NEWS LETT VOLUME 9 ER ISSUE 1 S P R I N G 2 0 1 9 The success of this newsletter relies on contributions from YOU! From the Editor an incredibly supportive Coaching If you've been on a trip, Development Group to nurture both in a race, or just have an he newsletter is slightly late this aspiring and existing coaches & leaders, but opinion or some news you want to time, but in my defence I was that only thrives because we have a culture share, please send it to Tkayaking! where generosity is the norm - where it’s [email protected] I’ve just got back from Wales on the Club’s usual to donate your time and skills to help Articles can be long or short “Easier Whitewater Trip”, and it was an the Club as a whole, whether that’s on the (between 250 and amazing weekend. It’s been a while since we water, in the gym, or something only 1 500 words) and did a trip focussed on more gentle (grade 2/3) tangentially related to paddling: joining the will ideally be white water, and it proved to be really committee, painting the Clubhouse, repairing accompanied by some pictures. The popular. We had a whole range of abilities, boats. In many organisations, this kind of deadline for from those at the beginning of their thing is taken for granted – a few stalwart submissions for the whitewater journey, through to intromediate helpers toil away in the background, and next issue is 1 0th and improver boaters, and on to paddlers everyone else passes by, oblivious. It’s May, 201 9. starting to take leadership roles on the river. fantastic that MCC isn’t like that, and that a Mark Corti, Editor There were nearly 20 of us on the trip, and large proportion of our members do get [email protected] with lots of willing river leaders we had plenty involved in helping out – and that volunteers of flexibility and could split up into multiple are always valued and appreciated. Thanks, groups on different rivers and really make everyone! sure that everyone was paddling at the right See you all at the AGM on Friday, 1 5th 5% NT level. March at 7pm! 1 OU On the drive home, I was reflecting how ISC UB lucky we are at Maidstone Canoe Club that By Mark Corti, Editor D CL we’ve got so many people happy to volunteer [email protected] R S their time. Of course, it helps that we’ve got FO ER MB ME New House Farm, Kemsing Road Wrotham, TN15 7BU Tel: 01732 886688 Open 10am - 5pm Tues - Sat Late Night Opening Thursday www.kentcanoes.co.uk Smiles all around on Llyn Dinas, at the top ofAfon Glaslyn. The start ofanother brilliant day on the river. Page 1 To subscribe to this newsletter or for more information about Maidstone Canoe Club, please visit http://www.maidstonecanoeclub.net/. The views expressed in this newsletter are those ofthe individual contributors and may not represent those ofthe Editor, or ofMaidstone Canoe Club. Apparently there are fish in the Medway after all! No wonder people don't like doing capsize drills there - this one could have your arm off! to fish comes at an additional cost, either Open Access ­ An Alternative View of club membership or a day permit. On the shallow upland trout stream we any in the club will know I have use the same patch of water. discussed above, it is entirely possible a foot in several camps, I kayak So, where to begin. I will use some that the guy who just had his fishing M a bit and I like to fish, so I can angling analogies, as these will help to ruined had paid £50-£1 00. Is he entitled see both sides of many of the make the argument. to be a little miffed on his way back to the arguments that arise. Firstly, disturbance. On lowland deep pub early? Whilst the open access argument is rivers such as the Medway, it is perfectly There is an answer here, in the spirit not solely linked to angling, I will use that possible for canoeists and anglers to co- of shared access. Why not have pre- example to make a few points. For the exist. I regularly have kayaks in my swim booked kayaking days on these rivers, so avoidance of doubt, I have written to when I am fishing (Norman!), and there is that anglers and kayakers know where British Canoeing several times in this vein no detrimental effect. The only real time they stand and can avoid conflict. Fishing and have yet to receive a response. The canoeists are a nuisance to anglers is clubs or land owners could recoup their messages coming from them recently when they insist on stopping where you loss of angling revenue by charging would suggest they have accepted the are fishing. This is a momentary Kayakers a day ticket, so everybody arguments of the Open Access inconvenience, keep moving and should be happy. Fundamentalists, so may be in need of a everybody is happy. This is not so true Lastly, there is the permission thing. little balance. on shallow waters. Fish are more wary, There are places where it might just be and sit in areas where they are inappropriate to canoe any time you like. The fundamentalist argument seems comfortable, and can feed without too There is not only landowners privacy (a to be that it should be possible to drop much effort. If a kayak moves through consideration, like it or not), but security your canoe in and paddle anywhere at one of these areas, the fish move out. It and safety. I’m currently trying to any time, with no regard at all for other may take hours or even days before the organise a paddle around Docklands. river users, landowners, or fish return. Anyone fishing will have their Getting permission isn’t an ‘Open Access’ consequences. To me, this appears as day ruined in a moment, by a kayaker issue, but one of security. selfish. They also appear to want to do who may not even be aware that anything In closing, I think that there is a good this for nothing, other than their BC just happened. On these rivers, it is just case for all river users to work together to licence. (Although they appear to be not possible to have kayaking and fishing improve access for canoeists, where happy to pay for other facilities such as successfully happening at the same time. such access is not currently possible. But white water courses). (I’ll leave the other arguments about that is the point, work, together. Relying spawning beds etc. as these should be on ancient, dubious precedent to force a I am a great believer in shared self evident). way through will encourage doubters to access, allowing all river users to enjoy Next, cost. Anglers pay for a national throw obstacles in the way and will only their sport without interference. I preach fishing licence issued by the EA. This lead to confrontation. tolerance on the Medway most weeks, makes it legal to fish, but does not confer when anglers, canoeists, boaters, any right to fish at all. In the By Keith Dacey swimmers (human and doggie) want to overwhelming number of cases, the right Page 2 To subscribe to this newsletter or for more information about Maidstone Canoe Club, please visit http://www.maidstonecanoeclub.net/. The views expressed in this newsletter are those ofthe individual contributors and may not represent those ofthe Editor, or ofMaidstone Canoe Club. Rainbows and Rapids at the Adventure Paddlers Weekend eekends like this remind me of why I adore Dartmoor, and the WRiver Dart in particular. I’d fallen out of love with it over the last couple of years – too many disappointments as trips were cancelled at the last minute due to lack of water, too many unsatisfactory scrape runs on the Upper Dart. This weekend, though, looked like it was going to be just perfect. It had been raining all week, and my Facebook feed was filled with photos of Dartmoor locals enjoying the best levels for ages – runs down the Upper Upper Plym, big water on the Teign, before-work blasts down the Dart. My fingers were itching to type “Yes!” in reply to all the posts asking “Is anyone around for a Dart run in the morning?”, but I marshalled my patience and went to work instead as I should. Still, the excitement was building, a babble of voices on the mailing lists and The end ofthe Mad Mile: Sharrah's Pool (aka Pandora's Box) at a good chunky level. social media, checking the forecasts and predicting the levels. This weekend was paddling event in the calendar. the otherworldly arch of a brilliant going to be special. I’d eventually succumbed to the call of rainbow. We had a solid intermediate Water or no water, I always enjoy the the river and taken the Friday off work, group, and despite some initial trepidation Adventure Paddlers’ Weekend. It brings meeting up with a handful of other – this was the highest level that several together whitewater paddlers from all Maidstone paddlers for an afternoon run members of our group had paddled – over the south of England for a weekend down the Dart Loop. The levels were everyone swiftly adapted to the pace and of paddling, kayaking movies, talks and high but dropping, which makes this run power of the flow, and were all nailing parties.