On 1 June Cubs from our group joined others from the District and further away at Longridge - the Scout Boating Centre on the River Thames near Marlow.

Longridge were holding one of their Splash! days where Cubs can experience lots of different activities. In fact we did so much that the Cubs who attended passed their Water Activities badge.

The Cubs were divided into 6 groups which they stayed in for the day. Each group was made up with Cubs from all the different packs so we were joined by Cubs from Ascot, Binfield, High Wycombe and Bath. We then had hour long sessions on each of the activities.

Rafting

Luckily for us the leaders at Longridge had already made the rafts from plastic barrels and pioneering poles. The object was to paddle the raft across the river to the island without falling off or breaking the raft!

• Dean sits tight as Charlie boards the raft
• Oh dear, one of the rafts looks to be in a bit of trouble
• So that's why they call it a Splash! day. One of the Cubs ends up in the water
• One of the rafts arrives safely at the island with the other one close behind
• Getting off the raft is one thing but how do you get back on from the island?

Launch

The launch was a motor boat used to give the Cubs a trip down the river. Since the leaders didn't go we haven't got many pictures!

• Nicholas keeps a look-out as the launch departs

Climbing

One of the activities was on dry land - climbing. It's always popular and gave the Cubs a chance to dry off a bit.

• When climbing up you always have to know where next to put your hands and feet
• Sounds easy but as Charlie found, sometimes you really have to stretch
• Coming down is easy - just sit back and abseil down
• Other Cubs had to wait patiently for their turn

Then it was time for a spot of lunch while the wet clothes had a chance to dry on the line. After lunch there were more activities.

Sailing

The Cubs were let loose in Toppers

• Nobody was allowed near the boats until they had listened to the instructors explaining how it all works.
• Then it was time to get into the boats
• Again the leaders were left behind so the last we saw was the group sailing away down river

Bell Boat

The Bell Boat was like two canoes joined together. It was important that everybody paddled together. Some teams managed this better than others!

• Just getting into the boats proved tricky for some
• However, it was soon time to push off - avoiding the other boats if possible
• But could they all paddle together? The photographic evidence has the answer

Kayaking

The last activity was kayaking which was great fun, if a bit chaotic at times!

• Before anybody was allowed in the water they were instructed on what to do
• Then it was time to put the boats in the water
• There were two methods of launching - a dry launch and a wet launch
• Once in the water some of the Cubs managed things better than others. We managed to catch Dean, Nicholas and Thomas on camera.
• When everybody was paddling it all became a bit chaotic on the river with some people obviously thinking they were driving dogems rather than canoes

Slide

There's more than one way to use a boat. One of the rafting groups managed to destroy their raft so they had a go on an inventive water slide instead

• Oliver prepares to get wet
• Splash!

At the end of the day there were certificates for all - presented by Alan Davis, our District Cub Leader who had organised the day for us.

This was a District Event.

The Scout Boating Centre at Longridge have their own web site - www.longridge.org.uk