OCA Annual Rally, 2002
Sail Sports, nr. Chester 3rd-6th May

After a journey through the best of the British Countryside and glorious spring sunshine we arrived at Sails Sports just outside Chester on the Friday afternoon in the pouring rain!!! After finding our pitch and dumping the car we dashed to the marquee to shelter and met up with Dan Spry who, along with his wife Georgina, had organised the event. He was putting the all important finishing touches to the bar and, appreciating the awful task of pitching a tent in a downpour, suggested that we go over to the Windsurfing centre for a cup of tea. After a well deserved tea break the rain had stopped and we were able to get the tent set up for a weekend of eating, sleeping, and of course canoeing.





This was the first time we had been to an OCA rally and it was only the second event run by the OCA that we have joined in with, so we only knew one other person amongst over 100 people there. This feeling of being the new kids in the field lasted less than an hour after Bob Andrews in the next tent came over for a chat and we had wandered the field being introduced to everyone and admiring canoes, cooking kit and tents. By the end of the first evening, and after a hot jacket potato feast around the huge campfire, we felt as if we had known many of the others a long time.

Saturday dawned warm and sunny and after breakfast we all met in the marquee for the official welcome and to sign up to events throughout the weekend. Groups were then put together and they headed off for the days fun. Some went to the River Dee for a gentle paddle whilst another group of brave souls headed for Llangollen and to the JJ's White Water Course ('Eddy Lines') for a session of Grade II to Grade III white water - apparently great fun was had by all. I decided to stay at camp and take advantage of the lake, expert tuition and lots of canoes to try out. Two traders joined us in the field and brought with them a fine selection of canoes to try out and kit to buy.





Now I am not what you would call a confident paddler. I am usually seen as the power house at the front of my husbands canoe or explaining why I am not paddling (again) to Pete Seymour. (I do really good shuttles!!!) So my objective for this weekend was to develop some skills of my own and naturally gain some confidence. Bob Ottley took about five of us out and went through the basics with us. He was brilliant, incredibly patient and had a way of saying your name and looking at you that made you feel that you should really be getting it right by now. I started in a ‘Minuet’ but its unstable nature made me very wary of moving in it so we started the game of swapping canoes in the middle of the lake and soon I was in a much better boat and finally getting the hang of the moves. By the end of the day I was aching in places I did not know I had places but I felt as if I had made real progress and although I did not exactly speed along at least I could go in a straight line.

Those who had spent the day away from camp started to drift back in the early evening looking tired yet satisfied (both from the paddling and the local Public Houses). Once showers had been had, dinners eaten and gauges in boats scrutinised and committed to memory for future anecdote swapping we headed to the marquee where Dan and Georgina had organised a Ceilidh. The band were excellent and got everyone making fools of themselves very quickly. Those who did not wish to square dance in wellies could hit the bar or sit round the campfire till late into the evening.

Sunday brought camp based activities and more chances to go off into Wales, including a trip on the Llangollen Canal and a workshop on poling, lining and tracking with Steve White on the River Dee - a trip that was greatly enjoyed. We had a quiet morning in the company of about 15 others learning camp cooking skills thanks to Sid and Jax.

Over mugs of hot tea we leant helpful tricks to create tasty meals and to limit the fuss created when cooking away from home. We learned how to make a chocolate sponge and witnessed the finished result after an hour in a Dutch Oven. We also learnt how to cook Bannock and of course practised eating it too. It was excellent fun, a good laugh and, personally, it also made my husband and I realise how basic our camp cooking kit is. Our wish list suddenly grew dramatically. Also, throughout the morning we saw members of Paul Warburtons GPS & Navigation lesson confidently marching across the field staring at boxes in their hands, stopping and changing direction - I just hope they weren't lost! The afternoon was spent honing skills and trying out different canoes on the lake. Bob Ottley ran a deep water rescue course on the lake which was great fun to watch and seemed to be thoroughly enjoyed by all who took part.

Sunday evening saw the AGM, which for a new member is actually very interesting, and it makes you realise how well your membership fee is spent. We also got the chance to vote on club issues making you really feel part of something pro-active. After that the bar was calling and again it was chance to mix, swap stories of the day and trips past and to plan future trips and events to help us keep in touch and keep paddling.

I got out of the rally what I'd hoped - the ability to power a canoe safely and on my own and to have fun. OK, I would still fail the 0 Star test if they had one but it is no longer quite so daunting to be in canoe on my own. I also found everyone very welcoming, friendly and I had no hesitation in getting stuck right in. It was also comforting to find out that certain character traits displayed by my husband were not in fact unique but the way of things with canoeists. Canoe boots and wet suits will smell, that they love canoes and kit and dream of what they would buy if they had the money. And that spare bedrooms do not contain beds ready for guests but are useful for one thing and one thing only - storing all the kit.

If you are reading this and have not yet come to an OCA rally (or any other event) then take it from me it is well worth the effort. I am a firm believer that you get out of something what you put in. If you make the effort to speak to people, enter the events and play a role then by the Monday morning you will have had a very enjoyable few days in a field and would be wishing you did not have to go back to work.

Lianne Proudman