Marlow Canoe Club no.147 Spring 2015

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The quarterly newsletter of Marlow Canoe Club, based on the Rover Thames.

Transcript of Marlow Canoe Club no.147 Spring 2015

  • www.marlowcc.org.uk

    MarlowCanoe

    Club

    Newsletter 147 Spring 2015

  • A little legal stuff....This newsletter is a free publication for theMarlow Canoe Club.

    Whilst every care is taken, the newsletter andthe Marlow Canoe Club do not accept responsibility for the opinions expressed or the goodsand services mentioned in this publication.

    2015.

    INSIDE YOURSPRING 2015 ISSUE

    3 Inland flatwater toursYep it is that time of the year again whenMichael Day gives the rest of us somethingto do with our otherwise tedious lives.And if that fails then we will probably endup drowning with smiles on our faces.

    4 Your new marathon boat leader"Hello my name is Anne and I want you allto get into boats that are designed todump you into the water after fiftymilliseconds. But don't let that put youoff". I think that about sums up thisparticular article.

    5 A canal trip full of surprisesA blatant advertisement for the touringprogramme. Where else will you get tosee a kingfisher diving down to catch a fishor Michael Axler paddling with a clotheslineprop.

    8 Send for Crocodile DundeeWe all know there is a drive to preventinvasive foreign species from entering ourwaterways and here you can see thereason why.

    9 Paddling to 10 Downing StreetA paddler's guide to voting in this year'selection.

    105star whitewater leadershipDave Goddard suffers four days of brutaltreatment, so that he can then inflict it oneveryone else.

    11Committee members & RetailersYour wonderful new committee, includingthose of us that are unable to escape.

    12CalendarNot quite as good as those Unipart onesfrom the 70's but hopefully this will do?

    COVER PHOTOThe cover photograph for this newsletter was suppliedby Rodney Casbierdand is titled"Basingstoke beforethe town planners letrip".

    NOTICE

    ExtraordinaryGeneral Meeting

    Monday 27 April 2015 at 7.30 pmMarlow Donkey PH, Station Road, Marlow

    Members attending the AGM held earlierthis year at the new Marlow WatersportsHub will know that your committee hasover the winter reviewed the clubsconstitution. Having an up to dateconstitution is obviously good practiceand something that is required for ouraffiliation to British Canoeing.

    The old constitution was welldrafted and hasserved the club very well but the committeefelt we should take the opportunity to clarify anumber of points to reflect our recent practiceincluding the clubs inclusivity policy and thecategories of membership appropriate to thoseunder 18 years.

    The draft new constitution is available bycontacting [email protected].

    Amendments to the constitution can only beapproved in a General Meeting of themembership and this is the only item on theagenda for 27 April. Members will be warmlywelcomed to the meeting which also offers thechance to meet members of the newcommittee and enjoy a drink with us prior tothe next committee meeting which willcommence shortly after the EGM.

    It would be appreciated if members wishing toattend or to send apologies could emailadvising their intentions [email protected].

    2

  • 3TOURING

    Inland Flatwater Toursby Michael Day

    The club will once again be offering a monthly flat water touring programme this springand summer giving members the opportunity to enjoy a variety of rivers within areasonable travelling time from Marlow.

    Tour lengths vary between 815 km or around two to four hours paddling time. Listening toprevious feedback, only one of this year's trips requires a car shuttle, and all the trips are withinone hour's drive of Marlow. And most of the trips require little, if any, portaging.

    All trips are suitable for members paddling kayaks or canoes and a number of the scheduled toursfollow the Canoe England selected paddles. The tours offer an ideal opportunity to log tripexperience for the BCU Two Star and Three Star Touring Awards (see http://www.canoeengland.org.uk/testsiawards/personalperformanceawards/paddlesportstarti1to3star).

    There is no cost to MCC members to attend these events although guests will be asked to pay aday visit fee in the usual way to ensure insurance cover.

    All trips are planned to take place on Saturday or Sunday mornings, meeting at the start venue at10 am and enabling members to return to the Marlow area mid/late afternoon. Programme detailsare shown below, complete with sat nav details for the start and finish points, and have also beenadded to the calendar on the club website.

    Any offers from volunteers to lead or assist on these trips will, as always, be welcomed!

    26 AprilThames/St Patrick's StreamStart : Waterside Centre (SU736739)End : Marsh Lock (SP487094)11 km (7 miles) oneway tripA Thames classic taking in St Patrick'sStream and the Hennerton Backwater.

    31 MayGrand Union canalStart/end : Cow Roast lock (HP23 5RE)14 km (9 miles) go and return tripEasy for all as it has no locks to portage.

    28 JuneThames/CherwellStart/end : Donnington Bridge (OX4 4BJ)13 km (8 miles) go and return tripA trip into the heart of Oxford and thenthrough the water meadows to the 'Vickie'Arms and back

    23 AugustWey at GuildfordStart/end : Guildford (GU1 1BD)8 km (5 miles) go and return tripScenic paddle through the heart ofGuildford to the Parrot Inn and back. Twolocks but easy.

    26 JulyGoring gapStart/end : Goring (RG8 9DX)14 km (9 miles) go and return tripFrom Goring to Pangbourne and back,perhaps the most beautiful stretch of theThames with no locks.

    27 SeptemberBasingstoke CanalStart/end : Winchfield Hurst (RG27 8DE)15 km (9 miles) go and return tripVery easy paddle with no locks and apicnic at Odiham castle.

  • Your new marathonboat leader

    by Anne Bateman

    Hello, I am Anne Bateman the club's new marathon rep. I mainly paddle marathonboats so perhaps that explains my appointment.

    Many of you already know about marathon paddling whereas some may be new to paddling ingeneral.

    The club has a range of K1s (marathon boats) ranging from very stable but still swift, to a bit lessstable and swifter. However speed largely depends on your paddling technique and not just thestability of the boat. Put simply the fastest boat for you is the one you can paddle!

    The Joy of K1 paddling may be briefly summed up as follows:

    SpeedK1s are are long, straight, pointy boats with a rudder, so all your energy is used to propel youforwards.

    LightnessK1s are made of glass fibre, carbon or similar light weight composite and are generally muchlighter than sea kayaks or general purpose boats, making portaging a delight. Usually you can just(carefully) sling them on a shoulder and even run, rather than stagger across portages.

    SkillIf you can paddle a regular kayak you can paddle a K1 but with the added frisson of keepingupright in something a little wobblier than the kayak you are used to. Paddle technique isimportant as learning this will improve your stability and speed.

    DistanceYou can cover longerdistances with less effort anddiscover more of our beautifulriver network in less time.They make great touringboats.

    CompetitionThere are many competitiveevents that are designed forthese wonderful boats! Someeven take place on ourdoorstep! Look up MarathonRacing UKs website for moreinformation on this.

    If you would like to try a K1, or simply rediscover the joy, I will be at the club's nextTuesday evening session and perhaps a few members can give it a go.?

    4MARATHON

    For extra frisson how about a K2...

  • A canal trip full ofsurprisesby Rodney Casbierd

    Last autumn a select group of Marlow kayakers paddled the stretch of the Kennet andAvon canal between Newbury and Aldermaston. Most of us thought we knew what toexpect from the trip but surprises laid in store for us all.

    This was a rerun of an identical trip back in 2013. For those of us that missed out on that originaltrip this was a welcome catchup opportunity.

    There were five of us in total on this trip led by Michael Day and accompanied by Jennifer Burns,Sally Axler, Michael Axler and your correspondent. We were all in kayaks. With eight locks infront of us, the majority of which we expected to portage, the open canoeists all presumably tookfright. Either that or they did it all last year!

    We all arrived at the start point in Newbury on time and quickly got unloaded, even me. Therewere three cars between us so the guysabandoned Sally and Jen as we performed thecar shuttle to Aldermaston. Now car shuttlesare all very well but they do eat up paddlingtime. Unfortunately they were digging up thatstretch of the A4 so it was well over an hourbefore we got back Newbury.

    However we were all soon deployed into thecanal amidst the many narrowboats. We gotoff to a nice start by following a boat into thefirst lock. That was one portage avoided atleast, although sadly it did not set the scene forthe day as we would find ourselves portagingmost of the remaining locks.

    After the first lock we entered the familiargreenery and treelined scenery of the Kennetand Avon.

    About three locks in we had our first pleasantsurprise of the day when we met the king of rock'n' roll aboard a narrowboat. Sally seemedparticularly excited to find that her hero was stillalive and well, although it was disappointing thathe refused to give us any kind of impromptuperformance. For Sally's hubby, Michael, thesight of Elvis was sheer torture and he spent therest of the day craving for a hamburger.

    The rest of the group were less convinced and weleft Elvis behind with somewhat suspicious minds.

    5TOURING

  • A couple of the lock portages were quitetricky. The banks were quite high comparedto the water level. This made it particularlytricky for wee Jen to get way down into herFusion from such heights. But Jen andeveryone else coped fine and the day passedwithout any capsizes or swimming.

    On we went with our paddling andintellectual discussion, with the conversationranging from Jimmy Hoffa, the Barnetformula, section 106 agreements, andadditive manufacture. Only on inland touringtrips do we have the time and space for this.We truly are the philosophers of watersport,so unlike those whitewater ruffians.

    And so it was highly apt that we were then rewarded by our second pleasant surprise of the day,when right in front of us, we saw a kingfisher dive down and catch a fish. A rare sight indeed anda first for all of us on the trip even Michael Day.

    Onward wepaddled, MichaelAxler propelled bya most unusualtraditional woodenpaddle. Long andslender, I thinkMichael said thatthis was aGreenland paddle.It seemed efficientenough and it wasa fitting tool forMichael, given hisreputation as anoddball. Stillwhatever floatsyour boat eh?

    Some of the bridges on the canalwere quite low. Along the route therewere a few swing bridges and wewere grateful for help from passersbythat kindly opened them for us.

    As avid readers of this newsletter willknow from previous Kennet and Avontrip reports, the canal was intended toact as a last line of defence duringWorld War II. Every now and againwe had reminders of this when wesaw pillboxes on the northern bank.These were constructed to housesnipers whose suicidal mission was toshoot at enemy forces trying to use or

    6TOURING

  • cross the canal from the south.

    Briefly the fields and greenery gave wayto an industrial landscape. Sometimesyou can have too much of a good thingand the sight of concrete and steel wasactually a welcome break.

    At one point we portaged a ratherunusual lock. Gone were thesheer brick walls that we are usedto seeing, giving way instead toovergrowing reeds and accessdecking. All very peculiar.

    Finally we reached the Rowbargepub. This was about threequarters of the way along theroute so by this time we were allsomewhat famished, especiallyMichael Axler still craving aburger. The pub has a very largebeer garden by the river. Wehappily made camp there for well over an hour during which were were entertained by the sight ofa narrowboat attempting to perform a Uturn and getting stuck in the bankside. They struggledfor at least half an hour before finally getting the boat round mostly by brawn rather than brain.

    Entertainment over we gotback in our boats and didthe final stretch down toAldermaston. After our longlunch this last leg felt likereally hard work! So whenwe reached the final lock wedecided not to portage.Instead Michael Day andmyself decided we would getout and operate the lockourselves. If nothing elsethis would justify Michaelbringing the windlass.

    7TOURING

  • We got the lock open but once inside the lock we were joined by a narrowboat. The narrowboat's crew agreed to take over control of the lock allowing Michael and myself to get back intoour kayaks. However there was somedrama as the lock descended and thenarrowboat found itself trapped on asubmerged ledge or obstruction. Thenarrowboat started to list quitealarmingly and there was a franticscramble to refill the lock to correct thelist and refloat the boat. We were allquite relieved when we finally escapedfrom the lock.

    And then we were at the end,Aldermaston Wharf. Well not quite, therewas a low bridge in the way. After all thedrama of the lock it seemed we wouldhave to portage again after all. But ourcompanions in the narrowboat helped usout and operated the verticallyopeningbridge allowing us to glide under to thewharf where we had parked our cars.

    What a great day out. It had been abit blowy but otherwise we had goodweather all day, not bad for lateSeptember. Super scenery, somefabulous surprises, plenty ofamusement, a bit of drama and, mostimportant of all, cracking company.Thanks to Michael Day for organisingthe tour and for everyone else thatcame along and made the day.

    8TOURING

    Send for Crocodile Dundee!A gentle paddle down river to theBounty pub suddenly turned into aterrifying experience for a smallgroup of club members one balmyTuesday evening last summer.

    As we took a small break to admire thescenery, we became aware that we werenot alone in the water, we had beenjoined by something vaguely reptilian.

    Alligator or crocodile, we did not stick around to findout, we were just glad to escape with our lives.Presumably it had already feasted for the day onLongridge marathon boaters.

  • 9POLITICS

    Paddling to 10Downing Streetby our political correspondent,

    Adolf TerreBlancheIt cannot have escaped your attention that on 7th May 2015 there will be a GeneralElection in the U.K.

    Party manifestos for commitments to the paddling community are all due for publication on 1stApril but here is a sneak preview of what our spies in the rival political camps say will be on offer.

    Conservative PartyThe main thrust of the Tories' paddlingrelated policies involves the privatisation of the entire rivernetwork with use chargeable at 1 per mile with exceptions for rowing eights and vessels officiallyclassified as ginpalaces. On a more positive note they also propose the complete deregulation ofcontrols on locks and weirs, theoretically allowing 5gate fun for whitewater Sunreaders 365days per year. VAT is to be abolished on all blue kayaks.

    Labour PartyThe main opposition party proposes affirmative action to promote the use of lefty paddles. A morecontroversial suggestion is for the Nene facility to be taken into state ownership and made free forall paddlers to use, funded by a new tax on anyone with the family name Axler. Rowers will beforced to give way to paddlers at all times, except during a tsunami. VAT is to be abolished on allred and pink kayaks.

    Liberal DemocratsThe thin Lib Dem manifesto suggests the promotion of opentoed footwear for all paddlers. Alsothe legalisation of naked paddling. VAT is to be abolished on all yellow kayaks.

    GreenThe Green Party's manifesto is surprisingly light on paddling related legislation, but they do strikea positive note with their proposal that all motorboats be outlawed and sent for recycling. VAT isto be abolished on all kayaks manufactured using papiermache sourced from sustainable forests.

    UK Independence PartyIn a typically populist move, UKIP promise that the Nene facility will be upgraded to pump real aleinto the course instead of water. The fiddling of canoe club expenses is to be encouraged with aplace in the European Parliament for the most blatant abuser. Taking a tough line on law andorder they plan the restoration of both the ducking stool and formal trial by water. VAT is to bedoubled on all kayaks manufactured in mainland Europe.

    Scottish Nationalist PartyNicola the Sturgeon has made a firm commitment to the creation of a brand new saltwater cutfrom the West coast near Gretna to the East coast at Berwick. The use of tartan spraydecks willbe compulsory for all paddlers north of the border, especially those suspected of beingAnglophiles. VAT is to be tripled on all kayaks manufactured in England.

    Plaid CymruNot much to report from the Welsh nationalists, except the proposal of a blanket ban on MarlowCanoe Club paddling any rivers in Wales, following the disgraceful incident with the flock of sheeplast year. VAT to be quadrupled on everything.

  • 10WHITEWATER

    5 star whitewaterleadership

    by Dave Goddard

    Simon Millington, James Hughes and yours truly all attended a four day course with KenHughes Coaching based in Fort William covering the BCU 5 Star WW Leader Award andAdvanced White Water Safety and Rescue Course.

    Even though the water conditions were not ideal Ken felt that we were able to cover the syllabusadequately and sign us all off on both courses, i will summaries below some of my personallearning points and activities undertaken during each day.

    Day 1: River Garry low dam releaseFocusing on group leader ship & communications in a Grade 4 environment, we reviewed ourequipment and equipment design. We role played a number of communications scenarios and thenspent the afternoon developing our rescues from those learnt during the standard WWSR courseincluding boat, bank and entrapment rescues.

    Day 2: River Spean very low levelsToday's focus was on technical rope work and steepaccess, over the course of the day we climbed into theSpean gouge using the equipment normally carried in aboat set up various rope systems including moving aboat at high level to the other side of the gorge andcompleted a casualty extraction to above the gorgehigh water line. A very enjoyable but physically hardday.

    Day 3: River Etive very low levelsPersonal skills was the focus on the first three drops ofthe Etive, we looked at boat control and positioning,power strokes, running drops, mental rehearsal and myfavorites, attentional focus. I found this a veryinteresting day and it is encouraging me to considerfurther paddling skills coaching in a grade 4environment.

    Day 4: Garry full releaseThe final day of the course was on the River Garry were we focused more on the leadership andcommunication required of a group on Grade 3+ water, reading and running the Garry drops fromour boats (where appropriate).

    Overall a very enjoyable but tiring course. The water levels were disappointing but good learningpoints were made each day. Based on the feedback from this course I am looking to arrange atrip back to Scotland in October this year and to arrange a number of days coaching coveringpersonal paddling skills required for a 5 star leader including running drops.

    If you think you would benefit from this level of coaching please let me know and maybe I can geta club group together (of the appropriate level).

    2015 Award WinnersMost improved paddlers

    Nick MartinCaroline Duncombe

    Most improved juniorAbigail Goddard

    Newsletter articleSharron Bartlett

    Swimmer of the yearToby Bellinger

  • Vice PresidentAdrian Cooper01844 [email protected]

    LOCAL RETAILERSMarsport, Reading. 01189 665912. http://www.marsport.co.uk

    Paddlesport, Warwick. 01926 640573. http://www.paddlesport.co.uk

    11COMMITTEE

    PresidentTim Ward01494 [email protected]

    SecretarySibel [email protected]

    MembershipRod Edmonds01753 [email protected]

    EquipmentTom [email protected]

    Women's RepresentativeCatherine [email protected]

    Social SecretaryToby [email protected]

    ChairmanAndy [email protected]

    TreasurerKelvin Abbott01753 [email protected]

    1* Course CoordinatorCeri [email protected]

    CoachingPenny [email protected]

    Newsletter EditorRodney [email protected]

    WhitewaterChris [email protected]

    Website EditorChris [email protected]

    Inland touringMichael [email protected]

    Feel free to contact us to discuss a relevant issue or share your views

    WWC, Shepperton. 01932 247978. http://www.whitewaterthecanoecentre.co.uk

    HONOURABLES

    SeaMark "Shades" Steel07900 [email protected]

    MarathonAnne [email protected]

  • Saturday 4 AprilPool session7.00 pm 8.00 pm

    Saturday 11 AprilWork day9.30 am, Club house

    Tuesday 14 AprilFirst Tuesday session of 2015

    Saturday 18 April 2015East Dorset sea tripSuitable for all membersContact sea rep for details

    Sunday 26 AprilSt Pats Stream paddleSee page 310 am, Wokingham Waterside

    Monday 27 AprilExtraordinary general meetingSee page 2 for details7.30 pm, Marlow Donkey PH

    12CALENDAR

    Saturday 2 MayPool session7.00 pm 8.00 pm

    Sunday 31 MayGrand Union Canal paddleSee page 310 am, Cow Roast lock

    Saturday 6 JunePool session7.00 pm 8.00 pm

    Sunday 28 JuneCherwell paddleSee page 310 am, Donnington bridge

    POOLSESSIONOnce per monthSaturday 7.00 8.00 pm,see calendar for dates

    Chalfont Leisure Centre, Nicol Road,Chalfont St Peter, SL9 9LR.

    5 adults, 3 juniors

    MEMBERSHIP RATESAdult 42 Family 65Junior 23 Senior 23Storage 19 per boat

    WATERSPORTS HUBSocial 10 Gym 120

    Saturday 4 JulyPool session7.00 pm 8.00 pm

    Sat 18 Tues 21 July4 day Thames trip

    Sunday 26 JulyGoring Gap paddleSee page 3

    CLUBSESSIONSEvery SundayDoors open at 9.30 am.On the water for 10 am.

    Every TuesdayDoors open at 6.30 pm.On the water for 7 pm.

    EXTRAORDINARYGENERAL MEETING

    Changing the club constitutionSee page 2 for details