Surfing at Leasowe Bay by Paul Harwood Paul Harwood is with Harvey Harwood and 2 others Saturday morning surfing the in tide at Leasowe Bay. Weather was good, wind wasn’t too bad and a little off shore, I just wish the waves were a…

Club Llangollen canal trip Autumn 2021 by Lindsay Ferguson What a grand day out 44 of us had on the canal last month when we paddled from Llangollen (at the Pavilion) to The Poachers Pocket pub just across the border into England (about 9.5 miles). Kayaks of all shapes and sizes, open canoes and paddle boards were there. We made a colourful flotilla that happily made its way along through varied and beautiful countryside, entertaining passers-by and canal boaters along the way. Early autumn colours peppered the still mostly green trees. Every bend revealed new and lovely scenes. There were long, straight, tree lined stretches where the canal is wide, with large canopies of trees overhead. Elsewhere, narrow stretches with just single file paddling possible. We often pulled in to let canal boats by and friendly greetings were exchanged. Most fun and delightful of all were the aqueducts and tunnels Two of each! – One aqueduct had only a small wall separating the paddlers from a huge drop! (Whilst you are safe in a kayak, it’s no wonder paddleboarders must not stand up!). In the Whitehouse and Chirk tunnels, headtorches were needed. Accompanying the splashes of paddles and occasional hoots were some echoing bursts of song (keeping us entertained!) The day was split in two with a stop for lunch and a photo opportunity. It was a lovely chance for the whole group to mingle, recharge and stretch our legs. The longest pause of the day was when we waited in line behind 3 canal boats as they, in turn, waited for another 4 to pass through one tunnel! But it was great to see such buzz & activity about the canal. All in all, lots or variety and, even better, lots of good time spent with people happy to […]

LCC – Open Canoe Descent of the River Spey (24 – 27 October 2021) The five members of the party convened at our planned launching point near Kingussie at around lunchtime on Saturday and soon got busy with the car shuttle to Spey Bay, where we intended to finish the trip four days later. This involved a 130-mile round-trip, and it was early evening before we were ready to put the boats on the water and paddle to our first campsite – which was 100m downstream! (It should be noted that one of our party – Graham – had launched early on Saturday morning, much higher up stream than the rest of us, and had paddled 20km further). We were in our sleeping bags shortly after it got dark at 6:30pm. The next day we were out of our tents at 7:30am and ready to paddle by 9:00am. This was the pattern we would follow for the rest of the trip. There was not much flow on the river, but a strong south-westerly wind helped us make good progress. We soon reached Lochinsh and were swiftly blown across it. It was a pity that none of us had had the foresight to bring a sail. First lunch (or was it second breakfast?) was taken in a sheltered spot at the eastern end of the loch, where Graham engaged a couple of anglers in fish-orientated conversation. We took third breakfast (or first/second lunch) at Aviemore, and then continued to an excellent camping spot on an island just upstream of Boat of Garten. We lit a small campfire and chatted around it until the ungodly hour of 8:30pm! I think whisky might also have been imbibed. The following morning, we packed our kit and paddled a few kilometres to Grantown on Spey, […]

GB Freestyle Selections Weekend 23rd and 24th October 2021 What a weekend that was. Two days of competition for a chance to represent Great Britain at the 2021 Freestle Canoeing World Championships in Nottingham 2022. Harvey and I were competing in OC1. We had watched the World Championships in Sort 2019 and thought that we could do that. I sold my big yellow Canoe and bought two freestyle OC1s. Our first competition was the British Freestyle Championship 2021 held in Nottingham this year. Harvey came 4th place. I came in 5th. It was a really great experience, and I enjoyed the competition format a lot. We entered for GB Selections held this weekend for a chance to represent Great Britain and try and promote the niche sport of OC1. Selections was over two days. Two separate completions both held on Twin Wave, with points and percentages, that we don’t really understand, deciding the selection position. As I understand, the result on the day isn’t the final decision. I look forward to the mystery that unfolds with the OC1 category. 6 people going for the team. Adam Ramadam, Connor Proud, Christopher Noble, Jolyon Evans Jo Buddha , Harvey Harwood and myself. Day one was a nightmare. A tricky Twin Wave produced No points for Harvey, Adam or me. 20 points for Jo and Connor, with Chris winning the day scoring 90 points for a big loop. Day two for me was a better wave. I won the day with 35 points. Connor and Jo scored 20 points, Harvey scored 10, with Chris and Adam on zero. So, the winners of day one and day two scored zero on the other day. This means we can’t qualify, so Connor and Jo who scored points on both days are top of the leaderboard. […]