Symonds Yat -15/16 May 2010

To celebrate thirty years making gear for paddlers, Palm Equipment invites you to come for a paddle at a new and unique event taking place this May.

Set on the stunning river Wye between England and Wales, Symonds Yat East will play host to a very special paddling weekend that will bring back the feel of the Grand River tours of the 1980’s.

“ Over the past thirty years we have helped families and friends, young and old onto the water, as well as supporting those at the leading edge of the sport.” explains Palm’s founder Andy Knight “This is what the 30 year anniversary Big Paddle event is all about, and we’d be delighted for paddlers from all branches of the sport to come along”.

Over the weekend Palm will be providing shuttles to several stretches of river, as well as a variety of unique guided paddle trips and of course as it’s a birthday party there will be free gifts for everyone! Amongst the activities on offer will be nature tours, multi sport challenges, free ‘have a go’ and demo boat trials, and coaching sessions from some of the best in the business. There may even be a return of the legendary Paddles Up!

The Big Paddle is a non-profit event to bring the paddling community together in celebration of our sport. All proceeds will be invested directly back into the paddlesport community, and Palm will make an extra donation to the rivers access cause for every paddler who attends.

No matter what paddlesport means to you, whether its fishing, bird watching, slalom, whitewater, stand-up-paddleboarding, or a new challenge altogether, this event will have something to offer.

The Big Paddle!

A complete introduction to open canoeing. Discover Canoeing is a journey through the sport of open canoeing, its history, the modern canoe and the future. James Weir gives a fresh approach to one of the oldest forms of transport known to man. Colour photos and sequences show each of the techniques stage by stage, from getting afloat on calm waters, paddling with a partner, going on a trip or expedition, navigating rapids and righting yourself with an Eskimo roll after a capsize. Full of tips, tricks and know-how, this book has all you need to know to paddle your own canoe, stay safe and have fun.

To Find out more Click here

or

Buy It Here

More details will follow soon.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hi Folks,

Just a quick update from here at CIWW.

The Course – as you have seen by the pics that have been on the construction website the pumps have been running and the course has been looking good for this stage of the project. The movable blocks that fit into the bottom of the course have not yet arrived hence the lack of eddies. This will also allow the course to be fine tuned and tailored for different events whether it be freestyle, slalom or a bit of everything. For a better look at the course in its current state here is a short video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Opening Date & Prices – The final opening date is still to be confirmed, we will let you know when it is definite. Prices to paddle will be £10 for a days paddle, we are currently looking at season ticket prices for those that want to use the course on a regular basis, again once this information is set in stone we will let you know.

Some of you have already voiced concerns over our emphasis on commercial activities, this is due to the fact that there will be a significant cost related to the running of the course and therefore CIWW will need to have a commercial emphasis for the course to remain open for years to come like most other similar centres.

Unfortunately for paddlers this means that we wont be running the course 24/7, there will be allocated time slots where the pumps are running and this information will be available in advance through the website. We are keen to make the course accessible for all paddlers whether they are club members or national teams but this needs to be done in a financially sustainable way. This means that you are likely to be sharing the course with rafts and other river traffic.

Staff – We are looking for paddlesports coaches and raft guides to work for us on a freelance basis. BCU qualifications are essential for these roles and we do have a range of training and assessments courses running; for both rafting and paddlesport.

Jack has posted dates previously for those that have already done a level 1 raft training and are looking for some stick time and an assessment. Note that the raft-training day on the 26th March is no longer running. There will also be Level 1 raft training courses on the following dates:
• 16-18 April
• 18-20 June
• 20-22 Aug
• 22-24 Oct
• 10-12 Dec

There will also be details of our range of other courses appearing on the website in the next couple of days, this will include Star and coaching awards. http://www.ciww.com For any work or course queries then please contact the office on 02920 353 912 or info@ciww.com

Hope this helps and watch this space for more info.

The first thing I noticed was the colour, they were in my favourite shade of blue so was instantly off to a good start.

The paddles are 191cm long on a cranked shaft and medium Rapture blade, this is the same as I have been using previously so took little time to adapt to and a back to back comparison was possible.

The second thing I noticed was the glass crank no longer has the grip notch that I had liked on my own paddles, but which proved unpopular with some paddlers who tried them. The crank does feel comfortable to grip and on this set allows my hands to be closer to the blades than on any other cranks I have tested.

I have used the paddles for all my paddling over the past month and this has given me the opportunity to test them playboating, river running and for slalom.
The new paddles offer good power and little flex (considerably less flex than previously owned glass paddles). The blades slide smoothly through the water without flutter but offer a stable base to brace off when required.

These Blades were designed for out and out playboating, but when using them for river running or slalom paddling the blades did supply good feedback and allow you to feel and use the water and currents. The paddles have only been on test for one month but are showing no signs of wear and tear and I look forward to continuing the testing.

Review by Craig Ayres

Well if that’s the case here at Whitewater we would like to help you, in your hour of chilly need.
Log yourself on to our on-line shop Then go Shop!
After you have chosen something, many things maybe?
Proceed to “Your Shopping Cart” at the bottom of this page there is a section called “Redeem a discount Coupon”
If you enter in here tvfspecial you will receive an extra 5% discount on top of the normal 10% you would normally receive.

This offer will expire on February the 1st 2010, but until then Happy New Year all, happy shopping, happy paddling, hope to see you on a river / weir somewhere soon. If you have any questions regarding this offer please give us a call on 01932 247 978.

Cheers for now
Pete

Whitewater the Canoe Centre
Shepperton Marina
Felix Lane
Sheppeton
Middlesex
TW17 8NS

Tel: 01932 247 978
Fax: 01932 241 368

I’m writing to you as Captain of the Glasgow Uni Canoe Club. Unfortunately we discovered yesterday afternoon that our main kit store has been broken into during the holiday period and a large amount of gear has been stolen. The kit taken includes kayaks and paddles along with some BA’s, helmets, cags, decks and wetsuits. A detailed list of what was taken is attached.

I would like to ask all of you to be aware of what kit is coming up on the market in the near future, and please contact me directly if you see or hear anything. My contact detals are below. The police have been informed and are taking the necessary steps.

Can i also ask you to pass this on to club members, customers, associates etc in order to spread the information throughout the paddlesport community.

Many Thanks,

Ben Marshall
Glasgow Uni Canoe Club

Published List of stolen GUCC KIT

Weekend of boating, coaching, competitions and celebration!

Boat demos – New Burn and Molan plus all the old favorites

Courses on the river run by top coaches for all abilities..only £25 per session.

Fluidskills will be doing some courses over the weekend Click Here

Caron Geal and Sara James will be running an Intermediate Ladies River Running course Click Here 07803610722
(We hope to announce other courses in the next couple of days.)

Mitchell Blades and Predator Headcams on site for testing and filming

Peak UK will be on site with a range of gear

Evening talks/films including ‘Adventures with Chris’ – a celebration of the life of Chris Wheeler, presented by Mark R and friends.

Competitions – Rodeo and Boater X, lots of different categories, juniors welcome plus pro and ancient boaters!

The Evening will see some talks, films, prizes and dancing (there may be some drinking as well).

More info here… http://www.pyranhafest.com/

Cheers

Gareth