March - Ribble Canoe Club

Page 6 November/December 2003
an unknown language wanting to buy some
plastic. The plastic in question is a Dagger
Quake. I paddle it on the canal next to the
shop, and do the deal. Jim lets me cut and
glue foam in and play around with it which
takes me most of the day. Some customers
think I’m an employee and ask the price of
things, I just say help yourself everything is
free today. If they knew what I was saying
they may have laughed as much as me,
instead they just smiled.
I can’t take the boat away because the hire car
has no roofrack but I intend to solve that the
next day and collect it on my return south.
Have boat will travel. Did I mention the sun
was shining?
[This is only one of many stories which Tony
has sent me: if I’d printed them all there
wouldn’t have been any room for anything
else! The stories will continue in future issues
– MS]
Seaquest
A search for Adventure!
September 13th 2003
A combination of high tides, sunny weather, a
light breeze and over forty entries contributed to
the success of this inaugural event on the River
Wyre. Outdoor Adventure Group from the
Blackpool area had originally proposed a single
event of 22km taking in a dozen checkpoints
(orienteering style) and aimed at the sea kayak /
marathon paddler but also laid on a shorter 16km
distance in response to requests from local
paddlers who wanted to participate in a
competitive event.
The Mayor and Mayoress of Fleetwood, Mr and
Mrs. Leadbetter, started off the 16km event to
Stanah and back, and then set competitors off on
the 22km event to Shard Bridge. A rush to locate
checkpoints and punch route cards ensued with
paddlers arriving from various points of the
compass. The course was set out in order to take
advantage of the rising and falling tide which
appeared to be a successful plan, although the
leaders set an aggressive pace in an attempt to
prove the race organiser wrong.
J. Willacy set out to show that his journey to
Fleetwood had not been wasted by covering the
22km in under two and a half hours and was
followed by paddlers supporting the event from
local, Lakeland and Rutland Water clubs.
Two solo open boaters closed the event in a
breeze-affected four hours and all competitors
received a welcome stick of rock on their return
to the finish. Many of the visitors used the
weekend to visit the sights of Fleetwood and
further afield, and some enjoyed a walk along
Blackpool promenade to view the Illuminations.
Our thanks to all who supported the event, keep
a space in your diary for Saturday 18th
September 2004. See you then.
22km Men
1 st J. Willacy 2:24:00
2 nd M. Mills 2:44:12
3 rd M. Huddlestan 2:45:28
22km Ladies
1 st K. Simpson 3:02:41
2 nd C. Pittendriegh 3:35:26
3 rd H. Jeffries 3:41:00
16km
1 st D. Eldershaw 2:49:23
2 nd C. Brazenhall 2:55:13
3 rd R. Land. 2:55:32
My sincere thanks to all who assisted in making
this event such a success. Many thanks to John
and Susanne for their administrative duties
during the event and special thanks to Mereside
Youth Club for manning the Shard, Knott End
and Wardley checkpoints.
Pete Roscoe
www.ribblecanoeclub.co.uk