Paddling Opportunities next week October 12 – 17.

Sandy has a few Paddling opportunities next week which may interest you. Tuesday 12 October – Paddlesport Touring Leader Assessment I am looking for canoeists, kayakers and paddleboarders to be led as part of this assessment. The environment for this includes open water in windy conditions and also rivers with mostly grade 1 and short rapids of grade 2. Don’t worry if you have not been on a river before as you will be well looked after. We will meet at the Balloch container to make sure we have all the equipment need and then travel from there to the location to be used on the day. The only cost to you will be travel which we will hopefully share and of course you need to bring your own lunch. Wednesday 13 October – Paddlesport Leader Assessment This one will be held at Loch Lomond. Again I need canoeists, kayakers and paddleboarders to be led during the assessment. No costs other than your lunch! Thursday 14 October – Foundation Safety and Rescue Training I have two people signed up...
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SUP

Stand-Up Paddleboarding. The club owns four iSUP paddleboards which are there for the use of club members. Sandy is currently working towards the SUP Open Water Coach qualification and has put together a series of dates through June/July to allow him to get some coaching practice in prior to going for assessment. If you would likke some coaching in this new branch of paddlesport, have a look at the dates and get in touch with Sandy. ...
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Paddlers Wanted

Sandy is organising Paddlesport Leader Assessments on Sunday 2 May and Friday 7 May 2021. He needs volunteers who are willing to be led by our prospective leaders during the assessment. He needs beginner kayakers, canoeists and paddleboarders who can attend at Balloch on these dates. It should be stressed that these are authorised British Canoeing Courses that have been deemed essential for the participants so travel between local authority areas is permitted to allow you to attend although you should avoid car sharing and avoid using public transport. If you are available on either of these dates and would like to be led in a sheltered water environment, please contact Sandy on sandy.johnston@sky.com ...
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Ocean Racing (without getting your feet wet?)

The Ocean racing season has been cancelled this year due to Covid-19 however the SCA have provided the opportunity to race in a virtual manner and to raise funds for the RNLI who like all charities are suffering through the lack of normal fund-raising opportunities. More information can be found at..... https://sites.google.com/canoescotland.org/oceanracing/virtual-ocean-race-2020?fbclid=IwAR2SZihM1dGEa2Bh3ue3xY7QoGYqz5kgl22o-spahc7bludE34aloF_wSt8 ...
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Club member information

Club member information

Coming out of Lockdown - Phase 3 - Returning to Club Paddling As you all know we are starting to come out of a lock-down which was put in place to minimise the effects of the Covid-19 virus. Phase 3 of the Scottish Government’s road to recovery can be summarised by the SCA infographic. So what does this mean for us? The main points that we have to remember are: Wash your hands/ use hand sanitiser – before and after paddling.Respect physical distancing – 2 metres!Either clean equipment or make sure that 72 hours elapses before dry equipment is used by another person.Wear a face covering in an enclosed space. To help with this, we have Divided the club equipment between two locations, the Loch Lomond container and the Miller Street container. Equipment in the Loch Lomond container will be available for those club members who wish to borrow equipment on a Tuesday night only. Equipment in the Miller Street container will only be available for club members who wish to use...
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Covid-19 Phase 2 – News from the Committee

Hello fellow paddlers!We are all very keen to return to club activities. The club committee has been working on a plan to re-instate activities guided by Scottish Government recommendations and Scottish Canoe Association (SCA) guidelines. We await further guidance from SCA since the most recent relaxation of COVID restrictions by Scottish Government on 24.06.2020. Here’s where we are so far:  There is very restricted access to Loch Lomond for the foreseeable future: car parks closed, no toilet facilities, launch sites inaccessible, very limited access to container. Our future access will be guided by Park Rangers. Unfortunately this means it is unlikely that there will be any Tuesday night sessions on Loch Lomond over summer.  Phase 2 (current phase)Notifying club members: Information about the club’s response to easing of restrictions will be posted on the website and on Facebook, as well as contact by email.  Trips: Future club-related trips will be posted on the DCKC website calendar and members will be requested to sign up. Hopefully more activity...
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COVID-19 Guidance

Although phase 1 of the route out of the Covid19 restrictions allows a return to paddling, it does not allow for a return to club activities. No club equipment can be shared and no club coaching can take place (Coaches may be able to offer 1:1 coaching provided that you have your own equipment) The 5 mile travel distance (stay local) also means that many club members cannot get out on the water. Phase 2 may offer a return to some limited club paddling but there are still major constraints in terms of social distancing, group sizes, hygiene measures and it remains to be seen what distances we will be allowed to travel. A steering group from the club committee is working away behind the scenes and hopefully when we move into the next phase we will have a better idea of what paddling activities we can organise as a club. Just keep an eye on the club website, the club facebook...
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Paddlesport Leader

The Paddlesport Leader qualification allows you to work with groups in the sheltered water environment doing what our boats are designed for, journeying. If you want to run trips on lochs, canals and slow-moving water this is the qualification for you. Sandy is planning to run two days of preparation and then an assessment for this qualification. The prep days are Saturday 4 and Saturday 18 April followed by an assessment on Sunday 19 April (still to be confirmed). If you are interested in this qualification please contact Sandy asap on sandy.johnston@sky.com as soon as possible. For more information see......... https://www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/courses/paddlesport-leader-award-1 It would be great if we could get a group together and as it is a coaching/ leadership course club participants can access some financial support towards the cost. ...
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Paddlesport Instructor Course

This is the course to do if you want to get involved in coaching at the club. It provides you with the skills to run 'come and try it' sessions and beginner sessions in a sheltered water environment. The Club is running a Paddlesport Instructor Course over the weekend of Saturday 28 to Sunday 29 September 2019 based at Loch Lomond. The only things that you need to take part are some boat handling skills and you should have attended a Foundation Safety and Rescue Course. (We can arrange one if given enough notice.) Grant aid is available for club paddlers and there is funding available from Sportscotland ( 4 weeks notice required). If interested please contact Sandy Johnston on 07962 226280 or email. sandy.johnston@sky.com ...
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Foundation Safety and Rescue Training Courses

Due to demand there are 2 one day FS&RT courses running over the weekend of 10 -11 August 2019. There are spaces available on both courses.  This course isn’t just for open boaters. Its for all paddlers including those who sea kayak, river kayak, and SUP (stand up paddleboard). It is a required course if you intend to progress to be a Paddlesport Instructor, but it is not just for those who are considering coaching qualifications. It is the basic safety course that all other safety courses are built on.  It will make you a safer paddler! Some More Information………………….. The British Canoeing Foundation Safety & Rescue Training course is the first safety course that most paddlers encounter as it teaches the safety skills that the other courses then build on and develop. You will be shown simple and effective techniques which will allow you to deal with the common problems that you can be confronted with on flat water whether you paddle...
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Stand Up Paddleboards

We obtained some stand-up paddleboards at the end of last year. The club owns 4 which are stored at the Loch Lomond outdoor container. Sandy will be providing the opportunity to try out paddleboarding at the Tuesday night sessions on Loch Lomond. If you want to book one of the four boards available drop him a text on 07962 226280.                 Hopefully it will be a bit warmer than the picture!...
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6 New Safer Paddlers

Congratulations to Marcus Wheel, Petra Sharp, Peter Sharp, George Arbuckle, Les Aitken and Alisdair Gibbons who all completed the Foundation Safety and Rescue Course over the last weekend. An excellent effort put in by all resulted in enjoyable courses in some fairly chilly conditions. They all now have the skills to look after themselves and others on the water and can build on these as they progress in their paddling. There will be other opportunities to complete the FS&RT course later in the season. Keep an eye on the website if you are interested. ...
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Additional Date for FS&RT

The weekend of 6 to 7 April 2019 is turning into a Foundation Safety and Rescue Weekend! Sandy had organised a course for the Saturday 6 April and this filled up so quickly that he has had to organise a further course for the following day. If you are interested in this course to develop your paddling or if you want to re-visit this course before Paddlesport Instructor training then you should contact Sandy sooner than later to obtain a place. sandy.johnston@sky.com The British Canoeing Foundation Safety & Rescue Training course is the first safety course that most paddlers encounter as it teaches the safety skills that the other courses then build on and develop. You will be shown simple and effective techniques which will allow you to deal with the common problems that you can be confronted with on flat water whether you paddle a kayak, a canoe or a sea kayak. By the end of the course you will...
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Foundation Safety and Rescue Courses

If you want to take part in a Foundation Safety and Rescue course this summer please get in touch with Sandy Johnston on sandy.johnston@sky.com A course has been arranged for Saturday 6 April 2019. This course is now full. If there is sufficient interest, Sandy will provide another course, possibly on Sunday 7 April 2019. The following information may be of use to help you decide. The British Canoeing Foundation Safety & Rescue Training course is the first safety course that most paddlers encounter as it teaches the safety skills that the other courses then build on and develop. You will be shown simple and effective techniques which will allow you to deal with the common problems that you can be confronted with on flat water whether you paddle a kayak, a canoe, a SUP or a sea kayak. By the end of the course you will be a safer paddler as you will have the skill to be able to rescue others in...
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