Newsletter 124 Summer 2009 02

Mid morning, Saturday 2nd May; and the „Deliverance‟ Tour gets under way. Downstream from Cricklade the Thames is still very much a river, rather than the „navigation‟ it becomes around Lechlade. Very natural, very peaceful; and unfortunately very rare in our part of the country. Our picture shows Richard (as „ED‟) Williams and Rob (as „DREW‟) Norris paddling downstream not far from the start. A full trip report can be read on pg.19. Photo taken by Lee (as „LEWIS‟) Niven.

Marlow Canoe Club Newsletter

COVER

Summer 2009/02

EDITORS PIECE

CONTENTS

Draw up a chair to the fireside, pour a nice malt or whatever you fancy, print of a copy A LADY WITH A MISSION 4 and settle down for a long read of paddling extravaganza and dream of summer. On the VACANCY 7 off chance that summer returns by the time you read this substitute a cool beer and a PADDLEFEST 2009 8 deckchair. It‟s a monster issue, the biggest yet, a A GRAND DAY OUT 10 whopping 24 pages. A fitting issue to finish my tenure as newsletter editor on. Except MORE DW SUCCESS 14 I‟ve still got two issues to go. And possibly BOAT RACK SPACES 17 more. The club is constructively moving forward PLAS MENAI SEA INTRO. 17 with members able to enjoy a more varied selection of paddles away from the club. ‘DELIVERANCE’ TOUR Following the example set by the WhiteWater „team‟ we are beginning to introduce more 5* THE NOO local touring using nearby waters and canals. More expansive touring is on offer as well, WHAT’S ON, WHEN & WHERE 19 and a programme of events has been put THE COMMITTEE 20 together by Lee Niven. I‟m hoping to get our first sea trip together about now (I should be checking tides and coastguards instead of doing this) and hope to offer a few trips a year to introduce members to this genre. It‟s a sport seen very much as a singular activity but with unprecedented success in this year‟s DW there is plenty to aim for and those that want to try their hand at marathon paddling will (I‟m sure) find plenty of encouragement from other likeminded paddlers. Andy Cook, in particular will be only too pleased to help out when he can and I‟d like to think others will too. It would be nice to meet some of the other marathon paddlers, some of whom I have to say, are no more than names to me. I hope the hard earned success these people earned in the DW event will encourage others to have a go. Percentage wise, I‟ve probably written less for this newsletter than I have for many an issue. Just as well considering the size. This means more has come from yourselves, and that means it has to be more reflective of the wide range of activities undertaken by the membership in general. This issue features, in no particular order, items on local touring, paddling in Antarctica, a vacancy, the Paddlefest event, two items featuring the club‟s success in the Devizes to Westminster event, rack allocation in the clubhouse, an introduction to sea kayaking at Plas Menai, an open canoe tour - rapidly gaining notoriety as the „Deliverance‟ tour, and higher level training on some much loved Scottish waters. I‟m taking copy for the next issue right now so if you have been on a trip or a tour with us, or others, professionally led or on your tod let us know about it. New to the club – tell us how you found us and your aspirations for the future. Don‟t like what‟s been suggested about rack allocation then send in a letter – it will go in. Here‟s hoping the next issue will be just as wide ranging and (hopefully) interesting. Due out in September, you‟ve plenty of time to get something in. John Norris May 2009

ABBEY STREAM

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DAY TOURING - ABBEY STREAM 8th March 2009, nine souls met at the car park on the north side of Thames at Laleham. Two club easkys, Jane in her new red easky, two more sea boats, canoe Kelvin and the number made up with other kayaks. Windy but fine, a simple launch from a beach and we were soon on the river moving upstream, wind from the side, bit of flow nothing too strenuous. About a mile upstream there were weirs with cross currents from the right, the flow seemed stronger but keeping out of it where possible we soon made the entrance to Abbey Stream. It was very similar to the streams at Hurley but narrower with slightly tighter bends; moored boats in the first few hundred yards, then the half sunk dinghies until we came to a very low bridge. This had to be tackled with care as most us had to bend to get under it. We had been informed at the briefing we would also be going under the M25. The picture came to mind of the Marlow bypass at Longridge, oh no, there were cars and lorries thundering along 4 feet above our heads. Continuing on we were soon paddling by a golf course and eventually came to the fallen tree obstruction Tim had warned about. No way past; very muddy sloping banks, fortunately one spot, with a bit of assistance, allowed us to get out onto the golf course (without being shouted at) and move down stream. A few minutes more paddling brought us to “the seats” where the plan was to stop for lunch. More muddy sloping banks tackled in a variety of ways but apart from one wetting a pleasant half hour break. Embarking again proved just as challenging and after another wetting we were able to move downstream through farm land until we came to a “slipway with rollers” (there must be a proper term). Negotiating that one at a time brought us out below Chertsey weir.

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On our side of the weir it really was thundering through so we landed on waste ground to move upstream of the weir. By this time the weather had been deteriorating the wind getting stronger and spots of rain. From the top of the weir it was a paddle across to the other side of the river, under the M25 again (this time more Marlow bypass height) and a straight forward upstream paddle to where we had launched. Now the weather change dramatically, the wind was much stronger still and as soon as we were out of the boats the rain lashed down with incredible intensity. Nothing for it, carry the boats over the road (without being blown away) and lash them onto the racks; by this time everyone was drenched and possibly cold to. However typical of English weather, as soon as we had finished loading the rain eased and soon stopped and the wind dropped a bit. Ah well back to Marlow, wash the mud out of the boats as best we could (no sponges in the club) and the end of a very pleasant day out Charles Pain

March 2009

A LADY WITH A MISSION It all started on a damp Saturday last September when I presented myself at the Club for my introductory One Star course – along with a dozen other hopeful souls. It looked like rain and because of all the rain we had had in previous weeks the river was swollen and the stream was none too friendly for beginners but we all survived, if a little cold by the end of the day and all passed the course. But that was not sufficient for me – I was a lady with a mission. That mission was to be sufficiently qualified to sea kayak in the Antarctica in less than 2 months time! According to my pre-trip notes “sufficiently qualified included the ability to do self-rescue”, which it transpired neither Club President Tim (instructor par excellence – who was also refurbishing my house at the time) nor John ( sea kayaker par excellence) had ever done ; and I was supposed to be proficient in two months having only just mastered staying upright in a boat!! Not to be put off, John went on the Net and found various interesting training videos – mostly in Scandinavian languages, and purchased the necessary paddle float. Off we went to the pool for a few training sessions. I along with the others seemed to master it. It was taking me several minutes to get back in the boat on my own and the thought of doing it for real in sub zero water temperatures did not bear thinking about…but off I went – to the Southern Hemisphere. There were sixteen of us hardy souls, part of a contingent of 107 mainly antipodean passengers on an ex-research Russian ice strengthened vessel cruising the Antarctic for 18 days who were going to sea kayak, we hoped. It transpired that they all had far more experience than me…and I was more than a little anxious about the whole

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exercise….though no-one was mentioning self rescue! We were kitted out in full onepiece dry suits, neoprene bootees & pogies. Our first outing was to be in the harbour at Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands. The sun was blazing and it was 24 degrees…..hardly fit for dry suits! Thermal leggings and T-shirt had to suffice. We had to enter the kayaks from the zodiacs, which was an exercise in itself, especially the first time when you were terrified of ending up in the water! I have discovered that I have a bit of a phobia about getting my head in the water – not good for kayaking. The American built boats were very stable, with rudders which made it much much easier to steer and I felt easier. Once we were all loaded up we paddled a few kilometres down to the sunken ship, the Lady Elizabeth at the end of the harbour – then back. I got as far as the harbour entrance when the Zodiac came and picked me up – I could have happily carried on, and was just about starting to relax and enjoy it. The lovely weather helped! Our next outing was off Gritviken, on South Georgia – the old whaling station where Shackleton is buried. We had seen icebergs by now and dry suits were definitely the order of the day! I was paired with another novice in a double kayak this time – and found it very frustrating. We never seemed to have the same stroke and she got tired very easily….but we paddled with the fur seals and round our first iceberg . On to the South Shetlands – after an uncomfortable two days of the ship crashing through the waves in the Southern Ocean, most of which was spent in my cabin. We arrived at Yankee Harbour and kayaking was going ahead despite overcast weather, wind and choppy seas – we were assured it was calmer in the lea of the “harbour”- with its 1 km gravel and stone natural spit. There was a huge glacier and lots of little icebergs. This time I got a single kayak – thank you Zac. We headed off into the wind across the “harbour” entrance towards the glacier – tough going but I did OK. Then we cruised along the glacier edge hundreds of feet high above us – lots of blue with dirty streaks. A bit like a giant chocolate swirl cake. We paddled through some brash ice which once I realised it would just go under the boat and not cause problems was pretty much what it was all about. Great fun. Then we headed back along the other beach and the wind started to get up – and a huge black cloud was ahead

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bringing a storm…..I kept going though wondered how long for. I made it to the beach as the fifth home – some had already been picked up by the Zodiac but I was glad I hadn‟t and I was enjoying it towards the end despite very heavy going. The waves washed over the boat - and me at times (thank goodness for thick neoprene spray skirts, dry suits and very stable boats).I avoided little icebergs and was continually being blown into shore – almost ending up on top of the Gentoo penguins. Not sure I expected to but I had enjoyed it and if we didn‟t get out again ….it was worth it. That was what all the training was for. On to the Antarctic Peninsula itself. We arrived over night in Wilhemina Bay off the Gerlach Sound. The weather was glorious and flat calm blue sea with glorious scenery – huge snow covered mountains & glaciers pretty close to. Up at 6.00 am to watch the world go by. Quick breakfast and off kayaking to the envy of a lot of other passengers, in near perfect conditions. It was glassy flat calm, with mountains and glaciers reflected in the water and we were paddling through the brash ice and bergy bits. (The technical term for little bits of broken off iceberg). Soooo quiet!…the loudest thing was the scrunch of our dry suits and the noise of the paddles in the water. Even the water did not seem that cold, though I would not like to have ended up in it for long…but we always had our rescue zodiac close to hand. No-one capsized and no need for self rescue ! We were bouncing off the brash ice. At times I had to use the ice to push off and was going aground on icebergs! – paddling through gaps so narrow the paddles would not fit and at times barely the kayak fitted. The icebergs were amazing to see in the water – one could really see the formations and the submerged chunks. We covered about 7 km according to Kevin‟s GPS. Got about 20 ft from a leopard seal lying on the ice, saw several Antarctic Skuas and got dive bombed by a snowy petrel a couple of times – awesome…..worth every bit of the dank dark days on the river in Marlow. Thanks to John and Tim and all the team for their patience with me……….and I never needed to do a self rescue nor even got my hair wet! The High Arctic here I come! Jo Dudley

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Note: Jo summed up ‘El Presidente’ pretty well, many of us have benefitted from his experience over the years. But me; ‘sea kayaker par excellence’. I’m happy to bathe in the adulation, just don’t expect me to live up to it – yet!

VACANCY A position has become available within the club for a coach of around L3 standard. The current incumbent has decided to take up a job offer in New Zealand, and who can blame him for that. Applications for this unpaid but not unappreciated role will be considered by the committee from any genial Scots person (who can speak English) willing to enthuse the current membership such that they might achieve what they didn‟t think possible. An ability to quaff a pint and have a stab at all things involving paddles (on the water) will go a long way to acceptance. Tom Westwater has not been with the club for very long but many have benefitted from his skills and teaching in the short time he has been with us. We saw quality – the NHS saw a saving. Tom will probably be best remembered for helping a no. of our members gain their UKCC 3* WW award toward the end of last year. He also came to the fore when we needed a stand in for a 1* coach. In Tom‟s own words. „MCC has been THE best club I've ever paddled & coached for. The plus point is paddlers for paddling and NOT internal club politics. The salubrious club house helps with this matter. I really enjoyed being able to coach with an open minded club, not the old, "We don't do it that way!" I really did learn so much from the MCC mindset. Thank you to EVERYONE from MCC and if you're coming in my new direction come and paddle with MCC NZ.’ Once again, many, many thanks and hope to see you on Wed 25th March.

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I‟ve never been to another club as a member but I think I can see what Toms‟ saying. I‟m sure you‟d all like to join me in wishing him the best for the future and perhaps some of us will be lucky enough to take up his offer. As mentioned previously a few of us turned up to see Tom off in a style to which he has become accustomed. Our snap shows the man at the start of the evening. I can‟t remember what he looked like at the end – but then I can‟t remember much of anything toward the end of the evening. You can view Tom‟s New Zealand Blog here. Good luck pal, see you sometime! John Norris

March 2009

Googlemap says 120 odd miles and around 2hrs. 10 mins. and suggests a back route in with which El Presidente is already familiar with so that makes things easy. We make it well within time, including a stop and arrive around 9:45. This was not a GOOD day out and the poor weather contributed to the fairly dull display. But let‟s put this into context. Last year we had CANOEXPO, for which we had to pay around £7.00 entry. Car parking was free and a reasonable hot meal was available. All housed in Stoneleigh Park (Coventry) the displays were all covered and lecture delivery was in proper auditoria. Purchases could be made (admittedly all through Brookbank) and overall, I‟d rate the facility as good. For us, travelling was about 80 miles and 75 minutes. True of any single interest display, once you‟d done the canoes there was not much left to do. Unlike the Outdoor Show (which costs twice as much + car parking + franchise eating) you can go and have a look at something else. Unfortunately it was not much loved by the manufacturers as floor space was expensive. Nottingham PADDLEFEST (stand alone entry – free) was put together by the same team that put on CANOEXPO. There the similarity ends. For those that have not been to Nottingham (the National Waterspouts Centre) I‟ll put you in the picture. It has a rowing straight and a recently revamped whitewater course („looks good‟ says El Presidente even though it was to cold for him to go on it). Using a natural drop in the adjacent River Trent it looks the business. I‟m told it does what it‟s made for very well, however it‟s not an exhibition centre. Under cover displays took on the appearance of a market stand, albeit under a wobbly marquee. The Brookbank stand had all the appeal of a paddling poundstretcher. But there were some good sounding lectures that I wanted to hear. Richard Cree on packing a sea kayak had some very good tips. The RNLI followed this with a general presentation that would have been more useful to me had I not just recently

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completed my SRC, but would have been of benefit, perhaps, for some of our aspiring sea paddlers. Time to look for some food. I‟m not a great fan of McDonalds but I do eat there occasionally, safe in the knowledge that some and maybe all of the beef burger was once part of a bovine animal. The taste is generally beefish. „Qualities‟ sadly lacking from the hot food offered, or so it appeared. I was glad I bought some sandwiches (just in case) and of the PEAK UK outlet shop which offered coffee in a proper cup for a mere squid. And a seat and a table out of the wind in which to drink & eat. Back to the display. Purchasing a sea kayak, delivered by a L5 coach from a new OBAN based outlet. He knew his stuff, but it was pitched at the beginner and a little low to be of much use to me. Rob went to the Student Rodeo which was so well run that he didn‟t realise this was what he was looking at. We both finished with „Riding the Celtic Tiderace‟ – a presentation by Patrick Winterton, perhaps best known for coaching the delightful Kate Silverton in the BBC whitewater programme of August 2007. This was about his ultimately ill fated attempt to paddle to the Faroe Islands, starting from Wales and going around Ireland. Good slides and film clips and an amiable chat were enjoyed by all who attended and both Rob & I thought this was possibly the best part of the day. A big tent and line of cubicle dividers made it hard work for all those delivering a lecture. The wind, threatening to bring the whole ensemble crashing down made it worse. You can tell I wasn‟t overly impressed, but there was some good here. For £5.00 you could book a „wet‟ ticket and try out a wide selection of boats in a small lake. Canoes, tourers, WW, and sea boats were all available and the OBAN people even put on a sea kayak intro. on the Trent for those that wanted to try. I believe there was also an opportunity to try the whitewater course in the morning as well – under supervision. And to be fair my report would be a whole lot nicer had the wind dropped, the sun come out and maybe it was a little warmer. Would I go again? Unless there was something specific I wanted to see or do I‟d have to think twice. I‟d happily pay a little extra for the facilities at CANOEXPO and I‟d probably go to the Outdoor Show every few years. My suggestion would be to make PADDLEFEST bigger and put it at Stoneleigh Park. My gut feeling, though, is that it will be a little while before we find a canoe specific show again. I just hope I‟m wrong. John Norris

March 2009

ADDENDUM I was asked what I thought of the show by Peter M, a paddler I’ve met through the South East Sea Kayakers group. Peter went to the show on the Sunday, when the weather was much improved and booked a ‘wet’ ticket, enabling him to try out several boats. A colleague of his tried a no. of Canadians and overall their experience seemed to be much better than mine. The lake, whilst a little on the small side, offered the chance to test a boat’s manoeuvrability around some left over slalom poles though flatwater left it to the imagination as to whether the sea boats would perform the same on the salty stuff. Maybe I will go next year, if it’s on again, just got to get the weather fixed first (and a ‘wet’ ticket).

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A GRAND DAY (AND A BIT) OUT Last summer, after a fight with a Welsh cliff face (which the cliff not surprisingly won) I found myself in hospital with a broken back, a mashed up foot, and my planned year of exciting expeditions in tatters. As I began a long and painstaking recovery, Marlow canoe club became my haven. I‟d been a member of the club for years, but rarely found the time to use it. However with walking and climbing now off the agenda, every day the sun came out I‟d get out one of the sturdy K1 trainer boats and pootle off down to the Bounty - or to Cliveden if I was feeling adventurous, making pals with the kingfishers, tufted ducks and parakeets that call our wondrous stretch of the Thames home. However, my good pal Stuart was not going to let me get away with enjoying gentle meanders like this. He had been a junior international rower, is stupidly fit, endlessly mindlessly optimistic, and worst of all was bored and in the mood for a challenge. He got it into his head that we should enter the Devizes to Westminster, and after several months of barracking, I folded. As preparations for a major endurance race go, they don‟t get much weirder than ours. We trained pretty hard right through the fiercest part of the winter, getting the hang of the club‟s condor K2 the hard way, by capsizing repeatedly on days where splashes froze instantly on our paddles and clothing, and you could have ice-skated on the lock cuts. These unplanned swims resulted in ice cream headaches, lungs so constricted it felt like you‟d had a good punch in the guts and paddles home shivering uncontrollably thinking this was all a very bad idea. However, we were just starting to feel like we were getting somewhere, when my job decided to send me away for the two months leading up to the race. In that time, while everyone else on the DW was putting in four or five sessions a week, my training consisted of thrashing a blow up dinghy up a whitewater river in New Guinea, and one paddle in a dugout canoe 20 odd miles down the Amazon with pink river dolphins playing alongside me. And that was it. I finished off my expeditions with a scorching set of tropical diseases, and arrived back in the UK five days before the start day with churning guts and ferocious jetlag. I have never been so badly prepared and so scared before a race in my life. The DW is a bit of an animal. We set off at 8:30am on Easter Saturday, having timed our departure in the hope that we would arrive at the tidal part of the Thames some 20hours later, just as the high tide was receding and would therefore speed our way to Westminster. Get this wrong and you end up having to carry your boat through London over your shoulders as some pals of ours did a few years back. It‟s an odd race in this respect; there‟s no massed start, no hordes of people together at the beginning or indeed anywhere else on the race. In fact for the most part we cruised through the Home Counties and Thames Valley towns with their inhabitants totally oblivious to our passing. It‟s not a race you do for glory, but for smug self-satisfaction! Our self-satisfaction was however marred right from the start when congratulations came over the tannoy for Len Funnell and Nick Courtaux of Marlow Canoe club who had raised over £17,000 for charity doing the race. Stuart and I (having raised precisely nought pence) slunk away quietly onto the Avon, feeling unworthy, sheepish and a little bit sick. The first fourteen miles of the race is just an „orrible slog. Throughout the DW you have to portage 77 locks, and they become like a shining beacon ahead – a chance to break up the race into achievable portions, and an opportunity to put down the paddle and drop the shoulders for a few precious minutes. On this first section there are no locks at all. It‟s

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very dull indeed. Beyond here though things change; seven locks in close succession are generally run by the stronger crews, with my injuries though we had to hop back into the boat between most of these, which slowed us down. Then there‟s the tunnel of doom – 500metres of darkness, whose walls make the water slosh back at you from the sides of the tunnel, and in the dark you can‟t see to pick up your partner‟s rhythm. It screws with your mind and throws your balance, and is actually a wee bit spooky. Capsizing in here would be an absolute nightmare; we repeatedly find ourselves resorting to panicky support strokes, and are wobbling all over the place. Thankfully though, we got through unscathed, and like typical blokes spend the next half an hour talking loudly about how we weren‟t even remotely bothered by the tunnel; disappointingly easy if anything(!)

On these earlier sections we were burning along at a fearsome pace, purring past flower-painted narrow boats, beardie tow-path scruffs with dogs on string, and enticing pub gardens where jeering customers would wave their pints at us. Damn them all. Probably the most dangerous obstacle was the swans, big males getting territorial as we passed the reed beds they were nesting in, and would arch their backs and head towards us with an impressive bow wave. Some of our fellow competitors ended up having to beat them off with their paddles, which sounds harsh unless you‟ve been on the receiving end of one of these scary charges. However, after about thirty miles things started to go all wrong. First off my right shoulder started to hurt quite a lot. Five miles later I could barely raise my hands above chest level, another five and I couldn‟t get out of the boat on the right hand side without help. For the whole of the rest of the race the pain was unremitting, and my paddling style was I‟m sure a subject of scorn for race aficionados. Whilst on the subject of aficionados, there are quite a lot of people on the DW who take themselves very seriously. I‟d love to meet the snooty woman who told my mum she was in the way, and told her she wasn‟t a real support crew if she didn‟t know our mean speed adjusted for headwinds! After all it wasn‟t her fault she didn‟t have a scooby; that was down to Stuart and I being total divots. Our lack of preparation meant we had failed to properly organise our support crew, and instead had disparate willing friends and family turning up at certain places, but with next to no idea of what they should be doing. While other competitors hopped out of their boats and were hand fed by supporters as they sprinted past each lock, we‟d stop and have a chat with old pals we‟d not seen for ages, and wait while they went and got us a sandwich. Every stop took a minimum of ten minutes, with two stops taking around half an hour each… and those were the good ones where we actually managed to meet up with our support. Before we knew where we were, we had gone from 20minutes ahead to more than an hour behind. It was time to dig in.

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At Dreadnought Reach, the canal flashes through Reading as it prepares for its big Saturday night out, and flows out into the Thames. Here most competitors pull up, change their clothes and get a proper meal in. The sun was setting in dazzling gold‟s across the water from us, our bellies were full, painkiller levels were topped up, and we were on our home waters. As we passed the island at Henley, sleeping ducks and geese were frightened off the bank and flew straight into our deck threatening to capsize us. They may well have been getting their own back for us inadvertently ramming a couple of mallards who were too busy making ducklings to notice us bearing down on them. We paddled off into the long night, positive and looking ahead to the lights of Marlow Bridge. It was however about this time that something curious happened. All this stretch from Reading to Teddington was familiar to us, and we knew each section well, but somehow the very fabric of time seemed to have been distorted and stretched. One short haul of 1.8 miles that in training had passed in the blink of an eye felt as if it took an hour. A 4.9 mile chunk honestly felt like it would never, ever end. Whilst in endurance events the body is usually at its lowest ebb between 3 and 4 in the morning, for me it hit me at around 1 as we approached Windsor. I was borderline hypothermic, shivering uncontrollably, shoulder graunching and clicking with every stroke, and it all just seemed so pointless, so joyless, and so endless. There was another low when we reached Runnymede, which in my head I‟d set as being the start of London, a major success - nearly there point. As we pulled out of the lock, someone shouted out; „You‟re going great lads, just forty miles to go!‟ Forty frickin‟ miles. Near eight hours at our current speed. And that was the end of that little positive spell. Big events like this are all about small victories. No one is capable of saying to themselves; „right, 125 miles to go, let‟s rock!‟ You have to break it down, boost your spirits at every turn, and keep resetting the clocks. For us, we did this by overtaking people between locks (they‟d go past us again straight away as we took fifteen minutes to neck a Cuppa Soup – but then I guess we got to overtake them again on the next stretch). We also had a guardian angel bringing a boost to morale in the dead of night. Andy Cooke from the canoe club had offered to keep with us through the night; an offer we‟d not set much store in, as he was also supporting the other Marlow crews and we were all stretched out through the field. However, every selected stop we‟d roll in, and Andy would be there shouting us in to the correct portage point and with exact instructions as to how to proceed. As we funnelled cake and hot tea down shivering gullets, he‟d chivvy us along by telling us how he‟d got through the entire race (in 19hours!) with just one kit change and food stop. What a remarkable dude! After hours and miles of panic and hopeless disorganisation, it was as if Obi Wan Kenobi had appeared at the lock side in the early hours to bring us DW wisdom. Chastened and encouraged we stopped being such utter jessies and got back in the boat for the final hard yards. Andy set us on our way at Teddington and the tidal Thames around two hours behind schedule, but with spirits passably high. We were going to finish, it was just a case of when. However, the tidal Thames is not to be taken lightly. We‟d missed the main flow of the tides, and it actually didn‟t seem to be running at all. That last 17 miles may as well have been a thousand. It‟s another yomp with no locks, turbulent waters, and speedboats creating huge washes that threaten to overturn you several minutes cold swim from either bank. We pulled in to Putney Bridge where my mum and dad were waiting, and appeared to them as phantoms, walking like our bones had dissolved, just wanting it all to be over. Mum applied cold spray to Stuart‟s agonised backside (she swears she didn‟t look) and I

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guzzled leek and potato soup and tried not to sit down in the mud cos I‟d never have got up again. The last six miles was probably our strongest paddle of the whole race. We didn‟t rest once and did it in well under an hour, scorching past Battersea power station and other London landmarks we really couldn‟t have cared less about, yelling at the speedboats who seemed to be deliberately trying to capsize us with their wash. Three miles to go, two, one, and then there it was, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. In a cruel twist of fate, this last mile was the most difficult of the whole race, churned up and unpredictable. It

flushed more than one fatigued set of finishers, but not us. We pulled up to the steps at the embankment, elated, exhausted, and more than anything relieved that the evil nastiness was over and would never have to be repeated. And there was Andy, waiting with warm clothes and a camera to preserve the moment for posterity. God bless him. 25 hours and 50 minutes was way more than we hoped to finish in but probably about what we deserved. We were well behind Pete and Rich of Marlow CC who managed a credible 23.25, but a lot faster than the slowest finishers who took over 50 hours. It makes me feel ill just thinking about it. Steve Backshall

April 2009

FEELING JUST A LITTLE BIT INSPIRED? WANT TO GIVE MARATHON PADDLING A GO? ANNE BATEMAN IS THINKING ABOUT THE DW2010 ENDEAVOUR EVENT. LIKE TO JOIN HER FOR A LITTLE ‘FINE WEATHER’ TRAINING OR PADDLE? GIVE ANNE A CALL ON 01494 450686 / 07777 603682 AND MAYBE ENJOY AN AFTERNOON OR EVENING SPRINT ALONG THE RIVER.

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MORE DW SUCCESS In addition to Steve and Stuart, the club was represented by another three teams. Richard Hammersley and Peter frost (23.25.23) made up one team; Simon Jeffs and Robert Gearing (26.47.24) with Nick Courtaux and Len Funnell (29.13.16) have recorded their training and race on a blogspot. I‟ve copied the initial entry but a full race update can be found here. Similarly, photos of their event can be found here a few used in this feature. Both Crews booked into a bed and breakfast close to the start at Devizes. Len and Nick started at the earliest time of 7am and Rob and Simon opted for an 8.20am start. Timings are important to ensure you arrive at the tidal section of the Thames when the tide is going out. If the tide has turned when you get to Teddington you have to wait for the next tide. The boat is taken into the Marshall's area and a kit check is carried out before going to get your race number sticker for the boat and both crew members getting crimped wrist tags. We were ready to go at 7.45 in the marshalling area waiting to get in at 8.15am. James Cracknell was there with a film crew and we were looking to see the type of boat he had mastered. We also saw Owen Peake, the favourite to win the race. At the speed he paddled, I reckoned he would not be getting in until 1pm or 2pm. We got away at 8.16am. We were apprehensive about what lay ahead but glad to get underway after all the training and preparation. The Pound was first. Fourteen miles of nothing. After about 10 miles we had to stop for a wee. I'm told real racers do it in their boats .... No Way!! James Cracknell went past us at this point and we heard "They have got a speedcoach - I could have brought mine", before he was gone. The Speedcoach is a speedometer that has a tiny impeller stuck to the bottom of the hull to measure the speed of the boat through the water. By keeping the speed of the boat at 5mph we were at a good cruising speed without burning ourselves out. The second piece of technology we were using was my Blackberry. This was on my back in a clear waterproof wallet with line of sight to GPS Satellites. Our support crew could log on to Google Latitude with a laptop or another Blackberry and get a real time position for us with an accuracy of about 50m.

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During the latter stages of the Pound, I saw Uday the swan. That's him Rob, the one that wacked me on Waterside D. He saw me too and came straight in for the same style of attack. I held my paddles horizontal to fend him off and he passed us without incident. Minutes later we heard beating wings, as he took off behind us for an attack from our rear. I braced myself for him flying into my back as the sound got closer and warned Rob. The bird hit the water between our paddles right next to the boat. I was so relieved but didn't know he was going for the rear of my right arm and Rob had given him a good wallop with his paddle to fend him off. The Bruce Tunnel was fairly uneventful in our stable boat. At the Crofton flight we met our Support crew and ditched our camelbacks. We managed a steady jog along the length of the flight. We found the canal section to be very straight forward. We had covered it all several times, our portaging was smooth, our support crew were faultless and we had a mental goal to get to the compulsory portage at Reading. We knew we could do that. We passed Nick and Len between Newbury and Reading a noticed a couple of crews looking weary at this stage. At Reading we were at the compulsory portage for about 4 minutes. Liquid, food, light on the boat, crack the light sticks on our buoyancy aids and go. Our next stop was Marsh where we were to get into warmer night clothes. We were lucky with the weather - 13degrees by day and 4 degrees at night, very little wind , slight rain but unfortunately very little river flow. Again, the support crew were brilliant at Marsh. A complete change of clothes, warm chilli and rice, back into the boat and away all within our allotted 12 minutes. At this point we were 5 minutes ahead or our planned time (a race duration of 24.5 hours) Excellent! On the river section we had planned for 1mph of flow and as there was very little flow our times started to drop off steadily. Also we were walking at the locks in the dark. It was fine to Cookham Lock at the 75 mile stage and then we started dropping back substantially from our planned times. We first started to feel tired at Old Windsor Lock at the 87 mile stage. For the three miles between Sunbury and Molesey and then the 5 miles from Molesey to Teddington we had to dig deep. We comforted ourselves that once at Teddington we would float down to Westminster on the tidal flow. At Teddington we were shattered. We should have stopped and had a substantial meal to prepare us for the final 17 miles, but we didn't. The Marshalls took the mickey out of our clothes - "matching colour co-ordinated gear guys - very nice". All in orange we were getting known as the "Tango Boat" and the "Happy Crew" as we had been smiling nearly all the way earlier in the day. Our support crew knew we were pooped at Teddington so they sweetly encouraged us by shouting "Death or Glory" at us as we joined the tidal section. This is where the mental game began. Think of 17 miles and you cannot do it. Think of 3 miles to the next bridge and you might just do it. We got to Putney Bridge, 6 miles to go and our support crew were cheering from the bridge. I was at my absolute lowest. No energy whatsoever and I had no idea how we could cover the next 6 miles. We had stopped drinking so we didn't have to stop on the tideway for a wee. Once I took a big slug of the energy drink I felt better within a couple of minutes. I told Rob we had to drink and he told me that we should enjoy the scenery because it would take our mind off things

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and we were never going to see this view again. Despite our pathetic speed of 3mph through the water, we were soon at Westminster. When we saw the bridge, we couldn't believe that we had made it. Devizes the previous morning and now Westminster. The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust banner was hanging from the bridge and we had a fantastic welcome as we arrived. We were helped out of the boat at the bottom of the steps in front of County Hall. Our medals were presented to us at the top and we were welcomed by our supporters. Nick and Len were behind schedule and stepped up the pace on the last few legs to Teddington and made it to the tide window with only minutes to spare. The tide was coming in as they approached Westminster making their final leg even tougher. A magnificent effort in a boat 7kg heavier and slower than ours. Both crews completed the race - a fantastic achievement. Rob has taken on some really serious mountaineering challenges in his time having previously climbed several un-climbed mountains in Greenland said "This is by far the toughest thing I have ever done. I am never doing it again." There must have been six guys in the changing rooms after the race, army PT instructors etc. They all said the same....never again.

LEN FUNNELL

–

ROBERT GEARING & SIMON JEFFS

–

NICK COURTAUX

A big thank you to the support crews. You cannot complete this race without very good support and you did a fantastic job..... all through the night. Finally, thanks to each and every one of you who sponsored us to raise funds. During the times when we were at our lowest it was the thought of letting you down that drove us on. A glance at the Charity logo on the boat and then thinking of all those who had faith in us finishing the race reminded us we had to finish.

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Summer 2009/02

RACK SPACE ALLOCATION With the increase in membership over recent years, and the changing shapes of boats etc. it has become necessary to re-visit the thorny problem of space allocation. Let‟s face it, the clubhouse is a dangerous place these days. The biggest boats we‟ve got are in the most difficult location from which to extricate them. Some of the smaller, lighter boats are right next to the door. One or two boats have never moved (to my knowledge) in all the time I‟ve been a member. Chris Porteous, our equipment officer has looked into this, and If anyone can find a utility for fitting a quart into a pint pot, I‟m sure Chris can. If anyone has any particular views on this then perhaps they‟d let the committee know. A few ideas have been prompted, such as moving the opens to the front of the club, or possibly in front of the river door, along with other longer regularly USED boats such as the sea kayaks and the marathon boats. Club GP boats should be in a specific zone, though not necessarily in the same space they currently occupy, with the smaller lighter boats towards the rear of the club. Other options to consider, can any of the boats be stored on the sides (playboats etc.)? Or even on their ends? Some lesser used boats could wind up in the external shed on the back of the clubhouse. SPEAK KNOW and make your views known – but don‟t stay silent and moan later.

SEA INTRO AT PLAS MENAI Following John‟s enthusiasm for sea kayaking I decided to try the same course he attended and wrote about last year. The coach was the same, John Domeny and very good. The other attendees, Andre, a big bearded South African from Kent, who paddles around the Thames estuary on a sit on top although he had been in “proper boats” before but wanted to learn more. The other three lads originated from the West Midlands had paddled Bala lake and similar. So unfortunately there was a shortage of basic skills to start with (not a star amongst them) which took time out of the schedule to redress. Day one, sunny blue sky, glassy Menai Straights, select boats, sitting on the grass the Capello fitted me best, all sorted and up to North West Anglesey, Cymyran Bay, launch, 10 seconds before we had the first swimmer (“these kayaks are more tippy than my sit on top”), first lesson in rescue, a sheltered cove and plenty of rock dodging as we moved along the coast for manoeuvring skills. Into a calm sheltered inlet, second swimmer, another lesson in rescue, so back to basics on skills. Later heading further North we started to get used to the chop and wind, then a sun kissed inlet for a very late lunch. Then straight across the large bay we had been paddling around, the wind in our faces and plenty of chop “to keep us interested”. Making landfall again we nearly had another swimmer due to shock as a black creature climbed onto the rocks, a diver! As we neared home those who had never experienced a deep water rescue were put through there paces (I rescued but thought it was a bit chilly for swimming). Day two, another sunny blue sky, glassy Menai Straights, John said the wind forecast was South East so we would go to the north side of Anglesey. (Andre passed on his sea kayak and took a sit on top!) We arrived at Bulls Bay to find a north easterly blowing into the bay

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(so much for the weather forecast). Not a good place to start or paddle Westward as planned as it would be a problem getting back, so along the coast to another beautiful bay at Cemaes. Easy launch, more skills, put off a bit by the arrival of an RNLI lifeboat that anchored at the entrance to the bay, seemingly waiting like a vulture (or St Johns Ambulance). We set off East into the wind and current, going in and out of bays which gave some shelter. Right, let‟s have a go at paddling downwind with the swell/current! So we paddled out of the bay into the full wind and swell, turned and then “rode back”. Not easy, made more difficult as the swell was very erratic in frequency and height. Then the inquest on the “first ride home”; two key points keep paddling and use stern rudder to run straight. Try again, off upwind, turn just before the white horses, down again, slightly better but still challenging. Try again but this time straight across the cove to the next! The thought that crossed my mind as we set off on this last run; a dodgy white water passage will usually last less than a minute “before its all over”; out there, half a mile to run, if you swim then more problems with rescues, so don‟t! Fortunately this time we started to get a bigger, more regular swell, which made it marginally easier. (to busy paddling to wave to the RNLI zodiac that came past). Then round into a bay for a hard earned lunch. The rest of the afternoon we did towing with a boat attachment, and waist belt, one pulling one, two pulling two etc, before heading back to Cemaes bay where the Midlands lads wanted to be photographed doing deep water rescues. This was a cracking week-end where we also covered tides, charts, etc; a great learning experience. The weather was good, clothing wise no need for anything different than a Sunday at Marlow in Spring. Everyone improved, no unscheduled swimmers on Sunday, I only got my feet wet. I stayed overnight, coming back on Monday. Charles Pain

Marlow Canoe Club Newsletter

April 2009

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Summer 2009/02

DELIVERANCE (PART 2!) Friday night seemed like a lock to far when it finally came around and so it was an early, misty morning that looked full of promise that saw me rendezvous with Richard at the track leading down to Shifford Lock on Saturday. Richard had elected to camp at Shifford on Friday evening anyway and so as we loaded our car I was slightly envious of the lack of weight he was carrying – my feelings would prove to be premature later in the day however! Meetings, misses and shuttles followed at Cricklade and so it was that at 10 ish we set off down a scrappy but extremely pleasant first ½ of the day towards Lechlade – Richard, Rob and myself all enjoyed this section – its quite different to the rest of the Thames – a river not a navigation and I can‟t recommend it as a day trip highly enough. There was lots of wild life on this gently meandering section, we saw kingfishers, herons, an assortment of wildfowl and even red signal crayfish. The bank plants were quite spectacular in places and the odd tree blocking the flow really only added to the trip! Also on this section while gently drifting in the glorious sunshine Richard and I started to find some amusing parallels between our trip and the classic movie Deliverance – don‟t ask – suffice to say that I picked Burt – Richard went straight for being John – that left Rob with either „dead bloke‟ or „tree guy‟ – a tough choice but made harder I felt given that Rob hasn‟t seen the film......He went for “dead bloke” which Richard and I felt a wise choice but left us the task of communicating his demise to John at some point – as I say best not to ask ... We made it to Lechlade for lunch an hour later than planned but only due to our later start and we were all chuffed with the mornings paddle. Happily we met up here (just) with Don, Jane and Andy who thinking they were behind us had made good speed down from the start in front of us. We also met Chris here and of course enquired as to how he was feeling after the tree ordeal, poor old Chris really had no idea at all and again having not seen the film was none the wiser even after we explained. In the film Burt breaks his leg and as I embarked into my boat from the pub waterside a large flagstone came loose leaving me hanging by fingertips, holding the flagstone and trying to keep the boat in one place – the reality was almost mirroring the film but in our version my buddies saved me – thanks guys! After lunch we made good time on the Thames “proper” here things get wider, there is less flow and of course on a bank holiday lots of traffic, in some ways you‟ve left the best behind but the great joy of a canoe journey is seeing all the change and the journey itself. So it proved to be again as the four of us made our way towards Rushy lock some 10 miles away – The locks themselves are always interesting and we had more than friendly welcomes. By the time we got to Rushy we

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were all doubled up – a wise move that kept our group speed up and made the trip an adventure not just a physical challenge. I would encourage anyone thinking about a touring trip but unsure to double up, the difference in effort really is about ½ plus if you think ahead you can save about ½ the weight by sharing kit like cookers etc. We had originally planned to camp at Rushy but had been advised on Thursday that a “large group” had booked and that we might be “more comfortable” at Shifford – only 5 miles further! Of course that sounds great and no problem on Thursday at home but at 6:30 ish after a day at it, it stopping sounded great to be honest. A team chat decided that: 1) Yes we were tired. 2) The camp site at Rushy is a bit uninspiring and the one at Shifford is really nice. 3) We had loads of daylight. 4) Since it was just the 4 of us why not! As we paddled onwards Richard pointed out that he was chuffed with the decision since his tent was at Shifford anyway! Shifford really is a nice camp site and I would certainly recommend it beautiful, quite and great facilities. Shifford Lock Camping At this point it would be remiss not to mention the cooking. Chris had definitely gone minimum, evening meal tin of Macaroni cheese and a tin of beans; breakfast – Muesli. Lets just say I didn‟t! (remember the Cray I said we saw? – caught or rustled may be more accurate!). Dinner Lamb steaks, roast red peppers, onions, mushrooms, avocado, dip, Pita‟s, bottle of Red , choc pud, choc sauce, Tea – clearly breakfast was always going to be a full English! Needless to say we all enjoyed Ronny!! Sunday was a terrific day and to be honest I hardly noticed the distance travelled – as a group we decided we wanted to push on and go through Oxford and by happy circumstance while chatting to another friendly lock keeper we managed to “arrange” a bit of wild camping at a lock on the other side of oxford – really people can be so nice – the lock keepers waited for us to get to the lock and even gave us a key for a toilet – he‟s a canoeist you know!

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That evening we all decided to go to the pub – I don‟t think Chris couldn‟t face another tin while I ate the steaks I had but it was a great idea and we had a good night with a few beers. The boy‟s bivi was interesting to say the least! Monday saw an easy cruise down to our get out at Abingdon – while we said our farewells Richard continued on arriving at the club on Tuesday evening in time for the regular club meet – Nice one Richard. I know we all enjoyed ourselves greatly and hope to see others on the subsequent trips. Lee Niven

MAY 2009

5*CANOE THE NOO! We had a good week in Scotland. Again I was out with a bunch of mates discovered from the internet. Our course was scheduled from Tuesday after Easter until Friday so six of us went up on Good Friday to get some paddling in beforehand with Gill and Mark joining us on Monday evening at Glenmore Lodge. We stayed at Roybridge but, although there appeared to have been a deal of rain in the centre of the country from our drive up, the local rivers were fairly low. Only the Spean and tributaries like the Pattack had much in then with some water spilling over the lip of Laggan Dam. Before our course we did: Lower Roy into Middle Spean – We started off with grade 2-3 rock dodging down the Roy until entering the Spean which was running reasonably high with big wave trains since two pipes were releasing from Laggan Dam by the morning. The two big events of the day were the terrible carry down to the river at the get-in and the Railway Falls on the Spean which we decided to skirt. (We met Pete Knowles at the get-in; I seem to meet him on the river bank all around the place) Lower Orchy grade 2-3 this was very scenic but there was really only one grade 3 which the two girls managed to mess up (the stopper was quite grippy). The Middle Orchy was really quite boney so not really an option for the weaker paddlers. For the third day the two girls went shopping! So the four chaps travelled across to the Upper Findhorn grade 3-4 two grade 4s one of which we walked round and the other which was quite a surprise at the bottom. The water levels were generally low so the guidebook gradings were probably generous. On Monday evening we travelled across to Glenmore Lodge. If you have not stayed at Glenmore, I strongly recommend that you do, it is very well equipped and they have everything you need from bath towels to cranked paddles to compasses. The accommodation was hotel standard and everything was provided. Just as well since we never got back early enough to go out on the town. During the course we did: Spey down to Knockandoo grade 2 – quite an easy section and we spend quite some time working on skills and rescues Perthshire Garry grade 2 (3) (4) (5) so more portaging, the grade 3 was runnable but only one ran and one swam this because we were short of time (I‟m not saying the swim was any quicker). This was a very good section for our poling since it had fairly shallow sections but with plenty of flow, just the sort of this which warranted poling.

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Big Lake (what was that called) during the day and another lake at night (Loch Insh) for navigation exercises, it almost completely dark for this. Middle Findhorn grade 2-3 - our group ran all the features maybe because I was leading for the first long one, but I got the impression the other coach was nervous about his group running the grade 3s so they walked both of these. I thought maybe this was the wrong decision for a 5* training. Perhaps people should either be able to run these or receive instruction on how to. The course was very much about leadership rather than river running skills and some of the candidates were disappointed. However with a positive attitude to the course on offer I enjoyed myself and learned quite a bit.

THE CHAIRMAN ON A 'BONEY' MIDDLE ROY

THE PERTHSHIRE GARRY

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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 forthcoming months. Please note that at the time of going to press dates cannot be guaranteed and that the programme can be subject to changes. ALL SUNDAYS ALL TUESDAYS

CLUB SESSIONS; ON THE WATER FOR 10:00am. SEE D.O. FOR FINISH. CHECK NOTICEBOARDS FOR SPECIAL EVENTS TUESDAY SESSIONS FROM 6:30 pm, ON THE WATER FOR 7.00pm. SEE D.O. FOR FINISH, CHECK NOTICEBOARDS FOR EVENTS etc. (PUB PADDLE or ALTERNATIVE)

D.O D.O

6-7 JUNE 13-14 JUNE 20-21 JUNE

RIVER WYE; GLASBURY TO HOLME LACY BCU INTRODUCTORY 1* TRAINING & ASSESSMENT RIVER WYE; HOLME LACY TO MONMOUTH

TOURING COACHING TOURING

LN TT LN

28 JUNE

GRAND UNION CANAL, RICKMANSWORTH

FLATWATER

TT

COACHING

TT

FLATWATER

TT

COACHING COACHING FLATWATER CLUB TRIP COACHING

TT TT TT LN TT

st

IMPROVERS – BCU 2* TRAINING – 1 COURSE

11-12 JULY

ST

26 JULY

1

8 - 9 AUGUST 09 AUGUST 16 AUGUST 20-23 AUG. 22-23 AUG.

TOUR RIVER THAMES AND OXFORD CANAL nd

IMPROVERS – BCU 2* TRAINING – 2 COURSE BCU 2* ASSESSMENT (ALSO AVAILABLE ON BASINGSTOKE CANAL – WINCHFIELD SCOTLAND TOUR BCU INTRODUCTORY 1* TRAINING & ASSESSMENT

SEA TOURING / TRIPS CALENDAR HAS YET TO BE CONFIRMED. ANNOUNCEMENTS WILL BE MADE ON THE YAHOO GROUP AND THOSE INTERESTED WILL NEED TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS 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. EVERY THURSDAY EVENING 9.00 - 10.30

SWIMMING POOL SESSIONS AT GURNELL POOL, WEST LONDON GET TUITION IN ROLLING, PRACTISE 3* SKILLS OR ANYTHING YOU'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]

TW

TOM WESTWATER

JN

JOHN NORRIS

01494 483833

[email protected]

CP

CHRIS PORTEOUS

01628 485049

[email protected]

PC

PAUL CRICHTON

08708 806962

[email protected]

TB

TERRY BELCHER

01628 851001

[email protected]

Marlow Canoe Club Newsletter

[email protected]

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Summer 2009/02

THE COMMITTEE & OTHER USEFUL NUMBERS A list of those members who serve on the club's committee, their role, a contact no. and an e-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.

TOR EDWARDS

01494

[email protected]

YOUTH REP.

ALEX SHEILL

[email protected]

SOCIAL SEC

MELINDA LIVETT

[email protected]

MARATHON

THIS EVENT WILL IN FUTURE BE HOSTED BY LONGRIDGE C.C.

WHITEWATER

CHRIS PORTEOUS

01628 485049

[email protected]

TOURING

LEE NIVEN

01494

[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

BERKSHIRE CANOES

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.

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