None the less we have constantly asked in our own minds, how will we feel after 30 miles, 40 miles etc. so we had agreed as a team to do the length of the canal as a test run, with support crew to get a reference time on which we could base our actual projected time which is so important for scheduling our DW schedule at Easter.
Plans were laid a couple of weeks ago to do the run on Saturday setting off from Devizes some time around 7:30 a.m. on Saturday morning after a few photos of the new livery for the Condor. We put in over a floating barge (ice covered arghh!) just above the famous start bridge in Devizes and paddled off into glorious morning sunshine after saying our goodbyes to Mel and Debbie who were following in support.
We made a mid pound water stop around Honey Street for a pee too and got back in stopping next at Great Bedwyn, the girls said we were doing well on time. We knew Great Bedwyn to Newbury from Waterside C in the ice the previous weekend, boy was it good to paddle vs. run.
In no time were we at the Bruce's tunnel, we passed a canoe heading towards us, after pleasantries exchanged we cracked on. Crofton went well and after the 6 mile maarthin the previous week was tame by comparison, changing shoulders and running with the boat on opposite shoulders really helped. The girls made sure we were well fueled with an assortment of food and watered before we set off.
The next run was uneventful apart from catching our support on the phone in the car park at Kintbury not paying attention to the plight of the poor chaps in the boat. The girls did a great job stopping traffic even (aided by their flourescent jackets) as we crossed roads at some portages.
Matt was doing a great job pacing us and in no time at all we saw the tower cranes in the car parks at Newbury. We pulled alongside the Waterside centre on the opposite bank and settled down to Chilli and Rice straight from the tin, it went down really well, much to the amusement of people sitting outside the tea shop.
The stop was just over ten minutes and we set off with Lee navigating, which started with him trying to squeeze us under an impossibly low swing bridge, we agreed it would be portaged in the race, soon we were in our stride navigating a new stretch of the canal for us.
After 6 or so miles another K2 came screaming past us, Lee asked where they were from "Newbury, and you" came the reply, when we mentioned Devizes they congratulated us.
A little way down stream someone was practicing the art of jamming the entire canal getting two brages through an arched bridge with one engine one person on the tow path and two people being towed in a canoe behind. We waited on the bridge island for minutes as they passed and then cracked on down stream.
At Aldermaston we again delayed our put in while a barge manouvered every which way before decing to reverse itself out.
We were pleased with the flow assistance on what we treat as our home stretch of the canal having run this section several times in training. And in no time were we playing in the mud at the put in at Fobney, we were really stuck in the mud here and eventually eased off.
We raced past a couple of playboaters in the middle of the Oracle shopping centre in Reading and hit the Thames after 9.5 hours of paddling, we then did a cool down paddle up to the club at Caversham where Mel and Debbie were waiting with the camera.
Boy did that first shower feel good.
Both paddlers felt good after the canal and recovered well the following day with no injuries to speak of, it was a great opportunity to have done it before the DW proper and the support crew did an amazing job too, it really was a team effort.
Ten hours in a boat with your mate gives you time to catch up and chat without interuption from mobiles or other modern day perils, as to the subject matter of the banter; what goes on in the boat stays in the boat!
We will amend this post when all the pictures come through from the digital camera.
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