Stuart Reeve posted on November 02, 2009 07:58
Beginning like many of the best days at a drinking establishment, a swarm of cars, kayaks and paddlers arrived at the White Hart in Stopham in a surprisingly tight formation. A local
swan looked on in trepidation at the ensuing invasion of gaudy, plastic boats on the quiet river Arun.
Following the day’s warm up drill, it was time for the troupe to get in the river, at which point the Swan took to the wing, worried no doubt about the consequences if it stayed. Putting on to the river right next to Stopham Bridge—a fine medieval stone bridge built in AD 1423 and important enough to have its very own picture in Wikipedia—
As we set off down stream, the roar of the A283 quietened to an unnatural drone. Following a quick, 10 minute sojourn down the river, we turned off the Arun and paddled a flutter of strokes up the Rother to the Mighty Pully. An indomitable fortress of concrete and fear for those of us unsure of river craft.
The weir offers a quiet friendly play spot for paddlers, with everyone enthusiastically dipping into the hole, surfing, popping, spinning and eloquently demonstrating what an excellent ménage à trois concrete, plastic and water really are.
While the more experienced paddlers had a good play, some of us observed with the tentative appreciation of those not sure quite how fun head butting concrete shingle might actually be. Within minutes, us tentative paddlers were being coaxed, cajoled and finally dragged into the hole by the more experienced and less sane members of the group. With a barrage of play erupting around me, and the air filled with splashing water and shrieks of chaos, the only way I could rationally contain my excitement was by cooling off with the first swim of the day. After sitting on the bank and cleaning the grit from between my teeth, it was time for a short lunchtime recess.
Once lunch had been quickly dispatched it was time for the afternoon’s athletics Having given the hole a good run, it was time to climb up and shoot the weir, with the more adventurous paddlers playing in the top wave like a school of frenetic salmon Having warmed ourselves up with the athletics it was then time to head back into the river for a series of Boater X races up the river, around a dangling throw line, and then a quick sprint back to shoot the weir, slamming the water gauge at the bottom to finish.
With the hardcore competitive events finished for the day, it was then time for a final play on the weir, including an excellent demonstration on how to raft a weir without feeling too crazy.
Turning away from the weir we then headed back to the put in for the last event of the day: a well deserved round of drinking. And so there it was! A fun filled day at the Mighty Pully where the river provided enough play and squirting to soak a whole herd of elephants.