DW 2009 - Last Day

Hurrah, we've made it!

While most people would have been still asleep, preparations were in full swing for a very early start at Teddington. Shortly before 6 am we were ready to get on the water, Clive was set to follow us on his bike (as he had done in the previous days) and the other members of the support crew to cheer us on from various bridges en route to Westminster. The start was given at 6.30, and after a few initial wobbles Calum and I got into our usual rhythm, gliding past Richmond, Kew, Barnes, Putney on our way to the finish. The force of the outgoing tide led to some impressive speeds (around 9 mph), but also to a couple of rather shaky moments, which I admit to being terrified of, as it would have been a rather long swim for the bank! (There have in fact been a few capsizes, and Calum also recalls seeing a K1 which was sinking with the paddler still in it). The London Eye came into sight around Vauxhall, and the appearance of Westminster Bridge in the distance gave us the energy to cover that final stretch of the race. So after 1 hr 55 of hard paddling we were finally at the steps of the County Hall ready to receive our finishers' medals!

With a total time of 20:06, we, according to provisional results, have come first in the Endeavour class!

Once again it must be said that the whole race would not have been possible without our incredible support team. Clive, cycling alongside us, provided us with a great amount of valuable information, dashed to locks to identify the best spots, and, crucially, very skillfuly and rapidly repaired our boat after it had been damaged on the second day. Lynsey, Richard, Hannah, Alexander, Maria and Tom kept us well fed and watered and in high morale on portages, and helped in numerous other ways. Thanks must also go to Dave, Pete and Mike and everyone else at the club who guided and supported us throughout our training. Thank you so much to all!