Anker Valley 2018

Anker Valley is home to a lovely stretch of water, which has baffled paddlers for centuries with its ability to flow in all directions at the same time. The result may, by some (Ray) be described as “a bit washy”. More on that later! Lightning’s away first and solid results with medals all-round. Little ones showing the club how to paddle! Well done all! Then 7/8/9 where the club had solid performances again; of particular note Harrison and Evie finishing their first Hasler races comfortably in the middle of the pack and only a few short minutes from the leader! Into the long races and once again strong work by the club. A win by Lewis A in div 6 singles and strong second by Abbie in the doubles, a strong second from Joe B in div 5 and our club coach Andy staying inside the hour in div 4! Also good performances by Ray and Oliver in 6, although Ray’s portage face is something that I’d like to avoid seeing again! Last, temporarily forgotten (shame on me) but absolutely brilliant was Lewis’ winning performance in div 3. We all watched his sprint finish in amazement, after 12 miles! And now it seems fitting to turn our attention to the RAF contingent. OK get me on that swimmers list, that was horrendous! I’ve not felt like that racing since I did Southampton (basically the sea) 4 weeks into paddling K1s! Paul also took a dip so I didn’t feel too bad, it’s tactics though to psych out the competition for the RAF championships this week! Completely deliberate! A lesson to take from it though; race knowledge goes a long way, as does choosing the right tool for the job. A stable bathtub may have just done the trick today! Also, finishing last was terrible, but it would have been worse not to finish. Congratulations LCC in times everywhere, medals where won and also the few promotions! What a great day!