Newsletter 126 Winter 2009 04

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Marlow Canoe Club Newsletter COVER Winter 2009/04

Its the WhiteWater season again, though for a long time it didnt looklike it was going to make it this year. Theres a healthy amount of raindrumming on the roof even as I write. Heres Rob in his new Big DogHavoc seal launching of Hodges Rock (Symonds Yat weekend seeinside). At least thats what it was called on the Saturday when AlisonColes caught the moment on her Canon G10, but I believe it might havebeen renamed since.


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Marlow Canoe Club Newsletter - 2 - Winter 2009/04

EDITORS PIECE

The WhiteWater season is finally here. Inmost areas apart from the South East the

rivers seem to have gone from reasonablyplacid to raging torrents in a matter of days.In fact so much rain has fallen Im sure thesea has risen a little! Ive even seen a pictureof the Miners Bridge (Betwys-y-Coed)disappearing under the Llugwy.Meanwhile the Thames, in a very old fatherlystyle, slowly increases its flow and I expectbefore to long we will be looking at one waytrips. This might be a good time to re-visitlast issues piece on roof racks. Look forward

to some faster water in reasonable safety solong as you keep a look out for whats upfront. Theres nothing for our new starters tobe concerned about yet.This issue gets underway with an item byanon. Anon may or may not have written forus before but I really took to this item,especially the new noun. We follow this withan item on a sea kayaking holiday in the

Turkish Med. Jane forsook Rod the Australian this year but there are links to both 7Capesand Sea Kayak Milos for those that might want to paddle in the warm next year.

Andy Cook has done a prcis on the Hasler series and tabulated the results for clubmembers competing in the series. He has done the same for selected national results.More sea stuff next as some members enjoyed a trip I sort of planned but was unable toattend due to a flu type thingy. Looked like the best weekend of the year. Following thissome members enjoyed a day at the Weymouth symposium, which is becoming a firmfavourite with some club members. And then we are into the WW season with a piece ortwo on the first Wye weekend.The committee is looking at a new format for the AGM and Ive strung a few lines togetherexplaining what we hope to provide and why. Larrys brother has completed pt.1 of apiece entitled A beginners guide on possibly the smallest piece of equipment thatshould be found in the WW paddlers kit.Ive put together a small montage of photos sent in by club members to fill up the lastpage(s). Do take a look at the Whats on, When and Where page as we have a fullerprogramme, both WhiteWater and Touring than Ive seen for a long time.I hope to see some or all of you at the AGM or various events prior to then, but for those Idont can I take this opportunity to wish all members / readers a very happy Christmas.

JOHN NORRIS AUGUST 2009

CONTENTS

TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE 3

HOLIDAY 2010 6

2008 / 2009 HASLER RESULTS 8

HOME GROWN SALTY STUFF 10

WEYMOUTH SYMPOSIUM + 12

SYMONDS YAT WEEKEND 14

2010 AGM 15

A BEGINNERS GUIDE 16

NEWSLETTER DELIVERY 17

FACEBOOK GROUP 18

WHATS ON, WHEN & WHERE 19

THE COMMITTEE 20


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PROLOGUE

Once upon a time.. there was a contented rower or was he? Was there somethingmissing from his life? Why could he not pinpoint this source of discontent? What was thisnagging feeling at the back of his mind that he was doing something drastically wrong?Suddenly, the answer came out of the blue.Shock, horror the realization was almost too much to bear. He had been going up the

river the wrong way!Desperately he searched for a solution for his terrible predicament, thensuddenly he saw the light. He would cross to the other side and embarkon a new journey. So the adventure begins.

CHAPTER 1 NO SPANDEX

So it came to pass the rower found himself booked onto a 1* courseeternally grateful to his already enlightened wife. Upon arriving at thetraining establishment the rower was somewhat confused to be out ofhis natural (or some may say unnatural) habitat. Where was the bar,the hot showers and toilet facilities? Yet worst of all, not a single pieceof spandex in sight! He drew small comfort knowing that buried deepwithin his kit bag he had provided himself with his own spandex all in

one.

CHAPTER 2 THE OTHERS

He was soon joined by other curious people attracted to the sport of kayaking all of whomseemed perfectly normal so maybe his initial fears had been somewhat

premature. The day began with meeting coursemembers and instructors, swiftly followed by theallocation of strange objects called buoyancy aids.

Surely this would inhibit ones catch and tapping downmanoeuvre he thought to himself. After a brief lecture


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on hypothermia and some other ghastly diseases that kayakers could catch it was time tochoose from an array of brightly coloured plastic. Fortunately the rower had recentlyacquired his own polythene from a somewhat dodgy source and hoped that this bargainwould not spring a leak! Having been given a stubby stick with a blade on each end hewas set to hit the water.

CHAPTER 3 H20

After squeezing himself into the rather confined space of plastic cockpit the rower wasdisconcerted to find he was being instructed to paddle forwards this being a totally alienmethod of transport to him. Why would this craft not go in a straight line and where washis Cox? (Some may say this about all rowers but this is another story). The rower wasdesolate without the rest of his crew, but bravely pushed onalone struggling with the concept of forward paddling. After

practicing this for a while another new skill was introduced, thisbeing backward paddling at which he was delighted. Thisseemed much more familiar, not being able to see where he wasgoing. Other skills included using the thing called a paddle tomove his boat sideways, stern rudder and sweep stroke movesin order to be able to move his plastic out of the way of otherriver users. The rower thought this somewhat odd as wheneverhe and his crew are on the river they never have to move foranyone? Taking avoiding action seemed extremely strange.Lunch came and the picnic table provided was no more than a slab of concrete sparselydecorated with weeds but the rower was too hungry to care. When all were fed and

watered a whole new array of plastic and fibreglass was paraded before him. He liked thelook of the long skinny one called a marathon boat was disappointed that the budgetseemed not to have run into providing stabilizing riggers.

CHAPTER 4 THE GETTING WET BIT

The day was fast drawing to a close the sky was darkening and an eerie wind began tohowl across the bleak water. To his horror the rower realised that the time had arrived toget wet. He had heard tales of kayakers voluntarily throwing themselves to the mercy of

the river in some sort of ritual called a capsize drill but thought it only legend untilnowThere was no escape so following a swift change out of his familiarspandex and into stuff calledneoprene he braced himself forthe cold, grasping depths of theriver. The rower and the othersduly formed a sacrificial line andone by one threw their plasticover into the water coming upsuitably relieved to see sunlight

once again (poetic licenceactually the sun had long gone


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by then). Once executed the rower was informed thathe now had to perform this again wearing a skirtcalled a spray deck at this point he seriously beganto wonder whether kayakers enjoyed being upsidedown more than the right way up. What was the

purpose of this spray deck then in a eureka momentthe answer came in a flash, it was to cover thekayak belly. Yes that was it he had seen waves ofkayakers disappearing into the tea shop at Temple toeat cake and cultivate their kayak belliesRowers favoured the six pack look.

CHAPTER 5 DRYING OFF

Having survived this unceremonious dunking a cold, cold rower was permitted to return tothe salubrious mens changing room to don suitable warm clothing before facing thedebriefing and final judgment of his efforts to join the ranks of the roughie toughies. Hewaited in trepidation of the result and breathed a huge sigh of relief when told he hadpassed and was now officially fledged as a one star

Rowaker

EPILOGUE

Since starting this tale the rowaker was struck down with kayak sickness and felt the needto pursue his calling to the other side by completing and passing a two star course. Thisstill not being enough to sate his appetite he went on to teach himself to perform the muchenvied and macho Eskimo roll deftly pulling this off in the river at the drop of hat or shouldthat be kayak helmet!

THE END

The author would like it known that the identity of the rowerhas not been disclosed in order to protect his anonymitythereby preventing any reprisals from purist kayakers.

12111553 22259924 AUGUST 2009


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WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR YOUR HOLIDAYNEXT YEAR?

Many of the clubs older(?) members will know that each year Andy (my husband) & I tendto go off sea kayaking somewhere warm enough that you dont need to wonder whetheryour thermals & wetsuit will be dry in the morning, but just pack a swimsuit & carry plentyof water. I thought Id write a quick summary of our experiences for anyone who thinksthey might enjoy sunshine, warm water and fantastic sunsets - from a kayak.

For the last few years,we have alternatedbetween Turkey & theGreek island of Milos ,in the Cyclades .Last month we tried out

a little outfit calledSeven Capes in Turkey.This is run by anEnglish guy and hisTurkish wife and is anice mixture of guesthouse & camping, so foranyone new toexpeditions, its a goodcombination. The firstfew days were exploring

& camping on islands inthe bay of Fethiye,where the sea isgenerally relatively

calm, then two nights in a guest house with a half day paddle/skills session, beforepaddling along the Seven Capes including the Bad Cape, the Devils Cape youprobably get the picture. So I learnt more about surf launches, surf landings, and stayingin the boat between the two but it was never scary. In fact, there were two Russian girlsin the group, one of whom had only been in a kayak a couple of times, and she copedfine. This may have been because she didnt know enough to be worried so when shewas stuck on rocks with waves breaking over her, shed sit smiling & wait for someone to

sort it out.


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The coast here is very interesting a mixture of sandy beaches, rocky headlands, caves,ancient ruins, the sound of goat bells, the smell of thyme Distances were around 20km aday, though one day was much longer & I was feeling the burn. One excellent thing Ihadnt met elsewhere a short yoga session in the boats each morning before setting off.Proper stretching seriously made so much difference to our muscles especially after a

night sleeping on the beach with two Scops owls trying to outdo each other in theirimitation of a smoke alarm!So it was a great holiday, easy to get to, out of the Euro zone Ill leave some brochuresin the rack at the club.

However if youdont mind a morecomplicated journey,and want to learn alot, have a reallyfantastic time, come

home very confident,learn to roll, be ableto handle a seakayak in wind &waves get yourselfout to Milos & learnwith Rod, ourfavourite guide &coach! If you arelucky enough to finda sea kayak guide inTurkey with goodkayak skills, this isoften because theyhave been trained by Rod. My ambition for next year is to paddle from Milos to Santoriniwith him. See seakayakgreece.com or talk to me!

JANE OXLEY SEPT 2009

Click on the pic. for a link through to SEA KAYAK MILOS and read about what Rod andMrs. Rod can offer. Something for almost everyone it would seem from Janes hoped forSantorini crossing for the more experienced sea kayaker or one of his multi day packagesreturning each night to the B&B.If enough people are sufficiently interested we may look at a club holiday.


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Following on from what can only be described as an outstanding DW for the club, its notescaped my notice that one or two other people are out in the marathon boats. They arenot for everyone but we now offer these boats out to try for all on the 1* courses so manymore are giving them a go. Hopefully Melinda will be able to offer her Wednesday eveningsession again next year and perhaps with a little assistance from the more experienced

marathon paddlers in the club we may be able to make it mainstream rather than asideline for the general membership. Andy Cooke, who has always been a marathonpaddler (and more) has put a piece together for us explaining how the Hasler series cameabout and the results at various events pertaining to club paddlers.

MARLOW CC HASLER RACESRESULTS FOR 2008 / 2009 SEASON

Ever seen the film Cockleshell Heroes- It was based on a WWII mission undertaken byMajor Hasler and 11 other Royal Marines.

From Marathon Web site:- The story behind the Hasler Trophy

One of the most daring raids of World War Two took place on the night of 11 December1942 in the enemy-occupied port of Bordeaux in France. Operation Frankton involved 12men in six canoes being taken by submarine to a position 10 miles south of the Girondeestuary on 7th December. One of the canoes was ripped passing through the hatch of thesubmarine, but the other five then had an 85 mile paddle ahead of them. Two boats werelost in the tidal race and the remaining three carried on for three days, paddling in

darkness and lying up during the day. One more boat hit a submerged rock and sank andthe final two boats went on to Bordeaux harbour, where they attached their limpet minesand, assisted by the ebb tide, paddled silently back down the river. The mines detonatedand severely damaged four vessels and sunk one. The four remaining men beachedbefore reaching the sea, scuttled their canoes and travelled overland to try to reach safety.Two were captured, but Major Blondie Hasler and Marine Bill Sparks made their way toSpain the only two of the original ten who survived. Hasler was awarded the DSO andSparks the DSM.

After the war, Hasler went on to found the Single Handed Transatlantic Yacht race after abet with his friend Francis Chichester. The Hasler Trophy was presented by Lloyds

Underwriters to commemorate the raid of the so-called Cockleshell Heroes and has beencompeted for since 1957. Major Hasler died in 1987 and Bill Sparks died on 30thNovember 2002, only ten days short of the sixtieth anniversary of the raid. In 2003 theMarathon Committee decided to inaugurate a new trophy named in honour of Bill Sparks,which goes to the highest placed veteran K2 in the highest division at the Hasler Final.

The Hasler Trophy is won once a year by the best Marathon Club in the Country. This isdecided at the Hasler Final, in 2009 it is at Reading on 27 th Sept. The Hasler final is a oneday contest between the top clubs from the regions, four from the Southern Region. The

competition for those 4 places throughout the ten Southern Region races of the seasonhas been very hot. Reading, Banbury, Pangbourne and Southampton made it, with


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Basingstoke missing out by one point. Marlow gained 13 points beating Longridge whichhad 7 points. Bourne End J S C had 29 points.

MARLOW CC HASLER RESULTS THIS SEASON

DATE VENUE DIVSINGLEDOUBLE

NAME RESULT DETAILS

05.10.08 Elmbridge 8 Single Andy Cook 11 of 20

12.10.08 Windsor 8 Single Andy Cook 19 of 39

19.10.08 Longridge 8 Single Andy Cook 8of 31 Less than 1 min. off promotion

17.05.09 Basingstoke 8 Single Andy Cook LastSwim due to clash of paddles

also broken rudder.

14.06.09 Royal 7 Double Andy Cook 2 of 5With A Archondakis ofLongridge

21.06.09 Oxford 7 SingleRichardHammersley

12 of 25

8 Single Andy Cook 4 of 20 16 sec. off promotion

9 SingleSteveBackshall 3 of 37 Promoted to div 7

12.07.09 Pangbourne 7 Double

SteveBackshallRichardHammersley

3 of 13

19.07.09 Wokingham 7 SingleSteveBackshall

2 of 22 Promoted to div 6

8 Single Andy Cook 7 of 27 1&1/2 sec. off promotion

SELECTED NATIONAL RESULTS

NATIONALS 9 K1 STUART LOGAN 1 of 10

NATIONALS 8 K1 ANDY COOK 4 of 18

NATIONALS K1 ANDY COOK 11 of 15 MEN aged 49 - 55


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The rules for Hasler races are very complicated, you can read them on the MarathonWebsite if you wish. Put simply there are 9 divisions with a single and a double race ineach. Divs. 9, 8 & 7 race over about 4 miles, 6, 5 & 4 over 8 miles and 3, 2 & 1 overapprox. 12 miles. Paddlers can be any age and in any type of boat kayak or canoe. Usinga very complicated formula the fastest paddlers in a div. usually get promoted into the div.

above. At Hasler races there are also Lightening (single) and Hoddy (double) for children.Other longer non-Hasler races we have done are: Watersides, Thamesides, The RoyalMarathon, Avon Decent, Windsor Veterans and the DW.We have had great fun and satisfaction training, racing and keeping fit this season. Whydont some of you join us this / next year. The club has a number of different suitable boatsto get you started.

Andy, Stuart, Melinda and others are waiting for YOU!

ANDY COOK SEPT 2009

HOME GROWN SALTY STUFF

JURASSIC COAST AND WEYMOUTH SYMPOSIUM (AUTUMN)

Of the potential seven people who were going on this trip organised by John Norris onlythree made it due to illness and other reasons, (John himself being a casualty).So I joined up with Jane Oxley and Mark Steel at the campsite at Corfe Castle on theSaturday morning of a very promising sunny day. Although Johns plan was to do some

training in the harbour we had all been in the sea recently and decided on a trip. ( Poolehas a double high tide, one was 10.15am and the next 14.22pm with not much fall.) Wedrove to the Studland bay side Poole Harbour parking up near the harbour ferry. Carryingthe boats through the bushes we found the harbour choppy, cold and windy compared toevery else. We loaded up (including some warm gear just in case) we paddled throughsome chop to the harbour entrance just as a cross channel ferry was entering. Ploughingthrough the waves we made it through the entrance and out into the open sea. Afterpottering along the first piece of coast we then paddled directly across Studland Bay to asmall beach just before the Old Harry rocks. After a short breather we then had to decidewhat to do about the overfall / race at Old Harry rocks. The first attempt was to go throughthe gaps in the rocks but not enough water so we paddled straight through the

overfall/race which was quite mild as it was only just after high water. We then followed thecliffs along towards Swanage and stopped at an isolated beach for lunch/cigarette/ sleep/tan top up.

We then continued on towards Swanage but eventually turned back and headed for OldHarry Rocks. As had been happening all day the sea was moving/ changing not helped bythe wake from the power boats, jet skis and everything else thrashing up and down thecoast. Closing in on the rocks Mark stopped to talk to a sit on top paddler who had justbeen terrified paddling through the overfall/race so we decided to have a look for a betterway. (For those who might not know the water from Studland bay was trying to get intoSwanage bay as the tide went out, down the English Channel, creating the fast water

overfall and basically we had to paddle up stream.) Yes there was a gap in the rocks,Mark with a lot of scrapping and manoeuvring eventually managed to make it back into


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Studland Bay , Jane followed, unfortunately I sit deeper in the water but was able to findanother way through the streams of water. Another paddle along to a tea shop, thenpassed the nudist beach (I think theres a saying that the less beautiful the body the morepeople are prepared to take their clothes off, it was certainly true that day) heading toPoole Harbour entrance.

Now this is where it started to get interesting. All the big power boats heading for theHarbour entrance were making waves and the closer to the entrance the bigger the swell/waves, so much so as we passed a point of land a wave dumped into the boat havingpopped the spray deck. Reverse paddle, quick pump out and carry on. How do you getthrough the harbour entrance with all the turmoil, ferry etc? We edged closer, the ferrywent across the entrance to the far side, it seemed like a good time, Mark went through,followed closely by myself, unfortunately at the other side was a massive stopper. Markeventually paddled out, Jane somehow avoided it but I was stuck. Paddling flat out for 30seconds I had not moved an inch! Fortunately the ferry started coming back and itdisturbed the stopper enough to paddle through into the harbour, quite tough really.

Eventually landing, dragging the boats over the exposed shore, through the bushes to amuch relived seat in the car.So we returned to camp, reflectedon the day, planned the next andthen took a mile and half walk to apub in Corfe Castle. Lovelyseafood meal, a few drinks andtaxi back.The Sunday also started verybrightly and we set of for

Kimmeridge, a lovely bay east ofLulworth Cove (a few otherpaddlers had the same idea). Ourprinciple destination beingChapmans Pool some way to the

east and the possibly a littlefurther to St Aldhelms Headwhere it has more overfalls / race.We set off in a slight swell andhazy/ overcast, just a gentlepaddle over the rocks and weed beds until we got to Chapmans Pool, a small bay really,with plenty of rocks for manoeuvring between. Another brief landing (which I thought waslunch) but no off again towards St Aldhelms Head. At this point the swell and wind got upbriefly; that combined with hunger convinced me to land whilst Jane and Mark went toexplore the overfalls/race. On their return they commented in unison that it was twitchy.So after a proper break for lunch/cigarette/ sleep/ tan top up the decision was, go point topoint to Kimmeridge or go back along part of the coast? As point to point would have beenjust a boring flog on a hot sunny afternoon it was back along the shore which had changed


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was actually overheating. Within half a mile of Turners Pool we landed on one of theledges and had lunch, some so cold that they used the storm shelter. Then back on theboats to finish the trip to the Pool with which promised some interesting rock hopping.Now the wind was really up, head down to reduce wind resistance and just paddle. Asizable swell was going onto the rocks but most people were getting in and out without too

many problems. The advice was if you get washed against a rock hug it and present thehull to the incoming waves. The reality was the rocks were worm ridden and looked verysharp so grabbing it would probably cut you to pieces so when pushed against a rock itwas lean the other way, brace, brace and brace again until the wash took you away andyou could move on. Further on whilst waiting to pass inshore of two rocks a larger thannormal swell came through and gave me an inadvertent surf right through the gap andonto the back of another boat that had been pushed back into my line. Well after hilarityall around (actually very dangerous) we disentangled ourselves and set about getting outagain. There must be some physical law which says when you cycle or kayak into a wind,then turn to go the other way the wind dies down or changes direction, so off we set andquite a flog back to Kimmeridge. A challenging but enjoyable day for everyone but at the

end of which we said goodbye to the Weymouth Centre as on Saturday we intended topaddle Ringstead to Lulworth Cove with the South East Sea Kayakers group.

Saturday was a bright cloudless day and we drove to Ringstead, just east of Weymouthdown a narrow road to a reasonably priced privately owned area/ car park where we metabout ten other paddlers from South East Kayakers. Launch and then east to Lulworth, abit of chop but soon we were passing glorious chalk cliffs. A short stop on a steep shinglebeach then off again rock hopping, through arches, through beds of sea vegetation whereyou had to wait for gaps in which you could place a blade. All of a suddenly there wereclimbers practising their skills on the cliffs, (with the odd one falling into the water as theytried to negotiate an overhang,) and there were excellent examples of rock formationswhere millions of years ago shifting Teutonic plates (earths crust) pressing together hadcreated great folds in the surface of the earth, to a glorious sundrenched Lulworth Covewhere we stopped to lunch. Laying back looking at the sun beating down, a conversationoverheard between a Marlow member and another member of the group.

Well where do you keep your ducksIn the chicken house.Well where do you keep your chickens?maybe you had to be there.

The trip back had more rock hopping, more sights but overall a bit of a haul back toRingstead for tea.There were more things to do at Weymouth such as the Saturday night paddle and roundtrip of Portland Bill on Sunday but after three great days I headed for home.

CHARLES PAIN SEPT 2009


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SYMONDS YAT WEEKEND.

The WW season is underway, well it will be if it starts raining, and it traditionally starts with

a trip to Symonds Yat, an ideal introduction to the genre for the seasons new starters.JP put together a weekend to encompass a down river trip on the Saturday and somespecific WW intro and skills practice on the Sunday.I was surprised not to see more people turn up for the Saturday just 6 of us and just 1who may not have done the trip before. Perhaps we did not make it sufficiently well knownwhat a beautiful river the Wye is. About 8 miles of moving water offering a variety offeatures that provide an ideal introduction to touring with the option of shooting the rapidsat the end of the day.Being a little later than usual there were not so many hire craft on the water as usual but asizeable gaggle left Kerne Bridge 10.45. This river lives and from the start, even in lowwater, there is a noticeable flow (much better than St Pats. Stream). We all knew the river

reasonably well with the possible exception of Ali who had her own L3K on hand. Thestart of this trip follows the road down to Lydbrook but its still quite. Very quite. A fewcars, a bit of wildlife but no background noise. I think some of us have forgotten whatsilence is.I first heard of LYDBROOK rapids a few years back courtesy of TT, the river just speedsup a little here and when low offers a little ripple. Its an easy ride through but capable ofproviding a thrill for the first timer. At Lydbrook the river bends a little. Probably due tothe location of an island the flow here is actually faster on the inside of the bend. Its bestto take the outside line here as trees on the inner bank can prove dangerous. Shortly afterwe come to a favoured eddy location most suitable for practising break ins and outs. Ilike this spot If Ive got time to think about it I still tend to wobble a bit on breaking out,

but you can practise safely here.After here its a gentle paddle downstream in blissful silence. The river has enteredcountryside proper now and its a gem. Wildlife is there to be seen for those that look butmostly its a time to enjoy the river and practise those all important eddy turns on any ofthe numerous bankside features the river has to offer. Lunch was taken on a small beachin the shadow of Symonds Yat, the sun struggling to reach the river as Autumn continuesits march toward Winter. As always a far better spot was just around the corner. But hadwe continued that spot may have been in use when we arrived. For the most part evenlarger groups are enjoying the serenity and make little in the way of noise. We reachHuntsmans bridge and those not familiar with the geography of the Wye might besurprised to find that we are just 20mins. walk from where we started. The trip down to therapid gets a little more commercialised with a funfair / theme park on the right bank and afew short trip cruisers.We come to the ROCK. Its been given a no. of names over the years but on Saturday itwas still Hodges rock. A 2m slide and a 1m drop into the river makes for a rather specialseal launch.Its my first time on the rapids since the BCU invested heavily on improving the feature forour benefit. Outwardly it doesnt look a lot different but a more distinct channel through themiddle offers a bouncy passage for the hire canoes in the lower levels. I had a few runsthrough and a chance to practise a little and thought the passage straight through hadbeen improved a little whilst able to offer a better environment for WW practise. I have

seen people paddle up the old Yat, I dont think theyll do it know.


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Its too late for food at the Saracens Head, and a plate of chips going to waste on the nexttable was almost more than I could take. A shame the purchasers of the chips were still atthe table looking all dewy eyed at each other, I reckon I could have got the chips withoutthem even knowing theyd gone! But they did have Botty Burp on offer. Its beenrumoured that this is a good pint so I had to have some. And the rumours were correct. A

wonderfully smooth pint to round of a wonderful day. Thanks to JP, Ali, Rob, Alex M, andKelvin.

John Norris October 2009

AND ON SUNDAY

Sunday 10:00am at Symonds Yat and 10 souls from beginners to coaches gathered for aday of basic instruction, skills refreshing and just plain remembering what WW is all about.

The first thing you notice upon entering the car park is that the slide is closed (boo) butafter enquiring the one at the other end of the car park is open (hurray).After some basic introductions, swapping of objectives and what to do if at the receivingend of a throw line, there was the slide and a refreshing splash to get us in the mood.More basics on horizon lines, ferry gliding and inspecting the rapids then first move of theseason (or ever for some) into the rapids with ferry gliding, crossing, eddy hopping etc.However, whilst we were there it became busier as more groups arrived. After completingthe first set of manoeuvres, its down to the beach and a portage back up to the top. JPencouraged everyone to try out the rapid in their own time. However, it kept getting busier,every time you looked up you could see helmets and paddles as another flotilla camedownstream. This was not helped by the odd canoe getting in on the act as well as quite a

few sailing through. With all the gear they were wearing Davy Crockett could have slippedthrough unnoticed. Beach, portage and lunch.The afternoon started with a trip up to the rock, most had a go being led by JP, enteringthe river almost vertically with the grace of an Olympic diver (and almost no splash) to betotally submerged, the remainder registering different levels on the splashometer.Then back to the rapids which by now were almost deserted. So with the sun shiningbrightly the Marlow paddlers had another hour or so of uninterrupted paddling. There werea few swimmers in the afternoon but this was testament to the effort being applied. Soended a very enjoyable day out.

P.S. The KARNALI owners club all enjoyed their new toys.

CHARLES PAIN October 2009

THE 2010 AGM

Many successful AGMs have been held at the King George pub, Little Marlow, but it canthave escaped many peoples notice that the attendances have been falling. To that endthe committee are looking at alternative options. Thats why there is no flyer printed

within the newsletter this issue. All members will get a postal invitation once a new venue/ format has been agreed upon. Our new hoped for format will be a more general one that


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will reflect the more casual paddler that many of the newer membership tend to be whilstnot alienating the hard core paddler of old. All are welcome. The evening will be billed asa social event / quiz night (possibly with a fish / chicken & chips basket meal). Lee Nivenhas offered to write a quiz which I hope will include a no. of paddling related questions thatthe new member can reasonably expect to answer amongst several other rounds. Time

for a chat, basket meal (hopefully), a cuppa and on to the AGM. Once the essentials areout of the way we can conclude the evening with the prize giving. Prizes are normally onoffer for the following categories (see below) and sometimes for additional ones. If youfeel that anyone in particular is deserving of consideration for an award please let yourviews be known to the committee.Best new starters / most improved Adult (men and women + junior[s]), Newsletter item ofthe year, Swimmer of the year (only awarded to those who should have known better) etc.The meeting is scheduled for Monday 1st February and all members will be advised of thetime and location by post just as soon as a venue is confirmed.

ON BEHALF OF THE COMMITTEE NOVEMBER 2009

A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO NEW EQUIPMENT PT.1

Whilst most courses concentrate on the virtues of correctly fitting helmets, buoyancy aids,spray decks and the correct air pressure in air bags, although it has to be said helium isvery much lighter for the weight conscious paddler, an often overlooked piece ofequipment is the humble ear plug.Ear plugs come in many materials and colours although by necessity shape is pretty mucha personal matter of choice. But before going into the relative merits of foam v wax v

cotton wool v blutack (dont groan - desperate times can call for desperate measures) it isworth spending a few minutes on the iconic device and why spending 50p on a pair willrepresent considerably better value than the several hundred pounds you spent on yourfavourite wee boatie.For the novice paddler nothing can beat the sense of anticipation of your first trip away andthe prospect of sharing a bunk house with a bunch of people you might rather notintroduce to you nearest and dearest at home. Car pooling is the norm on a first trip and isgenerally recommended as scat navs are notoriously unreliable when trying to find thelocation of a bunk house in the dark in the middle of winter. The journey down probablyalso represents you first chance to spend quality time with a more seasoned member ofthe clubbut beware! Your host will probably be trying to find out if we have any newsnorers on board and the trip down is definitely not the time to mention that you haverepresented your country at snoring unless you want to find yourself abandoned at thefirst service station.Of course it is your first trip and you want to soak up the whole experience but where tosleep? Bunkhouses come in all shapes and sizes but generally only one temperature andthat will be 2 degrees below anything you vaguely consider warm and the water will be afurther 2 degrees colder than that. When selecting a bunk remember that carpets absorbsound and hard floors dont. It is also better to avoid a corner in case a food fight breaksout. As for the top bunk v bottom bunk dilemma, go with the flow but remember that a bigperson below will make the whole Heath-Robinson death-trap a lot more

stablesometimes.


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If you happen to hear people saying that they have brought bags of ear plugs with them forother people get set for a very long night. Their attempts at charity, whilst commendable,are normally the foretaste of a musical performance that will make you believe inwerewolves and other ghoulish creatures. It is perhaps also worthwhile avoiding a bunkshare with anyone wearing a beard. Known snorers may well identify themselves and

generally find safety in numbers.So, assuming that you will not get any sleep, how best can you prepare? One obvious wayis to drink yourself into oblivion. It is a tried and tested approach and nothing works betterthan a belly full of the excellent Wye Valley Brewery Botty Burp - but although scientificresearch has shown that, in the absence of any other factors, hours of sleep does increasein relation to amount of alcohol consumed so, unfortunately, does the volume and decibellevels of snoring. You could get to sleep before the snorers but is it worth the risk and theinevitable hangover? It is also tactically not good to slope off to bed early because, assome of you will find out, some of your new friends will do room service and bring anotherbeer to your bedside.A backup plan is always useful but make sure nobody else has the same idea. Last year I

identified a very comfortable sofa in the bunkhouse hall only to find Reza in it at 3am whenI finally gave up all hope of getting to sleep. My only option was the Zafira which may wellhave 7 seats but a bed it is not!So, back to the original question: - foam v wax v cotton wool v blutack. Often it comesdown to whatever you can get in Boots or what you have in the cupboard from that lastlong distance flight. I prefer the foam torpedo shape ones from the Chemist in Ashburton.This is an excellent establishment although I did have a bit of a job persuading the ladythat I really had come in for ear plugs.what else would you need from a chemist on aSaturday night before going out for beers with your Mates, sorry, friends? Actually theirsales nose dived last year but have since recovered. Any suggestion of a link to one of ourmembers going away to NZ and then coming back is just scurrilous rumour mongering.Hope that has been of use and do watch out for A beginners Guide to Essential EquipmentPart 2 which will be appearing soon and as Nick Ross used to say, dont have nightmares,do sleep well.

P. ADDLER NOVEMBER 2009

NEWSLETTER DELIVERY

Following a short trial which was generally liked by those that viewed it, Ill be postingfuture newsletters on a community publishing site SCRIBD where the newsletter canbe viewed in book layout. It also makes it easier for others to view our newsletter as well.Ill probably be giving up the newsletter soon (its time for me to take a back seat) so wouldhope this would allow a new editor to advise of a new edition by e-mail but not eat intotheir usage allowance. Fortunately, I enjoy virtually unlimited usage so its not been aproblem for me.If you are interested in putting together the newsletter (4 issues per year) then Id be happyto hear from you and would look forward to working with you over the next year to achievea seamless transition.

THE EDITOR NOVEMBER 2009
http://www.scribd.com/abouthttp://www.scribd.com/abouthttp://www.scribd.com/about


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FACEBOOK GROUP

It seems some of the younger members of the clubhave formed a FACEBOOK group. It has since

become quite widely adopted to announce a varietyof events, but in particular the WhiteWater eventsorganised by JP and the touring events organisedby Lee Niven. There is a wide range of contributorsto the site (some of whom surprised me) and it lookslike this site might become the main source of

contact, at least until the new website (possibly with forum facilities) is up and running.Click onFACEBOOKfor a link to the site where you will need to register and log-in. Weolder types might have to fiddle about with things a little but it soon falls into place. DanMiller has produced a couple of logos which are crying out to be put on a black tee, but forthe traditionalists he has agreed to my request for a redraw of the original paddler logo.

Not so much an update, as the same basic design but in a more PC friendly format.Facebook offers trip providers the chance to expand on the one liners I put in the Whatson, When & Where page and allows you to comment on proposals. The site also offers usthe chance to host photos and videos. Ive copied a few below to illustrate what some ofthe membership has been up to just recently.
http://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=93903b1b78c39d0d7b033253e0b41ee5&http://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=93903b1b78c39d0d7b033253e0b41ee5&http://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=93903b1b78c39d0d7b033253e0b41ee5&http://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=93903b1b78c39d0d7b033253e0b41ee5&


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WHAT'S ON, WHEN AND WHERE

The complete and authoritive guide to all that the club hopes to do in the forthcomingmonths. Please note that at the time of going to press dates cannot be guaranteed and

that the programme can be subject to changes.

ALLSUNDAYS

CLUB SESSIONS; ON THE WATER FOR 10:00am. SEE D.O.FOR FINISH. CHECK NOTICEBOARDS FOR SPECIAL EVENTS

D.O

ALLTUESDAYS

TUESDAY SESSIONS FROM 6:30 pm, ON THE WATER FOR7.00pm. SEE D.O. FOR FINISH, CHECK NOTICEBOARDS FOR

EVENTS etc. (PUB PADDLE or ALTERNATIVE)D.O

DEC. 13 FLAT WATER TOUR RIVER WEY GUILDFORD TOURING TT

DEC. 26 > CANOE TOUR LOUGH NEAGH (NI) or RIVER TWEED TOURING LN

JAN. 01 > NEW YEAR WHITEWATER, NORTH WALES TBC WHITEWATER REJAN. 04 PRE AGM COMMITTEE MEETING MARLOW DONKEY CLUB AM

FEB. 01 AGM 7.30pm VENUE TO BE CONFIRMED CLUB AM

FEB. 07 LEVEL 2 COACH TRANSFER TRAINING TRAINING AM

FEB. 13-14 CANOE CAMP (OR B&B) RIVER THAMES - RUSHEY TOURING LN

MAR. 13-14 CANOE CAMPING RIVER SEVERN TOURING LN

MAR. ????? SCOTTISH WHITEWATER WHITEWATER DG

APRIL 07 > CANOE CAMPING LOCH / RIVER TAY TOURING LN

APRIL 30 > OPEN CANOE ASSOCIATION CANOE FEST TOURING LN

SEA TOURING / TRIPS CALENDAR HAS YET TO BE CONFIRMED. ANNOUNCEMENTS WILL BE

MADE ON THE YAHOO GROUP AND THOSE INTERESTED WILL NEED TO FOLLOW THEINSTRUCTIONS THEREIN. NOTE! ALL SEA TRIPS ARE PEER GROUP AS WE HAVE NO SEA

COACHES.

KEEP A LOOKOUT ON NOTICEBOARDS AND THE YAHOO GROUP -SOME TRIPS JUST SUDDENLY 'APPEAR' IF CONDITIONS ARE RIGHT.

EVERYTHURSDAYEVENING

9.00 - 10.30

SWIMMING POOL SESSIONS AT GURNELL POOL, WEST LONDONGET TUITION IN ROLLING, PRACTISE 3* SKILLS OR ANYTHINGYOU'VE GOT A BIT RUSTY ON. SEE WEBSITE FOR MAP AND

DETAILS

ORGANISER / MCC CONTACT FOR ABOVE EVENTS

AC ADRIAN COOPER 01844 344580 [email protected]

AM ANDY MAXTED 07730 852760 [email protected]

LN LEE NIVEN 07824 828024 [email protected]

JN JOHN NORRIS 01494 483833 [email protected]

CP CHRIS PORTEOUS 01628 485049 [email protected]

PC PAUL CRICHTON 08708 806962 [email protected]

DG DAVE GODDARD 01494 863862 [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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THE COMMITTEE & OTHER USEFUL NUMBERS

A list of those members who serve on the club's committee, their role, a contact no. and ane-mail address should you need to get in touch.

POSITION NAME TELEPHONE E-MAIL (all hyperlinked)

PRESIDENT TIM WARD 01494 482959 [email protected]

CHAIRMAN ADRIAN COOPER 01844 344580 [email protected]

SECRETARY ANDY MAXTED 07730 852760 [email protected]

TREASURER PAUL CRICHTON 08708 806962 [email protected]

MEMBERSHIP ROD EDMONDS 01753 671389 [email protected]

COACHING TIM TWITCHEN 07833 995289 [email protected]

EQUIPMENT CHRIS PORTEOUS 01628 485049 [email protected]

NEWSLETTER JOHN NORRIS 01494 483833 [email protected]

WOMENS REP. VACANT (Temporary Melinda Livett, see social)

YOUTH REP. ALEX MILLARD 07787 978036 [email protected]

SOCIAL SEC MELINDA LIVETT [email protected]

MARATHON POST VACANT CAN YOU HELP OUT?

WHITEWATER CHRIS PORTEOUS 01628 485049 [email protected]

TOURING LEE NIVEN 07824 828024 [email protected]

SEA JOHN NORRIS 01494 483833 [email protected]

OUR NEAREST RETAILERS / SUPPLIERS

RIVERSIDE OXFORD 01865 248673 http://www.riversideoxford.co.uk

MARSPORT READING 01189 665912 http://www.marsport.co.uk

BERKSHIRECANOES

READING 01189 425640 http://www.berkshire-canoes.co.uk

WWC SHEPPERTON 01932 247978 http://www.whitewaterthecanoecentre.co.uk

PADDLESPORT WARWICK 01926 640573 http://www.paddlesport.co.uk

Please advise the editor if any contact details are incorrect or if you wish to add an alternative no. / e-mail address to the list.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.riversideoxford.co.uk/http://www.marsport.co.uk/http://www.berkshire-canoes.co.uk/http://www.whitewaterthecanoecentre.co.uk/http://www.paddlesport.co.uk/http://www.paddlesport.co.uk/http://www.whitewaterthecanoecentre.co.uk/http://www.berkshire-canoes.co.uk/http://www.marsport.co.uk/http://www.riversideoxford.co.uk/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

Newsletter 126 Winter 2009 04

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Transcript of Newsletter 126 Winter 2009 04