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Paddlers' Stories
Ray Rowe – Senior Singles 2005
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| I just want to relate briefly my experience in the 2005 DW. I had done the race twice before, first in 1984, and again in 2003. Both times were in Senior K2. The relatively recent introduction of the K1 event has always held a mysterious allure for me – something to do with the feeling of self reliance, the sense of adventure attached to the solo experience. A couple of things put me off – firstly, the impression of a four day race with some sort of camping/sleeping in church halls just didn’t feel attractive (so much for the adventurous spirit!). Secondly I live in N. Ireland – how could I expect anyone to give up all the time involved in travelling to the race and then hanging around four days? And yet I could not rid myself of the hankering to thrash across England in a K1. |
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| Before Christmas I did a few long paddles to see just how long I could sit in the boat before my screaming rear-end forced me off the seat. About an hour – not good! The bum ache would have to be worked on but just how feasible was my plan to take on the race without support (possibly in some kind of expedition spirit, with the necessary food and gear on board)? I was prepared to give this a try and so, by way of research, I phoned Paul Ralph of Marsport, whose opinion on all things DW I have come to trust implicitly. Could a guy arrive at Devizes, park up and just head down the course for four days – no support crew? Would it break any race rules? Thinking the worst of how he might view my Email, I tried to reassure him that I was not a nutter. My fears were completely ill-founded and, on the contrary, Paul’s enthusiastic and very encouraging response well and truly sealed the idea for me. Thank you God for giving us people like Paul, who see the positive side, who love their sport and can look beyond their own egos to encourage others. This “definitely doable” confirmation was what I needed to start me preparing seriously for the race. It was to be an early Easter so time was limited. |
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| Within a few weeks I had announced the crazy plan to my paddling mates. I’d never previously mentioned this to them and they were a little surprised at first. Lesser mortals would have given it, “C’mon Ray, you’re 52, you’ve got a good TV, why don’t you get a nice mug of cocoa and CHILL – well, sit in front of the fire.” Not these guys. They went away in a little huddle and two days later were back. “We’re gonna support you on the Race.” I had dreaded this – they were offering to give up every single day of their Easter hols for a driving and isotonic drink-mixing experience on the busy roads of Southern England. No amount of pleading on my part could dissuade them – this was Three Musketeers stuff, and I was genuinely touched. Having a totally dependable support crew meant I could stop working out where in the K1 I would store sleeping bag, bivibag and spare clothes. This would be a proper race, and I’m not talking Captain Scott to the South Pole stuff. |
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| Well, the weather was great. There were lots of happy juniors in K2s for company. The tunnel was trickier than it is in a K2. The paddling was hard and the portages, with an 8kg boat were no big deal. Lots of really great people who hadn’t a clue who I was, encouraged me from the tow path and kept asking if I needed anything. My support crew were absolutely brilliant, and being passed by seriously fast paddlers like Morley and Hendron was inspiring, and not in the least depressing. |
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| This was my first real experience of multi-day racing and while I’m not a newcomer to the mileage I did find the hard paddling on consecutive days tough going. I was, however, amazed to discover that my overnight recovery was pretty good (using guest houses rather than a tent). Maintaining high carbo intake throughout the period was crucial. – I did have one really bad spell on the second day but I’m certain it was created by a lapse in my feeding regime. |
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| Coming through the tideway in darkness and half light was very intimidating for me, especially as I was using a Scorpion K1 that I was relatively new to. I was fortunate to be hooked into a small group of K1s who knew the area and were moving really well. They were no doubt convinced I was a low-life parasite, sponging off their wash and unwilling to take the lead. In truth I was gripped by the sheer vastness of the Thames, combined with my lack of confidence in the Scorpion. Anyway, Westminster arrived with the river still in full ebb and me still in the boat. |
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| This was an amazing experience and quite different to that of the doubles race. Respect to the organisers for their efficiency and dedication. Respect to Paul Ralph of Marsport for his encouragment. Respect to the Sean Morleys of this world for their serious speed over the water. And mega respect to my mates for their support in so many ways. |
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