HMS Wick

The RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 served as a floating ambassador for Britain for over 40 years but was sadly retired in November 2008 to become a hotel in Dubai. So it is only fitting that on the Queens Diamond Jubilee and new vessel is launched to continue the great work of the QE2. But before launching any vessel we first needed to get Joshua and Brandon fitted up for wet suits and life jackets.

Joshua sporting his life jacket, he is just itching to blow the emergency whistle.

Brandon is a bit more apprehensive and wondering why he needs to wear a bright orange floating jacket.

The wet suits were a good bargain out of Decathlon and fit the boys snugly to say the least. Brandon is in a size 4 and has a bit of room to grow. Joshua however is in a 6 year old wet suit and I doubt that will last him until the end of this summer!  



Don't they both look the part in their wet suits.



So with the boys all suited and booted and looking like Navy Seals, it was time to get our vessel ready for its maiden launch. So I set to work pumping up our new inflatable 2 man kayak, aka RMS QE2 (or "HMS The Wick" as we are calling it).

Before allowing the boys out in the kayak I did a quick solo launch to make sure I was confident in the boats stability and more importantly my own ability to control it. After a brief paddle around everything checked out fine and Joshua was first to pair up with me for a paddle.

Me dusting off my kayaking skills and doing a quick safety check.

A nervous looking Joshua boards HMS The Wick as we head off down the slip at Papermill Lock.

Out past all the moored up boats.

And then into the tranquil Chelmer river setting. Despite being fit the paddling was taking its toll and every now I then leaned back for a stretch and rest! 

Upstream we found a shallow at the waters edge where it was time for Joshua to jump out and Brandon to take his turn. He was very brave for having a go but wasn't quite as keen as Joshua. The water in the Chelmer was very calm and is crystal clear such that you can see the bottom. So the conditions were as safe as they could be for Brandon. Maybe he would have preferred it to have been a bit warmer, but today looks like the best day weather wise for the Jubilee weekend so we went ahead with the launch a day earlier than originally planned.

Brandon gets a close up view of a passing tourist passenger boat going in the opposite direction.

Rafting up with Uncle David in HMS Birlington.

After returning to the lock and having a quick coffee break we hit the waterways again for a final paddle before the sun started to set. This time however Joshua took to the helm and had a good crack at paddling himself. So I got to ride shotgun in the comfy seat at the back of the kayak.

For a first kayaking trip with the boys, I have to say that today was a major success. It will be great to have the kayak and get the boys into the outdoors on the hot summers days. Papermill Lock is a stunning location on the Chelmer and is only 20-25 mins away from where we live. Both boys seems really keen to do more kayaking and poor Joshua was in tears at the end as he wanted to go in the boat again. Great news for me as I love canoeing and kayaking, so now I have some little buddies to come out with me. Also we have Olympic tickets for the canoe slalom, so hopefully the boys will make the link with our kayak and what they see in July at the Olympics.

My Navy Seal boys with their stick guns in hand.

Joshua and Brandon sitting on the gates at Papermill Lock.