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.

National Marathon Championships, Reading 21-22 July 2018
Over the weekend 21st-22nd July Pangbourne Canoe Club, the Adventure Dolphin Race group, competed in the British National Marathon Championships at Reading. Over 1000 boats from 55 clubs from all over the UK and some visiting international paddlers competed. Scorching temperatures made the event even more challenging but if you got too hot, you could always take a swim!

The team of 9 K2s (double kayaks), 7 K1s, 1 C2 (double canoe) and 1 C1, did us proud.
Vicky achieved a podium position; Gold for the O59 _ VLK1, this was an outstanding result – Vicky is the top in the country for her group!

Tommy achieved a much deserved promotion to division 4 in U18_JMK1, competing against a field of paddlers ranked largely in divisions 1-3.

Juniors, Amy and Jensen, completed their 3.5km Lightning (junior K1) race in under 30 minutes. This was Amy’s first race and she did well despite a problem with her rudder. Jensen teamed up with a Reading paddler to race in K2 as well. Rhys made his debut in K2 covering 3.5km in just over 30 minutes. Owen showed great fortitude by racing in K1 on Saturday and two K2 races on Sunday. The biggest race of the weekend was the mixed K2 with 81 boats on the start line. The wash was not quite a tsunami but nevertheless quite substantial for anyone in a wobbly boat. Peter teamed up with a paddler from Kirkcaldy for this event. Caroline teamed up with Shirley taking 4th place in O44_VLK2 – a fantastic result. Paul, Steve, Jarvis, Matt, Owen, Hazel and Vicky also raced in K2 on the Sunday.

A great weekend for both competitors and spectators. Many thanks to Reading Canoe Club and their many willing volunteers for hosting the event. It was brilliantly organised.

Report on Longridge Hasler Saturday 25th July 2018 – More Pottery for Pangbourne

It was a bank holiday weekend….and we’re at a loose end…., so a small but select team from Pangbourne Canoe Club/Adventure Dolphin chose to race four, eight or twelve miles in a K1, K2 or C2 in the final Hasler Series race of 2018 at the Longridge Hasler on Saturday 25th July.

The crowning glory must go to Peter W and James B who won division nine doubles. Peter and James are more accustomed to a double-edged sword (kayak paddle with two blades) but swapped their usual weapon for a single blade (canoe paddle with one blade) and won the division nine doubles race in a canoe rather than a kayak. Their prize was a Longridge Canoe Club mug – a trophy to be cherished and certainly not put in the dishwasher or the writing rapidly vanishes. They were also promoted to division eight. The challenge now is to win division eight.

Paul A and Steve M raced in division six doubles, coming second so gaining a much sought-after Longridge Mug. Paul was promoted from division seven to division five, so quite an achievement.
Chris R delivered a steady performance in a strong division nine singles field where the first nine paddlers were promoted to division eight or higher. The winner was actually promoted to division six.

Fay B and Caroline W did a good time in division five doubles despite the times being fast and Fay having to paddle up a division.
Steve McCluskey
steve.mccluskey@advenuredolphin.co.uk

Simon and Conor faced their first Men’s regatta both putting in very strong performances in k1 and k2 Conor setting the best time in k1 with a 47s 200m and Simon taking the 500m with a 2:04 time. In k2 they partnered up and almost broke the two minute mark in their final over 500m and doing a fast 44s over 200m. Matt then joined them in k4 where thy took 2nd place in 40.90s and 4th in 500m in 1:51minutes.

Moving on the boys class the improvement from our junior boys was incredible, Both Tommy and Owen completed over both 200m and 500m and improved their times from last year. In the finals Owen posted a great time of 48.47s for 200m just pipping Tommy who did 48:89 coming 1st and second in final two. Again in final two over 500m the boys both improved significantly on their heat times to come 5th and 6th getting times of 2:12:53 (Owen) 2:13:66 (Tommy)

Our other Boys member that was completing although for Reading was Jarvis. He was completing in the selection races in a variety of k1,k2 and k4. It was exciting watching and he again came away with some very fast time.
In the K1 he made final three which is no mean feat as he was competing in a mixed A/B class, so over 1000m a time of 4:14:40, and over 200m in final 3 a time of 43:54.Over 500m Jarvis made final two and set an impressive time of 1:55:55.

Finally, but no means least we have three lightening paddlers out. Daisy was promoted last year to lightening A and put in a super race and managed 3:15:40 for 500m in k1.

Jensen – This was his first ever regatta and he put in a fantastic performance in both k1 and k2, over 500m he came 3rd in 3:37:18.

Daisy and Jensen then partnered up for k2 and set their best time in the heat of 2:40 progressing to the final and then managed a 2:43 which is a fantastic achievement.

Rhys – at only nine Rhys was competing at his first regatta and partnered up with a reading paddler who both enjoyed their first race completing the 500m course in three minutes

Well done to everyone thank you to everyone who supports the team when we are there. No calls up the tower for the team leader so that made for a pretty good weekend!

Next up September Regatta, would be great to have a big team out and to finish the year on a high.

Very strong performance from the Pangbourne team

Simon and Conor faced their first Men’s regatta both putting in very strong performances in k1 and k2 Conor setting the best time in k1 with a 47s 200m and Simon taking the 500m with a 2:04 time. In k2 they partnered up and almost broke the 2minute mark in their final over 500m and doing a fast 44s over 200m. Matt then joined them in k4 where thy took 2nd place in 40.90s and 4th in 500m in 1:51minutes.

Moving on the boys class the improvement from our junior boys was incredible, Both Tommy and Owen completed over both 200m and 500m and improved their times from last year. In the finals Owen posted a great time of 48.47s for 200m just pipping Tommy who did 48:89 coming 1st and second in final 2. again in final 2 over 500m the boys both improved significantly on their heat times to come 5th and 6th getting times of 2:12:53 (Owen) 2:13:66 (Tommy)

Our other Boys member that was completing although for Reading was Jarvis. He was completing in the selection races in a variety of k1,k2 and k4. It was exciting watching and he again came away with some very fast time

K1 he made final 3 which is no mean feat as he was competing in a mixed A/B class, so over 1000m a time of 4:14:40, and over 200m in final 3 a time of 43:54.Over 500m Jarvis made final 2 and set an impressive time of 1:55:55

Finally but no means least we have 3 lightening paddlers out

Daisy was promoted last year to lightening A and put in a super race and managed 3:15:40 for 500m in k1

Jensen – This was his first ever regatta and he put in a fantastic performance in both k1 and k2, over 500m he came 3rd in 3:37:18

Daisy and Jensen then partnered up for k2 and set their best time in the heat of 2:40 progressing to the final and then managed a 2:43 which is a fantastic achievement

Rhys – at only 9 Rhys was competing at his first regatta and partnered up with a reading paddler who both enjoyed their first race completing the 500m course in 3 minutes

Well done to everyone thank yo to everyone who supports the team when we are there, No calls up the tower fo the team leader so that made for a pretty good weekend!

Next up September Regatta, would be great to have a big team out and to finish the year on a high

Sarah

Racing for the summer kicked off on Sunday 20th May at Basingstoke Canal Canoe Club….we only put a small team out but with several personal successes:

• Jarvis Macnab 2nd in Div 2
• Peter Walker promoted up to Div 4
• Owen Barker 7th out of 19 in Div 5
• Daisy Van Dijck finished well up the field in her first Div 9 … 4 mile.. race, having been racing in the Lightning class…2 miles.. for the past few years.

Diary date: The 2018 Pangbourne Hasler will be held at Adventure Dolphin on Sunday 9th September.

Reading Hasler Race 27th May 2018
Adventure Dolphin, Pangbourne members gained respectable points at the Hasler race on Sunday.
The highlight was Tommy winning Division 6 race and being promoted to Division 5. Results summary:

Top place and promotion to Div 5 : Tommy F = 20 pts

Div 4 Mark W = 16
Peter W = 12
Div 5 Owen B =  18
Gavin L  =   12
Steve Mc = 9
Div 9  Hazel B = 16
Chris R =  13

Div 5K2
Caroline and Eleanor W = 13

Div 6 C2
Vicky M = 17

Jenson M had a great day in his lightning race … points for the Lightning Comp… Geoff Saunders Trophy

and raced again in the Hody event … being placed 2nd with Bruno from Reading CC.

Well done to all.

River conditions impact on races

April report by: Vicky Metcalfe

Many of our members were involved in the Easter weekend Devizes to Westminster journey that we undertake each year, and many will know of the outcome of the weekend… the race being cancelled midmorning on Saturday, due to increasing flow on the Thames in particular, but as it turned out, also on the Kennet and Avon Canal! In the end the race was stopped at Dreadnought, Reading, just as the paddlers went onto the Thames.

Extremely challenging conditions, on ground and on water made this a test of great determination and along with others of the race fraternity we now wait to see how certain aspects will be dealt with in the future.

Meanwhile the Race Group has moved back onto the water for Tuesday evening training, and we are back on the river at Pangbourne on Saturdays having had several sessions on the canal due to high river levels. We have held a Come N Try session and we currently have eight on the ‘Intro to racing boats’ course.

Members are looking forward to the summer races, the first in region is at Basingstoke on May 20th, here’s hoping for good weather!

The weather has had a lot to answer for this month as several key events in the racing calendar have been cancelled due to poor weather conditions.

It started with the Thameside 2 on Sunday 25th February, as a very sharp Easterly wind blew hard and cold. Despite the elements, all of our Pangbourne paddlers completed the course from Reading Canoe Club to Longridge Activity Centre.

Jarvis M won the Junior Singles, while Caroline W and Fay B came 4th in Ladies Doubles.
Peter W, Steve Mc and James B raced in Mens Singles and Tommy F and Owen B in Junior doubles. Janet G with Adrian M and Vicky M and Liz from Basingstoke completed in Canoe Doubles.

Next on the calendar was the Sunday 4th March Waterside C. The first of our events to be hit by the Beast from the East. Most of the 23 miles from Pewsey to Newbury was frozen and unfortunately, there wasn’t much improvement for the last section of the series…..a 35 mile stretch from Devizes to Newbury the following Sunday (18th March) which also succumbed to the weather, the event being cancelled due to snow on the approach roads to the canal.

The 18th March also saw the group submit its entries for the Devizes to Westminster, as we began to gather kit and prepare support crews – all important pieces of the big race picture.

In the meantime, our Club entries for DW – Easter weekend – look promising with the following participants in the Four Day classes, starting on Good Friday:

• K1-Peter W, James B, Ruth S, Jim Lemin
• K2- Juniors Tommy F and Owen B
• Junior/Vet – Tim and Molly D
• Endeavour – Caroline W and Fay B

In the straight through event starting on Saturday morning:

• K2 – Jeremy W and Phil R
• C2 – Janet G and Adrian M – Vicky M paddling with Liz M from Basingstoke
• Junior K2 Simon TC (AD member) and Alice paddling under Fowey CC
• Endeavour K2 Shirley K (AD member) and Miriam M (past AD member) paddling under Newbury Cane Club colours

Congratulations to Jarvis
Congratulations to Jarvis Macnab on his recent assessment race for team GB in which he finished 18th against 29 junior (boys) competitors, racing 5 laps of a 4k circuit with portages.

The race was hosted by Elmbridge, on behalf of the Marathon Race Committee (MRC), just downstream of Shepperton Lock on the Thames. Commenting on the race, Jarvis said: ”It was an ‘interesting’ experience as we were all pushing the line. I took a swim on the last turn as it was a hard fought race. I enjoyed the experience and I’m looking forward to the next time!”
Jarvis is currently ranked in Div 2 (only div 1 above him!) and is now training with Reading Canoe Club having started with us as an under 12 paddler. He progressed well with considerable support from Matt Westall and Mark Wigglesworth as he rose through the Divisions. He continues to race with us today as a member of Pangbourne Canoe Club/Adventure Dolphin.
Delighted by his achievement, Vicky Metcalfe, Pangbourne Canoe Club Coordinator said: “It’s some time since we had a paddler in the start list of a K1 Assessment race, where the committee are looking for potential paddlers for the GB squad, so to have a junior male in such a race is a brilliant occurrence for us as a club. He really is right up there with the top GB paddlers!”