Continue reading »]]> Adam and I have been in New Zealand for about two months now. Living out of our trusty campervan.  Our general plan has been – no plan- which seems to have paid off most the time.

We started the trip off flying into the North Island, where we sampled the delights of classic runs such as the Kaituna and Wairoa.

After a couple of weeks we jumped on the ferry to the South Island and made our way to Murchison.

Having made a New Years resolution to become a more tidy paddler. I decided to sign up for a course at the New Zealand Kayaker School. Led by the legendary Mick Hopkinson, the NZKS has a great team of instructors, an awesome base camp and plethora of perfect teaching rivers at its doorstep. What more could you ask for? I had a great time getting my ass grilled on the local Buller runs, now I just need to put it all into practise.

In order to fund my time back at ‘kayak school’ I did some work at the River Cafe making pizzas. Luckily the job wasn’t exactly demanding and so I managed to fit in daily runs before work.

A month later we finally moved on from Murchison and headed to the West Coast. With steep mountains, epic rainfall and the option of using a helicopter for a shuttle, this region is a kayakers dream.

We’ve been quite lucky with waterlevels and have also managed to catch a number of the roadside and walk-in runs ( hence saving our ever dwindling £££).

I’m not exactly the most fit or strong of paddlers, so walking up steep tracks with my boat on my back has taken some getting used to. I’ve been using the Pyranha portage pack for most the walk-ins. Although it took me a while to figure out how to actually put it together ( I highly recommend watching Dinver’s video if your struggling with this), once rigged this has proved to be invaluable for me. However I’m sure generally being a bit fitter and stronger would also pay dividends.

For more updates on our adventures check out www.saraandadamsbigtrip.wordpress.com

]]> http://www.teampyranha.com/2011/02/17/road-trippin-in-nz/feed/ 0 http://www.teampyranha.com/2010/12/07/tamur-adventures/ http://www.teampyranha.com/2010/12/07/tamur-adventures/#comments Tue, 07 Dec 2010 12:48:58 +0000 Sara James http://www.teampyranha.com/?p=6469

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We’ve now been in Nepal for nearly 2 months now.  A definate highlight so far has to have been our trip to the Tamur river. 3 day hike in and then 4 days paddle out, some chunky fun rapids and stunning scenery. Couldn’t have asked for any more.

As its quite a mission to actually get to the Tamur river, we joined up with a trip organised by Gene 17. After a quick warm up on the Trisuli river, we headed east.

Its a 16 hour journey to the start of your trip but that is only the start of the adventures. Fuelled by granola bars ( and aided by porters), the hike in took another 3 days. Despite not exactly being a fan of walking, I really enjoyed the journey. The trail snaked up the valley, along a ridge and then down again passing through thicks forests, open paddy fields and some fascinating villages, all in the foot hills of the Himalayas.

5 days, 165km*, 14 satsumas and 5 granola bars later we finally reached the Tamur river. After the first hour on the river I already new that all the previous waiting ( and walking) had been worth it.

(* I have no idea how much distance we actually covered).

Most the white water is concentrated on the first and last day of the trip. However even the flat sections were interspersed with classic grade 4 rapids. Dodging big holes in a loaded boat is fun as hell (when you get it right). I had a couple of unintentional surfs but generally the river is quite friendly.

WIth countless sandy beaches to sleep on , river life on the Tamur was pretty sweet. Although an unfortunate accident with chopped chilli’s did upset me somewhat.

For some more pics from the Tamur and our travels so far, check out my blog.

For more info on G17′s adventure trips check out their website.

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Sometimes we all feel like its time for a holiday….

I felt like that in February, so I  blagged a ‘sabbatical’ from teaching, bought a round the world ticket and packed what I deam to be 25kg of my most essential belongings ( + kayak obviously). Over the next 12 months Adam and I will be visiting India, Nepal, New Zealand, Fiji and USA with our kayaks in tow.

Our first real adventure has been a 3 day trip down the Zanskar river  Northern India, dubbed the Grand Canyon of Asia.  Read and run rapids meant the paddling wasn’t technical, but chunky wave trains, huge boils and a deep isolated gorge made for a real adventure.

More info on our travels can be found here:

saraandadamsbigtrip.wordpress.com

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On Saturday Marlow Canoe Club hosted the 2nd BCU Freestyle League Event, held at Boulters Weir. The results of the summer league will determine the British Champion and count towards GB team selection for 2011 World Championships.

It was a great day to be out on the water in the sunshine. Pyranha paddlers Jamie Burbeck and Bren Orton paddled well, winning 1st place in their respective categories.

Matt Tidy even took a break from his hectic work schedule  to come show everyone that carthwheels are still super cool.

Competition in the Juniors was fierce with James Benn and Bren Orton having their usual battle. Both pulling an impressive array of moves, in what can only be described as a ‘difficult’ feature.

The selection results * were as follows ( click on image for a larger view)

*  Apolgoies  I forgot to take a picture of the Elite K1 Men and OC1 categories.  I know Matty Nicholas won the K1 mens, followed by James Weight, Sam Anderson, Matt Tidy and Doug Cooper.

A slightly more informal final was also run at the end of the day to decide the Boulter’s Champion. Results will no doubt be posted on gbfreestylekayak.com asap.

Thanks to the organisers and all those that came along for a quality day in the sun.

Continue reading »]]> Now that summer is long over and my school kids are slowly slipping back into their apathetic ways, I thought it was about time for a good bit of procrastination and nostalgia as dig out my photos to re-live a sweet summer of boating.

Sara James checking on Godafoss – photo – Nick Horwood

Trip 1 –Sneaky trip to Norway.

Given that I could fly to Norway faster than I could drive to Scotland, I decided to pop out there to complete my 5* assessment and catch up with friends for a few days boating.

 Sara James – Ulla falls – Nowary

Sarah Nash – Ulla Slides, Norway

Trip 2 – Iceland

What can I say, it was everything I had expected and far more.   

Things I HAD expected

• Lots of water
• Lots of ice
• Huge waterfalls

Things I had NOT expected

• To find a hot pool in a geothermal crack in the middle of a lava field
• Iceland is not actually that expensive
• Friendly farmers would greet us with cake after we got off a river

Cake hmm                                      Tom Parker – Barka, Iceland              Sara James, Godafoss, Iceland

Trip 3 -Switzerland

Continue reading »]]> Thanks to all those that joined in the Pyranha Summer Series event the other  weekend. Despite the swarms of midgies it was a chilled out and fun affair.

Amy Simcock tested out the Small Burn for the boater cross and came home in 1st position.

The Rodeo took place at the NRS wave. With an informal judging system the aim was basically to impress Dom. James Reeves and Tim Burne led the men’s field with their blunts and clean spins, however Dan Brayfield’s paddle spin como’s were definitely the most impressive moves of the day. Mags Brayflied led the women’s field showing the girls how its done.

The Boater cross seemed to bring out the slightly more competitive side of everyone and there was a fair amount of ‘friendly’ jostling amongst the guys. None the less yet again Tim Burne managed to secure victory for the men with Amy Simcock winning the womens’ race. A special shout out has to go to the Tryweryn boys who managed to sneak in a quick race during their lunch break.

 The highighlight of the day had to be cruising down the Tryweryn with young Jo from Wrexham. For someone who had only ever paddled the Dee before, he sure styled the river and even stopped for a surf at NRS wave. Darn youth these days.

Cheers for all who came along. The next event is being held on 25^th July , same time, same place. Remember it’s aimed a folk of all abilities and it’s FREE, so if you around why not give it a go.   

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Rory just can’t handle all the excitement at the MOP premiere

 You’ve spent almost a year staring at a computer screen, editing footage and trying to sweet talk artists into giving you rights to their music for free… now what?  Well MOP producer Max Bilbow decided that the next logical step was to convince 140 boater from about the country to come to Leeds, dress up in formal attire, play a game of bingo (!?) and then watch the world premiere of his new DVD, Means of Production… And what an awesome night it was!

Chris’ version of Bingo – definately not for grannies

Seeing all your scummy paddling mates dressed up in frocks and suits was enough to entertain anybody, however despite having seen much of the movie in its infant stages, I was still inspired watching the finished piece.

Documenting the kayaking travels of Max and his mates, this is a professionally edited movie that manages to avoid taking itself too seriously. Don’t expect any deep philosophical mumbo jumbo rather enjoy a humerous and inspiring look at big drops, steep creeks and sweet waves around the world. MOP will make you giggle and make you cringe, whilst still insipiring you to quit your day job and get out kayaking.

What does really set this video apart from its peers, is the attention to quality of the audio. Tony Bilbow   ( ex BBC) provides a truely British commentary which is carefly juxtaposed against a well mixed mash of tunes, ranging from Ugly Ducking to Frank Turner. The DVD is worth buying for the sound tracks alone.

To find out more about the DVD or to buy your very own copy. Visit http://www.mopmovie.co.uk/dvd.html

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It was great to take part in this weekend again, partly because it is a fantastic opportunity to observe top quality coaches in action, but mainly because it’s a chance to catch up with old boating friends and make some new ones.

Saturday I helped out with  some workshops and flat water coaching clinics aimed at a range of abilities and interests. Then in the evening we were all treated to  an inspiring photo presentation by Hick Norwood, documenting his travels in Norway. Followed by a sneaky preview  of upcoming movie MOP by Max Bilbow.