A white water virgin's tale
Published: 200? | Written by: Roz Green & Matthew Pearce
On a surprisingly sunny Saturday morning (24 Sept) my son Matthew (aged 15) and I (Aged!) met up with 13 other (male) club members at Andy Ing’s home before leaving for the Nene Whitewater Centre in Northampton (where I encountered a similar gender ratio!). When Andy announced this trip I’d said we’d go, to help Matthew improve his 3* skills. I wanted to see this manmade whitewater course too, so I thought I might as well give it a go myself while I was there, as the trip was open to 2* paddlers and above. I avoided thinking about what it might actually involve until the week beforehand, when I started waking up early in the mornings feeling somewhat panicky! Going to Norfolk Marine at Wroxham on the Wednesday afternoon to buy my first neoprene spray deck and flotation bags made thoughts of the trip even scarier. I awoke on the Saturday morning with the resolve to go and get it over with, that I wouldn’t try anything I wasn’t OK about, and that if I could do just a little of the course, and not drown in the attempt, I’d be satisfied.
We left at Andy’s at11am as planned, although we could have left a bit earlier if some silly tart hadn’t been late!! After a couple of hours driving, Matthew and I arrived on time (remarkably not having got lost), with the sun still shining, at the Nene Centre – too late to duck out now! After registering etc we got changed and had to put on a black tabard emblazoned with a number, which I presumed was to help with the identification of any washed-up bodies!
We all met up at the top of the course, a water helter-skelter made out of concrete (which was as slippery as glass when you tried to get out), where Andy exclaimed gleefully that all 3 pumps were on this time (yippee I thought…). I experienced a somewhat surreal feeling as he walked us around the foaming course and I became uncharacteristically quiet, which he did notice. At the bottom of the course Andy declared it was time to get in our boats and give it a go. Gavin, another whitewater virgin, bless him, looked at me, laughed and held out his hand, which I gratefully took, and we ran up the slope to our boats like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid before they jumped into a water filled canyon, knowing that the fall would probably kill them but they had no other option!
We got into our boats and paddled off – whitewater virgins ‘buddied’ with experienced players – into the swirling current. Andy went down each drop first, and waited for Scott and I to follow. The 3rd drop was the largest and most intimidating ‘hole’ of the course, but it gave you the most exhilarating drenching when you successfully got through it. Both Scott and I made it to the end of the course, still in our boats. As soon as I’d got out of my boat, basking in the afterglow of this major personal triumph and thinking ‘well that’s that then’, Andy told me to get back up to the top and do it again!
On the second run Andy told me, in no uncertain terms, that it wasn’t the Waveney, and I needed to be more proactive and use my paddles. That of course challenged my theory that if I didn’t use my paddles, I wouldn’t do something wrong! So from then on I did as I was told (obedient as ever!), and tried to control my descent a little more. After Andy had supervised us on this 2nd dry run, Scott went off to give it a go on his own, which he did successfully, and I thought I’d take a break so Andy could go off and have some fun, as he knew I wasn’t confident to go round on my own.
However, then Gavin (thankfully) persuaded me to go round with him and, amazingly, I managed another dry run, which really helped to raise my confidence and enjoyment levels. By this time the course was fairly packed out with friendly and helpful fellow paddlers (luckily for Gavin, as one of the came to his aid when he got caught up in a very tiring circulating current), and the testosterone levels were practically palpable! Several of us then got out and took our flasks from our cars and had a much-needed cuppa in the sun.
I managed another couple of dry runs, until on my 6th I got a bit blasé near the end, and didn’t line myself up properly on a couple of drops but got away with it, so I wasn’t unduly concerned that I was in the wrong place altogether for going over the final drop. Gavin, who luckily was the only witness (seconds later this bottom pool was awash with paddlers), found it hilarious that I was smiling at him as I went over, even though I was doing it sideways! I took a much-dreaded swim, which was nowhere near as bad as I’d always anticipated, thank goodness.
We did a final dry run, my 7th and Gavin’s 8th (the number he was hell-bent on doing as this meant each run had cost him only £1!) and retired happy and cream crackered. Matthew, who hadn’t swum at all, had enjoyed the experience too, and gained more confidence with his play boat. We were both very tired when we got home, but we still made it the next day to Sally’s very enjoyable and relaxing trip from Bawburgh (though we did get lost on the way there!) to Cringleford – the only Nene attendees who did. Now we are both looking forward to going back to the Nene centre, to try and learn some new skills and find this damned elusive guy called ‘Eddy’!
Sincere thanks to Andy for organising this splendid trip, supervising me, and giving me so much encouragement, which he has done throughout this summer (as have his great sons), both with kayaking and canoeing. Thanks also to the other guys who did the same for the rest of the whitewater virgins, who all thoroughly enjoyed the day. It was great to go with the club and see familiar faces dotted around the course, giving us reassurance and encouragement, and having so much fun! Thanks as well to Gavin, who kept my spirits up, and who I so admired for never letting anything dampen his enthusiasm and optimism, even though he got pretty damp himself.
When Sue said in the last newsletter ‘Surely somebody must have enjoyed something this year?’ in response to zero articles from members, I felt really guilty. I had intended for so long to write and thank all those in the club who have helped Matthew and I over the past two and a half years enjoy so many things which we could never have done on our own. For David Whittle’s unending patience and encouragement on our 1* course, as I relentlessly went round in circles; for Dave Cassell’s and Sue’s encouragement to tackle the Wye Valley trip last year: to Graham for rescuing me on the aforementioned trip; for Sally’s encouragement when I went through a confidence and health crisis near the end of last year; for the great boost we got from our awards from the last AGM; for Tim and Dave introducing us to the joys of canoeing this year; and to all the other instructors and members who have been such a great help and great company on the many trips, camps, and courses we have done. And all of this totally dependent on the unpaid time and effort that each of the instructors so generously gives. Long may it all continue thus!