Last weekend saw the first white water camping trip of the year, we stayed at the Tyn Cornell site which gives direct access to the lower section of the River Tryweryn. Meeting up on Friday evening was a chance for new members to meet others and for friends to reunite. Saturday morning saw everyone on the lower section, 4 groups doing their own shuttles and getting on as individual groups. Back to the campsite for a lunch break and then some went off onto the upper section while another run of the lower was completed by others. Back at camp, showered and fed the fire pit was lit and a night of socializing ensued. Sunday saw much of the same, upper and lower runs. More people joined us for the day. There were a few spills and plenty of wet ears over the weekend but in general it’s fair to say it was a great weekend, we need another one ! Cheers everyone.

Last weekend also hosted another of the coached river sessions, these are going great and people that have attended have left positive feedback, It was a great day and I remembered more than I thought I knew thank you for organising, I had a fantastic day and very proud of myself for running Bala mill falls. What a fantastic time I had. Dave was as fab as you promised and I learnt loads. Can’t wait to get out on some more white water soon. Just back from the course, what a fantastic day! Thank you so much for organising this, it was a brilliant introduction to moving water and Dave was a great coach. I have forwarded the comments on as I know coaches appreciate good feedback. There will be more trips available so look out for the emails if your interested in attending one. If anyone wants some specific coached training then let me know and we can maybe arrange something. Cheers John Cooke

Conwy Estuary 12th of June This trip was a transition sea paddle down the Conwy Estuary to introduce some of us to the tides, currents, winds and waves that come with sea kayaking. It was my first time on such a trip and the more experienced paddlers that took us were just wonderful. Roger met Beccy and I at the compound to grab boats and then we drove down to the Conwy marina. We started on the beach and the weather was warm but a little cloudy. We headed up the estuary inland towards the castle and there were a few tricky currents to navigate. I honestly thought I would end up upside down at various points, but all was well, and I was just being a wimp. We paddled under the castle, which was a magnificent view in the sunshine. In the woods just past the castle there were so many Heron and Egrets in the trees above us. We continued inland where the views were spectacular. I practiced my edging at varying rates of success and with the patient help of Ian, and just about the time I thought my arms might fall off we stopped for lunch. We pulled up on the bank of the river and where we could see the mountains ahead of us and ate lunch in she cloudy sunshine. We watched the water and got back in at about 2:10pm as the tide turned, which was coordinated by Roger who had done the same trip the day before and had made note of the time – the whole way there I thought the time of 2:10 was so wonderfully specific there must be a very clever way of working it out, so this seemed like cheating when I found out he had been […]

We had a wonderful day at Llyn Padarn, under the gaze of Mount Snowdon with mild weather, a light breeze and a few clouds overhead. 11 of us were on the water in our sea kayaks at 10.45am (someone forgot to book their kayak (me), same someone couldn’t find the carpark – thankfully Vic, Dave and Clare saved the day finding parking spaces for everyone). We took a paddle the length of the lake and back before heading upriver where Roger spotted some wild yellow irises and we enjoyed the peacefulness of the surroundings. The smooth water gave a clear view of the brown and pale stones on the river bed whilst birds flew overhead and a small weir provided a gentle introduction to moving water for a few of us. We then paddled under a narrow, low bridge to our picnic spot. There was some confusion as to how to get a paddle through the narrow gap and more than one person had a close shave/prang. Lunch was much needed at this point and we found a spot on shore to enjoy Vic’s flapjack provision. Fed and watered we made our way back to open water where Phil led some skills exercises focusing on wind direction, how this impacts the movement of the kayak and how to correct for this. The highlight, however, was a magnificent game of catch showcasing Marty’s paddle interceptions, Vic’s chants to intimidate the opposition, Cath and Clare’s on target and ambitious throws and my facial expressions on almost capsizing in the excitement. I think Roger’s Renegades just about won. Alison and Ian were an oasis of calm, imparting advice and sharing stories of Alaska to inspire us to improve our fitness and skills. The clouds came down over the surrounding hills as we made […]

Circumnavigation of the Llyn Peninsula by Catriona Hare Circumnavigation of the Llyn Peninsula, with a bonus trip to Bardsey Island, an awful lot of really bad puns, and our own talking guidebook. There were five young folk from LCC Who went to the Llyn for the sea Kayaking was fun Despite the odd pun And tough, wrong route out to Bardsey I doubt that the Limerick will get a of approval. 😉 Saturday 29th May 2021 Trefor to Porth Oer We all arrived at Trefor on the north coast of the Llyn by 9:30, organised our kit and while four of us sorted out the complicated car shuttles (which Keith had designed) Keith drank coffee and relaxed with the boats. After lunch, car shuttles are hard work, we set off. We now had the nearly spring tide with us for the next six hours. This made for a relatively easy paddle, with sightings of seals and guillemots (or razor bills maybe) to reach Porth Oer 30km away. Not far from Trefor, Jimi played chicken with a blow hole….. I think the blow hole may have won, but it was a hot day, and he soon dried off. Near to Trefor, distinctive volcanoes are visible, and further west many of the cliffs are formed from boulder clay, and there were quite a few landslips. Something to think about for campsite selection. We landed on the north side of Porth Oer, the last campsite before Bardsey sound and found a lovely little sheltered campsite just off the beach (our talking book was proving useful). It was low tide at this point, which meant a long carry up the beach. We managed this safely with 4 people carrying each boat. Although a bit busy early evening, the beach soon quietened down, and we had […]

Dove Point Weekend. Over Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th of May two groups paddled out from Dove Point to Leasowe on Sea Transition paddles. SAT 29th – By Roger Colman Dave and I paddled with, Cornelia; Mike; Jim; John and Sharon. It was the first sea paddle for three of the group and we all arrived at Dove Point in good time, which was fortunate. The place was a hive of activity as it was the Hoylake Regatta and the specialised ‘Hoylake Opera’ boats were being launched. The ‘Hoylake Opera’ is a gaff rigged 16 foot clinker boat, designed by Captain Winchester, built by Alex Latta, well over 100 years ago, as the river and channel were silting and it became necessary to design a flat bottomed boat. Approximately 26 were built (all named after characters in operas and musical comedies) and the first ‘Opera’ Class Race commenced in 1902. 14 boats of the ‘Opera’ class remain today in Hoylake with another, ‘La Poupee’, on display in the Merseyside Maritime Museum. So, having managed to squeeze, one by one, between the wall and an ‘Opera’ being launched, we were away. The sea was nice and calm and although warm the sky was a little foggy/hazy producing a wonderful light upon which many of us commented. Waiting for the sea. And they’re Off. Pic’s John Groom. En route to Leasowe, against a small tidal push, we stopped to play around a couple of masts under the watchful eye of Dave. Just getting the feel of the sea. Then onto Leasowe with plenty of edging practice and cheerful banter. There was no real swell of any description to take us to the beach which was a little unfortunate as it would have been a good experience for the newer members of the […]

Crossing the Little Minch – by Tim Haines Setting off from West Kirby after work on Friday, I arrived at Camas Mor (About 5km north of Uig, Skye) at around 0300 on Saturday morning. After a few hours sleep I set out for Fladaigh Chuain. The crossing is about 10km, and takes you past some amazing nesting seabirds on the cliffs of the islands of Sgeir nan Ruideag – a little foretaste of the amazing birdlife yet to come. The rock architecture of ‘lord Macdonald’s Table’ is truly impressive, and a sea eagle passing overhead added to the overall effect of wilderness and grandeur. The landing on Fladaigh Chuain was straight forward, and there is plenty of flat ground of a tent. The low-lying land on the island is thick with plastic detritus which has been blown ashore, but on the plus side, there is also plenty of driftwood. A large number of black rabbits live on the island, along with a fair number of seals and assorted birdlife. I had a leisurely start to the morning, as the NE flowing tide commenced at around 1030, and I hoped to reach the Shiants at slack water, if possible. The weather was perfect – not a breath of wind – and the crossing (approx. 20km) was over all too quickly. After unloading the boat and having a bite to eat, I set off to paddle through the Rock Arch at Toll a’ Roimh, and then around the island of Eilean Mhuire. There is a seal colony in a sheltered cove on the sheltered western side of the island, and I was able to get ashore and climb up to a position where I could observe the seals from above, without disturbing them. Continuing up to the top of the island, it’s […]

Hi All, We have made a few minor tweaks to our paddling, following the easing of guidance today. Details can be found on the link on our website https://liverpoolcanoeclub.co.uk/admin/Covid19.php or outlined below: Key Points: Everyone still needs to pre-book the paddle to control numbers. Face coverings around the car park and compound are now optional. Social distancing should be observed by all.   2m (one paddle length) is a long way!!!! and if you approach closer you should mitigate against the risks. We will continue with the named on the water leader for each and every group concept, as this is believed to have greatly developed paddling within the club over the past 12 months. Rule of six goes to be replaced by normal British Canoeing group sizes and ratios.  These are absolute maximums and if conditions / paddlers and leaders experience demand, groups sizes could and should be smaller than this. Maximum for the docks (Sheltered water) is 1:8 (1:12 for tandem / crewed boats).  Maximum for moderate water is 1:6 Maximum for advanced water is 1:4 Two groups can paddle near or next to one another on the water but social distancing should still be observed by all. Every paddler needs to be pre-booked with the coordinator or through our Bookwhen.com booking site. Paddles are notified through the club`s Google Group and also placed on the clubs calendar. All paddling takes place in separate, small groups with a nominated leader. We follow all National and Local guidance and adhere to the British Canoeing guidelines for paddlesports. Latest Guidance: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-covid-alert-levels-what-you-need-to-know Please stay away if you have any symptoms or are self-isolating. Maintain social distancing at all times (2m or a paddle length). Please leave the site asap after the paddle to reduce congestion. Please use hand sanitiser before and after paddling. If more than one group is at the compound please quickly […]

The weather has, unfortunately, played a bigger part in the clubs ability to get as many Sea Transition Paddles arranged as we would have liked. That said we have had three groups out with two more groups, involving 5 Leaders/Volunteers and 10 transition paddlers, arranged for this weekend. Additionally, this also gave the Leaders/Volunteers a chance to paddle together in some lumpy water. A group of nine Leaders/Volunteers had a paddle around the Great Orme on Sunday 2nd May, in some moderate conditions, where we had an opportunity to practise some deep water rescues and do some towing. We had two groups out at Dove Point, Leasowe, and a small group out on Sunday (9th) in some windy conditions upon Lyn Padarn, Llanberis. There they had the chance of paddling into, across and down, some big wind waves for short periods of time and all the while enjoying the wonderful scenery this location has on offer. Interestingly on this trip not only did we introduce some paddlers to bigger waves we had the opportunity to introduce a newly designed kayak to bigger waves too! I am very pleased to say both the paddlers, ‘Joey & Liz’, and the Kayak, ‘Ocean Glide’, behaved well and performed brilliantly. Club member Dave Brown, owner of DBXcellence, who normally make hand crafted polo and surf kayaks, brought along his new Sea Kayak ‘Ocean Glide’. And boy, does she. His newly designed kayak, with a planning V hull fully customised in Carbon and Carbon Kevlar, will be made locally in Chester. This 16’ kayak is light, manoeuvrable and glides beautifully giving a fast, dry ride. At lunch David Allanson and I had a quick try. David found her easy to roll and performed a graceful side sculling balance brace with ease. I found her quick […]

Mersey Estuary Paddle 1st May 2021 – by Keith Steer The weather looked ace, light winds and blue sky so I suggested a paddle – probably the Mersey. People had been telling me of an easy get on at the Rest Rooms Pub / Tranmere Sailing Club ramp on the Wirral. From here we could take the flood tide up towards Eastham and the Marshes beyond. The slipway gives good access and avoids all the nasty pontoons and terminals to the north. While the flood tide is very strong, it does whisk you along and we were soon paddling past several wharfs and commercial slipways towards Eastham park. Here the Deep-water shipping channel gets very close to the shore and you need to keep a good eye out for any of the small tankers and craft heading for either the Shell oil terminal or Ship Canal locks. We spied a couple of mid-tide stopping points but carried on past the Ship canal towards Mount Manisty (a mound of spoil from where they dug out the ship canal 100yrs ago). The tide was still rising, and we found a small drain under the ship canal that provided a sheltered channel for a snack. Before long, the tide rose enough to enable a safe and mud-free exit. The sandy beach proved ideal for a lunch break while we waited for the tide to turn. There was even an old tent and stove discarded on the beach and ideas developed for a local camp from sea kayaks in the future. We took the ebbing tide and wove our way around two large vessels waiting at the lock entrance. We even found a tunnel under one of the little used wharfs which was exciting. A stiff headwind had developed, and we even found a […]