What’s Happening – Sunday 19 February

This note is posted on the club notice-board and club website.

Winter returned from half-term holiday with a vengeance yesterday and I have noted (in red pen) all those who dropped out from the planned trip at short notice just because you thought it would be cold, snowing and windy or the start was too early.  Fair weather paddlers!  In fact, with an 0845 start, we paddled in perfect winter sunshine on a very energetic river Luss for a couple of hours and were on the way home by the time it started snowing heavily at lunchtime.

The trips calendar page of our website is now updated with trips posted through to the end of March.  There is something for everyone here including a 2* training and assessment day for selected paddlers.  Please look at it and get your names to me by e-mail if you wish to take part. You senior paddlers need to get out while you can because come April our trips will be overwhelmed by the young paddlers from Pool Sessions 1 and 2.

Over the last three weeks I have offered a number of older paddlers the opportunity to borrow for a couple of months either a sea kayak or general purpose kayak from the club fleet to help you prepare for 3* Touring assessment.  Nobody has replied to my offer at all – indeed there has been an echoing silence in return so do I take it that’s a “no” for everybody?

What’s Happening – Sunday 12 February

You might reasonably conclude that, since I actually work in a primary school, that I have a son of school age and that I have lived here for nearly 30 years that I would have school half terms worked out by now.  Wrong!  While my school and other Helensburgh schools have the whole week of 13-17 Feb off, just 10 miles away in West Dunbartonshire you poor people only got a miserable Friday and Monday off.  So, sadly, my plans for multiple trips for the senior groups this week have collapsed.  But never mind – while you are all at work or school I shall be out somewhere happily paddling on my own.  Try not to be jealous!

We ran a trip on Saturday 11th on Loch Lomond but as most of you had jetted off to some exotic location for your (very brief) holiday on the day it turned out to be experienced adults only.  In fact this was good as we paddled a considerable distance (not far short of 12 miles) and explored a number of places I had not visited before.

There will be another trip for next Saturday 18th February on Loch Lomond.  Precise location and nature to be decided nearer the time when I know who is interested and what the weather holds in store.  This will be a coach-led club trip for any paddler in the Pool 3rd Session plus Jason and Jenna.  Let me know by e-mail on lomonkayakclubcoach@gmail.com if you wish to take part.

 

What’s Happening – Sunday 5 February

This note is posted on the club notice-board and club website.

Tonight, during 2nd Session from 1910-1950 I shall repeat the meeting for advanced training for those who were unable to make it last week.  Once I have confirmed all individuals to dates I shall update the website training page and send the course booking out to individuals.  I shall also compile a kit list for you to start working on and I will of course then have to work out a training plan leading up to each assessment.

Helensburgh Canoe Club is running Foundation Safety and Rescue Training on the 18^th of February at Luss and has offered places to us.  Cost £20.00 per person.  As this is a wet course with lots of time actually spent in the water, unless you have a drysuit (or are as hard as nails!) you may wish to wait until later in the year.  It was very kind of HCC to make the offer and if anyone is interested please let me know.

For the younger age groups in the pool we will continue with familiarisation with the new fleets of boats.  I was really pleased to see how the 2* group took to the Axioms last week for the first time.  I can see budding playboaters here!

Those in the 2* group might finally remember to bring £2.00 tonight to buy their Paddle Power Discover Cards!!!!!!

Half term approaches and those of us who work school hours will all have a free week.  Watch your e-mails carefully for trips with me called at short notice.

What’s Happening – Sunday 29 January

This note is posted on the club notice-board and club website.

Tonight in the pool you will see another new acquisition to our fleet of boats – 6 small Dagger Axioms especially sized to young people from ages 8 to 12.  These are “proper” boats with all the features of a quality kayak but simply scaled down in a size.  I am certain our young paddlers will be delighted with them and I am equally certain that we shall see their paddling skills develop far more quickly when they do not have to fight the weight of adult boats.  As with the racing boats introduced a couple of weeks ago,  these small kayaks are funded by Scottish Awards For All and we are very grateful for their generosity.

There was no Loch trip this week-end because Robin, Dawn and I spent most of Saturday going to Stirling to collect the 6 new boats and then preparing them for use tonight.

Also tonight, during 2nd Session from 1910-1950 we shall start the ball rolling for advanced training.  There will be a meeting for all those who have put forward their name for Foundation Safety and Rescue Training and 3* Touring training/assessment.  I will talk through what will be expected of you all and we will tailor names to booked course dates.

We do try to not let the grass grow under our feet!

What’s Happening – Sunday 22 January

For once I was correct in predicting that giving you advance notice of a trip was the immediate cue for gruesome weather.  The wind over the loch yesterday was gusting Force 7 creating big waves and stinging horizontal rain.  But we paddled anyway although there were only 5 of us and it turned out to be a thoroughly rewarding day.  It’s good to test ourselves occasionally.

I have been busy arranging advanced training courses for the more experienced paddlers.  Please refer to the training page to see course allocation and dates.  Anyone who thinks the dates do not suit them let me know asap.  Once the inevitable musical chairs of changes has settled out I will have a meeting for all those intending to take their 3* Touring to consider the kit you wil need to buy to paddle at that level.

I have also been in touch with Stirling Canoes this week and we can expect to see our next batch of new boats on the poolside by the end of January.  How exciting!

What’s Happening – Sunday 15 January

Well Hooray the wind and rain have stopped at least for a little while this week.  Robin ran a short notice trip on Loch Lomond yesterday (Saturday) in near perfect conditions so that was great for the paddlers that were able to come along.

I am going to take a chance and advertise a trip for next Saturday 21 January, starting at 1100 at Luss for anyone with their own boat or paddlers from Session 3.  Yes, I know this is a cue for another monster storm to begin forming in Greenland ready to come and jump on us but lets live dangerously.  It also gives you all a little more notice to get organised as I know you are all very active people and could fill your Saturdays many times over. Names to Colin at lomondkayakclubcoach@gmail.com please.

Please take a good look at the Training page of this website as I intend to organise lots of courses using external coaches this year.  Get your names to me soon as spaces are filling quickly.

Tonight we continue with the training programme on the noticeboard.  I was really impressed with the forward paddling technique of Session 2 last week and all the Session 1 paddlers are looking good too.  Keep up the hard work and effort please.

Welcome Back – Sunday 8th January 2011

I hope you all had a relaxed Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Santa was good to me and brought me an excellent new bilge pump for my canoe.  Whilst I can think of no earthly reason why I would need it I am very proud of it and looking forward to using it as a water cannon to squirt you lot with.

You may have noticed the weather has been a bit rocky in the festive season and this has affected our trips.  The 17th was cancelled due to gales and on the 27th I brought our night paddle forward to the morning because of forecast gales and remarkably we paddled in wind-free conditions all day although of course it still rained.  2nd January was exciting – 12 paddlers ventured out in gale force winds, driving rain, hail,sleet and snow for just a couple of hours to tick that New Year box.  Well done to Dawn, Andy, Tamara, Blair, Chris C, Lindsay, Tom, Jenna, Jason, Chris G, Robin and me.  We tryed to squeeze in an extra trip yesterday Saturday 7th Jan for 8 paddlers but the very strong NW wind put us well out of limits so sadly another trip was cancelled.

The most exciting thing over this festive period for the club is the arrival of the racing boats – here on display this evening in the pool.  These are out-and-out uncompromising speed machines as you can see from their strange star-wars shape and are equally uncompromising in their demands on technique and posture.  I have been practicing in them most days over the holiday teaching myself so I can teach you and I am delighted.  They are very hard to paddle but will improve everybody’s technique and are breathtakingly fast.  Enjoy!

With our current apocalyptic weather I have held off publishing a trips programme for January and we will run trips at short notice as the weather permits.  Watch out for e-mails but rest assured there will be at least another 2 in January.  Sadly all paddlers in Sessions 1 and 2 are excluded from outdoor trips until 1 April for obvious reasons.