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2nd – 9th May 2010
Ok – this was not my first sea symposium, not by a long way. I’ve been at three in Ireland, back in the early days: Connemara, Donegal and Ballycastle. All good fun, but the nearest thing we got to foreigners was having Nigel Foster give a talk. And his ex-wife, Sharon. But that’s for another time…
THIS symposium, on the other hand, has people from all over Europe and even a couple all the way from the USA. Dutch, Norwegians, Danes, Swedes, Italians, British, Irish, French, Estonians and even a couple of Swiss. Yes really – Swiss sea kayakers. There are hundreds of people for the main weekend and it’s a full programme of paddles, talks, workshops, courses and so on.
I arrived there on the Sunday evening just as things were beginning to quieten down, with none other than Harry Whelan from Cremorne. Harry is very well known in the sea paddling fraternity, and arriving with him is a quick route to fame. Or possibly infamy.
A curry in downtown Holyhead was his plan and we met up with quite a few mates of his; legends of the sea paddling mob. All that networking proved to be a good idea as one of the curry munchers turned out to be Chris Reed, who then gave me an excellent deal on a paddling suit the next day – the “friends and family rate”, further sweetened on hearing the news of Chelsea Kayak Club.
Sleeping arrangements were basic enough, and there was a fairly lax approach to registering and bed allocation, so I took pot luck and jumped in a room. After a night of no sleep at all, thanks to some supersonic snoring (which eventually saw me giving up and sleeping on the floor of the shower room), I moved into a room full of friendly high tech Norwegians who were webbed, wirelessed and wideo-enabled to the max. And they hardly snored at all. They were serial sea symposiumers, and were in Anglesea mostly for the huge tidal races so our paths rarely crossed. But I did learn to say “you are my hero” in Norwegian. ”Du er min held”, as you ask. I wonder if it will do me any good in Sweden in August?
The rest of the week looked like this:
- Monday – 26 k paddle to Skerries and back from Soldiers’ Point . This was the “hard option”. I nearly switched groups when I discovered that one of my co-paddlers was Freya Hoffmeister, who was just back from her solo paddle around Australia. Yes, Australia. All of it. Took nearly a year. But I stuck it out and was rewarded with a stunning day, sunshine, seals and a thorough explore of the lighthouse.
- Tuesday – Day One of Four Star Training. Led by two excellent coaches, Phil Hadley from Dudley and Jen Kleck from California. Phil and I yapped away in Black Country dialect which was a good laugh. “Owroight?” “Ow am ya?” and so on. Made the Norwegian seem straightforward enough.
- Wednesday – Day Two of Four Star Training. Led by another excellent coach, Trys.
- Thursday – Did my Foundation Safety and Rescue Course with three others, led by Tom Thomas. A small Danish woman called Mariete and I were also assessed at the end for our Two Star; the other two were not anywhere close to the standard in open canoes. Happily Mariete and I both were and were signed off. Also went as a guinea pig on the night navigation on the five star assessment – which was particularly amazing as at the end of the night we were called on to take part in a real life search and rescue – flares, helicopters, lifeboats, the whole works.
- Friday – a trip to South Stack from Porth Dafoch. Pleasant day – sunny, lots of birds, a nice swell at the stack, time to explore caves and chill out. Harry was on this trip too – and so the blackguarding started. A bit of a tidal race near Porth Dafoch, just enough to get the idea of surfing.
- Saturday – day one of tidal races and overfalls. Out from Church Beach to a point where it really got pretty big and lumpy, after some really good coaching from Phil Clegg. Some advanced blackguarding from Harry – unknown to me he attached a tow line to the stern of my boat as I was launching through the surf and then he ran sideways along the beach. I fell over, and as I hadn’t my deck on, I fell out. In front of everyone. Nice.
- Sunday – day two of tidal races and overfalls. I was ready for Harry this day, but he still managed to stick a couple of boulders in my day hatch. Nice again. I did get him back by towing away his boat when he was sat on a rock. This trip went from Soldiers’ Point to North Stack and then around to Porth Dafoch. Harry also managed to press gang some poor Danish woman into attaching a throw line to my stern, but it was close enough to the cockpit that I could release it. Then it sank. Which was bad. For him. Oh how we laughed…
There wasn’t too much social life, just the same crowd drinking in the on-site bar, although on the Wednesday night there was some whisky-fueled competitive acrobatics and party games by a few of the coaches. All good fun, and pretty impressive how strong and flexible some of the younger coaches are. If Phil Clegg ever challenges you to a trial of strength or flexibility, be warned. I did have a go or two, just to try and raise the profile of the Chelsea Kayak Club. It could have been worse, I suppose. The things your Chairman does for you.
Then it was home time, carrying Harry’s lovely new Rapier on the roof and trying not to fall asleep. This symposium gets a lot of repeat custom, and I can see why. If you get the chance next year, go.
Andy
Some of Cremorne’s Over 60’s Kayak Group, took part last weekend in the London Kayakathon. With a combined age of 136 years, and only 2 years paddling experience, “The Chelsea Coffin Dodgers” paddled 26.2 miles in a double sea kayak and raised over £1000 for charity. Moya and Daisy – you show us how sea kayaking can truly be open to all and be a lifelong passion.
Chelsea Kayak Club congratulates you!
Andy McM
Thursday 29th April 2010
Our smallest group yet – Phil, Andy, Tim and guest Judy Armstrong, all the way from Stellenbosch, South Africa, via Southfields.
Pleasant weather and a strong ebb tide saw us go up river. The idea was to take it fairly easy but seemingly little effort saw us all the way up past Putney Bridge to the ramp that Battersea Canoe Club use to access the river. This saw us right across from Craven Cottage where Fulham were playing Hamburg for a place in the Europa League final. We were there at half time, with Fulham trailing 0-1 and the mood of the fans grim. Tim and Andy hung about to hear the roar of the crowd when the half started up again – if there had only been a big screen we could have watched it would have been like being in the grounds.
A nice paddle back, with the ebb tide, and a chance to have a look at a couple of drilling rigs on the river that are working on the super sewer. Think oil rigs only smaller.
As we approached Wandsworth Tim noticed the sound of a huge, but distant, roar – “Fulham must have scored!”
Back to the centre, Andy set a precedent by NOT going for a drink (he was blaming babysitter issues – WEAK) but Judy was impressed enough with us and we with her that she joined up.
And Fulham won 2-1 and went through to the final.
Andy McM
Sunday 18th April 2010
A cracking paddle on Sunday 18th April. Taking advantage of the Centre Manager’s generous offer to use Cremorne when there are no youth groups in, we assembled at 11:30. There had been some mention of towing a boat and throwing unexpected factors into the mix, but as the Club had signed up for a leisurely paddle rather than a training course, these ideas were overruled. As Phil put it “it’s not boot camp”.
But a leisurely paddle it wasn’t either. Not really. Harry sent us on our way downriver with the last of the ebb tide, promising to catch us up and take us further down. By the time we reached Westminster, taking a leisurely pace, enjoying the sun and the lack of planes, and waiting to be joined by Harry, the flood was on. We hung about for a while, meeting a lone paddler from Putney Bridge CC, and a group from Westminster Boating Base, and went as far as the V dock at the London Eye, then with no sign of our guide we turned for home with the tide behind us. We were only just through Westminster Bridge when the man himself appeared. A quick conference – were we up for more? – “YES”, “SURE”, “er okay then” and we were back in safer and more experienced hands.
Town! Busy busy busy on a fine Sunday, ferries going both ways every few minutes, tourists on all the bridges and the banks and a decent flood tide against us. Kate P on her first trip with the Club, Olwen concerned about being later than planned, Tim on his first trip downstream, most of us on our first foray past the London Eye. Sure what could go wrong?
Well, nothing, as it turned out. Harry pushed us hard, scornfully dismissing the easier routes in the slower flow closest to the banks and pushing us to get out into the flow, working us hard through the bridges, handling the waves from the ferries, and even waiting for the roughest water to go through the arches. Everyone did admirably, especially those with little experience in sea kayaks. We pushed on until the bow of HMS Belfast, enjoying its towering bulk, the view of Tower Bridge, the glistening new glass buildings cheek by jowl with old warehouses and medieval houses. When not instructing or leading us, Harry seemed to be surfing every wave on the river – a real master of his craft and a pleasure to watch.
We turned at HMS Belfast and came back with the strong flood tide, pausing only to safely navigate the very congested waters between Westminster and Waterloo bridges – “don’t try and sneak up the sides” was the command, “establish yourself in a tight group as part of the traffic then paddle your line”. Interesting, and effective.
After Westminster, Harry left us on our own, the pace slowed and we all came home in a relaxed formation.
London at its finest – and how nice to be on the water in the midst of it all.
Andy McM
Sunday 11th April 2010
I was part of a small group that headed over to Shepperton Lock today for a paddle of the single bladed variety. Not to be confused with kayaking (its closed deck relative), canoeing (or open boating as it is often called) is a rapidly developing discipline of paddlesport in the UK.
Being first and foremost a kayaker, it’s not often I get the opportunity to go open boating – but each time I do, I like it more and more and today was no different. Not least because under the expert coaching of Owen Burson some of the intermediate strokes that have eluded me for so long have started to come together as well as nailing some new touring strokes – I particularly like the Knifed J Stroke. The investment in a kneeling mat probably also had a lot to do with it too  . Clearly I’m no Bill Mason (an absolute legend in the canoeing community) but I feel I’ve made great progress and keen to do more.
In the afternoon with the sun shining we put our new found strokes into practice around Desborough Island (3.3km in total). It is easy to see why open boating is considered to be such an elegant way of exploring the water and enjoying the wildlife and scenery (parrots in our case…). The only mistake we made was allowing Bunny to set the pace…
The open canoe was invented for journeying and given CKC’s touring remit (and the successes of the day) I’ve now started to turn my mind to organising an open boating trip / expedition in the near future. After what has felt like a very cold and drawn out winter it seems the timing of setting up the club could not have been better! Here’s to a summer of trips and expeditions, be it of the double or single bladed variety!
Phil
Thursday 1st April 2010
This morning the ‘club clown’ sent out a rather plausible April Fool’s email to everyone letting us all know that “for circumstances out of our control” we’d no longer be able to paddle in sea kayaks with the Club as planned – and that for the privilege we wouldn’t even get our membership fees back.
In fairness – most people fell for this obvious rouse, hook, line and sinker – without noting the time and date of the email – especially as it came just days after we received our rubber stamp seal of approval.
Our Chair has since sent a message to all, to quash any fears and point out that the reason it hit home for so many of us was that we really, really care about Chelsea Kayak Club, the opportunities it offers us and the sense of camaraderie and drive we share.
So onwards and outwards as we head into an Easter weekend full of paddling on the Thames tideway…
John M
Wednesday 31st March 2010
I’m very pleased to say that all the wait has been worth it. Our agreement with the Royal Borough was signed last night and we gave over our access fee. This will give us access to the centre until this time next year: Thursday nights and weekends and other times by arrangement, as long as there are not youth groups using the Centre.
Harry Whelan (the Centre Manager) is very supportive and has already suggested that we might like to join his adult group for a paddle on Good Friday (time to be confirmed) if there are spaces. He also suggests that as the Centre is closed over the weekend we might like to go paddling on Easter Sunday.
I think that provided we paddle in safe, controlled, properly led groups we will have a very fruitful relationship with the Royal Borough. So apologies in advance that our sessions will not be a free-for-all, but they won’t be much different from how Battersea run their Thames sessions. Tight, safe, with a nominated leader for each group – that’s how it needs to be.
Tomorrow night (Thursday) is going ahead as a sort of supervised club-led session, with 8 spaces available. Phil has been in touch about how to sign up for it through the website. Harry will come out with us for one final time, give us two sets of keys for the centre, and after that we are pretty much free to paddle the river from Cremorne down to Westminster, or upriver as far as we like. Once we get more experience we’ll be able to go further into the City – where the boats are faster, the traffic more congested and the hazards generally higher.
Special thanks to Phil and Harry who have been instrumental in getting us to this stage.
Looking forward to seeing you on Thursday, or Friday, or Sunday!
Andy (Chair)
Tuesday 23rd March 2010
Some of us from CKC attended a get together of local clubs on Tuesday night to test and compare a number of lights/ torches that paddlers are using for after dark Tideway paddling. Representatives from the Port of London Authority (PLA) and BCU were there too. The PLA are keen that paddlers operate as safely as possible and common sense and good practice prevails.
The trials were held at Shadwell Basin – so a very busy stretch of the river – and arranged by our very own Centre Manager (Harry Whelan). Some earlier trials were held in February so this was the second round and was attended by more paddlers from several clubs around London.
Several of the Tower Hamlets lot volunteered to go out in their boats and help trial lots of different types of lights and combinations in different points of the river, i.e. dark/light/facing forwards/backwards/side on/close and faraway. These were observed and assessed from the shore for the most effective and visible arrangement to other river traffic. The performance of reflective materials on equipment was another aspect of the exercise.
No firm conclusions were drawn however it was decided that one light only was not enough and head torches are not ideal as they disappear when people turn their heads (head torches could instead be attached to BAs).
The best light of the night came from our very own Richard B’s ‘Blue Peter special’ the now named “diffuser” light.
So as a keen and eager Kit Officer following the meeting I wanted to earn my very own Blue Peter badge and have made some of these ‘diffuser’ lights for CKC. These are relatively inexpensive and comprise an LED diving torch (44mm OD) with a 250ml Narrow Neck HDPE Bottle with the top cut off and inserted onto the torch to ‘diffuse’ the light and make it visible from the sides (max £10ea).
 
White flashing lights were also considered very effective – however care needs to be taken that these are not so bright that they blind other paddlers. I will also endeavour to make some smaller flashing diffuser lights for shoulders – ideas on a postcard please!
I believe that there will be a formal email going around about the light session and guidance on the PLA website updated shortly thereafter.
Here’s to safer paddling on the Tideway and to me earning my BP badge )!
Jac
Thursday 11th March 2010
Tonight was the night – the maiden voyage, so to speak, of Chelsea Kayak Club on what will become our ‘home turf’ – padding on a flood tide, it’s from Chelsea Wharf outbound along the Thames to Westminster and the foot of the London Eye. It was also an opportunity for some of the founding members to take a look at the facilities we’ll be sharing, get to grips with the Club’s enhanced safety protocols and sit in a sea kayak for the first time in ages.
This was the first of a number of introductory sessions, where the CKC river leaders (those who either hold or are in training for a 4-star qualification) are taken out by one of the experienced pros from the centre and given first-hand insights into the skill of navigating London’s busy River Thames.
We had a great night for this first outing – hardly any wind, reasonably warm and no rain – eight of us managed to get on the water a little after 6.30pm, truly the only thing missing was the bottle of Champagne smashed at the side of a boat to christen the trip. Anyway, armed with a couple of water proof cameras, head torches and the eagerness of toddlers on Christmas Eve, we set off on what would be around a seven mile round trip.
Once finding our sea kayaking legs again and adapting to the stability of the boats, the first of the sights was the beautifully lit Albert Bridge reflecting off the calm waters of the river beneath. After this we headed on down to the Peace Pagoda in Battersea Park, then up past the four great chimneys of Battersea Power Station, we then sloped by the MI6 building at Vauxhall and approached the Houses of Parliament as Big Ben chimed 8pm. We continued on, under Westminster Bridge and stopped to catch our breath in the lights casting down from the pods of the London Eye before turning around and heading back with the tide.
 
This wasn’t just some sightseeing tour of London’s greatest tourist attractions in a sea kayak – throughout the 2 hour or so paddle we were constantly being shown the rules of the river; the eddies to head for, the ferries to watch for, the bridge lights to observe, the things needed to keep the group together and safe.
Back on terra firma a little after 9pm we stowed away the kayaks and hit the changing rooms and showers – keen to see what the other local Chelsea sites had to offer… it wasn’t long before we found the one we were looking for; the Lots Road Pub and Dining Room to celebrate CKC’s inaugural trip and recap everything we’d learnt from the session over a pint and a portion of chips.
John M
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