The River Thames, a river most famous for flowing through the UK’s capital, splitting the city in half. Upstream are a series of weirs which, at the right flow rate, create some of the best waves in the UK, from the iconic Hurley weir to the elusive wave at Sunbury.
Early in the season, at the start of November, I made the switch to the Helectron, and I’d be safe to say it made the season even more enjoyable. The ‘24/’25 winter season in the Thames had its ups and downs, for example, the bigger features like Boulters and Marsh were in more than usual, but due to the heavy rainfall, Hurley weir had several trees get caught above it, which caused the wave to not be as good and limited the action at lower levels.
Saying that, even though it wasn’t the most ideal season in comparison to previous years, it was still great, as the enjoyment and stoke were high, and for me personally, I had a good time progressing my wave boating. This season, it was nice seeing more people getting out on the water, partly due to the guys at the Thames Valley Freestyle League putting on a wonderful event and getting new people out on the Thames weirs.
This season, I found my personal progression as a boater, as well as my wave freestyle, to be loads of fun. Some highlights would be getting my first pistol flip and then working on my airscrew. The airscrew progress was a goal, an intentional effort from the start of the season, in contrast to the pistol flip, which came about from just playing around during a session with how the looseness of the Helectron’s hull allowed for the set up to come easier, and the release I got during the first attempt inspired the confidence that the trick was possible. After four sessions of practice and some coaching tips from Jacko at the Thames Valley Freestyle League, I got it, and the joy and stoke of it reminded me of when I learned to loop for the first time.
Throughout the session I was able to get comfortable with and make the most of the features of the boat. The first thing I noticed and got used to was the stern of the kayak; I found it made it easier to slice in for cartwheels and also made it easier to land bigger backstabs on the wave. The hull of the boat, as well as being loose, making spins so much fun, whether playing around with clean spins or back-to-back spins on the shoulder of the wave, is also quick, making surfing and carving around the wave easier.
Another key feature is the bow of the boat – I love its volume, which feels bigger than other designs, which, as someone with big legs, was something I really appreciated. This volume let me have space to adjust the seat position and play around with the trim of the boat. Currently, I’m running 1 position forward; this makes the boat surf super nice. The squared-off front end makes loop initiations go so easy. The Elite outfitting took a little bit of time to get tuned to how I needed it, but this definitely helped make longer sessions go easier with it being so much more comfortable to sit in.
To conclude, despite difficulties throughout the season, the Helectron made it easy to have a great time on the water, and to have a good time with the people I paddle with. It is also an excellent platform to progress with. I’m looking forward to spending time working on my skills in a hole and on flat water during the off season, and I’m looking forward to getting back on the waves again.
