You’ll have 1 soft stuff bag that goes in a dry bag for everything to go in. Valuables or crushables (e.g. sun glasses / bottles of Deet …) go in the Peli-case   Paddling clothes for warm water: Helmet BA Spray deck, remember to check yours will fit choice A and B from the hire list Quick drying long sleeve top (and legs if on raft) to protect from sun (rash vest or base layer) Cag for the afternoon wind, short sleeve fine but if back to back storms it can get cool so still take long sleeve Shorts 3 sets of undies – on, off & a spare in case evening rain prevents a wash drying River shoes that have grip to portage on boulders Consider gloves (socks if rafting) to protect against the sun Factor 50 sunscreen Contact lenses not ideal with water quality and silt after rain or big water splashes Bug repellent (mainly last 2 days) maybe for lunch stops Dry bag to take bits in the boat – you can’t access kit between camps Airbags, check if required before going, there were some with a bit of life in them provided Personal safety kit Throwline? Probably not going to use due to river width and the fact the group don’t stop to set up safety Water bottle, they provide clean water and squash Lots of food at breakfast, lunch and dinner no need for extra snacks   Camping kit: Tents provided but the fine sand got in. You may want to have a bag to protect valuables Summer sleeping bag, they will provide but you may like to use your own Camping pillow or pillowcase to stuff with clothes Roll mat can be provided, taking a thermarest recommended 1 set of shorts, t-shirt, long sleeve […]

We were up for tea and coffee at 6am followed by a massive breakfast at 7am – fruit salad with granola, scrambled, egg, fried veg, toast and a selection of peanut butter, jam and marmalade (which also came out every lunch time with salt, pepper, ketchup and chilli sauce). Drinking water had been prepared over night for us to fill our water bottles with a choice of squash. With the camp packed up and the rafts loaded by 8.30am we were told the line as we went straight into the first named rapid of the trip. The big holes were relatively easy to avoid and we were soon all safely down and playing in the bottom wave while waiting for the rafts to catch up. Then, while the vultures circled overhead we set off down the river. The scenery was great and the water was getting bigger as we paddled up to a new rapid formed by a recent avalanche which will now be known as ‘Keep Right or Get Munched’. We paddled for about 3.5hrs until lunch – plenty of biscuits, bread, beans, coleslaw, spaghetti in a dressing and oranges. We continued for another couple of hours before setting up camp and tucking into prawn crackers and hot drinks. Just before dinner (veg curry) was a rain storm so the guides quickly assembled shelters from oars and tarps. After dinner we sat out by the campfire used to burn the rubbish from the last 2 days before heading off to bed. While collecting wood the guides also put rocks on our tent pegs, they could tell a few squalls might pass us while the odd rumble of thunder could be heard some distance away. With more rain overnight the river lived up to its name and was turned gold […]

We were off at 5.30am in 3 taxis racing through Kathmandu to the Paddle Nepal bus. Slightly over shooting our driver doubled back straight into the on coming traffic with a honk of the horn…pretty standard driving for Kathmandu! The bus was quickly loaded and then we were off on the first bouncy ride of the holiday, climbing out of Kathmandu past the Buddha on the hill. After about 3hrs we made a breakfast stop. Sugary coffee/spicy tea, boiled egg and a spicy chickpea mix self assembled in a wrap. Finished off with a sugary donut – yum! On we went through little villages to the get in, which required some off roading by the bus down a rather steep makeshift slope. The kit was unloaded and the rafts assembled with the bus’ roof racks suddenly turning into the centre pieces to take the oars. While we changed the driver took the opportunity to wash the bus in the river, where he parked to keep the tyres cool. We paddled off and were soon through a couple of wave trains, which at this point in the holiday felt quite big. After an hour we stopped for lunch and had our lesson in the rigorous hand and dish washing procedure. Biscuits went round while the loaves were sliced, coleslaw was freshly prepared and beans were served with bananas and the choice of orange or lemon squash to follow. We had a few more hours paddling through tiny villages and bouncy wave trains where we saw monkeys on the bank and vultures in the air, before arriving at camp – nicely positioned at the top of what looked like quite an intimidating rapid known as Meat Grinder. We were shown how to put up our tents while dinner was prepared. A spicy […]

I wasn’t able to join Kris’s Mersey trip last month so decided to do my own on Easter Day. Having checked with Mersey VTS before starting to cross the channel, an incoming vessel bound for Gladston Dock raised an objection so I had to return to the East side.  With a Spring Tide in full flow, staying put wasn’t going to be easy but there was a convenient eddy just by the big red cranes.  Eventually I made it across to the Wirral side but it was a frustating 15 minutes with all that free energy being wasted. My target was the cafe at Eastham Ferry but there was no easy exit there so I continued to Eastham Lock where the Ship Canal starts.  The entrance lock is huge, I’ve never seen anything like it.  Lunch was taken on some stepped banking nearby. With the tide having turned, it was a quick ride home.  I followed the Eastham markers first then crossed to the Garston side for a different perpective on our familiar stamping ground.  Drifting along with the tide is a great way to see Liverpool seafront close up. Mersey VTS was working well; it was reassuring to hear my presence being announced to any relevant traffic. On returning to Blundellsands, the shoreline had turned to gooey silt. Fine for the birds but it was a messy process for me to gain firm ground.  Crosby Lifeguards were patrolling nearby so I called them for guidance as to the best route up the beach. As Kris said, this estuary needs to be paddled more 🙂

The Sun Koshi is the longest trip in river miles offered in Nepal and is rated as one of the top ten river expeditions in the world. Starting near the Tibetan border and draining off the Eastern Himalayas all the way to the sacred Ganges River in India, this river offers big volume whitewater. Full report to follow but 9  club members paddled some of the biggest water that they  had seen.  It was a great trip and Paddle Nepal were superb.

I would like to get the coach CPD training we talked about off the ground. What I am proposing is three evening sessions and a weekend of practical application on the 14/15April. I will open it up to 10/12 current coaches in the club from any discipline and at any coaching level all I ask is that they are open to new ideas and will get involved. The evening sessions will last around 2 hrs and will cover theory on decision making, leadership and coaching behaviours. I will try and secure a room at College for this with dates to be arranged. On the weekend we will look at applying these theories (so the evening sessions will need to come before) in a sheltered water environment, this would be discipline specific with 6-8 places per session. 3- 3.5 hrs each in length. The course is free to club members. A proposed programme for the weekend could be: Saturday 9-12:30 Sheltered water kayak 13:00 – 16:30 Sheltered water canoe Sunday 10-13:00 sea kayak sheltered water. Kind regards Matthew Giblin If interested please contact Matt Giblin asap matt.giblin@icloud.com

Hi everyone – can I thank the club for organising the VHF radio course a few weeks back, we spent a very enjoyable Sunday learning together. Paul and Scott from Sea Voice were great teachers, and…. we all passed! I am now thinking about a VHF radio and have a few questions please. The course providers recommend the iCom models and I know some of my colleagues own these. Do you have recommendations for other makes or models? The Cobra ones seem to be the best value. And – if you were buying from new would you spend the extra for DSC? Thanks everyone, and look forward to seeing you up in Scotland over Easter. My own choice would be the icom M71, waterproof, very durable, easy to operate and the battery lasts for ages.  If you buy from icom direct they can price match and will programme channel 0 open for rx only, meaning you can listen to the rescue services but not transmit on that channel.  Often quite entertaining when on a long paddle.   DSC generally shortens battery life considerably as it continuously does all sorts of other stuff in the background too, most of which isn’t really necessary. I’d rather have a radio that I know will still have power when I need it even on a multiday trip and have a totally independent means of signalling help should I REALLY need it..  My understanding of DSC (although someone may correct me) is that as it’s a VHF signal it still requires line of sight and for the signal being strong enough to be picked up.  If you think about the places we paddle, close to high cliffs, narrow bays etc. you can see that line of site can often be a problem. If things really hit the fan I […]

Liverpool CC Under 18s are NWC Div 3 Canoe Polo League Champions.  Congratulations to the team.  Why not come a long and give canoe polo a go on Tuesdays – see calendar for venue details. All the equipment is provided – all welcome.

Congratulations to: Stuart Conway Sarah Horton Alan Peachment Paul Goetzee Trevor Strain If you encountered an emergency at sea would you know how to call for help? The Marine VHF Radio is an important piece of safety equipment onboard, understanding the correct procedures when operating the VHF Radio is vital and could save you or your crews’ lives. ” Prepare for the worst and hope for the best” Learn all the Marine VHF Radio procedures and practice using the inbuilt digital selective calling marine radio simulator.  These courses are run in conjunction with seavoice training. https://www.seavoice-training.co.uk/ The discount to any LCC member is £15 off the normal course price of £90     Here is the voucher code LCC15 that members can use if they book directly on to a classroom-based VHF Radio course.   The Exam fee is always £60 which is paid directly to the RYA and not us. Fundamentally this course is designed for all paddlers irrespective of craft. The objective is to teach simple and safe skills that can be applied appropriately.