News

We are offering a number of items of equipment for sale to members. These are items that were generously donated to the club by retiring kayakers (some of whom weren't club members but were looking for a good home). Most items donated have become part of the club equipment for all members however some items weren't quite right for club equipment. All funds will go towards club activities, helping coaches and trip leaders with their training and key safety equipment. Items for sale include dry bags, BA's, dry tops, v-bars for roof racks and more. We are proposing to do as a mini-auction and are able to take maximum bids in advance. Please email graham (graham.m.swanson@gmail.com ) with the item(s) you are interested in. We aim to have items that people might want to try on available at the June 28th Loch Lomond session. Closing bids by 5pm Monday 4th July! Important: The equipment is only for sale to club members - please do...

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...

After collecting kit, boats and people at the Miller Street store, we all met up at Milarrochy Bay. There were 14 of us, and with nearly as many different weather forecasts - none of them very good, with many including thunder and lightning 😱⛈⚡️ The day started bright enough as we launched our boats, some a with little trepidation. Would we be up to a full day out? Would we be able to keep up? What if the wind picks up? What happens if there is thunderstorm? Any misgivings were soon eased by the reassurance and support from Bev, Hannah and Janice. We started paddling gently north towards Strathcashell Point, then west to skirt around the north shore of Inchlonaig, before heading south through the beautiful channel between Inchtavannach and Inchconnachan. I had previously paddled through here in April and was amazed at what a difference a few months makes to the water temperature, flora and fauna. The water was warm, at the surface at least, the ospreys had just returned...

In May 2021 the club was contacted by a retiring Kayaker looking to pass his much loved equipment to the club. Read more about history and adventures below. I am glad to donate 2 Nordkapp kayaks and kit to the club, and I applaud the club members who give of their time to coach and encourage people to participate in this activity. I trust that others will find the recreation that we experienced in them. Ian Smith and I were long time friends, kayaking blood brothers and business partners. Our kayaks gave us privileged access to one of the best kayaking venues in the world - Scotland. From the Mull of Galloway to Muckle Flugga on Shetland, and everything in between, we had the best of times over more than 30 years on the water. 3 tours to Orkney and 4 to Shetland are imprinted on our kayaking souls. Unforgettable the first time we experienced the hugh rhythmic swell around Noss headland, the pleasure of...

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. ...

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 ...

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 ...

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...

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...