Devizes to Westminster Canoe Marathon

A big fleet of 10 Kayaks were entered from Dauntsey's this year. All 20 paddlers had been training hard since September including two who had paddled the DW last year. Conditions were very much in contrast to last year, with little wind and mild temperatures. However, the benign conditions meant little flow on the Thames to help the paddlers on days two and three. All reached Newbury in reasonable time on Good Friday with the Dauntsey's boys team in third place behind Kelly College. Sadly Rory Wilkes was taken ill and had to retire on the Saturday morning. Caroline Fryer was called to the colours and joined Chezzie Derry-Evans for the 35 miles to Marlow. Anna Wilton also succumbed on Saturday morning (having only stepped into a K2 after a year's lay-off the week before) to be replaced by her brother John to paddle the rest of the race with Alex Newman. Alex's original partner, David Elmes, had broken his arm on the school ski trip.

In spite of these traumas everyone did well and reached the overnight stop at Longridge Scout Camp in good order. The boys' team, however, had slipped to fifth in the team event, overtaken by Cranleigh and Marlborough. Easter Sunday dawned chilly but windless and flowless. The boys set off early to make the most of uncongested portages on the long 38 mile haul to Teddington. Jilly Tovey took over from Caroline Fryer to paddle with Chezzie. This was to be a very solid day's paddling from all the Dauntsey's crews and they arrived at Thames Young Mariners cheerful and relieved, in the certain knowledge that the finishing line at Westminster was achievable the following morning. However, the team still remained in fifth spot. The traditional mass-start at high tide went off without incident and the Dauntsey's crews were very much together at Mortlake. This they maintained over the 17 mile stretch on the tideway and a mere few minutes separated them at Westminster. All ten crews were greeted at the finish by their support crews and, following a quick change, fell upon lashings of tea and bread and a traditional english breakfast at 'Enough to Feed an Elephant' - our traditional end of race venue. Following their supreme effort on the Tideway on Easter Monday, the Dauntsey's boys' team pipped Marlborough to capture fourth spot in the teams event. The three mixed crews and two ladies crews all completed the race in very respectable times.

Congratulations to all paddlers and their support crews on a fine achievement.

JJH