Professional Documents
Culture Documents
© 2011.
TOURING 3
Having indulged in paddling these boats myself I have to confess I can see the
attraction. First experiences on the water in plastic general purpose kayaks are great
fun, however these early sessions can be frustrating. General purpose boats always
seem to want to turn (but then, as most of these have evolved from slalom kayak
designs, that is what they are designed to do!) and even when you’ve mastered the
knack of keeping them going in a straight line they are slow. These long boats are
designed to travel fast, and in a straight line, and there is a real buzz to be had once
you’ve got one going, cutting through the water at speed.
The Tercel has a relatively flat hull and carries its width over much of its length, this
makes it very stable but not as fast as a slimmer design. On a stability scale of 1 to
10, the Tercel is rated 10 (if you can stand up in your plastic boat, you’ll have no
trouble standing up in this!). If you want to travel faster then you can go for a slightly
less stable option in one of the club’s Kirton Talismans (also in white). These are rated
8 for stability and also have a fairly flat hull, but just looking at the lines compared
with the Tercel, you can see how the design looks sharper and promises that extra
speed.
Once you have the hang of the Talisman, you may feel ready to go for that extra
buzz. This is where the club’s X-Lancers (also from Kirton, this time in blue) come into
their own. The X is for extra speed. The X-Lancer was designed by Danish paddler
Jørgen Samson and first went into production back in 1983 (28 years ago!) when it
was built in wood by Struer Kajak (that’s the Danish spelling). I don’t know when
Kirton started making these boats in glass reinforced plastics but I suspect it wasn’t
very long after suggesting that all the club boats referred to above could be as much
as 25 years old.
The X-Lancer is fast, but still only rated 3 on the stability scale. If you want to go
even faster, look out for boats like Nelo’s Lynx and Sabre (both 2) or Kirton’s Teknik
and Tactic designs, both rated 1.
Even without entering races, paddling these elegant looking boats is great fun. These
are the Formula 1 motors of the kayaking world. Next time you’re down at the club
house, take a look at the Tercel or the Talisman and give one (or both) of them go.
Who knows, you might even be tempted to take out one of the X-Lancers and show
everyone just how quickly you can paddle up to Temple.
This incredible dugout canoe was made in about 1878 by the native people of Heiltsuk
on the Pacific coast of British Columbia, Canada. At 63 feet in length, it is the largest
canoe of its type still surviving. It was carved from the trunk of a single large cedar
tree.
Although the trunk was a piffling eight feet in diameter, the carpenters softened it with
boiling water and widened it to make the canoe eight and a half feet wide. The front of
the canoe is decorated with a carving of a wolf and a painting of a killer whale. The
carved decoration is more typical of the Bella Bella people than the Haida, and implies
that the canoe was sold to a Bella Bella chief, who added his own embellishments.
Canoes were an essential part of life for the native people of this area, and were used
for travelling to ceremonies, for trade, and for war. Large canoes were particularly
useful for raiding parties.
The canoe was sea-worthy and canoes of this type were often fitted with sails. In the
absence of a rudder a steering paddle was used to make the canoe manoeuvre when
paddled or sailed.
It you want a closer look then John Norris will have to organise the mother of all sea
kayak trips, across the Atlantic, to New York where it is a centrepiece exhibit in the
Natural History Museum.
SEA KAYAK 6
The rider was "as Chairman of BCU Freestyle it may be a good idea for you to be
there". Well, it did not take more than a few moments to fire back a message and,
being self-employed, a day of unemployment beckoned!
As a whitewater boater I have often paddled a new river or feature but this was a new
experience. To the best of my knwledge no-one had paddled it. There were no
reviews, no friends to consult and no guide on the UKRGB forum. My son, Alan, and
another coach, Tom, shared the drive so there was much excited speculation on the
drive round the M25 to Lee Valley. It did not disappoint and neither did the weather.
The set-up centres around an impressive building, housing all the usual facilities, but
the bit we went for was the artificial course. Both of them!
We were confined to the "Legacy loop" (which has the potential to offer a near-
equivalent to Holme Pierpont) for the day as the Olympic course was being used by
rafters and slalomists. The Legacy Loop was plenty for our needs. In its current set up
it contains around four reasonable drops creating usable features and we ran training
for the 30 under-18s followed by a competition.
Our day was rounded off with an absolute treat - half an hour for all the kayaking
helpers on the Olympic course. It is truly awesome - 5.5m drop overall and a massive
volume of water pumped to the top. It was on a par with some of the hairier sections
I've done in the French Alps but in a playboat rather than a decent sized creekboat, so
just a little bit testing. It all seems pretty safe though, as one would expect, but
running it for the first time with no inspection was a huge thrill. The drops are closely
spaced so any slight error and you are off down the next one without time to think or
plan a line. I paddled back into all bar one without any problems and even the many
secondary waves are well worth playing on.
We left with memories of a wonderful day, absolutely whacked. There are no long
trudges from the bottom back to the top; just glide onto the rubber conveyor belt and
you are carried serenely up to the pump pool for another ride down the super clean
filtered and chlorinated water.
It will only be open for a few months before being handed back to LOCOG for the
Olympics so go now!
WHITEWATER 8
Rogues gallery of
It's time to send for the men
Jonathon Garner
resurfaces
with a drinking pr
oblem
WHITEWATER 9
insane members
(and women) in white kayaks
Pool sessions
by Dave Goddard
Marlow canoe club has booked a series of swimming pool sessions for club
members at Chalfont Leisure Centre, a 25m four lane swimming pool about
25 minutes from Marlow.
The sessions run from 7.15pm to 8.15pm on the Saturdays listed below, it is
recommended you arrive and are ready to get in the pool at about 7pm as this is
when the pool is cleared of swimmers and an opportunity to sneak an extra few
minutes of water time. We need to leave the pool promptly at 8.15pm so we can
change and they can close the centre at 8.30pm.
The entrance to the swimming pool is down a small service road to the left of the main
entrance, we usually pile boats and paddles outside the door before and after the
session before getting changed in the swimming pool changing rooms (20p for a
locker or take a bag pool side). The pool has ladies and gentleman’s changing facilities
with warm showers and toilets.
Chalfont Leisure Centre
Nicol Road
Chalfont St. Peter
Bucks
SL9 9LR
http://tinyurl.com/y5fndsa
Individuals are responsible for collecting and returning equipment to and from the club
(Use the Yahoo group to request lifts/shares/access etc)
All equipment must be inspected for cleanliness and rinsed off prior to use in the pool.
See the back cover calendar for pool session dates. Hope to see you there!
INFORMATION 11
Before I stood down from the committee at the recent AGM I had volunteered to sort
something out regarding the D.O. situation, particularly as we had had to cancel a
session due to lack of cover the previous summer.
As is often the case with clubs run entirely by volunteers, some things tend to slide a
little, whilst others get taken for granted by those in the know – something I have
been guilty of myself in the past. During preparation for the D.O. course I found we
had several Health, Safety, Environmental and Operations policies and not everybody
on the committee knew of them all! I wanted an easily read, clearly laid out
document that the less experienced D.O.s could refer to quickly if necessary.
Why not take a few minutes to leaf through? Some of the detail may come as a
surprise to some. Do you know where the Accident book is, or for that matter, the
First Aid kit? Just what do you do if the proverbial fits the fan? You will hopefully find
the answer inside but if you have not enough time to browse through at the club you
can find it on the website to read at home. Remember, if the D.O. has chosen to
paddle they might be the victim of an incident, then who you gonna call?
Wye trip
by Simon Knowles
The scene; the beautiful countryside surrounding Ross-on-Wye, the goal; a
two day trip to include a 10 mile walk, an 8 mile kayak and some fun along
the way.
After a short while and a brief tent flying contest aided by the strong winds, most
were set to go. All excluding the two lost souls who managed to pass the campsite
several times, their boats visible just above the hedge bordering the site, as they
passed one way, then the other and sometimes on the correct side of the road!
Eventually we were all present and set off for Symonds Yat east where we started
the walk.
The walk, kindly organised by Jon Garner, was planned to be 10 miles starting with a
very steep and long trek to Symonds Yat rock and a viewpoint. Personally, I was
glad to hear the news that this was the only hill climb and, after catching my breath
and with my vision returned back to normal, the views were really quite stunning.
From the viewpoint you could see nesting Peregrine Falcons and the river Wye wind-
ing through the valley for miles.
The lunch stop followed quickly, as most of us had not eaten since 6 am, so we
settled down by the river’s edge and tucked in. We must have needed it, because
the next few minutes there was not a sound from anyone, apart from the noises of
packages and lunch boxes opening. The spot we stopped at was a good 2 - 3 metres
TOURING 13
above the river, so there was a great view and gave the paddle critics amongst us a
chance to spot the newbies passing by. A few thought it would be a giggle to tell them
they were going in the wrong direction, but we were not that cruel, so packed up and
headed off.
About 7 miles later we left the riverside and headed back along the path on an ever
changing route, arriving at the our destination (the pub) where we had a well earn
drink and compared blister sizes and stories of who has had the biggest before!! Un-
fortunately the winner has subsequently taken out a high court supper injunction, so
tweet me for the rest!
Once back at camp, we had half an hour to change and get to the town of Ross-on-
Wye where we had booked a table at the Yaks N Yetis Nepalese restaurant, recommen-
ded by Chris P and Hazel. The food was lovely and for those who have not had the
chance to sample Nepalese cuisine, I would strongly recommend it. However the chil-
lies can be very hot as Jon G found out, eating six full ones in quick succession, leav-
ing him looking a little flushed. At this point I was beginning to worry about the tent
sharing option!
We woke at about 8 am, started our variations of breakfast and, once all was packed
up, set off for the shuttle run and start point of the paddle at Kerne Bridge. From the
launch point, the journey started with the river looping at a gentle pace around Coppit
Hill, passing Bishops Wood Holiday Park on the left. It is fair to say that, after the
walk the previous day and the night time activities, we were all pleased that the river
had a nice flow to it, pushing us down stream at a steady rate.
We changed our plan to stop for lunch en-route, opting to have something when we
got to the destination point of Symonds Yat. However we could not resist a pit stop
where, in true fashion, Adrian deployed his stove and cooked up some pancakes!
After a short rest and a stone skimming competition we set back off down the river.
En-route you could see numerous types of wild life, including nesting swans on the
banks with their mates standing guard close by. This proved to be an issue for Richard
and led to an event we now know as “the attack of the killer swan”. Not only did it at-
tack, but subsequently decided to leave the nest well behind and chase Richard down
river for several hundred yards, flying at him on a number of occasions. According to
TOURING 14
Yahoo Answers more people have been killed by swans in the last 50 years than by
sharks! Whether this is true or not I do not know, however, I would strongly recom-
mend avoiding a boat/cag colour combination of purple and green just in case.
TOP TIPS
When you go out for a nights dancing, for the best performance and
effect would you wear inappropriate and ill fitting clothing? Well,
there's a similarity here with your paddling:
• Make sure your boat and equipment is appropriate for the activity
you are undertaking.
• Make sure you have purchased the correct size and shape of boat
and equipment for you.
• Make sure you have adjusted the fit of the boat to optimise your
connectivity.
Strutting your funky stuff on the dance floor in the wrong, ill fitting
shoes and trousers is not going to allow you to perform at your best
- the same goes for your boat. (tip courtesy of club member Gary Fletcher).
LOCAL RETAILERS
Riverside, Oxford. 01865 248673. http://www.riversideoxford.co.uk
Marsport, Reading. 01189 665912. http://www.marsport.co.uk
Berkshire Canoes, Reading. 01189 425640. http://www.berkshire-canoes.co.uk
WWC, Shepperton. 01932 247978. http://www.whitewaterthecanoecentre.co.uk
KEY CONTACTS
President Chairman
Tim Ward Adrian Cooper
01494 482959 01844 344580
dianne.ward@tesco.net adriancooper@googlemail.com
Secretary Treasurer
Jonathon Garner Kelvin Abbott
07765 226790 01753 654923
joncgarner@googlemail.com kelvin.abbott@btinternet.com
Membership Coaching
Rod Edmonds Gary Fletcher
01753 671389 07881 815280
r.edmonds@etoncollege.org.uk marlowcoachingofficer@gmail.com
Touring Sea
Lee Niven John Norris
07824 828024 01494 483833
leeandsue@talktalk.net j.k.norris@btinternet.com
EVERY
10 am – 4 pm.
Saturday 2 July
TUESDAY
Pool session,
7.15 pm - 8.15 pm.
Sat 2 – Sun 10 July
Alps trip.
Evening session
Monday 4 July
Committee meeting,
6.30 pm – 9.30 pm Marlow Donkey PH.
Doors open at 6.30 pm.
On the water for 7 pm.
Tuesday 19 July
Nene whitewater trip,
6.30 pm – 9.30 pm.
Its no
Saturday 13 August
Pool session,
7.15 pm - 8.15 pm.
joke
Sunday 21 August
Whitewater canoeing day trip. Q: Why did the
paddler cross the
Tuesday 23 August Atlantic?
Nene whitewater trip, A: To get to the
6.30 pm – 9.30 pm.
other tide.
Weekend 27-28 August
Novice course 4, Boat attendant: Come in kayak
10 am – 4 pm. number 9, your time is up.
I repeat, come in kayak number 9,
Saturday 3 September your time is up.
Pool session,
7.15 pm - 8.15 pm. Kayak number 9 your time is up.
Please come in!
Monday 5 September For the last time, kayak number 9
Committee meeting, will you ... ah ... kayak number 6,
6.30 pm – 9.30 pm Marlow Donkey PH. do you need assistance?