A fun canoe and kayaking club based at Chiswick Pier
Kayak Paddle with Colin and Federico 11-5.45. Return trip from Chiswick Pier to Chelsea Bridge. The majestic Hammersmith Bridge when it worked!! Like all of us I was tired of waiting for Hammersmith & Fulham council to sort out their tug of war with the government, trying to hold them to ransom and foot the hefty bill of between £141 million (if repairs would be done in 3 years) or £163million (for a quick 12 … Read more
Given the tide was ebbing until ~12.30 our original plan was to go to Hammersmith bridge and return with the tide. However we were warned of a sculling race that would be starting at Hammersmith at 2pm so, fearing there may be lots of folk at the pubs by Hammersmith, we changed plan to aim for the Black Lion Pub in Chiswick instead as it has a large outdoor area. David Cleverly and I teamed … Read more
All my plans to do any meaningful trips out at sea this week were blown away by the weather. Again! Well it’s autumn. We had to get creative! Windsor Castle Jules, Heather, Carlos & Michelle Luckily our man in Marlow came up with another fantastic plan. A trip from Maidenhead to Windsor castle and a pub visit – cos’ the Queen wasn’t home. The voyage to Windsor was nice and easy. Reflections, autumn colours and even the … Read more
What might have been a complicated paddle turned out to be easy. A complicated paddle only because of the time of low water and the fact it was a high water paddle (over 6.0 m). Initially it was a paddle to Hammersmith Bridge as I wanted to see what they were doing to the bridge. There was talk of abseiling off the bridge to create supports for a replacement foot bridge, whether that was true … Read more
It was a fabulous sunny day and worth getting up early to head upriver! We wanted to get above Kew Rail Bridge before the 99 rowing and sculling boats would be getting into position for The Pairs Head Race – their first, and perhaps only, race of the year, so they would be very excited! We approached Chiswick Bridge with caution as the RNLI had warned Steve there was a “hidden obstacle under arch 1”. … Read more
This is what I call a pyjama paddle, suffice it to say it was an early start for me. During the week Coach Elaine and I spoke about the necessary timings for the day. Coach Elaine put together a comprehensive map of our route and timings to reach various points on our route. Both Coach’s Elaine and Steve were concerned about clearing the head of the river rowing race before they started. This required our … Read more
(Saturday – 10 10 2020) Really cool morning session with Jules and Heather, with James, Frank and Eliza. Bracing, outside edge, edge turning, ruddering, a couple of rescues – playing, experimenting, practicing, talking and re-assessing – team work, splashing, chips and beer and a singer from Iceland (the country). A little trip against the tide, a pub visit and a gentle – tide assisted paddle back to the pier.
In rather unpleasant weather and river conditions four complete beginners attended Coach’s Steve and Elaine’s beginners paddling course. The original plan was based around a low tide occurring during the session. On the day the tidal conditions were changed by The Thames barrier being closed. This resulted in the river water level rising and falling, but the tidal flow remain in one direction, an ebb tide. These weren’t ideal conditions to teach in, nor for … Read more
We had to change our plans for the south coast and ended up attacking the Marlow-Henley stretch of the Thames instead.The weather was pretty awful, loads of rain, the autumn cold started biting and the skies were grey and low. Luckily the team was extremely enthusiastic about the scenery and our guide, the rain stopped and the sun came out – tentatively. We started appreciating the virtue of good gear (layers of paddling clothes), waterproofs, paddling … Read more
Another early start at Chiswick Pier Canoe Club, meant one group with Martin lead coach another with Sarah D as lead coach left the pontoon at some ghastly time of the morning. By the time I had arrived there were only two groups left, Coach Andy and Coach Dean took one group, leaving the last group to be coached by both Elaine & Steve. Whilst all the other groups headed towards Chiswick Bridge, we in Elaine’s group took … Read more
