Weekly Canal sessions & other updates
Here’s a quick update about our paddling activities now that the indoor pool season has ended.
After Dark Canal Paddle
The clocks may not have changed yet, but that’s not going to stop us from enjoying an evening on the canal. This Wednesday (27 th) we’ll be hosting an after-dark paddle on the Basingstoke Canal. The club rarely paddles in the dark so this will be a chance to experience a different type of paddling than usual. Our friends at Basingstoke Canal Canoe Club (B3C) have allowed us to make use of their equipment for this trip, so boats and equipment will be available on site for those who wish to borrow equipment (using your own equipment is of course fine as well).If you’d like to join us for this session then please sign up on our website so that we know who to expect.
Weekly Canal Sessions
Once the clocks change next week we’ll start our usual wednesday evening canal paddles (3rd of April onwards). For those of you who haven’t been to one of these sessions before, they are typically fairly relaxed social paddles along the canal in either direction. Once again B3C have kindly granted us permission to use their boat store, so equipment will be available to use on site.These sessions are available on the events page of our website.
Weekend Whitewater Sessions
Our weekend whitewater calendar is in full swing, with sessions planned every other Sunday until mid-June. The current calendar is:
- 7th April – No session due to first aid course (one space left)
- 21st April – Local Weir
- 5th May – Nene Whitewater Centre
- 19th May – Lee Valley Whitewater Centre
- 2nd June – Moving Water Taster Session at Coxes Lock
- 16th June – Nene Whitewater Centre
You can find all of these events on our website. Please sign up in advance so that we can send you relevant information about the session and inform you of any changes (the venue for weir sessions is usually decided on the Wednesday before the sessions, based on river levels and group experience).
Farnham Scout’s Family Camp Volunteering
On Saturday 20th April the club will be continuing its long standing support of the Farnham Scouts Family Camp. We will be running kayaking taster sessions for the scouts and their family members throughout the day, in the river that runs alongside the campsite. This is always a very rewarding and enjoyable day for our club volunteers; we typically see around 250 people on the water over the course of the day (split over 30 minute sessions) and receive lots of positive feedback from the local Scout groups who take part. Many hands make light work when running these sessions, so we always appreciate as much help as possible on the day. We are looking for volunteers to be in the river (helping teach the Scouts and ensure everyone is safe) and on the bank (fitting kit and signing people up). The scout kitchen will provide us all with a free hot lunch and hot / cold drinks during the day. If you can only help for part of the day that’s fine too!
If you are interested in helping us run this event please sign up as a volunteer on the website, so that we know how many volunteers we are expecting prior to the event.
