Recently, due to ongoing works on a new bridge at the War Memorial Gardens an alternative finish line had to be found. So for this 65th edition the organisers were very excited to be back to their original route.
It was no surprise that water levels were still low for this one, despite the recent rainfall, but luckily it was sufficient for the event to take place. The ESB released some water to help the situation, but you wouldn’t have noticed, until maybe late afternoon when some of the canoeists finally managed to descend in the water!
It took place on Saturday September 19th and we arranged to meet at 12.30 Lucan Weir in the town. There were about 12 Offshoot members at the Lucan Weir with others choosing alternative weirs or vantage points. There was a small crowd of onlookers at the weir along with a commentator, but plenty of room for everyone in the lovely landscaped viewing spot right beside the town.
Choosing the best vantage point was tricky enough, as a combination of overgrown foliage and low water made it harder to workout where to get a decent shot of the action!
The Marshals were in place to assess the safety issues and for those that had arrived early, they witnessed some of their tricky descents and capsizes, as they ‘water’ tested the safest routes down!
About 1pm the first canoe arrived but like many after them, they chose to pick up their boat and walk! The risk of damage was too great!
And so it continued for quite a while, paddlers assessing their options and mostly choosing to get out and slide, walk or carry their canoes down the weir! Some unfortunates at the top of the weir found themselves drifting over the edge unintentionally, then having to use all their skills and experience, assisted by the marshals to guide themselves over as safely as possible!
For us, it made for interesting photo opportunities, capturing the struggles on their faces as they manoeuvred through the various obstacles! But there was also the joy and relief when they were finally on their way again and they paddled downstream, under the lovely old bridge, to their next challenging descent!
By mid-afternoon with a combination of a slight increase in waterflow and the experience of local knowledge, the canoeists started descending the series of large square steps to their right, known as ‘The Fishboxes’! There was great cheering and applause as the first of many, successfully descended without incident and cheers of encouragement for others, after they capsized or ran aground in the shallow water by the riverbank!
With our close proximity it was an ideal location to capture a lot of those moments, some of which, the participants would rather forget!
All in all it was a very enjoyable outing on a sunny afternoon, at a beautiful section of the Liffey and as you can see a few nice images under our belts.
