Steve T
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Embarrassing incidentsNot sure what happened here but a few posts attached themsleves to the sticky post at the top of the forum. (Perhaps that's why they're called sticky .... sorry, I'll get my coat)
Anyway, I've put them into their own thread now and reset the sticky post back to the top. All's well that ends well.
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grahambrooks
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Most Embarrasing Moment ................mmmmm!
Try these:
.1. I capsised and swam at a slalom at Sowrby Bridge several years ago. I was having a practice run and as I went down one of the drops I did an absolutely brilliant breakout for an upstram gate and the next thing I knew I was upside down without the paddle in my hand - tried to hand roll and mierably failed! As I surfaced I saw my paddle stuck vertical in the water! It had got caught in a submerged supermarket trolley. I've never shopped at Kwiksave since! I recovered
from the mishap and won the competition - the xperience obviously woke me up!
.2. A friend of mine over 20 years ago "lost" a canoe from a trailer. It bounced off the road and got stuck in the side of a bus. How te bus driver explained to his boss remains a mystery to this day! Not to be outdone I forgot to tie some fibreglass pool canoes properly onto the car. Thet sayed on going out of the school car park and then as I turned sharp left bounced off into the road just missing some one's car. I now always double check that canoes are strapped down safely.
Happy paddling and may misfortunes of this kind stay out of your life
 Graham
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CarlS
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My confessionI think most of the 'older' members will remember this one. A few years ago we ran the Tryweryn and on the way down the various grade 3/4 sections I must have damaged my paddle, since on one of the 'calmer' parts of the river I was keeping my eye on a novice and hit a tree with the result that I capsized. This was in itself not a major problem, but my roll failed despite several attempts, due to the fact that my paddle blade had broken off. I swam and once back in my boat paddled the rest of the river using just one blade (I think they are called 'J-strokes), the problem was that being of limited intelligence I kept forgetting that half of my paddle was missing and attempted several support strokes (proves that hip flicks are the key!), I somehow survived the trip and borrowed someone elses paddle to run Bala Mill Falls. Great excuse to buy a new paddle!
Carl
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Steve T
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Graham's post reminds me that some of the most "interesting" events occur on the way to the river. I remember travelling from Nottingham to Richmond slalom in 1980-something or other, in a friend's car with two slalom boats on the roof - we didn't use roofrack straps then, just rope and knots, only my mate Nick only had bungees, no rope. Slalom boats are of course almost perfect aerofoils, so we were most of the way there when he opened the sunroof to see the two boats "flying" two inches above the roofbars, restrained only by the elasticity of the bungees. He still took some convincing to pull over, when we gaffer-taped the boats to the roof for the rest of the trip.
For genuine embarrassment, however, read on - I have been looking through some old photographs, prompted by Graham lending me an old picture of himself on the Tryweryn (which I will put up on the gallery soon, along with one or two of myself from the same era) and found this one below.
Imagine the scene - you have joined the University club in October, paddled for only one month on the Trent (not Holme Pierrepont, it didn't exist), and then were taken by the club to the Mike Jones Rally at Llangollen, to run the classic paddle from the Serpent's Tail to Town Falls on the Dee - definitely a grade three, possibly four in spate, in a fibreglass boat. Owning no personal gear, you try to look cool dressed like this:
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OK, I now expect some equally embarrassing stuff in return.
Steve
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lionrules25
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Hehe.... 
Oh dear... 
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bandauk
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Steve - you must seriously enjoy embarrassing yourself!
After nearly knocking the entire block of changing rooms down at the canoexpo (it's advisable not to lean on the walls when there are large notices telling you not to!), I managed to get stuck in the pair of dry pants I was trying on! Just couldn't get my foot out, so after causing a long queue gave up and called for reinforcements - Andrew had to come in and pull me out of them - prompting a few funny looks when we both exited together!
Becky
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