Club AGM Wednesday 7th October

By graham Comment Closed
Just a reminder that the club AGM is on Wednesday 7th October at Pinkston Watersports Centre. More info is at http://dckc.co.uk/event/club-2015-agm/?instance_id=1506 Please come along, add your voice and ideas in the meeting, consider joining the committee, and meet up on dry land....
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Foundation Safety and Rescue Course – Sunday 13 September 2015

By Sandy Johnston Comment Closed
There are still spaces available for this course. This course is designed for all paddlers irrespective of craft. The objective is to teach simple and safe skills that can be applied appropriately across a variety of paddlesport craft including kayaks and canoes.  These skills will then form the basis of all safety and rescue training throughout the BCU Scheme. The course aims to provide the student with the key safety and rescue skills required to operate safely in a sheltered water environment and to be able to deal with common emergencies.  - See more at: http://canoescotland.org/courses-training/bcu-safety-training#sthash.o2tELjiB.dpuf Contact Sandy for further details 07962226280  ...
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Finland Trip. May 2015

By Tony Clarke Comment Closed
Trip report Finland. Arriving in Helsinki we were met by Eeva, Joachim and baby J who held aloft a paddle bearing a Scottish saltire to grab out attention. From our mini bus driven by Joachim we could see ten kayaks on a trailer being towed by Eeva who just for this trip sat and passed her trailer test, ( well done Eeva) we were now on our way to Cape Ally for our first taste of Finland. The Mokki was magnificent in the surrounding scenery too, on our first trip we set off enthusiastically in our new boats at a fair pace and in no time at all : / with help from the force five wind we landed on Seili. In the 16/17 hundreds it was used as a final resting place for people with leprosy and later a woman's mental institute and now owned by a University as a research facility. We met a group of visitors from...
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River Awe 26/07/15

By Sandy Johnston Comment Closed
For one reason or another only the two club kayakers, Sandy Johnston and Richard Lord,  met up with Graham Swanson in his open boat to take part in this classic river descent. There was a scheduled dam release on the River Awe and when we got there we found that all three gates were open on the dam releasing so much water that the top wave, normally found just below the dam, was completely washed out. There were plenty of other boaters about with parties from Glasgow Kayak Club, Stirling and Falkirk Canoe Club and Kyle Kayak Club all making the most of the excellent conditions on the river. A quick shuttle got one car and our dry clothes to the Taynuilt pier and then we set off on what proved to be an excellent trip in big volume warm(ish) water. The graveyard section provided the first test however it was nowhere near as technical as it is when there is less...
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Try Watersports Open Days – July 2015

By graham Comment Closed
The club, along with Loch Lomond Rowing Club, Lomond triatlon Club and Loch Lomond waterski Club ran 2 very successful "try watersports" days on the 11th and 19th July. With over 100 participants each day and 15 club members along to help each day with coaching, rescue boating, putting up tents, getting people into wetsuits, collating consent forms and moving kit about it was a massive effort and everyone's help was really appreciated. We even remembered to have a donations jar on the second day and have £40 for club funds. A big thank you to Garry o'Donnel and David MacDonald who helped out massively with the preparations needed to make it happen. we were helped with the costs by the Cashback for Communities Fund - thank you to the police and fiscals for catching some bad guys - keep up the good work....
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Skills Session Loch Lomond 2nd March 2015

By graham Comment Closed
The weather forecast had everything, sun, wind, rain, snow, cold to start and warming a little,but being a Graham trip and to our regular haunt at Balloch it wasn't cancelled! So we met up, 5 sea kayakers with a wide range of skills and experience under the enthusiastic instruction of Graham. Jo as the (relative) novice Canadian solo canoeist had the benefit of instruction from Glen and Garry, as well as a helping breeze which is a challenge for any solo open canoe paddler. In the sea kayak group we spent most of the day practicing with one theme which Graham repeated a few times in his chats.... "SEA KAYAKS ARE DESIGNED TO GO STRAIGHT". With the day being about turning sea kayaks the main message was to edge the kayak so it actually wants to turn and then use the paddle to make the turns more effective as no matter how strong and skillful the paddler is, it is...
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