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Summer Newsletter From Marlow Canoe Club - MCC 144
Summer Newsletter From Marlow Canoe Club - MCC 144
Canoe
Club
www.marlowcc.org.uk
INSIDE YOUR
SUMMER 2014 ISSUE
3 St Pat's and Hennerton tour
8 Wye divorce
12 Calendar
COVER PHOTO
EDITORIAL
Submit an
article to win a
paddling prize
Any club member can submit articles for
the newsletter.
You do not need the
literary talent of Shakespeare or the
photographic skills of Annie Leibovitz.
Just send us your raw words and/or
photographs and the editor will apply the
necessary polish.
And there is no maximum or minimum
size to articles. A single page with a
photo would typically be only 350 words
or so. But our sport is very visual and
often it is good to have lots of photos with
just a few lines of text in support.
Equally if you do have plenty of text but
no photos then that is OK as photos are
often either not essential or the club can
supply something suitable.
Every
member,
young
and
old,
experienced and newbie, is encouraged to
share your paddling experience with
others via the newsletter.
And remember that every year a
decent prize is awarded at the club
AGM for the best newsletter article.
But you have got to be in it to win it so e
mail your words and/or photos to the
editor at rbcasbierd@yahoo.co.uk
TOURING
SEA
Opinion was split, with Tom keen to crack on, confident in his sea faring abilities being able to cope
with a few waves. Undeterred, Toby was also keen to go and have a look, so we all decided to
continue paddling until we could get a better view out of Chichester Harbour before making a
decision and it was something of a relief to leave our busy layby rest spot behind. Wed paddled
past many quiet beaches to get there, but it was pointed out that given the proximity of the
adjacent garage, this would have been the perfect spot if anyone had forgotten their lunch,
although everyone did seem to have come prepared!
We then paddled on for another 30 minutes before stopping for lunch. Our Secretary produced a
pair of binoculars in the hope of spotting some local wildlife, but after a quick glance towards the
open sea declared she would definitely be paddling back the way we had come. Tom took a look
through the binoculars and said '%&*%$ and $%&* I'm not paddling that'. As we all took a turn
SEA
to peer out at the enormous breaking waves at the harbour entrance, it was generally agreed that
this would be a sensible plan.
Meanwhile, the tide was quickly heading out and Penny suggested a hasty retreat lest we found
ourselves stranded on the mud flats. As she started to push her kayak out through the mud, I
decided to follow her example and launched off just in time, as Toby wistfully recounted memories
of a previous trip to the same area, where he had found himself stranded and having to wade
through stinking mud for an hour or more, dragging his kayak behind him.
Once safely back on the water we watched with interest as the waters continued to recede. For
reasons known only to themselves, the others were playing it cool and seemed determined to
finish their tea before setting off......
30 minutes later we were all
back in the open water and
heading back beneath the
bridge. The sun had come
out, there were blue skies all
around and the wind and flow
were at last helping us along.
It may not have been the
besttimed stop and we didnt
see any seals, but we all
agreed it had been a most
enjoyable trip.
Besides, it
could have been much worse,
with a further 6 hours to wait
for the next high tide
TOURING
by Rodney Casbierd
Last year several members of the club enjoyed a club trip to Huntington to paddle the
Great Ouse. John Norris wrote about it in his amiable meandering to nowhere in par
ticular article in newsletter 140 and, encouraged by this, a handful of us decided to re
peat the trip in 2014.
TOURING
to the delight of the National Trust
cafs till. Kerrrching!!!
Further round one of the side chan
nels we found ourselves cut off from
the main river by a weir. With no
obvious portage points, your corres
pondent thought he had found a safe
place to get out and beckoned the
others over. After a quick swimming
demonstration the others elected to
get out at an alternative spot found
by Deidre. Putting back in on the
main channel was also tricky, al
though we eventually found a spot
that we could all cope with, and
there was no further immersion.
By this time Deidre, still recovering from a prolonged absence from paddling, was starting to
struggle in her short boat against the rest of us in tourers and sea kayaks and so decided to return
to the start point. The rest of us
agreed, we had all had a grand
day out and for some of us the
prospect of paddling without our
pilot was enough to make us
stop!
On the return home
someone managed to take a
wrong turning on the A1, but
luckily my car share partner
Catherine was sworn to silence
on the matter.
A good trip all round, thanks Mi
chael for making the arrange
ments, ensuring good weather,
and thanks to Deidre and Google
navigation for getting me round
the Great Ouse and home again.
OPEN CANOE
OPEN CANOE
9
As we approached more rapids I
looked
for
the
line
to
take.
Unfortunately it was the midge line as
we held our breaths and careered
(floated gently) down the river letting
the swarm pass.
After 11 miles of gentle paddling we
arrived at our campsite, hauled the
boats up the steps and set up our
tents on an undulating site. The
facilities only allowed for an outside
and refreshing (very cold) shower for
those brave enough.
REVIEW
Ainsworth do the
splits
10
By Phil LevacantPage
Back in March a message was posted on the clubs Yahoo group announcing that
Ainsworth were running a special offer for club members. The timing was excellent for
me as I was looking for a budget splitpaddle to use on club inland trips and as a backup
sea paddle. So I swooped and purchased a split paddle from their value range.
The model I went for was the ABS108
which is a 225cm sea paddle with a two
part shaft.
The plastic blades are
shaped for sea rather than touring
which has the advantage that they
should not catch the wind too much.
The blades may not be the thinnest and
most efficient at slicing through the
water but they are pretty robust and
should put up with a fair amount of
abuse.
The shaft is titanium enriched alloy and
that will not suit everyone, especially those sensitive to cold hands. But for me, wearing gloves all
year round, that is not a problem. And, despite the construction of the blades and shaft, the
paddle does not feel especially heavy, mine weighs in at just 1.25kg.
My main concern was how rigid a joint the two
parts of the paddle would make. The paddle uses
a simple button and spring mechanism to clip the
two parts together. So you slide the right hand
paddle tube inside the left hand one and let it click
into the desired position. And thats it.
The button allows the feather to be adjusted
between 0, 45 and 90 which is very limited for
those used to the unlimited feather options of
more expensive split paddles. However for inland
touring use, 45 is just fine. Do note though that
you still have to buy right or lefthanded, the
feather adjustment does not allow you to switch
between them with the same paddle.
When clipped together there is inevitably some pivot slack which results in about 4mm of to and
fro relative movement between the opposing blade tips. That is not bad on a 2250mm paddle.
You do notice it at first, but far less than you might imagine, and you soon find yourself not really
noticing at all once you stop focussing on it and just get on with enjoying the paddle.
For 35 my expectations were not especially high, but the Ainsworth has more than exceeded my
expectations. Definitely recommended as a backup sea paddle or for travelling paddlers on a
budget.
11
COMMITTEE
President
Chairman
Secretary
Treasurer
Membership
Coaching
Equipment
1* Course Coordinator
Women's Representative
Youth Representative
Social Secretary
Whitewater
Touring
Sea
Newsletter Editor
Website Editor
Tim Ward
01494 482959
wards@btinternet.com
Penny Newton
secretary@marlowcc.org.uk
Rod Edmonds
01753 671389
r.edmonds@etoncollege.org.uk
Tom Bailey
blast1102@ymail.com
Catherine Harris
harrc014@rbwm.org
Melinda Livett
melinda.livett@yahoo.com
Michael Day
michael.day53@btinternet.com
Rodney Casbierd
rbcasbierd@yahoo.co.uk
Andy Maxted
andymcoaching@gmail.com
Kelvin Abbott
01753 654923
kelvin.abbott@btinternet.com
Alex Shiell
shiellalex@yahoo.co.uk
Simon Knowles
07786 836012
simonknowles16@googlemail.com
Vacant
Chris Weston
chriskayaks@gmail.com
LOCAL RETAILERS
Marsport, Reading
01189 665912
http://www.marsport.co.uk
Paddlesport, Warwick
01926 640573
http://www.paddlesport.co.uk
WWC, Shepperton
01932 247978
http://www.whitewaterthecanoecentre.co.uk
CALENDAR
12
Sunday 27 July
CLUB
SESSIONS
Saturday 2 August
Pool session
7.00 pm 8.00 pm
Weekend 23 August
Every Sunday
Sunday 24 August
Introduction to Paddlesport
9.30 am 4.30 pm
Monday 1 September
Committee meeting
7.00 pm 8.00 pm, Marlow Donkey PH
Weekend 67 September
Introduction to Paddlesport
9.30 am 4.30 pm
Saturday 6 September
Pool session
7.00 pm 8.00 pm
Saturday 20 September
Rolling Clinic
6.00 pm 8.00 pm
Sunday 21 September
Kennet & Avon inland tour
10.00 am, Newbury Wharf (SU473672)
Saturday 4 October
Improvers Kayaking
9.30 am 4.30 pm
Every Tuesday
Doors open at 6.30 pm.
On the water for 7 pm.
POOL
SESSION
Once per month
Saturday 7.00 8.00 pm,
see calendar for dates
Chalfont Leisure Centre, Nicol Road,
Chalfont St Peter, SL9 9LR.
5 adults, 3 juniors
Saturday 11 October
Saturday 18 October
Improvers Canoeing
9.30 am 4.30 pm
MEMBERSHIP RATES
Adult 42 Family 65
Junior 23 Senior 23
Storage 19 per boat