Whitewater trip to the Dee Saturday 4th Feb – Chris Marsden

It was a last-minute decision to put on a trip for Saturday morning and I was surprised by the response. 18 in all.

We met at Horseshoe carpark for 10 am and it was already full of paddlers. I’ve never seen it so busy. We sorted out our groups and then carried out our shuttles. By the time we got back John’s group had already set off down the river.

Myself and Ian combined groups, and it was great to share the river with the many others there.  James wanted to practice his leadership so he led the group.

Lots of students there with lots of carnage. We passed down past the Chainbridge Hotel taking our opportunity to work the river with plenty of practice.  We then got out to have a look at Serpents and most of the group decided they would like to run it. Nikki was nervous had she’d had a bad time on it a few years ago but approached it positively.  Had a swim on her first attempt but wasn’t put off and soon had another go and smashed it.

We made our way to the takeout and reflected on what a great trip we’d had. James did a brilliant job of leading the group and I’m excited to see how he gets on when he decides to take his assessment.  He’ll be an asset to the club.

Looking forward to the next one