Wet West Paddlefest 09

The Wet West Paddle Fest is the biggest annual whitewater kayaking event in Scotland. It's a celebration of whitewater with organised releases on the Rivers Garry, Moriston and Awe, not to mention an evening of ceilidh dancing and kayak films in Fort William. The festival came about as a memorial to the legendary Scottish paddler, Andy Jackson, who died in 2004. 

I had heard a few of the stories from 2008's WWPF and so made sure that I was there for this years festival. It's been an unusually dry September in Ireland and with no whitewater on the cards the lure of the Scottish highlands could not be turned down. After the short hop over to Stranraer we took a detour for a few hours to stretch our legs on the mountain bike trails of Kirroughtree Forest. The fast technical trails through the deserted forest were never ending and we stayed out late into the evening, stopping at one point to watch a golden eagle soar overhead. Magic! Plenty of coffee and cake (served by a hairy old woman) and 4 hours later we were in Fort William.

The river Garry is one of Scotland's best play runs and was the Saturday release. There are several nice play spots on a relatively (I ran it in 7 mins) short stretch and it was great fun paddling this several times with the help of the free shuttle bus. There is one nice move at the very start of the river, a seal launch at the inlet pipe into the full flow and over a short double drop. Unfortunately we had only brought creek boats and this river was meant for play, however there was still plenty to keep those in big boats entertained, as any of the rafters who clobbered a kayaker in the bottom hole will testify. Ouch!

The evenings festivities in The BA Club were nice and chilled out with a great video from the Kayak USSR Team followed by a super buffet and then plenty of good tunes and catching up into the wee hours. There was also the odd mention of the river we would be on in the morning...
(P.S. ~ For the record you can fit 6 adults in the front cab of a Hiace!)

It was an early start again on Sunday morning as we headed up past Loch Ness to the small village of Invermoriston. A quick stop at the bridge for a recce of the Lower Moriston and we were suitably impressed/nervous. The river drops dramatically as it flows under the bridge with lines left and right and it's easy to see why this is reputed to be one of the biggest rapids in the UK. The put on for the Upper Moriston at the dam was very crowded and it was a case of joining the queue to run the first big drop. This was a lovely 3m drop worth running a few times and a great spot to set up the camera.

The rest of the rapids on the Upper Moriston were short and sweet with one or two more small drops into bouldery grade IV. Unfortunately we had a ferry to catch and did not have time to get in the Lower so I'll have to come back for that and to get a taste of some more Scottish creeks again soon! A big thanks to Shane for all the driving and to the SCA and local volunteers who put on an amazing weekend.
(Photos to come soon!)

A portion of the funds raised during the weekend will go to the Andy Jackson fund for access who promote and protect access to waterways in Scotland for the sport of canoeing. More details can be found on their website here.

My last six months

I've been quite busy lately but seeing as we are about to move into another season I thought it would be a good time to give this excuse for a blog a shot in the arm and hopefully create something interesting for people to read.

 

Mickey Barry on the Upper Sesia, Val Sesia, Italy. 

I've spent the past six months working hard during the week so I can afford to boat hard come the weekend. There are many of you out there doing the same thing no doubt. I'm constantly trying to tweak my schedule so that I can get more time on the water which is not always easy. I've come to really appreciate every minute on the river and that two great days paddling beats one average day and one nothing day recovering from the night before!

 

A big day on the Clare Glens, too big for me, 1.1m. 

Moving from the west coast to the east of Ireland has been a big change and although there is not as much water about I find the guys over here are very determined to make the most of every opportunity. I was not very familiar with the rivers here but after a few weekends spent getting lost in the Wicklow hills I think the runs here are on a par with (and maybe better!) than in Connemara. We even had a week of unexpected snow melt paddling in glorious sunshine ala the Alps in June. Some of the benefits of global warming maybe?


Landwasser waterfall, Val Sesia, Italy

I planned at the start of the year to try a few different kayaking disciplines, mainly to help with instructing but also just out of curiosity. I'm now hooked on slalom paddling and have a dream to paddle round Ireland by sea kayak some day! Having spent most of my time in plastic creek and freestlye boats it was a real eye opener to get to run some gates with top Irish slalom boater Eamon Rheinisch and the following weekend to be exploring caves in a big swell off Achill Island with Ali Donald of Saoirse na Mara. There really are endless adventures to be had kayaking in Ireland, no matter what the weather is doing, just get out there.

Sea kayaking with the seals off the Mayo coast.

The Colligan Gorge Games 2008

The first ever boater x event in the South East of Ireland took place last weekend in Co. Waterford, on the River Colligan. This river was not widely known outside Waterford but I think that is due to change now. With no rain forecast for the weekend and no pevious knowledge of the river, I was really not sure what to expect.

The final drop in the gorge.

Carrying my boat into the event village through the early morning mist I just knew that the day was going to be well worth the long drive. Scouting the course it looked tight and technical, but the last two drops were still at a good level. "Not much room for overtaking!", I heard someone shout. There was only one way to find out.


Upper section of the gorge.

The walk up to the start was fun in itself with a super little 'suspension' bridge to cross on the way plus a zip line for boats, the Waterford guys really know how to run a great show.

The first heats to go off were Men's experts, and there was plenty of 'overtaking' going on. There were a lot of experts and I won't bore you with all the results just yet. There were a few Dagger 'Green Machines' brought over by the English lads and even on this narrow river they were cruising ahead in the heats.

The mens sport, womens expert and juniors heats were all run off before lunch, no mean feat considering the large numbers that turned up. There were a few swims but nothing major and the rescue was there when needed (as was the ambulance...).

After a quick break for lunch (and coffee!) the team event got underway. There were a few tricky tasks to do on the flat out run down including catching the last micro eddy before the final drop, and a few paddlers had difficulty ringing the cow bell at the end too! There were mens, womens, juniors and mixed teams (from clubs and uni's) with the dominant sex governing the category you were entered in. Some great prizes were on offer for the team event with two shiny new boats up for grabs. This time trial proved even more competitive than the individual heats with the winners only taking it by a few seconds. The fastest team overall was Brian Keogh, Kipper McGuire, and Jenny Kilbride in 2.22 mins. They won the mens class, with the womens won by Bosco Shaw, Joy Gillen and Muireann Lynch in 3.36. A boy in the girls team and a girl in the boys team...it all got very confusing!

Following that madness came the individual finals. People were starting to get a bit tired at this stage with some paddlers having clocked up a dozen runs at this stage. Fatigue certainly played a part in some of the final sprints. The juniors raced off first with Aisling Geoff and Tom O'Donoghue taking their wins in style. Next was the sport final (which I failed to make this time grrr!) which was very closely fought out but the first to ring the bell were Ger Keane and Susan Doyle, in the mens and womens respectively. Finally the experts let rip and there were some sparks flying as they teared down the course.

The womens race was won convincingly in the end by Rosie Cripps in her big green boat, however Paul Robertson (also in the long boat) was not so fortunate in the mens final. This was a real battle with team like tactics coming into play. The three Irish lads conspired against the Englishman in the faster boat (fairly it has to be said!) and it was obvious leading into the last drop that Brian Keogh was not going catch Colin Wong who had been on great form all day.

A super days paddling and there was even a 'little' party over in Waterford for afters. Thanks to WITKC, 180 Kayak Club and all the other organisers and sponsors. See you there next year!

For more photos and all the results from the weekend try the links below.

www.irishfreestyle.com/node/3922

www.witkc.com/colligan.html

www.colligan.cianclarke.com/

Interview with Shane Flaherty

This is an interview I did for the local paper with Shane Flaherty, about this time last year (2007), just before he headed off to the Freestyle World Championships in Canada as a member of the Irish team.

Shane is a kayaker from Galway who has been on the Irish and international freestyle kayaking circuit for a few years now. When he's not playing with computers in college he's busy guiding rafts down the Ottawa River in Canada.

So tell us Shane, what is freestyle kayaking all about?
Freestyle kayaking is one of the most dynamic forms of kayaking. It involves using your body and boat together to perform tricks, much like many other sports these days. Tricks are then scored on difficulty and you have two forty five second runs to perform as many tricks as possible.


How did you first get into in the sport? Rumour has it you used to be a rower?
I was first introduced to the sport of kayaking through the corrib canoe courses that are run through the college during the summer months. Many years later I joined the GMIT Kayak Club and things have just gone on from there. It is true that I have spent some time in rowing boats, both at junior level and at senior level with “The Bish” and NUIG Rowing Club. Best of luck with this years regatta season lads!

How popular is freestyle kayaking in Ireland at the minute?
Freestyle kayaking is a growing sport in Ireland at the moment. Though it is not a new sport most people that are interested won't be able to experience this form of paddling until they reach college. This is where Galway excels, with a great variety of local play spots and a host of previous national paddlers and even the odd Irish champion knocking around to paddle with, after going out once you'll have caught the bug.

How have you found competing and traveling while doing a degree?
Competing while in college has been pretty good, all of the lecturers up in the college have been really good, but sometimes the deadlines come a little too close to call.


What sort of training are you doing for a competition like the World Championships?
Most of the training at the moment is to prepare for the sheer size of the wave in Canada. It is called the Greyhound Buseater and is one of the biggest surfable waves in the world. Surfing the wave alone puts a lot of strain on your body so keeping fit is important. Visualisation plays a very important role as well. You really need to be able to see yourself doing a move and what exactly you are doing to execute that move.


You competed in the US & Canada last year what was that like?
Last year saw the very first World Cup of Freestyle Kayaking and it was held in Canada and America. The event kicked off on the Garberator wave on the Ottawa River, then moved to upstate New York to a feature called Hole Brothers and then down to Rock Island, Tenessee. This was an amazing experience. I got to travel and compete with some of the worlds best paddlers. This turned out to be a really tough competition but there were some amazing performances.

How does a freestyle competition work? How are you judged?
Freestyle competitions are based on a heat system where you have two forty five second runs to perform as many moves as possible. Moves are scored on difficulty and bonuses are added for combining moves together, air(how much your boat leaves the water) and cleans (performing a move without using a paddles stroke). From there the top paddlers get to progress to a semi-final and then onto finals.


What are the Irish team’s chances of winning medals in May?
The team is very strong this year and some of them have invested a lot of time in both training and travelling to get big water experience, going to places like Zambia and Uganda. So i think we have a good shot for at least one medal.


What do you think is the best and worst aspect of the sport?
The worst aspect of the sport has got to be arriving at a competition and being fully prepared. You get out on the water and have your runs planned out the best you can and when you get on the feature you flush off.


What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you while kayaking?!
I'd like to think nothing, but I'm sure that you'll be able to find something out!

Thanks Shane.

NUIGKC 30th Anniversary, Trip to Delphi & New Bridge on Boluisce River

This was a busy weekend on the kayaking calendar here in Galway. On Friday night the 30th Anniversary of the NUI Galway Kayak club took place and what a reunion it was! We are one of the biggest kayak clubs in the country and there were a lot of well known faces there. A great night, great party, lots of dancing and even some attempted crowd surfing. Big thanks to the organisers Louise Cleary & Darragh McDermott.

Photo by Conor Allen

On Saturday an organised release on the Boluisce River in Spiddal attracted a lot of local paddlers and with all the recent rain we've had it was by all accounts at a great level. Unfortunately I didn't make it due to the previous nights antics but I do know that some good beatings were handed out on the Top Drop!

I was on the road early Sunday morning to get out to Delphi and run the Bundorragha River. It was also a club trip and the chance for some beginners to run their first river. It was at a pretty low level (55cm on the gauge) but nonetheless the few runs down were good fun and the bridge section is always worth a few runs. It's a nice short river and can be run in 15 minutes easily. (And only takes 10 mins to run back to the put in again!) It's also worth noting that there is a deep hole by the pier on low tide and high water levels that can be good if you bring a playboat. The Delphi centre is currently undergoing renovations and the car park is closed so its best to drop all your gear at the put in and park down at the pier.

NB: The salmon season starts on Feb 1st and the river is closed to paddling for the next 8 months.

It was discovered this week that a foot bridge is to be built over Poll Gorm on the Boluisce. The county council however failed to think of kayakers during the design process and the bridge has little clearance. Hopefully some last minute interventions on behalf of all paddlers will lead to a sensible design change being implemented. It would be a real shame if we were to lose one of the best rapids on this river because a local authority failed to check if people use the river for more than fishing.

Tuam Surfing

This week brought with it as much rain as we had in all of October, and then a monster storm at the weekend with the biggest swell in 5 years, what more could you ask for!? And Tuam was up...



Photos courtesy of Conor Allen.

The hole/wave just outside Tuam town is usually pretty small but still good fun when its at a nice level, 1.2m+ on the guage. It was 1.3m on Saturday and despite an early start for me (6.30am) and the hail, wind etc it was a great session. There was a good crowd out for a morning session considering most of them have exams in a few days. For some reason there were lots of cameras around and Connor managed to take some super photos. Two hours surfing, then it was time to get out of there! Tuam is the coldest playspot in Ireland and you really need some warm food afterwards. I managed to film for a while before my hands started shaking. Theres a little clip below which might be of interest if you want an idea of what this spot is like. Its looking good for the rest of the week too ;-)

Oh and dont forget if your in the Galway area for Stephens Day there will be a big session in Tuam to burn off the turkey fat! See you on the water.

Galway Whitewater Weekend

Just back from 'The Wet West Whitewater Weekend' held in Clifden and Spiddal over the 10/11 Nov and what a great event!

There was a freestyle competition on Saturday at the hole in Clifden followed by a boatercross on the Boluisce River on Sunday morning. Both events went off really well but the boatercross seemed to attact a lot more paddlers, and with a big release from the dam it didn't disappoint!

Heres just a few photos I took at the rodeo in Clifden after my heat, paddling in the hole at dusk with a light setup on the bridge. Bit blurry but you get the idea. The photos below are of the expert mens heat which was won by Moe Kelleher...again.

For more photos and the full results check out

www.irishfreestyle.com