The Matlock paddle was the first club trip of the year. The trip was organized and led by Martin and Nikki Aldridge. For once, this was a trip with a fairly reasonable start time and since Matlock Bath is not too far from base camp, we all got a bit of a lie in. I was pleasantly surprised at the turnout, with a last-minute appearance of Captain Dave Clarke and his Microbat! And of course, it was lovely to see David Garland making a return to the water.
Fraser’s son, Arron, joined us for his first attempt at a moving water paddle. Other paddlers that joined us included Beka Jane, Dave Hutt, Colin Harrison, Mick Perry, Sam Perry and Martin Stretton. Sorry if I forgot anybody else… 🙂
This winter has been uncharacteristically dry, which was made all the more apparent when we reached the Derwent at Darleydale Bridge. Water levels were low, suggesting that we were in for a little bit of a scrape in places, but it did mean that some of the newer paddlers would get a calmer introduction to the few rapids that the Derwent has to offer.
Martin gave us a safety brief and we all got into our boats and onto the water. During the trip, there was a fair bit of practice ferry gliding across the flow, eddying out and breaking in. It was amazing to see how Aaron’s confidence grew and how he quickly grasped the concept of edging to control his turns and to retain stability in his boat. Beka also took the opportunity to develop her basic whitewater skills further and it was good to see her mastering a clean break in and some S turns, under the watchful tuition of Nikki Aldridge.
A brief lunch stop at one of the bigger sets of rapids gave some of us the chance to refuel, while others took the opportunity to play on the few waves that were available. It was around this point that Arron Watson seemed to brighten up and show us what a brilliant paddler he is.
Dave Clarke even suggested that if he kept at it, we might have another Dale in the club. That’s a brilliant compliment and Arron should feel mega-proud of his achievements.
By the time we got to the slalom course, everybody was very comfortable in their boats and ready to tackle some of the rapids here. At this point, confidence was high and everyone was given a chance to play around according to their own abilities. A quick swim from Beka revived her enthusiasm and, instead of dampening her spirits, fired her up to tackle the infamous ‘killer rock’. We had a little chat and she paddled up to the feature and stuck the nose of her boat directly into the wave and started a bit of a surf. I think she surprised herself as much as anybody else with a brilliant display of courage and some excellent boat control.
In the end, an excellent day was had by all. We clambered up the steps and loaded up our boats to go home. In the van, driving down the M1, Arron looked tired. I asked him why he didn’t have a sleep. He replied:
“I don’t sleep in cars!” and promptly closed his eyes for a doze.
Thanks to everybody for a great paddle at the start of a new year.
Rowan Puttergill