Conwy Ascent - 17th May 2014

The forecast sunshine brought out a large field, though most people were in for a shock with the strong headwinds that met us as we left Conwy.

Helen Marriott

Alan Tonge and Neil Evans

The Macclesfield K2 teams discuss tactics

 The K2 start was entertaining and chaotic as usual, with a few crews tipping in, plus a broken paddle.

I didn't feel as though I got going in my own race, I was hoping I'd be pretty fit, but the windy conditions don't seem to suit me (I feel as though the Epic gets thrown around a bit and I don't seem to be able to drive it through small waves). I finished in a time of 1:27:51, but that included some time spent helping rescue a capsized open canoe - it most likely cost me 2-3 minutes.

After the refreshments and prize-giving a number of us paddled back to the start. The return was much more pleasant than the race due to the wind now being on our backs and fewer waves since the wind and the tide were now in the same direction.

Chris Wood

Alan Tonge

Chris Wood and Alan Armstrong