My canoe is an Old Town Discovery. It is fourteen feet six inches long, and made from polyethelene, which incorporates a foam core; this feature allows a certian amount of built-in flotation. For storage I purchased two plastic boxes.

Despite owning the canoe for several years this was the first time out on Grade 2 water, so I was a little apprehensive about both my own and the boats ability. I did not know Janet ( my paddling partner ) before the trip, but knew that she had virtually no paddling experience. So by the time we got on the water, with the rain continuing and the river rising, fifty cumecs, the task at hand had my full and undivided attention.

Day one was a day which took its cue from the name of my boat - a day of "discovery".
I discovered how easy it is to swamp a Canadian canoe, even in the smaller rapids.
I discovered a new medical condition - bailers wrist.
I discovered how a cold wind is so much more significant for a canoeist`s body temperature than for that of a kayaker.


Swamping the Canadian Click the picure to enlarge in a new window	At first camp, we discovered my plastic storage boxes were not at all waterproof.

Oh dear. I felt more than a little embarrased watching my buddies gradually sucumb to fatigue from long hours of drying out sleeping bags by the fire, and my embarrassement was not helped when I had to admit that my sleeping bag had actually remained dry. In a bid to restore some honour, I pitched my tent on the most exposed site, and was quick to report in the morning that my lightweight summer sleeping bag had been no match for the chilly breeze passing through my tent.

Day two for me was the toughest, and could have been a near disaster if Janet hadn`t been such a brillant partner in the boat. On day one we survived with just swampings, but on day two we enjoyed the first of three swims, the cold wind and rain continued, and towards the end of the morning I could feel my bottom lip quivering and comming dangerously close to full externalisation.
However, one of Maggie`s many wonderful brew-ups saved the moment, and after running round in circles for half an hour, circulation was restored and we were back in business. I am so grateful to Janet for not only developing her paddling skills so quickly, but for enduring considerable discomfort without complaint, and coping with the less than tactful stream of instructions and expletives arising from the back of the boat.

Day three brought the sun. I found myself beginning to relax. Although the river was still running high we had now developed a fairly efficient paddling partnership, and we had the real prospect of a nice dry camp in the evening.

I would definitley do this trip again. A special thanks to Maggie for her wisdom and experience on this river, of particular value in light of the testing conditions. It was a wildnerness experience to treasure. Total paddling time was about twenty-two hours.

Things to consider
1	Some sort of spray deck for a canoe. The swampings were a real bore at times, and tipping the water out was hard on both body and equipment.
2	The storage boxes were very practicle in many ways, despite not being water proof. I think that I would try to make these items waterproof rather than change to barrels.
3	Despite taking some big knocks and scrapes, the polyethylene construction of the canoe performed well, and no repair work has been necessayr following the trip. Plastic has its place

Otago Canoe and Kayak Club

Stories

Clarence River Trip