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12th September 2009

19th July 2009

Much better conditions this week, with a steady breeze (well almost) blowing from the south, so we were able to trundle up and down the river without too much tacking. Georgie and the two Eds were down, so we had enough boats to go round. Thanks to Andy Bourn and Diana for doing a quick but effective refurbishment on Sweet Pickle. Thanks to Meryl for sending in the snaps.

12th July 2009

Sunday morning sailing

Gusty conditions this morning meant that our sailors had to have their wits about them! Georgie coped really well in Sweet Pickle but found Tom's Moth a bit of a handful. Andrew went out in Tom's Moth, capsized but recovered well and later tried his hand at Andrew Perrott's Moth with centre-main - capsized at first gust, but remained enthusiastic!

Richard Llewellyn enjoyed sailing the West 11- his first solo outing, and remained upright, and Mark and Elizabeth Barrett both came out in the West 11 later although by that time conditions were deteriorating and the dinghies were becoming skittish.

16/17 May, 2009

Duke of Edinburgh's Award

Abbeyfield School - Open Canoeing Course Weekend 1/3

The weekend of 16^th-17^th May saw 7 intrepid young people begin the expedition section of the bronze level of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Some had kayaked previously but none were familiar with open canoeing. They were coached by David Mannering.

This short report is their experience of the first weekend:

On the first training weekend we learnt a lot about hazards and which side to paddle on if an oncoming craft is coming towards you, we learnt the basics about canoeing and planning trips. We practiced the strokes, I learnt how to do many technical strokes such as the J stroke, bow rudder and cross bow rudder, and we did a short trip up the river. On the Saturday we also played various games such as canoe rugby and canoe British Bulldog, which were fun.

On Sunday the weather turned from bad to very bad, after a bit more stroke practice we went on a long trip up to some rapids just south of Kellaways it felt like we had all learnt all of the strokes well and for amateurs we felt like a strong group. We got to play in the white water on the river Marden, it was something different from what we had done the previous day. The best bit of the trip was definitely going down the mini rapids in the canoes. The hardest bit was the trip back from Kellaways where we struggled to battle our way back through very strong winds and heavy rain. Myself and Tom stopped paddling for literally 2 seconds and we were blown back by the wind 20m then had to start paddling again.

The funniest part of the weekend was playing gunwale bobbing on Saturday, Joe swan-dived off his boat Then he was rescued by Mr Mirza and David but fell out trying to counter balance the boat too much.

On the second day we practised using some throwlines at the start of the day and used them in the water at the end.

The overall impression on the weekend was that it was fun  and a great experience despite the weather. I have gone from knowing nothing at all about canoes to feeling confident in a boat and paddling along rivers. Overall I really enjoyed the weekend and am really looking forward to the practice weekend we have planned in 2 weeks. Canoeing is a very fun and challenging sport  as long as you don’t mind getting wet. I am definitely going to try my hand at canoeing at the club more often.

Thank you very much for giving up your time to come and teach us, it was great fun and I am sure we should be able to sail (canoe) through our expedition.

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16th March 2009

Fitting Out Day

Many hands made light work, and fine weather lent an air of optimism to the day! Members have begun to put their identification stickers on their boats, for which many thanks, and a reference list is posted on the Club noticeboard. It is hoped that all stickers will be in place by the end of March, after which time we will begin to look at unidentified craft with a view to disposal. Please note that this applies to trailers as well as to boats.

Thanks to David Norfolk for the photos!

1st December, 2008

Annual General Meeting - summary

It was decided at the AGM to introduce a new class of membership, for Families consisting of one parent and one child, who will pay the same subscription as a Couple, instead of a Family subscription as before.

Approval was given for the introduction of permanent identification stickers for every kayak, open canoe, dinghy and boat trailer for which a parking or storage fee has been paid, as well as for Club craft. Craft will only ever have one sticker, not one every year, as the aim is simply to have a ready means of identifying which item belongs to which member. After a reasonable period of time we can set about disposing of unidentified and unclaimed items and gradually get the compound cleared and tidy. If you have a boat or trailer at the compound and you haven't received a sticker for it by 5th December, please let Tom know via the Contact page.

It was recommended by those present at the AGM that we should aim to organise Monthly Working Parties between March and October, the idea being that one adult member from each membership 'unit' should expect to attend at least one Working Party during the course of the year. As a rough guide, we'd be looking at the third weekend of each month, and a provisional, voluntary rota will be drawn up and circulated in good time.

It was requested by members at the AGM that every owner of a boat parked in the compound should keep the space under and around it neat and tidy, and the grass cut.

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