December - The Basingstoke Canal Canoe Club

WaterfrontIssue 88 Dec 2001From the Chair…Ho! Ho! Ho!Well this famous phrase willsoon be ringing in our ears. Itrust you've all placed yourlatest canoeing wishes in aletter (or e-mail!) to Santa!Whether it's a new boat, onethat doesn't get holed (ChrisB), a faster boat (Paul B) or acag that keeps you drier (AlanD). I hope there'll be lots ofsmiley faces on the 25th!But do not spend too muchbefore Christmas because wehave the Canoe Exhibition inFebruary!Thanks for all those whoattended the AGM andenjoyed our illustrious guestspeaker. Enjoyable andinformative as it was, "numbbums" springs to mind.......say no more!Welcome to the new faces onthe committee this year andhopefully for their full threeyear term, please give themyour support or you mightfind you're doing the jobyourself!For purely leisure paddlers,things have quietened down alittle but don't forget thefortnightly Sunday poolsessions (club or own boat),warm water and hot showersto boot. On the other hand thewhite water season is in fullswing with several tripsalready taken place and moreto come before the fishermenclaim back their waters.What ever your interest incanoeing and kayaking, it is areal all season sport. Water isalways available be it: still,moving, cold or warm andtherefore you will findsomeone enjoying themselveson local water every week ofthe year.See you on the water!Richard Somerset2002 SubscriptionsYour 2002 subscription is dueon 1 January 2002. The rateshave not changed from thisyear, and areAdult £14.00Junior Family £14.00Family £28.00Affiliated Clubs £28.00Your renewal notice isenclosed with this newsletter.Please send your subscriptionas soon as possible to BrianGandy, 32, Florence Road,Church Crookham, Fleet,Hants, GU52 6LQ. [01252622 630]In This Issue:PageFrom the Chair 1Subscriptions 1Committee Members 1News 2Trips and tours-Flat water 2White water 3Flat water 4Salt water 5Training 7For sale 7Marathon Views 8Dry surfing 8Points Table Hare and 8HoundsEditor’s Bit 9Dates for your Calendar 9Committee Members:Chairman:Richard Somerset 01252 628267Treasurer:Alan Small 01252 672693Secretary:Tony Gadd 01252 687611Committee:Michael Carpenter 01252877903 (Pool)David Mantell 01252 658984(Coach)Liz Murnaghan 01276 514766(Newsletter)Lee Matthews 01428 714090Jane Roper 01252 622628Co-opted:Charles Hicks 01252 850657(Boat house)Chris Belton 01252 522403Ian Thomas 01252 677797

2 WaterfrontNews The traditional Boxing Day FANCYHAT/DRESS PADDLE, will be held atHelen WillsWe are all very sorry to hear of the sadloss of Helen Wills who died early in November.Helen was 31 years old and had suffered withvery bad migraines for many years that becametoo much for her to cope with.Chequers Wharf 10.30 ish. Finish with amince pie and Mulled wine followed bythe famous 'Mummers play' at the formerChequers public house,(12 noon) not tobe missed!Quiz Night - Friday, 1st March 2002The Family were founder members of theBCCC and Dad, Brian was Treasurer for awhile. They enjoyed the club activities andholidays we spent together and Helen becamea Slalom paddler.They moved to Somerset about 10 yearsago but have kept in touch with members andcame to the 21st Anniversary Barn dance.Our thoughts are with Ann, Brian and herbrother, Roger.Trix & IanWe have again arranged a general knowledgequiz to help raise funds. Please come along. Thequiz is open to anyone, and there is noconnection with canoeing - except for the fundswe raise for the Club. The competition is forteams of six people and the cost is £24 per team.You will be provided with wine, soft drinks andsnacks to help answer the quiz questions andthere will also be a bar selling wines and beers.Our aim is for you and your friends to have anenjoyable evening even if, at times, you find achallenging question or two.An entry form is enclosed. Please come andjoin in the fun.----------------------------------------------------------Trips and ToursPooh Sticks Sloes the Party(29 September 2001)Mrs Beaton’s Household Management, circa 1950Sloe GinIngredientsSloes, gin, barley-sugar, noyeau or essence ofalmonds.MethodHalf fill clean, dry wine bottles with the fruitpreviously pricked with a darning needle. Add toeach 1 oz of crushed barley-sugar, a little noyeau, or2 or 3 drops of essence of almonds. Fill the bottleswith good unsweetened gin, cork them securely, andallow them to remain in a moderately warm place for3 months. A the end of this time strain the liqueurthrough fine muslin or filtering paper until quiteclear, then bottle it, cork securely, and store for use.Friday evening came, as did the pitter-patter of raindrops, and it (apparently) continued all night. EarlySaturday morning telephone calls changed the paddlefrom a day on the Thames to an afternoon on theBasingstoke Canal, it was felt that the current mightbe a bit fierce at Windsor weir.So its “Hunt the Tea Shoppe” along the canal instead.A Canadian with two and seven Kayaks brave thetempestuous water and broiling sun for a gentlepaddle, in a westerly direction from Odiham Wharf, tothe end of the navigable water.Soon after the start the lead canoeist frightened aswan and with six bounds (who’s counting) ourintrepid hero (sorry, swan) was free and doing itsConcorde impression.It was remarkable how the water became clearer thenearer we got to Greywell - said to be due to less runofffrom the fields and a constant feed of spring water.It was clear enough to see the bottom and the way thesides were angled to reduce wash damage, also toobserve the different species of fish, alive and dead (afair sized pike). A strange variety of Chubb floated on

3 Waterfrontthe water - bright orange and with handle and hose -ask through the Editor if there was a reward for thesalvage!The “siphon” to allow the Cresswell steam to gounderneath the canal is an unusual feature.A leg-stretch at Odiham Castle, once around the ruins,and on with the return.The blackberries were plentiful and plump, as werethe berries of the Nightshade family; this led to adiscussion on the merits and effects of variousculinary poisons - rhubarb leaves, Nightshade, SloeGin etc. as the makings for the latter had also beenseen. Now Pooh Sticks had a “maybe” bag (maybe itwill come in useful) and offered it for the collection ofthe sloes. A few in the party helped and sufficient fora bottle or two were gathered - more could have beenpicked but it was suggested that we ought to catch upwith the rest of the party. (The “pickers” look forwardto sampling the results in a few months time.)The “Hunt” revealed no “Tea Shoppe’s” and PoohSticks believes they are as mythical as the Snuffle-Pooch.Next Autumn perhaps the trip should be repeated,taking two Canadians, two scaffold boards, a stepladderand a couple of buckets - should get enoughsloes for a gallon of gin.P.S.Where do you get barley-sugar these days?“Pooh Sticks”Dart – to flit, dash, scurry, zip,zoom, whizExcuse me ! these may be analogous expressionsbut its canoeists we are talking about, remember.Less of the dashing and scurrying and a bit more ofthe laid back, mine’s a pint approach to life. Now,where was I ? Ooooh yes ! regular readers of thiscolumn will know that your author has a verypersonal view of whitewater trips. This, however, willbe an exception. Only facts to be relayed this timeso that if you are thinking about coming along onthese weekends this will tell you all you need toknow.On rising with the lark (yes I know it was October butas far as I know there could well be larks about) Iproceeded in a northerly direction from Dorking tojoin the M25. After some miles proceeding westwardI was relieved to spot the familiar signs on the M3and, coaxing the old girl in a southwesterly direction,(of come on now, do I have to spell it out ? that’s aeuphemism for “car) I duly arrived in Fleet to pick upRichard who was bidding a tender farewell to the oldgirl (Oh, come on again, that’s a euphemism for“wife”) and we headed on to pick up Colin who wasbidding farewell (though not so tenderly) to the oldgirl (I’m sorry, what do you mean you don’tunderstand. It’s a euphemism for “mother”). At 8o’clock we were off, next stop Dart Country Park forthe rendevous with the lads. (not an old girl of anydescription in sight). For those of you who may notbe familiar with the DCP (no, I’m NOT going to spellit out !) its located in a fine old English country housesurrounded by the sort of grounds that fine oldEnglish country houses were surrounded by.Our arrival took me back to my childhood. Sweepingup the majestic drive, the limousine new exactlywhere it was going. But, where were butler, nanny,cook, servants. Was I really expected to park myown car ? How times have changed. At least wehad a wing of the house to ourselves. Heavens !.The thought of having to commune with otherpeople. We made do with eight bedrooms, twobathrooms, two withdrawing rooms and a couple ofkitchens. Of course it wasn’t what we were used tobut we didn’t complain.In our party was a gentleman of a certain age whosepenchant was, among very many other things, thecomposing of limericks. No dear reader, I would notrisk offending your sensibilities before the nineo’clock watershed by repeating them in this columnbut I believe the Mayor of Casterbridge had a prettygood time in one and a lady who carried her “bits” ina paper bag was admired in another ! However, fora family publication the following rendition isconsidered unlikely to upset even the most delicatedisposition.On paddling the Dart onedayI heard a young gentlemansayOn a river like thisLife always seems blissBut its so easy to lose oneswayOooh I know just how he feels, Everard, I said, firstits this way, then that, right here, left there, roundthat one…….when actually all I wanted to do was toget to the Little Chef at Buckfast in time for an allday breakfast. No such luck but it was fun trying.And now for some facts….Water levels were a bit on the low side although allthe major features on the river including the TumbleDrier, the Microwave and Triple Food Mixer were allas soft as old pussy cats. As for the Corkscrew andthe Fish Slice their customary majesty held noterrors nor even the mighty cliff at Jilters Jump. So,no acts of derring do to recount that night. But whatof day two.

4 WaterfrontIt was a largely uneventful day for most of us until weheard that famous mariners shout go up. No, notman over board ! It was the other one. Help ! Help!HELP ! I’m sinking. Its amazing how much damagethe teeth of a great White can do to the underside ofa plastic kayak. OK, so it was not a Dancer in thefirst flush of youth but poor old Chris found that hisnormal fluid and precise technique was somewhathampered by the ingress of some hundred gallons ofwater into his boat. He noticed that all was not quiteas it should be when he felt a strangely coolingsensation around a part of his body which he isnormally able to keep rather on the warm side. On aquick inspection of the Plimsoll line what hadhappened became only to clear. Yes, dear reader,he had sunk. Thankfully this happened at the end ofthe day and it was only a short submarine paddle tothe DCP (no, I’m still not going to spell it out. Youreally must pay more attention !). Chris’s latestexploit was to navigate the River Blackwater by bike.I hadn’t realised that the Great Sinking Boat Scamhad had such an effect on poor Chris but then he hadbroken his paddles on the previous day in a fight tothe death in The Mangle.There you are. The truth, the whole truth andnothing, not even the facts. So what’s keeping you ?Martin SandersTeashoppes and IndiansThose of you familiar with Star tests will recall thatthere is now a journeying element with the clause“Provide evidence of a trip lasting….” After severalenjoyable sessions pottering on the canal andlearning the joys of J strokes we still hadn’t been anywhere. Brian decided there fore that HijackingDebbie’s Teashoppe tour on the Thames would suithis Canadian candidatesIt was a calm morning when 6 paddlers but only 4boats were unloaded in the pub carpark in Cookham.The management of the Harvester will kindly clampand fine any car found in their carpark which doesnot belong to a patron so there followed a drive roundthe locality to find a free, legal parking place. Theboys in blue were out in force for a RemembranceDay parade so we weren’t chancing anything. Janewas going to bring the drivers back when wefinished. Some lively banter ensued following thediscovery that Brian and my canoe containedsubstantially more kit than Debbie and Ian’s. TheScout and Guide ethos of “Be Prepared” got blamed.As we paddled gently towards Cookham Lock wespotted a kingfisher. Time for our first portage andhere the technique differs from marathon racing. Witha boat full of kit we are not in a position to run andinstead stagger around pausing to change hands,take a breather and at this lock , talk to 2 fellowpaddlers who had just brought an inflatable canoe upfrom Boulters lock. We left them having a teabreakand paddled on admiring the autumn colours andviews.Our lunch spot on the island at Boulters lockoverlooked the chute where rodeos are held. It wasclosed to paddlers on this occasion. It was a shortwalk to the Teashoppe for china mugs of tea. Ian hada few problems buying food. The saleslady couldoffer small, medium or large ice-creams butsandwiches was not in her vocabulary. Tim had anice-cream, as a junior he doesn’t have to stick toadult conventions of ice-cream is a summer food.There are some nice loos there too.Once on the water and reluctant to paddle after alarge lunch we thought we would try our hand atsailing the canoes. The large kitbags opened toreveal lengths of rope, bivvi bags and the flysheetfrom a 2 man tent. We tied the canoes together andrigged up a mast. The flysheet became a sail. Chrisand Tim provided “advice” from the sanctuary of theirkayaks. A huge square rigged sail evoked theVikings, though with the women in the stern hiddenfrom the men in the bows suggestions of Islamicinfluence were also made. It all looked veryimpressive. Only one slight problem of windremained. … There wasn’t any or not blowing wherewe wanted it too. We did experience a precious fewseconds with the wind in our sails helping usdownstream. We packed up and went back to amore conventional means of propulsion.There are lots of large houses to gawp at on thissection of the river. At Bray we wondered whether atable cloth from the top notch “Riverside Restaurant”would improve our sailing. We didn’t find out because1 ) it was shut and 2) we didn’t meet the dress code.A large gin palace of a river cruiser provided a set ofwaves that would have worryingly wobbled amarathon boat but in a canoe were a lot of fun.We stopped at Eton for a look at the new regattacourse and chatted to some of the rowers. Fromthere it’s not far to Windsor Canoe Club. Wediscussed the final part of the Star tests. The jumpingout and climb back in bit which for some reason wehad been putting off since September. Sadly Brianwas in a hurry so we decided to put it off for anotherday. One of the kayak paddlers did get somewhatdamp climbing out at the end. I won’t embarrass himby naming names though, just say it wasn’t “PoohSticks”. The advantage of Debbie having keys to aclubhouse are hot showers and tea when you finishwhich was appreciated!!!Thanks to Debbie for organising the tour, Jane forshuttling drivers and Brian for the Canadian course.Liz Murnaghan

5 Waterfront"It'll be Easier Next Time, Honest!!"John Badger Portsmouth & District Canoe Club(Several members will probably remember John from a few years ago when we had regular events with PDCC)There is something different about every time I have been around the Isle of Wight. My first time was afew years ago in my ageing Baidarka. On that occasion three of us were doing it in two days. We did it and thatbroke the back for a few individuals who always seemed to herald bad weather for the attempt. Most times I havealways been concerned if a south-westerly is forecast. This would mean that the exposed section from TheNeedles to St. Catherine's Point is able to provide its full fury across the English Channel.The superstitious may have felt that starting on Friday 13th, July may have not been a good idea. Despitemy best efforts eight others also felt it viable. They were Steve Earl (a veteran of many attempts), Martin & SueSpurling (veteran of many overnight camps, but not this one), Richard Somerset (a paddler from BasingstokeCanal Canoe Club with a Baidarka Explorer - so he has taste), Andrew Wallace (used to be into marathon paddlinguntil being exposed to the joys of the sea), Julie Fisher (ready to have a go at any thing), Andy Freem (a paddlerfrom the area years ago but now living in Swansea - we had met him in Pembrokeshire in a Force 7 so figured hewas just as daft as us) and last but not least Andy White (he enjoyed paddling with us so much in Poole last yearthat he jumped at the chance to do "the Wight"). Few of this intrepid group had ever done it before so to make it"easier" we were doing it in three stages, with two stops overnight.The day of the attempt and the rain was coming down well. In fact as I met Richard the skies opened.When his kayak was put on the car it left 16ft x 21" of dry patch on the drive. Our race to the start meant we justmade my expected arrival time. Trips of this nature can mean that all the stuff you usually pack suddenly does notfit, so it is often worth leaving some time spare to pack. We were starting at Lee On Solent, just in front of theCoastguard station so I went in and gave them a copy of our planned journey and caught up on the weather.Martin was not the only one who thought we must have been mad, so did the coastguard. The fact we had 3radios, enough flares for November 5th and all were competent did ease their minds.As we stood on the shore in front of the retired hovercraft "Princess Anne" and "Princess Margaret" wecould see Cowes and much further a wide expanse of sea. Way off, the hills of Yarmouth could be made out, ourstop for the night, 15NM away. Packing was done very quickly by some and less so by others. It is often a goodidea to actually pack in the back garden for the first few times you do this sort of thing, if only to realise that youcan get more in than you at first thought.Finally we were ready to go and after a brief pep talk our kayaks slid into the sea. Thanks to the windthere was a good swell running in our faces and each time the kayak crashed down a wash was guaranteed.Paddling a near fully-laden sea-kayak is something that is worth doing as suddenly it behaves totally differently andoften much more stable. There are times when having it loaded nose heavy or light can work in your favour. As Ido not have drop-down skeg, I had mine nose heavy, as I usually do when paddling into the wind. It seems to helpit stay straighter, but does mean a much wetter ride. By looking around it was clear that some were coping withthe rough conditions better than others. After a while it seemed that brute strength or being used to paddling longdistances was the necessary factor and it was decided to split into two groups. The first were sent off to pause atEgypt Point on West Cowes and the tail-enders would catch them up.As they headed off a radical difference in speed was seen. So much so that the lead group actuallydisappeared. Egypt Point is a place where the tide is focussed and it is easy to overshoot. Our last view of thegroup ahead looked like they would never make it into the shore so whilst we headed into shore we decided to stayout slightly, where the tide was strongest and get maximum assistance from it. Sadly the group had managed toget ashore and were now swiftly getting back on! As we reformed as a single group a discussion was held. Someof the group felt they could paddle no further, having bashed into the wind for two hours.We landed on a "shingle beach" with some beach huts, toilets and even a reasonable amount of shelter.The Shingle was in fact lots of the remnants of crabs that local fishermen brought ashore. Back on terra-firma wewere able to take stock of the situation. The tide would be picking up speed over the next hour, in our favour. Thewind had a good chance of dying down, in our face. We could not camp here nor any where for the next fewmiles. Our planned campsite was still eight miles away, but a spot was known just after Newtown. This would bejust 1 hour away. This seemed to be the preferred option as it gave us a chance the next day IF the weather wasok.The stop was made all the more amusing by the group of kids that were using the beach-huts to have a B-B-Q but had forgotten a match. So this group of lads sent a young girl to this group of soggy looking kayakers toask "do you have a match?" Of course we did and Andy F was soon unloading much of his front hatch to find thematches, he even got most of them back!Once back on the water the wind was still in our face but we were making better progress than before.Some stayed out in the main flow to get every benefit from the tide whilst others stayed a little further in to avoidthe larger waves and a little wind. Almost on cue, tired and relieved, we arrived at Newtown and were checkingout our impromptu campsite. There appeared to be a "footpath" big enough for a land-rover so some of camped inthe middle of this whilst others found more private positions, dreaming of flat seas and sun-kissed beaches.

6 WaterfrontSaturday Morning. Not a breath of wind to disturb the air. What was going on? Could this be still adream? Andy F had managed to catch the early morning forecast and it was no dream. The forecast was for thewind to be SW but gentle breezes then changing to NW. Not perfect but definitely a possibility. As our rubbishwas collected up (ok, mostly bottles of beer that had mysteriously appeared from my kayak) the beach was soon inthe same condition as it had been when we had arrived. Our initial start seemed too easy but we were gonnamake the most of it. A brief stop at Fort Victoria (to offload my empties) and then onward to the Needles.As we drew closer to these rock pinnacles we could see kayaks. Was this a mirage? Who would be daftenough to be out there at this time of day? Once through the gap it was time to decide if we continue or not. Allseemed in favour of going for it but some had headed for the shore at Scratchells Bay to chat with the group thatwere now having breakfast or an early morning coffee, we had not been seeing things after all. Our bearing wasset at about 135o and off we set with a slight wind to our right.It has often been said that the run from The Needles to St. Catherine's Point is the killer for this paddle andtoday was no exception. It is 12 miles point to point so this means about 3 hours paddling on a reasonable tide.With the wind on our beam it was going to be a long day. Those with skegs were finding life a little easier and Juliehad to be reigned in on a couple of occasions. Steve was enjoying the waves by surfing in and then heading at45o to it to get back out. Andy White was having more troubles than most. He had the shortest kayak and with hisluggage on the back deck was being blown off course rather more than he would have liked. Being so far fromshore gives the effect of not moving and this is not helped by the height of land behind St. Catherine's. Finally, atlast, we were in a position to head closer to shore.There are many overfalls in this area and heading close to shore usually means an easier time of it. Thiswas even more felt as we bounced over many waves within a mile from the point. I was asked at one point "whatis the best technique?" My honest reply, "Just try and stay upright!!" Even though the tide was moving at areasonable speed the lighthouse seemed to stay just around the corner. At this point moral was failing fast andlunch was overdue. The time to get here had been longer than expected and it meant we did not have theassistance expected. We had been on the water for 5 hours and we were still 30 minutes from our lunch stop atVentnor.The landing at Ventnor was uneventful, just a slog to the beach. All were very happy to land and have alate lunch. For some, it was the longest time they had remained in their kayak in one sitting and this wasemphasised by the almost immediate dash for the loos. No one had strength to even take up a mild suggestion ofice-creams. But with a slackening tide we could not enjoy the stop for long. The theory was that now the windwould be behind us and the tide would be losing it’s strength so we had to make our move across Sandown Bayand our "campsite" at Whitecliff.Nature had yet more lessons to teach us. Once away from the shore the tide slackened further and thewind came from our left. It had finally begun to turn, if a little later than expected. Many in the group were nowtired but plodding at a steady rate. Andy was still feeling the effects of the south-west corner and it was decided tosplit up into two distinct groups. The fast runners would make there way to Culver Cliff and, with luck, might evenhave the coffee on by the time we arrived, some chance.It pays to paddle in groups, or at least in pairs. This was shown when Andrew Wallace decided to test hisrolling practice 3/4 of the way across the bay. Or at least it looked like he was doing that. In fact he had just got alittle too relaxed and oops in he went. He was soon back in his boat and rumour has it that he did not even get hisWurthers Originals wet as they were shared about the rescue party. By the time the last of us arrived at Culver thetide had turned and we limped over the chalky cliff floor glad to have arrived and get the tents up. Most were sotired that it was just food then off to sleep, ready for the next day.Andy F had risen early yet again and caught the forecast. It seemed that despite now being "almost there"even the last run would be wind against. As we rounded Bembridge with our course set to pass about 1 mile Westof No Mans Land Fort we felt a light breeze in our faces. Normally not a problem but having battled the wind thefirst day and had it on our side the second it seemed a little unfair. In fact we had set off slightly earlier and thismeant we had more tidal assistance as we crossed the main shipping lanes. A few larger vessels had just leftPortsmouth but were would be no problem to them. The Fishbourne ferries were doing a roaring trade as theypassed in front of us many times and by the time we were in the main hazard area we were able to predict wherethey were going. Our course meant we could head easily past a very keen hovercraft and onward to GilkickerPoint.We had actually crossed over a little too soon, so as to avoid the shipping, and this meant Stokes Bayseemed longer than normal. At Browndown the close proximity of land meant a stop for nature by one. Thesunshine beamed down as we passed all the people walking along at Lee on Solent. Did they realise why we allhad the look of people who had just done a marathon?? Maybe they thought it was a race as we went past? Asthe Coastguard building came into view so too did journeys end. We were all a little tired and glad we had gotround. Just two days earlier it seemed that we may have been going for just a plod to the island and back, in factwe had "done the Wight."Well done to you all. Next year I will be looking at doing it in 2 days with a PROPER campsite 1/2 waybetween Needles and St. Cats. This will be with Spring tides!!!! Places may be limited so if you are interested letme know soon........

7 WaterfrontTRAININGThis is the last training article for 2001 andthe last I shall write for a time as ClubTraining Officer as I have resigned to allowme more time to conduct actual trainingcourses. Richard Somerset (for his sins)has taken on the task on a temporary basisuntil a volunteer can be found – so anytraining requests to Richard please.Despite the lack of available trainers, westill managed to train 32 Club members invarious courses from 1* up to 3* in bothKayak and open Canadian canoes this year.There is already a list of candidates for 1*and 2* courses for next year and it is againplanned to start the training season early inthe season (April/May 2002). Please contactRichard soonest to ensure your name goesdown for the course that you require.In addition to the formal ‘star’ courses,various ad-hoc sessions have been held onFleet Wharf and particularly in the pool atRAF Odiham. The ad-hoc sessions centredmainly around capsize and rescuetechniques plus support strokes.The final training activity arranged this yearis a rolling course at RAF OdihamSwimming Pool on the following dates 16 thDecember, 13 th and 27 th January, 10 thFebruary and finally the 24 th February or10 th March (to be decided). All courses arefrom 8.00pm (sharp) until 8.30pm. If youwant to join this course, please ring MikeCarpenter or Richard Somerset for moredetails.Finally, a big ‘Thank You’ to those whoparticipated in coaching during the year –without you there would be no Club trainingopportunities.WE NEED BOATS!There is a very firm need for cheap ‘starterboats’ to allow new paddlers the maximumamount of time on the water to practice thenew skills. During this initial period there isplenty of time to decide what type of boat isultimately wanted. All too often expensiveboats are initially purchased and money lostwhen reselling. A cheap general-purposekayak can be bought, used for a seasonand sold for the same price!!The object of this note? Please keep youreyes open for any general-purpose kayaksand let me have the contact details asap soI can pass them on to prospective buyers.David Mantell01252-658984FOR SALELong John wet suit, ideal for canoeing on thesecolder times!For 5 ft 9in male adult, with'convenience' zip very good condition £45Martin Sanders 01036 740790White Water helmets.Black - medium £12Purple - large £12Pogies - blue, just the things for winter paddlingRichard Somerset 01252 628267Perception “Dancer XS” Kayak (Ideal for anyoneunder about 8 ½ stone) £150Palm waterproof cag £35Long John style wetsuit £20Long John style wetsuit and jacket £40Wanted second hand playboatContact Hannah on 01252 713142Long john style wetsuit, suit lady size 10/12 £20Liz Murnaghan 01276 514766David Mantell

8 WaterfrontMarathon ViewsAs a change from thenormal account of howwell people have done intheir events I thought Iwould start with thelength’s people will go tonot to make the start orfinish line.A) Wash hanging abroken tree branchor resting upon it.This allows you tofall in before thestart of the race.You can then startwell aftereveryone else. Ifyou can catchthem, great, if notyou have a readymade excuse.B) Falling in on thestart line due to wash from other boats again missing the start then as A above.C) Locking your keys in your car (make sure all your kit is in the car, this saves the trouble of evengetting changed), it may also help a colleague out from paddling if you are in a K2 and travelled uptogether.D) Offering to do the timekeeping instead of racing yourself (thanks but that’s my get out.)E) No stable boat was available to use, so fall in on the start line then as A above.F) I can’t race as I promised my partner we would go out, and I thought the race was next week,(there are races every week and we do race at nice locations.)Despite this the numbers racing for us this season have been up on last year and we have had somegood results and the club are in 3 rd place at the mid season break.Our club Hare & Hounds still runs throughout the winter and could always do with a few more entrieseven from you out of condition white water paddlers doing an H&H would really help with yourfitness. see calendar for details.Training at this time of year can be a bit hit and miss, unless you are planning to do some of the longerdistance races a such as the Waterside series or Thameside races. But its now the work should be doneso remember it’s the work you do in the dark that makes you shine on the light of spring.Paul BatchelorDry surfingHare & Hound Results Sept 011 st Richard Somerset K1 55.50 10pts YTD 102 nd Tim Middlehurst K1 46.20 9pts 93 rd Richard Batchelor & K2 46.21 8pts 8Paul Batchelor4 th Brian Gandy K1 61.34 7pts 75 th Lis Coleman Laance 69.26 6pts 66 th Alan Coleman Laance 65.07 5pts 5Hare & Hound Results October 20011st Tina Murrey Laance 72.56 10pts 102nd Liz Murnaghan & K2 57.02 9pts 9Brian Gandy3rd Jonathan Johns Hobbie 72.27 8pts 84th Paul Batchelor K1 53.08 7pts 75th Paul Massam K1 61.51 6pts 66th Alan Coleman Laance 64.35 5pts 107th Paul Stearn K1 56.53 4pts 4Hare & Hound Results November 20011st Liz Murnaghan Hobbie 63.54 10pts 102nd Pete Absolom K1 63.58 9pts 93rd Richard Somerset K1 57.58 8pts 184th Alan Coleman Laance 64.45 7pts 175th Paul Batchelor K1 55.12 6pts 13A space filler for the end of a page, for those of you surf the web ,sites with a canoeing theme.www.seabeagle.shetland.co.uk Great for learning the theory for star tests, with an emphasis on sea paddlingwww.kayak.nildram.co.uk …….Reading canoe club site, the place to go for info on marathonwww.bccanoeing.co.ukOur website!!

9 WaterfrontTraining TimesWednesdays 1930 CrookhamWharfThursdays 1515 Crookham WharfSaturdays 0920 CrookhamWharfJust turn up with some kit and wewill find a boat suitable for you.For any further information ringCharles Hicks on 01252 850657or Paul Batchelor on 01252845510 or e-mailbatchjp@aol.comEDITOR’S BITWith new playboats now shorterthan your paddles it will soon bepossible to post them through aletter box rather than drop it downa chimney. How ever your new kitarrives this Christmas I lookforward to receiving an account ofyour exploits to share with theother club members. Best wishesfor a Merry Christmas and a HappyNew YearPlease forward articles to:-Liz Murnaghan10 Elsenwood DriveCamberleyGU15 2AZor E mail:liz.murnaghan@ntlworld.com(Articles preferred in *.rtf -rich text format)The closing datefor issue 88 is 10 thFebruary 2001.A few dates for the calendar.Dec0115th Club Hare and hounds Contact Paul Batchelor 01252 84551016th Wey Hare and Hounds, Guildford Contact Paul Batchelor 01252 84551016th Pool session at RAF Odiham Contact Michael Carpenter 01252 87790326th Boxing Day paddle at Crookham Wharf 10.30ish start30th 26mile relay paddle at Banbury Contact Paul Batchelor 01252 845510Jan026th Frank Luzmore K2 race at Richmond Contact Paul Batchelor 01252 8455107th DW seminar at Wokingham watersports centre 7.30pm start13th Pool session at RAF Odiham Contact Michael Carpenter 01252 87790319th Club Hare and hounds Contact Paul Batchelor 01252 84551020th Wey Hare and Hounds, Guildford Contact Paul Batchelor 01252 84551027th Pool session at RAF Odiham Contact Michael Carpenter 01252 87790327th Introduction to White water Contact Liz Murnaghan 01276 514766Feb 023rd Waterside A Contact Paul Batchelor 01252 84551010th Thameside 1 Contact Paul Batchelor 01252 84551010th Pool session at RAF Odiham Contact Michael Carpenter 01252 87790316th Club Hare and hounds Contact Paul Batchelor 01252 84551017th Wey Hare and Hounds, Guildford Contact Paul Batchelor 01252 84551017th Waterside B Contact Paul Batchelor 01252 84551023/24 International Canoe Exhibition24th Pool session at RAF Odiham Contact Michael Carpenter 01252 87790324th Thameside 1 Contact Paul Batchelor 01252 845510Mar021st QUIZ NIGHT see inside for more details3rd Waterside C Contact Paul Batchelor 01252 84551010th Pool session at RAF Odiham Contact Michael Carpenter 01252 87790316th Club Hare and hounds Contact Paul Batchelor 01252 84551017th Waterside D Contact Paul Batchelor 01252 84551024th Pool session at RAF Odiham Contact Michael Carpenter 01252 87790329th Devizes to Westminster until 2nd AprilInternational Canoe ExhibitionAre you interested in having a Club trip to this event?. We willendeavour to find a shorter route than last Feb. Please let me havenames by 3 rd FebLizMissing BoatsPlease check your gardens and garages for club equipment. The boatstore was in a mess and not everything is there. Please let Lee knowwhat Club kit you have got so he can keep track of it. Phone him on07950 232 193 (mobile) or email him atleem1001@netscapeonline.co.uk

10 Waterfront

December - The Basingstoke Canal Canoe Club

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