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Spey Washing Machine

Spey Washing Machine

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    Dec 13, 2017#1

    Forgive my poor memory so this one is aimed at those who pay more attention when running rapids. At the Washing Machine rapid there looks to me to be a useful eddy river left just at the base of the ramp down, keeping you out of the wave train. Am I correct? Why do people not use it? Is it just because people like bouncing down big waves when they can do so safely?

    95118
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    95118

      Dec 13, 2017#2

      Adrian Cooper wrote:Forgive my poor memory so this one is aimed at those who pay more attention when running rapids. At the Washing Machine rapid there looks to me to be a useful eddy river left just at the base of the ramp down, keeping you out of the wave train. Am I correct? Why do people not use it? Is it just because people like bouncing down big waves when they can do so safely?
      I've always run this down the R. A nice dry line with a bit of bounce if you want it... Seems to me that most folks think the middle is the best for some reason.

      27K3,045
      Contributing Member
      27K3,045

        Dec 13, 2017#3

        My own poor memory seems to think that, at a low level, the best entry to avoid rocks tended to set you up to more easily cross the flow and hit the eddy river right, when is what I did. It was also the bigger eddy at those levels, so with a heavy canoe seemed an obvious choice.

        No idea at middle to high levels!


        Not very useful photos of low levels;










        Fred on middle entry, then about to sneak river right of wave train and into eddy. It looks like he was to the right of the central tongue at the top, vague memory this was because of a bigger visible wave/rock. We didn't inspect, so running very much as we each peered over the edge. Its possible that the line to hit the left eddy is simply less obvious from above and thus needs a more deliberate approach?







          Dec 13, 2017#4

          Hmm, looks quite different in Russel's video here, less eddy river right!


          [video=youtube;vhaUZ0I3Obs][/video]
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          6,99322
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          6,99322

            Dec 13, 2017#5

            Maybe six and two threes.



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            2,3991,089

              Dec 13, 2017#6

              It's a boulder rapid, so probably changes each flood. I ran it (2 weeks ago) just right of centre, down the edge of the waves and into the right eddy. I don't think it matters much, left or right both look feasible, as does the middle if you don't mind baling the water out afterwards.

              389215
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              389215

                Dec 13, 2017#7

                It’s definitely most fun down the middle, with a good eddy both sides.


                Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

                2,8046
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                  Dec 13, 2017#8

                  Its been a few years since I paddle the Spey, looking back at the photo it looks like boulders on river left, down the middle is bouncy but clean.
                  Cheers
                  Tim
                  :canoe:

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