Shoulder problems

This week has not been a good week. Following a lot of travel at the end of last week and some subsequent travel this week, I have got a lot of pain in my left shoulder which is making neck movement very tricky.

Stretching the tight muscles out seems to help a bit, but I think it's going to take a trip to Jacqueline (Saviour of Muscles) to get this back in control. Booked in for Wednesday next week.

In the meantime some gentle swimming and gentle stretching, but I think a paddle is going to be unlikely this weekend.

Body trying to tell me something, perhaps?

Try Try Again

Perseverance is key to success.

Not ones to be beaten by a bit of cold water and a wobbly kayak, Big and I have got out there a couple more times.

Second time out we eventually made it from Marsh Benham lock, upstream and back without falling in. This is real progress.

Last night we went out again, having had a break of a couple of weeks, and it felt like we'd never seen a kayak before!
We did make it 200m before our obligatory soaking this time! Much to the delight of a jogger on the tow path.
After this slightly chilly entrance to the Kennet & Avon, we managed to complete a 'staggering' 4 miles without a further entrance into the 'not-so-deep brown'!

Hurray!

We even managed 4 portages (I believe they are called)

This time next year Rodders.............

Maybe another Kayak?

Before I get the opportunity to finish my handy work (much like the other 17 projects I still have unfinsihed!) I get the call from Big.

"Someone is going to lend us a kayak, and I actually fit!"

Very exciting.........

It turns out to be an Accord from Pope's Canoe Centre in South Africa http://www.popescanoes.co.za

The good news is that it comes with two paddles which we can also borrow. The bad news is that it looks as though we know what we are doing, when in fact we don't have a clue.

"Let's head to the canal"

Marsh Benham is a nice quiet stretch of canal (not too embarrassing) for us to try out our new craft. The confidence is oozing out of us!

Big is wearing a full wetsuit, all keys, phones, watches, rings are removed and in we jump.......well in we carefully get, holding on to the edge as if our lives depend on it.

"Which way up do these paddles go?"

"Haven't got a clue!"

"Shall we give it a go?"

"Let's!"

We tentatively push off from the side. Steady.............steady...........SPLASH!

Back to the side, empty her out and 2nd attempt.........the same as the first.

A patern emerges with falling in before 5m travelled everytime.

Hmmmmmmm!

We are going to need a Kayak

So now things are getting serious.......we need to get our hands on a boat.

Like all good purchases this should be done straight from the internet, and with no previous inspection! It is armed with this knowledge we head for ebay and with three well armed clicks, we have purchased a Puma XP-85 (sounds brilliant)

Not having a clue what it is which we have just bought, I decide to knock up some V-bars out of some batten I had left over from the recent building work we had done and we drive up to Woking to pick up the boat.

Securely strapped to the roof of the car (not on the homemade V-bars, which broke immediately) we drive back home, and place the kayak on the grass for a a simulated paddle.

I do hope you are grasping how professional we are here!

It was deemed, with my stature, that I should go in the front, so in I slip.

"I don't fit!" comes the call from behind.

"Don't be daft" I exclaim

"Seriously......I can't even squeeze in!"

I don't think that I have yet pointed out that Big is in fact a 6ft 5in, 18st, 2nd row rugby player. Not your typical kayaker!

His hips (being polite) are wider than the cockpit.

Well, not to be beaten, I pull out the jigsaw, cut the rear cockpit off and decide to make the rear cockpit entrance a bit wider.

Nobody said it was easy!

This is how it all began

Like all good things, this started with several pints of Strongbow and several pints of 6X (from Devizes aptly enough), combined with an unhealthy competitive streak.

The two of us have lived in Newbury pretty much all our lives and now finding ourselves in our mid-30s and with 3 & 2 children respectively it seemed it was time for a challenge. Not personally knowing anyone who had done the DW (although it's amazing how many people have 'almost' done it!) we thought that this should be the right thing to undertake.

>"You can kayak, can't you?"

>"Sure"

>"When was the last time you paddled"

>"Ummmmm.......when I was 11! But I did get a 1 star certificate!"

In the words of Sam Beckett from Quantum Leap "OH BOY!"

Fast forward to June 2009 with just 300 days left to run before the DW, we've read all we can read; we've viewed all clips possible on YouTube and we've scoured through blogs . At some point we have to get in a K2.