Newsletter 122 Winter 2008 04

8/14/2019 Newsletter 122 Winter 2008 04

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Marlow Canoe Club Newsletter - 2 - Winter 2008/04

EDITORS PIECE

Christmas is coming and that, hopefully,means presents. I often put in a piece

about equipment but chose not to this yearas many of the items I feature tend to beclothing orientated and can be expensive.We are all likely to be affected by therecession, some more than others. Thatsaid, there are a no. of smaller items thatare useful to the paddler. A look in theaccessories section of the Brookbankcatalogue should provide a few ideas,straps and drybags are two that come tomind.

Theres a lot going on in WhiteWater at themoment and if this is your particular interestyou are well catered for. The WhiteWaterteam have come with a colour code, similarto schemes used by other clubs that will beof great benefit to those who have yet tofully appreciate the grading system.The touring side is under development aswell a name has come forward with aview to organising a trips and I hope to do

something similar for sea / coastal options.Its beginning to look like the club may beable to offer a fuller and more wide rangingprogramme in the seasons to come.

Its a shame none of the WhiteWater aficionados have written about their exploits thus far.I can only put in what I receive and what I compose myself. I keep a lookout forinteresting snippets, but as I (and others) have been pursuing mainly sea stuff thissummer, this edition has a somewhat salty flavour to it. On the plus side your fish andchips will probably taste better out of it!

We are also closing in on the AGM. Details are to be confirmed but invitations will beposted to all members in good time. It is hoped that we will secure the Kings Head atLittle Marlow again for 26th January 2009.Speaking of the AGM, there is an award for best item of the year usually nominated byme but by way of a chance I thought Id throw it open to the general readership. All of thisyears issues (no. 119 on) can be accessed from the clubs website if you wish to justglance over a past copy. If you feel there is a piece that should be nominated just e-mailto let me know most votes wins. Just one rule; you cannot nominate an item youprovided. Well maybe one more; neither can a family member.

Next issue should go out end of February, copy greatfully received.

IN THIS ISSUE PAGENO.

Editors piece 2

Kayaking kids 3Ferry Gliding 4

Blackwater Paddling 5

Wayne's World 7

PFDs 7

Three Star Sea 8

WhiteWater Grading. 10Sea Kayaking Anglesey 11

Qajaqs Part 2 12

Lock House sell off 13

Andy Cooks DW2008 13

Whats on, When &Where

15

Committee & Contacts 16


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Kayaking Kids!Thursday 21st August

At 6.30 on Thursday evening me, my dad and my sister drove to Marlow Canoe Club to try

out kayaking. We had never kayaked before (only canoed) and were prepared for achallenge! (And it was!)There was soon a small group of us gathered next to the Thames. Soon we wereintroduced to Tim and John and all the other helpers, they led us into the storage shedwhere we were to be given our equipment. There were now 3 dads and 4 daughters.Firstly we changed into our kayaking gear. Then we were all assigned and fitted into ourkayaks, ours were called Dagger and Pyranha. We had to quickly grab our life jackets andoars before our exciting lesson began! At this point me and my sister discovered animportant equipment fact; when selecting an oar make sure that you can only just reach upand curl your fingers over the top paddle, to ensure the perfect fit.We were really nervous when lowering ourselves into the kayak in thewater; however the coaches were all really supportive and held the boats.When in the water we were taught how paddle; this involves aligning yourknuckles with the edges of the paddles and rotating the blade when itenters the water.The group paddled away from the club to the gentler waters of theThames and began the games. Our first game involved technique and funcompetition! The objective was to turn around three times in your kayak,trying to beat your partner who was doing the same thing. I was partnerswith Emma and my sister was partners with Jasmine. We had great fun and got soaked! Iwas then able to use the special method to turn in the next game...

This was Stuck in the Mud. It was just like normal Stuck in the Mud but we played it in themiddle of the Thames instead of in the middle of a field. This was my favourite of the twogames because it included lots of action. Also if you disguised it enough, you could splashthe chaser a bit by accident!After two games we were all a bit tired so we decided to head back to the club. On the wayback I found it very difficult to paddle straight, so one of the helpers gave me a special

rope with a karabiner on the end which helped me -A LOT- to paddle straighter!We were then taught how to get out of our kayaks (like taking off a pair oftrousers!) which was:1. Hold on to the platform and pull yourself (inside the kayak) towards the edge.2. Put your hands behind you and pull yourself backwards onto the part behind

the seat.3. Then turn yourself around and sit on the platform edge, whilst holding ontoyour kayak with your feet.

4. Finally hold the handle at the front of the kayak and pull it out of the water!Overall we really enjoyed kayaking and would definitely do it again! We would also love tothank all the staff for such an enjoyable experience! John also recommended to new andyounger kayakers to bring a snack/drink for after the lesson, just to re-boost your energy-this is great advice!

By Stephanie & Madeline Wallace(The Kayak Kids!)


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Ferry Gliding

It's a handy stroke to know, this one. Particularly useful when higher winter flows are

experienced as it allows you to cross the river without being flushed downstream. It canalso be used in reverse to avoid an obstacle in front or to 'buy a little time' whilst decidinghow to get around an obstacle.But why 'ferry gliding'. The best I've managed to find out is that it is a technique employedby ferry pilots to assist them to line a ferry up with the dock. The pilot would 'nose' hisferry into the dock and use the current to bring the stern alongside. The technique wasextended out into the actual crossing during times of fast tidal flows.A recent holiday on Skye afforded me the opportunity to see this in action. A 'community'ferry runs between Skye and the mainland at Kylehera. At the time we were there thecrew informed me that the tide was running around 4knts. but could reach 9knts. on astrong spring. On leaving the dock the Capt. (50% of the crew) edged into the rising tide

slowly turning the boat till almost parallel with the bank as the current strengthened towardthe middle, reversing the procedure as the crossing neared completion. A video of thecrossing shot from high on the land would illustrate this technique as well as any coachcould explain - shame I was shooting stills.The photo below though does show the ferry going against the current and the wash to therear shows it's working quite hard. The ferry is actually moving almost perpendicular to theflow and will end up by the concrete ramp seen 'behind'.

A very handy stroke to have in your toolbox, particularly if you are hoping to paddle with usduring the winter months or progress onto Whitewater.

John Norris


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Blackwater Paddling

The 2nd best weekend of an otherwise fairly dour summer just happened to coincide witha little 'sea' trip I managed to join courtesy of SESK, (South East Sea Kayakers) an

internet based group that arranges trips etc. for those living in the area. I say 'sea' trip butthis was really river estuary paddling, though anything less than a sea type kayak wouldhave made hard work of the conditions encountered.The plan was to leave St. Lawrence on the Blackwater estuary and paddle to Maldon via.a couple of islands for lunch, returning on the other side of the islands, back to the get in.Near spring tides would be assisting us all the way, with high tide occurring just afterlunch. Six of us turned up for this paddle, all Essex boys except for me. I find it easier toremember the boats than names so joining my Capella was a Quest LV, 2 Rockpools, anEpic, and an Easky 13'.Leaving the beach, you immediately notice how shallow the water is, and remains so for along way out. The Blackwater estuary is in fact a 'RIA', a river valley flooded by a risingsea (eustatic) or falling land (isostatic) and in the SE we are sinking.We aimed for OSEA Island, and as we moved away from the land a slight chop becameapparent. With the incoming springs and an easterly wind my main problem was weathercocking, a characteristic of certain sea boats in particular conditions whereby you 'lose' thestern and directional stability. More practice will go a long way to curing this, and so willmy skeg - when I've replaced the cable. But paddling across was enjoyable none the lessand on reaching the island the water calmed down a bit. Low horizons (there are notmany hills around here) opened up a vista the tourist people like to refer too as 'big sky'country. An iridescent blue sky with a few scudding white clouds was a perfect illustrationof a 'big sky' panorama.

The North side of Osea, like much of the estuary is a mud flat, and in Winter is a haven forvisiting birdlife. In Summer, there's more life in a graveyard. Maldon was just visible in thedistance and we headed toward lunch via. Collier's reach and the North side of NortheyIsland, a National Trust property and another haven for visiting birdlife - in the Winter.Maldon looks like a town lost in time. Alongside the quay are a no. of old Thames barges,and behind these the town rises on what must be the biggest hill for some way around,displaying terraces of properties but nothing modern or out of place. The quay itself has awell maintained promenade with a no. of little outlets vending food and drinks from wooden

sheds, not unlike Higginson'sPark until last year.

We're waiting for the tide to turnand it's a bit later thananticipated, but when the littleboats in the estuary begin tobobble about it's a sure sign slackwater has arrived. The wind hadpicked up a bit but we wereafforded some protection fromNorthey Island ahead and East.Rounding the island thoughbought us into the full force of the

wind which was strengthening allthe time. Blowing against an


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outgoing spring tide a heavy chop was encountered all the way over to OSEA. Mostlyaround 1m or less, we occasionally hit short patches with a 1.25m wave - all on a veryshort period which led to an exciting, if not exhausting ride. Much pitching of boatsdemonstrated how some were better designed to cope with such conditions. The Epicpretty much went through everything; the Rockpools rose and fell but dissipated the splash

effectively as did the Quest. The Capella did likewise but not so efficiently and the Easkydidn't, but the wider hull pushed the splash further away. A rest was called for on OSEAand I was glad of it. 20 minutes, cake and coffee and we were ready to go again. Ourfinal leg was straight across to St. Lawrence and involved crossing the 'original' riverwhere the water was deeper and the swell at it's biggest. An exciting ride saw us all backat the start point - where a Power boating and waterskiing competition had been going onall day. We beached about the same time as the compere announced over the PA thatconditions were too rough for the competition to continue. Not for us it wasn't!Once the boats were packed and racked 3 decided to go home whilst the remainder had apint in the Stone pub. I can't remember the last pub I was in that didn't offer a hand drawnpint of something but the Stone didn't. Considering that much of urban Essex is a bit like

rural Bucks - and this was rural Essex - maybe the Camra people hadn't got their messagethat far yet.Joking apart, it was a great day out and one that I'd hope to repeat with SESK members.Have a look at the website; maybe join up if this appeals to you. Please note though thatSESK is not a source of training, just an informal gathering of paddlers who, from time totime are able to get a trip together that appeals to a no. of members. When I joined Ispecified what I thought were my shortcomings, but despite the 'no training' rule I waswarmly welcomed by all who attended. I hope to partake in further paddles when theSummer programme returns and maybe a few over the Winter as well. I've just got to askthem what they thought of me?


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Wayne's World

Apologies if I seemed to have disappeared at the end of the holidays without sayinggoodbye following another summer season. A return to school for Thomas and the

commencement of the rugby season came upon me somewhat "unawares" so I didn't geta chance to say thank you and goodbye 'til next May '09. I don't feel as though I manageda great deal of kayaking this summer, probably because we didn't have one! In fact I'mquite envious that you have all enjoyed an Indian summer on the river throughoutSeptember whilst I have been jogging around a rugby pitch in very unseasonalweather......and may it continue.Next year I intend to find the dates for the new style Level 2 in April so we can plan familyholidays etc around it; I may then actually make it. My ultimate goal remains, depending ona free (i.e. get it booked in diary early) weekend, a white water experience with you all innorth Wales. I suspect though, that I will not properly satisfy my kayaking ambitions (wouldalso like to try sea-kayaking) until Thomas has left school.........possibly 4 years!!!

Meanwhile, a big thank you to all at the club for making me very welcome again thissummer. Hope you all enjoy the winter water. Best wishes and good paddling. Lookforward to seeing you all in MayA final note. I am in the process of changing my e-mail address [email protected] effective mid-October, so please make a note for futurecommunications.

Wayne Howell Sept. 2008

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Buoyancy Aids

You may or may not be aware of it (I certainly wasnt) but there is a new internationalstandard for buoyancy aids. ISO 12402 is the replacement for CE EN393 that we shouldall have stamped on our BAs somewhere. If really interested you can download the fullspec. from BSI for a measly 114.00 (just 4.07 pp) or for free here.All manufacturers will be developing toward the new standard, so if you are purchasing a

replacement BA soon look for the new mark. Maybe you can use this to haggle for a littleextra discount.So far as Im aware only PEAK has a fully certified range, but others will be on the casesoon.

John Norris Oct 2008
mailto:[email protected]://www.spinlock.co.uk/dw-fr/pdf/ISO%2012402.pdfhttp://www.spinlock.co.uk/dw-fr/pdf/ISO%2012402.pdfmailto:[email protected]


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Three Star Sea

Andy Maxted posted me an item about a new course which would be beneficial for thoseof us going to sea. Coastal Navigation and Tidal Planning is always worth knowing if out

on the briny and is now a requirement for a 4* sea award. Im booked for December sometime and Ill let you know how it goes in the next issue. Whilst talking to the head of centreand outlining the clubs position in not having a practising sea coach I got my self bookedonto a 3* sea with the intention of using it as a guide to my development so far.Its a long way to Dorsetshire so a 5:45 start was called for. I arrived at the WEYMOUTHOUTDOOR EDUCATION CENTRE in time for the 9:15 start. I met a few colleagues whohad done their training at the centre earlier, the coach / assessor was floating around but Ididnt know that yet.Paul Hurrell introduces himself and asks what memorable paddles we had enjoyed thisyear. For me this was my two trips with BADCC incorporating the coast from Bowleaze toKimmeridge in which a variety of conditions were encountered. For Paul it was a crossing

to LUNDY on a millpond sea. A short chat in which we get questioned a little and askedhow we might interpret weather maps etc. follows along with advice on map bearings. Assoon as we are changed and the boats loaded its off to the marina for the assessment.Before we get on the water the coach just throws in an aside about warming up so we allgo through individual stretching routines after which the coach informs us that some

current thinking goes against warming up. If you are going to stretch its important that

you slowly extend your routine rather than just going straight in.

WHERE WE WENT


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Having launched, we start off with a paddling warm up. We each get selected in turn tolead the group around the marina in a follow my leader with the emphasis on trying avariety of strokes along the way, whilst Paul is paddling around picking up points for a littlefine tuning. The assessment proper starts as we leave the harbour and encounter slightlyrougher seas outside, a short squall develops and we stay close to shore where an

opportunity to demonstrate turning strokes presents itself in some of the clearest water Iveyet paddled in. A few wobbles but we soon had the boats turning satisfactorily and tryingmore advanced techniques for the future. We followed with a paddle to a beach for lunch,and a chance to demonstrate compass bearings etc. Heading off toward a tower onPortland Harbour a no. of rocks breaking the surface (and some not) was just the chancePaul had been looking for as it was here we could test our manoeuvrability with a mixtureof edging and drawing techniques. The harbour wall provides a surprising amount ofshelter as we found out upon turning into the harbour. A short way in and its towingexercises. I favour a fitted to the boat set up but dont have one on my boat yet so usedan Ocean Pro belt. It has its short comings but it does the job. Its hard work towing a seaboat perhaps 500m and I should have taken it a little steadier as Id no idea when a stop

was to be called. You shouldnt have to look for the release when you need it, but the belthad dug in under the BA. Looking down, I saw the familiar red toggle and released thebelt on the BA. Perhaps PALM should consider a different colour toggle for accessoriesand for BAs. Good progress in a relatively straight line over perhaps a km or so with tideand wind coming at you from different angles leads toward a beach. We had beenworking in pairs and Paul had an exercise in mind. Whilst explaining the exercise it wassurprising how far we drifted, perhaps 150m back the way we had just come. Anyway, theexercise involves getting to the beach and realising your partner is hypothermic. Mybuddy should get an Oscar for his acting least Im hoping it was acting, so its out withthe survival bag - but not until I get a hat on his head then a warming drink and the offerof some energy foods. Top marks for getting the hat on so quick and enough gear to keepa cub pack warm. Ill not be carrying that much again! Its almost the end of the day andno one has swum. A short paddle brings us to a sort of a bay off a bay were the tide isnoticeable but less so than previously. Starting off with supports, Im getting more nervousand braver in equal measures until the inevitable happens. My first roll fails, so a gulp ofair and a colleague performs a faultless paddle presentation. We are all soon testing ourlimits and its not long before all the rescue scenarios are performed both as rescu er andrescuee. Rolling finished off the assessment and all rolled successfully though Paul stillhad time to offer some tips of which I took advantage. Trying out a short (13) squatEASKY I rolled that as well. Back at the centre and Paul informs us all that we had passedand goes on to give us a short talk about where to get more info and how to contact him

you need a little help. Im offered the chance of a 4* but feel I need a little moreexperience yet so I decline; but Im down for stooge duty for those that think they areready for their 4* assessment. Cant wait.What did I get from this; It gave a greater appreciation of the skills others taught me for myold 3* and that all I really needed was to adjust them for a different boat and differentconditions. As with all the new star awards I had to actively demonstrate the strokes in areal life situation rather than the older more static approach. Other points such as theweather and mapping I was pretty well clued up on before but for all of us wanting to go tosea I would recommend this centre for training and assessment. I cant finish withoutthanking Rod & Richard who turned out on a miserable Sunday morning for a little lastminute revision. Thanks, lads.

John Norris OCT 2008


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WhiteWater Colour Grading

Following member feedback from the Wye trip earlier this year the WhiteWater section ischanging who the away trips are targeted at. As a result, trips will now be colour coded,

green / blue / red or black. This is intended to supplement the traditional grading systemand will give the newer club members an idea of what they might expect to encounter onthese trips until such time as they are fully familiar with standard grading system.The trip organiser will assess the trip and will be able to decide if he / she feels that aparticular member will not be able to cope and would be best advised not to attend for theirown safety and for the safety of others in the group. In such cases other alternative tripswill be suggested as more appropriate for the members skill level.But dont be put off, the WhiteWater team have advised me that they are able to put inplace a specific action plan tailored to any individual and that their intention is to ensureyou develop your skills at a pace which allows you to enjoy yourself without being apossible problem for others on a trip.

The Colours

GREEN TRIPS (3*) Anyone who is comfortable on flatwater and wants to get into WWcan attend these. They are normally 3* trips but you dont need to be booked onto a 3*course to attend.

BLUE TRIPS (Dart Loop) These are people with 3* skills and who are confident on grade1/2 water. You should be able to break in and out and direct your boat on moving water.You may encounter some obstacles, such as rocks & trees that need to be avoided.

RED TRIPS (Tryweryn) These are for people who have prior WW experience and areconfident of navigating their boat safely down grade 2/3 water. You should be happyedging / leaning your boat, know about good boat balance and have a basic knowledge ofreading water.

BLACK TRIPS (Upper Dart) These are for more advanced paddlers on much tougherwater. Unfortunately we cannot take under 18s on these trips without parentalsupervision. You need to have a WW roll, be able to effectively read the river and beconfident on bigger, more technical whitewater.

Over the coming months the specification might be revised a little, but Id hope to seepermanent copies prominently displayed within the club for new members in particular tosee, along with a few names to contact.

A variation of this is used by some of the sea paddlers I occasionally go out with and itworks well for them, Ive also seen clubs successfully use a drinks based guide runn ingthrough fruit juice to spirits. Lets hope it works well and perhaps we will use the samestandard for touring / sea trips in the future.

Chris Porteous / John Norris Nov. 2008


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Sea Kayaking; Anglesey

Many years ago I went on a Plas y Brenan Sea Kayaking course that circumnavigatedAnglesey. Those were the days of hot summers, with beautiful weather. We spent an

idyllic week paddling round the island, camping in (relatively) remote places, and returnedsalty, dirty, fit and suntanned.This year, I saw a late advertisement from Plas y Brenin for an Intermediate sea kayakingcourse on special offer. As it was sunny outside at the time, I booked on the course. Itseemed like a good idea.Two weeks later, there we were, on an Anglesey Beach, clouds heading offshore at greatspeed, winds gusting onshore force 4-5, and the forecast for worse. It did not look soinviting.Despite the weather, we made good use of the island (being round, there is alwayssomewhere a bit more sheltered), and had four out of five days excellent paddling inchallenging conditions. On the Wednesday, we only went out on an inland lake, as the

wind was force 7. A nice, contained area for a reasonable paddle, with many opportunitiesrolling and rescuepractice.On the final day,we finished with theclassic run downfrom Holyhead toPorth Dafarch, pastGogarth cliffs, withParliament Housecave, where we

had camped onthe previousexpedition.Sadly, this time,getting into or nearto the caves wasimpossible due tothe swell. And theeffect of windagainst tide on thewaves in the race

train was a majormotivator not to get swept out. The route choice was quite important, but even as weturned into the chicken chute at South Stack, the initial relief was tempered by theunexpected surf coming through the confined channel.This was a great day, but certainly a day when the 5 sea coaches earned their money.The Anglesey circumnavigation course still runs, and I would still recommend it. Justchoose your weather.

Richard Williams OCT 2008


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QAJAQS PART 2

In the last newsletter I put in a few lines ref. qajaqs (inuit hunting kayaks), and I must admitmy research on the item was not that thorough, it was just intended to be a lead for those

that might want to find out more. Roger French, one of the clubs older members and aprevious Secretary and Archivist to the Historic canoe & Kayak Association has a done alittle research and I have reproduced some of it here. A copy of Rogers complete articlecan be found on the clubs noticeboard. Roger has an Anas Acuta in the club, a GRPdesign based on a low volume Greenland style boat.

A Cape Falcon boat, ribs can be seen under the skin but note the small cockpit.

http://www.capefalconkayak.com/

A good point that Roger raises is that of weight. Whilst I did not quote an actual weight theimpression I gave was that these boats are light. I revisited the Cape Falcon Kayak siteand looked on his boats for sale section. Already sold is a new 1935 sisimuit replica at19lbs. Thats light! But Roger correctly says that no weights were quoted for the originalboats, as these would have been made out of whatever was to hand, and so far as Imaware there are no EU regulations on the size of driftwood (but give them time). Anotherpoint I suggested was that the paddler was stitched into his boat to prevent ingress of the

very cold arctic waters. Im sure I didnt imagine this but I could not find the source again.A quicker (but perhaps slightly less watertight) way of achieving this would have been withdrawstrings.

ReplicaWest Greenland Hunting Kayak

Rogers research was based on a no. of books (as well as his own extensive knowledge)particularly dealing with the Arctic Ocean rim. Whilst looking a little further afield I noticedboats used in Alaskan waters were remarkably similar to the Greenland style.

John Norris Oct.2008
http://www.capefalconkayak.com/http://www.capefalconkayak.com/http://www.capefalconkayak.com/


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Lock House sell off

I really thought, particularly with the coverage in the broadsheets, that more would havesigned this petition. Still, it drew a comment from no.10 which might go some way to

allaying some peoples fears. Call me a cynic, but I see this as more a stay of execution.

Following a petition which garnered some 2809 signatories No.10 responded to the lockclosure issues with the following statement.

Following a meeting with the Minister Phil Woolas and MPs Martin Salter and TheresaMay and discussions with staff and river user groups, the Environment Agency haveagreed to put on hold any changes proposed by the lock house review until they havecompleted a full review of Waterways staff roles and responsibilities, and terms andconditions.

No action will be taken to sell or rent lock houses until these negotiations on the full revieware completed. The Environment Agency anticipates that this will take 6 months but thisguarantee will continue until all negotiations are completed or January 1, 2009, whicheveris latest. The Environment Agency will then review the position on lock houses with lock-keepers and their representatives and with the MPs group.

Andy Cooks DW 2008

Andy Cook has been a club member for many years. Marathon paddling is his interestand I happen to think he is pretty good at it. Andy was diagnosed with myeloma inSeptember 1998 following a number of years of unsolvable back pain. He then had a yearof radiotherapy, chemotherapy and then a stem cell transplant. This was very successful,and has given Andy nearly 10 years of plateau. It should be noted that only veryoccasionally does Myeloma go into remission and that for many patients, current medicalknowledge merely keeps it in check. Over the past ten years, Andy has been an avidfundraiser for Myeloma UK, raising over 1000 individually. His fundraising CV includesmusical concerts, numerous half marathons and runs, and even climbing Ben Nevis. Thisyear he completed the DW (a 125 mile Marathon boat race) an event he completedseveral times in the 70s & 80s.

Within the race are several subsidiary categories, one of which is the GLUCKSTEINTROPHY an award for paddlers competing in the event who do so under conditions thatmany of us would consider insurmountable. Andy was nominated for this award by JulieWood of Banbury CC who wrote:-

We met Andy in person for the first time on Friday morning at Devizes before Katie and he set off

for Westminster. What a courageous man he issuch grit and determination. A real fighter. We

obviously only met him for the four days over the Easter holiday, but every day we cheered him on

his way, either at the beginning, during the event, or at the end of a very long day. In fact, overall

he did an extremely impressive time of 25 hours, 49 minutes and 17 seconds. I (Julie) am a


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canoeist myself and hand it to anyone taking part in this event, let alone completing it on your own,

in a K1 and also suffering from Myeloma.

Myeloma is an incurable illness, which you can only hold at bayit affects the bones and on Good

Friday, Andy told us that he had back ache before he even started. He got through Friday, but then

on Saturday the weather was so awful he was planning to give up around Henley his sonmanaged to persuade him to continue and he completed the whole thing, even though he was in

some distress.

At the prize giving Paul Ralph (Marsport) said that there were 3 nominations and all weredeserving of the award. On this occasion the trophy was awarded to a disabled Major,wounded in Iraq. The Major had sustained significant injuries in the Iraq theatre which hadcost him sight in one eye and tunnel vision in the other along with further injuries to limbsand a shoulder. He completed the senior K2 straight through race. Andy himself thoughtthe majors effort amazing and that the trophy had gone to a very deserved winner.

In recognition of Andys achievement and for the time he put into the club in the past theclub has made a donation to Myeloma UK via. Andy. His just giving page is still open andcan be accessed at: - http://www.justgiving.com/andycook1 should you wish to make afurther donation.

If you want to know more about MYELOMA look up the website here: -http://www.myelomaonline.org.uk
http://www.justgiving.com/andycook1http://www.justgiving.com/andycook1http://www.myelomaonline.org.uk/http://www.myelomaonline.org.uk/http://www.myelomaonline.org.uk/http://www.justgiving.com/andycook1


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Newsletter 122 Winter 2008 04

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