With the onslaught of all the wet weather we have been having over the last few weeks, paddling on the river Severn has been near impossible. So we found alternative water ways to train on.

Some opted for Whitewater up in mid Wales,

and some the Gloucester Sharpness canal. Although with driving rain and gusts on non moving water, it was slower paddling that we are expecting on the river. Training in this kind of weather has given us plenty to think about regarding kit, and we are also picking up small techniques  to aid paddling. One of these is aiming for flat water out of the choppy areas and looking for cover out of direct wind.

Plans are coming along nicely with the end section of our trip around the tidal stretch. We recently met with Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) who gave us plenty of great advice, and have also offered to escort us on our last day. We will hopefully finish at the SARA station in Sharpness! It also gave us a chance to check out the boats that SARA use.

Finally, something for you to watch if you get a few minutes, yes it's the Christmas video we made:



More updates to come from all the Source2Sea2013 team, Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas! 

A few updates for you:

I recently visited Sever Area Rescue Association (SARA) to discuss where and how we would be ending our trip if all goes well. Simple you might think, but in fact the stretch of river from Gloucester to Sharpness is actually very dangerous! Mud banks, channels, whirlpools, strong currents and the Severn Bore, means the advice we were given has changed plans slightly. Safety is a priority for us, and SARA have kindly offered to help us navigate the very last sections with a support boat, and we get to end our adventure at the lifeboat station at Sharpness! 

We will soon have our charity page online if you have any spare pennies to send us. All four charities will be announced as soon as its online.

The Christmas period is time for us to get some paddling in, so stay tuned for some winter shots.

Finally we took some time to take on the Severn Bore on the weekend, dressed in a santa outfit! The picture above shows why we will be respecting the tides we will be facing in April!

Thank you to all for your support so far, we really appreciate it!

Merry Christmas! 

So why are we confident about using inflatable boards from the Red paddle Co on such a tricky journey? Well as the video above shows, they have already been tested for toughness in the ultimate set of tests! Knowing the boards are capable of taking so much abuse gives us confidence, especially as we may encounter, submerged trees, rocks and each other!

So here we are the Source2Sea team! From the left to right: Tristan Bawn, Rob Yates, Tony Bain and Dean Broad.

More information on our interesting, and sometimes quirky, backgrounds will follow!

Tristan Bawn

We are also now on Twitter!
https://twitter.com/Source2Sea2013

We will be using this account throughout the build up and whilst on our trip to keep you updated on our progress!

Tristan Bawn

We now have a Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/Source2Sea2013

Like us and follow our journey!

Tristan Bawn

On our trip in April we will be using inflatable boards from the Red Paddle Co. You may think we are mad for using inflatable boards, but with new designs and Tec Air technology, they have produced really durable, useable boards. One of the aims of our trip is to show just how durable these boards are, if we can do a 220 mile trip on them, I would like to think "point proven"!

For more information on Tec Air and the materials used, check out the link below:
http://www.redpaddleco.com/know-how/tec-air/

Tristan Bawn

The Severn Bore

We took some time out to get back in to the river for a session surfing the Severn Bore last week. The tidal stretches are where I personally spend most of my time on the Severn and being out in the river actually raised quite a few questions.

We will be coming up against the tidal bore near the end of our trip, so checking out what we might be up against on the final days of our trip can give us time to plan. Paddling against the bore isn't an option, so following the ebb back out to sea is all about timing.

As you can see from the picture there will be other obstacles to look out for too!

Tristan Bawn

Picture by Mark Humpage:
http://www.markhumpage.com

As we put more thought in to how we are going to carry our kit on our journey down the Severn, the elasticated net on the Explorer board, is going to come in very useful. As we aim to take all the gear we need for the trip with us, apart from a few food drops along the way, being able to store it securely is vital. We just need to pack it well and see what we can get on it now!

Loving the zipped pocket on the cover too!

Tristan Bawn

The new Red Paddle Co Explorer board has depth!
It also has great design features for our trip!

Changing the way we view inflatable boards!

Red Paddle Co boards secured for Source to Sea expedition!

I popped down to the Red Paddle Co in Totnes, Devon to meet the friendly team who kindly offered us  their new Explorer boards from the 2013 range for our Source to Sea expedition. An inflatable board like no other, it looks and feels tough, designed well for expeditions and fit for the challenge!

We are all really looking forward to getting these on the water as soon as possible!

Tristan Bawn

For more information on the Red Paddle Co boards check out there website:
http://www.redpaddleco.com/

On the 20th of April 2013 we will be commencing our attempt to paddle the length of the river Severn on Stand Up Paddleboards!

With this challenge, we aim not only to complete the 354k (220 miles) length of the river Severn, but also to try and record, highlight and advertise the importance of the river and wildlife to its surroundings. 

Our team will start the challenge at the source of the river and follow it on foot and by bike until it is deep enough to jump onto our Stand Up Paddleboards (SUPs).  The aim is to make it to the second Severn crossing within the week.

We are also aiming to share pictures and various media as we go, whilst also trying to brake the British record for SUP distance! 

Paddling a section of the Severn in aid of Severn Area Rescue Association, also gave myself Tristan Bawn, second from the left and Dean Broad third from the left, the chance to explore a part of our challenge!