This week, Benchmark’s resident Fixpert, Maya Alvarado heads out with Kevin, Mike, Colin and Danny from the Benchmark team on a canoe day with Heidi and her family…
05:30: It’s Saturday. I wake up very early at my parents’ house in North London to make my way back to Berkshire for our canoe day trip with Heidi. I get dressed and pack my things for the journey, including two copies of the new BFR Mag by London-born designer and art director Barbara Frankie Ryan – one to read on the train, and one to give to Heidi. Barbara included a page on Heidi’s utensils project in the latest issue number 20.
06:00: I catch a bus to the station and travel to Paddington to change trains.
07:30: Finally sitting comfortably at a table seat on the train to Hungerford, I get out my copy of BFR Mag. It has been hand screen-printed in vibrant blue and contains lots of hilarious pages including Liv Siddall’s ‘Husband Material’ feature that breaks down the traits of a ‘good husband’. She thinks Furniture designer Martino Gamper is “totally good husband material… a man with big hands, a beautiful face and a fantastic talent for carpentry.”
09:00: I arrive in Hungerford and cycle back to my house where I meet Colin White. Colin is a maker and also runs the large CNC (Computer Numerical Controlled) milling machine at Benchmark. We drive together to Lechlade-on-Thames in the Cotswolds where we will set off in the canoe.
10:15: We meet up with Mike Richards, Kevin Gadd and Danny Thomas who are waiting for us in a nearby car park. They are pumping up the small motorboat that Danny has brought along to follow behind the canoes.
10:30: Kevin and Mike attach plywood lengths with bolts to turn the two canoes into a catamaran. They took them out last weekend to check that the mechanism worked well, having spent time making it after work in the Benchmark workshops.
10:40: We transfer the kit for the day into the boats and get ready to head off. We have the plywood prototypes with us as well as Kevin’s cordless jigsaw in case we need to make any adjustments.
11:00: We meet up with Heidi, mum Fiona and dad Brian at St. John’s Lock. There is a lower point just after the lock to pull the canoes in and for Heidi to get in.
11:30: Heidi sits down in the canoe without a seat to reach a good height from the water, but this does not provide her with enough support. We take out the seat compartment from her wheelchair and cable tie it in place. Cable ties are so handy and you never know when they can help! The best ones are the reusable ties with mini peg clips that can easily detach.
11:45: This is much better and still supports Heidi in a good position to reach her arm into the water. Mike and Colin secure a spare paddle prototype in front of her feet as a ledge to rest against. This should stop any slipping and hopefully make her feel more comfortable.
11:55: Using Velcro, I attach the paddle prototype with a hole for her hand to grip. This should work by Heidi moving her arm back and forth. Heidi is also wearing a wool mitten to keep her hand warm as she paddles.
12:00: We test this paddle and initially Heidi is able to move it back and forth successfully. But it is quite long and therefore heavy and this limits how easily Heidi can lift it out of the water. We want to ensure that it is comfortable to use and does not restrict Heidi in any way.
12:15: Heidi’s parents, who are watching from the bank, suggest making it a little smaller to see if that helps.
12:20: Colin cuts off some material, using Kevin’s jigsaw and the stone steps as a workbench. This is a perfect tool to make quick changes on site or mid-canoeing!
12:25: The new canoe paddle is rounder and far smaller so it should cut through the water more easily.
12:30: Colin and Fiona strap the edited paddle to Heidi’s left arm ready to test the changes.
12:35: The smaller paddle is much easier to use and we travel out along the Thames for a while to test Heidi’s full range of manoeuvres. It’s better, but it is not quite right yet – it is still a struggle to lift it back out of the water high enough, and the nature of it being attached to Heidi’s arm means that it will always be an extra weight pulling down.
12:45: Having used the paddle for as long as it was comfortable, we move in to stop at a bank and Fiona removes it. We all agree that it would be better if the paddle was secured to the canoe and Heidi was able to interact with it as and when she chooses. This would remove the scenario where she is unable to move her arm, with a paddle still weighing it down. It might be a bar with handles that attach to rowlocks and controls a mechanical hinged paddle.
13:00: Heidi has paddled enough for the day, so we continue on with the three of us paddling towards the local pub where we stop for lunch. We have a nice break and warm up inside.
14:00: After lunch we travel back in the canoes. Mike leads us in to the reeds where we get stuck on a rock!
14:15: Having had a really fun day on the water and lots of laughter with Heidi, we begin to make our way back to the lock. It is just starting to rain so we promise to make another trip out when the weather is nicer.
15:00: The motor on Danny’s boat has given up, so we tow him back with us. It has been great beginning this Fixperts project with a whole Benchmark team and I am really excited to see how it unfolds!
Further reading for the especially geeky:
- A day in the life of the Benchmark Fixperts Resident – Week 23
- A day in the life of the Benchmark Fixperts Resident – Week 22
- A day in the life of the Benchmark Fixperts Resident – Week 21
- A day in the life of the Benchmark Fixperts Resident – Week 20