Belfast Kayak Club Newsletter

Issue 1 - October 2002

Club members on the Lagan this Summer

In This Issue

1. The Liffey Descent
2. From the Chair
3. A Coaches Tip - Essential Boat Control
4. Ballycastle to Ballintoy
5. What Should we carry on the river?
6. On the Polo Front
7. About the BCU & CANI
8. About us

Contributors in this Issue

John Napier, Paul McCormac, John Cunningham & Peter Dew

Editors Note

Welcome to the new look newsletter. This is your newsletter and will only be as good as the articles submitted by you. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to contribute as often as they like. It's hoped to publish the newsletter every month, the more articles the more publications.

If you find something interesting, have had a great day out paddling, have some gear to sale or just want to get something of your chest then let us know.

The Liffey Descent 2002

Congratulates to the seven paddlers who tested their kayaking skills in this years Liffey descent. The gruelling 18 miles from the K Club to the outskirts of Dublin seen several classic rolls but only two swims. In usual BKC fashion we started one hour late as we met up in Newry for the journey south. The plan was to travel in convoy until Dublin then split with four of us going to collect the race bibs and two go straight to the hostel to book in. That well-laid plan fell apart even before Dundalk, for once into the cars everyone went their separate ways on the road south. Brian and I were cutting things a little fine and ended up doing a spot of rallying through Phionex Park, with Brian introducing me to my first handbrake turn. (I'll not mention the mud flap Brian) Full marks to Paul McCormac for arranging great accommodation in Dublin and after settling in we headed out for a quick pint and of course the usual late night burger. With the following days race in everyone's mind we headed back to the hostel for an early night Around 03:30 John Napier joined us to make our numbers a lucky seven. Next morning after a full breakfast we headed for the race check-in to find several hundred competitors already there and making all those last minute adjustments. Last minute is how best to describe Paul and Clive's arrival though the starting gates with a race official closing it on Paul's tail.

The sticking together plan fell apart once again, as soon as we hit the water - everyone got separated and made their own way to the starting line. The start of the Liffey is organised confusion. Hundreds of boats from several different classes struggle upstream for approx. 1km to find their pre-race starting point. The K2's were let go as we were still paddling upstream, such a site to see them heading
straight at us. After a quick re-group only Greg was missing, but with no time left to look for him we were off towards Straffen. The first weir saw the first roll; looking back over my shoulder I saw Clive's boat complete a 360 with such ease he hardly got his hair wet. At the bottom we met none other than our own polo coach Helen who was doing safety cover at the weir. She told us Greg was already down and sure enough several hundred meters down the river Gregg's smiling face appeared upright and dry. The smile was later wiped away when he was pinned to a tree in the lower section of the jungle losing his paddle in the process, recovering his composure and paddle we carried on to the portage without to much incident expect for a couple of rolls from Roy Doherty and Brian Douglas. We again re-grouped and headed down for the big V weirs. At Wren's nest we all showed due caution except for Clive, who hit the V straight on and sure enough he was last seen bobbing along the right hand stopper then splash, the first swim of the day, the rest of us slid down river left without as much as a splash. The next V weir was Palmerstown and with it the next swim. Greg, who was safely down decided to look behind him and give directions, with the old adage in mind "always look were you want to go" Gregg found himself at war with a wall and the second swim of the day was had. I was spun around at the top of the weir and headed down backwards, shortly followed by Paul who was caught in the left-hand stopper matching if not beating Clive's earlier bongo action along the weir. A couple of high braces and I'm sure a few choice prayers he was spit out to a round of applause at the bottom. The rest of the race proved less eventful as we all crossed the finish line just before the cut off time. After an excellent meal we headed back to the hostel for a quick shower and out into Dublin. However, by 11:30 the events of the day had caught up with us and we headed back across Dublin to bed. When the next club weekend is being planned before the last one is over it's a sure sign everyone had a good time. On that note I'll mention the Mayo weekend, if it's half as good as the Liffey then we are all in for a treat.

Peter Dew

Thoughts From the Chair

Belfast Kayak Club's membership has grown significantly over the last number of months and now stands at forty-five members. While this is an immense achievement we must not overlook the aims of the club and must ensure that it remains focused on providing a variety of kayaking experiences. The pool sessions running in the Robinson Centre are predominately focused on canoe polo, which is both highly enjoyable and excellent for improving basic skills. However, it is up to you the membership to determine the nature and number of canoeing sessions we run both in terms of pool sessions and outdoor activities. Demand and support for external activities can only come from you the members. The committee meetings held on the first Wednesday of every month, is your opportunity to raise any issues of concern. The club has purchased a canoe trailer and a number of boats, some of which will have to be sold to meet expenditure commitments. These assets should be well used by the club and I would encourage all members to do so. Over the last number of months it has been particularly disappointing for club coaches that there has been such a lack of support for any activities outside of the pool. Any club is only as strong as its membership and I have no doubt that despite our current funding difficulties, with your support, we can continue to grow. I hope that you will support all our activities and that this is the first of many newsletters.

John Napier

A Coaches Tip - Essential Boat Control

Good boat control involves three main components that determine how the body interacts with your boat and how your boat interacts with the water. The mastery of the necessary skills to achieve this interaction involves:

• Balance
• Speed
• Angle Management

Balance and good posture should be the primary concern of any paddler. In order to
obtain good posture and balance in your boat sit up tall, stretch your hamstrings and tilt
your pelvis slightly forward. By sitting straight and erect in your boat you achieve good
balance as the pivot point remains in the centre of your boat. In addition, breathing is
easier as there is no pressure on your diaphragm. From this position you achieve good
peripheral vision and freedom of movement to execute your paddle strokes to their
maximum effect. Speed is determined by efficient forward and reverse paddle strokes, which begins with good posture and balance in your boat.

There are three main components to forward & reverse paddling:

• Catch - point were blade enters water
• Power Stroke - pulling lower arm and blade
• Recovery - power stroke ends with blade no further back than hip as any further
  is a waste of energy.

Sweep stroke will provide the necessary control need to provide direction when implementing forward or reverse paddle strokes and the effectiveness of these strokes will be determined by the use of positive or negative force (negative strokes stop your forward momentum). Angle management is achieved through your ability to edge or lean. A strong confident boat tilt is vital in all facets of paddling. When tilting your kayak up on edge balance your weight on a single butt cheek, steadying yourself with your upper knee. A sure way of staying balanced like this is by keeping your head over your kayak. However, remember where your head leads your body will follow so when tilting your kayak on edge, keep your head over your kayak. By effectively combining balance, speed and angle management you will be able to tackle any river and will get greater enjoyment from your paddling, but remember each situation requires a different combination of the above so keep practising.

John Napier

BallyCastle to Ballintoy

This summer has seen BKC dip it's paddles into the world of sea kayaking with some success too. Our first outing was a well attended paddle on Stangford Lough, the second outing, John Cunningham, Roy Doherty and I had a great paddle from Newcastle to St. John's Point. The third was another well attended outing to Strangford with none other than Paddy making a guest appearance outside the Robinson Centre. But Surely the best outing to date was Ballycastle to Ballintoy. The beauty of the North Antrim coast certainly compensated for the lack of paddlers on the water. With blue skies and a flat blue sea Roy John C and myself put in the small seaside town of Ballycastle, the plan was to explore the many caves along the way then finish at the small harbour of Ballintoy. Exploring the caves was easier for me in the single skerrey but Roy and John had little trouble in the Necky double following me into some amazing places. Ignoring the "always paddle in backwards into caves" rule I took a soaking to the amusement of both of them when inside a cave few bigger waves pushed me toward the back wall.

The first place of interest was Dunineny Castle placed high and right on the cliff edge, several caves including Nelly's cave and then the stunning Kinbane Castle which is perched right out into the sea, a really amazing place. Next up was White Head and then into Port More for lunch.

We lunched in a pretty precarious spot with the plastic boat having the advantage this time over the glass one, Roy and John were able to land and stretch their legs with me left to eat my lunch still in the boat.

After lunch we headed on towards Ballintoy, passing the Giants Cut, a pretty impressive slice into the cliff face, made I'm sure by Finn himself. The view towards Rathlin was clear and spectacular, it would of made an inviting paddle, but not one for today as we made our way towards Carrick Island, but first another two spectacular caves had to be explored. With the tide now out we were able to land right under the bridge and pull our boats across the narrow slip of sand into Larry Bane Bay.

Rounding the head we entered Boheesane Bay which was alive the day trippers
splashing around in the sea. Soon we where entering the small but lively port of Ballintoy
which was playing host to local kids involved in an activity day out. We pulled the boats
up the slip and headed for the small cafe built on the waters edge for a bite to eat and
reflect on a great day's sea paddling.

Peter Dew

What Should we carry on the River?

There is no right or wrong answer to the above question, it depends largely on personal choice. This is by no means a definitive list of gear to carry, your role in the group, your experience and training will always have a bearing on what goes into your boat. There are however a couple things which MUST be carried on any river trip.

Basics:
The first ingredient in every rescue kit is common sense; the second is training. Know how to use the tools and materials you carry well before you need them. Double up on each piece of equipment - you don't want all your rescue gear to be on the boat in trouble.

What you should have in your boat anyway:
A throw bag, a basic first aid kit, large plastic bivi or group bivi, energy bar/food, drinking water, spare clothes, a basic repair kit,appropriate instructions/tools to find your way to the nearest road if in a remote area, emergency telephone and a spare paddle.

What you should have in your PFD:
A good-quality knife which can be used with one hand, and loud whistle. You can't shout over the river or wind.

Rescue gear (duplicated in at least two boats):
A throw bag, several carabiners for rigging lines, a couple of climbing slings two Prusik slings, and a towline. The throw bag should hold a bright-coloured floating line. A stretchable line absorbs the shocks when rescuing a swimmer, while a non-stretching line is better when retrieving a pinned or jammed boat. The carabiners can be used as a fairlead or as a makeshift block.

The Prusik slings can be moved one way along a line but will not slip back. A river towline should be short, for control, while a touring towline should be long enough to keep the boats from running over each other. A towline can be as simple as a length of quarter-inch line, or as sophisticated as a deck-mounted bag or a quick-release waist or PFD attachment.

The above list does not need to be carried in every boat but should be split between the
group with the exception of a THROW BAG, if you don't already have one GET one.

John Cunningham

On the Polo Front

In this issue we'll give a brief introduction to Canoe Polo.

In the next issue Paul will look at the rules.

About the game:
Canoe Polo is the fastest growing of all the canoeing disciplines, both within
the U.K. and internationally.

The game is played between two teams of up to eight canoeists, men or women, five of whom may be on the pitch at any one time, (there being no limit on the number of substitutions that can be made).

Played both in swimming pools and outdoors, the pitch is up to 35 metres long and 25 metres wide. Teams compete to score by shooting into their opponent's goal - a netted frame, one metre high and one and a half metres wide, suspended two metres above the water. The soccer sized ball is thrown or paddle-flicked between players.

Demanding the ball handling skills of basketball and tactical awareness of 5-a-side soccer, the physical aggression and effort draw comparisons with American Football. (A buoyancy aid, helmet and face mask provide body protection, whilst the boats are heavily padded at both ends).

But there is an extra requirement - the need to possess a high level of technical canoeing ability.

The game is played by canoe clubs, youth groups and schools U.K.-wide, teams competing year-round in local, Regional and National Leagues and Open tournaments.

Internationally the sport is now played in over 60 countries world-wide.

In the 1999 European Championships, held in Belgium, Great Britain's senior men, senior women and Under 21 women took the Silver medal, the Under 21 men winning Gold. At the 2000 World Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Great Britain's men won the Gold medal and the women the Silver.

Paul McCormac

About The BCU and CANI - It's important to be a member

BCU

For those of you who are new to the sport, this is a quick introduction to our national and local Governing Bodies.

The British Canoe Union (BCU) is the Governing Body for the sport and recreation of canoeing and kayaking in the UK. It represents the interests of canoeists at local, national and international level, and is a member of the International Canoe Federation.The BCU encourages people of all ages and abilities to enjoy paddling, to gain access to the waters of Great Britain, to be properly and safely instructed, to be active in competition or to take advantage of the social aspects of being a club member.

The BCU is the leader in the exciting areas of developing the sport and the people who participate in the various canoeing activities ranging from Olympic Class competition to leisurely participation or touring. It also manages all the operational aspects of canoeing and has excellent links with many other sports bodies and institutions.

http://www.bcu.org.uk/

CANI

In Northern Ireland - Contact the Canoe Association for Northern Ireland.