Updates from the club for May

Dear Paddler

River Trip Bank Holiday Saturday
Dave Guntrip and Trevor Tarlton-Weatherall are running a trip next weekend for those that want to push themselves a little bit more on the Saturday morning paddle.
Starting at the club at 10am they will be paddling to Clifton the suspension bridge and back, paddlers should be competent paddlers as half of the trip will be against the flow. If the river levels are high then this can be quite a strenuous paddle.  In total this is about 10k but 5km is upstream against the flow.

Start time is 10am, club kit can be borrowed. No lunch stop, so lunch back at the club, be aware as this is through the centre of Nottingham no loo stops are available.

This is suitable for paddlers who do the normal Saturday trips and want to push themselves a bit further, and it is suggested that longer boats would be good for this trip.

Slalom coach Recruitment

For many years the club has worked with British Canoeing and our Slalom section to develop slalom paddlers and slalom talent, this has been through a variety of community coaches, and partnership agreements, but in an exciting development British Canoeing will be recruiting a full time Slalom coach to work on their talent programme, and to work with the club slalom programme.

The club will be in partnership with British Canoeing and will be contributing to the salary of the coach, developing new cohorts of junior slalom paddlers and working with talented slalom paddlers at the club.

The role will be advertised in the next few days on the British Canoeing website.  We look forward to exciting times as we work together with British Canoeing to develop potential world class young paddlers.

Thinking about getting your own kit?

As we start moving towards our busy time in the summer, now might be the time to think about getting your own kit, don’t forget that club members get a generous discount at Desperate Measures, and you can try kit on and try out their demo boats.  If you are thinking about buying some new kit don’t be afraid to ask club members if you can try theirs to see if it is right for you.  Being able to customise your boat and fittings is the great advantage of your own kit.

Protecting the environment

If you are moving between different rivers this summer don’t forget the golden rules

CHECK – CLEAN – DRY

CHECK – your kit for bugs, beasties and plant pieces – leave them behind at the riverside

CLEAN – make sure that you wash kit down, especially in hard to reach area such as under dry bags and seats

DRY – make sure that your kit is dry before it goes on another river.

Following these rules can help to stop the spread of invasive species across our waterways.  Native species are being wiped out as invasive species travel into new areas, and as paddlers we have a responsibility to protect the waterways that we love.

A new trailer is on its way

If you have visited the compound recently you may have wondered where the large trailer has gone.  The club took the decision to sell the trailer as it was far too heavy to be towed by most vehicles, and as a twin axel trailer was not easy to move.  We have been very fortunate to receive a grant for £1000 from British Canoeing towards the cost of a new trailer, and hopefully a brand new trailer will be arriving shortly.  This will enable us to take Canoes and touring kayaks from the club on trips, enabling paddlers to share transport, so reducing costs and reducing our carbon footprint.

That’s all the updates for now.

Safe paddling

Dawn