Page 12 - QARANC Vol 17 No 1 2019

10 QARANC THE GAZETTE
for losing a Colonel, Surgeon Captain Elmer threw one of the lines far enough to reach him and we could continue the day with two instructors!
We lashed the four canoes into two rafts, learning the importance of spacing the four canoes and commenced the first paddle with trepidation to finally be out on the river. The rain didn’t dampen spirits and over the course of the two- hour paddle back to camp there was the opportunity to put principles into practice. With an instructor in each raft it was possible to gain invaluable guidance on posture, positioning and paddle strokes. It was also a chance to start learning the art of steering a canoe – a helpful skill when you want to exit a fast-flowing river at a particular campsite location.
On Sunday, the river remained swollen at 2.02 metres and the decision was taken, for safety reasons, to adapt the training programme. An essential aspect of the O2F syllabus is the ability to complete a deep-water peer and self-rescue. Llangorse Lake is the largest natural lake in South Wales and was a great location to practice further tandem paddling and deep-water rescues. The intention was to complete the theory before immersion in the lake at the end of the training session. However, the unbridled enthusiasm of Warrant Officer 1 ‘Taff’ Fortey and Petty Officer ‘Jeffers’ Jefferies meant the group were treated to a spontaneous capsize drill much earlier than planned. As their canoe passed the point of no return, the traditional shout of ‘swimmer’ was replaced by a much more resigned, ‘Oh, Jeffers’ followed by the instructors undertaking a rapid, educational and safe rescue. We all then knew what to expect and whilst the water was chilly, the emerging sunshine after 48 hours of dark, cold and rain meant that spirits were raised for the trip back to camp.
Monday morning dawned with clear blue skies and, after striking camp, the group set off on the first tandem paddle down river. The canoes were packed with enough personal and communal kit and tents to be self-sufficient for the remainder of the week. The 11.5 miles stretch of river offered ideal conditions to apply the lake-learnt principles in a real environment. After plenty of tuition and a few episodes of paddling in circles, the students started to grow in confidence at the realisation they could handle a 16-foot canoe.
The River Wye is a truly beautiful setting and in addition to the focus
on canoeing skills, there was the opportunity to appreciate the countryside from a different viewpoint. Gliding past sleeping ducks, watching kingfishers on patrol or listening to the lap of water on the hull was an aspect to river canoeing that was valued by all.
Camp on Monday evening was in an idyllic apple orchard at Bycross Farm. Removing the canoes from the river necessitated the use of an aluminium cradle which acted like a chute. At the end of a day’s paddling, it was slightly ‘emotional’ getting the canoes and all the gear up and into the orchard and even more so belaying them back down again. Commander Defence Primary Health Care, Brigadier Charlie Beardmore, joined the exercise for the evening and following morning and he was treated to further culinary treats by Chef Tim. Not only do chain of command visits like this help get more people involved in AT, they importantly help to spread the word about the developmental value of AT in senior circles.
It was a shock the next morning (especially to those without bivvy bags) to wake up to the first frost of the year but the cold was offset by the most beautiful sunrise. After brewing up and the most calorific porridge ever created, a vehicle move of the canoes five miles upriver saw the group ready to undertake the first solo paddle back down to Bycross Farm. The focus was on individual paddling skills and students were pushed out of comfort zones by the instructors, including an attempt at paddling while standing up and backwards paddling. Standing up and paddling is a recognised method of achieving better ‘eyes on’ what’s further downstream and it soon became apparent that it’s really not that hard. It was a fun lesson and thankfully no-one took a dip.
It was time to strike camp again on Wednesday morning and prepare for the longest solo paddle of the week, which was a 11 mile stretch to Hereford Rowing Club campsite. Any remaining syllabus training objectives were covered and everyone worked hard at their solo techniques. By now the aches and strains of continuous canoeing had set in and opportune shoulder massages were shared during rest stops. After arriving at Hereford, we had to say goodbye to two of the group who were unable to participate in the final two days due to impending course commitments. The paddling was starting to take its toll on the fingers of one of the group
who on completion of the day’s training activities suggested a swift recce into Hereford to find a pharmacy for some zinc oxide tape. Having assembled a trusty crew of volunteers to accompany him, Surgeon Captain Elmer, Taff and Grace made doubly sure ‘The Black Lion’ wasn’t hiding any tape under the barrel of Ludlow Gold before returning with the goods.
Thursday was another gloriously sunny day and, with the O2F syllabus complete, offered the opportunity for students to experiment with several different types of boat that had been held in reserve on the trailer as a final treat. The 14 footers, with their shallow keel line, were a boon to journey- weary paddlers determined to keep a straight line, but, unsurprisingly given her speed, the 17-foot aluminium craft proved the most popular, cutting like a hot knife through butter in the hands of her now experienced tandem crews. Though immensely enjoyable, it had been a physically tiring week and everyone was looking forward to arrival at the end destination, with the warm sunshine heightening the team’s anticipation for the final landfall and a well-deserved ice cream. Once camp was set, it became apparent that tiredness was catching up with us all when Surgeon Captain Elmer spent five minutes looking for a grill which was tucked securely under his arm.
On Friday morning, the camp site was packed up for the last time before the drive back to barracks. The effort didn’t stop on arrival back at camp – refuelling, unloading, cleaning, washing and stowing was the last mammoth effort for the exhausted group.
Though physically tired, the sense of achievement for all the group was huge and morale was running high. It was agreed that the canoeing trip had inspired future endeavours and planning is already underway for Exercise DRAGON NATRIX 2, a self-supported wilderness camping expedition on the River Spey in May 2019. The most enduring aspect of the trip will be the new friendships made and memories and banter shared and this was summarised perfectly by Warrant Officer 1 Fortey who commented that meeting new people was great but by far the best bit was really getting to know them as a tandem paddling partner; tandem paddling is highly recommended!
Major Lucy Gaal
Defence Public Health Unit, DMS Whittington