Press Release

7th December 2008
Hemel Hempstead Canoe Club win at the Stour Descent
15 miles with 2 weir shoots - Sturminster Mill to Blandford (Dorset)

Robin built on his paddling success and experience from the Avon Descent to win the WWR class at the Stour Descent, a tough 15 mile race in testing conditions.

There were two weirs to shoot and then a large amount of obstructions to negotiate. This Dorset river is not usually open to canoeists so Robin decided to chip the ice off his boat and go. There was a freezing start and a very low hanging sun to make conditions treacherous. With either blinding sun or mists and swirling currents to throw the unwary into an abundance of overhanging and floating obstructions. Sometimes there were tight "chicanes" to negotiate round branches and fallen trees or great logs. The organisation was fantastic and at all the seriously dangerous ones there were safety marshals to warn paddlers, and if the worse happened they were equipped to rescue.

The first weir had three long steps each of over four metres - if you went too fast you'd submarine underwater onto the second boiling slab. Robin did go under but managed to keep stable and paddled hard to get over the last step and then out of the turbulent mill pool. Some war not so lucky with several capsizes, and a number of damaged craft.

Robin found his glasses steamed right up and spent a lot of the time with half visibility from one eye! At one stage he was swooshed by the current into the bank and had to fight his way under roots to join the main stream without capsizing. Something you really didn't want to do with the weather and water that cold!

It was an arduous two hours but when the results came through the pain and effort was all worthwhile for Robin

Dan "I'm definitely coming" didn't show, despite his training and sorting a boat for it, which Robin took to the start.