Chelsea Kayak Club

London Kayakathon 2012

Yesterday, three intrepid CKC members put themselves up for the endurance paddle of 26.2 miles in the London Kayakathon 2012 for charity; Ann Gales, David McCormick and John Mayne.

This year there were just under a hundred sea kayaks that took part in the charity event – mustering at Tower Hamlets, then paddling from under Tower Bridge to Chiswick Bridge and back again. It took place on the same day as the London Marathon, so it needed some careful planning to get people and boats to starting point to counter all the road closures – but we all knew that at least there would be a few people cheering from the bridges as we paddled under them (even if they were there for the runners!).

Following a clear safety briefing by the organisers, we all headed to the river and a bit of a tricky get-in, which took a bit more time than expected to launch so many boats. When we finally set off it was great to see so many smiling faces and paddlers from all over the country and even a contingent that had travelled from Italy to be part of the kayakathon.

The weather was typically British throughout the marathon distance up and down the Thames – switching from sunshine (do we need sun cream) to bitter cold pelting rain (do we need a blanket and thermos?). The changing weather didn’t stop us marvelling at how impressive our tight flotilla looked kayaking on the river as we passed the iconic landmarks including Big Ben, The London Eye, Battersea Power Station and HMS Belfast.

We all had to paddle at a comfortable pace, set by the race marshals and safety RIBS, so it wasn’t too gruelling, especially as we had tidal support – but after about five hours we all really started to feel it. When we finally completed the official distance by passing under Tower Bridge nearly eight hours after first getting in to the boat – we knew that arms, shoulders and backs would ache for the following days (and they did).

However we signed up for endurance (and pain) in the name of good causes – causes that we’re more than happy for you to help support (if you’d like) by following the links below and donating a few of your well-earned pennies:

David McCormick (supporting Cancer Vaccine Institute): http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=davidmccormick
John Mayne (supporting Cancer Research UK): http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=johnmayne
Ann Gales (supporting Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust): please send any pledges directly to Ann

The next London Kayakathon will be in 2014 – it would be great to see a few more CKC faces step up and take the challenge… keep an eye on their website for details.

Also – you can watch David’s funky video here: London Kayakathon 2012 video

Chairman’s New Year Wishes

2012! An exciting year to be in London. The long awaited Olympic Games are now 200 days away. The second longest serving British monarch (after Queen Victoria, as you ask) will be having her Diamond Jubilee. This will include a huge river festival, and our club will be well represented on the water. Chelsea Kayak Club will celebrate its second birthday and will welcome its second Chair at the AGM.

We have had a successful 2011, with a goodly number of trips in Britain and abroad, some re-organising of the committee, increased membership, some new equipment, some funded training opportunities and a number of social and fundraising events, culminating in our first stand-alone Christmas party.

The reorganising of the Royal Borough’s youth service into an Employee-Led Mutual (ELM) has continued and will officially happen in April 2012. There was some uncertainty as to what that would mean for the club, but at this point it seems that we are secure in our position at Cremorne and considered an important part of the family of user groups there. We have been assured that our access fee will remain the same or will increase only by inflation and from the new membership year all CKC members will also become Friends of Cremorne Riverside as part of their membership.

We intend to increase the membership fees this year, by a small amount, but we think that CKC will still remain excellent value for money at the new rates. There is also a need to make some changes to the Club Constitution to allow for greater flexibility on committee positions, and to revise and clarify our policy on attending trips. More details will be forthcoming!

Committee positions will be up for re-election soon. I will be standing down as Chair, so there will be at least one vacancy! If you are thinking of getting involved on the committee, please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

It is worth restating that we are very much a club that relies on the input of its members for its success – of course the committee are very involved with this but there have been quite a lot of people who have helped in one way or another who are not on the committee. This includes keeping the website up to date, writing blogs, organising trips, leading trips, organising social events, representing the club at external events, volunteering time and effort to fix or transport equipment or members… the list goes on. Without the efforts of all involved we would not have a club. So for your new year’s resolution in 2011, maybe you could consider how you can get involved and be part of the club’s continued success? Your club needs YOU!

Cheers

Andy

London Kayakathon – 100 days to go

There is a very exciting date in the kayaking calender – The London Kayakathon – which is taking place on Sunday 22 April 2012, or if you’re really keen and counting down… 100 days from today. This is the same day, date and distance as the Virgin London Marathon, but sadly is often overlooked by all the thousands of people focused on the running masses, as kayakers paddle 26.2 miles along the Thames.

The London Kayakathon was started in 2002 by Simon Osborne who created the event ‘Kayaking For Cancer’, ten years on it has grown to well over a hundred boats and Simon has raised over £30,000 for Leukaemia Research in memory of his brother Mark.

This year I will be taking part and raising money for Cancer Research UK, in memory of someone who was very dear to me who sadly lost her fight against the disease last year – I’m hoping to garner some support to reach my personal £100 per mile target.

Some details of the London Kayakathon and my personal mission can be found here: facebook.com/KayakaJohn2012 it would be great if you could like and share this with as many people as possible (and maybe even donate too?)

John Mayne

CKC Christmas Party 2011

33 CKC members and partners congregated together at the Hurlingham Yacht Club on a clear crisp Friday night to celebrate its second Christmas together.

Thanks to Richard Bate bringing along a last minute extension cable we were up and running with a compilation of the years trips via big screen slideshow, bringing back memories of the 16 paddling trips we had over the year and hopefully inspiring those who missed out to sign up to more in 2012. Miranda threw in a last minute ‘Caption Competition’ with Tim Mansel being the star feature!! Andy managed to take the large box of choc prize with ‘Join CKC it’s a great ‘crack…’

John the Chef provided a fabulous 3 course meal leaving everyone loosening their belts and in need of good long hard paddle to work it all off.

Throughout the evening members added memories from past trips and ideas for upcoming 2012 trips to the UK + southern Ireland map Miranda handily bought, along with pens and post-it notes to boot. Looks like it’s going to be a busy year…

The evening rounded off with a few games of Giant Jenga and quiet drinks… perfect!

Can’t wait to see what’s in store for the coming year!

Jac x

PS see also see Andy’s blog from 2011 giving a fab round up of the year.

The Perfect Thursday

It’s been a while since I wrote a blog, but last night’s marvellous paddle deserves one.

Four foreigners: A Jerseyman, an Irishman, a Frenchman and a Danishwoman. Three days to spring tides: LW at 7.30 p.m. Two leaders. One howling westerly wind.

Despite the odd bit of rain, it was a clear night, and with the wind at our backs, a small group and a desire to get moving we decided to go as far down river as we could until the tide turned. It was obvious that the strong wind was holding out the flood tide, and VTS confirmed this every 15 minutes with their broadcast stating tides running below prediction.

The London Eye was reached in no time, about ten past eight, and we pushed on. Watching the clippers cautiously we went past Festival Pier and stayed out in the middle of the river, occasionally holding position to let them manoeuvure. The tide was so low that many arches on the right were unnavigable, even for kayaks, a point Andy proved by running aground, while in the midst of his tourist trail talk.

The bridges shot by – Hungerford and Golden Jubilee, Waterloo, Blackfriars, Blackfriars Railway, Millennium, Southwark, Southwark Railway, London. Tower was on the horizon – could we make it?

No problem – the tide had barely turned by the time we reached it, so crossing below it we turned our teeth into the wind and pushed on.

Harder now, but helped by the tide we came back at a steady pace with no stopping, until, totally randomly, we came under Lambeth Bridge and were treated to a spectacular fireworks display. With Lambeth Palace silhouetted in the light of the low fireworks, and the glass towers reflecting the high ones, we stopped, rafted, and watched; entranced. Keith claimed the credit and said it was 47 pence well spent to give Pia a send off on her last Thames paddle. Really we had no idea why the fireworks show took place, but we were in a brilliant place to observe them.

A quick push back to Cremorne, our tiring muscles invigorated by the thought of a drink and the need to make last orders.

Which we did. Just.

CKC buys a canoe …. sssshhhhh…..

Ok so we are mostly a kayak club. Chelsea Kayak Club. And we are mostly a sea kayak club. Chelsea Kayak Club. Does what it says on the tin, innit.

But we do say we are London’s only paddlesport club devoted to sea kayaking and touring. And of course touring is rather nice in an open canoe. And you have to do a bit of work on your single blade boating skills if you want to get your BCU 2 star. And it’s helpful to have a canoe to point at when you need to explain the difference between kayaking and canoeing to people who thought they were going canoeing but are now being told they are going kayaking.

Of course the above reasons were all ex post facto justifications when John Mayne, ever a man with his eyes on the prize and his finger on the pulse, got first refusal on a brand new Old Town Penobscot 164.

Out of the blue John came across a charity auction that contained a pretty large canoe, so he made a tentative offer, swiftly got the backing of a majority of the committee, ensured we had enough money in the tin and got me access so I could collect it and bring it to Cremorne.

So anyway, now we have a canoe.

All we need now is a couple of paddles. And someone willing to try it out on the water.

Andy

Sardinia September 2011

9 (Instead of 11) Paddle Sardinia

Sitting at my desk, nursing a lemsip, reflecting on the first really chilly London day in December, I could swear that today, it actually started getting dark before it got light. It is therefore pretty tough trying to picture myself stretched out on the sand with a cold beer and a bunch of friends, watching the sun set over an idyllic cove in the north of Isola Maddalena. The photos, and the stories (one of which I was reminded of this afternoon in the pub, by Tim), convince me that it really did happen, less than three months ago, so I thought I’d share some of them to remind you that summer is real, it does happen, and there is another one just around the corner!

The first thing to mention was that it wasn’t quite as it should have been – Phil and Jacqui, whose inspiration the trip was, and whose hard work made it such a great trip, were not present. We missed them, it wasn’t the same without them, and not a day went by when I didn’t imagine what one or other might say or think of the sights and events we were experiencing.

So just 9 of us found ourselves at Camping Tavolara, on Sunday 25th September, making good headway into the expedition wine supply and having a gander at charts of the northwest coast of Sardinia, the Costa Smeralda, and the Maddalena Archipelago. Clark Weissinger, of Sea Kayak Sardinia, came to meet us at the campsite, with a selection of 9 excellent boats, and gave us a bit of a local lowdown over a glass or two of said wine, and a tune or two from Andy’s ukulele.

Day 1
Wind: F2 NE
Outlook: Sunny
Distance: 7 Nm (Andy and Richard 8Nm )
Set off: 1200
Broke Camp: 1600

A beautiful day to set out. Clark arrived to collect us at 0900 and after a pleasant shuttle in the van, listening to Christy Moore on the CD player, we were all down at the beach loading our kayaks (or drinking cappuccinos, for those who managed to cram a week’s worth of supplies into their boat first) against the dramatic backdrop of Isola Tavolara.

Our starting point was stunning – as we loaded the boats on the beach, the 5km x 1km limestone massif of Isola Tavolara sat temptingly in the near distance, with its highest point, Monte Cannone, beckoning us. We could have spent a couple of days just paddling this bay.

Loading up the boats before embarking on our expedition, Monte Cannone in the distance.

As soon as we got on the water, we paddled across for a gander, then headed to the spit at the western end for a quick swim and lunch, while Andy and Richard sprinted up to the other end of the island and back. Then we headed decisively off to get some distance under our belts. Until we saw the rusty orange wreck set beguilingly against the deep blue water on the near side of the bay, and we just had to have a little peek. Andy parked up and slipped into the water with his snorkel, a minor shriek from inside the upturned hull confirming that there was plenty of sea-life to see.

Idyllic flat calm conditions accompanied us alongside Isola Tavolara to the next headland, (lucky really, as we were spread out across the bay thinner than dripping on a wartime ration crust). We rounded the headland of Capo Ceraso. As the vast Gulf of Olbia opened up in front of us, we tried to establish the best crossing point.

Our Day 1 objective had been to reach the other side of the bay at least, and if there was time, press on round the next headland before camping for the night. My brain started doing neurotic sums. It was 1500, and the crossing would take at least an hour and a half, and we still had to paddle far enough towards the mouth of the estuary to make crossing the shipping lane as safe as possible. Then we had to find somewhere to camp, and we had absolutely no hints as to where potential wild campsites existed, bringing the total time before we could strike camp up to a possible 3 hours – half an hour after dark. Hmm. Just as my it’ll-be-fine holiday brain was telling my neurotic sum-doing brain to shut up the enjoy the paddle, Toons, who was leading for the day, announced a plan to start looking for a campsite immediately. (Ha. Neurotic sum-brain – smug grin).

Lucky – it took 45 minutes and 3 scenic little coves, with beaches all proudly displaying no camping signs, (one of which sported a shotgun hole), and 11 different threats in four languages, emphasising dire consequences, for us to realise that the best thing to do was ignore them.

Our first night's camp spot - ignoring the signs

We landed, Lyn made coffee, then we pitched our tents (waiting till it was nearly sunset in view of potential dire consequences) and sat around chit-chatting about the stars, the day’s events, and generally how wonderful it was to be there. Andy started up a chat about the day’s paddle, which gave everyone a chance to reminisce about the best points from the day, and some areas they would like to improve on the next day. We did a little planning over grappa and more ukulele strumming, and headed to bed determinedly not dreaming of Italian policemen waving truncheons and shouting “vietato!” Little did we realise we would soon be doing some on-the-water negotiating with the Carabinieri regarding our paddling intentions…

Day 2. Olbia to Punto Canigione
F3-4 NW
Distance 21.6 km
Set off 1015
Arrived 1645

We set of at 1015 after a night free of law-enforcement. (Unless you count the mozzies). John led a tightly formed 3 x 3 box formation across the shipping channel (in which we came across two boats). We crossed the bay of Olbia in 50min and crossed again to reach Capo Figari at 1215. We lunched on the beautiful Isola Figolaro.

Box Formation

A gentle 1.5m high swell rolled us towards the headland of Capo Figari. It was friendly, but still swelly enough for a bit of post-lunch exhilaration. The headland was eventually rounded and we all accomplished totally pro surf landings on a small beach (OK, a little poetic licence of hindsight, but don’t forget it has been a few months and things are starting to take on a bit of a rosy glow), in order for Mel and Toons to recover from their seasickness, and then paddle off to rejoin Cynthia who was happily bobbing about in the bay waiting for us.

We pressed on, looking for somewhere to land for the night, and sent out a scout group, who found us a really lovely cove, with a nice sheltered beach for camping, and a good sized lagoon which was perfect for a Sardinian CKC skills session. John, Richard, Andy, Tim, Lyn and I all splashed about practicing our rolling, rescues and generally showing off, before deciding we were too tired for any more and getting off the water for the usual evening routine. (But not before Tim managed injury #1 of the trip by “sneezing a rib”).

We dug out the wine, (which strangely didn’t seem to diminish, even though by now we had run out of water and several of us had run out of food). I enviously eyed up Lynne and Mel’s “Look what I found” meal, while my pasta cooked, but was pleasantly surprised by my fresh gnocchi with cheese and za’atar (courtesy of Toons’ travel spice dispenser). After 2 days, Andy’s one man ukulele journey (which begun on our first night at Camping Tavolara, until when the instrument had been completely new to him), had already become a musical odyssey, and while we quaffed wine with the waves lapping at our feet, the music was a real treat. Especially as he hadn’t put his mind to mastering “I used to work in Chicago” yet…

Day 3
F 2-3 NE
Outlook: Sunny Visibility Poor-Moderate
Distance 20.3 km Temperature 26C
Set off 1000
Arrived 1640

Having covered good ground the day before, we didn’t go crazy with early starts on the Wednesday. We did need to restock with provisions though, so our first stop was just 5Km up the coast, the Marina at Porto Rotondo. After nestling our boats surreptitiously in a corner of the rather smart beach, we headed past the immaculately-clad yachties in the pristine marina, towards the village supermarket. It wasn’t exactly awash with bargains, with tuna at €13 a tin, but we managed to get some good grub.

Mel and Lyn at our lunch stop

2 hours later, we set off across the bay, with a green domed peninsular as our destination, the white triangle at the tip eventually turning into a quaint whitewashed lighthouse. From there John and Cynthia in the lead set a cracking pace, and soon we were all well on our way to the next headland. After a couple of hours of blissful, quiet paddling over a broad, flat prussian blue sea, sparkling in the midday sunshine, Mel and Lyn answered a call from nature, which led us to a beautiful beach. It was lined with the flags of various nations, and had a smart white edifice in the middle, surrounded by sunbeds and parasols. We made for the secluded corner of the beach, where the shallow aquamarine bay was perfect for a quick dip – Richard jumped in, followed by Toons, who snorkelled up to the pontoon and found a shoal of brightly coloured fish. Lyn spotted some spiky sea urchins

– Tim: “Why did the razorbill raise her bill?”

– Cynthia: “So the sea urchin could see ‘er chin…” Sea – ur – chin… Gerrit?

We set off with Richard at the front, and rounded the Capriccioli headland, heads down, and core muscles engaged, expecting to be hit by the NE F4 wind and some choppy water, but neither materialised until later, when we had just rounded a deceptively small peninsula.

Up till now we passed mainly green hillsides covered in sprawling mansions, but here it changed, with spectacular rock formations coming right down to meet the sea. Toons, Andy and John headed over for some rock-hopping – no-one else was tempted initially, but as we passed on the inside of a particularly stunning rock formation, Lyn was lured in for a quick go.

The Wreck

We continued North towards Porto Cervo. Rounding the Golfo Pevero headland we regrouped to make the call on whether to press on to Porto Cervo or head inland and find a camp spot. The Autumn sun was beautiful, and gave the seascape a silvery glow, but it was low in the sky, and making out any detail in the coastline was tough – hard to know if there might be any potential camp spots or not. Cynthia spotted a tempting looking beach on Isola Nibani, just off the coast, (later to be named Killer Mozzie Island), and she, Toons and Andy led an exploration.

Venturing slightly inland, the rest of us reccied the coast. To our left, only rocks. On the far side of the bay, tourist beaches, with just visible parasols. Cappuccinos, cold beer, calamari, spaghetti alla vongole (or “arselle” in Sardinia) and gelato miraged around our heads, and we gazed longingly towards the parasols.

Then the radio sprang to life with Andy’s voice:

“John, John this is Andy. Over.”

“Andy this is John. Over.”

“We have ID’d a site, safe landing, good camp site.”

“Andy this is John we are currently reccieing an alternative site, will advise. Over”

“Thanks. Will await further contact.”

“Andy, listening on 8, out”

The calamari-gelato mirage popped, and another perfect surf landing later, we were hoiking our kayaks up onto the steep beach of Isola Nibani, before pitching camp, while Tim repaired his tent and sustained his second injury of the trip (Calf Gouging).

After tea and chocolate, Lyn provided rosemary crackers and pecorino cheese, which we washed down with cold beer. Gazing out at the mainland in the near distance, the view was idyllic, with a beautiful rock formation bathed in the early evening Mediterranean sunlight. Punctuated only by shrieks of rage as Lilo Lyn discovered Andy raiding her floating sea-grass beer-fridge, as she bobbed around unsuspectingly on her lilo.

After Tim and I made a photographic tour of the Island, we all attempted to spend the evening in the communal area of our Nibani Island campsite, to dip into the wine stash and regale each other with the day’s stories. Sadly the swarm of mosquitos that arrived at sunset refused to leave us in peace, and most of the party managed a little “me time”. John, Tim and I bravely stayed up playing cards, drinking whisky and writing the journal but soon retired for a few quiet reflections on the day’s paddling.

Day 4NW 3-4 Easing in pm
Outlook: Sunny
Distance 29.9 Km

On the water for 0815. Big sigh of relief leaving the mozzies. We crossed NW toward the headland, just North of Porto Cervo, in moderately choppy water, and after an hour of paddling, a couple of Carabinieri motored up behind us.

– Carabinieri: “Bad sea, atennzione, atennzione. Where you go?”

– Tim: Chats cleverly away in his EuroTalian.

Carabinieri not too happy when we explained we were headed North to the Maddalena Islands, but Tim and Andy somehow managed to reassure them, and off we went. We subsequently discovered that three Welsh canoeists had been reported missing following an overnight trip on the South of the island that week, so the concerns were understandable, especially in view of the choppy seas. Happily the Welsh group were found safe and well.

Andy, John and Cynthia plan our route round to our destination on the northern aspect of La Maddalena

Andy’s calm reassurance to the Police officer regarding our sea kayaking prowess was still ringing in the air when Mel’s piercing shriek of “Aagh a wave” made us all jump out of our skins. Fortunately the law enforcers were well out of earshot, and Mel managed to remain upright, despite a large wave coming out of nowhere to break over her head, shunting her a few feet sideways. It turned into yet another lovely paddle, and at 1000 we had a beach break on Isola della Bisce, then headed across a beautiful calm open stretch of water, encountering a yacht race, a sailing boat floundering with a twisted spinnaker, and a catamaran, before reaching Isola Caprera and turning North East to head up the channel to the Maddalena Archipelago.

Paddling North Between Isola Caprera and La Maddalena

After 6 hours of paddling, we finally rounded the North aspect of Isola Maddalena into a beautiful quiet bay. With other priorities than finding a campsite, most of us headed to the beachside kiosk. Before joining everyone, I leapt into the turquoise water for a celebratory dip to wash away the salt crusts. Unwise as it transpired, as by the time I arrived at the jolly kiosk the beer was all gone! Aperol and prosecco spritzers made up for it though, after which we stumbled across the bay to find our spot for the night. Richard and I jumped in for a swim, and watched the stunning sunset from the water, through the golden blanket of sea, punctuated with little domes of dark blue-black fluttering through the surface. We looked up and saw Toons and Andy, silhouetted under a red crescent moon, chatting about Andy’s planned paddle to Corsica in the morning.

Paddling Until Last Light!

Day 5

The next two days were spent relaxing in the gorgeous islands. On Friday, Andy sprinted to Corsica, only to find it was shut. Toons and I enjoyed a lazy day, with a short trip round the coast, getting there just in time for a swim followed by a beautiful sunset paddle back to the campsite, to discover Andy relaxing on the beach after his epic journey. John led an energetic trip to the outer islands, (uncovering James Bond’s secret hideout) during which an exhilarating time was had by all. Mel, Tim and Lyn went for the trekking option, and hit the town of La Maddalena

Toons Paddling Back at Sunset

Day 6
NE 2-3
Distance 14 Km

Paddling back on the last day

The dawn broke over a brilliantly sunny sky for our last idyllic Mediterranean paddle back down to the mainland along the west coast. We made fantastic time – 6km/hr, due to flat calm conditions. After 5km of coastline we started looking in earnest for a spot for a quick swim. We were astounded when we reached La Maddonnetta del Pescatore, a little church right on the edge of the water. Andy moored his boat, and, well, see the photo for details…

Andy Summits La Madonnetta

We eventually found our swimming beach, before rounding the south aspect of the island into the busy shipping channel between La Maddalena and the mainland, which we crossed without incident, past all the ferries going in and out of Palau. We parked up at the end of a beautiful sea lido, and skipped up some stone steps to a restaurant for a celebratory meal of pasta, red wine and fish before being scooped up by Clarke and driven back to Tavolara.

Arriving at our final destination - the beachside lido in the port of Palau!

Once there, Tim, Andy, Toons and I sped down to the beach for a last cappuccino and ice cream, to find that the beachside restaurant was boarded up, with the proprietor stacking up chairs inside ready for the winter. He smiled and shook his head, and with a dismissive wave of his hand, suggested, “l’anno prossimo!”.

L’anno prossimo it is…

Miranda

Wat’er Way to Learn

13 October 2011

Last night Chelsea Kayak Club held its second water skills session at Brockwell Lido and, despite the cold water and diminishing sunlight, was a huge success.

Geoff was kind enough to not only organise these two-hour pool sessions, but to also load up the CKC trailer and bring the Club sea kayaks south of the river. With help of members, we cleaned the boats and then set them afloat in our dedicated half of the swimming pool. With some people bringing their own boats, we had another 15 people on the water last night going through some of the basic – yet essential – safety skills we often avoid when on the not-so-clean Thames tideway.

Knowing that this would be a ‘wet session’ people didn’t hesitate to get stuck in and were soon dangling from their boat underwater either practicing or learning how to roll in a sea kayak. With coaches bobbing between these small groups of paddlers – both CKC members and guests from other London clubs – it wasn’t long before people were pushing themselves and attempting self-rescues and re-entry rolls.

Regular practice of these skills is essential and incredibly useful when we head off on sea trips and expeditions, as you never know when a wave might take you by surprise and tip you over (or out). The regular pool sessions at the likes of Brixton and Fulham (see FAQs) are good for learning the skills, but they tend to be in smaller river running boats, so this was a great opportunity for doing it in the bigger, more buoyant, sea kayaks.

With the light fading we all had to jump off the water at around 7pm, but with the full intention that at the first available opportunity we’d be back again and running another session, especially as it ended with us heading to the ‘Lido Café’ for nice burger and pint.

The Brockwell Lido will be closing for repairs in November, so we hope to start up regular skill sessions with them, when they re-open in the new year.

I must see Old Harry from Dorset again

7th – 9th October 2011

My adventure began on Thursday 6^th October and I still get a strong heartbeat every time I see a photo of Old Harry – I definitely must see him again – soon!

It all started in Lot’s Road Pub that Thursday evening, when 10 enthusiastic sea kayak paddlers met in order to plan the last details of our trip to Dorset the following weekend.

The weather forecast was quite bad – strong winds from west (F5>7 Beaufort) was expected and the planned route from Swanage Bay to Kimmeridge Bay might be too big a challenge and too dangerous in these weather conditions.

The route had to be picked carefully because even in calm wind it can be a difficult and exposed trip with a quite strong flow going east on the flow and west on the ebb. And once past Duriston Head, there is no stopping and often no landing until Chapman’s Pool.

So we had a very interesting, instructive and loud discussion around the table! Everybody’s opinion was heard – the brave and experienced paddlers as well as the more inexperienced or faint hearted (me) :-) . And I must admit that I changed my mind several times during the discussion, when new views came into consideration ;-).

But at last we decided to pick a route along the east coast that would be relatively protected against the strong wind. And this route passed by Old Harry Rocks!

Friday late afternoon I left Bromley – with my beloved kayak on the roof rack, all the shopping for the weekend in the trunk and a brave passenger next to me (he was supposed to show me the way and ensure that I wasn’t lost in traffic as I usually am :-) Thank you so much, Jonny!).

Approximately 4 hours later we arrived at the wonderful Bungalow that we had rented for the weekend. Almost everybody had arrived and we had a lovely evening together – eating Chinese takeaway and having a couple of drinks, before heading to bed.

The next morning we woke up to an irresistible smell of bacon, eggs and toast, prepared by Jonny and Alastair who had been up since 6 o’clock watching a Rugby Game :-) .

At 9.30AM we arrived at a carpark on the hill at Studland Beach, where we had quite a carry down to the beach (we didn’t see the slipway down to the water’s edge where we could have dumped the kayak’s before parking ;-)). So we were perfectly warmed up when we launched the boats heading for Old Harrys Rock, Swanage Bay and a play around Peveril Point if the weather conditions allowed it.

For the next 3 hours I was in another world! Enjoying the bright clean water, the strong wind and the beautiful, beautiful views of the chalk cliffs! I will never forget the first view of Old Harry Rock – strong, proud and steady – It was breath taking!

We spend an hour playing around in the caves, exploring the cliffs and trying to get through the narrowest arcs we could find. But then Stu’s stomach started to roar and we headed towards Swanage Bay and the best Fish and Chips along the east coast (according to Stu) :-) .

On the way we almost lost our Chef (and Birdsman) when he caught sight of a young Perigrine Falcon, sitting in its nest on the cliff – crying after the parents, who was out of sight. Paul was determined to stay until the parents arrived – and he talked so very touchingly about this bird, which is the fastest creature on the planet – it can dive at over 200 miles per hour!

After a perfect and sunny lunch break in Swanage, we headed towards Peveril Point.

It was big fun to paddle in the lovely unstable waves and to feel the smooth swell that came from far away. The cliffs were beautiful and rough and everybody enjoyed being so close to this fabulous coastline. We spent some time exploring the rugged cliffs and I had the feeling that nobody really wanted to leave the wonderful place again.

But the clouds were accumulating and the wind was getting stronger, so we decided to call it a day and head home again. With the wind behind us we were almost blown back to Old Harry and we only had to fight against the wind the last bit from Old Harry Rock to Studland Bay. Back in the Bay we still had some energy left, so we spend another hour playing – on and in the water – some doing rolling exercises and others just fooling around :-) .

Saturday evening was gorgeous! Playing fresbee and drinking tea (or whatever :-) ) until sunset and then everybody was occupied by cooking the most fabulous dinner I’d had for a long time! Paul was in charge of producing a fantastic Fish Pie and Fiona brought apples for a delicious Apple Crumble Recipe! And I trust that I wasn’t the only one who could hardly eat anything the next day.

Sunday morning the wind was a lot stronger than the day before, so we decided to split the group. Michal, Alastair and Martin went for a bigger challenge near Kimmerige and the rest of us went to launch at the more sheltered Studland Bay in order to do the gorgeous trip from the day before once again.

That was a good decision, because we had a very different experience this time due to the strong wind. It was a nice but strong paddle against the wind and some of us would definitely have had troubles coping with the conditions on the other side of Peveril Point! So I think everybody was happy with their choice of route and we had another enjoyable day on the water!

At 4 o’clock we were back at Studland Bay where we again spend some time on doing rescue and rolling exercises (thank you for coaching, Stu!) Finally we finished a perfect weekend with having a swim in the cold but lovely sea before we loaded the trailer and the cars and headed home again!

On the way home I was continuously dreaming about my new love, Harry. I felt high and happy and would definitely have burst into singing, if it wasn’t for my poor passenger, who had quite a hard time already, keeping me and the car on the road!

But I can’t wait until I will see Old Harry again (in November?)!

Thank you Fiona, for an excellently organized trip!

Pia (The “Danish” :-) )

What a lovely lot of kit I got

For all of you who didn’t make it down to the open day at Cremorne Riverside yesterday, where Desperate Measures (the canoe shop) had loads of kit for us to play with (and buy), you’ll probably want to click here to read up on what you missed. But in a nut shell, there was lots and lots of kit fondling on one side of the deck, while the Friends of Cremorne Riverside and Kayaking London teams put on a whopping BBQ on the other, to make sure we needed to try on the larger sizes!

I for one am sure stoked with my new Sweet helmet, Palm buoyancy aid and Teva water shoes 🙂 and unless I’m mistaken, Geoff had his eye on one of the new breed of sea kayaks they had there to demo… but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

It seemed to be a great success and, hopefully will be the first of many visits by the guys at Desperate Measures – so make sure you come along to the next one.

Judes

New YouTube video released! CLICK HERE

CKC weekend trip to Dorset, Jurassic Coast Sept 2023 (Day 2)
Clapham Pool kayak skills sessions CLICK HERE

Improve skills in the pool. Pre-booking essential. Thanks to Battersea Canoe Club for running these sessions
New CKC Video - Enjoy! CLICK HERE

Introductory video to our friendly club
Introduction to Kayaking Courses

Email us at info@chelseakayakclub.co.uk if you want to learn to kayak & we will let you know when we can run our next introduction to kayaking course.