Wigan Top Lock to Chorley by – John Fay Haigh Hall, Fredericks Ice Cream parlour and the Boatyard (double decker) Bus Cafe were a couple of the sites we enjoyed on our 15.5 mile return journey from the Wigan top lock to Chorley.       This part of the Leeds/Liverpool canal was one section we hadn’t done before but apparently it was ten miles lock free. Julie Brookes and myself met at a respectful 10:30am and unloaded kayaks. I had decided to take Penny the Jug so was on a sit-on-top kayak whilst Julie has her trusty Flex. As most members know Penny has a dislike of anything of the bird variety and it was this that led to her first swim. Barking at the ducks, before we had even launched, we heard a plop. Looking into the canal we could just make out Penny’s head covered in green algae and brown leaves. She looked like a soldier with a camouflage helmet on. After rescue one we were off. This was a really nice stretch of canal. On one of our recent Weaver paddles I posted a photo of us paddling through thick green duckweed which just looked like a carpet covering the water. This time the water in places was covered in brown leaves so thick that they almost stopped our kayaks dead. The canal towpath was quite busy with cyclists and walkers and one lady dismounted her bike to take photos of us. She said that she wanted a hobby that both her and her husband could do together and like the look of our kayaks. Well, you never know, we might have inspired a couple of new kayak members. By the time we arrived in Chorley we knew that we would be making the return journey […]

OC1/C1 Canoeing – The Lune 24 OC1 and C1 canoes with just 2 kayaks. Some good water levels provided some good fun amongst a mass paddle of canoes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2WZeJLhFdA Paul Harwood

River Dee Improvers WW River Trip Sunday 11th November by Gary Thomas Today’s improvers trip took place amidst glorious Autumn weather.  There were plenty of participants, split into 4 groups.  After the usual shuttle, we headed off from Ponsonby Arms for the 9 kilometer paddle to the get out at Ty Mawr Country Park. The usual grade 1-2 start felt a bit ‘pushy’ after plenty of rainfall, but it helped increase the enjoyment and presented an achievable challenge for those quite new to kayaking rivers like this. A lunch stop on the bank coincided with some warm sunshine, after which we made are way under Pontcysillte Aqueduct towards the get out at Ty Mawr. Everything went reasonably incident-free until we got to Trevor Bridge, where a tricky section resulted in the loss of one of the much-treasured LCC paddles! It was a great day for improvers and experienced paddlers alike and, hopefully, newcomers will be encouraged to get involved in more trips like this. A big thank you needs to go out to the leaders and assistants and I would like to say ‘thanks guys’ to my group leaders, David Rider and Mark Garrod for informative and safe leadership. Click for more photos……  

Club Expedition to Alaska “Day 13” 28th August (Tuesday) – Decision Point Storm Bound The weather forecast has promised wind, and in the middle of night it definitely arrived. Getting up to check that the kit left hanging hopefully to dry hadn’t blown away I realised it wasn’t raining! And the kit was dry. Waking closer to morning and crawling out of the tent for a stroll down the beach, not only was it not raining but the sky was blue with hardly a cloud in sight. It was still pretty windy though. So now we knew that partly sunny = cloudy and horrible all day (Monday’s forecast) and partly cloudy meant sunny all-day Tuesdays forecast! The realisation that the sun was shining filtered through the campsite and suddenly everyone was scrambling to hang out all the wet kit to dry. Martin was over excited by the prospect of going home with a bag of dry stuff which is much pleasanter  (and lighter) than a bag of wet manky clothes. Never have I seen so many items of underclothing spread out on a beach! The ‘Keith`s’ had beaten us to it and were on the beach enjoying breakfast in the sunshine. An impressive bit of delegation followed as Keith S remained in place, and his cap, sleeping bag and other items arrived at his side along with cups of coffee.  Elsewhere on the beach swimmers were to be seen, this time Ian and Mike followed Nikki into the water – apparently further away from the ice the water is colder?!? The forecast confirmed what we knew, the wind was too strong to go anywhere, certainly some of the gusts felt like they’d carry you away, but they also guaranteed dry kit. A sunny stormbound day felt like a rare treat – well […]

Hilbre Island 28th October Sunday dawned bright and sunny, this was all Paul’s idea and he picked an ideal day for a trip out to Hilbre. 20 LCC paddlers gathered at West Kirby sharing a busy slipway with sailing club, plus another 12 members of Deva club making 32 kayaks on the water. We set off for the island in perfect conditions, passed Little Eye and quickly on to Hilbre. Some took the option of a leisurely lunch and ‘sunbathing’ on the beach, rest of us set off around north side of the island to play in rougher conditions. After a brief chat on the beach tide had turned and time to head back for West Kirby. A bit of surfing on the way back, we all made it to slipway before tide went out. Thanks to John Fay official photographer and Bob Hamilton, video director. And a video by Bob Hamilton https://youtu.be/dR6RlDKatIs  

Club Expedition to Alaska “Day 12” 27th August (Monday) – Esther Island to Decision Point The day started off with an overcast sky in a shade of grey that I hadn’t seen before, I felt it was an optimistic grey, heralding light winds from somewhere. Everybody got onto the water at their own pace and paddled down to see the fish hatchery complex from the seaward side. There was a boom around a small bay to try and stop the Stella Sea Lions getting to the salmon When looking down over this watery enclosure the night before we could see that a few Stella sea lions had somehow managed to get over the barrage and judging from the white turbulence in the otherwise calm waters that morning, they were enjoying their continued salmon frenzy.  The black bears were also still on the shore, picking off the salmon trying to get upstream with ease (note to myself, never be reincarnated as a salmon!!). I was appointed leader for that day’s paddle, the plan was to paddle from our location on the southern tip of Esther Island to the campsite at Ziegler Cove Marine Park on the mainland. We would head up the western coast of Esther island before making the 8km crossing. I nominated a fellow paddler to lead us out of the cove to some shouts of surprise from other members; this paddler had previously expressed alarm with paddling around the Stella sea lions, whom you could describe as the brainless thugs of the sea lion world, there were a number in the bay, waiting for us. In fairness to both the secondary leader and the Stella’s, each got on with their job without hindering the other.  Hugging the coast, we made our way northwards without incident. The skies cleared […]

The Paddler issue 44 Autumn/Fall 2018 edition The International magazine for recreational paddlers Current magazine can be viewed in three ways: Free tablet and smart phone HTML5 optimised edition: http://paddlerezine.com Free Joomag desktop page-flip digital issue: https://joom.ag/MEIa Perfect-bound 132-page printed: https://thepaddlermag.com/subs-print-paddler  

Club Expedition to Alaska “Day 11” 26th August (Sunday) – Esther Island Storm Bound Genesis of the Church of Hydrology (AKA Storm bound on Esther Island) I woke slowly, with the dawning realisation that the water that should be on the outside of my tent was in fact on the inside of my tent.  While I had slept, trillions of water molecules had passed unhindered through my groundsheet and were now making themselves comfy in my sleeping bag.  I assessed my situation and deduced that my fetid body was encased in a festering pile of damp goose down held together by sheets of soggy nylon.  It was not the best of feelings.  It was at this instant that I was struck by a blinding realisation, an epiphany – suddenly it all became clear.  The only way that I was ever to find peace in this world of wetness and ever prevalent damp was to embrace it!  The rain that had been our constant companion over the last few days was not a foe but a friend.  Moisture was good, and wetness divine.  All praise to H2O!  Halleluiah! The Church of Hydrology had been born. I rushed out of my deliciously damp tent to convert the others.  The first person I met was Frankie. She had just returned from a walk in the rain, and she had chanced upon a wet black bear on the muddy path.  She showed me a photo of the wet bear, in the rain, and I then welcomed her to the faith and christened her ‘Frankie Mistress of Moisture’.  All the others were down  by the shore, where they were wickedly trying to keep the nourishing drizzle from touching their bodies by standing beneath a tarp.  I quickly ordained them: o   Keith S – ‘Deacon Damp’ o   Keith P – ‘Vicar of Drizzly’ o   Martin ‘Priest Precipitation’ o   Ruth ‘Pope Puddle’ o   Mark ‘Archdeacon Drips’ […]

LCC Youth Polo and GB development In November Callum Cook , John Smullen and Luke Durband from the LCC youth polo team attended a GB polo development weekend at F.O.A. Collingwood Dock. With all three doing well and progressing to the U21 appraisals / selection process weekend held in October at Hatfield Marina ,Doncaster . Unfortunately, both Callum and Luke failed to progress after they failed the lactic test (3 x 6 laps with 1-minute breaks in a time of 4 minutes 55 seconds ) and will now return to the development group. However, a great effort from John saw him progress and be retained for further training within the GB squads. A big well done to all three . Norman Cook . John Smullen Luke Durband Callum Cook  

LCC River Dee Farndon to Chester – Saturday 3.11.18 6 of us headed from Farndon down to Sandy Lane at Chester. There was a strong tail wind which pushed us along from time to time. We were amazed by the variety and sheer number of river side shacks and sheds (aka holiday homes) on raised up above the flood plain along the river banks just below Farndon. One would make an ideal overnight camp spot for a club trip if anyone has a contact in the area. The Autumnal colours were fantastic withal shades of red, brown, yellow and green on display. Cormorants, heron, kingfishers, fancy looking ducks and couple of swans watched our passage downstream. We stopped for lunch just opposite the Iron Bridge at Eaton Hall. Brews were made with a variety of stoves. We soon set off again past the Grosvenor Estate but there were no deer to see by the river today. The car park and canoe launching spot of Eccleston Ferry was on the left before we entered the outskirts of Chester. This is a great little trip for kayaks and open boats for anyone wanting to do a local trip but yet feel like they are out in the sticks. More information……

Club Expedition to Alaska “Day 10” 25th August (Saturday) – Eaglet Bay to Esther Island We had a good start to the day with a relatively dry breakfast and pack up having, in the end, been well above the tide line (despite the concerns of some on the previous night). This is a campsite I would certainly use again. WALLY NOERENBERG HATCHERY The Wally Noerenberg Hatchery (WNH) is the second PWSAC-owned hatchery located in Lake Bay on the southern end of Esther Island in Prince William Sound, approximately 20 miles east of Whittier.  The hatchery was built in 1985 with monies borrowed from the Alaska Fisheries Enhancement Revolving Loan Fund.  WNH is currently permitted for 148 million pink, 165 million chum, 4 million coho, and 4 million Chinook salmon eggs annually.  Sockeye salmon were also cultured at WNH in the past and was transferred to the Main Bay Hatchery in 1990. Klint Hischke, WNH Hatchery Manager leads a permanent, year-round staff of eight along with a seasonal staff of 12 during the summer months.  Klint has worked with PWSAC (Remote Programs, CCH and WNH) since 2013.  He received his B.S. in Water Resource-Fisheries with a minor in Aquaculture from University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point. All the Hatchery Managers enjoy giving tours, showing off their hatcheries and the fish, so please stop by if you are in the area.  All the hatcheries can be contacted on VHF 16. This marine park is located on the southern end of Esther Island, including Lake and Quillian Bays. Lake Bay houses one of the world’s largest fish hatcheries. You can also carefully navigate to the head of the bay for an anchorage. A hike along the eastern edge of the lagoon and through a low, forested pass brings you to Esther Lake. The land is too wet and […]

Club Expedition to Alaska “Day 9” 24th August (Friday) – Olsen Cove to Oyster farm via Cascade Falls (Eaglet Bay) After our long, wet paddle from Meares glacier out of Unakwik inlet  it was great to wake up to a nice dry morning.  By now the decamp operation had become pretty slick and in no time at all breakfast had been consumed, our first bear of the day had made an appearance, kayaks were packed, and we were on the water before 9am. Chris took the first leg out of Olsen bay and as we exited the cove a golden eagle flew overhead toward Olsen island.   We passed a fishing vessel transferring their catch as we headed towards the headland on a southerly course.  Nicky took the lead as we turned south east towards Kiniklik accompanied (or I should say chased) by a number of sea lions. We had a brief stop at the small Kiniklik inlet marked with a church symbol on the map as Keith thought there might be some historic ruins on the site.  A little investigation at home revealed that there was indeed a native Alaskan settlement there some time ago.  Kiniklik is an Eskimo name and was one of the 2 oldest native villages in Prince William Sound.  The native Alaskans (Chenega) were particularly hard hit by influenza and tuberculosis brought by white settlers and the villages were all but abandoned by 1925, most relocating to Cordova, although a small family fish plant was operated for several years afterward by the Chief and his family. Unfortunately, we found no sign of the village, only a small US geological survey marker and an old bivouac, probably used by hunters.  We only searched for a short while, but it appears the forest had reclaimed the land and we could have been only meters away from it and not […]

Halloween Paddle – Sunday 28.10.18 There was quite a bit of excitement at the Liverpool Canoe Club last evening, Sunday 28 October 2018.  From about 3 pm onwards the slipway was filled with juniors and accompanying adults, plus Jayne in her Batman outfit, and her SUP paddlers, all getting ready for the Halloween paddle. Two canoes and an assortment of kayaks took to the water, dressed in spooky balloons, flashing lights and some very odd occupants.  A large and very small skeleton were in the group together with grotesque paddlers, witches and Jasmine, Jim Duffy’s beautiful little ‘pooch’ who, as usual, was on her best behaviour. Jayne’s SUP paddlers set off about 4 pm followed by our convoy of canoes and kayaks.  As dusk approached head lights and torches were turned on and one gruesome occupant (namely Dave Allanson) illuminated the docks with flashing lights on his sea kayak. On arrival at the slipway by the carousel, Pump House end of Salthouse Dock, we all alighted from our various craft for a welcome break and a good excuse for festive ‘eats’.  Gummy fangs and body parts were enthusiastically devoured together with various biscuits, sausage rolls, chocolates and homemade flapjacks. Various photographs were taken of the menacing group however the gorgeous “young ladies” still managed to look charming despite their grisly painted faces. The docks took on a sinister appearance as we slithered through the dark menacing water on our return.  At the ‘cage’ craft were busily returned to the racks, balloons were severed, and the motley group disappeared into the darkness. Julie Brookes & Jayne Rigby Co-ordinators – LCC Spooky Paddle