14 paddlers turned out for a day out on the Mawddach Estuary and a trip to Penmaenpool and back. We set off in the morning with the last one paddling off at 10:30 and we arrived at Pen around Noon but minus 2 who had got stuck after going down a blind alley. After waiting 5 minutes for the water to rise they carried on and joined us at Pen. As soon as high water reached Pen we headed back down the estuary weaving around it trying to retain deep water and avoid getting beached. The estuary can leave you stranded if you don’t pay attention and the re was the odd scraping of sand with paddles and a couple of very short walks of shame during the day but overall no dramas and everyone survived. Thanks to those who turned up and made it into an enjoyable day out on the water.      

Photo of the Month May 2018 Click here to see the photos and to vote for your favourite. Please send any photos to website@liverpoolcanoeclub.co.uk April 2018 # 1 River Mersey Paddle – photo by Kristiaan D’Août 28 votes (36%) # 2 Surf Ski in Tarifa 2018 Julian Tod 27 votes (35%) # 3 Craig and Ian at the Burrs – Photo by Neil Jones 7 votes (9%) # 4 Sunday morning paddle at the docks 2018 John Allerton 6 votes (8%) # 5 Hilbre Island 2018 Pete Massey 5 votes (6%) # 6 Group at the Burrs – Submitted by John Allerton 4 votes (5%) March 2018 Top of Form # 1 Bonfire paddle River of Light on the Mersey by Kris D Aout 27 votes (34%) # 2 Craig surfing at Burrs Weir by Steve Stanford 16 votes (20%) # 3 Pete discovers he is a zen master somewhere near Glenuig by Kathy Morton 15 votes (19%) # 4 Late entry for paddler of the year, Olivia 3 years old by Martin Eley‎ 11 votes (14%) # 5 How stable is a sit-on-top by Chris Fay 9 votes (11%) # 6 Hilbre Island 2018 Phil and Isobel 2 votes (3%) Bottom of Form

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Firstly thank you all for all your help during the tournaments; reffing, helping with the goals, and doing the table (a shout out here is deserved to the man from Dolly’s who looked after the table single-handedly on Saturday). Thank you also for your understanding with date and pool changes, I think this last tournament was a really good one in the end! So, the final results are…. Liverpool in first place and Dolly Mixtures in second! Congratulations to both teams and I hope everyone enjoyed themselves during the league. Team P W D L GF GA GD PTS Liverpool 15 13 0 2 52 18 34 39 Dolly Mixtures 15 9 1 5 51 26 25 28 Durham Uni 15 8 0 7 36 31 5 24 Lancaster 15 6 2 7 43 38 5 20 MUCC 15 5 2 8 34 48 -14 17 Hallam 15 1 1 13 7 62 -55 4 Finally, I just want to advertise the Ladies Development weekend which is being ran in Liverpool in September. Any individuals can go of any level, there is no need to enter as a team. Best wishes! Rachel

Liverpool Canoe club coach development programme 2018. Aim: To offer free update/CPD sessions to club coaches and potential club coaches of the future. Plan: The sessions will focus on several key areas and will consist of both theory and practical sessions. (A timetable can be seen below.) You are free to join in on any of the sessions however it is intended that you will complete the whole programme. Participants: Numbers will be limited to 10 and can consist of already qualified coaches at any level or anyone who is thinking of becoming a coach in the future. All that is asked is a level of personal paddlesport performance equal to 2 star or above. Dates Session 1 – 6th June 18 18:00-20:00 Venue TBC Session 2 – 13th June 18 18:00-20:00 Venue TBC Session 3 – 16th June 18 10:00 – 16:00 Docks Session 4 – 17th June 18 10:00 – 16:00 Docks Session Number Session type/duration/when Session content 1 Theory (2 Hrs) Evening session Stages of learning (aware/practiced/acquired) Decision making 2 Theory (2 Hrs) Evening session Leadership Structuring practice 3 Practical Full Day Application of the above in a variety of boat types. 4 Practical Full Day Coaching ideas for a variety of boat types. It is envisaged that the day will be split between River kayaks, canoes and sea kayaks. (Specific timings and detail depending on interest.)   If you are interested please book a place via the link below. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/liverpool-canoe-club-coach-development-tickets-44719267533 Matt Giblin L4 Coach

62 people came along for the come and try it sessions run by our coaches during the day. Over a hundered club members join in on the try a boat session and Pyranha demo fleet.   If you are interesed in tryng any other boats in the Pyranha fleet why not drop in to the Go Kayaking shop in Runcorn.  Go Kayaking NW…. Congratualtions to all those that took part in the rolling competition.   The final was really exciting: 1st Place – Sarah Gille 2nd Pace – Harvey Harwood 3rd Place – Karl Tattum More Photos………

Club Open Day / come and try it day – Sunday 29th April 10:30am to 12:30am Everyone is welcome to this traditional summer season opener.   The weather is looking good with no rain and light cloud, so it should be another good turnout. We will have lots of taster sessions / come and try it sessions / Intro to sea kayaks / Pyranha Canoes and Kayaks are bringing their demo fleet / “big lungs” rolling competition / Sprint time trial competition / beer cooler competition? / canoe Polo penalty shot competition  / and bring and buy sale of used canoeing items. This event is open to non-members but they will need to sign in and leave emergency contact details if paddling.   Club paddlers can bring their own boats or try to see how many different ones they can try. Advice: You will need to park in the yacht club car park (free if you enter your registration in the screen to the left of the bar) as the slipway will be locked and is for helpers only. You should stay away from all moored boats as people are living on board. We provide all kayaking equipment but you should be prepared to get wet (have a change of clothes) If bringing items to try and sell please register with the person running the Bring and Buy area – ensure that the item is clearly marked and has the amount you are asking.   The person running the area take any money and give it to you at the end of the event. (We have everything from dry suits to open canoes for sale. See you all on the water tomorrow

Background I know it doesn’t appeal to everyone but one of my goals has always been to do an expedition in my sea kayak. My introduction came earlier in the year with a weeklong trip wild camping on Mull. Other than the simple pleasure of escaping and paddling for a week, I had a number of objectives: To experience wild camping: I have done the standard stuff in a field with a shower block but never anything like turning up on a beach and pitching a tent. To understand the challenges of extended trips: I have plenty of one day trips and paddled every day for a week but always with luxury of catering on hand and a readymade bed. To understand how to look after myself / protect my body on trips. I know how I feel sometimes after a hard day’s paddle, so how would I feel after a week of it… and wild camping. To develop / refine my paddling skills. I paddle reasonably regularly but it can have a habit of being in fits and starts and I feel I have stagnated somewhat in my development as a paddler. ….. and to enjoy myself. There is no point in doing something like this and not enjoying it. Preparation There is no way I could just turn up and paddle for a week; so big part of my preparation involved exercise and building up my fitness and stamina. In addition to additional paddles on my local river, there was swimming and trips to the gym. I thought I had a lot of gear but when I got Pete Thomas’ packing list I was surprised at how much I didn’t have. A few trips to Runcorn and Go Camping and eBay purchases sorted that and left me a […]