newsletter 130 winter 2010 04

8/8/2019 Newsletter 130 Winter 2010 04

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Marlow Canoe Club Newsletter COVER Winter 2010/04

An unknown early morning paddler floats serenely across SwiftcurrentLake, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. Across the border inCanada is Waterton lakes National park. The two combined to form theWaterton –Glacier International Peace Park in 1932. Both parks areInternational Biosphere reserves and in 1995 were recognised as aWorld heritage site. This photo has been donated by Neil Denowitz, apaddling.net reader. More of Neil’s shots of this park can be found at

http://neild.shutterfly.com/# - take a look at one of natures true wonders.

http://neild.shutterfly.com/%23





Marlow Canoe Club Newsletter - 2 - Winter 2010/04

EDITORS PIECE

Well, I‟ve nearly reached the end of mytenure as Newsletter Editor. This is my

penultimate issue. It‟s been both frustratingand enjoyable and along the way I‟ve learneda lot more about the PCs abilities than I‟dhave given myself credit for. Frustrating,because we started out with perhaps 8 sides,not always full and with the editor sometimesstruggling for copy, enjoyable because I‟mfinishing with nearly double the content,sometimes more, featuring a wider range ofnews and events partly through harassing themembership for copy, but mainly because the

club has grown and diversified into otheraspects of paddlesport. We now have 4issues a year, published quarterly, andplaced on the net from where we have had inexcess of 5000 readers over all issues.But what of the future – no one has yetstepped forward to take on the role, and Ican‟t lie, it‟s been harder to get copy lately asmore people use the blogosphere for

communication. I asked for a piece on the recent WW trip to South Wales but none wasforthcoming – it‟s all on the website I was told. I‟ve just had a look, a list of facts, 10

photos, and a video. A picture tells a thousand words, a video maybe more, but I can‟t geta paragraph out of it.Think back to when you joined the club, was the newsletter of some help – or does a stripof pictures (uncaptioned) do the job for you. For the new member I think the newsletterprovides a valuable insight into the club and its activities, and the written word can be theequal of, if not better than a few pictures particularly if those pictures show „exciting‟scenarios without mention as to how the paddlers achieved that standard.So for this issue we have the usual mix, U46 is not a remnant from WW2 as PG tells ushow he built his own canoe, Steve Backshall took some members for a first sea kayakingadventure with a twist, and the Hurst‟s have been paddling canoes and sea kayaks inCanada where learning to paddle seems to come before learning to peddle for many. Afew more sea items and some local touring complete the features. I‟ve copied a fewpictures from the website and captioned them where I can so that the WW paddlers havesome representation.Finally, we arrive at the forthcoming AGM when a no. of committee members are standingdown. A list of vacant posts, a „job‟ description, and a short thank you to „retiring‟members may help YOU decide how you might be able to help the club. The committeeneeds to reflect the membership and if you feel you can contribute to the clubs futureplease contact the club Chairman or Secretary, contacts for both on the back page.

JOHN NORRIS NOVEMBER 2010

CONTENTS

THE BUILDING OF U46 3

STEVE’S SEA KAYAK SAFARI 5

HOW SLOW CAN YOU GO? 8

REMINDER 10

CANADIAN PADDLING 11

ANOTHER LURKING EVIL 13

THE 20 MILER 14

SWIFT DITCH, ABINGDON 15

WHITEWATER ROUND-UP 16

AGM & COMMITTEE ROLES 18

WHAT’S ON, WHEN & WHERE 19

THE COMMITTEE 20




THE BUILDING OF U46

Within the Freeman-Griffin household there has been a long standing joke that you canmake anything out of wood. The only evidence of this fairly sweeping statement howeverwas the appearance of a door stop in the shape of a mouse fashioned from a lump of 2 x 4

in around 1994 so you can imagine the look of faint amusement on Susan‟s face when Iproudly announced after visiting Lee and Richard earlier in the year that I was going tobuild a boat…..out of wood. After having done extensive research on the subject (5 mins on the Selway-Fisherwebsite) followed by a phone call during which Mr Selway (or Mr Fisher) confirmed thatwith a following wind you could build a boat in “2 weekends with evenings in between”, Iordered a set of plans for a Peterborough 15’8” open canoe which duly turned up acouple of days later.4 Sheets of 8‟ x 4‟ ¼ inch ply and some seemingly random lengths of Douglas Fir wereordered along with a consumables starter pack, extra copper stitching wire and a 6kg packof epoxy from Fyne Boats.

My very good friend kindly offered to cut the planks for me at his workshop and delivered aquarter set of MDF ones to check that the dimensions were correct. I used these to checkthat the copper stitching technique worked and that there were no major gaps. This proveda valuable exercise – one of the dimensions was 10mm off and revealed a very big holetowards the bow between two of the planks. The dimensions were replotted and four sets

of matching 5 plank sets delivered.

First task was to join the half plankstogether to create the 10 full length planks.

You need a big space for this – like a loftconversion but don‟t forget that you willneed to get them down, possible down atight staircase….or out of a landingwindow in the early hours when none ofthe neighbours are watching!

As there are 9 seams to join and a stitch ofcopper wire is needed every 6 inches orso with more at the bow/stern you do need

to drill a lot of 1/10th inch holes for the wires, this can take a while but getting into a pattern

does save time. Overall I drilled over 500 holes – and cut over 250 3 inch lengths ofcopper wire. In case you hadn‟t noticed this is an Imperial boat and had a 15lb pack of epoxy been available I would have bought that instead of the 6kg one and paid for it with aPostal Order made out in Pounds, Shillings and Pence.Taking shape. Joining the planks is the first stage at which you really get a feel for thescale of the task being undertaken…and start thinking if the “2 weekends” quoted by Mr Selway (or Mr Fisher) were actually in the same year.Stitching is quite a therapeutic way to spend a morning but you may need a manicure afterfinishing. The copper was good but I ran out and had to revert to garden ties which workvery well but aren‟t strong enough to hold the tensions at the bow/stern so more holesneeded closer together. 5 formers are inserted to give the shell its shape and straps used

to hold it all together while everything sets.




Taping/sealing of the internal seams is the first chance to get your hands sticky. Usegloves, wear goggles, long sleeve shirt and don‟t wear your Sunday best would be theadvice here – and pick a warm day. The resins don‟t work under 59F (oh alright, 15C if youmust.). You also need to do a bit of trial and error on adding wood flour and silica tothicken up the goo for the joins. I used 4” tape but you can get away with 2” and it isprobably easier to work with. Again a large space is handy to roll out the tape and cut thelengths.Fillets of thickened epoxy are applied to all internal seams but avoid the copper stitches asthese are cut and removed before the tapes are added. This is extremely important if you

are intending to use the boat anywhere near old metal sensitive German mines in theThames estuary.Forward planning is a good idea here. Brushes/rollers etc are one-use only and cannot becleaned so go cheap on these and remember that after about 40 minutes things start toget increasingly viscous - so get a move on!Once the internals are set, turn it upside down and liberally fillet the external seams and fillas many of the wire holes as you can. Blog opinion is a bit divided on whether to tapeexternal seams so I settled on just doing the main one on the bottom.Loads of sanding to smooth the seams followed – and dust really does get everywhere somake your apologies up front.Gunwhales & Inwhales are a bit of a challenge. Kiln dried Douglas Fir isn‟t the mostflexible material and despite creating a Heath-Robinson steamer out of a length ofdownpipe and a steam wallpaper stripper the stern / bow curves are really too tight tomanage so you may need to be a bit creative and tell everyone that the final appearance isexactly how you intended it to be…which it is.

Seats are a real hoot and to cut a long story short areconstructed from broom sticks and plastic split canefrom a specialist chair restoring website.The hangers were bought preformed from a websiteprovided by Adrian.




And so to sea trials. A mere couple of months after starting I crept down to BishamChurch slipway with Richard and Susan for a test drive and at this point I confessed that Ihadn‟t actually ever been in one of these things but had just fancied building one.

I tentatively put my foot in and to the amusement of the support crew was greeted by the

sight of 5 small fountains from unplugged holes, undeterred and having already given thecommand of „blow all main tanks and prepare to dive‟ I pushed off from the bank anddrifted into the main shipping channel, across the river and got blown into a tree – marvellous!

So there you have it – from plans to water in 2 weekends and if anyone has a use forabout 50 yards of 4 inch tape, 60 lolly pop sticks and 10 pairs of latex gloves (which islegal), please let me know.

Paul Griffin August 2010

STEVE BACKSHALL’S SEA KAYAK SAFARI

Organising anything with my friends over the summer is about as complicated as theinstruction booklet for the Large Hadron Collider. Trying to find a free weekend when noone is doing an Ironman triathlon, attending a wedding, convincing themselves they‟re still

young by going to Glastonbury or pacifying their neglected girlfriends is hard enough, butto then organise a venture that‟ll entice my demanding pals is nigh on impossible. I startedon my perfect plan two months in advance; a long weekend‟s sea kayaking inPembrokeshire, wild camping and foraging for our own food… surely enough to tick everyconceivable box? The first challenge was even finding boats. In England and Wales it‟simpossible to hire sea kayaks, as our litigation-crazy culture is too scared of numptiesborrowing boats and getting swept into major shipping lanes then suing the company thatgave them their kayak! We could have trawled up to more sensible Scotland, or paid £250each to get some enterprising company to guide us, but thankfully, the stout fellows atMarlow canoe club agreed to lend us club boats – provided we agreed put up our cars,houses, kidneys and girlfriends as collateral.




Sea kayaking trips need to be thought through with far more care than river trips,especially along the fiercely tidal west coast of our country. We have some of the mostprofound tidal ranges in the world here, and the turning of the tides can lead to currentsripping at nine knots (faster than even some motorized boats can muster), and creatingwhirlpools that can suck boats down, and result in torrid times. Weather is also a real deal

breaker, so after weeks of planning, I logged on to meteorological websites daily, withsweaty palms, watching with relief as initially dire forecasts began to clear up, leaving uswith a weekend looking good if not spectacular, but most importantly with low winds, andrelatively little swell. The intensity of my nervousness was also heightened by the heavyweight of responsibility, as I was the only one with extensive sea kayaking experience.Rob, Pete and Stu are all Devizes to Westminster veterans, uber-fit, with great paddlingtechnique and up for anything, but none had paddled open seas, none could roll, and Iwas the only one with rescue experience. On fine flat calm days this would be anirrelevance, but considering the kind of seas you can get off Pembroke, we‟d have to besuper-conservative with our decision-making.

We put in at St David‟s on Friday morning, and set off round the south coast, planning on athirty to forty kilometer day. Unfortunately one of the boys was arriving late, so we had to

ditch the idea of a wild camp that night, and return to our campsite, which kind of wreckedmy grand expedition plan. It did at least give us the benefit of a shake-down day, wherethe others got used to paddling in swell, and beat the demons that quiver the tendonswhen you‟re paddling far from shore. We practiced rescue drills, and Pete even camewithin a whisker of managing to roll his sea kayak – pretty impressive considering he‟dnever even learnt how to do it in a playboat! The Pembroke coastline is one of themajestic jewels in the British crown. Towering red granite sea cliffs dropping abruptly intodeep blue waters make this a mecca for deep water soloing, a kind of rock climbingwithout ropes, where if you fall you splash down into the sea. Today however wasdefinitely a day for paddling not clambering. Heavy black skies glowered over white caps,which thudded enthusiastically into the headlands. Squalls and rains kept us cool as wethundered round the coast making impressive impression on the map. We cautiously




free table. Their task had been to come up with fishing equipment to enable us to catch amackerel supper. Instead, they had brought a crab line, and a rod with tackle that wasobviously designed for catching sharks. Betting them a hundred pounds they‟d not catchanything, I set off round the shoreline, collecting limpets, undersized mussels, whelks,topshells, seaweeds and several edible plants. My seafood casserole was augmented by

white wine, cream and garlic, and served with crusty bread (well, we were on holiday afterall!!!), and served round a raging fire. With no fish.

The next day, as we were heading back south something remarkable happened. Slackwater between the tides hit the Sound, and the place was totally transformed. Theintimidating torrent slowed to near flat water, and even my nervy colleagues wereconvinced. Not wanting to subject them to any more wobbles, I decided that we‟d have toget across to Ramsay, explore, and return all within the hour or so of slack water. Withtheir bulging biceps though, this was no challenge at all. On the north coast of Ramsay wepaddled deep into huge caves, where pregnant grey seals sang to us like mournfulmermaids. True, it was frustrating to know that the circumnavigation of Ramsay – one of

Britain‟s finest adventures – was there for the taking, but we came as a team, sodetermined to leave as one. As we paddled back across the Sound heading all too soonfor the cars and our drive home, the dark silhouettes of porpoises silently broke thesurface ahead of us, bidding us to return sometime soon.

Steve Backshall SEPT 2010

HOW SLOW CAN YOU GO?

04th Sept and I was up at the crack of dawn (well, slightly earlier actually) then round topick up Jane. We had both (foolishly) volunteered to assist PDCC provide cover for theRoyal Navy swimming association‟s sponsored cross Solent swim. Foolishly, because wehadn‟t given a thought to the start time.Going into GOSPORT I spotted a car behind us with a couple of sea boats on the roof andducked into a bus lay-by and out again behind them, a bit like one of those WW1 flyingmanoeuvres. Can‟t be too many people out with sea boats this time of morning, I thought. A nice sea front car park will clear views over to the Isle of Wight. There was probably 20or so of us and we set of for RYDE. Still only 8:00am but the ferries were running (like ashuttle) and when the hovercraft got going, everyone new about it! A shade over an hr.and 3.65 miles against a turning tide and we were there. Those PDCC paddlers don‟thang about! A short bimble along the coast took us to the start point.The Navy bought it‟s paddlers over in a couple of RIB‟s. Not the commercial things yousee offering high speed rides. Although outboard powered these looked a lot moreserious. I reckon they did the crossing in a little over 5mins. Whilst waiting for theswimmers we had a last chance to go over a few things. Meet and greet your paddler, ashort chat to find out where they would like you positioned in relation to themselves (minebreathed to the right and would like to see me alongside when his head surfaced) and tosee if they want food / drink etc. carried.

The swimmers left in two groups (slow and fast) and Jane and I were escorting a couple of

the faster ones. I was looking around for a Demi Moore type character (A few Good Men – 1992) but I got Mark Franklin. Trying hard to hide my disappointment we got down to




business. Mark didn‟t need drink or food and pointed out that most of his training hadbeen done in a pool after a less abled group had been using it, so the temperature was abalmy 32°. He was not looking forward to this but realised some things just have to bedone! There were tougher looking individuals around, and better looking ones as well butMark seemed to be the galvanising force so at 10:09 we were off. No gingerly tip toeing

here – just run in and dive.The chart shows that Ryde Sands extend some way out to sea, and so it proved. About15 minutes in Mark turned around to look for Mrs. Mark and found himself standing up!Mrs. Mark was already a way back so Mark carried on. He didn‟t seem to be hangingabout and I was sure he would slow as the swim progressed. The Coast Guard hadposted a bulletin advising all ships of the swim and fortunately the hovercraft had takennotice of this as it slowed and passed between groups 1 & 2. As we moved into deeperwaters the swell increased to around 1m. A following wind on tide meant it was hard todetermine what wave would break as you passed over it. A careful watch failed to provideany real clues. The real problem here though was that the wave affects swimmers andpaddlers in different ways. Whilst the swimmer tends to rise and fall with the wave, the

paddler tends to slide down the face of the wave, into the swimmer, if you were paddlingon their right. Draws on the move did something to minimise this but if you didn‟t get your paddle deep enough as you crested the wave it was a worthless manoeuvre. A course of35° kept us on track for landfall, but just to the left of the Spinnaker tower achieved muchthe same.An hour and a quarter in and home was not so far away. I could see people and dogs onthe beach. I hoped I offered my swimmer some encouragement but I don‟t think it wasneeded. Apart from the occasional treading water to look for Mrs. Mark, the pace hadbeen relentless. Family, friends and other members of the RNSA were on the beach ingood numbers to welcome every one of them back and deservedly so. A quick handshakeand I withdrew leaving Mark to take the applause he so richly deserved. The crossing hadtaken Mark just over an hour and a half. Mrs. Mark came in a while later but to no less awelcome.So how slow can you go! Mark had made around 2.25 mph average with a little tidalassistance. I don‟t have the figures to hand but the tidal assistance (which was cuttingacross as well as pushing forward might have been worth 1+ mph (an Olympic standardlong distance swimmer will exceed 3.7mph average). I‟m guessing I was doing about1.25mph over the water and found it difficult at times to keep away from my swimmer. Alittle more practise is required before next year‟s event!Burgers and Bangers were cooked almost to perfection by a couple of Marines and a no.of each were enjoyed immensely (by me) and by 1:00pm it was all over.

It was a tired drive back and I hope it didn‟t scare Jane to much. I really enjoyed my dayout, although short, it was my biggest crossing to date and I almost feel worthy of wearingmy ‘Ocean Paddler’ tee-shirt now.The RNAS have indicated it‟s unlikely to be the last event of it‟s kind and I‟ve alreadyindicated that I‟ll be happy to do the same again next year. With the increasing interest insea kayaking within MCC I hope, that if needed, we will be able to take a few more with usnext year.

John Norris Sept. 2010

P.S. I trust the Dorney Lake volunteers had just as an enjoyable time as did we. I

sincerely hope the wind generated ripples gave no cause for concern.




REMINDER!

It‟s not been a bad year for the loan of club boats for activities away from the club,sometimes with other club memebrs, sometimes without.

Earlier in the summer I wanted to put in a decent mileage on the river and elected to takemy Capella, however, someone had already „borrowed‟ it before me. Less than a fortnightlater and the same thing happened again. In the first instance the „borrower‟ was totallyunaware that my boat was not a club boat until I put two & two together and contactedthem. The second occourence, a little later on, seemed to follow a similar pattern. In thisinstance, as soon as the trip organiser recognised that his colleague had not picked up aclub boat successful attempts were made to notify me of the mistake.

Before I go any further, let me state that apologies have been made and accepted and thatthe matter is closed.

But how did this come about. Both parties had „booked‟ boats on CW‟s boat bookingcalendar. This was good as it gave me a clue as to what had happened. It appears thatthere is not a great deal of difference between the Capella and the Easkys to those notfamiliar with either. They are both yellow, have hatches, and are racked closely to eachother. Although CW had put up a rack space identifying sheet on the beam abovementioning that the Capella is not a club boat it was not the most noticable of documents.I have now put up a much more visible „poster‟ specifying that the capella is not to betaken (nor my paddle above it) without my express permission and that‟s unlikely to beforthcoming unless I‟m on the premises.

When I joined the club, many moons ago, the recent surge in paddling interest wasperhaps just getting going. Space was not at a premium such as it is now. And club boatsat that time looked a lot different to members boats. There was though, an over riding„rule‟ that unless you were 100% sure the boat you were proposing to use was a club boatyou did not take it. It seemed to work then and there is no reason why it shouldn‟t worknow. If you are unsure whether a boat belongs to the club or not you can always askanother member. So just to re-iterate;

You can always check ownership of a boat with other members or the duty officer. If youestablish who the boat owner is you can always ask for a paddle in it, some members arehappy to lend their boats and some are not. And should you benefit from the use ofanother members boat, treat it better than you‟d treat your own.

John Norris Oct 2010

IF YOU ARE UNSURE OF THE OWNERSHIP OF APARTICULAR BOAT, DON’T TAKE IT!




OPEN CANOE TRIP ON CLEARWATER LAKE, BRITISH COLOMBIA

It is early morning, but already the sun feels hot on our faces. As the mist burns gently offthe still water, two canoes are making their way slowly across a vast lake.No one else is about. No other people, no other boats. The small jetty from which we set

off is far behind us, but the densely forested slopes on the other side are still a long wayoff. Towering above us in the distance are spectacular snow capped mountains.This is Clearwater Lake in western Canada, one of the many stunning wilderness lakes inBritish Colombia's provincial parks. Our challenge is for the Hurst family to paddle thismighty lake.We are in two rented Old Town canoes. In front I am paddling with Sophie (aged 11) whilein the other boat Karin is paddling with Anna (14). With fierce heat predicted, we arewearing sun hats and sunblock and have a coolbox filled with several litres of chilledwater, plus otherprovisions.It has been severalmonths since theirOne Star course atMarlow Canoe Club,but the girls arepaddling well andenjoying the viewsand the silence.Clearwater Lake inWells GrayProvincial Park is 24

kilometres long andup to 3 kilometreswide. It got its namebecause the wateris, well, clear. Soclear in fact thatpaddling at a depth of 10 metres you can see every rock and branch on the lake bed, aswell as some good sized fish.It is fed by the Clearwater River, which is filled from tiny streams of glacial water from theCariboo Mountains. Downstream from the lake, Clearwater River is a surging torrentpopular with white water rafting companies as its angry waters cascade down steep

gorges and narrow canyons.As we reach the far bank the views open up around a dogleg bend, revealing moremountains beyond, their white peaks shrouded in mist.After an hour and a half of steady paddling we reach the first stop, a sandy beach with apicnic table. As we enjoy our rest, we discuss the fact we still have not seen another soul.In this remote wilderness, where there is no mobile phone signal and the nearest village is70 kilometres away down winding tracks, you have to be well equipped and well prepared.In each boat we carry a spare paddle.The canoe hire shop advised sticking close to the shore, so as we continue paddling wehug the bank.By lunchtime we reach the next stop, a longer beach with steep cliffs above. It is time to

swim. I go first and quickly discover the clear glacial waters are refreshingly cool, to put it




mildly. However the sun is hot and the cold water is a welcome relief. There can be fewmore peaceful places to bathe.We then met the first fellow paddlers. A Japanese couple with heavily laden canoe tell usin broken English of their plans for a week long canoe safari along Clearwater and AzureLakes, which are connected via a short portage.

After lunch we had planned to head further along the lake. But the girls have tired armsand we decide to head back. By mid afternoon we are back at the jetty, weary but happywith our experience of paddling in the Canadian wilderness.

SEAKAYAKING NEAR VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLOMBIA

Vancouver is a spectacular city surrounded by mountains and the Pacific Ocean. A 20minute car journey from downtown took us to Horseshoe Bay, from where we caught ashort ferry ride across Howe Sound to beautiful Bowen Island.This tiny community of 4,000 people ranges from ageing Vietnam draft dodgers to middle

class commuters. It is known for its natural beauty, its pretty harbour and for its seakayaking.In the harbour of Snug Cove we found Bowen Island Sea Kayaking, a company I haddiscovered on the internet. The English owner welcomed us. As promised he had a guideTimothy and four sea kayaks waiting for us. After a quick briefing we were soon paddlingout of the harbour and out into the sea, enjoying the warm sunshine and the pleasingviews.Our boats had pedal-operated rudders for steering, which took some getting used to, butthe boats were solid and stable. We made good progress and were soon round theheadland and into the next bay. Anna and Sophie were paddling confidently, though itwas not easy to keep our group tightly together in the shifting waves and tides.

With towering mountains on either side, it was a spectacular spot for paddling. It is notunusual for kayakers to encounter seals, porpoises and even killer whales at closequarters in the waters off Vancouver and Vancouver Island.Encouraged by our progress, Timothy led us round the next headland. However, themoment we reached the point we paddled into a stiff breeze. Suddenly the calm sea waswhipped up into a choppy mass of white caps. I turned around to shout a warning to theKarin and the girls, but my words were carried away on the wind. I could see anxiety in

their faces as theyexperienced the gusts."Let's head back," shoutedTImothy. "It can get pretty

windy this time of day."The wind had pushed ussome distance the wrongside of the headland andgetting back was a battle. Ihad a rudder moment whenI seemed to be turning thewrong way and was spunround facing the oppositedirection. But I soonrecovered.Above all, I was glad wewere in the hands of an




experienced guide like Timothy. We were all sea kayaking novices so I had wanted to takeno chances. Timothy told us to get as close to the rocky shore as we could. Soon we wereround the headland and back into calmer waters. It was a relief to see the children relaxedand enjoying the paddle once more.An hour later and we were heading back into Snug Cove harbour. We had all enjoyed our

first foray into sea kayaking and learned some valuable lessons on the way.

Dominic Hurst OCT 2010

ANOTHER LURKING EVIL?

Cellulitis is a bacterial infection of the skin and the immediately underlying tissues. Oftenoccurring in the extremities of the body (such as feet) it is characterised by a generalredness of the skin and swelling, whilst other symptoms such as itching may be present.

The bacterial infection (usually of the STREPTOCOCCUS / STAPHYLOCOCCUS varietybut not exclusively so) enter the body through cuts or abrasions or other breaks in the skin,not always visible, such as an insect bite. Athlete‟s foot is a prime example. Diagnosis is often visual / hands on by your GP and treatment is by antibiotics. A typicalclear up rate might be 10 – 14 days.But why all this in a canoe club newsletter. A prime source of bacterial infection iscontaminated water. The Thames is considered to be a very clean waterway andincidents of LEPTOSPIROSIS, a more common concern amongst the paddling fraternity,are fortunately few and far between. If it is suspected that the infection may have comefrom a waterborne source treatment may differ in that the normal antibiotic is sometimessupplemented with a further antibiotic.

Unless your GP knows you well, or is a member of your canoe club he or she might notconsider the possibility of waterborne infection, as I said the Thames is considered a veryclean river.Why do I mention this now? Just last week I had an out of boat experience, the paddlecaught on a tree and the roll failed so I was out pronto. This was in the Hurley backwaterby a slight bend near to the loo‟s (a prime source of infection). Rescue was offered but Ideclined, instead walking to the bank where my feet sunk in a depth of rotting vegetation.3 days later I felt like I had the world‟s worst athlete‟s foot case and a day later I visited theGP who made the diagnosis. I can‟t confirm the source of the infection being the river butit all looks pretty likely. It‟s not that bad to be of work but at home it‟s rest with the foot upto ease the pressure on the swollen areas. On the plus side, there‟s a chance to re-watchall those paddling video‟s etc., and maybe read a book or two. Prevention is better than cure though, and if you are aware of any broken / inflamed skinensure it is adequately protected should you choose to paddle, or better still, don‟t paddle.The river will still be there next week; you might not be for several more if you getCELLULITIS.More reading from the NHS link below.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cellulitis/Pages/Treatment.aspx

John Norris OCT. 2010







THE 20 MILER

There‟s something about Hayling Island. Not quite Spain or France but to many of us of acertain age a holiday there was almost like going abroad. In between spells of earningMrs. Stevens wrath at school it conjured up fanciful images of faraway places, all totally

dispelled just a few years later when I finally got there. I didn‟t stay long. One night on thebeach, packed up my bag and off somewhere else, somewhere where the gulf betweenexpectation and actuality was credible. But it‟s always hung on in there, never figured outwhy but it has.So when Shades got the latest salty adventure on the calendar and decided upon HaylingIsland I was there. Surely looking in from the sea couldn‟t be worse than looking out fromthe land. Eight of us signed up this but not all were up for a circumnavigation. Gary, Janeand myself were whilst Shades looked after Tom, Charles, Mel and Jen.Setting of from West Itchenor (Chichester Harbour side) we made good progress goingwith the ebbing tide. Dead calm at first the conditions worsened as we encountered thewind, but never anything serious. A F8 was forecast for later that day, anytime from2.00pm onwards so our plan was to get along the sea front and into Langstone harbourbefore anything nasty arrived. We had the „benefit‟ of what little tide there was though thepoor old Capella kept getting turned seaward by a quartering current. On a windy overcastday with some ominous clouds over the Isle of Wight my attention was mainly on keepingthe same course as Gary and Jane. However, an occasional look to the land confirmedmy fears – Hayling Island wasn‟t a lot better looking in!1hr. 50mins & 9¼ miles later we were having lunch on some mud that masqueraded as abeach. We had come away from the main channel so shortly after getting going we had towalk the boats over a sandbank. I was feeling tired but by the time we got to the roadbridge I was holding my own. On this day you were not going to get around the island

without encountering the tide at some point and going down the East side on thehomeward leg we were dead against it. Taking a course away from the main channelwhere the tide seemed faster meant a constant lookout for sandbanks, but an hr. or solater we turned into the Chichester Channel, where the incoming tide was to our benefit. Ashort on the water break and we made the most of our good fortune averaging 5mph(8km/hr) on the way in, with a few faster spells surfing on the wakes of motor launches (nospeed limit here). Falling just short of 20 miles Jane and I rounded a few boats to get20.02 miles on the clock. Gary wasn‟t bothered, but when you‟ve just spent a weekkayaking in the Hebrides I can understand why. All things considered, it was a good trip. Ineeded a work out and got it and despite my negative views of Hayling I‟d be up for itagain. It also offers what look to be good conditions for the sea novice, but you‟ll have to

ask Shades, Tom, Charles, Mel or Jen about that.

John Norris OCT 2010

HAYLING ISLAND

SZ723986 (MAP REFERENCE)

PO11 9HZ (UK POST CODE)

N 50:46:59 (FOR THE MARINERS)W 0:58:33




SWIFT DITCH, ABINGDON

Swift Ditch was once thought to be the original course of the Thames around these parts,but recent research suggests it is no more than a channel dug across Abbey meadowaround 1052 to improve the course of the river through Abingdon. Swift Ditch was the

main navigable channel for most of the time up until 1790 when the first lock on the currentsite was constructed. Some members have, I believe, paddled the ditch before but it wasbrought to our attention by an excellent little tome, PUB PADDLES.

Paul Griffin got things rolling and Jane, Kelvin and I joined him for our first Swift Ditchadventure. A little banter on the YAHOO group found a small but free car park thatavoided the necessity to go through the town and left us with a short carry to the water.We saw a group just about to leave before us, and another from Kingfisher CC behind us.Sliding onto a little stream bought us out onto the river above the fearsome lookingAbingdon Weir. A light fog hung in the air giving an ethereal appearance to oursurroundings. A group of farm buildings to the south took on an almost Stonehenge likeappearance in the mist. We reached the 2nd danger sign and headed into the ditch.

The current picked up immediately as we approached a narrow Temple like weir. Forthose that follow us it‟s worth noting that it‟s advisable to try and lift the front of the boat

before hitting the wave at the bottom. A face full of water is assured for those that do notheed this advice. El. Pres. advised that whilst safe this wave is very retentive and couldbe difficult to get off in anything but a playboat. We didn‟t try. The ditch was low andwhilst Kelvin glided across the shallows the kayaks were scraping the bottom. Onto thenext feature, a low „waterfall‟ with a drop of around 50cm, now the ditch began to assumeit‟s better known persona, that of a water filled obstacle course. That‟s how those whowalk along its banks (where they can) see it. Mostly it was a case of navigating a coursethrough the undergrowth but occasionally the fallen trees bridged the river completelyrequiring a little thought as to how we were going to continue.




One such occurrenceled to the „Swift Ditchincident‟. At a pointwhere the kayaks hadforced themselves

across a fallen tree,the canoe was unableto. Taking Kelvin‟spainter I pulled himforward a little. AsKelvin bounced hisboat I pulled a littlemore, too much itseems, as the canoehit another submergedtree trunk that I had not

spotted and Kelvin wasin the water. Most ofthe run after thispresented only minor

problems negotiating low overhanging trunks and other immersed trunks in a current thatdid little to live up to it‟s name. The wildlife was a little shy this particular day but Jane & Isaw a very big heron, or was it the narrow stream playing tricks on perspective? Goingunder the new A415 road bridge, we came to the old road bridge, which sports a „blueplaque‟ denoting a Civil war skirmish. Abingdon was, politically, in the Royalist camp. Intothe river proper and a little way upstream we parted company with the Kingfisher CC boys,who had caught us up at the end of the ditch, but not before they‟d recommended anexcursion up the River Ock. This is a small tributary bridged by an old cast iron canalbridge that once crossed the Berkshire and Wiltshire canal, now no more.The day finished with a slow amble back up the main river to just below the weir. The journey was around 3¼ miles long and we spent 2½ hours completing it though we passedample evidence to extend the day at „The Anchor Inn, and also „The Nags Head‟

This trip has the possibility to become a firm favourite as it offers a different paddle, someof it a real boy‟s own (girls not excluded) adventure. Look out for it to be repeated,perhaps often.

John Norris November 2010.

Click on the cover for a link to Waterstones (other retailers may offer the book at a different price) for a synopsis on the book.Several members have a copy, but it might be the sort of thing to drop into your Christmas list, maybe alongside a CAMRA guide.




WHITEWATER ROUNDUP

A selection of photos from the recent USK trip, the final piece in Dave Goddard‟s „intro towhitewater‟ series of events he has put on this year, aimed at getting people moreconfident with whitewater. All photos are from the website mostly by Dave.

1) James Curtis on the 1st weir of the Upper Usk.

2) Simon Millington on the 1st weir of the Upper Usk.

3) Sibel with her „own‟ paddle.

4) It‟s been said that REZA didn‟t leave that chair all evening!

5) Paul hands out the prestigious Swimmarollathon Awards, Jonathon Garner picking

up the first swim award, Sibel (3) picked up the „I didn‟t love my rock enough‟

award, and Hazel picked up a special for the meanest looking bruise.




COMMITTEE NEWS AND AGM NOTICE

As the year draws to a close the club, and in particular the committee needs to turn itsthoughts to the forthcoming AGM, to be held at the Kings Head, Little Marlow on Monday7th February 2011. Press ctrl & click on the footer for further details.

A no. of committee members are standing down this year, having filled various roles to theclub‟s benefit over a no. of years. Perhaps the most visible of these will be Tim Twitchen,the clubs coaching officer. For a no. of years, more than I can remember, Tim hasscheduled, arranged, and run a lot of the club‟s courses. Most will know of him from the1 & 2* courses but he has also arranged First Aid and an in house CST course. I believehe even pulled together a no. of pre UKCC 3* courses. It is not necessary for Tim‟sreplacement to be a coach rather a person who can build a relationship with the club‟scoaches so that the club can continue to deliver the coaching and mentoring necessary forthose that seek it.

Andy Maxted has been on the committee for as long as I have been a member, but mostrecently has been the club secretary. The club secretary acts as a liaison between theclub and the sport‟s governing body, the BCU, and other organisations. It is not toonerous a role and the main responsibilities other than the BCU liaison include ensuringmembership applications are forwarded to the membership secretary and that the club‟sboats are licensed annually. The secretary also receives correspondence e.g. from theEnvironment Agency, and handles the donations the club makes to external bodies suchas the R.N.L.I.

I, too, have decided to stand down having done around 10 years on the committee mostly

as newsletter Editor (see editors notes). This role requires gathering the material for thenewsletter and for the most part copying and pasting it into the next edition and the placingof any accompanying photos or illustrations, then ensuring publication on 01/03; 01/06;01/09 & 01/12 each year. I get one cover picture from a variety of sources, sometimeswithin the club, sometimes from outside but always with the photographer ‟s permission. Iam prepared to assist the next editor in settling into the role. Unless anyone particularlywishes to take it on I will remain as sea kayaking liaison.

If you think you‟d like more information about any of these posts, please talk to the currentholders and if you feel you may be able to fulfil one please let it be known to the clubsChairman or Secretary.




WHAT'S ON, WHEN AND WHERE

The complete and authoritive guide to all that the club hopes to do in the forthcomingmonths. Please note that at the time of going to press dates cannot be guaranteed and

that the programme can be subject to changes.

ALLSUNDAYS

CLUB SESSIONS; ON THE WATER FOR 10:00am. SEE D.O.FOR FINISH. CHECK NOTICEBOARDS FOR SPECIAL EVENTS

D.O

ALLTUESDAYS

TUESDAY SESSIONS FROM 6:30 pm, ON THE WATER FOR7.00pm. SEE D.O. FOR FINISH, CHECK NOTICEBOARDS FOR

EVENTS etc. (PUB PADDLE or ALTERNATIVE) D.O

27/28 NOV DEVON WEEKEND DAVE GODDARD WW

03rd

DEC EARLY CHRISTMAS DINNER at the MARLOW DONKEY MELINDA LIVETT SOCIAL

18/19 DEC NORTH WALES WEEKEND DAVE GODDARD WW26

thDEC BOXING DAY PADDLE (chance to burn of a few calories)

15/16 JAN 4* WHITEWATER ON THE DART, DEVON DAVE GODDARD WW

07th

FEBAGM, KINGS HEAD, LITTLE MARLOW(see details inside)

ANDY MAXTED

26/27 FEB WW WEEKEND (TO BE CONFIRMED DAVE GODDARD WW

19/20 MAR WW WEEKEND (TO BE CONFIRMED DAVE GODDARD WW

SEA TOURING / TRIPS CALENDAR HAS YET TO BE CONFIRMED. ANNOUNCEMENTS WILL BE

MADE ON THE YAHOO GROUP AND THOSE INTERESTED WILL NEED TO FOLLOW THEINSTRUCTIONS 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.

MONTHLYPOOL

SESSIONS

THE CLUB NOW RUNS IT’S OWN POOL SESSIONS AT LITTLECHALFONT LEISURE POOL, FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH

19:15 – 20:15 SEE WEBSITE CALENDER FOR DETAILS

ORGANISER / MCC CONTACT FOR ABOVE EVENTS

AC ADRIAN COOPER 01844 344580 [email protected]

AM ANDY MAXTED 07730 852760 [email protected]

LN LEE NIVEN 07824 828024 [email protected]

JN JOHN NORRIS 01494 483833 [email protected]

CP CHRIS PORTEOUS 01628 485049 [email protected]

DG DAVE GODDARD 01494 863862 [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]




http://[email protected]/



http://[email protected]/







THE COMMITTEE & OTHER USEFUL NUMBERS

A list of those members who serve on the club's committee, their role, a contact no. and ane-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 KELVIN ABBOTT

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. VACANT (Temporary – Melinda Livett, see social)

YOUTH REP. ALEX MILLARD 07787 978036 [email protected]

SOCIAL SEC MELINDA LIVETT [email protected]

MARATHON THIS EVENT NOW RUN BY LONGRIDGE C.C.

WHITEWATER

TOURING LEE NIVEN 07824 828024 [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

BERKSHIRECANOES

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.












http://www.riversideoxford.co.uk/

http://www.marsport.co.uk/

http://www.berkshire-canoes.co.uk/

http://www.whitewaterthecanoecentre.co.uk/

http://www.paddlesport.co.uk/

http://www.paddlesport.co.uk/

http://www.whitewaterthecanoecentre.co.uk/

http://www.berkshire-canoes.co.uk/

http://www.marsport.co.uk/

http://www.riversideoxford.co.uk/












newsletter 130 winter 2010 04

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