Waterside A(uchinstarry)…

So we leave Gertrude behind as we prepare to welcome Henry: the Scottish weather starting to sound like a role call of delinquents! And this buccaneer is bored already – enough with the wind…….. Today we paddled in what felt like the eye of the storm – the calm after/before…. But glad to have calm […]

Is the weather any better in Kansas?

Todays planned paddle cancelled due to wind – strong, unrelenting, gusting wind… Not so much for the paddlers benefit, although there’s always the risk of an injury if caught unexpectedly by a gust, but for the sake of the boat and any car attempting to transport it! Any attempts to move 6.5m of racing K2 […]

Practically Naked…

Apparently Beaujolais is too busy these days to blog, or even to read the blog… The temptation to write something scandalous about him is great – but in truth I’m not sure I could think of something a) scandalous enough, b) believable and c) suitable for a public blog site….. The best I can manage […]

Still Fresh…

   One of the unexpected benefits of DW training – orange label menu planning! No paddle on Loch Lomond is complete without a trip to the CO-OP in Balloch. Post paddle dinner is generally based on what ever has an orange reduced sticker on – cheap and ensures a varied diet!! I actually look forward […]

Heavy and Delicate….

Not the new crew name for our intrepid buccaneers, rather a description of Sunday’s snow conditions….. A busy weekend of training for this buccaneer starting on Friday afternoon in Helensburgh. The K2 had been rested over the festive period so it had been four long weeks since our last outing…. To spur us on, Cortisone […]

Bother!

     Seems I struggled into my long johns for nothing! Forecast looking warmer towards the end of the week….. Not amused! Dirty D

Catching Up…

The festive period has seen me fall behind a little with the portages…… Today we have Cookham: This another portage I remember well from our 2014 campaign… Following the demise of our torch this was a VERY dark portage. The lock cut is very long and narrow and completely lined by trees allowing very little […]

Day 6 – was yesterday…

Day 7 of fat camp today and our final push before our epic journey home! One final outing on the skis, packing the kit bags, an early lunch and then it’s farewell to Skalka and Pension Guldiner. It’s been a really great week with some good aerobic groundwork being laid down, despite the lack of […]

Day 5 – Gubbed (in the best possible way)

Dirty D woke cautiously; yesterday’s gym was bound to have consequences…. But not too bad, managed to get out of bed without rolling onto the floor, result! Then a wee warm up run and mobilisation exercises before breakfast, all good. Then breakfast, and the stiffening started, and it hasn’t really stopped all day, ah well, […]

Day 4 – Recovery…

A half day of training today in order to help tired leg muscles recover. A short walk to take in the scenery and then a light gym session. Dirty D has not been in a gym for a considerable period of time, and given her current ‘shape’ the prospect of body weight exercises was daunting! […]