Cotehele Risk Assessment

Route Description & General Hazards

The route takes the paddler past the steep woodlands of the Cotehele estate and the chapel to mark built by Sir Richard Edgcumbe escape from the Roundheads in the English Civil War. There follows a sharp bend in the River Tamar to take the Paddlers past Danescombe House, once a hotel.

Boatyards and moorings bring us to the fabulous Calstock Viaduct built in 1907. The viaduct is still in use by the Tamar Valley rail link from Gunnislake to Plymouth, and our halt at the village. The route continues upstream for about another 200 metres or so before you paddle round the Top End Marshal. It heads back downstream under the viaduct and back to Cotehele Quay

Risk Assessment

Risk	Level of Risk (Low, Moderate, High)	Likelihood of Risk (Unlikely, Likely, very Likely)	Control measure(s) to manage risk
Entanglement/Collision with mooring buoys and other static objects.	Moderate	Unlikely	Instructor and assistants to give clear guidance to the avoid obstacles.   Ensure quick release waist belts with coiled leashes are worn to prevent entanglement.
Strong tidal conditions	Low	Unlikely	AquaPaddle is held at high or low tide when tidal flow is at its lowest. Check conditions before tour/session/hire commences. Make a judgement call as to whether its safe for the weakest paddler. Conditions can change mid paddle. Communication to be had between crew to get paddlers off the water and to safety if required.
Mudflats	Low	Likely	Highlight the dangers of walking on the flats and that paddlers should stick to the slipway exiting and entering the water. There is a concrete slipway available even at low tide. When paddling at low tide paddlers to be advised remain central of the river to avoid grounding.
Adverse wind and weather conditions	Moderate	unlikely	AquaPaddle will not operate over 15 mph standing wind (depending on the wind direction and the predicted gusts). Conditions can change mid Paddle and therefore crew will communicate to coordinate evacuation of the water should conditions change significantly creating an unsafe/challenging paddling experience for novices.
Fog Hazard (Poor visibility)	Low	Likely	Fog can hang in the Tamar valley, If visibility is too poor to monitor all paddlers with 6 crew members then the paddle should not take place. Conditions can change mid paddle, in these circumstances, every effort should be made by the crew to get paddlers back to the start point safely or in more extreme conditions, exit the water.
Wildlife	Low	Likely	There will inevitably be sea life encounters on the Tamar. All paddlers to be advised to paddle by and not too close to wildlife. Observe but don’t engage.
Other water users	Low	Very Likely	There are power boats, sail boats, kayaks and other paddleboarders regularly using the Tamar. Boats often throw off wake that is sufficient to knock inexperienced paddlers off their boards. Paddler to be advised to kneel if they feel uncomfortable or too challenged by conditions or other water users.
Over hanging branches and fallen trees	Low	Likely	There are many trees overhanging the valley, that either overhand or occasionally fall into the river. Paddlers should be advised to paddle around these obstructions and crew should steer paddlers clear of obstruction and report new obstruction via radio to other crew members.
Viaduct pillars – strong water flow	Low	Likely	The water flow beneath the viaduct can be stronger due to decreased space for the volume of water to flow. Paddlers to be advised to be steady or sit down if this makes them uncomfortable.
Falling from board	Low	Very Likely	Novice paddlers will often fall from their board as they learn to become competent at standing. All paddlers to be told how to self rescue, and all crew members to be trained in rescue of another paddler.
Drowning	High	Unlikely	Ensure that all paddlers are equipped with a buoyancy aid and an appropriate leash for paddling safely and ensure that should they fall off the board and potentially become unconscious the safety equipment keeps them afloat until rescued.
Hypothermia/cold water shock	High	Unlikely	Ensure that all paddlers are suitably dressed for the conditions and advised to carry a change of clothes and a towel. Crew to carry foil blankets.
Medical conditions	Moderate	Likely	All Paddlers to sign to say that they have no medical conditions that prevent them from paddling safely and without reduced/compromised ability.
Slips, trips and falls	Moderate	Likely	Falls can have harsh consequences, Paddlers to be advised of areas to take care and to wear suitable footwear to get in and out of the water.