300ft. slide in a kayak

[kellymoe]

Check this out. Yee Ha!!!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7735242.stm

[Rallyroo]

Check this out. Yee Ha!!!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7735242.stm

Woohoo!

Richard Harvey from the Welsh Canoeing Association said he could not comment on the group involved, the locality or the legality of their activity but he did say he was aware the slipway had been used by kayakers for about 20 years.

I think that Welsh Waters wants to protect themselves in case someone gets hurt while on their property (?) and that someone decides to sue. Solution: have a waiver form to sign at the top.

[upcruiser]

Wow, that first guy got LAUNCHED!

One time I dragged my kayak halfway up the 400 foot slope of the Sleeping Bear Dunes in northern lower Michigan. I hopped in and let it rip and was suddenly FLYING and really worried about keeping the thing running straight. By the time I hit the short beach (about 20 feet to Lake Michigan) I was nuking, crossed the beach and entered Lake Michigan right as a 3 foot wave was breaking on the shore. I launched pretty far then did a big lazy peel to the right and came to a stop in awe of what I just did. I then noticed the dead alewive resting on my shoulder. Classic. Not as extreme as that but I can relate to the rush! haha

[kerry]

Damn!
Not much technical skill involved, just a really good set of titanium balls.

Anyone up for a tandem open canoe run?

[grahamfitter]

This is where I go off on a complete tangent again...

Its illegal, but then so is kayaking almost every other inland (non-tidal) river in England and Wales that isn't in a national forest. The problem is the law gives control of river access to the riparian land owners and since most of them are fishing clubs that don't give a hoot about kayakers they say no to passage.

The Welsh Canoe Association (WCA) and British Canoe Union (BCU) tried unsuccessfully for decades to secure river access and failed. They managed to get a couple of rivers open for a weekend a year for festivals but the events were so busy it was almost possible to walk down the river hopping from boat to boat.

Another organization called Campaign for River Access for Canoes and Kayaks (CRACK) took the alternative approach of recommending trespass, which didn't go down well with the landowners or BCU/WCA. There was a famous mass trespass of the River Seiont in North Wales which got a bit messy with the locals. Stories vary depending on who you talk to but one chap I met had bricks dropped on his head from a bridge.

Anyway, nothing has changed much in the last twenty or so years except the BCU and WCA have given up negotiating with landowners and more people paddle their kayaks.

Cheers,
Graham

[kerry]

This is where I go off on a complete tangent again...

Its illegal, but then so is kayaking almost every other inland (non-tidal) river in England and Wales that isn't in a national forest. The problem is the law gives control of river access to the riparian land owners and since most of them are fishing clubs that don't give a hoot about kayakers they say no to passage.

The Welsh Canoe Association (WCA) and British Canoe Union (BCU) tried unsuccessfully for decades to secure river access and failed. They managed to get a couple of rivers open for a weekend a year for festivals but the events were so busy it was almost possible to walk down the river hopping from boat to boat.

Another organization called Campaign for River Access for Canoes and Kayaks (CRACK) took the alternative approach of recommending trespass, which didn't go down well with the landowners or BCU/WCA. There was a famous mass trespass of the River Seiont in North Wales which got a bit messy with the locals. Stories vary depending on who you talk to but one chap I met had bricks dropped on his head from a bridge.

Anyway, nothing has changed much in the last twenty or so years except the BCU and WCA have given up negotiating with landowners and more people paddle their kayaks.

Cheers,
Graham

And I thought we had access problems in Colorado!

[Speaker]

And I thought we had access problems in Colorado!

One day my buddies and I were driving through Dolores and tried to put it, it seemed that every piece of land on the river was privately owned and no one would let us put in. We eventually found a culvert and slid down the embankment to the river... the next problem was finding out where we could take out.

[kellymoe]

I wont say which river but my friends and I used to do commando put in's. My friends wife would drive shuttle and we would be fully suited up and ready to roll when she came to a stop. Car to paddling in 30 seconds.

[teotwaki]

In Orange County (SoCal) we have a nice area called the Newport Back Bay that has similar access problems. The shores of the bay are mostly restricted, private homes and clubs choke off the entry way and a kayaking rental place locks off the bridge underpass as private parking for clients. Coming in from Newport Harbor means competing with squinty-eyed rich folks in huge power boats who'd just as soon run you over as they scream into their Bluetooth headsets. Commando style kayak launches are the order of the day.

[Rallyroo]

In Orange County (SoCal) we have a nice area called the Newport Back Bay that has similar access problems. The shores of the bay are mostly restricted, private homes and clubs choke off the entry way and a kayaking rental place locks off the bridge underpass as private parking for clients. Coming in from Newport Harbor means competing with squinty-eyed rich folks in huge power boats who'd just as soon run you over as they scream into their Bluetooth headsets. Commando style kayak launches are the order of the day.

Oh, I know that place. I haven't had problems (yet) when I brought my own kayak and my friends would rent.

Now days, I take off from that other place in the Newport Backbay portion.