Chelsea Kayak Club was proud to be involved in one of the rehearsals for The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, taking place next year, when around 1000 boats are expected to make their way down the Thames, to celebrate sixty years since the coronation of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
The Diamond Jubilee celebrations are to take place during the first weekend of June 2012, with the flotilla dominating the Sunday’s festivities as it winds the 13+ miles through London, from Putney to Canary Wharf.
Yesterday’s practice run was specifically for the kayak contingent of the ‘armada’ to ensure that we were able to maintain the required 6 knot speed over ground that the precession will need to take. As the typical sea kayaker paddles at around 2.5-3 knots on flat water in calm conditions – you can see why all eyes were on us, to see whether it would even be possible to take part.
It was Judes and I who were flying the flag for Chelsea Kayak Club when we met with Port of London Authority (PLA) Harbour Master, David Phillips, in one of the club houses on Putney Embankment for our briefing, protocol and safety talk, with around 16 other kayakers. This forum proved to be quite useful to share some of the learnings from the Kayakathon – for paddler dynamics in large groups on the Thames tideway – and for British Canoe Union (BCU) best practice.
It was a little after the high tide, that all the boats marshalled on the river and set off behind our escort for the trip, PLA’s Kew catamaran – which was tasked with setting the pace, a steady 6 knots. It was then that the dozen or so sea kayaks; a combination of composite, plastic, solo and double kayaks attempted to keep up with Kew. Few did.
As the tide had just changed, we were all paddling on slack water with no support from the ebbing tide – and despite being in one of the Cremorne Riverside double kayaks for the day, I could see our lead marker chugging into the distance, getting away from us. We were paddling like fury to try and stay in the required tight formation, but it wasn’t long before there was a natural lag – creating a long string of kayaks, stretching back for nearly half a mile. It was hard going and exhausting trying to maintain this pace over any length of time.
It was at about Vauxhall Bridge that we finally caught up with Kew, having been gaining ground for the previous 20-30 minutes as the tidal flow beneath the boat lent its power to our now tired limbs. After that it was a relatively easy and sociable ‘ride’, we all managed to maintain the pace quite comfortably as we paddled passed Big Ben, The London Eye and ultimately Tower Bridge.
Shortly after Tower Bridge, we all practiced our best improvised ‘paddle salutes’ as we went passed HMS President and discussed the merits of either a ‘synchronised roll’ or an ‘all-in-swim’ as the best way to impress Her Majesty on the big day, should we be selected to participate. I guess the Jubilee Pageant organising committee will need to make the final decision on that one!
The guys at Tower Hamlets Canoe Club, who’d also been paddling in this mini flotilla, played host to all the weary, yet cheery, paddlers when we landed at their club house – and a hot shower and dry clothes were extremely appreciated at that stage. We then headed to the Prospect of Whitby for a pint to dissect the day’s event and give our two pennies worth about how it ‘should be done’ and ponder what it would be like to take part in the real thing next year.
There will be 80-100 sea kayaks from all over the UK selected to take part in The Queen’s boat precession, these will join around 200 rowers to form the ‘man powered vessel’ section of the flotilla. Anyone can register to take part, so long as they’re in a boat that’s 14ft or longer, by visiting the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant registration page and completing the form before 31 October 2011 – selection will take place shortly after that.
Although initially it was hard work, there was a great sense of achievement – both personally and as a group – when it all came together and we learnt some interesting things from this rehearsal that can be applied to the real thing. I for one will be putting my name down and will hopefully make the cut and be picked to be one of the lucky hundred on the day.
What is it with people constantly calling kayaks; canoes? It’s seems to be a recurring theme going all the way back to when the two boats were first made and this latest slip up has made it on to national television (albeit Australian telly) in a pretty funny beer ad;
As the paddlers amongst you would probably have noticed the ‘real men’ in this Carlton Draught ad are carrying kayaks on their shoulders, not big old hefty Canadian style canoes – no matter what the voiceover man says.
I suppose we need to be thankful – at least we’re in the same ballpark, people haven’t yet started to call them ‘paddle-boats’! What’s your take on the naming convention, let us know in your comments below…
As part of the sea kayaker’s safety kit, a sharp knife is a must to keep with you – especially if you deal with ropes in any way. The last situation you want to find yourself in, would be trapped or caught in a load of rope underwater or being pulled along by a snagged line.
There are plenty of specialist knives to choose from and they tend to be of the ‘flip’ or ‘folding’ variety, which means that they can be stored on your person pretty safely, without fear of stabbing yourself whilst going about your paddling business. These should be easy to open one-handed and have an open-lock to prevent it from snapping shut when in use.
It can be a little fiddly to open the knife one handed sometimes, especially if hands are cold and wet or you’re in a bit of a tricky spot, using it for real, in an emergency. A neat little trick I learnt to assist opening and speed up the whole process; was to attach a cable tie to the blade – this provides something to grip between your teeth and yank open.
Although technically no longer a one-handed technique, the cable tie does give you a whole load of extra purchase on the knife and therefore a better chance of using it in anger – just be careful not to stab yourself in the mouth!
A couple of other pointers on knife care/use:
A serrated blade is preferable for cutting through ropes
Don’t use the knife for anything else – keep it sharp and close by – you don’t want it blunt when it counts because you’ve been chopping apples/salami during rest stops
Look after the blade and mechanism, salt and silt can clog this up from time to time – so rinse in clean water and dry properly
Tying your knife to your buoyancy aid – personally I’m against this as it could become more of a hazard in a difficult swim situation – but there are two schools of thought on this one
Make sure you’re legal, owning and carrying a knife should always be safe and for a purpose
In a departure from the usual Thursday evening we thought we would take advantage of the longer evenings and stretch our range a bit further with a trip to Shadwell Basin. Six of us headed downstream at 6.30pm with a brisk tide taking us along the river. On a glorious sunny evening we passed through a busy central London with pleasure craft plying to and fro.
After an hour of gentle paddling we came to Tower Bridge and with the tide still ebbing we decided to carry on to Shadwell where we conveniently found the famous Prospect of Whitby (perfect for the evening pint).
With the tide flooding we headed upstream but as many of you will know, the upstream flow is only a fraction of the downstream flow so it was a fairly robust paddle back to Cremorne. Off the water at 10.30pm, distance covered 24km.
Here are a few other snaps from the trip:
Thanks to David for being our photographer, see his comment below for the full album.
With the Club’s fleet of sea kayaks fast approaching their first birthday the Scotland trip a few weeks ago presented an opportunity of giving them a bit of well earned TLC.
With some people moaning that their skegs were not working, upon inspection it was immediately apparent that most of the skegs were not in a very good shape at all – this was mainly due to the accumulation of silt and sand causing them to jam up, but there was evidence of misuse in a couple of instances.
A bit of a recap on what a skeg is and how to use them then…
Generally most sea kayaks when evenly loaded will weathercock – that is the front (bow) will turn into the wind. This is because it is generally anchored in the water whilst it is moving enabling the unanchored back (stern) to be blown downwind.
The skeg is a dropdown fin which if used correctly can provide extra resistance at the stern from being blow downwind making it easier to paddle in a straight line in windy conditions.
All the skegs in the Club’s sea kayaks are adjustable using a stainless steel braided cable to pull the skeg up into the recess in the stern or to push the skeg into the deployed position. This enables you to set it to the right depth in the water for the wind direction and strength. This requires fine tuning and is not a simple skeg up or skeg down exercise. Adjustments are made until the least amount of correction is required when paddling forwards in windy conditions.
When paddling into the wind the skeg is not required to maintain direction (i.e. skeg should be completely up), when paddling with the wind on the front quarter have it a quarter down (i.e. diagonally across the wind), when paddling across the wind it is halfway down, when paddling with wind on the rear quarter it is three-quarters down, and when paddling downwind the skeg is fully down. This is only a general guide you need to experiment as trim and kayak design will have an effect. On the recent Wallasea Island paddle I was forever adjusting the damn thing as we paddled around!
On the infamous Scotland trip in 2009 which ultimately lead to the formation of the Club I remember Jules McLeod suggesting we use the Grand Old Duke of York nursery rhyme to help remember how a skeg should be used. When you are travelling up against the wind, pull your skeg up, when you are travelling downwind put your skeg down, and when the wind is neither coming nor going, your skeg should be neither up nor down.
Some Top Tips
If you’re not sure how to use a skeg seek advice from a fellow paddler – if you’re in any doubt don’t use it at all!
Don’t use skegs on the Thames sessions – there is generally no need to use them in this environment
Skeg slider / control (to the left of the cockpit) when fully functioning does not go all the way forward in its groove so don’t try and force it further forwards (there is a good inch or so left to the end of the groove when the skeg is fully up)
Make sure that the skeg is pulled up when coming into land so it doesn’t create resistance, break, or kink the cable (see photo)
As a general principle, if you want to do any complex moves or get into tight places the skeg should always be up!
We had the rare opportunity to ignite some safety flares in a controlled environment, so that Chelsea Kayak Club members were able to see how they work – helping to avoid any confusion when the heat is on, in a real situation.
Warning and safety flares should be part of any sea kayaker’s essential emergency kit, easily accessible from the cockpit of the boat. Typically there are four types of flares that are used:
Red Flare – used in severe emergency situations to attract attention of passing vessels, coast guard or land-lubbers, indicating distress or problems within the group and requesting assistance
Parachute Flare – this flare sends a rocket into the sky with a parachuted Red Flare, that will float on the breeze for a few minutes – increasing the viewing range and likelihood of being seen
White Flare – used to increase your visibility on the water to other boats or ships to help avoid collisions
Smoke Flare – used as a secondary location indicator, where orange smoke drifts off in the wind sending out a trail that can be followed back to source. It is also really helpful for any helicopter rescues, so that the pilot can gauge the wind speed and direction on approach
The basic mechanism for setting off the flares are all pretty similar and involve a ‘twist to unlock’ followed by a sharp bang to the bottom – different makes do have different ignition techniques, so make sure you’re familiar with yours as soon as you buy them. The main tube will then become very hot, so it was determined that holding the locking mechanism at the bottom would keep your hands from being burnt during the call for help.
One thing that we did find interesting was the fact that flares continue to burn even when submerged in water, meaning that should you accidentally drop the the flare after initial ignition – all hope is not lost!
The RNLI and the RYA provide really comprehensive guides to safety flares, protocol and procedures and are well worth a read.
PLEASE NOTE – we were given special permission to undertake this test from the local Coast Guard, safety flares should never be set off unless in a genuine emergency situation (even for testing).
After many hours sitting in the same position in your kayak, best practice recommends you take a break, walk around and stretch your legs. CKC, in our usual style, took this advice one jump further on our recent visit to the Ardnamurchan peninsula…
After and open crossing to Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, some of us opted for the tourist route, and spent the afternoon eating fish ‘n’ chips in the sun, sampling the local pints and touring the whisky distillery. An experience that made us jump for joy.
From sea level to mountain heights, one day we even hit the hills – climbing Ben Hiant to take in the aerial views of the loch, North Atlantic, Inner Hebrides and beyond. We reached the peak at 2220ft, but achieved a total height of 2223ft thanks to this fancy flying footwork.
The walls of Castle Tioram on Loch Moidart have withstood many an assault by marauding men in kilts, but until this day, we don’t think they’ve ever witnessed such a feeble attempt at besting their formidable height.
White Sands, on the edge of the North Atlantic, a little slice of heaven was our wild camping spot for the night. Why are we jumping? We got bored waiting for the sun to set over Eigg, Muck and Rhum, which sets so late, Judes already had her pjs on.
You can’t spend a week inches away from the sea without at least one intentional swim. After braving the icy waters for a few minutes we needed to jump out quickly to catch the last warm rays of sunshine.
With the pub in sight for our final night, the Kilchoan High Street made the perfect backdrop for one last Scottish leap before we got too drunk to stand, never mind jump.
From Kilchoan to London it’s just a hop, skip and a jump (and 14 hours in a bus) – but it was all worth while for an amazing trip away.
Keen to make the most of our fleet of nine sea kayaks – and always conscious of the environment – we wanted to start reducing the number of cars going on long-haul club trips and expeditions. The simplest way to achieve this was to invest in our very own boat-trailer. Eyes were peeled for the right opportunity.
It started with Mr T, that’s Dave T, winning a sweet little 12-kayak trailer on eBay by a stealth bid of just £1.50 in the last few seconds of the auction. The quest for the CKC trailer ensued with a trip by Dave, Phil, Stu and Kate up to Buckinghamshire. With cash on the hip and full of enthusiasm off we went to see what we’d bagged ourselves. On arrival a bit of tyre-kicking and wheel removal established that it was not quite the “100% condition” we had been quoted, but with £100 knocked off the original price the deal was done.
The journey back to London also proved to be more of a challenge than we expected, as we discovered we only had one working indicator and no brake lights. It was then that we realised we’d have to go hell-to-leather, to pimp up our wheels to bring them in-line with the club’s high safety standards.
Our new found relationship with Hurlingham Yacht Club moved on a step further, and the trailer moved into its new home. Stu and Kate set to work chipping and grinding to remove all the rust, wearing down a whole wire brush and two grinding disks in the process. James from HYC set about removing and repairing the wheels and thanks to his expertise, the job was done in no time at all.
Several trips to B&Q, Homebase, Wickes and Halfords later, we got around to painting the trailer. Obviously there was no question of what colour it should be – ‘John Mayne Blue’ of course! So after several days of hard graft the trailer was given a new lease of life with CKC and it wasn’t long before it was put to good use with its first big-trip, all the way up to Scotland!
Warning : wild, windy weather whips wind-chill warmth waywardly Westward!!! Now that’s out in the open let’s move swiftly on…
So, who was there? Fiona, Judes, Stu, Izzy, Jonathon, Alan, Gieve and me as 3 Star Sea aspirants and Kate for a refresher. Phil (organiser supremo) came along to provide coaching backup to Rob from Seapoint, and Jac, provided moral support and the photographs depicting our efforts to produce 3 Star Sea skills.
The Folkestone venue was perfect, except for the afore mentioned weather conditions, so options were debated. Only Gieve wanted to brave the sea, but this was quickly rejected by those of us with a stronger survival instinct; Dover harbour involved hours’ faff and drive; so for day one, the local canal became our arena. The water was even warmish, although the wind was funnelled along the canal providing a little bit of chop.
With instructions to forward paddle on a zigzag course using edging only, we head along the canal, carefully avoiding the fishermen’s lines. It seems that the 3 Star Sea syllabus is much the same as the 2 Star kayak bits, with an expectation that the strokes will be performed in a nearly exemplary fashion (save exemplary for 4 Star). A lot of the theory component was covered over lunch, huddled in the clubhouse aka ‘changing facilities container’. Lots of useful info was imparted, some new to some of us, some a good refresher and update.
Back onto the canal for the wet stuff, having not yet fully digested lunch, but not anticipating too much physical exertion! Bow rescues, paddle presentations, and deep water rescues both as victim and rescuer, oh boy, was that such fun? Who forgot their nose clips then? Followed by the really wet stuff – deep water rescues. CAPSIZE. SWIMMER. Shout it out we were told. Not just to embarrass the poor soul in the water (tee-hee), but to spotlight a paddlers’ predicament and ensure a swift rescue. Also suggested to us is that the swimmer shout ‘ Swimmer’ too, as it apparently helps to prevent cold water immersion gasping (I may just stick to ‘Help’!!). Izzy demonstrated how easy it is to hand roll a sea kayak (!), and I failed miserably to roll one with a semi-flooded cockpit but provided entertainment in the process…
For day two, the sea had calmed to the conditions that were suitable for 3 Star. Opting for completing the theory first was a smart move, as luckily the sun came out just as we were getting ready to go on the water. This time, Rob put those of us doing the assessment through our paces. Rolling mojos (a slang word for self-confidence, self-esteem or sex appeal as Word doesn’t recognise it..) were found by all except Judes, who made valiant efforts to overcome an unfortunate upsidedown mindset in the sea. Fortunately, the mislaid mojo returned in the canal at the end of the day, allowing her to join the elite group that call themselves 3 Star sea kayak paddlers (with the bit of paper to prove it).
All in all, a most pleasant way to spend a bank holiday couple of days. It was fun to be with a lovely crowd of fellow paddlers and developing our skills at the same time. Thank you to Rob for being our fabulous coach.
Thanks to Stu, for getting some of us tied up in knots in the evening, and many thanks to Fiona for sorting out five star accommodation for a few…
It’s not often I get to coach open canoeing, so when a small group of CKC paddlers asked me to provide them with a day’s coaching I was more than happy to oblige.
Feeling a little exhausted from the previous days paddling on the Solent I headed over to Thames Ditton to meet Gieve, Miranda, Judes and Abdul.
Taking them steadily through the canoe bits of the 2 Star syllabus– from tandem to solo and rescue skills – all progressed very well. Although it was their first time in an open canoe, as experienced kayakers Gieve and Miranda expertly drew on their kayak skills whilst for Judes this was an opportunity to practice and refresh the skills she learnt at Cremornelast summer.
The one drawback was that the westerly winds were a little too strong at times during the day particularly for solo work – however the great thing about the Thames Ditton venue is that you can usually find suitable shelter somewhere. So after lunch we battled against the wind to the island area a few hundred metres up river. This provided sufficient shelter to practice solo skills, more advanced turning (e.g. bow jam), rescue scenarios and low brace support strokes. In respect to the latter, much to Abdul’s dismay Gieve took this very seriously and attempted to edge the boat over as far as he possibly could.
All in all a great day and as ever a big thanks to Alan Pearson for allowing us to use the Thames Ditton facility and equipment. Glutton for punishment I headed back home for a brief rest before heading to Brixton Pool to take the session for Paddy as he was away.
