Brian & George at Waterside B 2012

Ice on the canal

What's one of the last things you want to hear when you reach the start of Waterside C? You're right! "It was minus 8 here last night!"

I remember starting this race in similar conditions years ago, and ice on the canal is not much fun even if you don't go swimming as I did back then!

But for most people, it turned out that some kind barge had broken it up and very little was left for most crews to skate on. I think Max may have suffered the most and retired feeling fairly rough as a result.

NKC had a great turn out for the 3rd time this year, with 16 paddlers finishing. The summary of NKC results is shown below:

                               Psn Class                     Time
Matt Enoch/Adam Norfolk         2 Snr Men K2                02:57:59
Matt Foulger                  4 Snr Men K1                03:21:25
Chris Carter/Zyggy Chmiel       2 Vet/Junior K2             03:28:14
Kat Burbeck/Shuna Braithwaite   1 Snr Women K2 03:29:41
Rex Littlewood                2 Vet K1                    03:44:53
Robbie Ilett/Alex Abraham 11 Snr Men K2                03:47:22
Caroline Jones/Alison Chmiel    2 Snr Women K2 04:01:23
Peter Ilett/Geordie Parker     11 Vet Men K2                04:10:50
Peter Deboer/Ben Nichols 27 Snr Men K2                04:15:50
Max Littlewood Jun Men K1                DNF

More photos by Taal can be found by clicking here

Full results on Waterside Website are here 

Waterside D 2010

There were only 3 Nottingham enties for the 35 mile final race of the Series. I say entries, there were only 2 starters, with Tom having gone to the extreme of hammering his head against a piece of bathroom/kitchen furniture to render himself senseless in order to avoid a greater ordeal. Making a cup of tea? Ha! So a No Show for Becky and Tom.

Josh was rather muted, even at the start, as the realisation that he was about to do 112 x 500 metres all in one go gradually dawned on him. That's about 55.5 km further than he claims is "his distance."

Volume was down to about half normal by the end, even when his result became clear. No doubt it will soon pick up again as 4th place in a time of 5:23:24 is something he will want known. However, that was not the best, as his overall performance on the whole series left him in 2nd in Senior K1, an outstanding performance for a 500 metre sprinter. Not only that, but his technique was spotted by more than one old hand, who wondered if he could really be a Nottie paddler with such a relaxed, efficient style. So really well done Josh - bragging rights mate. Mind you next time you finish a marathon before the end and claim it's because you're really a sprinter, we will all know the truth, after all you've got the teeshirt to prove otherwise.

Craig and Mark looked fresh at the start and apart from a serious twinge in Mark's back looked the same at the finish. Craig still only had one thing in mind and they overtook her somewhere along the course to make his day complete. They went off the scale of possible speeds I had considered likely over the 1st 16 miles, but then settled back to one slightly faster than I would have predicted. Mark accepts all food and drink offered, although I've not tried steak and chips yet. Craig did better this time and didn't spit out anything whilst in sight. Reports of a flasher in rural Berkshire should be discounted as myth.

Their place of 8th on the D race in a time of 5:28:06 was good enough to get them into 4th in the series in Senior K2. Well done to them and to Josh as it is quite some time since Notties finished so well in the series.

Well done too to all NKC members who did any of the races, as the turn out in 2010 has been better than for quite a few years. If you haven't yet had a go, well, there's always 2011.
Waterside D results
Series results
Thanks to Ollie Harding for photos

Waterside C 2010

Waterside C saw less NKC paddlers, but there were still enough to need a minibus and car. Setting off from Nottingham in dark freezing conditions is becoming a habit.

The temperature gauge wizzed up and down between -6 and a steamy -0.5 all the way to Pewsey, where it finally stuck on -2. This obviously meant that the paddling race turned into a running race for much of the 1st third.

Josh was the only K1 but produced a steady performance for 9th Senior K1. He was considerably quieter as he hove into view at the finish than when he set off, but still going strong.

Chris & Zyggy had been first Nottie crew away, but the running was very demanding on them, although they finished strongly for the conditions as one of only 4 Junior/Vet crews to complete the race. 

 Becky & Tom also turned in a good performance to come 9th in the mixed race, but went straight to the top of the leader border for the broken rudder trophy. The spare in the back of the boat was obviously worth carrying. Shaune and Cathy did well to finish just behind them in 10th despite the mismatch in leg stride on the running. Considering that it was a bit longer than your average Canoe Polo pool, Shaune was looking remarkably fresh at the end and Cathy was sufficiently relaxed to sunbathe in the car park briefly. (Sorry no pics)

Paul and Harriet paddled steadily through the field with little incident apart from the need to negociate the packed portages full of Sunday afternoon spectators to win the Mixed K2 class.

Craig and Mark started well, dropping very little time over the frozen sections and working steadily through the field. Craig's clockwork ran down about 16 miles down the course, just after Hungerford and the field started working their way back through them. A few more turns of the key needed for Waterside D.

Mark managed to look fresh all the way down probably due to the steady fuel supply welded to his back.

All NKC crews finished. The day looked to be a beautiful spring one, but the thermometer says, "No!" The organiser summed it up on the Waterside website, "That was a tough one. Respect to all who finished."

Results

Thanks to Ollie Harding for the photos

Waterside B (2)

Photos from Ollie Harding's Waterside B Album

Would you want to sit on this wash on a cold day without a spraydeck?

See all Ollie's paddling Albums http://www.flickr.com/photos/paddling

Waterside B 2010

Watching the Winter Olympics till late at night all week didn't help prepare for racing at Newbury too much, but was definately an asset for the drive there. The slips, the slides, the snow ...

Everyone was on time, loaded and on the road before 6:30. Well I say road, my choice of using the A46 may not have been best, as the car tyres never touched the actual road for the first 20 miles or so. When a snow plough we were following turned off, I wondered if we were going to be marooned near Leicester until the thaw set in. Fortunately that happened before we reached the A43.

Newbury by contrast was almost summery and seemed warmer than it was for Waterside A, 2 weeks ago. The good weather obviously attracted a few paddlers out, with over 250 boats racing.

Zyggy and I cannot be said to have had our finest race, although there were people for us to to catch and overtake all the way, nor did we finish last in the Junior/Veteran class. I was a bit disappointed not to beat 7 times World Champion, Ivan Lawler and his junior partner, who not only won our race, but were 3rd fastest boat on the water. Dave and Tadek were much quicker than we were, finishing 3rd in the same class, and I don't suppose they minded being beaten by Brian Greenaway, another legend of the sport and his junior partner. Dave and Tadek were only 3 minutes down on them. Our 6th was almost 1 hour slower than Ivan's time.

Meanwhile, Tom and Becky were putting in a far better performance than on Waterside A ... they finished.  Tom obviously had new legs, or perhaps it was borrowing Geordie's aging boat that did the trick. 6th for them too in the Mixed class.

Craig and Mark may well have sorted their differences on portaging, although the boat still leaks, and the pump needs some serious maintenance. They finished 7th in the Senior K2 race dropping 2 places on their A result, but were the fastest Nottie boat on the water.

Josh was 12th in the Senior K1 and 2nd fastest Nottie boat.

I console myself with the knowledge that across the classes, over 70 K2s were slower than we were, one of them over 2 hours slower!

That's about it, Spring had almost returned to the Midlands, making the journey home almost effortless. Josh, Tadek and Zyggy were completely hyper when they should have been sleeping blissfully - at least there was little chance of feeling tired driving, although Craig didn't seem to notice.

Waterside A 2010

I suppose after the weather we've been having, Waterside A could be described as sultry. Not that I was out in beachwear, even Ricky found long sleeves to wear, but some people still seemed to think shorts and tee-shirt were right for the event.

Ricky pushed me round and wanted to sprint the last mile, but a mixture of old age, cuts, grazes and bruised ribs made anything like that a bit sore. The ribs had nothing to do with Waterside, but Monday's "basketball." Non-contact - hahha!

Meanwhile back in Wiltshire/Berkshire the rest of the NKC lot were having their own traumas. Perhaps worst off were Tom and Becky who knocked it on the head with about 5km to go - they'd actually done the hard part, when Tom's legs failed to communicate with the rest of him, making things like running or steering a bit grim. (Some of us old fogies live our lives like that Tom, perhaps age is catching up with you early.)

Andrew, steering by the stars, his sat-nav, dead reckoning and Craig's course directions, negociated the 13 miles in just over 3 hours. He managed without following too many of Craig's recomended detours, although he will be turning up for technique sessions with Craig this week, alongside TB apparently. Andrew was slower over the shower/food section of the event than the paddling and missed the bus home, but hitched a ride in a passing car.
This gave Mark and Craig the chance to discuss why Mark was finishing each portage just as Craig was getting out of the boat.Obviously a bit of technique practice needed somewhere in that K2 then.

There was a generally good turn out by the Notties, so there was still chance for some glory, with Paul and Harriet winning the Mixed event in under 2 hours.

Chris and Zyggy managed to beat me and Ricky by 7 seconds, but were still shown as seniors on the results. Craig and Mark actually did OK, despite their claims of some slight lack of coordination, finishing as 5th senior crew. Steve and Duncan, 10 minutes behind them were 11th (out of 33 crews.) And actually Chris and Zyggy were 16th if a veteran and a 12 year old can be counted as seniors.

Cathy and Shane (nee Shaune) were 9th in the Mixed race. Mark and Martin were going well in the Veteran race and finished 13th.

Thanks to Dave and Jane for their driving and support. Without them, out lives would have been even harder!
Look out for the photo gallery link on the website.

Full results here

Photo Mick & Rick - Ollie Harding
Photo Andrew - Brian Gandy

Waterside B

The only time I remembered my camera was at 5:30 a.m. just before we set off to Newbury, however, with the stiffness and soreness from Waterside A nearly forgotten, there were just as many NKC members turning out for Waterside B.

For those interested in all the results go to the results page. http://www.watersides.fsnet.co.uk/current-b-res.htm

However, if you want to know how our day went, read on ...

It was a slightly later start than for the A race and everyone was there & the trailer loaded on time. There were several Waterside "virgins" opting to do the 17.5 mile downstream/upstream race. Michael (ears featured above) wanted to know what to expect and Norman, sitting next to him, who has been doing Waterside since the 1970s gave an explanation that he thought would be appropriate to a White Water paddler. "Imagine going down "Serpent's Tail" ... 3 abreast ... then imagine paddlers coming towards you ... 3 abreast." This is probably the most apt description ever, especially for the section leading up to Aldermaston. Michael paddled with Tadek (age 12) in the Senior Mens K2 and came 12th out of 44 starters in a time of 2 hours 47 minutes, a great performance by them.

The next newbie would be Lynda - the blonde head on the right - who has done minimal training, just come back to serious paddling after a break of 3 children and about 20 years who was doing Ladies K2 with Cathy - the blond head on the left. She had some novel plans for combatting the dreaded numb bum that might have won prizes in a Renaissance beauty pagent and soaked up enough canal water to fill a bucket. They came 2nd in a time of 3:03:16, so however hard it felt Lynda, it was a pretty good first Waterside for you!

George & Bryan deserve a mention after their second waterside this year with "equipment failure." It was the footrest on Race A when some amazingly good luck in finding bits of wood and steel just the right length allowed them to mackle up a replacement and complete the race. This time it was the seat which partly detached itself from the boat and swivelled round, needing constant attention at portages. Are they doing Race C? I wonder ...? No I won't even think about it! Despite their tribulations they managed 4th in the C2 race out of 22 starters in a time of 3:11:26. Another good performance.

Alison and Norman in the Mixed K2 race, had a good run despite Norman thinking it was hard. 5th out of 30 in a time of 2:45:28 is a pretty good result and much better than some of the crews half their combined age. (I can't reveal what it is, but not quite 100) Alison not only remembers how many portages they've done (I remember the first 3 or 4 and then lose count) but revealed that they had overtaken 121 crews during the race.

Richard Golder & Richard Meyer made their own ways to Waterside, and we only saw them in passing (literally) on the water. 6th and 12th out of 28 in the Senior Mens Race was a reasonable performance although both would have preferred higher no doubt & have been in the past. I don't know about Richard G, but I know Richard M had not done that much training for the event. Richard M's account of his novel approach to tackling the low swing bridge would take too long to relate and would be much better on a video.

Craig was 8th out of 15 in Junior K1 in 3 hours 3 minutes including 2 swims as well as paddling and running, so he made it into a triathlon. I don't think he meant to though.

Chris & Zyggy (aged 11) were 6th in the Junior/Veteran K2 in 3 hours 1 minute. Zyggy was still standing at the end although he did sleep most of the way home. I wonder how school went on Monday morning? Chris looked OK though!

Shob & I were only just ahead of them in the same event, coming 5th in 2:53:50 which is the same time I did with Beth last year. However at the swing bridge, we had not had the benefit of Richards novel approach to negociating it and went for the more classic ducking ... at least I did! Shob obviously was not quite so successful and managed to bang her head. The extent of the damage was not obvious until she took her hat off to get changed, revealing a a mass of matted blood and hair ... and a split over an inch long (2cm.) A quick trip to the local A & E got it glued - the bridge has not yet been inspected for damage.

I owe you Shob! The photo on the Paddlepics website shows that we were in time and paddling well! http://www.paddlepics.com/watersides/wat%20b%202009%20pt%201/index_17.htm (IMG_9909) So it didn't stop her stroking the boat really well and giving me a good race even though neither of us were aware of the blood trickling down her neck for over two and a half hours. Well perhaps because we were unaware!

Waterside B

It was a bit of an early start for some of us this morning, but we were on the road in good time to get Craig on the water an away for his first Waterside. He managed 10th in a time of 3:33:23 - not bad in a Trimmer!
It was a first for Fern too in Ladies K2 with Cathy and they were 2nd in 2:54:00





George and Bryan managed one place better than Waterside A - 1st in C2 in 3:01:39
















Ian was 7th in Senior K1 with a time of 2:25:58

Mick and Beth improved on their last year's time with 4th place in the Junior/ Veteran class in 2:53:01.

The weather was warm, sunny and completly calm, unlike most of the Watersides I can remember and people could almost be forgiven for thinking it was spring. There was enough flow on the Kennett to make the river sections interesting. It was altogether an enjoyable paddle although Craig did sleep for a considerable part of the journey home.

Special thanks to Sarah who came along and took the photos.

Full results at http://www.watersides.fsnet.co.uk/current-b-res.htm

More photos at http://www.paddlepics.com/

Waterside A, Wahey!

Waterside was an awesome race. i didnt really know what to expect, having heard many conversations and reports of the race from last year, i was abit weary, however i was very pleasantly surprised! I would say probably one of the most enjoyable races ive ever done, exciting, hard and challenging but also chilled and relaxing. The company was fab as always, and alot of laughs!!! Thanks Mick for racing with me, i hope u enjoyed it as much as i did!
p.s. check me out, writing the first blog! x

Waterside A

There was a good turnout by NKC at Waterside A this weekend with entries in the Senior K1, Ladies K1, Mixed K2, Ladies K2, Veteran Junior K2 and C2. Hopefully there will be some personal reports from some of those taking part. Meanwhile here are a few photos of Ian in Senior K1, Hayleigh & Cathy in Ladies K1 and Mick and Sarah in Veteran/Junior K2.

Photos by Tadek (See also NKC Website Home Page)