Wales

It is Time for the University of Hertfordshire's Freshers trip, so we will be taking over some of the finest introductory white water runs south Wales has to offer. Some of the team will be heading up for a few days before the freshers get there, to run some harder water. Watch this space, we'll keep you informed.

Uniyaker

The applications for the British University Kayak Expedition (BUKE) are in. From those applications, 20 of the best University kayakers will get together in north Wales for a selection weekend in mid November. From that 20 a team will be selected to go on the expedition. It is a great programme and has in the past produced some superb paddling and exposer for the sport. Check out the website www.Uniyaker.co.uk

Youthful

It appears that John Boy has become the face (well they used a picture with his face covered) of youth progression at the Lee Valley White Water Centre. He's chuffed that at the grand old age of 25 he's still down with the youths!!

http://www.visitleevalley.org.uk/en/content/cms/london2012/lee-valley-white-water-centre/courses-events/progressive-kayaking-junior/

Lost Property Canoe Kayak Awards 2012

Canoe kayak magazine have released their 2012 awards (http://www.canoekayak.co.uk/Articles/The-Best-Canoes-Kayaks-and-Paddling-Gear-of-the-Year---The--2012-Canoe-and-Kayak-UK-Awards/_ft935_tp27_cat9) While I agree with most of the awards and recommendations there are some that I think can only have come from hype or the fact they can only review what they are given. This has lead to the Lost Property Awards 2012, Enjoy!

White water kayak of the year was given to the shiva, over the highly recommended Mamba. I have heard a lot of bad things about the Shiva including rumours all the Pyranha team boaters hate it. On the other hand the new Mamba has had nothing but good stuff said about it.

Lost Property White Water Kayak of the Year 2012
The 2012 Dagger Mamba

Lost Property Bath Tub of the Year 2012
The Pyranha Shiva

The Titan Genesis II came highly recommended in the play boat section. Canoe kayak magazine said “The first Titan boat to burst onto the UK market has certainly been a hit”. The issue I have with this are the use of Burst and big hit! I have never seen one on the water, I don't know anyone who has brought one or anyone who would want to. The only thing that burst in the UK market was the hype and the only big hit was the thud of failure (may have overstated it a little, but I was playing with the words!)

Lost Property Designed in the Dark Award 2012
The Titan Genesis II

The next award need nothing said about it!

Lost Property Facility of the Year 2012
The lee Valley White Water Centre

And now the main event of the evening! The whole reason I decided to do these awards. The WRSI Trident Helmet. All the other miss awards given are not harmful and a bit of a laugh, however this one I believe is more serious.

The Trident is modelled on the Happy 2b Skook, a great playboating helmet that I happen to own. These helmets had a strong glass fibre shell to dissipate impacts and 5mm of good foam padding to absorb force that otherwise goes into your brain. Happy 2B decided a few years ago that they were happy with what they had done and wanted to call it a day, rather than spend thousands of pound updating their helmet designs and colours to keep up with sweets ever changing beuties!

WRSI brought the Skook moulds and set about updating the helmet. The first time I saw the trident, in the colour in the picture below, I was so happy it was the Skook but jazzed up a bit “Brilliant I will get one”. However as soon as I touched one I was horrified.

The carbon shell is too thin, and so is as flexible as a cheap plastic helmet. If you weren’t scared of breaking it you could push the sides together until they touched. This will not properly dissipate impacts to the side of the head. Inside the shell is a plastic insert that reinforces the shell, this is because the shell is too weak and the plastic insert is cheaper than doing the carbon properly, as I said even with this insert the shell flexes like a Yak Contour. The padding is ....well ....nonexistent. There is a 1mm foam liner that barley makes the plastic insert comfortable and wouldn’t absorb any force from a blow to head. Finally it costs £150!!

This helmet is nowhere near as good as the Shred Ready Standard with a plastic shell for £55. The plastic shell of the standard flexes less and the standard has a polystyrene inner that will shatter and absorb force and the standard covers more of your head. For £140 you can get a composite shelled Standard that is a world class helmet. For £120 a Sweet wander again a different league to the Trident.

Lost Property Worst Composite Helmet and Biggest Ever Waste of Money Award
WRSI Trident

Lost Property Worst Helmet Ever No Good Except on Flat Water Award
Yak Contour

Lost Property Best Value for Money Helmet
Shred Ready Standard

Lost Property Undisputed Best Head Protection
Sweet Rocker

Everything written on this blog is the opinion of the writer and is meant for entertainment not to offend. Buy whatever kit you like, but the Trident is rubbish :-)

River Ivel Trip

We had a great day trip to the River Ivel the other week, with some youngsters from the local centre. This Saturday we are doing it again. Hoping for sun so we can play behind the waterfall.

Nene Beginners White Water Kayaking

Congratulations to all the Participants, who took part in the Beginners White Water Kayaking Trip to the Nene White Water Centre on Tuesday 30th. It was a very successful evening, with very few swims and lots of smiles. If you are interested in trying white water kayaking for the first time, getting back into it or advancing the skills you already have, then get in touch with Lost Property Kayak Coaching

Sea Kayaking: Isle of Wight

In the middle of August, Me (John Boy), Sarah, Mark and our friend Little Rob went sea kayaking around the Isle of Wight. We started at Calshot on a sunny but windy Saturday Morning, paddled to Lepe then crossed the Solent over to the Isle of Wight. This crossing can be tricky due to traffic at the best of times, however we were trying to cross on the second weekend of Cowes Week! This meant we had to keep our witts about us to make sure we didn't get run down by sailing boats. We then paddled up to the needles and then round the corner to Freshwater bay, after 7 hours of paddling into the wind, we set up camp for our first night sleep. The second day we headed from Freshwater bay around St Catherins point and up to Sandown beach. We had the wind behind us which gave us a much easier days paddling and a far greater average speed. Sandown was having a festival which was very nice and the whether was Beautiful and Sunny. We Chilled out on the beach for a few hours, had fish and chips and an ice cream. We then jumped back on the water to paddle around the most Easterly point of the Isle of Wight to St Helens beach and finished our 9 hour paddling day. This beach is by far the nicest place I have ever bivied out, I highly recommend a camping trip there.

The last day we paddled into the wind again, up to Cowes. This section was very scenic and another recommended Section for the Budding Sea Kayaker. We then crossed back over the Solent to Calshot. There was a good amount of Swell which made for an exciting/scary at times crossing. This finished up another 7 hour Paddling day and 23 hours of total paddling. This was a superb trip around beautiful island and a brilliant intro to expedition sea kayaking. Great fun had by all!! Video Coming soon. John Boy

Scotland March 2011

At the beginning of March Jimbo and I headed to Roybridge in Scotland for a week of boating. Snow had fallen the week before, but we arrived to sunny skies and a nice moderate air temperature. This made for great conditions for paddling. We hit a good amount of the 'usual' classic runs of the area, Spean Gorge, Roy, Etive e.t.c But our real joy came from discovering rivers that we had thus far never visited.

The 2 most enjoyable and memorable in my mind were the Fassfern and Dubh Lighe. The Fassfern is a great grade 4(5) run full of rock slides and small drops. Excluding Tango, the one grade 5 rapid on the section, the whole river is easy to scout by boat, this means the fun never ends and you spend maximum time in a boat. Backwards Slab (4) is one of the last rapids on the river, the guidebook describes this rapid: 'This is begging to be run backwards; failure to do so will bring bad 'juju' for the rest of your trip'. Needless to say both Jimbo and I ran this backwards as bad juju did not sound like a good thing.

We then headed about 5 miles up the road to the Dubh Lighe 4(5). This river could not be any more different to the Fassfern. The get in was either above or below a narrow gorge that was seemingly near impossible to inspect, but looked like it had some nice grade 4-5 drops in it, we played it safe and got in below. The rest of the river made for a great afternoons technical creek boating. The river is very steep and we spent a lot of time jumping out of boats to see if the horizon line was runnable. Some drops we ran some we ran away from, but at the end of the river we were all very happy with the ones we did, and had no regrets about those that we did not.

One of the things that appeals to me about white water kayaking is being in remote, beautiful places with little to worry about apart from when to eat that penguin* in your buoyancy aid pocket. Scotland again made me feel this, and in my mind beats laying beside a pool in 30 degree heat every time.

Mark

*The chocolate bar, not the smartly dressed flightless bird. Other chocolate bars are available.

G.N.A.R

The Lost Property Team will be taking part in Kayaking GNAR. GNAR is a points game, similar to 'Man points' where a man or woman gain points for do crazy, dangerous and or more importantly embarrassing things. The game aims to keep kayaking fun and stop people taking themselves so serious. The idea is to get more points than your friends and tell everyone how good you are!!!

Check it out here and I recommend watching the original Ski film it’s great.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Kayak-GNAR-game/171480666237665

Hopefully see you on the water playing GNAR, and remember I'm so much better than you!!

Chertsey

While half of the lost Property team are in Scotland going massive, the other half are left back at home to cause mischief.

We decided to head to Chertsey for some pour over fun. This was my first time to Chertsey I have always meant to go but never got round to it. Having spent a beautiful sunny and fun day there, it confirmed to me that I hate pour overs. They are an evil, angry, loveless feature that do not like kayakers! At the first opportunity they will chew you up, throw you around a bit and spit you out. Looping in them is like the fastest wettest forward roll you have ever done, and all moves thrown are at least half luck.

All in all a great day had fun with the group, and battled the evil pour over.

Watch this space for a report on scotland!!

See you on the water!!