We did well today, paddling 17 miles from Kildwick to the 5-Rise Locks and back. We had aimed to complete 20 miles but being less than impressed with the weather when we arrived back at the car we decided to call it a draw.
Our pace had been slowed slightly by the leisurely break we took at the 5-Rise Locks cafe and also by the number of bridges we had to squeeze under.
Our speediest section of the session was definitely when Andrew found an extra turn of speed following his first altercation with a swan near Silsden. It was about time he got a back-full of swan wing and today was his opportunity, it having previously happened to me four times.
We should perhaps be pleased....perhaps the animal was trying to give us a push.
13th May, the day after my 61st was, originally, to be the first day of our challenge but we changed it to give us more time to train in the better weather.
As it was, the 13th saw us have a training session with the General Manager of the Holiday Inn Express in Burnley. Steve, who has never canoed before, boarded his inflatable kayak and we set off of in Leeds direction for half an hour before escorting him back to the hotel to help him out of the boat and back onto terra firma.
Steve joining us on his first ever paddle
We then set off on our own and reached Barrowford before turning and heading back to Burnley, a distance of over 14 miles. This is good but even better is that we managed it an an average of 4 mph, including a food stop.
Better still was the fact that although we passed a number of swans they all swam serenely by without their usual aggression. Andrew has decided that if we paddle by in silence they are less likely to trouble us so on the sight of a swan Andrew quietly states (he being in the front) "silent running" and we only speak again when a respectable distance away.
We also now have our poster prepared and for those local to Ilkley you will hopefully see one that is aimed at raising the awareness of the event to those folk not so internet-savvy.
Our direction across the country east from Liverpool to Goole has been chosen to get some benefit from the prevailing westerly winds but annoyingly our first two weeks of training have been accompanied by easterly winds, making things a tad harder work.
The kayak lets a drop (or 10) of water in but we are not overly worried as we need to be getting out of the boat at regular intervals at locks and swing bridges, where we can empty out any collected water. If we can find the leak before July we will find a use for liberal amount of gaffer tape (for all those who followed my walk last year I used a lot of gaffer tape on that trip also).
The one aspect of the trip over which we have no control will be the level of aggression from other canal-users. Not the folks on boats, they are all very friendly; not the people using the towpath, many of whom have asked what we are doing when they see the CSY T-shirts; not the geese that line the banks of the canal and watch as we paddle by. No, the aggression arises from the Queen's own birds, swans. They don't stay perched serenely on the canal bank - the female (I am told it is the male who sits on the nest) comes out to meet us, swimming alongside for a hundred yards or so, wings arched outstretched and head and neck held close to the body.
This one landed short:
After a while the bird drops back, giving the impression of having got bored of being an escort. Then, some seconds later, a sound of heavy, beating wings flapping on the surface of the water is followed by the swan either a) landing just short of the boat or b) crashing into the back of the rear paddler. So far, it has only happened to me and I don't think Andrew is relishing the prospect of being in the rear seat when we next encounter a kamikaze swan.
We are told they won't be as bad in July, it is whilst they are nesting that they are their most protective, seemingly seeing anything else that users the canal as a threat. We will wait and see!
After the tribulations of steering the kayak and realising that unless we could do something about it we would be struggling to achieve our pre-arranged schedule, we are one week into the training and can paddle in (just about) a straight line.
On a beautiful May Day Holiday evening on a stretch of the L&L near Kildwick, (free of swans) we spent a little over an hour covering nearly 4 miles. We have decided to leave any altercations with swans until we are more confident that the aggressive so-and-so's won't cause us to capsize as they attack the boat.
Training was given a lift when we met June and Charlie, residents of one of the boats on the private moorings between Kildwick and Silsden. They asked where we were bound and after we told them they knew who we were from the Gazette article and promised to have a flask of tea ready. Salt of the earth and I'll bet we meet others like them.
This was our third outing and our speed is getting better, averaging about 3 mph but still needs to improve. More sessions scheduled - see you on Friday.
Plenty more of this needed if we are to be ready in less than 10 weeks time
