Potential death trap on Leven.

[lancs_lad]

From my mate Craig, already on Ukrivers:

A quick note for kayakers in the North West

Firstly so you know before you read, I am not usually a user of forums but in this case I thought it was the best way to get the information accross. so I’ll introduce myself first I’m a kayaker from the north west and I mainly paddle in the lakes with a great crew of mates and local lads. Although I don’t call myself a great paddler I think of myself as an able and competent paddler with some good rivers and experiences to my name.

Today something happened on the river Leven that I never wanted to or thought would happen to me, it’s a river I have ran over 100 times and today was a normal run in low summertime levels with just a desire to get out and do something after our long spell without the wet stuff. A few months ago a post was put up on UK Rivers stating that there was a jetty or object lodged with mill force rapid just below the brick chute weir. After paddling this river at all sorts of levels since that post it had become common knowledge that the object had been removed.

Unfortunately it had not….. Today I approached Mill force in my play boat, I stopped on the lip of the drop in the Eddie river right I had a good look, and from above the drop looked normal. I decided to take the line river left as I like the boof off the lip and land in the white stuff (fun at low levels). My mate Jonny also a competent paddler waited in the eddie for me to go first. I dropped over the lip landed flat and got a bit of down time all normal in a play boat. At this point I felt the boat hit something solid and slide under an object. I became pinned at chest height under the water and I was unable to move. I was right in the base of the hole and completely submerged I tried to move but there was no moment for jiggling the boat free after several seconds I managed to push myself up a short distance and get the top of my helmet out of the water this created a small air curtain where I got some breath I put my hand in the air for my mate to see where I was. I realized my options were running out and time was getting quite slim I took a breath and put my head back under the water wriggled several more times every so often taking a breath in the end I relaxed and took the decision that I was not able to remove my deck and I needed to get out without it. After reaching down again for one last attempt and push at getting myself out, my spell of good luck came just in time. I became free and managed to swim out and hug the bank. I was in the company of a good friend at the time, he saw me go over the drop land in the hole and not resurface. He says all he could see was my hand reaching up in the air. And when I finally came out of my boat after the longest minute of my life I was greeted by an organized friend who had eddied out and was preparing single person rescue efforts to get me out.

I am not writing this to tell you of my epic day, neither for you to tell me your opinions of what I should or shouldn’t have done in that situation. Only in the hope that those reading this will pass on the information to Uni clubs, clubs and other forums to stop this occurring with possibly more serious consequences.

I am also interested in getting a group together to meet up whilst the levels are low and attempt removing this jetty before the Uni groups arrive with the crowds of inexperienced threshers and take the on the Leven. If you’re a local boater to the Leven and happy to give a hand while the water levels are low please give me a email on kayakingcraig@hotmail.com

This is a link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0Por8AUBYs to the pics of the object and my pinned boat. Like I said if you wish to place negative feedback then please don’t bother as this topic was raised as information to stop any serious situations occurring not for you to debate my level of paddling competency.

Yours
Craig Jones…

Cheers Ant

[yakist]

The object has been removed from the falls! We were out rafting on the levern today, a group had a go yesterday at it but was unable to budge, today we came with more resources! it was freed using various pullys and ratchets! It is currently tied up to a tree, just out of the river on river left, there was only a few of us so we were unable to move it far!

Can anyone can cut it into smaller bits more easy to move (chainsaw prob be best), then reducing the risk of it moving downstream and blocking up another fall could be removed.
Glad Craigs ok, and hope somebody can go and finish off by chopping it up into managable pieces!

[ned]

Good effort. is it on river left (ie next to road)?

[thesmurfjess]

Looking down river, on river left tied up to the trees...

[yakist]

Its on the river left next to the A590 marked it on google map: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=54.2...,0.002913&z=18

[kayakingcraig]

kayakers

a note from the victim of the pin

thanks to all those who said kind words about my experience and those who took there time to spread the message, stuff like this shows what a small but great community we are all fortunate to be part of.

and a special thanks to those who took there time and effort to remove the jetty and I owe you all a pint for your efforts..

cheers craig jones

aka kayakingcraig...