Graham racing the New Everest
Last weekend was the 12th annual Green River Narrows race. 124 racers made it out there Saturday at high noon to get fired up and race the Narrows home to the infamous Gorilla rapid(pictured above) in front of some 500 spectators. It was one of the best Green races to date with record times in almost every category.
10
Nov
Green Race 2007
08
Nov
06
Nov
29
Oct
27
Oct
Veracruz, Mexico
S-Turn Falls
We have moved to Veracruz and have been getting on some good runs. The Alseseca has been keeping us entertained warming up on the roadside section. We will be heading downstream the next couple of days to the bigger drops but heres a few photos for now.
25
Oct
“Rev”elation
Over the past few weeks IÂ’ve been busy paddling morning noon and night, testing one of the new Rev prototypes,  on and various features around the Thames valley. The final boat will be a little different but here are a few words on were we are at the moment!                                                                                                                                                                                          Â
So we have a new play boat more an evolution than revolution the Rev takes the high performance of the 4 Twenty a step further. I was always pleasantly surprised paddling the 4Twenty at just how fun and easy it was to paddle and also how user friendly it was to learn new moves in, not forgetting exceptional comfort. Now with the new Rev You still have a boat that is great to sit in, the knee room has been slightly adjusted and still   provides plenty of foot room. However the performance has been turned right up! The boat is considerably narrower than the 4Twenty; the vortex rails have been sharpened and elongated, this combined with the lower rocker makes for a much faster snappier involving boat to paddle.                                                                                                                                       Â
On a wave the RevÂ’s flat rocker and quick planning hull makeÂ’s it a very quick boat that loves to race down the line, but has still kept enough of the tail rocker for hassle free back surfing & for landing big blunts, pan amÂ’s etc. With  the reduced width, in a hole/pile of a wave the Rev isnÂ’t  as stable as the 4Twenty and has taken a little longer to get used to, but the benefits you gain in acceleration, speed, looseness and bigger, easer air time out way any negative   points. The volume distribution has also been tinkered with, and as a result the Rev is stable and controllable up on  its end, cartwheels, and split wheels and huge loops are a piece of cake. All in all this boat takeÂ’s a bit more thought to paddle than the 4Twenty but be patient on a big wave or a small hole or even just down at the local swimming    pool this boat give you a big smile!                                                                                                                    Â
24
Oct
BCU Student Safety Symposium
The Student Safety Symposium is always a good weekend. Put a whole bunch of students together for a weekend and you’ve already got a recipe for fun, but then throw in a selection of great coaches and a program packed full of workshops, Q & A sessions, lectures and on the water coaching sessions covering everything from steep creeking to beginner trips; and you get a great weekend that everyone gets a lot out of and enjoys being a part of.
23
Oct
Big Boat Bonanza 2007
last weekend i drove out to Ireland for the Big Boat Bonanza which was held in the heart of the wicklow mountains. I was out there last year for the race and it was low, this year it was even lower! But never mind atleast there was still just enough water to race on unlike Austria the weekend before. Saturday saw the team event, this is where you race in a group of three with each having a task to do during the race. The three tasks where making a very small eddy before the final drop, a tight down stream slalom gate and throw a 20m throwbag through a small slot in a board on the bank. I was given the throw bag, this turned out to be the hardest as no one had managed it yet. On our run down we managed to nail everything which was good as that gave us extra bonus points to take the team win. Sundays race was the fastest one down in groups of four went through to the next round, as normal there was lots of pushing and poping of decks. Just missed out on the final by one place with two people going through to the final. A great weekend with a good party, thanks to all those who ran it.
22
Oct
The Revalution
It’s been a busy few day! The rain has started to fall and some of the Thames weirs have are starting to open. We have a great range og waves and holes on the Thames, a great testing ground for all new boats.
On Shepperton a pushy fast wave I found the boat to be fast, retentive, and very carvey, more so than the 4.20.
On a steep wave like Sunbury the boat excelled very well, with it’s super narrow hull, edge transfers were easy, therefore carving air blunts were going very big.
 I took a trip down to Hurley this morning on a classic 3 gates. The boat cartwheels well, it feels very stable on end and has a good amount of pop for loops. Again carving blunts were great the boat felt very loose in the middle gate.
