Oban to Garvellachs and surrounds Those who served:    Ian Bell, Simon Howlett, Roger Colman, Catriona , Julian Todd, Becka Lawson, Anthony Vaccaro I’m proud of under-planning and not thinking ahead, especially when doing something new.  Becka and I had never been out for more than one night in a sea kayak, and this trip was supposed to be five nights in the Scottish wilderness.  We had the kayaks, we had a Trangia stove and enough old soda bottles to carry our regulation supply of water.  At the last minute we grabbed our one working tent that wasn’t the pop-up kind.  I was sure we could simply shovel enough packets of random food from the larder into the holes around this gear to make something up each day. Becka drove us up to Oban while I provided the entertainment by reading aloud a food list for a French kayakers’ fortnight-long trip from the kayarchy website (including an oyster knife and one winkle-pick per person). By the time we reached Glasgow Becka insisted on some panic buying so she stocked up at Aldis and we arrived quite late. Other last minute decisions that happened frantically the next morning included packing our thickest sleeping bags (which could barely be rammed into a hold, even when you fed them right up to the bow through the hatch), and our choice to wear our skinny wetsuits for the whole trip because we didn’t have enough confidence that we weren’t going to capsize and be unable to roll.  The rest of the group (in their comfy, dry gear) were polite enough not to make it obvious that we were holding them up as we squabbled over what to take and Becka tried to cram in her mound of fresh fruit and veggies (it turns out […]

Saving Sheep on the Severn by John Vogler On Sunday last, 13th May, a group of us led by Carl Leung were quietly paddling down the Severn, when rounding a bend a sad bleating was heard. A sheep had fallen down a steep and overgrown bank. Condemned to stand in the water and unable to climb back to safety its situation seemed dire. What to do? One option would be to land somewhere nearby and attempt to alert the person farming the land. But the spot seemed pretty remote with no nearby buildings. Another possibility, that we began to explore, was to land and use what lines we had to haul the sheep up the bank. However, the subject of our attention seemed very unwilling to submit to being tied up and rescued in this way. At this point John Fay paddled forward to save the situation. Exiting his kayak into thick riverside mud he began to scale the bank with a view to assisting the sheep to climb back itself. The initial result was that the sad animal fell into the river. But, John persevered and finally managed to shove the sheep sufficiently far up the bank for it to get a footing. With a few bounds it was free and trotted off to join the rest of its flock – much to the general relief. Such a humane act deserves to be reported, but it is probably not unique. There are stories of cows being rescued by determined kayakers and even CPR being performed on half drowned ducks. Readers will surely know of other examples that deserve to be publicised.

My first time to Llangollen on Saturday. John showed me the way through Serpents Tail, tried to get me stuck in a stopper then tried to run me over on the bottom wave. Great day out on very busy river. Paul Harwood

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 […]

All, I would just like to say Saturday was one of my best kayak days ever not about counting swims counting numbers of smiles from people. Excellent day well done to all How good was that? I eventually met Surf King Karl Tatum, saw a constant determined effort by John Rasquinha and had a cracking time with all. John Allerton provided another quality session and gave good advice on safety, lines, skills,etc. There was plenty ‘in the flow’ rolling practice. After 3.5 hours on the water with tiredness kicking in Steve and Karl battled it out to see who could ‘have the last go’ on the bottom surf wave. Karl – bravery doing serpents on first day back on a river in years Gary – nailed it John – superb Stuart – yes made it look easy apologies if I missed anyone, John

One of them days when the sunshines and everyone smiles what a lovely day thanks all   . Well done all. level 0.6 Serpents Tail was a blast. great surfing, swiming and smiling. Karl – sorry there were no Rock and Candy Floss Shops.   How good was that? I eventually met Surf King Karl Tatum, saw a constant determined effort by John Rasquinha and had a cracking time with all. John Allerton provided another quality session and gave good advice on safety, lines, skills,etc. There was plenty ‘in the flow’ rolling practice. After 3.5 hours on the water with tiredness kicking in Steve and Karl battled it out to see who could ‘have the last go’ on the bottom surf wave.  That was fun !  Dave

Hi All, 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.   We will have lots of taster sessions / come and try it sessions / Pyranha Canoes and Kayaks are bringing their demo fleet / rolling competition / Sprint championships 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 need to sign in and leave emergency contact details if paddling. More details to follow later in the week but right now I need a band of volunteers to help run the event. Eg Coaches and experienced paddlers to oversee the taster sessions and on water activities Car Parking helper Bring and Buy Sale supervisor Welcome and information team Competition supervisors and results coordinators If you are interested in supporting the club in any of the roles please reply to website@liverpoolcanoeclub.co.uk saying what you would like to do and I will outline the task and give details of the briefing on Sunday morning. Many thanks