17
The novice but adventurous kayakers
SUP CALAMITY
WORDS & PHOTOS : STEVE WISE SO , THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM THE ARTICLE PLANNED FOR SUP MAG
UK . ANYONE WHO FOLLOWS US WILL BE FULLY AWARE OF THE CALAMITY OF A ROAD TRIP WE SUFFERED ; FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT , THERE IS MORE TO FOLLOW .
Sue and I are keen sit-on-top kayakers ( paddle boarders , read on as you will be entertained ) and have even published a recreational route book for paddle craft around the South West coastline .
This year , we decided to complete a European adventure that would take us to some fantastic places , including France , Austria , Italy , Venice , and Switzerland . For added entertainment and challenges , we borrowed an unused sealed-in-box paddleboard from Sue ’ s daughter to try paddle boarding for the first time . We also bought Millie the RNLI Teddy , and I made her a paddleboard and kayak .
The day of leaving arrived , and we set off full of excitement . Day one was just to Black Horse campsite near Dover for the early ferry the next morning . It is a lovely campsite with ferry pitches and no arrival or departure time restrictions . We slept well and got going early .
The Moselle River
The plan for the day was to drive to Camping De Villey le Sec near Toul . We would spend the evening paddling the Moselle River with a launch point at the campsite . However , it was not to be . Around two and a half hours into our trip through the beautiful French countryside , laughing at the fact the toll road ticket machines decided we were a class 2 vehicle , we sat as high as an HGV , so Sue had to kneel on her seat and stretch out of the window to reach the ticket , we ran into mechanical trouble .
The van started vibrating at 50 to 70 kmh . My first thought was a wheel balancing weight had come off . Soon , the vibrating turned to shaking , and it didn ’ t stop at any speed over 30kph . Sue searched the internet and found a Renault dealer just a few miles away in Châlons en Champagne . We went straight there . They found the front driver-side suspension strutt had failed . They could fix it , but it wouldn ’ t be ready for 24 hours .
We limped to the Camping Châlons en Champagne and asked if they had room . The staff said they didn ’ t . We explained our situation , and they got straight onto the guests that hadn ’ t yet arrived . They found a cancellation , and we stayed for the night . We highly recommend the site for a great stay . It has good facilities and is located in a stunning , beautiful city . We chose a great place to break down .