Winter Training
Winter training is now well underway with sessions on the water on Saturday mornings and Tuesday evenings as well as Circuit Training on Wednesday evenings. All members are welcome to circuits but do just check if it’s your first time to make sure the session is on. The main event for the Race Group since the last newsletter was the Banbury Hasler. All paddlers are now wrapping up well on the water balancing the need to keep warm if you have a swim with the problem of overheating.

Banbury Hasler Report

The Cold and Narrow Canal
On Sunday 28^th October we travelled to Banbury to race in their annual Hasler event.  This is run on the canal which is narrow in places (in fact, there are no wide bits) so quite different for those of us used to the Thames. Paddling up to the start was like steering the Star ship Enterprise out of space doc.  It was also cold and windy in comparison with the conditions we have raced in over recent months. There were also portages for all divisions: two in divisions 7-10 (4 miles), six for divisions 4 to 6 (8 miles) and fourteen for divisions 1 to 3 (12 miles).  It is unusual for divisions 7 to 10 to have any portages so the course was quite testing.

Promotion to Division two for Jarvis
The highlight was Jarvis M winning his division 3 singles race in 1:42.34, three minutes ahead of the rest of the field.  At this level, three minutes is a large margin as if he was in warp drive and the other boats were on impulse power! This resulted in Jarvis gaining promotion to division two, a tremendous result.  Jarvis now trains with Reading but maintains his allegiance with Pangbourne in Hasler races.

More Hats for Vicky
Vicky M, paddling in C2 (double canoe) with Liz from Basingstoke came second in division 6 doubles, paddling well against people with double the number of blades (i.e. kayak paddlers).  They were also the fastest canoe on the water that day. Hence, they won a hat, the traditional prize at Banbury. A C2 beating a K2 is rather like a Klingon Bird of Prey beating a Federation Star ship.

A Mixed Bag
The rest of the Race Group had mixed results: Simon TC and Stu Q (paddling with Tommy F as a last -minute arrangement) both felt ill and had to retire from their races. Jensen M also retired due to the cold conditions. Owen B had a good race coming 5^th in 1:15.31 in division 4 singles. Steve M came 13^th in division 5 singles in 1:20.26, missing twelfth place by just three seconds! Hazel B and Chris R managed a very creditable 7th and 9^th place respectively in division 9 singles.

The Next Race
The next race is the Ross Warland Memorial Canal Challenge on Sunday 25^th November, again at Banbury.  It’s a 20-mile event where a crew can paddle the full distance or as two teams in a relay.

Pangbourne Canoe Club Newsletter report October-November 2018

 Evening sessions

As the days shorten our Tuesday evening sessions are ending but by the time you read this newsletter Circuit Training will have started on Wednesday evenings from 6.00-7.00pm at The Centre.  All members are welcome to this light-hearted work out. Our training sessions over recent weeks have subtly moved towards strength and stamina as we move into the autumn season where races are over longer distances.

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothes” (Alfred Wainwright, A coast to coast walk)

Over the cooler months it’s important to wear warmer kit and perhaps carry an extra layer for training sessions as the water is getting colder as I found out when I had a sudden water emersion moment (swim) last Tuesday.  Several members planning to enter the Devizes to Westminster Race over the Easter weekend are continuing to train in the evenings independently and they certainly carry extra kit.

Elmbridge Hasler

Elmbridge Hasler was on Sunday 7^th October.  This is an out of region event so not one that many would attend. However, Peter W and Vicky M were keen to get out and race eight miles so why not enter?  The distance was slightly over nine miles, and this suited Peter very well as he was able to gain ground in the last mile gaining third place in division 5 K1 in 1:23.15.  This resulted in his promotion to division 4.  Well done Peter. Vicky paddled in division 6 K2, coming in fourth in a time of 1:31.26.  The boats ahead of her were all kayaks so I believe she was still in the fastest canoe on the water.

Time Trial

We held a time trial this month in which Simon TC broke the club record, completing the distance in 29:52.  Joost took some photos – spot what’s odd here! No prizes for working it out.

As well as a pretty exhausting time trial there’s been time to play: Daisy had the energy for some seasonal conker collection – guess the number of conkers in this bucket (again no prizes).

 

Events coming up

Banbury Hasler is on Sunday 28^th October and this will be the last Hasler until next spring.  We look forward to a good turnout for this.  Quiz and Chips is the evening before (5.30pm Saturday 27^th October) if you feel you need to carbo-load and have an intellectual challenge as part of race preparation.

The Leighton Buzzard Remembrance Day Race is on Sunday 11^th November.

Ross Warland Memorial Canal Challenge on Sunday 25^th November.

Stour Descent on Sunday 2^nd December.

Santa Run Sunday 9^th December (good portage practice)

Frank Luzmore Memorial Marathon on Sunday 6^th January.

Want to have a go?

If any Club members feel tempted to try their hand in a racing boat don’t be shy, get in touch with any of the race group coaches and we can arrange for you to have a go – you may well be pleasantly surprised at how many of your skills are transferable.

Henley Hasler 16th September 2018

Just one week following the Pangbourne Hasler we were off to Henley for another race. Once again, we were lucky with the weather, just enough sunshine to top up the tan but it was a little windy on the Henley straight giving some challenging conditions. I felt that I was paddling at sea some of the time and in Division five K1 and with twenty-seven boats on the start line wash was horrendous.
Henley is yet another beautiful stretch of The Thames for a race and Henley Canoe Club organised an excellent event. Our thanks to all at Henley for this.
In 3K1 Simon TC paddled a gruelling 12 miles to get a good division three race under his belt. Well done Si! Stuart Q elected to paddle in 4K1 (he could have done 5K1) coming 4th scoring 19 points. This is only his second race after a gap of many years so a good result. Greg W, also paddling for the first time after a long break, flew round the course in 5K1 coming third, gaining another 19 points and promotion to division four. Gavin L and Steve M came 14th and 18th respectively in 5K1. I had a poor start but an exciting finish sprinting to the line and holding off a FOX paddler by only one second. In 9K1 Chris R coped well with the windy conditions to come in 10th. Well done Chris.
In the doubles races Peter W paddling 5K2 with his daughter Eleanor (ex-Pangbourne, now with the RAF) had an exciting race with four boats coming into the finish neck and neck: they finished 4th only one second behind 3rd place. Fay B and Caroline W came 11th in 5K2, both glad to be in a stable boat. Robin T and Tommy F shot off the start line like the star ship Enterprise leading 4K2 up to the portage but eventually being pushed into 4th place. Well raced against strong competition. Conor M paddling 3K2 with a Reading partner had a comfortable win coming in more than a minute ahead of the second crew, a large margin at this level, so a good race there.
Once again, our juniors did us proud with Jensen M coming 2nd in U12Males and Amy G 1st in U12females. More significant for Amy was that she was 6th out of all the junior competitors after only a handful of races, so well done to both of our juniors.
The next Hasler Race is Banbury on Sunday 28th October. It would be good to get out a strong team to see if we can get into this years’ Hasler Final.
Steve

The Sun Shines on Pangbourne!

Sunday 9^th September – a date to be remembered for members of Adventure Dolphin: we held our annual Hasler race based at The Centre.  In recent years the race was based at Home Farm but this year it returned to the Centre.

First, a big Thank You to all the helpers both on and off the water, without whom the event could not have taken place.  The races were marshalled very efficiently which made the “on the water” side run smoothly and everything from car parking to catering went well “on the land”.  With over 300 competitors it was a big undertaking and its success was a real endorsement for the charity.  There was a wonderful atmosphere and Georgie kept everyone entertained with her commentary and eclectic musical taste.

This was the first race in the 2018-19 series and for the first time there was an extra race – division ten, an Open race (i.e. in any craft) of 4 miles for under twelve paddlers who want to race a longer course than the Lightnings.  Races are held over 4 miles (divisions 7-10), 8miles (divisions 4 to 6) and 12 miles (divisions 1-3).  In division 9 singles Nick A came sixth and was promoted to division eight and Daisy was our top junior performer coming tenth out of 30 in a strong field where the top seven paddlers were promoted. Chris R and Hazel B also paddled well, Ruth S did her first ever K1 race and Mike H his first ever race.

In division eight Ian P paddled hard to gain fifth place just 17 seconds short of promotion.

In division five singles Gavin L came in the top half and Stuart Q, racing for the first time in many years gained a podium place (third), proving that paddling is like riding a bicycle – you don’t forget.

In division three singles – a twelve-mile race – Conor M managed eleventh and Jarvis M fourth.  These are good results considering the quality of the competition.

In the doubles races Peter W and James B were second in division eight C2 resulting in promotion to division seven despite hitting a tree at the island.  In division five Fay B & Caroline W and Steve M & Paul A came tenth and eighth respectively with close times, similarly in division four Tommy F & Robin T were eighth pipped by Owen B & Mark W in seventh place.

In the Junior race Jensen M was second in K1 and first in K2; Amy G was third in K1 and third in K2. She was buzzing as she got off the water from the K2 race as she only entered at the last minute and was not expecting such a good result.

Jensen receives his certificate from Vicky

Regional Standing 2017-18 season

The Hasler season runs from 1^st September to 31^st August each year.   In the 2017-18 season Pangbourne Canoe Club were 7^th with 36 points.  Only the first five clubs qualify for the Hasler finals, so we didn’t make it.  Realistically, we need to increase number of paddlers to qualify.  In the Geoff Sanders Trophy competition for Lightnings we scored 73 points with a team of only two: the winners, Leighton Buzzard, scored 570 points with a team of eleven.  Again, simply by increasing numbers we can gain more points.

Regional Standing 2018-19 season

Club points after the first race (Pangbourne Hasler) in the 2018-19 season put Pangbourne Canoe Club in 6^th place – can we go one better and get into the Hasler finals this year?

The next Hasler race is Henley on 16^th September then Banbury on 28^th October.  After this there are some longer races including the Ross Warland Memorial Relay Canal Challenge, Basingstoke Charles Hicks Canal Challenge and the Frank Luzmore Memorial Race all around 12 to 20 miles taking us into the winter season. Then it’s the Watersides, Thamesides and Devizes to Westminster Race.

If you would like to try your hand at racing, please email one of the race coaches and we can arrange a time for you to have a go.