Chairs Chat
Mark Davies
The AGM will be held at the Club House, Dale Road at 7.30pm Friday the 18th January.You are reminded that any motions or nominations for Chairman must be made to me at least 21 days before the meeting. Requests for matters to be discussed at the meeting may be made up to the start of the meeting but it is helpful if they are received in advance.
Motions proposed by the committee
(1) Introduction of Constitution
To date the club has had a set of rules rather than a constitution which have caused problems in the past as various people have requested to see our constitution such as the BCU and banks. It also is a requirement for Top Club and Club Mark status. To see a copy of the proposed constitution please contact me.
The following posts are vacant and /or up for re-election at the present.
- Committee member (Dave Bradshaw) – re-election
- Committee member (Stephen Tott) – re-election
- Committee member (Dominic Wells) – re-election
- Committee member (Gill Davies) – re-election
- New Members Officer - vacant
- Training Officer (Gill Davies) – vacant
Note: The Training Officer role is effectively being divided up into two roles. Gill will continue to develop the training and support for club coaches, whilst the new Training Officer will continue to oversee and coordinate training activities within the club, maintain relevant records associated with club training and report regularly on training matters to the club committee and to the AGM.
Signing In?
A new signing in book has been introduced into the entrance hall of the club house to sign in before getting on the water. This has a number of benefits including keeping a track of people getting on the water, the number of members and non-members using the site, keeping track of non-members using the site before they’re required to join, contact details for non-member and juniors and a record of club equipment usage. So please remember to sign in and encourage others to do the same.
Slalom Congratulations:
I know this has been mentioned on the bulletin board, but for those who have not read it there, we’ve had some promotions in recent slalom events, well done to all .:
Oughtibridge 15th/16th September
Anna Tremayne got promoted to Div 3
West Tanfield 22nd/23rd September
Alfie Wright - 2nd Div 4 K1M and promoted to division 3
Stone 7th October
The Marlins were taken to their first competition event at Stone this weekend, and all in all we had a clutch of good results, at prize giving Manchester Canoe Club's name was being called out over and over. A couple of promotions thought were:
Amy Hollick came 4th in Div 4 K1W and is now promoted to Division 3.
Elliot Davidson came 8th in Div 4 K1M and is now promoted to Division 3.
Llandysul 6th/7th October Tom Raper was fourth on Saturday and fourth on Sunday in division 2 K1M, and is now promoted to division 1.
I think Gill Arnett was also fourth on Saturday in division 2 K1W, and she is now promoted to division 1 too.
Sowerby Bridge 13th/14th October
Mark Davies finished 4th on Sunday and was promoted to division 1
Shaun Wilde finished 3rd in Division 2
Anna Tremayne came an impressive 4th in Division 3
Karen Seeley just missed out on her promotion being just 1 point short at the end of season…next time Karen .
Beginners can do slalom too
Well may be not in my case. Seven beginners of mixed ability and ages attended a Slalom Introduction Course run by Peter King on Saturday 22nd September at the MCC Headquarters.
This was a great opportunity to learn the rules of this sport, and to learn and practice the essential techniques under the guidance of an expert. After an introduction talk we set out to practice.
For me this was a magical moment - it felt like a great privilege to be able to set out from shore onto an empty river with only a handful of people to practice on the gates. If you have been at the club for a long time, I wonder whether you still remember that feeling? If you are new, I really recommend you take any future opportunities to have a similar experience. Despite everybody in the club being friendly and encouraging, as beginners we do not normally like to go near the gates in case we get in the way of anybody that knows what they are doing.
In the morning session, Peter made it easy for us by lining up the gates, and later introduced a stagger. Peter taught us that the secret of success is to plan ahead, so that you enter a gate in the right direction for the next.
In the afternoon session, Peter ramped up the skill level, telling us about the 5-stroke breakout, and fiendish things like S Gates. Also in case we do not wish to stay as rank amateurs forever we were told how to exercise to build up our strength for the main strokes required. This is a “must do” for me to compensate for 20 years of total sport inactivity, which shows in my paddling skills.
The afternoon practice was fun, with Peter struggling to demonstrate the 5-stroke breakout instead of his normal 3, and I demonstrated my 10-stroke breakout technique. I really liked practicing going backwards through gates in a controlled fashion as an antidote to stuffing up the line-up for a gate - this is something I have a talent for, and is definitely preferable to missing a gate.
At the end of the day, we all had plenty left to learn, but we now know what we are aiming to achieve and just need lots and lots of practice.
On behalf of all of us, thank you Peter for giving up your time to provide us with a sound foundation for learning slalom.
Glenn Roberts
River Dee Tour 23rd September 2007
We set off early, my dad, Elliot, Alastair and myself, and were happy to see no sign of rain. We arrived at Farndon in time to meet Andy Brookes, with Tanya, Daniel and Oliver, and Dan, who wasn’t paddling, but turned up to help take two cars down to Chester for the return journey. When my dad got back the others had all arrived, making sixteen in total, mostly in open canoes, but some like me in kayaks.
We set off by 11:30 from the bridge at Farndon, the bank was quite slippery and the river quite full from rain in the week, but once we got going the paddling was easy. We saw lots of interesting things like waterside caravan houses, and birds. When it got to lunchtime we found a beach and stopped. We soon figured out that it was Michael’s birthday when his mum got out two big cakes! When we’d eaten our lunch and all the cake we did a bit of boat swapping and play and then set off once again.
We soon found ourselves going under an ornate blue and white bridge leading to the Duke of Westminster’s house. By now I’d swapped from my kayak into my dad’s Canadian, and we were towing the kayak, Daniel did the same and got in Georgina’s brand new Canadian. The paddling got quite hard even with the current, but after Aldford we saw lots of deer in the Dukes estate, and when we got to Eccleston we knew it wasn’t much further. We saw the houses in Chester in the distance, but they seemed to take ages to get any closer, we finally got to the finish point at about 4:00. Most of us were tired and just got changed and played by the river, but Andy, Elliot and Alastair took their playboats on the weir which was very high, and Lance, my Dad and some of the others went down to watch them.
It was a great day out but quite hard work.
Sebastian Kennedy
The Goyt 21st October 2007
It was a fine crisp day with the sun shinning bright. The spring and summer leaves were beginning to fade and fall. We all met at the clubhouse 9:30 sharp, with perhaps a somewhat surprising number or people turning out to paddle. There we all were ready to disembark down the mighty Goyt! Once we had all made it from the club site to the get in (Roman Lakes) we were ready, only to find our path obstructed by….. plant pots!!!! After much confusion on how to get to the river we finally made it!
We split off into four groups paired up with pro’s and beginners. So we set off… only to find our way obstructed by rocks also known as the river bed… with a quick realisation that this was not going to be by any means a breeze, in fact it may well be the most challenging obstacle the mighty Goyt could throw at us!! So it began we made painstakingly slow progress down the river coming across countless bone yards of rock but never the less we pressed on. The unrelenting rocks never damaged our will and determination to reach our ultimate goal… the changing rooms!!
We made our way to Marple Bridge of which lay our first drop. At about 5ft high it was still a daunting sight for some of the beginners, however all made it over successfully. Next the Brabyns Park weir, a man made weir with 3 channels; the main one being the central one and the other two over flows…of course the centre slide was the run able route, which we all slid down successfully and the keen and eager paddlers ran it twice (Daniel Brooks).
Again there was a bit of a scrape and a few of us managed to get beached on the rocks of the riverbed, making it quite a tiring exercise to break ourselves free, although there were those that decided to get out of their boats and walk down the river!! We came to the horseshoe weir, a dangerous obstacle but in such low water it was ok and run able by all. After which the river improved in depth and it wasn’t such a scrape, and we all managed to make it back to the club site alive!!!
Overall, although at times a bit of a struggle due to the water depth, a fun days paddling was had by all and it inspired some of those for whom it was their first river trip to try their paddling skills on other rivers, when they turned up on future trips throughout the month…..all in all a job well done :D
(writer wished to remain anonymous!!)
River Dee 10th November 2007
In preparation for the up and coming Scotland trip, most of those going on the trip got together for some last minute ‘training’. The plan was to paddle the Tryweryn, however the Tryweryn was not releasing due to the salmon!! So we went to the River Dee instead.
It started a bit of a bleak morning, but by the time we had shuttled the boats to the get in, and those daft enough who chose to paddle the canal (as a warm up) had met the lazier of the group at the get in, the sun was coming out and it looked to be a promising day.
We got onto the water above the hotel and made our way down the river. The river levels were not too high, due to the lack of rainwater for several days, so the paddle was gentle and playful, practising breaking in and out and playing on waves, making our way to the first larger obstacle; Serpants Tail, where some real form of training could be done.
Although this was by no means the highest the tail has likely been, for those that had not done the river before (myself included) it looked a lot more daunting than perhaps it actually proved to be.
Everyone ran the tail, and Dave (Bradshaw) gave some good advice, to those that needed it, whilst taking photo’s from the bank, and as we had plenty of time we all managed to run the tail several times to put into practice Dave’s advice. For the more experienced it was a case of how many breakouts could be got on one run…I think Paul Kelly beat the bunch with a total of 6!! But those new to the river had a good go too with Andy (Brooks) and Laura (Paddock) getting some of the eddies too.
We continued down the river, passing through Mile end mill, where some had a bit of a play on the middle wave, where again Dave’s advice either did or didn’t work for some (I believe Laura’s saying to Dave was “if this doesn’t work it’s all your fault!” it turned out to be all Dave’s fault .)
We carried on past the last section; it was a busy Saturday and not really worth all of sitting about waiting to cross the waves getting cold, so we moved on to Town Falls!! The name itself carrying a reputation, with a few of us who hadn’t been near it in any form of boat before a little apprehensive, but quite excited, about what was coming up. We all got to the top of the drop and the more experienced sat nearer the drop and deliberated about the best line down. Laurence (Jay) took the plunge and went first to try and suss the right line; turning out to perhaps not be the best for the less experienced, getting a little struck by the slot on the left but his experience bringing him out of it with no problem. One by one we all went over the fall, some following Laurence’s line, others choosing their own routes (or following others, I know I followed Andy’s line, which seemed to be the best looking line). As I paddled up to the edge what was ahead suddenly came to sight, made the first drop river right which led nicely to the second drop, which I felt like I lifted into the air and landed at the bottom of the fluffy water!! I landed with a big smile on my face with adrenaline pumping, great fun but kinda glad it was something that could only be done once!
Everyone had a good day leaving us all excited about the up and coming Scotland trip!!
Baths sessions:
The 2nd session is, at the moment, generally quiet. There are spaces on the 2nd session, running at 7.55 until 8.40 at Hazel Grove Baths.
Cost £3.00 members + £1 Boat hire (if not bringing own) + £2 non member fee
Contact Gill Davies by email or phone, phone best if last minute, for bookings.
Up and coming events:
The Lune Tour
2nd December 2007
The reason that we always put the Lune on the calendar is that it is unusual in that it makes a good paddle at most water levels. For those that have never done it before, it is a technical grade three river, with a couple of sections that are known to capsize people. However they are not dangerous, and if you are unsure, they are easily portaged.
The trip is expected to take about three hours from getting on the water to getting off, but when you add in shuttles before and after the run, we will be out for the most of the day. It is a good idea to pack some light snacks and drinks to have on the trip. Three hours is quite a long time to be on the water, and you should be prepared for the cold. Please wear a good cag and a layer or two of warm clothing underneath
Meet 9.00 at Burton Services between junction 35 and 36 on the M6, to leave the services at 9.30. It takes about 1 hour from Stockport to get there at legal speeds!
Please let me know if you are coming, or if you wish to come and need transport, or want to share.
Dave Bradshaw
Boxing Day Race
26th December 2007
10:00am – 1:00pm
Annual Boxing Day tour from Brabyns Park down the river to the site is ran as a tour or a race. All are welcome; Hot drinks, mulled wine, mince pies and other Christmas leftovers in the clubhouse afterwards……Have a go.
Christmas ideas…..?
There is a supply of T-shirts, polo shirts and hoddies still available. They all have our logo on so are very useful for slalom events, and could perhaps make a nice gift keeping someone very warm during the up and coming winter months!!
Next newsletter end January 2008.
Please get write ups to me by 24th January…..It seems a little premature to be saying this but have a good Christmas everyone!!!
