We thought it was about time we gave you an insight into what we’ve been up to over the Easter break. Aside from the looming prospects of exams, which we definitely won’t discuss, our kayaking has been progressing nicely. Our gym sessions take place 4 times per week and we kayak a further 3 times per week. One session focuses on technique in the swimming pool, spending the majority of the time capsizing and rolling back up (similar to being in a washing machine) and the remaining sessions are on the Thames, setting off from Putney Bridge.
George has been spending some time on the Thames ...
The mixture of rarely finding yourself sitting in a sea kayak in the middle of the Thames combined with the sheer insanity created through revision led me to getting slightly carried away on Thursday, taking pictures of pretty much everything I saw. I hope you enjoy them. The London waterbus is something that has provided a fair bit of humour over the last few of weeks. It turns out to be pretty terrifying when it comes shooting past, so we’re looking forward to seeing how the Caribbean cruise ships treat our arrival. I quickly found out the other day that the wake created from the waterbus tends to rebound against the banks of the Thames and leaves you being tossed around in a whirlpool of waves for a good 5 minutes. I was far from impressed.
Fortunately the wake of any boats we pass in the Caribbean will not rebound against us, although we may be facing just slightly rougher conditions than going for an evening paddle on the Thames. In any case we're having a great deal of fun learning all the tricks and techniques, despite the organisational stresses, we are thoroughly enjoying our pre trip preparations. As we head back to Durham in the coming weeks give us a shout if you see us paddling along the river, we’ll try and wave back without capsizing. Finally we’ve got loads of news coming up including talking you through our sponsors, some of our equipment, naming our boat, our summer plans and the release of the much anticipated charitable donations page so please watch this space!
Heading back to the boathouse at the end of our paddle
Best of luck to everyone taking part in the marathon next Sunday! Despite the pain it's a fantastic experience and we'll be there cheering everyone on!
A crane, captured in action for Michael Hemmings
