Tville – July 12, 2020

Cathy's Wave

COVID-19 has really put a damper on my whitewater paddling. The pandemic hit in March just as the whitewater season should have been starting, and between stay-at-home orders, quarantines and problems with shuttles it pretty much killed the spring season. I have only had my whitewater boat out once this year - a bike shuttle with Conrad on the Lower Deerfield. When I saw that Paul would be organizing a trip with a bike shuttle at Tville on the Farmington, I decided to join.

The Farmington River arises near Otis, MA and flows generally south and east for 47 miles through Connecticut until it flows into the Connecticut River near Windsor, CT. There are several sections of the Farmington that are popular for whitewater boating – New Boston (class III/IV), Riverton/Satan’s Kingdom (class I/II), Crystal (class II), and of course “Tville” or the Tariffville Gorge (class (II/III). 

Brown's Ledge

Tville is one of the best-known whitewater runs in southern New England. It is the site of an annual spring slalom race, and has hosted national and Olympic trials. The run itself is short - just 1.5 miles, which makes if perfect for a bike shuttle - but the water runs most of the year and there are play spots for paddlers of all skill levels. At yesterday’s level – 1.5 feet, 500 cfs - it is a class II/III run. 

We met at the mill above Cathy's Wave and ran the bike shuttle. It worked out great and is just as easy as shuttling in the car. This would be my first Tville run with my new camera, so I took a lot of pictures. Fortunately, Paul did as well so I also have some pictures of me.  

Main Playhole

This was a group that likes to play, so we spent a lot of time at Cathy’s Wave and Brown's Ledge below it. As you enter the Tariffville Gorge the intensity picks up a bit. I ran the Bridge Abutment Rapid first, and got some pictures of the rest of the group coming through. Same with the Playhole. With the telephoto lens, I was able to take pictures from river-right with the sun to my back. When it was my turn to surf the Playhole I managed a wimpy attempt - staying on the crest without letting the bow drop into the hole.

Below the Playhole are a couple of small ledges that I ran to the left. Below that are the Inquisition Ledges. I ran the first to the right (avoiding the big hole in the center).  From there, I managed to ferry left before running the second drop, but just barely. After my second attempt surfing at Typewriter I got swept downstream and called it a day.

Sandy Beach and the Main Plyhole

Link

My Pictures

Tville Gage
Tville from American Whitewater