Chairs Chat

Tuesday night rota

This is a request for volunteers to supervise the clubhouse on Tuesday nights. Over the past few weeks the number of people coming down to the club site on Tuesday nights and Sunday mornings has been extremely positive. It is great to see the site being used as much as it is. This is in part due to the courses that are currently being run by our Training Officer, but also due to the increasingly social aspect of members meeting up on a regular basis to chat and paddle together. Because so many people are attending and as a result so many boats are being hired out, a rota is being drawn up for members to volunteer to be on 'duty' Tuesday evenings. Their role would simply be to supervise the hiring out of club equipment, taking the money for equipment hire and drinks, and looking after the clubhouse whilst people are on the river. If you are interested then please contact Dave Higson for more details. secretary@manchestercanoeclub.org.uk

Top Club Status

Due to missing the deadline for our application for Top Community Club status, and how our club is set-up, our application is being withdrawn. All the work that has been done towards gaining this award has not however been in vain as there are many aspects that have contributed towards the success of our club. One of the reasons for our withdrawal has been due to not meeting the needs of our youth members, for example, we have not got a dedicated youth section nor do we run any youth schemes like 'Paddle Power' or the 'Cadet Leader Award'. This has been in part due to the nature of our site and also the history and/or ethos of the club. The work that has been done could be carried forward towards 'Top Performance Club', but we may find ourselves in just the same predicament as we find ourselves now. Some important answers therefore need answering about what kind of club we want for our members and where our club is going? We have therefore arranged a meeting to discuss some of these points (see below).

Club Development Meeting& Barbecue (Sat. 16th July 6pm)

One of the issues raised at the last AGM that needed to be addressed was member retention. It has therefore been agreed at the last committee meeting that there is to be an open meeting to discuss the future development of our club. The preliminary items on the agenda are:

Member retention - what do members want from the club?
Club development - how can we meet the needs of the members want?
Top Performance Club? - is this a suitable 'vehicle' to deliver?

If you have any comments to make on these before the meeting, or if you would like further items on the agenda, then please contact me before the meeting.

Following the meeting there will be a barbeque, so please bring with you your dietary requirements for the evening.

JULY 16th

This will appear more than once so you really have no excuse for missing it. A lot is due to happen. Firstly the course for the Mini is to go up. As soon as possible ..in the morning if there are enough people... we move onto a site working day. The jobs to be tackled should appear elsewhere. During the afternoon Dave Bradshaws Slalom beginners course will continue. Hopefully about 5 we will start a Barbecue...bring your own food etc. The Club has quite a big barbie but do bring your own. Following the barbecue there will be a general discussion meeting. Basically WHICH WAY SHOULD THE CLUB BE POINTING. Look in the Chairman's Chat for more details. If you want to input to the debate but can't be there please WRITE to Mark (chairman), Dave (secretary) or even me. The committee really do want your views.

As an added incentive Barbara promises free tea and coffee for workers. Food will be available from the canteen on both days.

Editorial

A lot's happening. First of all I want to say what an easy Newsletter this has been to edit. Recent editors have complained about lack of input: as you can see I have received plenty. My only regret is that is all from established (I nearly said old) members. If the newsletter is to be really representative of what is going on it must have an input from newcomers. I don't mind if it's an article, a brief report of a training session, a moan "why don't we" a letter or whatever, this is your newsletter and I want it to express your views/thoughts. Especially those of young members.

Well what has happened. We've bought some new boats. The clubs collection now offers just about everything. Open Canadian, sea kayaks, play boats, slalom K1, C1, C2, White water racing, Marathon K1 and k2 as well as a range of beginners boats for both adults and smaller paddlers.

The web site is about to be enhanced. Keeping it up to date has always been a problem but now the job has been split. Mike has produced a new form of callendar which by the time you read this will be accessible from the main site (manchestercanoeclub.org.uk) just in case its not try manchestercanoeclub.org.uk/callender2005. It's quite a shock to see just how much is going on, And there's more to come. Beginners Wednesday evening tours are starting for the summer months and Steve is opening up the Site on Friday evenings for those who just want to go and have a paddle. We would really like to have the site open 7 days a week and in fact it is. Anyone can just go down and use it when they like. For the sake of safety we do ask that people shouldn't paddle alone and that buoyancy aids and helmets are worn. If you do paddle alone do recognise that you are at risk and think twice.

Another development that has gone on is that Tom has made a real jump forward. We have for a long time been open to groups such as schools, scouts and guides who wanted to have a go. This has usually resulted in 2 or 3 groups a year coming down. This year Tom has already had over 100 guides visiting the site, usually on Wednesday evenings. We hope that in the long term some will come back to do some more serious canoeing with the club: in the short or long term its good for community relations.

Two last bits of editorial. If you have a friend or friends who would like to see what you are making all the fuss about, do bring them down to have a try. If you don't feel up to taking care of them yourself we will try to help you. We would particularly like to see more youth members.

Finally I took on this job for 2 years. I am quite happy to hand it on earlier. If anyone is interested in acting as assitant/joint editor for a trial period or would like to know more about it you know who to talk to.

Polo

This report was submitted for the last news sheet but I held it over for the Newsletter. In general I can only fit brief items into the news sheets but don't let that put you off. If you really want something in the newssheet try to keep it brief

Manchester A Canoe Polo Team

With new recruits to the club, the A team is the strongest team representing Manchester for many years. Competing in the National League Division 2 North, the team have successfully realised their pre-season ambition of reaching the promotion playoff.

Position	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	G/Diff
2nd of 7	12	8	1	3	+17

Indeed, we should have achieved this with comfort had not been for certain factors 'outside our control'. In the end it was a nail biting final tournament between Manchester and Hull to see who would claim this final spot.

Generally, through the season we have been pleased with our style of play and teamwork. However, we do need to put some thought into improving the finishing of our attack play. We now have a month of hard training before the playoffs. Competition for promotion is going to be incredibly strong. It is a tall order, but with a bit of luck, who knows, maybe next season we will be playing Division 1 polo. Visit the canoe polo pages of the website at www.manchestercanoeclub.org.uk/polo/ after the 21st May to see how we get on.

Also visit the website to read how the Manchester B, Manchester C and Manchester Ladies teams faired this season. Team reports are to be published soon.

General Canoe Polo News in Manchester

Canoe polo in Manchester is thriving. Through this year we have had many new recruits to the club. It is great for the club to have all these new keen members. We are currently experimenting with a variety of training formats to determine the best way to hone the skills of all our members: new and old. All our teams are benefiting from this larger stock of players, and it looks as though Manchester will field an additional team in next season's leagues.

The main challenge confronting the club is to find a new training venue. In July, the Irlam pool is to be closed for redevelopment. The pool is to be split in two, and the remaining 25 metre length pool will not be suitable for polo. I'm sure we will find a solution soon.

Wagon Lane Slalom Bingley, May 15/16th

Dave Higson

We had a run out to this event for the Sunday only. Only an hour away and a pleasant location.

Funny little course this, usually all the action is in the first 6 gates followed by tight staggers until the finish. This year was no exception. Gate 1 looked innocent enough until you're upon it and on collision course with the left hand pole. Gate 2 nice right hand break out. Gates 3, 4 & 5 a stagger sequence right to left, all downstream with gate 5 in an eddy - an incredible tight squeeze for novices. Gate 6, right hand break out with a difficult entry line. Gate 7 on, staggers and breakouts to the finish.

There was a small contingent from Manchester. Dominic and Claire Wells, Dave & Kay Bradshaw, Rachel Shaughnessy, Maeve, Lily and myself.

I have misplaced the results but regardless of time and penalties Dominic achieved the best result for my money. He was in the C1 event, some say he can't paddle K1 properly yet but here was kneeling his way down Bingley with a wobble to gate ratio of at least 2.3.

Bingley is a good event and provides a good step up for people who need to move on from Goyt slaloms. The entry for this event was very high by current standards which was good to see. It would be nice to see such numbers at Marple again.

White Water fun on the River Washburn

Helen Bradshaw

The River Washburn is a tributary of the River Wharfe. It is situated to the north of the A59 between Harrogate and Skipton at Blubberhouses, North Yorkshire.

It's dam controlled, and not paddleable without a release. When there is a release the river behaves like a river in spate. Very fast flowing, tiny breakouts, overhanding trees, vegetation in the breakouts. It's not as big or scary as the Trywerwyn and great fun. If your thinking of an Alpine trip next summer or the year after, then this is a good river to start on. It's clean, cold, and fast.

The river is 3 km long with playholes, weirs and rapids graded 2-3, with the river flowing at 7-9 cu metres/second. The river use is managed by the Washburn Management Committee. They aim for the river to be used by as many people in as many disciplines as possible. On slalom and WWR race days, non-racing paddlers can use the river for recreational cruising by prior arrangement with the event organiser. There are a number of Wednesday evening tours. The calendar below has not been confirmed yet - in any event if you intend to go along you must ring to confirm that there will be a water release. There is a charge for paddling/ parking by the organising club (who sometimes organise trailer shuttles for river running, canteen facilities etc).

When	Event	Time	Contact
Saturday 9th July			Div 2
& Open Slalom – Yorkshire Slalom *	9.00 - 5.00 pm	Esther Mathews
Sunday	10th July		Div 2 & Open Slalom – Yorkshire
Slalom *	9.00 - 5.00 pm	Esther Mathews
Saturday 23rd July		Yorkshire Water Canoe Slalom Cup over Div 1
Double Slalom – Yorkshire Slalom *		8.00 - 6.00 pm
	Esther Mathews
Sunday 24th July		8.00 - 6.00 pm	Esther Mathews
Wednesday 27th July	Evening Cruise	4:30 - 8.30 pm	M. Young /P. Grove
Sunday 7th August	Sunday Cruise – Green Star CC *	9.00 - 5.00 pm
	Esther Mathews
Wednesday 17th August	Evening Cruise	4:30 -
8.30 pm
Sunday 28th August
	Sunday Cruise – Lower Wharfe CC*	9.00 - 5.00 pm	Ken
Reece
Saturday 3rd September	Div 1 Double Slalom
	11.00 - 7.00 pm	Esther Mathews
Sunday 4th September	Premier Div Slalom
	9.00 - 5.00 pm	Esther Mathews
Wednesday 7th September	Evening Cruise	4:30 -
8.30 pm	Norman Taylor
Sunday 25th September	Sunday Cruise – Sheffield CC	9:00
– 5:00 pm	Hugh Pashley
Saturday 1st October	White Water Race Div A/B	9.30 -
4.00 pm	Bruce Pickering
Sunday 9th October	Sunday Cruise – White Rose	9:00 – 5:00 pm
	Norman Taylor
Saturday/Sunday 19/20th November	BUSA Wild Water Race	8.30 – 4.30 pm
	WWR Organisers
C/o Birmingham Uni
table created by T2T 2.51

Confirming Events - Confirmation will be obtained at least 14 days before discipline events, 10 days before weekend cruises and 7 days before weekday events. You can find out whether the event is on by contacting the Washburn Information Line on - 0845 833 8654. There is always the possibility of cancellation (too little or too much water) beyond human control.

Charges:

The entrance fee to weekday events is £3 (juniors), £5 (adults) with a mandatory surcharge of £2 (be warned!) if not having possession of a current BCU Membership Card. This surcharge also applies to weekend cruises except where club members can demonstrate that they are covered via club affiliation to the BCU and that the cover specifically includes such an event.

Mini Weekend

July 16/17

This is a reminder to everyone that we are having a Mini Slalom on Sunday July 17th. We will be putting up the course from 10.00 am on Saturday, and after the course has been erected we will be doing some general work around the club site. All help on the Saturday will be appreciated, even if you can only make it for the morning or the afternoon.

On Saturday evening we will be having a mass barbecue. Starting at 5.00pm, it's a bring your own food and drink do. At this evening your committee would like to hear your views about what direction you want your club to go in, and any ideas for things that you might want from the club.

The race on Sunday is part of our Quinzaine series. It is a great low-key event, at which we will have some of our expert slalomists, but also many paddlers who have only just started out in the sport. This year we are introducing special Rookie prizes for anyone in their first year of canoe slalom. The race will start at 11.00, but it is probably best to arrive about 10.00 to get your entry in and have a bit of a practice on the course. If you are unsure of the rules, just ask any of the coaches or experts, and they will explain how to do it.

BCU North West Weekend

Teeside May28th/29th

Dave Bradshaw

The course had been booked for exclusive use for the whole weekend, and various events had been arranged. Brookbank were there both days with a van full of boats to try out on the course, including their famous Croco Kayak.

We weren't able to book onto the campsite as it was full, so we went for the Formule 1 just down the road, which was about the same price anyway. I went with Kay, and also the Tom Raper was there, taking advantage of having relatives living locally.

It was Tom's first experience on this kind of water, so we did not do the series of competitions that had been organised, but just tried to get Tom on the water as much as possible in his slalom boat and his playboat.

For those that have not been to Teeside before, it is an artificial course built around a tidal barrage on the Tees. When we arrived there, the course was flooded, but as the tide goes out, the level at the bottom of the course drops, until they are able to open the sluice gate and allow water to run down the course. The pool at the bottom of the course continues to empty as the estuary approaches low tide. Initially the last two major drops on the course, Valentines and Acid Drop are under water, but are slowly revealed as the water drops. When the tide in the estuary rises again, the valves that empty the pool close, and the water level rises until the course becomes flooded again, when they close the sluice gate. This means that they get about six hours of water per tide.

At first we used the slalom boats, in which Tom learnt to handle the water at the top of the course, before we went further down. The Happy Eater was busy with playboaters (as it was all weekend), but Tom handled it fine, and ran the rapid down through the Cruncher without any problem. This left Valentines, a much more serious proposition. The first time we ran it, the stopper was quite small, but unfortunately Tom got caught out by a small curling wave at the top of the lead in rapid, and took a swim.

This weekend had been organised by Clitheroe Canoe Club on behalf of all the clubs in the Northwest.

Undeterred, we put back on at the top of the course and we repeated our run down the course. This time Tom avoided the small wave at the top of Valentines rapid, but the stopper itself had grown to its full size and power. Tom tried to punch through the stopper, and nearly made it through, but slowly got dragged back into the stopper and backlooped. A brave attempt at a roll followed, but then he bailed out.

After a rest and some lunch, the playboats came out. I was in my C1 Prozone, Kay in her Sub 7, and Tom in his Evo. More good fun was had, interrupted by the down river race. This was a mass start race down the course in playboats, and they came charging through. But they did not stop at the bottom of the course, they had to paddle to the end of the bottom pool, get out of their boats and run back up to the top of the course and run it again.

Kay and I managed a bit of playing in the Happy Eater, which was even more friendly than I remembered it, and I managed some nice spins, despite it being my first time in the Prozone since October. Finally I went down to the Cruncher, where I tried an ambitious move to catch the wave on a cross-bow which went disastrously wrong. My first attempt at a roll failed, so I thought I had not managed to get my paddle round properly. I tried again- still nothing. A third attempt, and it sunk in. I had snapped my paddle, so a swim ensued.

Despondently I went back to the car to get changed. A few playboaters had turned up, to organise the last event of the day, a Frestyle event on the Happy Eater. One took pity on me, and lent me his paddle, which meant that I could enter the competition. Much to my surprise, I won the over 40 class, against the Kayaks, though this may be due to favouritism on the part of the judges, who all appeared to be C1 paddlers.

Sunday was much the same, except I was forced to use the Brookbank demo boats, ass the only paddle I could get hold of was Kay's spare. Right at the end of the day, Tom asked if he could run Valentines again. I pointed out to him that this could end up in a swim, but Tom didn't mind. Tom went for it, and managed to get through both Valentines and Acid Drop without major incident.

This was a good weekend, and excellent value for money. Some clubs had turned up in force, and it could be good if Manchester could do the same next year. Providing it doesn't clash with an important race, I will be looking to go, and make myself available to take any Teeside Rookies down the course. Pictures from this event (and others) can be found at www.manchestercanoeclub.org.uk/PhotoGallery.n

Canoe Safety Course

Highly reccommended to competent paddlers thinking of going off into the wilds. Gill is investigating demand and availability. Please get in touch if interested.

Slalom Coaching

Thursday evening sessions will continue but also note: by the time this is delivered Dave Bradshaw's introduction to slalom course will probably have started (June 26th). It is open to adults and if its underbooked it may be worth asking if you can join late.

Div 3 Paddlers

Can we meet during the barbecue or failing that see me during the lunch break on Sunday. I am offering a one day clinic on a Sunday. As well as time on the water there will be advice on putting together your training plan and if it can be fitted in individual examination of your training needs. It all depends on demand. Pete King

Site of the month

As I'm about to go there Stone seemed an appropriate choice. What I intend is that each newsletter will describe briefly local div4 and div3 sites. Contributions very welcome including any site.

Stone MR SJ902334

The site has the advantage of being very accessible only 200 yards off the A34: leave the M6 after Stoke or if you've been dozing turn back from Stafford. Events here have always been well run by a knowledgeable team. The water even when high is easy and offers no problem to those who paddle Marple regularly. Courses are not too hard but often have hidden problems especially when taken at speed. Camping is good close to the river with plenty of flat ground. The canteen is again good often tempting with home made cakes. Only criticism from memory is that they tend to lock up the toilets at night. There are directions on the Stafford and Stone CC site linked from MCC web site. Recommended.

Has Been's Weekend

Peter King

Every couple of years there is a strange coming together of past (and some present) Club members. This years has just happened and at various times during the weekend over 50 attended including a fair scattering of their children. The event now dates back 15 years and is usually held at some campsite where canoeing is possible. On the whole more talking is done than walking and more walking than canoeing. There is a more or less core group who get there every year but perhaps the most welcome are those who only join occasionally. People travel from far and wide: I guess Ian Beecroft from Switzerland came furthest . This years rarer visitors were Harry and Norah Taylor and Russ Purdy There is no real qualification for attendance. If you would like to be told when the next gathering is to occur let Andy Beecroft (abeecroft2001@supanet.com) have your address.

One of the regular features dating back in the clubs history is the building of a human pyramid.

National Polo Champs

This event is canoe polo's equivalent of Football's FA Cup. It has been struggling to renew it's identity since the demise of the Canoe Exhibition at Crystal Palace. At that time the event consisted of 16 teams, 8 seeded teams from the top division and 8 qualifiers, and was a knockout tournament with the first round being held early on the Saturday morning. It was a good event for the seeded teams, inevitably they would qualify to the 2nd round and most of them were based in the South East. For the qualifiers it was a different story, unless there was a giant killing, most of them were back on the motorway to all points of the compass before 10 am.

After Crystal Palace a new format was devised - a weekend tournament at which any team could enter and, in theory, any team could win. The upshot was a massive event. In excess of 100 teams would descend on Compton Verney, near Stratford upon Avon, and do battle over 4 pitches.

This year there have been further amendments with the National Champs being held at the Boat Show in London with invited entry only. Consequently the outdoor event was designated as the club championships and held at Hatfield Marina near Doncaster. This is an ideal location for an outdoor polo event. The marina has been formed from a disused gravel pit and easily accommodates four pitches. Camping is available on a commercial site immediately adjacent.

A strong Manchester contingent was present, consisting of 2 open teams and a women's team. Currently the club' straining sessions are well attended, with a high standard of polo being played. Unfortunately this was not reflected in the results. The Open teams, A & B, were placed 17th and 19th respectively, the worst performance in living memory, and the women finished in 7th place. Fortunately we apply the old maxim that it is the taking part and not the winning that is important. There is no doubt that entry will be made again next year.

I do not have the full results to hand but can only assume that the overall winners were Meridian CC who won the open final, beating Friends of Allonby.

Stone 18/19th June

Pete King

I havn't been back for 24 hours so this is pretty up to date news. This was the baking hot weekend that ended in thunder and yes I did get the tent down a full hour before it started.

The Manchester presence was smaller than usual maybe due to other events at Nottingham and Fairnilee. On Saturday Aaron and myself paddled. I won the div3 C1 simply as the only entry, but I had the satisfaction of beating some Kayaks. Paul meanwhile won the Judges veteran pot. Sunday the course had been altered. Still with a crossover breakout followed by a pleasant stagger. 8 and 9 called for a careful look at the current: it was possible to get carried away from the breakout at 10. Then the troubles started with a tight stagger leading to an S gate. Still with todays short courses there wasn't much more to come. Ian and Tom arrived to swell the crowds and both paddled creditably showing marked progress from earlier in the year. Aaron improved his Saturday placing coming 8th out of 16. I meanwhile dropped to 2nd but at least there was some opposition and again managed to beat some kayaks (just).

Short Boats

Steve Hesford

Last year, a change in the rules for the minimum length of slalom boats was introduced. This means that kayaks and C1s can now be a minimum of 3.5m long, 50cm shorter than before. Shorter boats allow paddlers to turn quicker in breakouts and also turn quicker in the flow for tighter staggers. The pressure was on the manufacturers to produce a boat with the ability to turn quickly, be easy to handle and still have good straight-line speed.

Vajda is an internationally renowned canoe manufacturer. With top Olympic paddlers, the Hochschorner brothers, Michael Martikan and Elena Kaliska designing the boats, they produced a K1 called the Tuscan, 3 C1's, the Nereus 365, Fantome 370 and the Menace, and a C2, the Volcano.

Many UK paddlers have now swapped their long boats for a shorter one and the difference in paddling styles is showing. Premier and Division 1 courses are becoming tighter, with smaller breakouts and trickier staggers. Despite the initial controversy surrounding the rule change, most people now see short boats as the way forward in the sport of slalom canoeing. People have also welcomed the choices of slalom boats now available to them, and can try different style boats from a variety of manufacturers to find the one that feels right for them.

To demo a short Vajda slalom boat, visit the website, www.hydrasports.co.uk, and speak to Steve Hesford or Ruth Wells.

(For beginners the good news is that there should be some quite nice second/thirdhand boats on the market. Ed.)

New Members

Ian Williamson & Samuel & Joshua
Peter Jestico
Sam Walters & Joe
Phil Hadfield L2 coach
David McMyler L1 coach
Ian Bown & Kieran
Martin Delamere
Dave Brown - Polo player - GB Womens Coach - Current World Champions.
Matthew Caunt & Edward - Former member
Matt Byrne
Robert Thorpe
Jonathan Davey
Ross Helsby

If your name doesn't appear and you think it should please let me know.

Club Boats

The fleet continues to increase

2 MI370
I Blue Fibreglass
2 C2
1 Inazone
1 Blade
4 Acrobats
2 G3
1 CK280
2 Master lites
1 Master
1 Falchion
2 Wavehoppers
1 Marathon Single
1 Marathon Double
2 Sea Boats
1 Open Canadian

Quite an impressive list isn't it.

Training

Gill Hay

So far this year we have had a lot of people being trained and assessed for awards.

In April, 18 people took and passed the BCU one star course - A number of these people were from the baths and have chosen to continue paddling.

In May, 15 people took part in the Intro to moving water course - which was an ideal introduction to the club site.

Currently, there are 15 people training to do their 2 star award. Hopefully the majority will take their assessment.

Also 8 people have done their 3 star training, with 3 passing the assessment.

I'll be honest I have been overwhelmed by the number of people wanting training courses - a number of people have been turned away from courses as they are full.

If you are wanting training for awards then contact me, I'm not promising anything but if I have a list of names I could pass this onto relevant coaches and they may be able to sort out a course. Please don't just talk to me, put it in writing (e-mail or sent letter) as I am inundated and can not remember everything.

The next course we're looking to run is Canoe Safety, this is a pre-requesit for coaching awards and is invaluable for anyone wanting to paddle with others and who want to help rescue if things go wrong. It is a flat water award. I will e-mail the date / put it on the website when I sort it out.

Contact me at: Gill Hay

Boats for Sale

Extract from the club hut notice board.

Perception Dancer with Paddle £175

Deck £5 Helmet £10 Roof Bars £20 phone 0161 486 7419

Touch 3 slalom kayak £175 Touch 2 slalom Kayak £200

Slalom C1 £75 Phone 07745600857

Older Slalom C1 but watertight £30 01663 746690

Feel free to sell boats etc through the newsletter/sheet. Also take wanted ads.

How about getting rid of that old boat, ancient paddles or not very stylish Buoyancy aid.

Births Marriages Deaths

Nothing reported...is this a good thing or bad.

Missing

So the event you went to isn't in? There's not much in about the Introduction to Moving Water Course ? Why isn't there anything in about Nottingham?

It's because you didn't write it !!

The next Newsletter is not till October but get something written for it.

I don't mind how it comes, most of this one arrived by e mail. If you really want to make my life easy use Word with Arial type face at 12 point. If its hand written don't blame the editor if he can't read your immaculate copperplate. But I will try.

Short news items and details of forthcoming events Ads, etc for the end of August Newssheet.

Forthcoming Atractions

Please do look at the web site to keep up to date. Being a very active club things get added to the calendar at short notice, certainly more often than the Newsletter comes out.

We are extending the hours of site openning with boat hire available. As well as Tuesday evenings Steve has volunteered to open up on Fridays. I don't know if he has a stand in while he is away. Sunday morning continues. There is slalom training...not for absolute beginners on Thursday evenings. The site is of course open for members to use 24/7.

Working Day

July 16th

Starting about 10 and going on to a Barbecue about 5. Drinks and food available through the day. I don't know what jobs are intended beyond work on the wall at the bottom of the steps and some work on other steps. Perhaps we should look at filling some of the pot holes in the road? Obviously we discourage paddling while others are working but there is an already booked course taking place in the afternoon. We'ld rather you came to work but do come to the barbecue anyhow.

Meeting

July 16th

After the barbecue....see chairmans chat

Beginners slalom training course

starts June 26th so its already on the way but late entrants may be accepted try Dave Bradshaw.

Mini Slalom

July 17th

This is one of the quinzaine series of events run for club members. The atmosphere is very informal and it offers an ideal opportunity to find out what slalom is about as well as meeting more members. Don't worry if you think you are not good enough. We all started sometime and had to work our way up. Nobodies going to laugh if you miss a couple of gates or find the course easier without a boat. They might if I do.

If your details are altered and you would like the change noted tell me as well as the membership secretary.