Breaking plates

First run out since the repair this week, Matt and I were planning a run down to Sonning Lock and then return to the club.

We made incredible speed down stream although the boat was quite unstable at times as the river was flowing as fast as we have seen it, we were speeding past joggers on the bank. At times the boat was grabbed by eddies and currents slewing it around in the stream.

We made a long slow turn just above Sonning Lock, then headed back upstream the stream was now dead against us and making any sort of progress was difficult, there were sections in the Dreadnought Reach where Matt moved the boat into the stream and we momentarily stopped paddling to keep our balance which resulted in us being pushed immediately downstream!

Then came the sickening feeling that the rear foot plate had come adrift!

We had a long portage at Reading lock and then hauled ourselves along the Caversham reach to the club, once the boat was in the rack it was clear that whilst the new repair was ok the sliding footplate mechanism had broken away from the fiberglass support brackets. We were both extremely dissappointed to say the least.

Lee took the boat back to Marsport who are doing their best to get the boat repaired and back to us by the weekend.

We had 9.2 mph averages downstream max speed 10.8 mph upstream thes speeds were halved.

Saturday night was spent planning the support for he upcoming support races and the DW itself.

Sunday morning Matt and Lee in the absence of a working boat did a 1.5 hour pyramid session on the ergo.

So whilst the fitness is improving we both miss time on the water.