2009 09 newsletter

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Volume 33 Issue 9 ~ September 2009

Frome Canoe Club is affiliated to the British Canoe Union Registered Charity: Number 1104728

Surfing weekend – 14th – 16th August

By Hazel Cottle

“A barbeque summer” the weather predictions had prom-ised. PAH! At least those of us heading south for the annual FCC surfing weekend KNEW they were going to have a wet weekend!

The corner of Dinham Farm campsite that started with the Hobbs-Middleton-Charlesworths gradually expanded into the field as more keen surfers arrived Thursday, Friday and Saturday, to create more of an FCC village.

It was a record group (29, I think) and a good mixture of members and their families. Having considered the factors of tide, parking and the large numbers of surf schools that are often found at Polzeath, a core of more determined paddlers chose to start each day’s surfing early and set alarms for 6.30AM. I am reliably informed that this is the best time to get a good session in on the waves!

There was a variety of craft available to try this year – along-side the standard plastic kayaks there were sit -on-tops, large and small, body boards, the now infamous ‘banana boat’ and even a standard surf board. Beach time was split between Polzeath and Harlyn; both offered good surf condi-tions for all across the weekend and provided relatively new kayakers Kate and Nichola with a successful introduction to kayak surfing. The lure of the waves even got to Sally and Jill (2 non paddlers!) who both tackled the sea with sit-on-top kayaks. The impressive photographic evidence is on the web-site.

But it wasn’t all sea, sand and surfing; the evenings were sociable as ever in the communal tent area – the BBQ on Saturday night was enhanced by some classic wheelbarrow races and on Sunday, the group

Continued on page 6

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Date Event Standard Contact

September

19 Passport Paddlers - river trip Course participants Sara W

25 Last Friday session at Langham F All John K

26 Winchester Slalom Div 4/O All John K

27 Wild-water race, Langham Fm All John K

30 DVD Wednesday All Pam D

October

3/4 Tiverton: moving water training 1 Star/Passport* Pam D

9 Pool Sessions start All Pam D

11 Sunday morning session All Rich C

14 Coaches meeting All Rich

17/18 Three Star WW Kayak Course 2 Star + Pam D

25 River Frome 1 Star/Passport Andy B


November

7/8 Dart weekend 1 Star + Pam D

15 Sunday morning session All Pam D

22 River Barle 2 Star +


December

NO POOL SESSIONS IN DECEMBER

6 River Usk 2 Star + John K

13 Sunday morning session All Pam D

Calendar

Passport* means that you must be Passport standard and over 10 years old 1 Star + means that you must be at least One star and have moving water experience

FCC ‘THROWLINE ’ CLUB MAGAZINE

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Calendar in detail

Wessex Autumn Series of Wild-Water Races 27th September - Langham Farm Organiser—John

Part of a series of local races on short stretches of moving water.

The last of these is to be at Langham Farm on 12th September. It is a low level race suitable for young people (the age groups start with under 10's) and you can use any boat. Here is your chance to race on your own down the river.

Racing starts at 1pm but we get to practise from about 10am onwards. The race starts at the weir and finish-es below the bridge, about 200m al-together.

For further details contact John Kent. If you want to go, put your name on the list in the Clubhouse or phone John direct.

Wednesday Sessions, 7-9pm Wednesday training sessions in their current format have stopped now.

BUT we keep paddling as long as we can until it is really too dark!

We will continue to meet on Wednes-days in the clubhouse, same time, to stay in touch with each other and to sign on to trip lists! And of course there are the monthly DVD sessions (see below).

Winchester Slalom 26th September Organiser—Pam

Calling all members who entered our non ranking slalom event in July !

This slalom is made for you. It is an easy slalom, a Division 4/Open event, and only a short distance away. It will give you an chance to put into prac-tice all those skills you have learned paddling, and will let you try your

Wednesday DVDs 30th Sept and 28th Oct and so on At the Clubhouse 7pm.

Once a month we gather to watch a scary white-water DVD. The plan is to schedule the last Wednesday every month for this event so people can plan for it! The first session will there-fore be Wednesday 30th September at 7pm. Tea, coffee, cakes and soft drinks will be available. Do come – the sessions were great fun last year.


hand in a ranking competition, before you wind down over the winter months.

Cost to enter this slalom is £4.25 for juniors, £6 for seniors. Cost of transport will vary depending on how many people go, but we will sort that out nearer the time.

Please put your name on the list in the clubhouse, so we can make plans for transport.

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Pool Sessions start: 9th October Fridays, 9 – 10 pm Frome Sports Centre £2.50 youth, £3 adults.

A painless way to practise capsizes, rolling, braces and rescues because when you fall in, as you do, it’s warm and clean. Hey! – who needs that muddy water, the shopping trolleys and the scratchy brambles on bankside? We don’t!

Look out for the Supervisor If you are not quite sure what to do. He/she wears a yellow t-shirt and will help you get started. If you want a little coaching go up and ask the Instructor – in a green t-shirt.

Meet us in the foyer of the Sports Centre at 8.45pm. We issue you with a coloured wrist band when you pay. This denotes the time slot you will paddle in: either first, second or third session. If there aren’t many people, you may get two paddling slots. Be sure to listen for the whistle that the Supervisor blows because he an-nounces what coloured band is on the water. When you are waiting for your session on the water, you can stand and chat on poolside or mess about in the small pool, but you cannot run about.

If you are bringing your own boat, please make sure that it is slug-free and leaf-free. We have promised the pool that we won’t bring in any wild-life! Own boats come in through the

Calendar in detail .. continued

Sunday Morning sessions At Market Yard, 10 – noon. 11 October, 15 November etc. Cost £2

From the end of September, we meet once a month on Sunday mornings to stay in touch with each other and of course to paddle the River Frome. Last year John left the slalom poles in posi-tion through the winter months and if he does the same this year, we can all hone those slalom skills and keep our fitness levels up for the early slaloms next year! Only joking!

The plan is to hold these Sunday morn-ing sessions throughout the winter sea-son and we are aiming for the second Sunday in the month. Having said that November’s meet is to be 15th to avoid a clash with the Dart Weekend.

New for the sessions this year will be some specialist coaching in Open Boat skills. First session is to be 15th Novem-ber, and you will need to sign up for this.

Meet at the Clubhouse between 10 and noon. You can stay perfectly dry if the weather looks a bit inclement. You can just chat to other like-minded souls in the meeting room, with a cup of tea in hand, so don’t be put off if it’s rainy or you are feeling a bit under the weather – come to catch up on the news!


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fire exit. No fibreglass or pointed boats are allowed. And you will have to wash mud off your boat if pool staff are not happy with its cleanliness!

Dart Weekend 7th/8th November Meet: Clubhouse, 8am on Saturday Return: approx 7pm on Sunday Cost: £38 Organiser: Pam

You must have been on moving water before – speak to Rich if unsure.

This training weekend is a progression from the Tiverton Training in October. We paddle the River Dart, the Lower section on Saturday and then the Loop (middle section) on Sunday. We work in small groups with two instruc-tors per group and we will teach you more about paddling on moving wa-ter.

On Saturday night we stay in a bunk-house in the middle of Dartmoor and we usually have time on Sunday morning to appreciate the beauty of it all. You need to bring sleeping bag and pillow along with your overnight things. Be prepared to sleep on bunks in rooms with 6-10 beds in them. We provide the evening meal on Saturday and breakfast and lunch on Sunday. Bring your own packed lunch for Sat-urday.

Places are restricted to 28, so please get your name to Pam if you are inter-ested.

River Frome 25th October At the Clubhouse, 9am Cost £3 Organiser: Rich

We will sort out boats and kit, and get changed at the clubhouse, then jump into cars to proceed to the sec-tion we wish to paddle: maybe Creamery, maybe Woolverton.

You will need to have plenty of warm clothes to wear on the water—it is often very cold at the end of October. Please also bring a packed lunch with lots of choccie bars for energy, and a change of clothes in case you get wet.

The trip is about 5 miles long and we expect to be back at the clubhouse at about 4pm.

Coaches’ Meeting Wednesday, 14th October At the Clubhouse, 7pm

This meeting will take place on Wednesday evening, when people meet at the clubhouse anyway. The purpose will be to discuss this year’s training programme (Wednesday evenings and the weekend courses) . While the meeting is obviously for coaches, we would love to hear any feedback, good or bad, from mem-bers and so everyone is welcome.

We will also hear a bit more about the new 4 Star River Leaders for those who want to lead river trips.

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Reports


Barbeque and Try a Boat day 30th August

Well John and I both said the same thing when we met at Market Yard “We won’t be needing sun cream to-day.” Which was a shame, but at least we didn’t have any rain!

There were 81 of us who turned up to have a go in a variety of boats, includ-ing some very brave people who tried the funky Stand-Up-and-Paddle boards. They said it was easy but we saw the dunkings and heard the accompanying screams and groans as bodies hit wa-ter.

The coolish weather didn’t stop all the other capsizes and swims either, some deliberate and some not! There were other brave people who paddled about in the Ocoee and the little wooden cor-acle. There were a few who tried the long K2 but the rudder seemed to out-smart even the most accomplished paddlers. Rudders! I ask you. Who needs the complication of a rudder? Don’t you just sweep a bit more on the opposite side for a turn?

And then there was the barbeque. Andy B who had been volunteered by Pam for this prestigious task, started the barbeques nice and early and cook-ing started on time but he soon found that he needed assistance to cope with the 160 sausages, the 80 chicken por-tions, not to mention the potato ke-

babs etc. So Tom, James and a few others were recruited to help in the battle against the heat. It all worked.

We need to thank Richard and Jane Arney for letting us use, yet again, the wonderful facilities at Langham Farm for our event.

Thanks also go to the cooks in the marquee who assembled the salads and desserts. In addition we need to thank all the setters-up, clearers-up and boat transporting people.

But a special mention must go to Tim who spent some considerable time beforehand converting a field at Lang-ham Farm into a lawn. To be honest, It was better than my grass at home, and I just could not believe it when we turned up to set up the marquee on Saturday, to be greeted by this beautiful stretch of rather fine looking grass.

Thanks to the Family Adventure Store for so generously loaning us the kit.

participated in Katie’s ‘Camp Quiz’ based on the events of the weekend. I can’t remember which team won but there was a bit of cheating going on so we’ll need a re-match next year.

The surf trip is always a good FCC event, whether you are a paddler or not. Why not give it a go next year and see for yourself?

Summer Surfing – cont from front page

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White Water Safety and Rescue course - Alex Nicol 22nd/23rd August

Amazing it was! And to be recommend-ed to all paddlers! Our trip started by loading the boats in the pouring rain in the Market Yard and after an awful trip up to Tryweryn we pitched our tents by torch light. On the first day we met Neil at the class room and he kitted us out in our thermal base layer ‘romper suits’ and then our bright yellow ‘fireman’ dry suits (Carl isn’t a medium even though he won’t admit it).

We spent the whole morning learning how to swim in white water. After lunch we spent a bit of time in Neil’s ‘secret Jacuzzi’ which Tim seemed to struggle to stay in! We then got on to some proper work, practising throw line technique and live baiting, which Alun really en-joyed. Later that day we moved down to Chapel Falls where Neil showed us some more technical live baiting, we nearly killed Danny, only once.

The second day started out with rain,

typical weather for Wales. This time we

actually used our boats for a brief mo-

ment. Vicky, however, was unable to

save my boat which became pinned on

the Chipper, shortly followed by her and

her boat; all safely rescued though by

Neil!

That afternoon we put our new skills to

the test when we were set some rescue

scenarios. We did well, although we did leave Neil stranded on a rock for a few minutes while we got the ropes sorted out. In the end it was Alun’s formidable wedge that rescued him. The wedge is not a little piece of wood for holding open a clubhouse door, but is a kind of wading rescue, in case you won-dered! (See below for more info on wedges!)

We all passed the course, tired and wet but enthused by the new tech-niques we all learned.

Carl Gilder, Tim Cottle, Alun Jones, Danny O’Gorman, Vicky Bennett and Alex Nicol.

Ed—Thanks for this article Alex. I guess you didn’t have time to take photos on this trip! Wedges demystified! For those of you who don’t know what a wedge is: it is a particular rescue in deep moving water where five people stand in front of the pinned person, in a triangle to send the water away on both sides, past the person. This has the effect of reducing the pres-sure on them, allowing them to be

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Articles from Members

‘I don’t believe it’! - Pip

Back in 2002 Matthew started coming along to pool ses-sions. He simply sat in a kayak while Pam held on to the boat and walked him around the shallow end. Well if you were at the BBQ you would have seen Mattie, paddling around the Langham site with very little supervision and even having the confidence to wave at others on the bank. For about the 4th year now, he has managed to negotiate many of the slalom gates as he paddles around.

I have nothing but utter admiration for the dedication that Pam has shown be-ing the busiest person in the club but still giving Matthew her full attention

and developing his skills to make him a most confident paddler.

It is a real pleasure to see Mattie pad-dling around with a smile on his face, having fun and enjoying his sport amongst his many friends in the club.

Matt is the one who paddles with us every week in the plum coloured ki-wi. So if you meet him anytime on the water, please say hello to him and give him a wave.

I for one would like to congratulate Pam for her dedication and coaching skills....the results are there to be seen in Mattie. Keep up the good work Pam. (Pip.....I have now spent the £20 you gave me to write this)


Bradford on Avon trip - by Molly Taylor

On Sunday 26th July the Canoe Club went to Bradford

on Avon River, where we went down river to a big weir

Only people who had a spray deck on could shoot the

weir. After a bit of messing about we paddled back for

a bit of lunch. After lunch we paddled up river to a

smaller weir where anyone could go over it. At first I

was not so confident but after seeing others go down

like Katie Hobbs, I plucked up the courage to go down

and ended up going twice. I sunk the first time and capsized the second, unlike my

sister Georgia who was a wuss and didn’t even go down once. We paddled back up

as it started to rain. On the way back some of us sunk Rich. We all had a great day

and a big thank you to Sara for organising it all. Ed—Thanks Molly. A lovely article!

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Post-Bag Sponsored by the Bag Protection League (B.P.L)

Post Bag is a new column in the Frome Canoe Club Newsletter. I have identi-fied a dire situation, which I believe may not be an isolated case and aim to provide support for others who may be suffering in silence. By way of explana-tion of the cause here is my story.

My name is Gary, I am a dry bag, I was fully employed for transporting the kit for my owner to and from canoeing trips. I served my owner well, never complained and never let him down and was always loyal. Then one day after a particularly strenuous trip carry-ing my owners’ wet kit home, I was partially emptied and thrown in the corner of the old run-down shed that I called home and was left for dead. Time passed, spring turned into sum-mer and the hot days got longer and the nights seemed longer, as I became aware that I was suffering from a mi-crobial infection. I had a constant pain in the pit of my sack, which I found was due to a festering pair of boxer shorts inadvertently left in me. Life was not much fun and I longed for the old days and trips out in the sunshine with my friends.

Then one night a kindly young fellow came across me and recognised my plight. He saw my potential as a fine and useful bag and I smiled. Then risk-ing his own life he surgically removed


the microbiological infected boxers from deep within me, washed me gently in detergent and then disinfect-ed my wounds. I convalesced over the next hours and with the tender loving care from my new friend I enjoyed a peaceful night’s sleep.

I am now completely rehabilitated and feel like my old self, a useful member of the paddling world. My new owner appreciates me, ensures a thorough emptying and cleaning after every session. I love him for what he has done for me and hope to serve him well for a long time.

When I recovered, I decided not to sit back and wait for somebody else to address the problem. I have formed the Bag Protection League to help all bags who may be suffering from cruel-ty, neglect or just ignorance from their owners. I am not special just an ordinary bag determined to help oth-ers. If you have a problem with your owner, or indeed you are a bag owner who would like my help there is no need to be frightened anymore I am here for you.

I invite you all to contact me at the BPL. Please address correspondence to Gary via Pam at the Canoe Club and I will help with action or advice as ap-propriate. All answers will be dealt with in the strictest confidence and replies posted in subsequent issues of this newsletter will remain anony-mous.

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Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor I expect this letter not to be published but as a long stand-ing member of the club I just felt that this needed saying......

Several of us older members were asked by the current editor of the club newsletter what we though about the new format.

Well to be really honest this is what I, for one, thought....... The format is too small for us with failing eyesight and having to

use 10 times magnification glasses is a bit much. The A5 size is also too small as we older members tend to put the

newsletter down and then cannot find it again. What the dickens is ‘Passport’ and why mention these young-

sters...what about the achievements of us older paddlers, Just getting on the water’.

Now it’s in book format, we need to use to use two hands to open it. This is age discrimination as we suffer arthritis after years of pad-dling.

You mention fines of £140, but at our age we now get free parking.

I could list many other points, but feel that my words will not be heard as I can only gasp out a few words at any one time. Bring back A3 format with 22 Font Size and then some of us will be happy.

I choose not to be named as again I am sure that many of you will make fun of me and my fellow oldies, as we are always at the back of any paddling group.....trying to keep up.

From Ed—hope you like the larger print here!

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Passport: Our first year of the new youth programme—how did we do? Frome Canoe Club set out to provide a PASSPORT to adven-ture through the Paddlepower scheme for 25 young people by providing progressive training on 24 topics ccovering Safety Awareness, Paddling Skills, Varied Experiences, and Supporting Knowledge.

Sara, Megan, Alun and Gareth provided the adventure over three 7-week courses. At the end of each session a personal passport was stamped with the skills learnt that week. Each course culminated in a trip and the completion of the passport which is equivalent to a 1 star award.

The theme of the adventure has been fun and games; we played tug of war, Tipsy (drunken boat), Chariot races, Tag, raft running, Hare and Hound and different ways to do warm ups, to name but a few. The paddle swap game was voted as best warm up. The most popular game was the raft running.

The tiniest to the oldest willingly rose to the challenges of exiting the kayaks; in, under and on-top of the water, swimming with boat to the bank.

We had lots of rain, a bit of sun, hot days, cold days, fast flowing water and trickles of water yet still you came to your sessions full of fun and keen to learn. Well Done!

Thanks for putting your kit away at the end of each session.

Thanks to all the Mums, Dads, Friends and fellow club members who helped to lift the swamped boats out of the river and carry the boats up and down the steps. You do not know how welcome that help is.

A huge to all the young people who provided one-to-one assis-tance on the first night of the last Passport course when the river was extremely high (over the jetty) and fast flowing you did a fantastic job. With-out your help the passport group would not have got on the water that night.

hat next? Those with their 1 star or Passport can: Join in with any paddle that indicates beginner or 1 star ability:

The New Year’s Day Paddle;

Trips on the Rivers Frome and Wye;

The Tiverton Weekend (if over 10); Explore other events: open canoeing, slalom and canoe polo. Come back in April to Discover more

Continued on back page

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www.frome-canoe-club.org.uk

CONTACTS Chairman: Andy Bell 01373 468030 Vice Chair: Rich Carter 01373 864523 Treasurer: John Kent 01225 765168 [email protected] Secretary: Pam Dixon 01373 473836 [email protected] Youth Rep: Gareth McG 01761 432281 [email protected]

Rich Carter 14 Sara Withall 12 Simon Taylor 12 Jon Bevan 10 Arthur Belbin 8 Andy Bell 6 Nicky Coates 6 Richard Heal 6 Molly Taylor 6 Jack Smiles 6 Katie Hobbs 5 Tim Cottle 4 Gareth McGiveron 3 Olivia Ball 3 Jack Hobbs 3 Alex Nicol 3

George McGiveron 3 Josh Martin 3 Ailbhe O’Neill 3 Alex Nicol 3 Sally Smiles 3 Tim Smiles 3 Nick Bartlett 3 Neil Dixon 3 Matt Norman 3 James Bennett 3 Toby Bonnell 3 Carl Gilder 3 Michael Topp 1 Mark Baines 1 Stuart Miles 1 Chris Paton 1

COPPERNOSE CLIP POINTS

Canoeing and kayaking are “Assumed risk” – “Water contact sports” that may carry attendant risks. Participants should be aware of and accept these risks, and be responsible for their own action and involvement.

Get all your canoeing

things from the Family

Adventure Store at

Hilperton. BA14 7PJ

Passport – continued from page 11

Check out the photos of club events or put a comment on the Forum!

skills and techniques.

PS Don’t forget that the pool sessions on a Friday evening

(9pm-10pm) are useful for practising and improv-ing your skills over the winter.

Could this be

you next year???

2009 09 newsletter

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