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?

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

We seem to have had a year’s worth of weather in the last week although every (rain)cloud does have a silver lining.  Tamara Jones was able to take advantage of the flooded roads in Old Kilpatrick.  However, she earns 100 press-ups for not wearing a Buoyancy Aid!

The River Skills trip for Saturday 17th is full.  The early evening paddle scheduled for Monday 27th has space for those with their own boats.  The New Year paddle on 2nd January has only 7 names so far; we have 16 spaces for paddlers either with or without your own boat.   Please note none of these trips are open to paddlers in Session 2.

Tonight is the last club night of 2011 and will be a fun night.  Paddlers can do their own thing.  As previously published the next scheduled club night will be on Sunday 8th January 2012.

Unless something startling happens there will be no further posts on this website until the very early New Year.  I will publish the January trips list at that time as well.  Here’s wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a most successful New Year.

In the pool tonight you will see the first of our new equipment, very generously funded by Scottish Awards for All. There are 10 new Junior size paddles and two new adult ones. Having picked them up from Stirling Canoes on Wednesday I then sorted through all our paddles and have set aside the older, heavier and longer ones to give away to another club. This leaves us with 24 light, modern and properly sized paddles – something to suit every age!

Over the coming months you will see new Junior sized boats and some truly massive large-adult sized ones appearing as they are supplied to us from the manufacturers. What I am really excited about is our impending delivery of race boats – we will take delivery of 4 and they are awesome.

This week has been a frustrating one for trips. I had no less than 12 paddlers signed up for a loch trip for yesterday (Saturday) but, after much agonising, I cancelled because of the forecast gale force winds, very low temperature and heavy rain. All 3 combine to induce very significant windchill and I would be grossly irresponsible to deliberately plan to go out in such conditions with Juniors. So my grumpometer was off the scale when I woke on Saturday morning (having cancelled) to observe clear blue skies, barely a breeze and just the cold. Having kicked the dog, written a letter of complaint to the BBC weather dept demanding the return of my licence fee and then thrown the TV in the bin I felt a little more cheerful. Many thanks to those who put their names forward for the trip and many apologies for having to cancel. It was for the right reasons – honest!

Remember next week – Sunday 11^th Dec – is a bonus free club night and then there is a break until Sunday 8 January

Now some more Good News!  The last scheduled Autumn Pool Session is Sunday 4 December (for which most people have already paid).  The committee have decided to open an extra club night on Sunday 11 December which will be a bonus and free of charge.  It willl be a fun session only.

And some even better News!  The Next 12 week block of Pool Sessions will run from Sunday 8^th January to Sunday 25 March inclusive.  It is most important that you let our Club Treasurer – Jim Ellis – know as soon as possible – this week preferably – if you intend for yourself or your child to continue with pool sessions in the new year.  This is because we have a waiting list queued up to join.  If you do not tell Jim you intend to continue he will allocate the space to another person.  He can be contacted on lomondkayakclubtreasurer@gmail.com .