Devizes to Westminster by Canoe.

Powering through Newbury to Westminster.

Sitting on the front (bow deck) of our boat, I was in a prime position to watch the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race going through Newbury. This is an annual event which goes back to 1948.

The race is 125 miles, including 77 portages (carrying the kayak or canoe past a lock). We woke up to hearing some of the early canoeists passing by early on Saturday morning. Today’s photograph was actually taken yesterday. I was hoping to catch some more coming through today, but this did not happen.

I had actually only taken a few shots yesterday, as we had quite a busy day. I was hoping to improve on what I had got, but I shall content myself with this image which, as it happens, was the first photo I took.

There are a couple of canoeists working hard here, with another pair in hot pursuit on their way from Devizes to Westminster. This is a hotly contested race, with a good mixture of the highly competitive to those who are doing it for pleasure. The time taken ranges from 2 to 4 days, which is why I was hoping to catch some today. However, it was clearly those I was expecting to see today that came powering through under torchlight late last night.

Photograph Details:

• Taken: 15 Apr 2017
• Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10 MkII
• Lens: Olympus M40-150 F4-5.6 R
• Focal Length 150mm
• F/5.6
• 1/100 Sec
• ISO 400