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.

We wanted to let everyone know that with the changing of the clocks weekday polo sessions will be starting up again.

For those who are not aware canoe polo is an exciting 5 a side sport where teams compete to get a ball in a goal suspended above the water.  It attracts players from all ages and abilities including those who are dedicated just to polo and those who enjoy other disciplines and want a new challenge.

No polo experience is required and learning polo is a great way to practice your kayak skills. There is no pressure to join any of the teams, and many of our members enjoy the training sessions and social side and never compete. For those wanting to take it further we have a team in the national div 2 and depending on numbers enter a team in the ladies league and regional SE leagues. There are also a number of standalone summer tournaments across the UK we often send teams too.

Sessions are Tuesday and Thursday night from 5pm until it gets dark or people run out of energy, but no problem with people arrive after the start if you cannot get away that early. We are lucky to have access to Hawley Lake for the sessions which is a beautiful venue and makes it a joy to be out on the water in the evenings. Weekend sessions on Saturday and Sunday morning will also continue depending on numbers.

Everyone is welcome to any session however, Thursday nights are primarily our beginner session where we will be focusing on developing the first skills you will need to start playing. Tuesday nights are general club sessions.

If you have your own kit please bring it along, if not all we ask you bring is swimming  clothes, rash vest or t-shirt that you don’t mind getting wet and something warm for on the water if it is cold.

If you are keen to join us to come try out something new or have any questions, please contact us on [email protected]

Thanks,

Dan and Devon (BVCC Polo Reps)

We just wanted to provide everyone with a quick update on our indoor pool sessions. We have decided to extend our booking at Lord Wandsworth College for five more weeks, with a one week break at half term.

The pool also seems to have obtained a new kayak (a Pyranha Mountain Bat) which is suitable for larger paddlers. The indoor pool is an excellent location to develop your skills and have fun, so check out the events page and sign up if you’re interested.

The schedule for pool sessions going forward will be as follows:

• 24th Jan – pool session
• 31st Jan – pool session
• 7th Feb – pool session
• 14th Feb – break
• 21st Feb – pool session
• 28th Feb – pool session
• 6th Mar – pool session

After the 6th of March we will likely have a week or two’s break, and one or two night paddles, before starting our regular weekly canal sessions in April. More details will be communicated a little closer to the time.

We will also be looking to restart our bi-weekly moving water sessions soon, so keep an eye out for those.

With the summer paddling season now well underway we just wanted to provide a few updates about upcoming club activities, and some other reminders.

Lido Session Etiquette

We just want to give everyone a a quick reminder before we begin: you’re welcome to try different craft at the Lido, but please remember everything which comes out of the boat store needs to go back in at the end of the evening. Our volunteers have noticed a consistent increase in the number of boats left ‘abandoned’ at the pool side at the end of sessions; which then need to be carried back to the boat store. We would like to remind everyone that when you are done with a boat (either during or at the end of a session) you should return it to the paved area outside of the boat store, and use a sponge to remove any water remaining inside the boat. If you need help lifting a boat then club volunteers will be more than happy to lend a hand, but it’s not fair to expect them to clear up after everyone at the end of a session.

Try Canoe Polo at the Lido

The canoe polo side of the club will be coming to the Lido session on Wednesday 2nd August to run polo taster sessions. If you would like to give Canoe Polo a go then this is your chance! There’s no minimum age or skill requirements; everyone is welcome to have a go, so long as you have a bit of enthusiasm.

Summer Sea kayaking Trips

We’ve got not one, but two, Sea kayaking trips coming up! Firstly we’ll be spending the weekend of the 19th & 20th August paddling in Dorset, and then on 17th September we will be paddling on the Tidal River Thames, here’s a video from one of our previous Thames trips.

End of Summer BBQ

As sad as it is Summer will eventually come to an end, but at least that means you can attend out end of summer BBQ. Our end of summer BBQ and AGM will be in the evening on Tuesday 12th September. We would very much appreciate it if members could attend this if possible, as we have an important amendment to make to the club constitution, which requires a minimum turnout in order to pass. This is also a great chance to socialise with other club members and enjoy some FREE food.

Potential Trip to Slovenia Next Year

We are looking into the possibility of running a whitewater kayaking trip to the Soča Valley in Slovenia, during the summer next year. We last ran one of these trips in 2019 and it was greatly enjoyed by all of those who attended. Slovenia offers a combination of great whitewater and truly spectacular scenery. There are also a wide array of non-kayaking related ways to spend the day (there are many activities to do around Bovec, and popular tourist destinations such as Lake Bled, Postojna Cave, Ljubljana, and Venice are within driving distance); as a group we usually set aside one or two days for non-kayaking activities, but everyone is welcome to spend their time in Slovenia how they please (there’s no obligation to paddle every day). You can see videos from our previous trips in 2019 and 2018 on our Vimeo channel.

At the moment we’re just trying to assess the feasibility of running the trip, and get an idea of how many people might want to come, so we’re not looking for people to commit to anything just yet. Later in the year we’ll try to get those who are interested together and start making plans. If you think you might be interested in a trip to Slovenia, then please speak to Alex Tripp at one of the upcoming Lido sessions, or reply to this email.

Membership renewals (also applies to those paddling as non-members)

It’s the time of year where many people’s club memberships are due for renewal; you should receive an automated email when your membership is due for renewal, though we are aware of a couple of occasions where a notification email was apparently not received. If you have any doubt about when your membership is due then your current membership status can be found on the My Membership page of the website.

Please check your personal details are fully up to date and correct when renewing your membership, it is important that the information we have about you is correct in case we need to contact you or your designated emergency contact about anything. Those paddling as non-members also have to renew their non-member status once per year in order to ensure their information is kept up to date.

On Saturday 23rd April Blackwater Valley Canoe Club once again decamped from the Lido, over to Garner’s Field Campsite to support the Farnham Scouts family camp.

Each year the Farnham District Scouts hold their Family Camp where all the Scouts, and their families, from the Farnham District can enjoy a weekend of fun activities. In what has become a long standing tradition a team of volunteers from BVCC support the camp by running a day of kayaking taster sessions, free for anyone at the camp to attend.

After being cancelled for two years due to the pandemic, Family Camp along with BVCC’s kayaking activity, was back and bigger than ever. BVCC’s work began on the Thursday (the first day of the camp) with a group of volunteers transporting 26 kayaks & paddles; along with paddling kit and various other equipment, to the campsite. Then early on Saturday morning a team of 12 BVCC volunteers descended on the campsite to setup for the day’s activities. After laying out our boats and equipment on the bank it was time for some of us to don the drysuits and go for a refreshing dip in the River Wey, in order to set up the demarcation lines and prepare for the first session.

While our volunteers in the water were getting setup an equally dedicated team was busy on the bank getting scouts signed up for sessions and fitted with buoyancy aids / helmets. The club’s volunteers were grateful to receive continual support from a steady stream of Explorer / Network Scouts and parent helpers (some of who were also club members) throughout the day.

The first session was soon underway; after getting their BAs and helmets checked the scouts were shown to their boats where they received a quick safety brief and introduction. With that out the way the session began for each participant with a slide down the bank and into the river. From there our volunteers in the river had the task of providing coaching & advice to those with little to no prior experience of kayaking, as well as ensuring everyone was kept safe on the water.

There was little respite for our volunteers on the bank between sessions, once one group was on the water the focus soon moved to getting the next group ready, then on to hauling the boats back out the river at the end of the session.

This process repeated throughout the day with our volunteers running a total of 12 half hour long sessions. The kayaking activity was so popular that all the day’s spaces were fully booked within about an hour of the first session starting. After discussion with the volunteering team it was decided to increase the number of participants per session slightly and these spaces too were rapidly booked up. In all about 270 scouts and family members took part in BVCCs kayaking taster sessions. For the volunteers it was hard work, but also a very fun and rewarding day.

BVCC would like to thank all the club volunteers who helped run the day, along with all those from the Scouting community who came to support our volunteers throughout the day, both in the water and on the bank.

Our spring canal sessions ended with a very enjoyable (and surprisingly sunny) paddle on Wednesday evening. Turnout was good and everyone enjoyed themselves. We’ll now be having a 2 week break from Wednesday sessions and then it’s back to the Lido on the 1st June!

We have plenty going on in the meantime though:

• Sunday 15th May: Trip to Lee Valley Whitewater Centre
• Sunday 16th May: Equipment maintenance day at Aldershot Lido
• Saturday 28th May: Touring trip to the Tidal Adur
• Saturday 28th May: Running taster sessions Aldershot Lido’s opening day
• Sunday 29th May: Pub quiz social

As always you can see what’s going on, and sign up, on our events page.

Finally we would like to say a massive “thank you” to Basingstoke Canal Canoe Club (with whom our club is affiliated), who have allowed us to use their equipment for our canal sessions. This has made running these sessions a lot easier for our members and volunteers alike. We look forwards to further collaboration with B3C in the future.