• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
 
Marlow Canoe Club Newsletter COVER Autumn 2009/03
July 26
th
 
2009 and the ‘canoe cavalcade’ or 
ganised byMWRG gets underway. Run annually by the Maidenhead Waterways Restoration
Group, the paddle wound it’s way from Green Lane to Bray Lake, all
off
the main body of the Thames. See Jane Oxley’s item inside for the full
story.
 
Marlow Canoe Club Newsletter - 2 - Autumn 2009/03
EDITORS PIECE
It‟s been an interesting summer –
trying tofind it was perhaps the hardest part. But itcropped up here and there and with a littleluck (unfortunately not always) the club madethe most of the opportunities available to it.
A look through the „What‟s on, When andWhere‟ page shows that, once again, Tim
Twitchen has been hard at work not onlyorganising courses but establishing a flatwater touring programme as well. Itcontinues into this final quarter of the yearwith a few outings I might get around to
doing. Someone‟s going to have to work
really hard to take the PETER LEE CUP ofthe boy!We finally got the Sea Kayaking programmerunning. Unfortunately we chose a day whensummer failed to make an appearance. A lotwas learned from this trip however, and as Isit here suffering the group will be out on atrip that I put a lot of work into. Unfortunatelya flu weakened body would make me a
liability on the sea so I‟ll be looking forward to the write up for this next issue. Hopefully I‟ll
be able to talk them into a re-run for the new starters that have expressed an interest.
I‟ve thrown a few words together on the use of and p
urchase of roof racks which I hope willbe useful to those about to invest in one.Our cover picture shows the start of the MWRG barbeque paddle and Jane was there totell us all about it.The OCA provides an alternative group for those into open boats but not exclusively so.
Andy Maxted, no mean single blader, went to Mepal in the fens for the OCA‟s Canoe Fest
Rally. Read all about it inside.Sea Kayaking southwest is a provider that a no. of our members have used and CP lets usnow how he got on with them.Alex and Will Krag (along with mum, Helen) joined the club and did our first 1* course of
the year. Here how they‟ve got on by way of an „interview‟ conducted by „mum‟.
 EDM 1577 is all about the lack of river access and a motion put forward by John GroganMP. I asked my MP to support the motion
 –
hear what he has to say in this copied e-mailconversation with David Lidington (Con., Aylesbury)The fast boat section has really suffered since Sera went to University. Steve Backshallmight be the man to
fill her boots though with an encouraging piece on the „Mighty K1‟. It
would be nice to see some of the other zippy people come and support him
 –
and we
should not forget Melinda‟s own efforts to get this genre moving again on Wednesday
evenings.
That‟s i
t for this issue; copy is now being taken for the winter edition due to be publishedlate November / early December.
JOHN NORRIS AUGUST 2009 
CONTENTS
BLACK DAY AT MUDEFORD 3ROOF RACKS 5MWRGCC0709 7ELK HUNTING IN FENLAND 8AT SEA IN DEVON 9AN INTERVIEW WITH THEKRAGS11EDM 1577 12IN PRAISE OF THE MIGHTY K1 16OTTERS ON THE THAMES 18LOCK IMPROVEMENTS 18
WHAT’S ON, WHEN & WHERE
19THE COMMITTEE 20
 
Marlow Canoe Club Newsletter - 3 - Autumn 2009/03
BLACK DAY AT MUDEFORD
It all started a while back and gathered pace when some of those interested in sea
kayaking held a „meeting‟ in my lounge back in February. A sea section was „born‟ with a
schedule of things to achieve this year. Recognising that the club has no active seacoaches our initial plan was just to get on the water, rack up a few miles / trips and gainexperience. Check out each others limits; get to feel comfortable as a group, all on fairlybenign water. The initial trip was based on Christchurch harbour and would involve apaddle along the coast towards Milford and return, with the possibility of a little play insome more exciting water around Hengistbury Head. Then it all went wrong!
A plan was prepared and forwarded to the Coastguard the previous evening 
You may recall the foul weather we had around Mid May. The weekend forecast was foronshore winds of around 20mph, southerly veering both East and West. The wiser seakayaker, perhaps with a greater recognition of their capabilities would have put the word
out that the plan was cancelled. But not me. Sunday was looking „better‟ and I confirmedthis with Shades who had phoned up to advise me that, when conversing with a „yottie‟, he
had learned of F8 conditions out in the bay. There is a little more that goes into theplanning of a sea trip and the temptation is to go for it ev
en when you shouldn‟t. So 5 of 
us turned up at the club on that Sunday and left shortly afterwards. Forgetting my paddlewould turn out to be the least of my concerns, as via Stokenchurch we headed forChristchurch. Rownham services, just outside Southampton, had enough water in the carpark to make up for the aborted WW trip scheduled for that weekend.
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...