Ice on the canal

What's one of the last things you want to hear when you reach the start of Waterside C? You're right! "It was minus 8 here last night!"

I remember starting this race in similar conditions years ago, and ice on the canal is not much fun even if you don't go swimming as I did back then!

But for most people, it turned out that some kind barge had broken it up and very little was left for most crews to skate on. I think Max may have suffered the most and retired feeling fairly rough as a result.

NKC had a great turn out for the 3rd time this year, with 16 paddlers finishing. The summary of NKC results is shown below:

                               Psn Class                     Time
Matt Enoch/Adam Norfolk         2 Snr Men K2                02:57:59
Matt Foulger                  4 Snr Men K1                03:21:25
Chris Carter/Zyggy Chmiel       2 Vet/Junior K2             03:28:14
Kat Burbeck/Shuna Braithwaite   1 Snr Women K2 03:29:41
Rex Littlewood                2 Vet K1                    03:44:53
Robbie Ilett/Alex Abraham 11 Snr Men K2                03:47:22
Caroline Jones/Alison Chmiel    2 Snr Women K2 04:01:23
Peter Ilett/Geordie Parker     11 Vet Men K2                04:10:50
Peter Deboer/Ben Nichols 27 Snr Men K2                04:15:50
Max Littlewood Jun Men K1                DNF

More photos by Taal can be found by clicking here

Full results on Waterside Website are here 

Winter Race No. 5

It was a fairly ordinary February Winter Race. The only slightly unusual feature seemed to be that one of the youngest ever winter racers was doing the race in K1. Congratulations to Matilda for finishing in a faster time than I did my first winter race in!

Ordinary though it seemed, there were more swimmers on yesterday's race than can be remembered since the "Blizzard of 72."



None of the paddlers were beginners and all have managed more swirly conditions recently.









So taking that into account, either boats are getting less stable creating greater hazard to their users, skills are deteriorating rapidly or there was some other factor causing the mishaps. What do you reckon?

News Flashes

• Despite cold and windy weather, Abbie/Pat, Zyggy, Max, Rex, Pete/Geordie & Mick/Caroline completed the 20 mile session to Radcliffe & round The Loop yesterday.
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• Freezing conditions didn't deter Rex and Alison turning their training sessions into Bi-athlon events. We understand that both survived the experience intact and will be out there again in the very near future.
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• Two paddlers are reputed to have aged considerably during yesterday's training session.
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Happy paddler at NKC over Christmas

Who says it was too cold to enjoy paddling during the cold weather. Remember to say "Hi" to Smiley when you see him there!

Winter Race 4

They were the most challenging conditions of the 2007/8 Series so far. Some of us can remember even more extreme conditions over the years, but this was quite bad enough, with the water nearly to the top step outside the club and a gusty downstream wind. It was very similar to the first one I ever did in 1971 or 2 in a slalom boat. I think I managed some of it backwards and it took over 2 hours! Andy took the longest on this occasion twice as fast as that (I think he's about the same age that I was at the time!) He actually finished and scored points, although several were not so fortunate with 3 swimmers and several rescuers not completing the course and others retiring for other reasons. At this point, special mention must go to Pat, Ady & Ricky, Norman & Alison who helped Geordie & Tony out in a very brambly patch of "The Grove. " Pat in particular deserves thanks as he had already rescued Tom at the first cross over.
The juniors that completed the course deserve special mention, as strength on the last section to Clifton Bridge was the most important asset apart from boat control. Zyggy, Harvey, Laura & Tadek did well with their experienced senior partners, but the two crews who deserve special mention here are Beth & Leanna and Shobhanna & Zyggy as they were all junior crews. Beth and Shobhanna managed to steer & stroke for their younger partners in the most challanging conditions, with their skills developed at the training sessions during the high water in the summer being put to the real test. Sarah was the other junior who completed the race with Harriett and again they deserve a special mention as this was their first time together as a crew.
Two of the Fast Track girls raced and they also deserve paticular mention as they had paddled up from Holme Pierrepont just to start the race. That says something about their determination & skill already. They do need to learn to get closer to the bank going upstream in fierce currents, but it is a comment on their strength, stamina and will power that they made it to the club and finished the race like that.
As you would expect in such conditions, the fastest K1s, who normally find it hard to get to the front and score high points, benefitted from the conditions, with a win for Ian C, and 19 for Matt F & 18 for Jimmy. Altogether 40 people entered in 27 boats - a good turn out for such a day.
Full (as yet unofficial) results can be found at http://uk.geocities.com/nottinghamkayakclub/resultstore/winter_races_07_08.htm.
Please note that the date of Race 5 has changed to 3rd February as there is a rowing event on 17th.

Lovely weather - lovely day.

The evening was the best so far this year with near perfect conditions for Round the Bridges. Norman had quite a large group for the casual paddling & Kath accompanied the younger junior/Lightnings down to the sailing club. It was good to see Ben back after his illness in July. He couldn't find the old battered left handed wings he has used for a year, so used flats & ended up with one blade dropping off. Kath swopped him for her left handed wings & paddled back most of the way C1 style!
Shobhanaa & Beth did Round the Bridges with Cathy, Ralph, Graham and a few more. Ricky & I joined them after our paddle to the sailing club.
Cathy was rewarded by a PB, Shobhanaa, on Cathy's wash & Ricky clipped a bit more off theirs while Beth managed to take about 20 seconds off hers with her first time sub 7:00 minutes on my wash. I managed to prove that mine was not a fluke last week by equalling it!

Friday Night Round the Bridges

Considering that this was the first week for a while that the Trent has been back to normal summer levels for Round the Bridges, there was a "thin" turnout this evening. An added dimention of the Nottingham Water Festival offered a few extra hazards, with boats moored in odd places, a continual stream of narrow boats & rather too many little rubber boats wizzing round to make paddling above Trent Bridge a particularly pleasant option.
To add to the distractions of loud music & assorted boats, there was a noticable downstream breeze. Des, Tom, Tim & Shobhanaa were the main participants in the time trials, with Tim recording a PB of 6:18. Kath, Laura, Alice, Ricky & I did a steady paddle to the Sailing Club, with all the juniors showing the results of having trained with Beth C on Tuesday nights. Their technique & speed shows real progress & they have all made the transition from Lightnings into full size K1s without any difficulties.
Kath, Ricky & I opted to do a couple of times Round the Bridges when we got back from our "long warm up." Kath did a season's best, while Ricky & I managed a PB each. Ricky is now on 7:36, while I went 3 seconds faster than my PB set in 1984 with a 5:47!
Thanks as always to Dave for the timing.

Tuesday - Clifton & other things.

Had there not been a BT engineer fixing the club phone & the proximity of a fire engine, one wonders what the outcome would have been for the club & for Ray Sims! As it is, the disaster is confined to his workshop & we express our sympathy with him, but are grateful that it was just his workshop & not him that went up in smoke!
The river is back to normal & suddenly everyone was out in K1s again. Congratulations to Shobhanaa for taking over a minute off her PB.
Rumour has it that Hayleigh did a World Record too, but the times book is nowhere about to confirm it!
Beth C had a small select group out tonight too, with Laura in a K1 for the first time. Beth said she looked so comfortable in it that you wouldn't have guessed it was the first time.

Clifton & more high water

The weather looked & felt summery, but last night's Clifton Time Trial was done on winter level water again. Cathy & Martin, paddling together for the first time were the only PB, but Baggy & Alison deserve a mention for only being a couple of seconds short of theirs. Numbers were slightly depleted & most people opted for K2 or a White Water boat. Some turned at the Toll Bridge including Beth C who took Ricky, her one & only junior paddler in a K2.
The other juniors all turned in good times, with Shobhanaa & Lizzie doing a time that would have probably meant a PB at normal summer levels.
Well done to everyone for just being there.

Friday night

A stiff upstream breeze together with the rising river & persistant drizzle, made conditions more like those expected in November than July. NKC was almost deserted, apart from a brief appearance from Matt F, the only ones putting in a session in the absence of Dave to time Round the Bridges, were Wes, Mick, Kath, Sobhanaa, Beth, Sarah & Ricky who ploughed through the waves on the way to the Sluices & surfed back to the club!

Clifton - Tuesday

The conditions were a bit extreme for June! The river was above the steps outside the club by several inches & was moving fast. It was a good night for K2s with 11 out & only 6 K1s. Steve & Alison managed a PB of 41:34 while mortals like us settled for survival.
Beth C's group stayed off the water in the circumstances.