Newark Kayak Trip

12 club members arrived at the River Trent in Newark bright and early to kayak along the river and gain white water experience on the weir. Peter joining us after launching from the Marina. Many of the participants were using this experience towards achieving their 2* award.

Trevor instructed us all in launching off the bank – the river was a long drop from here. Jools, with Christine in his open canoe, and 10 small kayaks made their way up the River Trent meeting rowing 4’s and 8’s and single sculls as well as narrow boats and large cruisers on the way. Turning back at the weir just before the power station, manoeuvres were practised on the return– moving in and out of a narrow space, turning and edging. After a lunch break, we limboed under the wooden railings in our craft to the weir.

Richard set the example and took the weir confidently, followed by the rest of the pack – for some: Charlotte, Rosalyn and Ed –a first experience of shooting a weir – and for Jools, his first experience of shooting a weir in an open canoe.

Trevor then coached us all in ferry gliding across moving water, using bow rudder, remembering to lean downstream!!, low brace turns and breaking into eddies. After a lot of practice and a couple of capsizes (Ron and Martin performed these to make sure rescue techniques were practised as well), we finished the session with another shot at flying down the weir and instruction on using a throwline.

A thoroughly enjoyable day, a lot learned, with good weather too. Many thanks to Trevor for organizing the trip and coaching on the day..

Nene WWR October 2011 by Judi Sheehan

Lynette, Mike, Richard and Judi spent Saturday at the Northampton WhiteWater Course.

Lynette led the way on the practice runs, negotiating the drops easily, with Mike also expertly steering his boat down the white water.

Richard and Judi as beginners, kayaked half a course before trying the full length of it.

Richard flew over the longer drop, capsized, but was soon up and finishing.

The practice runs over, the two timed runs brought mixed fortunes. However, the final results showed Rutland coming away with 3 medals: one gold, and two silvers.

The purpose built circular course is a great experience of white water for all levels- there were kayakers from 9 years upwards.

 

As beginners, we felt safe, - the pumped water was clean and being a circular course meant there was no long haul back to the start. Also, you could easily watch others as they paddled the course.

An eventful and thoroughly enjoyable day, many thanks to Mike and Lynette for their coaching and encouragement.

A short snippet of video on the back straight:

 

More photos can be found at the club gallery site.

Sarah Outen paddles to Japan

With over 10,000 miles already under her belt Sarah Outen has just completed the biggest challenge yet on her loop of the globe.

In the last six months Sarah Outen, 26, from Rutland Canoe Club, has kayaked and cycled from London to Russia; crossing the formidable Gobi desert, camping in bear-inhabited forests and coming closer than she’d liked to poisonous snakes, but these challenges are nothing compared to the one that she has just faced – a cold kayaking marathon from the remote Russian island of Sakhalin to Japan - 24 nautical miles in freezing cold seas, huge waves and strong currents. The crossing took 11.5 hours. To Sarah’s knowledge, the crossing had only been achieved once before in a kayak.

The crossing was over La Perouse Strait - dividing the Russian island of Sakhalin in the north from the Japanese island of Hokkaido, and connecting the Sea of Japan on the west with the Sea of Okhotsk on the east.

You can read the story on her blog and, as she is carrying a GPS tracking device you can follow her progress.

A big welcome from the people of Japan especially Mr Sato from Wakkanai Town Hall who surprised them with a banner and flowers.

Where to next?

Sarah is in the middle of undertaking a human-powered loop of the planet "London2London:Via the World". On 1 April 2011, she set off from Tower Bridge in her kayak along the Thames and over to France. Then 10,000 cycling miles across Europe and Asia to Russia from where she kayaked to Japan. She still has to cycle down this North island of Japan before making a 10 mile kayak crossing to the South Island - Honshu. Thence a 650 mile bike ride down to Tokyo. Sarah will overwinter in Japan, while waiting for the right weather window before rowing solo across the Pacific Ocean to Canada, cycling across America and then rowing solo across the Atlantic Ocean back to the UK. A quick cycle and kayak will take her back to Tower Bridge in London in the autumn of 2013. A journey of over 20,000 miles which will take her two and a half years. Nobody has ever rowed this combination of oceans in a single journey around the globe, solo or otherwise. Only 2 men have ever rowed the North Pacific solo. Sarah will be the first woman to row solo across the North Pacific.

GOOD LUCK SARAH. ENJOY A REST IN JAPAN OVER THE WINTER.