River Stour Beginners Trip – 29th April

Posted on April 4, 2012 by

A beginners canoe trip has been planned for Sunday 29th April to give an introduction to river paddling for those who may never been on a trip before; other club members are also welcome.  This will be held on the River Stour, starting from Dedham, paddling down river to Flatford Mill and returning back along the same route.  The route is detailed here: Dedham to Flatford

We will be on the water at 10:30am so please arrive at least 30 minutes before then to prepare.  We should comfortably return back to Dedham by 3pm.

Stour River Canoe - Braintree Canoeing Club

Stour River Canoe - Braintree Canoeing Club

We do have a limited amount of equipment if you want to borrow a boat, paddle, deck or buoyancy aid.  You will need to make arrangements to transport any equipment borrowed, if you cannot take it yourself.

Please also note, that all borrowed equipment needs to be returned washed/cleaned to the pool by 6pm on the same day.

If you are interested in coming along please email: stourtrip@braintreecanoeingclub.co.uk  If you need to borrow any equipment, please also mention this (equipment is issued on a first come first served basis)

On a safety note, any children will need to be accompanied by an adult (either paddling or walking the bank) and a Parental Responsibility form will need to be signed and handed in on or before the day.

Kit list (other than the obvious kayak, and paddle):

  • Buoyancy aid – you will not be allowed to paddle without one
  • Spray deck (optional, but recommended)
  • Dry cag / trousers (something to keep out the wind/rain)
  • Footwear (wetsuit boots or old trainers)
  • Food (e.g. sandwiches/snacks/cereal bars – remember it has to fit in your kayak)
  • Drink (e.g. water, energy drink, thermos)
  • If sunny, possibly a hat/sun cream

We look forward to seeing you there

Eric and Graham

Posted in Essex, Kayak, Stour, Suffolk, Trip Announcement | Leave a comment

2012 Div 4 SE Canoe Polo

Posted on March 22, 2012 by

PLAYERS REQUIRED -
Anyone interested in playing canoe polo (most likely at the Dagenham indoor swimming pool) for division 4 South East, please contact Robert Wilson or a committee member with your £20 deposit. This will reserve you a place in the team.
After talking with the League organiser, we are now in a unique position in having a team slot reserved but we must reply in the next few weeks, (maybe by the end of April if we are lucky) and this year may well be our last chance for many years to come.
Details: It involves committing 4 Saturday evenings out of six from September 2012 to March 2013. Costs around £60 per team per evening which involves playing 4/5 games each of the four nights.
Info @ http://www.canoepolo.org.uk/

Contact Robert Wilson on 07720599239 or robcanoe@hotmail.com

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Sea paddle on the Stour

Posted on March 15, 2012 by

What a lovely day to be on the river. We launched at Harwich and paddled through the port, Harwich to the left and Felixstowe to the right, passing barges loaded with wind farm equipment. Keeping left we paddled up the … Continue reading →

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No training this Saturday (10th March)

Posted on March 7, 2012 by

Just a quick reminder that there will be no training session this Saturday (10th March) due to the pool being closed all day

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Symonds Yat – Confirmation Needed

Posted on March 6, 2012 by

If you have booked to come to Symonds Yat this year (2nd – 9th June  – over the extended Bank Holiday/Queen’s Jubilee break), either at Lucksall Park or another nearby site/accommodation, please can you email SymondsYatTrip@BraintreeCanoeingClub.co.uk

We need to know:

  • How many people in your group will be paddling
  • How many of those are children (under 18) and their ages, if they are paddling

Many thanks

Graham

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Div 3 Canoe Polo results

Posted on March 4, 2012 by

Photo of some of the team (missing Peter Dyer and Benjamin Wilson)

Braintree Div 2 SE team have finally played the last round of games last night (1-0, 2-2, 1-1, 0-2 & 0-1) with all games being very close leaving us in a respectable 7th place.
We plan to play again for next season and hope we can also get a Div 4 team up and running which all the team said will suppport.

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Referee course 04 March 2012

Posted on March 3, 2012 by

Reminder
Ref course is tommorrow at Rob’s house 10am start and the committee have agreed to help improve canoe polo by paying £15 to each person who becomes a qualified ref. Please Contact Robert Wilson, as not too late if you have not already done so to book your self on the theory part.
You do not have to know the rules as you are taught on the day.

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Sunday night 1 and 2 Stars

Posted on March 1, 2012 by

It’s great to see so many people keen to learn a new stroke. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves and found it useful. At the rate everyone is going it won’t take long to reach a 2 Star standard and gain a 1 and 2 star certificates. I hope everyone will see it through.
Many thanks to everyone who helped.
Any questions relating to the B.C.U. Star awards, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Paul Shearman

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Star Training – Report from last Sunday

Posted on February 29, 2012 by

On Sunday evening a large number of members, young and old, turned up for our first Canoe Star Training session.  Run by the club chairman, we covered some core paddling skills across the level 1 and level 2 star syllabus.

The first thing we tried out was a simple sweep stroke, both forward and reverse, allowing us to rotate the kayak in one direction or the other, with the key points being to sit upright and twist the body to engage the major muscle groups and not just use the arms.  Quite a major feat considering there were 30 people in the pool and space was at a premium.

Star Training - BCC - Feb 2012

Next was a Draw Stroke – the draw stroke is an effective method of pulling your kayak to the side without turning.

Star Training - BCC - Feb 2012

Star Training - BCC - Feb 2012

Next up was a Stern Rudder.  With the paddle parallel to the kayak, and again twisting the torso rather than using the arms.  This time we all paddled around the outside of the pool practicing the stern rudder on one side and then the other.

Next up we tried a game; keeping the paddle in the stern rudder position and with torso twisted, 2 groups lined up along the long edge of the pool, we attempted to paddle across the pool – not as easy as it sounds.

Star Training - BCC - Feb 2012

Star Training - BCC - Feb 2012

Low and high braces where then demonstrated and practiced; low brace first used to correct minor wobbles.  High brace demonstration and practice followed, which involved the helpers encouraging and assisting the paddlers to commit to performing a more “enthusiastic” correcting stroke.

Star Training - BCC - Feb 2012

Star Training - BCC - Feb 2012

Last up was a simple support stroke allowing some good control of the kayak whilst being slightly off-balance.

Many thanks to Paul for running the session and to Ian G, Dave H, Dave P and Carl for assisting in the pool.  Watch this space for possible further training sessions.

More pictures from the session are in the Gallery

Posted in Essex, Photography, Training | 1 Comment

Star training reminder – this Sunday evening

Posted on February 24, 2012 by

Just a quick reminder that we will be running canoe star training at the pool this Sunday evening (26th February) from 6:30pm – 7:30pm.

Please turn up no earlier than 6:15pm, as the swimming club will still be leaving the pool/changing area, but you must be ready at the poolside by 6:30pm.

This session is open only to existing club members and is at additional cost; the standing order does not cover the cost of this session.  The standard pool charges will therefore apply for all attendees of £5 for an adult and £3 for under 18.

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