An Early Christmas Present Just For You:

A Weekend Wildly and Wetly White Water Racing on the River Washburn 2012. LUCC

Having been volunteered for weekend trip report writing duty again (thanks Fiona) I fear my writing skills are becoming a little too popular for my own good ( for hard evidence please see the 18 likes and counting on a certain facebook page post) but anyway, onto the weekend’s antics with LUCC.

Paddlers & Partiers: Stu, Kim, Schneids, Ruth, Liam, Tolly, Adi, Chris, Mike, Alex, Fiona, Graham, Ben Waller, Grogery & Me (Hannah. Or JJ as we can now just call me for convenience)

So, it was an evening departure from sheds with an imaginative and top quality (naturally?) selection of boats for LUCC -minus Stu- and despite a bit of a debacle with the van earlier in the day, we all set off for Yorkshire! Only to stop at ASDA on Smithdown for the essentials of the weekend; one of which youngest Alex failed to deliver on, so unfortunately there will be no addition to the collection of oh so classy gals accumulating in sheds. But anyway, after Gayham and Fiona had FINALLY got on the bus after taking just a little bit too long in ASDA (this was a recurring theme throughout the weekend) the LUCC convoy rolled on towards North Yorkshire.

Adi was, as usual in charge of the music ( I was, as usual not allowed anywhere near it) and we all sang happily and arrived with no problem at all…. Well, not quite. It was a bit chilly to say the least as we got lost, tried to follow more lost people, who tried to follow us. We did eventually get there however.

The campsite was lovely, scenic, spacious, rural with all amenities aaaand… in the middle of ABSOLUTELY NO WHERE!! Excellent.

So, being really generous and letting Tolly and Ruth put up the tent, me and Alex enjoyed our wander around the campsite trying to find LUCC after Grog couldn't be dragged away from having a ‘little’ natter with some unsuspecting DUCC’ers on car park duty. So after, making camp we headed to the only warm place around for drinking and scouting out the competition (we are ultra-competitive don’t ya know). Was a quiet night, with the notable part being the length of time it took Sprog to find his canister of disgusting cider that Adi had hidden. So, after being FAR too eager about going to bed, the best tent in the world (Ruth, Tolly, Alex and myself) snuggled down with 2 roll mats, 4 double duvets and 4 sleeping bags to a lovely toasty night. Not sure how anyone else’s night was, but I was pretty warm?

SO…. Saturday dawned not as cold as we expected and despite the efficient wake up call, it took a while to rise. But after the short trip to the River Washburn everyone seemed to rouse themselves at the smell of the fresh air and the morning frost (or was it just the bacon?) and the first paddlers (some of which were FAR too eager, but then again, Team GB paddlers were present!) made their way down the river. The get on was just down river from Death Weir (yes, these are the places they take us to) and Day 1 of BUCS WWR saw the longer distance time trial being run along a stretch of the river with most of the crowd gathering at the drop quite near the start of the course to watch the carnage ensue. Liam, Chris and Tolly were quick to get on the water and the one of the first C2 carnage crews to paddle/swim down the drop was Adi & Mike whose boat Liam gladly chased down the river, never once letting his inner frustration get the better of him….

Not entirely sure in which order everyone went, but it was a bit of a long paddle that looked really tiring from the bank (where Alex, Ruth and I remained) despite the encouragement/heckling we provided. Schneiders fell victim to a loose spraydeck and an unfortunate high brace so DNF, and the other K1 ladies decided they just couldn't be without each other and finished in quick succession with Fiona in 10.57 and “Spud” (Kim) 10.58 giving us 2 points overall in the K1W.
The K1M again, decided that being apart just wasn't their thing with Ben Waller coming in as the fastest of LUCC the results were:

28^th- Ben Waller 10.01
29^th Liam 10.06
40^th Tolly 10.19
49^th Adi 10.33
50^th  Graham 10.34
95^th Chris 11.30
143th Stu 14.55

                                                                                            ^^^Mmmm fingers in cracks^^^

The day finished with an incredibly destructive and wet run in the C2 by Graham and Ben. Whilst walking back up the river towards the get on, an excited looking Adi and Tolly sprinted past us towards the drop shouting something about “C2!!... Swim!...Take Pictures!” Naturally I felt I couldn't miss possible carnage but as we waited, and waited, and waited we became a little confused, even more so when a randomer (who turned out to be Stu) eddied out at the very top of the drop for no apparent reason. The C2 crew had done a little damage to say the least and hadn't even made it to the drop (boo!) and so it took a few minutes to locate the broken boat and its paddlers. Once returned to the van, the C2 took a turn for the worse with everyone sticking their fingers in cracks, and it somehow became even more broken (don’t you hate it when minibuses just roll over things on their own!!) After a bit of dancing and grinding from Tolly (Ben really appreciated that) we piled back into the minibus after a bit of faffing and headed back to the campsite.

 It was getting steadily colder and so I had the great idea (despite ridicule from EVERYONE) of getting into my mini sleeping bag I had brought for just such a situation and sitting outside the tents with everyone, then everyone got jealous and decided to lay on top of each other for warmth- Graham whilst laying on top of me “My back’s really warm, but I don’t think I should turn over, because that could get a bit weirder than it already is…” . Kim’s pancake mix in a bottle has to be the best idea ever as various people cooked with various successes and Stu whacked out his sausages as usual. After deciding that an ASDA trip was in order, we left Ruth and Liam to sleep (in separate tents! What were YOU thinking?) and after a ladylike exit from my sleeping bag not helped by various people- Tolly- pushing me over whilst I had no arms we all set off for Harrogate. As everyone looked at the tramps that had just wandered in to the shop, Fiona and Graham went in search of a cheap duvet to try and rival our tent- they failed-  and Greg hit it hard with Apple Sourz fusions (what a man) bought for him by Kim (aww ASDA alcohol policy times ) and we somehow ended up a giant bar of chocolate heavier (again, definitely tolly’s fault) and after making it back from our wander to Harrogate, it was straight back into the room from the previous night to get dinner. The food was, interesting but edible and it was here that an old friend of anyone who had been to the alps appeared: Dan Greenwood. Not sure at which point he decided to ditch EUCC for us, but he was full LUCC that night at the party, and did get a little offended when I asked if he was  Jack’s brother – “Jack’s MY brother, I’m not his brother” oops.

I don't see nothin' wroooong

with a little bump an Griiiind

Hey Ben! Where's your C2?

 Saturday night rolled on with an early chunder in the make shift hair salon outside the toilets (thankfully not from any of us but it was fun to laugh at them) and from here we all got rather drunk rather quickly. Vomming was the theme of the night with both Liam and Ruth making quick exits for some less-than-tactical chundering and Ruth I have yet to tell you this in person, but you sat in your sick a little when you fell over… Coming second in the boat race to Nottingham despite Grog’s poor effort at a strawpedo ;) was a good feeling, the team were: Grog, myself, Kim and Stu I think. Liam’s input into this report: “Excessive amounts of chunder everywhaaa” thank you Liam…

Shenanigans of the night also included us abusing the DJ, OH WAIT, NO WE DID NOT DO SUCH A THING THIS TIME. Well done to everyone for keeping their vagina-dj jokes under wraps: he was actually pretty alright! The party ended somewhat earlier that Teifi’s had, but the final Christmas tunes got us all festive and happy enough to leave the ‘barn’ (I’m sure they normally have 4 walls?) and venture into the cooold night. Tolly “is that all I get?” Robinson disappeared at some point in the night (ahh yeahh)  only to reappear at around 3am demanding his bed back which had somehow been mysteriously taken in his absence. Not letting this phase him, he preceded to snuggle down between Ruth and I, and Mike and Adi. A 5-man cuddle in a 3-man tent, not as exciting as it sounds I can safely say.

The second day of racing was the sprint and it was a little less than impossible to rouse from bed in the morning. But we did, and although I was once again the last one on the bus, it was still in pretty good time! For us anyway.

So, here are the results:

45^th - waller- 01.36
46^th - Tolly 01.37
47^th - Adi 01.38
56^th - Liam 1.40.2
59^th - Graham 1.40.6
80^th - Stu 1.49
94^th - Chris 2.14

17^th - Schn 1.45.5
18^th - “spud” 1.45.8
19^th - Fiona 1.46
20^th - Kim 1.47

There is some video footage (it is on stu’s GoPro so don’t get your hopes up) and I myself have a strictly classified video that shall not be appearing anywhere Liv Uni can see it (private viewings on request ;) naughty). But anyway, after getting the sprint over with fairly quickly, it was only a trip to death weir for Stu, Liam and Adi  and some last burgers to eat whilst they took the tent down around us that stood in our way from getting on our way home. Oh, and Stu’s flat battery. After a suitable amount of faffing it was on the bus and after a while into yet another isolated McDonalds to complete the weekend.

Well done organisers/paddlers/partiers/people who confiscated drink from chunderers etc etc.

Wet love as always,

JJ/ Hannah
xxxxxxxxxxx

Food for thought…
SOMEHOW we ended up with 3 points from the C2 overall. It’s definitely a Christmas miracle!! And we also finished 11^th overall.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & PREPARE YOURSELF FOR SEMESTER 2'S MOISTURE COMING YOUR WAY VERY SOON.