I have made some guides on how to add posts to the canoe club website.
Guide on adding posts here: http://techtips.org.uk/2011/10/adding-images-to-a-wordpress-post-a-newbies-guide/
Guide on adding images to posts here: http://techtips.org.uk/2011/10/adding-images-to-a-wordpress-post-a-newbies-guide/
On a very wet and windy mid-September Saturday a motley collection of experienced and novice paddlers put on to the Menai Straits to sample the delights of salt water.
The rain stopped briefly:
But then lashed down:
First, some work on handling skills:
and a demo of rescue techniques:
Lunch on a beach only just big enough for the boats:
An impromtu slalom between the legs of an old footbridge:
Then, as the rain cleared, a journey up the Straits to look at how the other half live:
And then back to the launch site, coping with a stretching headwind and swell.
Later, we drove across Anglesey to meet the Holyhead Coastguard for a couple of hours of highly instructive chat about their work with sea kayakers.
Many thanks to Richard Janes for a brilliant day, despite the sheets of rain.
The plan is to meet at Royal Hill Pub ( OS Grid Ref SJ 251 173 on river bank left between Nesscliffe and Melverley ) at 12.00
Shuttle cars to Montford Bridge / pub lunch or picnic for those net involved with the car shuttle and be ready to leave at 1.00
7.5 mile downstream placid paddle to arrive at Montford Bridge ( Wingfield Arms ) at about 3.00 but definately before 4.00
Then travel to Newhouse Farm, Shoothill, Ford. Shrewsbury SY5 9NR for BBQ at 5.00
From Montford Bridge approx 400m on B4380 towards Shrewsbury. Then right onto B4473 and under bypass and past Field Studies Centre.
Then right on A458 towards Welshpool.
Past Shell services on left in Ford. Then aprox 300m and left at junction sign posted Shoothill.
Newhouse farm is on left after approx 400m.
Shower / changing available.
Bring and share BBQ but fire etc provided. Families and friends included.
UNLESS WE GET ENOUGH NUMBERS BY NOON ON FRIDAY I WILL HAVE TO CANCEL.
PLEASE REPLY IF YOU ARE
1. PADDLING AND JOINING THE BBQ
2. OR PADDLING ONLY
3. OR BBQ ONLY
After being runner’s up in National Div4 Central two years running, and then getting walloped in the play-offs, the national polo committee have decided to split Div 3 from two regions into three and promote Shrewsbury up alongside Avon, Aberfan, Cherwell & Nomad.
So with that southern-western bias these are all this season’s Div3 SW tournaments:
Cheltenham, 15 Oct
{Not playing} Aberfan, Celtic, Nomad, Avon D, Bridgend, Cherwell, Cardiff
Stratford, 29 Oct
Shrewsbury, Nomad, Avon C, Blackwater, Bridgend, Cherwell
Cheltenham, 3 Dec
Shrewsbury, Aberfan, Celtic, Avon C, Avon D, Blackwater, Cardiff
Cheltenham, 7 Jan
Shrewsbury, Aberfan, Celtic, Nomad, Avon C, Avon D
Cheltenham, 18 Feb
{Not playing} Nomad, Avon C, Avon D, Blackwater, Bridgend, Cherwell, Cardiff
Cheltenham, 17 Mar
Shrewsbury, Aberfan, Celtic, Blackwater, Bridgend, Cherwell, Cardiff
Looking forward to an exciting season.
Here’s advance notice that polo pool sessions will be starting up again at Shrewsbury’s Quarry Centre, in the Priory Pool from Monday 3rd October, 8pm to 9pm.
New players get their first session free and then the cost is £6 thereafter. Be there from 7:30pm if you’d like a briefing on the rules.
All competent paddlers are welcome. If you haven’t played polo before, competent means you should be happy paddling forwards and backwards, doing sweep-stroke turns, and removing your spray-deck underwater. We are splitting the session into polo paddling & playing skills, followed by at least four 4-a-side games.
If you can’t yet roll we won’t push you in until we’ve taught you how!
Club Paddle – a gentle 7.5 miles on the River Severn from Royal Hill Pub to Montford Bridge.
Placid water and suitable for all who can paddle the distance and have the required kit. The club container will be open prior to the paddle for those who wish to use club equipment.
The paddle leader has not been arranged yet so more details will follow. Any volunteers ?
There will be a car shuttle before the paddle so that cars are ready at Montford Bridge as every one finishes.
Provisional times. Container 11am. Royal Hill Pub 12.00. Car shuttle to Montford Bridge at the same time as lunch for those who wish at the pub.
On the water at 13.00 and arrive at Montford Bridge at approx 16.00. Changing and showers etc at Newhouse Farm.
Followed by a bring a share BBQ / meal at 17.00 for the all members plus friends and families at
Newhouse Farm, Ford, Shrewsbury, SY5 9NR which is a few miles on the little back road past Preston Montford Field Study Centre from Montford Bridge.
Bring your own drink. BBQ fire provided. Any queries – contact Richard Otto
More details will follow but put it in your diary now.
Sat 24 September Afternoon paddle plus evening BBQ / meal
Please find below the details of the planned Club Activity for Sunday 31st July.
Please read the details below to ensure the activity is suitable and you have the required kit to participate. Failure to be in possession of the required kit on the day would result in your exclusion from the activity. The club does have a limited amount of kit which can be loaned by arrangement prior to the activity.
Please bear in mind that conditions can change at any point and the final decision rests with the activity leader as to whether the activity has to be modified, participation declined or completely cancelled for safety/operational reasons.
Access/egress can be made at Kerne GR580192, downstream left. The next section curving around in an enormous bend contains a few small rapids on its way towards the Huntsham bridge GR568181. This popular access point is just off the A40, along the turn signposted Symonds Yat East. In the small village of Welsh Bicknor along this section is a pleasant little Youth Hostel.
From the Huntsham bridge down to the Yat is the territory of the ‘Owd Man of the Wye’, Paul Howells. On the way, you will pass the seal-launching rock and see pleasure cruisers that motor up and down the river – watch out. At Symonds Yat East, the concrete steps of the Wye Dean Canoe Centre GR561160 allow easy access and egress (river left). Here canoes and kayaks of all descriptions can be hired, as can top-notch instruction. These grade II rapids have given joy to countless paddlers over the years.
We have arranged the following dates for our Tuesday evening practise & training sessions. These are open to any competent paddlers who are interested in playing canoe polo. They run over a couple of hours where we play full length games, practise tactics & setup training scenarios.
Mail polo[at]shrewsburycanoeclub.org or let Jen Bara know if you would like to come along & play on these dates:
5th July
19th July
2nd August
16th August
23rd August
30th August
Two final dates added, gate arrival time remains 6:15pm:
13th September
27th September – Cancelled due to insufficient light – See you in the pool 3 Oct
All competent paddlers welcome. If you haven’t played polo before, competent means you should be happy paddling forwards and backwards, doing sweep-stroke turns, and removing your spray-deck underwater. But we promise not to push you in if you can’t roll 
Postcode SY4 2EZ or mail polo[at]shrewsburycanoeclub.org for more information.
The New Olympic white water course ran a rafting event as the first trial of the new facilities prior to the press launch and as my son was in one of the teams we were given free spectator passes to this event. It is an impressive site and looks worth a go if you ever get the chance. Just do not think about the economic or environmental cost of this development. Tons and tons of concrete to build a white water river in London, which I am told costs about £500 an hour in electric costs to run the pumps to give an Olympic white water level!
The course looks well designed with runners in the base to allow all sorts of variations in water features.
Then you turn on the pumps, hope the National Grid can supply without tripping out half of London and have some fun.
Then you can take the handy conveyor back up to the start to save you the inconvenience of actually getting out of your boat and walking up the steps!
On their second slalom run my sons team tried too hard and capsized, they then got back in an ‘hammed it up’ down the rest of the course to the chagrin of the organisers who thought they were not displaying the due degree of Olympic reverence, despite this I think they still managed to come about 8th or 9th out of 12, having put in a sterling performance in the endurance test and overtaken some other teams
We have now finished our winter pool sessions and river/lake sessions start Monday 4 April. The first session is on the Severn at Frankwell 6pm with lake sessions at PGL Baschurch to follow.
Contact Phil Holmes or mailto:polo[at]shrewsburycanoeclub.org for more details.