Cambridge Canoe Club Newsletter
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Volume 1, Issue 3 Cambridge Canoe Summer 2010 Club Newsletter http://www.cambridgecanoeclub.org.uk This newsletter relies on contri- butions from members. If you have been on a Cardington Relief Channel By Melinda Beck trip, have a point of view or news write it down and send it in to News- [email protected]. Cardington Relief Channel is a There are no overhanging trees Articles should be between 75 and flood water relief channel on and no rocks or grade 5 rapids 150 words long and can be accom- the River Great Ouse at Bed- to swim should it all go wrong panied by a picture. ford. Every year, an artificial and easy to walk back up and white water course is set up in try again. Consequently it is a the channel, the sluice is then great place to get your first opened and the fun begins! This taste of moving water in a safe Playing at Cardington Trip & event Reports year on a sunny weekend in and fun environment with lots May was no exception. Pour - of eager advice on hand. Also up. River Life overs, stoppers, drops and surf good for the more experienced waves galore. to brush up on, high crosses, This proved a popular couple of support strokes surfing, ferry- days for beginners and experi- The course is shallow, smooth Meet A Paddler glides and keeping those edges enced alike. bottom with no nasty snags. Water Safety Matlock By Melinda Beck Devizes to West- A group of paddlers from the there was a bit of white water minster Special club were up early one morning under the town bridge providing to make their way to Matlock to a bit of fun. Sooner than ex- experience the River Derwent pected we then reached the car as it flows through Derbyshire park at the top of the slalom Inside this issue: on its way to meeting its big course where a lovely river-wide brother, the River Trent. A be- wave allows surfing, before ginner’s trip on moving water, entering the top of a slalom Surfing wave at Matlock Cardington 1 the paddle starts at Darley Dale course at the end of the trip. straight into moving water, a Here eddy hopping was the aim, Matlock 1 great place to practice those whilst the more confident peo- closer and grab hold of the wire ferry glides without the hazards ple demonstrated what could mesh on the supporting wall and of white water. The river then be done on waves, small stop- drag my self upstream. I was What Lies Beneath 2 gently meanders for around pers and ‘white bits’, I even got then helped unceremoniously 6km through fields alongside a to practice my roll! The get-out out. Meet A Paddler 3 railway where the odd steam is a bit challenging, a ledge, train keeps you company. Little submerged in the water, and We then carried the boats the ¼ paddling was necessary other steps up the wall in an other- mile from the get-out to the car Water Safety: Leptospirosis 3 than correcting position in the wise canalised channel. I was park at the top of the slalom to water as we were swept past swept past completely in the run the last section again or pack up to head home. This was 2010 Cam Marathon 4 trees and fields. Watched by first attempt and faced a ferry the odd duck, the less experi- glide and an energetic paddle a great weekend and made a enced of us practised ferry up the eddy on the opposite good introductory trip to white 2012 Event 4 glides, breaking in and out of bank before lining myself up for water with all the thrills and not the flow and general boat con- a second run at it. On the sec- too many spills. Events Diary 5 trol. As we entered Matlock ond attempt I managed to get Symonds Yat 5 To get the club's diary of events and ad-hoc messages about club activities and the quarterly newsletter by e-mail please send a blank message to: Supplement—Deviizes to West- 6-8 [email protected] minster Special Part 1. In case you already didn’t know, canoeing is an assumed risk, water contact sport. Page 2 Cambridge Canoe Club Newsletter What Lies Beneath By Nathan Hall, Chris Middleton and Justin Mould The river Cam rises at Ash- found, from well Springs in Hertfordshire small crusta- and meanders along a 65 ceans such as kilometre journey through Freshwater Cambridgeshire before emp- Shrimps, tying into the Ely Ouse at Hoglice and Popes corner. Along its Water mites, to course the river supports a a variety of wide variety of habi- snails and tats which determine what leeches, and fish population will predators such Justin with roach stocked into Byrons be resident. The upper as Water Scorpi- Floating Pennywort Pool in 2007 reaches and tributaries are ons and Alderfly populated by brown trout, larvae. Fifteen (Hydrocotyle ranunculoides) dace, bullhead and lamprey species of which are dependant on well aquatic beetles have been North American Floating oxygenated and fast flowing found on this part of the Pennywort, which has be- water, while the sluggish river, including riffle, scaven- come well established on and weedy lowland sections ger, and diving varieties, and the River Cam. Beneath the are inhabited by more toler- the impressively loud surface, you may find a large ant species such as the screech beetle. Two scaven- patches of Arrowhead and roach, common bream, ger beetle species regarded Unbranched bur-reed, per- bleak, pike, tench and as Nationally Scarce - haps interspersed with Per- spined loach. The river is Anacaena bipustulata and foliate, Fennel, and Long- also home to two non native Enochrus melanocephalus stalked pondweed. fish species, the bitterling, a have also been recorded. small and colourful species Many of the aquatic inverte- which lays its eggs inside brates begin their lives be- swan mussels and the neath the surface, eventu- Cased caddis fly larva zander, a predatory species ally emerging as winged (Limnephilus rhombicus) which grows to over 10lb adults. This includes eight- and is much prized by an- een recorded species of cad- Nathan, Chris and glers. The river cam is cur- dis fly, many of which make Justin are rently classified as having distinctive cases from plant ‘Good’ ecological status for material, sand or gravel dur- environmental fish under Water Framework ing their aquatic phase, and monitoring officers for Directive although fish popu- five species of mayfly. Most lations are still likely to be at striking are the Damselflies the Environment risk from a variety of envi- such as the Banded demoi- ronmental pressures such selle, Blue-tailed damselfly, Agency. They can be as abstraction, siltation of and dragonflies such as the emailed at spawning beds, diffuse pol- Southern Hawker . lution and physical modifica- nathan.hall@environme tion of the river channel. In this part of the Cam the Chub stocked into the Cam at aquatic plants are typical of nt-agency.gov.uk Cantelupe Farm 2010 As the River Cam passes those found in a slow- through Sheep’s Green it is moving, lowland river. These inhabited by a wide range of include emergent reeds invertebrate and plant life. such as the Common or Nor- On the surface Pond skat- folk reed and Reed canary ers, Water crickets, Whirligig grass, which are usually beetles and Water measur- seen in the marginal areas. ers may be seen. Beneath, a Keep a look out in the mar- host of invertebrates can be gins for the highly invasive Volume 1, Issue 3 Page 3 Meet a Paddler: Charlie Scovell Who are you and what do worth it. What does your paddling you paddle? Do you have a funny story future hold? I’m currently the junior Rep- you can share? I just hope that I can carry resentative, 16 years old Not really, but any trip with on paddling for as long as and paddle a Jackson All- the good old Patrick Morti- possible. star. boy is always a good laugh! What is your favourite Do you have any paddling stretch/paddle that you do advice? and why? Hmmmm, just relax and Each issue we meet a dif- Probably the River Dart {in keep at it. There is no point ferent club paddler. Devon} or the Tryweryn {in in getting all tense and wor- Charlie by the River Dart North Wales}. Mainly be- ried about any aspect of If you want to take part in cause the Dart was my first paddling. Besides, you’re ‘meet a club member’, river and the Tryweryn has only doing it because you please email your answers so much variety on it for all enjoy it. to the same questions (and types of paddlers. Do you have a particular bit a small picture if you What is your favourite boat? of kit you rely on? would like) to: Well that would have to be Well every bit of kit does Newslet- my boat, the aches, pains what it needs to, so no, not [email protected] and pins and needles are really. Water Safety: Leptospirosis By Andrew Twigg I guess like most members of or kayak. You can also get it by NHS Direct website. the club, I love being on, around ingesting water, but usually this If you have been paddling (and sometimes even in!) the is too dilute to cause problems. though, and between 3 and 14 water, but the fact of the matter The simplest way of beating the days later get flu like symptoms, is that the river environment disease is by washing and dry- tell your doctor immediately and can be very risky.