The weekend of the Dee tour last year I was nearly killed before even getting on the river thanks to my seal launch down the hill, This years Dee tour I decided not to tempt fate and say away from the Dee in fact I went to mid Wales just to put as much distance as possible between me and the Dee

We went to the River Dullus at Corris it was at a good flow I would say “med high” we had 16 people from the club out that day so a really good turn out

Shrewsbury Canoe Club on the Dullus

However me going to mid Wales did not please the river gods one bit and so when we got in to do the Dullus just above the first drop which goes in under the old bridge man made sides ect. on it I went to run this drop with a view to setting up safety for the Group as I entered the hole at the bottom that was the last I can recall because from that point on I saw nothing and breathed nothing,

I was worked over a few times in my boat before I finial parted company with it, then things got worse I was sent deep very deep and was being recurulated in a very strong sticky deep hole I could not get to the surface, I could not get out of the hole, I was just being thrown around

At this point I remembered that I had no safety ( that was meant to be my job) , At this point I though I may have to resigned my self to drowning, as I was being tossed around I thought…
” so this is it, you have had it”
“its strangely peace full down here”
” I hope they can recover my body in time to effect CPR on me”

Some how on the 5th time around I was sent deep enough to be washed far enough out that I was able to start swimming to the surface I was a very happy chap I was completely knackered

When I got out I had to give chase to my boat down the side of the river, In the mean time Ruth has came down and got the same working over I got, lucky by this time a throw line was set up and she was plucked from the water, Alex also took a swim on the drop but managed to escape getting worked in the hole

As for the rest of the day, I was to be honest still in shock from my experience so it its all a bit of a blur apart from the Mill falls bit with the constriction in it which I think everyone got through bar one or two that tried it side ways and had to go through without the boat

and the grade VI portage was worth avoiding a real man killer perhaps if you felt brave and in mega high flows you could look for a line but I wasn’t really feeling the love after earlier so I though perhaps best to keep on walking

Most seal launched back in after the portage I opted for a normal entry since to be honest I haven’t really got over my run in with the tree a year earlier yet and so do do sliding any more in my boat, after a nice paddle with a few more rapids we got to the get out just after the very low stone bridge

As we where changing a small mouse appeared from Steve Duckets boat it scurried around the deck of the boat for a few min before finding a way off, it turns out that Steve had already found three mice in his boat as he was paddling down the river after feeling them on his leg then after removing them he had taken at lest three swims that day and even in the process of emptying out the boat that little mouse hung in their and as such done the Dullus better than me or Steve since he at lest stayed in his boat for the whole trip

Here’s some vid of the Ruth Fairclouth getting done over in the same hole,please note at the start both her and boat are having down time before it released her See here

Feeling good to be alive

Nigel

Date of river trip was the 16th of Nov