The Teign was quite a paddle!

The River Teign white water kayaks and open canoes trip (North Dartmoor) on Saturday 17th November proved to be an excellent day out for all, with some interesting technical challenges, set within the beautiful woodlands of the Teign Gorge in the National Trust grounds of Castle Drogo.
Ian Blatchey (Scampi) organised the trip and took a quick dip as he got on (Shhh don’t tell anyone!). Alison Stephens turned out to be our star paddler, Mike Kew was excellent and Cliff Coombes was our joker!
Many of our paddlers are still confused about the correct way to pronounce ‘teign’! Pub locals called it ‘teen’. Doesn’t match the ‘teign’ in Teignmouth (‘tin’) or Bishopsteignton (‘tane’)!!
Much doom and gloom was posted on Facebook by various people prior to the trip. Their opinion appeared to be based solely on water levels on gauges. One person said the river was ‘empty’ and another suggested it wasn’t worth bothering with. Not true.
Just for everyone’s information we did not paddle the river blind. Sally and Adrian Moon did a comprehensive recce the day before. They walked the entire higher technical section and observed from both sides of the river.

Yes, it was low and certainly technical in places meaning decisions had to be made about lines etc, and the open canoeists decided to portage in places (thanks again for your help Colin Greaves!) No point in risking a broken boat or body. Fallen trees across the river also slowed us up. Although we all agreed that it was a great day’s paddling.

Sally, Lizzie and Jane enjoyed the river side walk, and Tenzing (Ed’s dog) had a fantastic time running around when he wasn’t in the canoe or riding the rapids!

To see what other outings our Trips Planning Team have in store for us visit our online calendar. December includes the Santa Paddle on the 16^th, a trip to the River Barle on 29th December and the Boxing Day paddle starting at Pangbourne, followed by mince pies and mulled wine.

30/11/201830/11/2018

Mermaids! What in the Thames?

Our Sunday morning paddlers came face to face with a self-confessed mermaid last month. The mermaid AKA, open water swimmer, Lindsey Cole, swam past them while on course to complete her 200 mile swim of the Thames to raise awareness of the environmental effects of single-use plastic.

Lindsey took to the water at the beginning of November in a wetsuit, tail and woolly hat about 20 miles from the source of the river at Lechlade, Gloucestershire, and is describing herself as an “Urban Mermaid” as she is appealing to passers-by to litter pick and add to her mermaid sculpture that is being towed by her support canoe.

It is thought that by the end of their travels (Teddington) that they will have created a giant mermaid sculpture made out of plastic bottles that is representative of how we are choking our rivers with plastic.

To find out more about Lindsey’s story visit the BBC News website

27/11/201827/11/2018

Safety Alert – Weil’s Disease

Weil’s disease (Leptospirosis)

We have been made aware of a paddler in the East Midland’s region who was diagnosed with Weil’s disease (Leptospirosis) on Saturday 17^th November. Our thoughts are with the paddler and their family, as they fight the condition.

Please find below some helpful information:

Weils Disease (Leptospirosis)

All water users should be aware of this potentially fatal infection.

This is a bacterial infection normally believed to be spread by rat urine, though can also be transmitted by cat, fox and rabbit urine. Transmission is usually through an open wound or abrasion but can also be coursed by ingestion of contaminated water.

Symptoms are lethargy, diarrhoea, headaches, vomiting and muscle pain; sometimes referred to as flu like symptoms, if untreated can be fatal.

Prevention

Prevention measures against water borne infection are:

Cover all cuts and abrasions with waterproof plasters.
Always wear footwear to avoid cutting the feet.
Avoid capsize or rolling practice in suspected waters.
Where possible shower soon after the activity
As a minimum always wash your hands after paddling and before eating or drinking

If you feel ill after paddling you should tell your Doctor as soon as possible and let them know where and when you have been on the water.

The NHS publish the following guidance:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Leptospirosis/

Further information and support is available when required by contacting:

safety@britishcanoeing.org.uk

30/10/2018

Reading Santa Run 2018

This event should have been in every Club Member’s diary by now as a way of raising funds for Adventure Dolphin while making a super pre Christmas event for all. Hopefully the Social Group will take on the coordination as I will be stewarding on the day but happy to liase with whoever beforehand.

The outfits – Santas for adults and elves for children – are included in the entry fee and then members gain their own sponsorship for taking part. Many charities earn themselves a great deal of money!

I have already left a pile of the original fliers in the development room and now have posters etc. If this could be promoted at any upcoming events, in the newsletter or by a separate mailing, we should be able to enter a formidable group. The Adventure Dolphin Team should look fantastic, a team photo must be taken!

Kind regards

Tim

Reading Santa Run 2018-Join in the festive fun!!!

Why should you take part?

Raise money for your own organisation
Raise your profile in the public arena
Raise money for the Rotary Charities
Have fun – a great family fun day out

1Km. course for young people

– babies in buggies, and dogs including guide dogs! The course is suitable for any physically or mentally handicapped people, visually impaired or those with hearing difficulties we would love to see you all take part!

All to be dressed in festive outfits – all outfits included!

There is also a 5Km. course that you can race, run, walk, jog or even stroll if you like – however you do it you will raise money for charity.

www.readingsantarun.co.uk

Posters and flyers are available on request to promote the event

Contact Santa Run Marketing:

sheila.hobbs@readingrotary.org.uk

29/10/201831/10/2018

River Dart “Railway Paddle”

The aim of the weekend was to do two day paddles on the Dart in sequence starting at The Dart Country Park and finishing in Totnes. This is traditionally termed the “Lower Dart” and “Lower Lower Dart”. Instead of fighting for parking at the muddy lay by or at The Salmon Leap Café, we egressed at Breara Farm Campsite, where we stayed on Saturday night.

Eight of us paddled solo canoe (Unfortunately two had to go home after forgetting some of their kit!). For some this was a first canoe journey on moving water and having a forgiving flow and shallow levels was ideal. The only difficulty was a lack of depth at times. This meant reading the river to avoid grounding was essential. We even managed a little poling. Despite a significant peak in water levels the weekend before, water levels were again low. The river gauge at Austin’s bridge was just above 0.5m and we would not suggest driving down to Devon if it were any lower.

The campsite was quiet (except for us) and some of us, who got up in the night, were treated to an amazing panorama of stars, owing to the lack of light pollution and the clear sky.

There have been some issues with the egress at Staverton and so on Sunday we continued to Totnes. After Staverton the river is a mellow grade one, with one broken weir above Dartington and then a large weir at Totnes. Once over this we were into salt water of the Dart estuary. Egress at the ramp by Totnes Rowing Club was easy.

We all drove back up towards Buckfast and had a cream tea at the Salmon Leap Cafe, before the drive home.

30/09/201801/10/2018

Allier 2018

Allier 2018; from wings to white water!

Although not my first time to this amazing, beautiful and stunning river, it very much felt like it. As many of you know, I regularly train hard with the marathon group, preferring to race competitively, instead of throwing myself down crazy rapids; and with GCSE results day looming, going on this year’s French trip seemed like a bit of a ludicrous decision………how wrongly I interpreted the situation.
From start to finish, I can honestly say that this year’s trip was firmly the best French trip in recent years. After setting up camp on a (thankfully!) dry day, we rested in hope of regaining some energy lost from a long exhausting drive down to Langeac.
On the Sunday, a nice gentle warm up paddle from Langeac to Lavoute Chilac to get back into the flow of things (excuse the pun). On the Monday, after having loosened up, we tackled the Parades to Langeac; having to face the mighty weir flume – a personal highlight of the section, with some potential laughs as a few swims occur here.
Then on the Tuesday a very, very early start (a tough life getting up at 7:30am) was well worth it for the gorgeous paddle from Chapeauroux to Alleyras – otherwise known as ‘that section with 40 rapids’ – with a few technical bits to keep us on our toes. Although a great paddle, we returned to a half- swamped campsite which may have been a good paddle in itself, but morale was bought up by a quick change to pizza and chips for tea (a wise move by the trip leaders some would argue).
Then came Wednesday……. the grade 3 section (dun…dun…dunnnnnnn). Not only was I paddling this section to prove others I could still ‘probably paddle’, but I wanted to show myself that I was still capable of paddling a technical section of white water. The doubts disappeared quickly as I tackled the section with relative ease, possibly better than I did a couple of years ago (ask the coaches as I believe I’m rather biased, who would have thought?) reassuring me why it’s my favourite section of the river. Thanks to the dynamic duo of Liam and Boothy for taking me down this section, without which I wouldn’t have realised I can still paddle on moving water.
Thursday. Day off for some. Results for others. Anyone on the trip would be able tell you how fear consumed me the night before, anxious about not being at home to open them. Again, my worries were unnecessary as I passed all my subjects, and gleefully celebrated with a drink on the house from the local bar- a regular evening spot for some on the trip.
Then Friday came, the final day of paddling and the penultimate day in France. The dynamic pairing of Gillespie/Fitzgerald teamed up again (open canoe this time!!) to brave the Parades to Langeac section – no problem for Janet obviously as there were no portages for things to go wrong (I’m sorry Janet, I just had to). Open canoeing was different and very much interesting on white water – an experience I have Ian Flanders to thank for, and would definitely recommend to those who haven’t endeavoured before- challenging me in new ways as an already confident paddler.
Saturday was interesting to say the least. The group started with an early morning high rope session beside the river (so we can technically claim that it was still a river trip). I would like to thank the Frenchman who ran the high rope course for putting up with laughing Brits during their briefing for the sole reason that the briefing was in French. Camp was quickly dissembled and we were on our way……to Ikea, for MEATBALLS!
A long drive was ahead of us, and being in the trailing bus, was very confused when the leading bus (being driven by none other than Mr Dave Booth) detoured into the centre of Paris. A quick photo in front of the Eiffel tower for the Instagram (tommy.fitzy, hit me up) as well as negotiations with a French salesman for a laser (he started at €25 and we ended up at £12, so the real question here is, Why am I not in Brussels negotiating our Brexit deal?
Overall it was a fantastic week away with many laughs – but not so many rolls- made even more enjoyable by the company in which I was surrounded for the week.
I would personally like to thank Dave, Liam, Paul, Ian, Corinna (Fizzy to some), Janet & Jack for collectively help run the trip, without who the trip may never have ran. And finally I’d like to thank my Dad (Tony to the rest of you) for working tremendously hard to make this year’s trip possible- whilst committing to his role as treasurer as well as his full time job (plus having children to take care of)- which was enjoyed by all those who were there.

Tommy Fitzgerald

02/09/201808/09/2018

Adventure Dolphin launches new Paddlesport Section

Jack Hulse, one of the Paddlesport Team Leaders said: “We are keen to create new opportunities for our younger members to come together and try something new. The sessions will be split into two groups, and following Adventure Dolphin tradition, they have been named “The Penguins” for our 11-14 year olds and “The Dolphins” for those aged 15-18 years.

Each session will enable participants to develop their skills as we prepare for a special Halloween Spooktacular event on Saturday 27 October 2018, where Paddlesport members will compete against each other to win prizes.”

Session times
The sessions will run fortnightly on Sunday mornings. Sign-in is from 9.30am, to be on the water for 10am, with a 12noon finish.

Don’t forget, the Sunday morning paddle is on at the same time, so Paddlesport members could leave their adults (1 star holders +) with Nick, Chris and Don for a paddle too!

How to become a Paddlesport member
To be eligible you must:
– Be aged 11-18 years old from 1 September 2018
– Be a current member of Adventure Dolphin
– And have attended at least a Paddlesport Fun course or above

If you meet all of the above criteria, please register your interest by emailing: paddlesport@adventuredolphin.co.uk

Paddlesport Spooktacular event
To enter the Spooktacular event, you must be a Paddlesport member (or an associated family member). So, don’t forget to put the date in the diary and further details will follow nearer the time.

02/09/201802/09/2018

Paddle boarding comes to AD

It was a warm Sunday afternoon. The ducks quacked and the swans preened.

The sun was out and 13 people turned up to our inaugural Stand Up Paddle Boarding sessions. We had a fully booked session. We had both families and individuals participate.

We toured around the Mill Pond, Lock Cut and went up to the islands. We covered how to paddle stroke, reverse paddle turn, and the tricky step back turn.

All participants did very well. We had a 100% success rate where everyone stood up on their paddle board; and this includes some who previously had not been able to do that.

We had a great day paddling amongst the ducks and the swans.

Thanks to The Outdoor Academy for the SUP loan and to Claire and Penny for their support.

We are set to hold another session on 30th September. Visit our online calendar for further information.

14/08/201814/08/2018

Introduction to Kayaking and Rolling

Pool Courses

Adventure Dolphin is set to run two pool courses this Autumn. “Introduction to Kayaking” and “Kayak Rolling” start on 14th September at The Oratory Preparatory School Swimming Pool, Goring Heath, in Oxfordshire.

The first course will run for six weeks: Friday 14th, 21st & 29th September, 5th, 12th & 19th October, while the second, four week course is on Friday 2nd, 9th, 16th & 23rd November.

Introduction to Kayaking
This course is ideal for people wishing to try out kayaking in the warmth of a swimming pool. You will be introduced to the sport through a variety of activities and games that will develop:

– Safety Awareness
– Boat Handling
– Boat Balance
– Water Confidence both in and out of your boat
– Paddling Skills

Time: 18:15 – 19:15 (45 Min in water session)

Minimum age: 8 years old

Kayak rolling
Through the guidance of our coaches you will be given the opportunity to learn how to roll or develop your existing rolling skills in our pool kayaks.

Please note course pre-requisites:

– You must be able to swim 25 metres
– Be both water and boat confident
– Be able to capsize with a spray deck on

Time: 19:00 – 20:00. (45 Min in water session)

Minimum age: 12 years old

Course prices
Course 1 – £60 for members and £66 pounds for non members
Course 2 – £40 pounds for members and £44 pounds for non members

Click here to book your place.

For further information contact: Corinna Bailie – membership@adventuredolphin.co.uk

12/07/201825/07/2018

Abingdon Round and Swift Ditch

On Sunday 1st July a group of 21 Adventure Dolphin members met at the paddler friendly Abingdon Marina to sample the Thames, the River Ock and – a perennial favourite of the club – Swift Ditch (this latter always known as Swift Ditch by paddlers but more boringly identified as merely “Back Water” by the Ordnance Survey on their maps).

The group met with a typical mixed bag of craft – kayak, OC solo and OC tandem – and the paddle was ably lead by Ed Edwards assisted by Claire Hardwick, Ian Flanders and Adrian Moon. Ed doubled as our tour guide for the day with enlightening snippets about the buildings and entertainment opportunities of Abingdon appearing to know a great deal about Abingdon jail and which pubs were best to impress girlfriends.

After the obligatory faffing, and Claire’s comprehensive “A to G” briefing, we left Abingdon Marina and set off upstream on the Thames but soon left the major river by passing under the old iron bridge at the entrance to the River Ock. The name Ock apparently originates from a Celtic word meaning salmon – a useless piece of information from Adrian.

The Ock was at a better level than might have been expected after the dry spell of weather and after a few hundred metres paddling and wading upstream we reached the spot at which a portage took us over onto the Wilts and Berks Canal and our return via a small shoot back onto the lower Ock. Back on the Thames Ed put on his tour guide hat and took us on a small diversion into the mill stream requiring some undergrowth removal by Claire (quicker on the draw with the pruning saw than Ian on this occasion).
Having passed up through Abingdon Lock (far too hot for all that portaging business) we headed across the top of the weir into the upper mill stream (more pruning work) and on to a suitably shady spot in the Abbey Gardens that happened to be in striking distance of toilets and an ice cream van – what more could we want.

Our numbers swelled (by 1) after lunch with the arrival of Jane Edwards who hadn’t been able to join us earlier as she had been otherwise occupied with the latest addition to the Edwards clan, one Quinn Alexander, born to son Ash and partner Kate in the early hours of that morning.

Lunch having been duly consumed we headed back across the top of the weir and on up the Thames towards the highlight of the day, Swift Ditch. The entrance to this gem, and the original course of the Thames, involves a 2 metre high drop over a weir at the former flash lock. A number of our group entertained us here by taking a cooling swim – their maiden swim in some cases, no names mentioned. Having restored all parties to their respective boats the paddle down Swift Ditch went without further incident and provided some welcome shady trees and respite from the sun and high temperatures that we have become accustomed to in recent weeks. Unusually for Swift Ditch no pruning work was needed.

Just a few hundred metres below Abingdon Marina Swift Ditch re-joins the Thames and the circuit was completed – a varied trip just a little different than the conventional downstream paddles we are more used to taking. Thanks to Ed who manged to stay awake all day despite having been involved, like Jane, in the early morning run out for that Edwards family addition.

To see all the pics click here.