort to get out there and paddle as much as I can again. It’s something that is good for the soul. You just can’t beat a days hard paddling, followed by a few glasses of wine around a camp fire on a bivvy site.

This post should act as a bit of background to the trip, so you can understand where I came from and how much canoeing and the south of France means to me. I am recording video, taking photos and will be blogging the whole trip. The first three days of the trip should follow shortly:

Day 1 – Drive from Ardeche to Serre Poncon in the French Alps. Paddle to the bivvy site and camp out.

Day 2 – Via Ferrata – an unexpected beauty. Brought my climbing days back. Truly awesome.

Day 3 – Paddling La Durance in open canoes – A grade 2/3 river

I was inspired to blog this trip after reading the most excellent blogs by Thomas Otter about his recent Italian Cycle trip.

By chris dalby | Posted in Boating, Culture | Also tagged | Comments (3)