River trips

0.47 metres ........ 09 September 2007

A lower level than last week, but still not the lowest I have seen it - the ring of steel piles just above the middle of the weir were just showing.

Due to shortage of time, I didn`t get up to the Linn at all, just headed for the weir. However it was nice to have some company for a change, as it was quite busy.

Weir

Better than last week, the drop in level made the wave easier to surf, however my boat was just a bit too short, a longer boat might have been a wee bit better. It was easy to get on to the wave, but gradually you just drifted backwards off the wave, there was just not enough of a trough to keep you captive.

Hand surfing was possible, but again, you just drifted slowly backwards off the wave.

However the fact that it was easy to get on to the wave meant that we got two people who had not really surfed before onto the wave, and into the beginnings of surfing. So we got some happy bunnies.

One of the things that was noticeable was that how you sat in the kayak was significant - normally advice when surfing river waves is to lean back a bit, as it tends to lengthen the water line length a bit, due to the fact that most kayaks have more rocker at the front of the boat than the back. The longer waterline length results in a faster speed. However on this occasion, it didn`t help, as it shifted your weight too far back, the back of the boat dug deeper into the slight and confused pile, and increased drag, which caused the kayak to drift back faster. So a more upright position worked better.

Rapid down to Hell Hole corner

Plenty of features which should have provided quite a lot of play potential, however there wasn`t really anything to get excited about.

Hell Hole corner

Straightforward. The stopper river left below the rock shelve didn`t have quite enough water to make it challenging.

Hell Hole corner to Thistlebrig

The hole opposite the mill was in good form.

Thistlebrig

Thistlebrig had its characteristic "S" shape, with a lot of exposed rocks in the middle. The hole half way down was deep and fast, and dumped me upside down when I tried to play on it.

The best bit about Thistlebrig was the number of kayakers who turned into swimmers - it`s been a long time since I have seen that many upsets.

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