WKCC

Wyre Wier Sunday 14th March 2010

gpt27 — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:41:17 +0000

We had a good time on Sunday afternoon at Wyre. Jordan paddled Clives Robson Red Fred, Clive paddled Ed’s Liquid Logic and I paddled my own little boat. Nick G, Nick D and Richard B all paddled open canoes.
The level was good and weather was great and a good time was had by all. Please see the YouTube videos in the links section and the photos below.

[Show as slideshow]

Wavesport Diesel 65 for sale

gpt27 — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:32:11 +0000

Wavesport Diesel 65 with airbags
One of our former members Mark is selling his red Wavesport Diesel 65 complete with airbags. It’s about 2 years old and in good condition and Mark has mainly used it for coaching.
The 65 version is suited to the lighter non pie eating paddler.

Full specifications can be found at http://www.cheltenham-canoes.co.uk/products/wavesport-kayaks/diesel.htm

Various people in the club currently own or have owned these in their various sizes and have proven to be a good boat.
It’s offered for sale at the bargain price of £350 complete with twin rear airbags.
The boat is currently stored in Malvern and you can arrange viewing by contacting Sandie on 07775935517

Canoe Trip – 21st March – Severn Arley to Bewdley

CarolineAR — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:30:08 +0000

One of the series, preparing for the 100 mile Wye trip. The focus of this session is to get used to paddling and portaging with laden boats, so come along with your kit and we”ll work on efficient packing, loading and carrying. As well of course as some paddling, with some adjustments to trim.

This is not a long paddle and we’ll be land based for the kit bit – however others in kayaks are welcome, if you can bear with us whilst we work on the canoes.

We will meet at the Car Park off Dog Lane, Bewdley at 10.00am – bottom left hand side of the car park, down by the river. There are roadworks in Bewdley right now, so allow an extra 10 minutes on your journey.

Please let Caroline know if you want to come, and to arrange canoe pick up (probably Saturday morning, but TBC)

Container Storage

Clive — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 15:35:23 +0000

A few of us got together at the Riverside Centre on Sunday morning to assemble the Canoe Storage.After clearing out the left hand container we started the assembly. It took longer than we had anticipated but it was worth the effort. The 8 Club Canoes are now stored, as per the picture below, in a sensible and easily accessible manner.

The New racking for the canoe storage.

We will take some additional pictures, and we still have to sort out a method of hanging buoyancy aids etc but this was a worthwhile exercise.

Paddle on Sunday 21/02/10

Clive — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:40:43 +0000

There will now be a paddle on Sunady 21/02/10, meet at the Riverside Center (Map) at 9.30am ready to paddle at 10am.The details of the paddle will be decided based on who turns up. This is due to the weather and the river levels, as at the moment they are on the way up. For further information please contact Paul H on 07712 587817.

Racking Work

Clive — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:49:45 +0000

Tomorrow, Sunday 21/02/10, we will be completing the racking for the open boat storage at (Click here for a map) The Riverside Centre. Meet at 9.30am at The Riverside Centre to empty the containers and assemble the racking. This should take only a few hours, but a helping hand would be appreciated. Call Clive on 07725 323393.

Film & Activity Evening – Cancelled due to bad weather

Clive — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:48:58 +0000

Tonight, 18/02/2010, we will be meeting at The PRSYC (Pershore Riverside Youth Centre) in Pershore (Location Here) for a non paddling night as the Pool is shut. Hopefully there will be a short film or two as well as some other video, books, magazines etc.

Doors will open about 6.30pm and the film will start about 7.00pm. There is a Chippy not too far as well as a Pizza place and Kebab house, so your tea requirements are taken care of.

All members and associates are welcome to come as it will be a bit of a social event and an opportunity to relax and have a chat.

Any questions – then give Clive a call on 07725 323393.

Nafford – 14/02/10

Clive — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 19:18:22 +0000

Well it was supposed to be a Valentines Day, but a few of us braved the cold weather, and it was cold, to have a session at Nafford this morning. Graham, Fitz, Richard W and Clive were there braving the cold.

It was a good level and it was a case of paddle till your hands were too cold, have a break to let them warm up and then have another go. After a while some Guys from
Evesham Paddle Sports turned up with their slalom polls and had a few goes which was different.

Over all we had a great time at Nafford, as we usually do.

Richard also had his open boats, and he and his wife paddle down to Eckington Bridge after we had finished.

Sunday 14th – Nafford

gpt27 — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:08:12 +0000

We will be paddling at Nafford on Sunday 14th Feb meeting at 9:30. The level looks good. Not to tough and not to low. Something for all. Search for previous articles for a map.

Barle Trip Report

Clive — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:22:00 +0000

After some last minute arrangements I picked up Graham at just gone 6.30am and we headed down to Dulverton, some 130 miles south. It was about the same time last year that we did the Barle and the level then was very good, running a good grade III with bits of grade IV. We knew that it was going the be lower than last year but there are two good things about the Barle, First is the location, fantastic scenery paddling through the Exmoor National Park, and the second is that it is fairly consistent white water.

After a bit of confusion over the arrangements (last year we paddled from Tarr Steps to The Anchor Inn, just outside Dulverton) this year we were paddling from Tarr Steps to The Bridge Inn, in Dulverton. Graham and I arrived at the get out about 9.15am shortly followed by Paul H, Richard W and Ben B. A quick chat followed and we agreed to paddle from Tarr Steps to the Bridge Inn, see what time we got there and then decide if we wanted to paddle the extra 2 miles or so down to The Anchor Inn, taking in the Mill Weir. We were able to do this as Tina and Richards wife were there and were able to do the ferry for us.

So we got changed and headed off. As we left Dulverton we encountered a Diversion sign. Anyone who knows this area will also know that there is no easy diversion heading from Dulverton to Tarr Steps. So a journey that should have taken 20 minutes took nearly 40 minutes.

We arrived at Tarr Steps and as we thought the levels were quite a bit lower that last year, making it a good grade II/III. We set off and the joy of the Barle soon came back, while not a big grade the rapids were continuous for the first few hundred yards. There is also quite a gradient on sections of the Barle, as you look ahead it is clear how much it is a down hill flow this is a key element as the water runs with a pace which is more evident in higher water levels.

There were number of play spots as we made our way down river, with some excellent waves that caused us to spend time having fun and brushing up our skills as we went.

We approached the weir just outside Dulverton, shot it to the left and headed down to the last part before the get out. There is a nice bit where the river narrow due to a large boulder on either side and other rocks in the river which causes the current to pour over each other at the narrow point and then swirl around in an eddy just after. Richard was last through and as he came through on the one small pour over he leaned slightly to his right, just as his boat was level with the second current and over he went, in a typical corkscrew fashion. Needless to say seconds later he was out and we had him, boat and paddle to the side and all was well.

Only hundred yards later we were at the get out and we decided, as we had taken our time and enjoyed ourselves we would finish here.

As usual Ben was suffering with the cold on his hands,but again as usual he made light of this, ever the hero . Graham was pleased with his new boat as was Paul with his LOMO drysuit.

The paddling was great. Scenery fantastic. Very little sign of life anywhere with only a few houses until the end of the trip. Great trip alround and one worth repeating again in the future.

Unfortunately, due to the area it can be difficult to predict the levels of the Barle but the picture below is downstream of the bridge in Dulverton taken the day before from the webcam at http://www.stanburys-garage-dulverton.co.uk/ and the level at Tarr Steps was a good 12 inches below the steps, making the river good grade II/III.