All the gear...

We spent this morning paddling from Sudbury to Bures. We’ve done this bit of the River Stour quite a few times before but wanted to have a go with the canoe laden with the kit we’re planning to take with us (or at least the equivalent weight and volume of house bricks). We hadn’t got a schedule to keep to so went at a fairly leisurely pace.



The water level was down and many of the weirs were dry so we took the opportunity to practice our portaging technique, which, with the added weight of rucksacks and barrels of bricks, was more complex than envisaged. Without removing the barrels, lifting the canoe onto its nifty portage trolley proved strenuous.
We also discovered there’s definitely a knack to using these canoe trolleys. Our first attempt was going fine but ended a little like the police car scene in American Graffiti.

As it turns out, paddling with the additional weight wasn’t noticeably more difficult than paddling the empty boat. Manoeuvring and speed were pretty much the same as usual and the gunwales still sat high above the water (in perfectly calm conditions at least). Perhaps we’re just not carrying enough to make a difference to this particular canoe.