Remember this trip proposal
from last December ? With 2 days to go, this is the final organisation thread, which I'll be updating at intervals.
Apologies that this is a long posting. On the other hand, this is complicated, so it needs to be !
What's Involved ?
All available sea kayaks have been booked for Saturday June 28th, a long Summer's day with special
TIDES:
HW Shadwell: 09:30A
LW Gravesend: 14:30A
HW Shadwell: 21:30A
The plan is to timeshare boats on a trip from Shadwell to Gravesend and back, as follows:
- The "AM" team paddle from Shadwell (~08:00) to Gravesend (~14:30) while the "PM" team make the same
journey by train. We meet up on the beach at Gravesend (14:00-15:00) for a mini beach-party and lunch stop.
- The "PM" team then paddle the same boats from Gravesend (~15:00) back to Shadwell (~21:00) while
the "AM" team go home by train.
- Marathoners may elect to go both ways
Sounds easy doesn't it ? However, this is the first time we have tried something like this, and there is
plenty that can go wrong ! Please do help to make it work !
If you haven't paddled this stretch of river before,
here's a brief account of it
Who's Going ?
This is a Thames trip, so we operate under the standard River Rules. That means it's basically
for 3 stars, but we can take some 2 stars under the "buddy" system, provided the balance is right.
Above all, you should be fairly confident of covering the distance (40K) and in reasonable time.
If the AM team runs late, this impacts the PM team, and if they in turn are late, they
end up returning in the dark and punching tide. If you're not sure whether it's right for you, get some
advice from someone who has coached you.
To register for this trip, you need to reply to this posting indicating :
- Direction: Whether you want to paddle AM, PM, Either, or Both
- The Boat: Either Any or OB (own boat) or a named boat if you have a particular preference
I'll be consolidating replies into the tables at the bottom as they come in.
We have some juggling to do to sort out boat-shares, so you can ceertainly help by going for
Either/Any boat. One way or another, you should end up with a
boat-share and a person to swap with at Gravesend. (Negotiate this among yourselves and let me know
the outcome of you prefer).
This trip is not quite symmetrical ! The AM team actually have less time and also have to
punch tide initially. Hence, it's probably better if faster paddlers gravitate towards the
AM team. But obviously, nobody yet knows what the wind will be doing...
Booking Boats and Other Kit
This is a complicated because:
- Every boat involved needs to be paddled both ways
- Some people will provide their own boats
- Basin GRP boats are only bookable by those who have done the intro course
So although I started a "booking thread", please do not book any boats initially as we will
confuse Paul. Just reply to this posting as described above and let the plan take shape.
Then we can confirm the bookings with Paul (and you can book any Kit you need).
All working sea boats (~10) have already been block-booked for this trip, so we should have
enough capacity.
In the unlikely event of a shortage, priority goes to your posting order in the "original thread"
followed by this one. FWIW, posting order in the original thread was:
Dan/Sarah/Gianluca/Sean/David/Pete/Anne?/SusiF/MartinK/h3l3n/Klaudia
Leaders and Co-ordinators
This is really just a "long Tuesday night paddle", but we still need to have Trip Leaders in each
direction. For the AM team, Chris and Charlie (imminent 4 stars, logging their trips)
will be sharing the role. For the PM team, we will have another pair (still to be agreed).
I'm also looking for volunteers for a Co-ordinator role in each team, someone to stay in touch
with their own team members (for early warning of any Latecomers or "No Shows") and to
communicate progress to their opposite number (via texts or calls). I'd rather not dump this extra
burden on the trip leaders; their job is to get is there.
No Shows on either leg can seriously mess things up. So if something stops or delays you on the day,
please let your coordinator know ! An AM No Show means the paddler waiting at Gravesend
doesn't get to paddle. A PM No Show leaves us having to tow an empty boat back.
Timekeeping
Historically, we have always had enough time to do this trip in one (6 hour) tide, including some
time for break(s). However, the AM team really have to watch the clock and take action if they
start slipping behind. To help with judging this, here is an approximate timing plan, imagining 6 hours
to do the whole distance at an even pace (ie ignoring the tide curve and not counting stops).
HH:MM
00:00 SHADWELL Beach
00:50 Greenwich
01:40 Thames Barrier
02:00 Gallions Reach (possible stop)
03:30 Erith Deep Water Jetty
04:00 R.Darenth entrance (possible stop)
04:30 QE2 Bridge
06:00 GRAVESEND slipway
Speed Control, Towing and being Towed
On Tuesday nights, it has been known for members of a River paddle group (that starts together)
to split off and zoom ahead. If you do that during this (40K) trip you will be in breach of the
River Rules, and will also be scattering the group and creating co-ordination problems.
This will be for the Trip Leaders to decide - but in my view, the best way to do this trip is to stay together.
In the event that there's one paddler substantially slower than the rest, and we are slipping behind the
timings, I suggest we help them along with a double in-line tow, ie 2 faster paddlers at the front helping
the slower one along. We have used this arrangement before on Thames trips and it works swimmingly ! Provided
the slower paddler is still paddling (ie not actually injured) the trio moves along easily, and the
whole group benefits from the equalisation of speeds.
From the "slow" paddler's point of view, being offered a tow can be a humiliating experience. There's an
understandable tendency to resist it and plug on solo, even to the point where the viability of the
trip is threatened. If you find yourself being offered a tow, please swallow your pride and let it happen !
The load on your 2 helpers really is quite light, and you owe them no more than a drink at the end.
After all, if the roles were reversed, you would do the same for them. Wouldn't you ?
To cover this possibility, we need people who are comfortable with towlines, so please indicate
this in your reply. This kind of towing works best if the towline has a bungee section, to avoid jolting
and share the load better.
If there are any No Shows, we may end up having to tow an empty boat. The Trip Leaders will
probably therefore want to pack a cockpit cover to make this easier (empty boats under tow
tend to turn over and swamp).
If any marathoners want to use this trip for pure speed training, I suggest we have a separate
discussion about how to accommodate your needs (probably via a separate group, paddling independently
but meeting up with us at Gravesend).
Sharing Kit
Given the "mirror image" nature of this trip, there are lots of opportunity to share kit (BA, decks,
paddles - even day return train tickets!). So before we book anything, I suggest you wait while
the "boat shares" take shape - then discuss things with our opposite numbers. That way, you can save
carting loads of stuff on the train.
Aside from that, pack what you would normally take on a Thames day trip, not forgetting food, water,
and a sunhat. The PM team should also pack head-torches just in case (though in
theory, you will be back before sundown).
The Consolidated Plan
(This is the bit I will be regularly updating)
Individuals Booked
DIRECTION BOAT BOAT CAN LEFT
WHO AM/PM/EITHER/BOTH PREFERENCE PRIORITY TOW? HANDER?
Chris (AM leader) AM OB (Aquanaut) ? - . .
Charlie (AM leader) AM . 0 . .
Dan AM Preferred Basin Romany 1 . Yes
Sarah AM Preferred Basin Explorer 2 . .
Sean AM Nordkapp 4 . .
TonyR (AM Co-ord) Either OB (KS Viking) - Yes .
Pete AM Preferred . 6 . .
JonEeles (PM Co-ord) AM Preferred OB (Point 65N K1S) 12 Yes .
Ailien (PM leader) Either Aquanaut/WildSys 13 Yes .
MikeOR AM Preferred OB ? 14 . .
Liz PM Nordkapp 15 . .
Cliff PM . 16 . .
MartinK AM . . Yes .
JohnS PM . . Yes .
Finalised Boat Shares
AM PM BOAT
Pete Cliff THCC Aquanaut
Charlie (AM leader) Dan Basin Romany
Chris (AM leader) Sarah Basin Explorer
MikeOR Ailien (PM Leader) OB (DaveT's Orion)
TonyR (AM Co-ord) JonEeles (PM Co-ord) OB (Tony's Viking)
Sean Liz THCC Nordkapp
MartinK JohnS OB (Nick's Romany)
Checklist For Paddlers
- Reply to this thread to book your place
- Monitor the Plan above and negotiate as necessary for a suitable boat, and a boat-share partner.
- Try the boat out one Tuesday night if you're not sure it's right for you
- Swap notes with you boat-share partner about any potential kit sharing (paddle, BA, deck...)
- When resolved, book whatever kit you need between you
- Monitor this thread for any late changes as the date approaches (eg possible change in the Gravesend rendezvous, depending on wind!)
- On the day, text your team co-odinator to confirm you're on track for the start.
- Enjoy it !
(Blimey, that is a long posting isn't it ? Sorry !)
TonyR