Wet Weekend October 2008

Registered Company No 2612775

Two write ups from those on the recent White Water Safety & Rescue Course in Wales

On the 24th October 10 intrepid HXCC paddlers set of for a WWSR weekend in Bala.

Varying degrees of success was achieved in avoiding traffic on the journey down but everyone finally made it by 930pm on Friday night.

Saturday dawned with a fry up and heavy rain! We arrived at Canolfan Tryweryn and filled in a couple of forms before getting to the somewhat hilarious task of choosing and getting into our fetching fleecy teddy bear suits and dry suits. Anyone who started off cold had warmed up by the time they’d got into a dry suit. That didn’t last long though as our first task was to jump in the river. This apparently enabled us to go from Michelin man to vacuum packed in about three seconds!!!

First lesson- Swimming, defensive and aggressive. Defensive swimming proved to be relatively ok and aggressive swimming surprisingly hard work particularly in the somewhat ill fitting dry suits. Next came what proved to be the highlight of the weekend. Hands up all those who find it tricky to stay upright in a stopper in a kayak, our answer why bother when it’s actually way more fun to swim in one. Well in this particular one anyway.

Next cane the strainer or in this case a large drain pipe suspended from a bridge. Whilst looking relatively easy getting over the top of it proved to be very tricky resulting in a session around Matt’s laptop playing guess who the body part belongs to?

Next swimming down a drop, something I think we are all already quite familiar with! The afternoon bought out the throw lines and I think the best that could be said about this session is its just as well we’re good swimmers as the chances of being rescued with a throw line first time is well…………. Somewhat variable.

Live baiting proved to be equally variable and that was assuming we were rigged up in time to even get into the water, still practice makes perfect or so they say.

Day 2 dawned with more rain and a boat based session, well for those who could actually fit in a boat and hold a paddle while dressed like an inflatable banana! First a bit of eddy hopping, survived by all, but then it was grade 1 water.

After this came towing a person on the back deck. Personally I found this one rather tricky and rather than a tow ended with Vic's crashing over a rocky drop and me negotiating the same drop upside down whilst still in the boat. Entering the current to rescue a swimmer proved infinitely more successful.

Next just for fun we had another swim in the stopper. Lastly a bit of rope work, Z lines, weighed throw line bags and 4 ways lines for boat rescues. Stability lines to save the submerged paddler, diagonal lines for, well, transport I suppose. We finished off with experiencing what it is like to dangle in the current on a chest harness. A mad dash to get out of Dry suits and complete the obligatory BCU forms ended what turned out to be a great weekend. Wet in every sense but GREAT

Anita Brain

On Friday 24th October 10 intrepid explorers from Halifax CC set of for a white water safety and rescue course on the Tryweryn. Three girls, Mandy Spry, Anita Bain and Victoria Bradford made up one contingent, Matt Walker, Jonathan Spencer, Nick Jowett and Nathan Fuller comprised another, and then the OAP males in Roger Blanchard, Simon Spencer, and the unfairly cast Craig Jowett, who's not really an OAP at all.

Arrival at the hostelry, the Goat Inn, about 10 miles from the Canalofan Tryweryn was found to be a cozy and hospitable venue, with real fires, those comfy leather settees that you know you are just going to sink into, and a local brew entitled 'The Rev James' (not to mention the red wine, cider and Guinness), a bit of light banter and chat made for a comfortable start.

Early next morning, after a hearty breakfast we set off to see the Tryweryn. Well when we arrived we noted that as opposed to running at the standard 10ish cumecs it was actually running at 16, big, it looked really quite daunting, and when we confirmed later the flow rate at 13mph we knew we had some swimming to do.

Met the coaches, Steve Paine (by name, and later to find, possibly by nature as well) and Neil Dixon. Nice chaps, very knowledgeable and made you feel at ease, a quick classroom introduction and then off into dry suits, some nice blue woolen teddy bear underclothes (jokes later please) and off we went, up to the top end above the chipper.

Quick intro and then throw yourself head first into a freezing river. It was a trifle chilly, but certainly blew out any cobwebs, a quick water fight and we were off. Now Steve said, this course you will take the water in through your mouth and out threw your bum (well no he didn't say that, but minors could be reading), which was a bit concerning in a dry suit, but his comments very quickly turned out fairly near to the truth.

Examples, well, throw yourself in the middle of the river, bounce around in a good grade 2/3 stopper, and then swim to the side. Later, we tried to rescue each other with varying degrees of success, and a few 'false horizons' on the way. Sorry Nathan perhaps I should have thrown the throw line when I called that I would, then you would not have ended up at the Chipper again.

Tricks got more difficult and after a few hours they must have thought that we were doing well, because they introduced us to 'how to get over a tree and avoid a strainer' Fat Chance!! Feet first we started, 'just do a few defensive swimming backstrokes' and bend your knees, walk along the tree and off the other end. If I could swear I would!! Hit the tree at full pelt, get dragged under the water, and as you come up, re-arrange your headgear on a tree that is falling from a few feet up (it was a plastic one, no adverse comments about being prone to exaggeration please).

Eventually, some, if not all of us managed to get along or over the tree and off we went on to things far more challenging.

Ever been weir bopping'. No, neither had I. Just picture this, a good water level, 16 cumecs, 13mph 4foot wave, 8 foot ish of tow back and at an angle across the river. Simple sa

id Steve, here is what I want you to do, stand right at the corner, belly flop in and then turn around, pretend you are in a parachute jump, and lay there whilst the flow takes you across to the other side, when you get there, couple of doggy paddle strokes and then aggressive swim to the eddy.

Oh yeh! Well it did work, you felt like a corkscrew, but you actually went along very similar to a kayak in the weir at the club, when being handles by a master.

The young(er) ones, Matt, Nathan, Jonny and Nick took off for a full length trip down the Treweryn in this 16 cumec flow. Now I know our Jonny needs his contacts in to see where he is going, but really Jonny, down two! yes two waterfalls without realising it, (upside down) and thinking you rolled on the top of the section two falls above really - well at least you didn't swim!

Short time later, off the site, down to the Goat, a few beers, a good feed and watch the pictures on the laptop. Now here in lies a story, watch it develop. Saturday night, sat in a warm comfortable boozer, watch the pictures on the lap top (Why didn't somebody press the download button). Laugh at yourself, laugh at your colleague, and praise Anita for spending so much on a valuable water camera, and congrats to everybody who managed to get the most obtuse angles of feet, hand and helmets, but never, never a full torso and head!.

Sunday, off for round two. Bit of classroom surrounding how to get down a river safely (really) last man moving, eddy hopping whatever, it will all be alright on the river, - really -.

In your boats and we are off. Ladies, nice riverside safe entry and your off, the young ones, lovely seal launches and your off as well. OAP's well, issues!! Craig first in, down the seal launch, few wobbles on side impact, stayed upright, not bad, off to river right and watch from the eddy. Down comes Simon, bit close to the left hand side, cannot get the paddle in to correct and a full side on river entry, not really to be recommended. Bit of an issue, upside-down in the Treweryn, least its only the grade 1 bit, degree of orientation, paddle out, good swing and righted, paddle off, shaking head and join Craig, river right. Roger, similar, but it was Roger!! You can guess what is coming next, Simon and Craig paddling like mad to river right to collect Roger, a paddle and a boat, and non of them were attached to each other!

Now it is fair to say at this juncture that there were 3 swimmers, Roger, naturally, Simon and Anita. Roger swam on entry to grade 1 water, at least Simon and Anita swam in grade 3 stoppers and even Neil was to compliment Simon for a great cartwheel, just a shame that he could not feel his paddle out of the water for a roll and it was a short time later that he realised that the inside of his wet suit was a trifle damp, around the bum areas. Perhaps being mashed in a stopper has made Steve's words come true!

Last exercise of the Sunday was zip wiring across the river. Not a bad into to the subject, and plenty more opportunities for Craig (David Bailey) Jowett to get some action shots with Anita's camera. Going pretty well, but then we tried that wonderful thing, take your equipment to its max and if it doesn't fail, over ride it. On with the harness, get stopped in the middle of the flow and then pull and float off. All, absolutely great, but just ask Anita how close the pocket with the camera in is to her pull on her harness. Just close enough to be mistaken, instead of feeling a great release of the pressure on her back from the water backing up, she watched this rather expensive piece of photographic equipment floating off down the river. Ah well, never mind. And remember, no download on the computer either.

Concluded, lads off home, work to do, or school hols to enjoy, but the ladies stopped another night to take in the lower Treweryn.

For those of you that might think about this course in the future, don't think 'Just Do It' it is the best fun you can have with your clothes on, or at least in a blue fleece undergarment and a dry suit. I wrote on the de-brief form, 'if I could come back next weekend and do it all again I would' which just goes some way to show what a wonderful weekend this is, and certainly great value for money.

Keep paddlin' over the winter and see you around.

Simon Spencer