PADDLER 90
“ I love how friendly the paddling community can be , and the kindness these paddlers showed me was a much-needed boost in morale .”
Rob Jeffereis and Jacob Holmes
PADDLER 90
LLANGOLLEN CANAL
The Llangollen Canal was dug around the 1790s to transport coal and iron ore from Welsh mines ; the canal is renowned for its beauty ( and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct ). But , more importantly , it also forms a very convenient loop , allowing canoeists to paddle back to the top of the river section . Our race would go down the canal from Horseshoe Falls to the Llangollen Wharf , dodging treacherous obstacles such as bushes , narrow bridges , and a horse-drawn barge . It perhaps wasn ’ t the most exciting ‘ Wildwater ’ course we ’ ve ever had , but a race is a race , and we threw ourselves into it all the same .
With racing complete , there was just enough time to squeeze in a sneaky , fun lap of the now extremely high Dee ( now at 1.78m on the gauge ). We assembled a crack little squad of myself , Nicky , Jacob , Freddie , Huw , Leon and Jan and headed down to the get-on . At the start , Nicky gave a quick but serious briefing , a rare thing in river racing that underlined the moment ’ s seriousness . “ This is really , really dangerous . If you swim you are going to lose your boat . It ’ s going to be really fun , but we just need to be extra careful .”
STRAPPED JET ENGINES TO OUR BOATS
We eddied out and blasted down Serpent ’ s Tail , now transformed into large wave trains and more akin to what we had paddled in Mezzana this year than a small Welsh river . The fun continued downstream , with even the flatter sections featuring enjoyable undulating waves . The river was pumping so fast it felt like we had strapped jet engines to our boats . Perhaps my favourite move was at Mile End Mill , sneaking past stoppers and using the big pillow off the island to make the sharp right-hand turn . While I couldn ’ t quite shake the nervous energy from knowing the full consequences of a swim , I could not hide my utter joy with a big grin plastered across my face .
“ I love how friendly the paddling community can be , and the kindness these paddlers showed me was a much-needed boost in morale .”
We eddied out shortly above the Town Falls section . The usual get-out ( above the falls ) was now completely underwater , leaving us with few options other than to run the falls blind . This would be their first time running the rapid for Jacob , Freddie and Huw , and we briefed them on the line . The decision was made . They would follow Nicky down while Jan , Leon , and I would sweep at the back , and with that , we would set off for the final rapid .
With the rising river entry , holes to the falls had now transformed into large standing waves . It was so large that once Leon crested the one in front of me , he disappeared from view behind it . Despite their size , I navigated these waves easily , but then , to my alarm , I massively underestimated the size of the boil behind them . The boil turned my boat near-sideways to the flow , and in my fight to get the bow back downstream , I didn ’ t manage to get over to the balcony . Below , the jaws of the rapid opened up before me , but it was too late . As the river dropped away , I used the lip to swing my bow towards the largest breaking wave of the sequence . That brief moment seemed to stretch out in time as the wave loomed above me , and suddenly , the water engulfed me .
But all was not lost . As the wave bared its teeth , I reached out with my right blade and dug it deep within the bowels of the beast , providing enough purchase to launch myself out the other side . I used the squall of waves behind it to fling my bow into an
Rob Jeffereis and Jacob Holmes