Tower Hamlets Canoe Club

OK, Rob,

Let's do it that way.

The problem is, that as long as you guys are 2*s I am not allowed to take you on a trip yet, unless we have somebody along with the new 4* or - better still- a level 3 instructor.

We only have one level 3 sea instructor at the moment, Mattias, but he is not available in May, and as far as I know, nobody in the club has the new 4* yet.

I am in contact with Owen of the Isle of White sea kayaking, and we can probably arrange something with him. Kayaking there is beautiful and it is not too hard to get to. Also, we can rent boats with him so we can save ourselves a lot of hassle and time. I will check with him when a good time would be to plan a trip over there, but I am not sure he is still available for the bank holiday weekend. I will let you know!

Ailien 

Hi Ailien,

Thanks for organising all this for us! I'm definitely still interested in doing the course, although I'm afraid I can't make it tonight. I'll be able to do every second Tuesday starting from next week though, if that's okay?

I won't be able to make it to a trip over the bank holiday weekend - I'm swapping my paddles for wheels and going mountain biking in the Lakes :)

Cheers,

Gareth

Hi Ailien,

 Thanks for sorting the dates out.  I can do all except the 5th June, as I'm on holiday.  Hope that that is ok.

 Cheers

James

Hi Ailieen,

Can I sign Sam up to.

 Thanks

James

Hi James,

Does this mean both you and Samantha can do all the given dates, including tonight?

 Ailien

Hi Guys,

I am waiting to hear from Sam and James, but if they can make it tonight it seems everybody will be there apart from Gareth.

Therefore, I would propose to start tonight, make the best of the good weather and stay outside. We will be spending most of the night in the basin, but we start out with a short land-based introduction. To make the best of the evening, we will start a little earlier than usual. Can you guys be ready in your kayak gear by 18.30? We will meet up on the stairs outside.

Sea y'all soon,

 Ailien

Hi Aileen,

 Sorry for delay in getting back.

 Sam can make all the dates.  I may have a problem with the last date, but am trying to move things around, so I am hopeful of being able to make that date too.

 Hope that is ok.

James

Hi again Ailien,

Sorry I wasn't able to make it last week - work commitments unfortunately :( I was wondering if it would be possible for me to join in on the next session (am I right in thinking that this will be next Tuesday, rather than tomorrow?) - or do I need to wait for the next sea kayaking intro?

Thanks,

Gareth

Hi Gareth, You will be more than welcome to join us this Thursday.

Be prepared to get wet; we will stay in the basin and practice on rescues!

See you then,

Ailien 

Aggh, looks like I can't make it tomorrow. I have to interview someone after work which would make me too late, and as I'm also ill at the moment I don't really feel like getting dunked :(

Last week was heaps of fun and I definitely want to continue - I'll do my best to come to the rest of the sessions!

Cheers,

Gareth

Hi all,

After speaking with Rob, Klaudia and Gudrun yesterday, we have decided to change the dates of the next two sessions. We will do the first river trip next Tuesday -10 June-, and the trip after that on Tuesday 24 June.

Next Tuesday will be led by us.
We will show you how to look at the tide table before we leave, and how we decide what is the best direction to head out to.

For the Tuesday after we will ask you to do the planning yourselves.

I promised to send you a list of equipment we should take with us if we go on a trip.
This list comes straight from the BCU:

1) Kayak and Paddle
2) Personal clothing appropriate for the activity and circumstances, spare clothing and waterproof kit bags
3) Buoyancy aid and helmet
4) First aid kit, repairkit and emergency equipment for group use
5) Food and drink
6) (group-) shelter and bivvy bag (this is the big orange plastic bag)
7) suitable equipment with which to summon outside assistance (Phone or VHF, flares)
8) Towline
9) Knife
10) Whistle
11) Split Paddles

12) A range of appropriate navigation equipment (compass, waterproof paper, chinagraph pencils, etc)

I think the most important thing to remember is that things do not always go according to plan: Make sure you have a plan B. If you are planning on a short two hour trip, you might think it is not necessary to take dry clothing, a Kag or something to eat. But remember that the weather can change, somebody could go for a swim and get cold and the trip could for some reason take a lot longer than you planned. If you plan to have lunch at a pub along the way, make sure you have food and drink anyway: you might be slower than expected or you might find that the pub is closed.
To say it simple: Hungry people = grumpy or weak people = potential hazard for the rest of the group!
Cold people: same thing!  

Not everybody has to have all of the items listed above; a (group) first aid kit, group shelter and split paddles can be divided over the group. Do keep in mind that it might not be smart to put everything in one boat. Also, you do not have to buy everything immediately: the club now has splits, towlines, VHF, flares, group shelter and first aid kit. They can be borrowed, but remember to book them beforehand and to pay the club for it! (not necessary on club nights). However, if you think you want to go on sea kayak trips more often, you might want to buy some of these items for yourself.

I promised to send you the link to some very helpful websites:

http://www.seapaddler.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14&Itemid=28

To find out what should be in a repair kit: 

for the tide tables for London:

http://www.portoflondon.co.uk/display_fixedpage.cfm?id=11&site=maritime 

Sea you all on Tuesday!

Ailien 

For all clarity:  

This means NO COURSE THURSDAY 5 JUNE!

Ailien