Four Days To Go…..A Day Of Organising

Our adventuring duo began the day by arriving at the swimming pool almost as soon as it opened. Boo likes to go to Newbold Comyn pool early at weekends so she can have lots of time on the water slide and this seemed like a good way to start our last full day of organising.

Last night we collected the trailer ready to load it with the sea kayaks, paddles, etc for the team. Seeing the scale of the trailer has rather terrified our Support Vehicle as the reality of what we are asking of her has kicked in. She admitted this morning to having some interesting nightmares in her sleep but is ready to face her challenge.

We’ve straightened the tent pegs, checked our food supplies (for paddling, evenings and our wild camping on Loch Awe), acquired waterproof watches, pumped up the trailer tyres, and printed the maps (yes, we know we won’t have junctions to worry about. These are so we can track our progress by looking at the scenery we paddle past, otherwise we might not appreciate how far we have paddled each day). Now we just need to launder any of our kit whilst we still have a good drying day, check how all our kit (and the flags and New Hut Bear) fits in our dry bags, sort out our mosquito head nets (Boo still remembers being feasted on by midges along Loch Lomond), and pack a suitcase for our Support Vehicle.

We feel like we are almost on track and ready to start our Three Lakes Challenge. Thank you for all your good wishes and for your support of our fundraising efforts for 2nd Warwick Sea Scouts.

Five Days And Counting

Is it just us, or are the days rushing past really fast? In a mere five days we’ll be launching our kayaks on Bala Lake and our challenge will begin.

This morning we checked the local paper to find they have published an article about our kayaking for Sea Scouts. It is tucked away on page 20 and does not appear to be available online but we’re sure it will help Boo to talk about our challenge when we’re involved with the Kenilworth Arts Festival this weekend.

Now we just need to fit the last few days of work and our final preparations into five days!

Thank you for all your support, it really makes a difference to us all.

By the way, in the photo above Boo is testing an action camera mount that fits over her buoyancy aid so that she can video our kayaking challenge. As long as she’s not too tired each day she will also be editing the video updates. In case you’ve missed her video explaining why she enjoys being a Sea Scout you can watch it here.

Six Days To Go…….this time next week we’ll be on our second lake

We’ve been watching the Paralympics this week, particularly cheering on the cyclists and kayakers. We’ve been reminded of the incredible time we had at the London 2012 Paralympics and been excited to spot stars of those games as well as learning about plenty of new sporting stars. We can’t help focusing on the racing kayaks since they are as long as the sea kayaks we’ll be using next week. Thankfully our kayaks are built more for comfort than speed.

With just six days to go we think we might (finally) have all our kit planned and are very grateful that Libby from the Leam Boat Centre has sent the whole team a kit list that we can use for a final double check.

It feels strange to think that this time next week we will have completed the first two lakes and just have the 25 miles of Loch Awe to paddle. We can’t work out how we feel, or even what weather we want (warm weather can bring out the midges on Loch Awe, and they will make our life difficult!)

As you know we’re tackling the Three Lakes Challenge to raise funds for Boo’s scouts who are trying to build a much needed new scout hut. Thank you for your support that has brought us to 30% of our target.

Eight Days To Go

This morning Boo joined the rest of the team of paddling friends who are attempting one, two, or all three lakes alongside her. The children had fun working together whilst our Support Vehicle and the rest of the parents were finalising maps, food, accommodation, and packing plans. It seems that the parents are more concerned about how the Three Lakes Challenge will work than any of the children, which is understandable considering how much the children enjoy being on the water.

Our Support Vehicle ended the paddling session with more work to do, as she managed to brush the end of Boo’s boat against her skirt. Unfortunately that end had reached the bottom of the river and collected a lot of mud and goose droppings. Thank goodness there are still eight days to go because additional laundry loads will be a lot less popular nearer the start of the paddle.

Please do support Boo and Mark as they paddle to raise funds for the 2nd Warwick Sea Scouts New Hut Appeal. Thank you.

Planning a Paddling Adventure

You would think after all the long-distance cycling challenges Boo and Mark have completed we’d know what was involved when it comes to planning and preparing, but moving off the road and onto the water has taken us all out of our comfort zones and changed out ‘to do’ lists.

Safety One of the major differences we have come across has been the need to build on our previous family kayaking experiences (hiring one and two person kayaks whilst on holiday over the last few years) with some safety training. During the training Boo was rather discombobulated when Mark became tangled in the fishing line, complicating her rescue of him more than either had anticipated. She is not used to seeing her father in difficulties when they are together so this did shake her confidence. Jenna, of the Leam Boat Centre, worked with both of them, and by the end of their training they were both confident that they could help each other out of any difficulties they may encounter during their Three Lakes Challenge.

Route Planning for the lakes is much simpler than for our cycling expeditions since British Canoeing have prepared excellent information sheets for each lake. We have printed maps for ourselves though as it will be useful to track our progress each day by the features of the scenery we paddle past.

Accommodation We still talk as a family about the railway carriage that was our home for the night in Rogart  during our LEJOG ride so we looked for accommodation that we hope will add to our memories of this paddling challenge. We have high hopes that the tipi near Windermere that will be our home for two nights will enhance our family experience. Two summers of scout camps have prepared Boo well for our wild camping night on Loch Awe and we are likely to be very grateful for her scout training when it comes to pitching our tent.

Transport Over the years we have become quite adept at putting bikes and a tandem on the roof or in the back of our car but transporting the very long sea kayaks will be a different story. We will actually be towing a trailer loaded with the kayaks for the entire team which will be a new experience for our Support Vehicle. At least there will be plenty of team members to assist with the loading and unloading of kayaks each day.

Food Boo’s testing of energy gels will not go to waste as she will have her preferred flavours in her daily snack pack. Boo has recently returned to her trusty backpack based hydration bladder for cycling and will carry it on the lakes to simplify drinking whilst paddling. All of our accommodation is self-catering so we will be able to prepare breakfasts and suppers to suit our needs. This leaves two main changes to our food for this challenge: firstly we will have to carry everything we need each day since our Support Vehicle will not be able to reach us with additional supplies; secondly our supplies include ration packs ready to cook for ourselves on Loch Awe, and marshmallows to toast on a group bonfire. The wild camping is one of the biggest differences in our planning, and has the most potential to change the way we explore the world around us by tandem, bike and kayak in future.

Video Boo is taking more of a leading role in creating and editing the videos of the paddling duo’s training. She planned and edited this video and is planning how to best capture her perspective of the Three Lakes Challenge.

Sponsorship is one area that hasn’t changed as once again we are trying to raise money for the 2nd Warwick Sea Scouts New Hut Appeal. Please do sponsor us if you can as seeing the total rise really will help to keep us going during our challenge and the new hut will make a huge difference to the scouting experience for Boo and those that follow her into scouts.

Putting The Team Together

Now we’re finally in September and the start of our Three Lakes Challenge is a matter of days away we arranged a group safety training session for the children involved.

Boo is feeling honoured as the 2nd Warwick Sea Scouts have not just trusted her with the fundraising mascot bear once again, but also with the ensign that they take on camp. She is taking both responsibilities very seriously, which includes making it very clear to anyone helping her handle the flag that it must not touch the ground. She is being joined on the challenge by one of her scout friends who is also fundraising for the much needed new scout hut.

The group of eight children who will be tackling one, two, or all three lakes later this month work well together on the water. They practised rescues and then had fun playing games that seemed to include a lot of crawling across kayaks and getting wet.

Libby is one of the inspiring coaches at The Leam Boat Centre who has helped this group of children develop their paddling confidence and skills and will be joining them on their Three Lakes Challenge. Boo will be the youngest girl to complete the Three Lakes Challenge and the children will be the youngest group to do so.

Let the adventure begin!

Safety and Rescue Training

Mark would be the first to admit that he is not as comfortable in a kayak as he is on a bike, which is no surprise considering he has more than thirty years of cycling in his legs but only a few school trips in a kayak or canoe until Boo started paddling and he joined her on a couple of her adventures.Mark doesn’t want to work towards his two and three star paddling certificates but does feel that some rescue training makes sense if he is to share in Boo’s paddling adventures, at least until she’s old enough to drive herself to the lakes, rivers and coastlines. We had a chat with Jenna at the Leam Boat Centre and arranged for a few hours of Safety and Rescue training. After the land-based inspection of equipment and discussion of CLAP and STEVE (there may be more on both of these once Boo has recovered from the Rise Above ride next week) it was time to practise on the river.

They took it in turns to use the waist tow. We think Boo may have been at a disadvantage with this one but she did manage to drag Mark along.Then it was time to work on their Eskimo Rescues and discover just how cold the river was despite the sunshine this morning.Mark did become a little concerned during Boo’s rescue of him as he struggled to find the paddle she proffered over his inverted boat. His rescue was also hampered by a thirty foot length of fishing line that tangled around his head and neck. The relief once he made it safely to the surface was palpable and at least they both know that Boo can rescue him if absolutely necessary.

Apparently this rescue is referred to as “The Hand of God” as it involves the rescuer physically rolling the boat and paddler upright. Jenna made it look very easy but Mark is grateful that Boo’s paddling experience means he shouldn’t have to rescue her this way.

The technique they may have to utilise on the Three Lakes Challenge is the emptying of water from in a kayak and supporting the swimmer to return to their boat. Boo even managed to do this with Jenna and Mark’s longer sea kayaks  so they are definitely feeling much more confident about next month’s challenge. Please do support their fundraising efforts for 2nd Warwick Sea Scouts.

Fundraising Update

Boo was invited to do a talk at the Kenilworth Mother’s Union in the summer about her experiences during last year’s LEJOG ride. The Mother’s Union group seemed to enjoy the talk and kindly made a collection for a charity of Boo’s choice. It was no surprise to us that she wanted to raise money for her Sea Scout’s campaign for a new hut.

After much discussion we decided that her planned Coast2Coast ride was going to be enough of a challenge to justify asking friends and family to donate and we thought a target of £1/mile (£140) would be achievable.

Thanks to the generosity of her supporters, and a 50% match-funding from Mark’s employers we are pleased to announce that Boo’s Coast2Coast ride has raised £401.50 for the new Scout HQ.

We are now going to look at our diaries and begin planning and preparations for our next challenge. Now that Boo has demonstrated her ability to ride nearly 50 miles a day for three days we think that, with some training, she will be able to ride the length of the River Rhine from Source to Sea. Annual leave requirements mean we need to fit the travel to the start of the ride and the ride itself into two weeks so she will need to ride about 70 miles per day. We hop you will keep following this blog for her training and preparations and, hopefully, some rather spectacular scenery as we ride from Switzerland to Holland.

Thank you for your support.

Preparations for Coast to Coast

With just 3 days to go before Boo rides her longest ride to date on her own bike (Charlie) our preparations are gathering speed. It helps that we learnt a lot last year with the LEJOG ride, and that this one is just three days. But there still seems plenty to do.

It feels like every day another package arrives. This one was greeted with great relief as it contains the rather vital pot of chamois cream as well as a fresh supply of the only energy gel that Boo will happily eat (if she’s tired enough she’ll accept whatever flavour is available but we’d rather she didn’t reach that stage).

A look at the profile for Day Two made us realise that Boo was going to need some smaller gears to help her up the hills. She was happy to assist in fitting the new block and chain and Mark is delighted that she is building her bike mechanic skills.

The shorts in the above photo are the latest step in Boo’s evolution as a cyclist. These are bibshorts so no waist band to get sticky and she definitely feels like a professional cyclist in them!

 

Clearly the new bibshorts required a test ride so the two of them headed out on Saturday morning, on one of the hottest days in August, taking the long route to Stratford (via Henley ice-cream). To say that Boo is overjoyed with her highspeed descent of Bordon Hill reaching a maximum of 34 mph would be an understatement that ignores her squeal of joy heard by the local bats. She felt even better when she checked her results on Strava and found herself joint second fastest female for this descent. We all met in Stratford so they could change into their civies for a spot of geocaching, which seemed to require resting on the bench, and chilled recovery drinks. Boo is currently participating in Sally Evans‘ 30 Day Photo Challenge and took the drinks photo below for the “Something Beginning With S” challenge as she called it “Strawberries, Spoons and Straws in a Shake and Smoothie”

 

Boo’s bike ‘Charlie’ posed for the “From the Side” challenge and we’re sure that cycling and photography will be combined in more of the challenges.

When returning home from our Velodrome experience last weekend, more to follow in a post soon, we successfully tested our ‘FollowMyRide’ app. When we start the Coast2Coast later this week it will be possible for you to follow our progress live on a map with links we’ll post each morning. This was something we’d hoped to do last year so we’re delighted that we seem to have made it work for this year.

Boo, and her scout pack, appreciate all the support you can offer for her ride. She’s aiming to raise £1 per mile ridden so £140 for the ride.

Thank you for your help.