Bristol Canoe Club Magazine Autumn 2002
Thank you to everybody who has contributed to this magazine. We have a bumper set of articles this issue, with something for everyone here to read, and photos too! Please keep them coming, whether it be poetry, ranting, or anything in between…
Deadline for the next issue will be around 1st Jan.
Thanks – Conor O’Neill
The New committee
The new committee was elected at the club AGM in October, and it now consists of:
Chairman: Lisa Gunton Treasurer: Tony Barrass Secretary: Harvey Lyons Membership: Jim Ratcliffe
Plus: Steve Bennett, Darren Courtnage, Richard Gunton, John Leopold, Conor O’Neill, Teresa Treasure, Peter Tullett
Membership renewal
All members need to renew their membership as of 1st November. There should be a membership form enclosed with this magazine. Please send it, with your money, to Jim Ratcliffe NOW.
Bristol Canoe Club’s 40’th birthday
A reminder:
As fas as we can tell, Bristol Canoe Club is 40 years old this year. We have a copy of issue 1 of the club newsletter, dated December 1962.
We have therefore decided to have a party on Saturday 30th November. This is booked for a meal at ‘Ask Pizza’, on Park Street. We need to pay a deposit in advance, so if you’re not already on the list, please contact Conor ASAP with a deposit of £5 per person.
Pool Situation
[ You may be aware by now that Bristol South Pool can no longer let us store our canoes down at the pool, due to that area being shut for Health & Safety reasons. This is, of course, causing severe problems at the pool sessions. – Conor ]
As everyone knows we can no longer store any kit at the pool. This means that if you wish to use any club kit at the pool YOU will have to arrange to collect and return it from the docks. This means contacting someone who has a key and getting them to agree to meet you prior to the session and when you put it back.
At the moment there is no regular arrangement for someone to be there with a key as it has resulted in the same people making the effort every time (and they are a bit fed up with doing it).
An added complication is returning the boats especially as some members attend both pool and polo sessions – you will have to ensure that you can get someone to allow you to gain access to collect and also to return any kit you use.
I would also suggest that anyone who is serious about canoeing as a hobby purchases their own canoe sooner rather than later (second hand canoes can be picked up at reasonable prices fairly readily).
Sorry for the inconvenience this causes – we realise it is not ideal and are working to come up with a better solution.
Cheers, Tony
[ Needless to say, if anyone knows of any other pool in the area which may be able to accommodate us, then they should contact the committee ASAP. ]
SAD AND SILLY SUBSIDING STANDARDS IN SLALOM
What is the world of slalom competition coming to, if a sixty four year old has-been canoeist can gain enough points to get promoted into Div two ?!! There are simply not enough “middle aged” paddlers competing. I do not mean those to whom the term middle age is generally applied, but anyone who does not qualify as either a junior or a divisional veteran At Ironbridge this weekend there were only six div 3 ladies in the Saturday event and that dwindled to just three on Sunday. Since two of these got fifties on both their runs, I ended up the winner, giving me 100 points to add to the 80 from Llandysul and 80 from Langham Farm slaloms, and so gained a much undeserved promotion. (There were more entries in the Div 2 events, but still nothing like enough.)
Weekends at slaloms are great fun, very sociable and are held in many attractive venues. They give the opportunity to paddle decent water during the summer, when there are no river trips, and help to improve paddling techniques. There are still a number of keen youngsters taking part, and it is to be hoped that they will not drop out as they get older and so the slalom may see a revival. If not it will be a tragedy for British sport.
Bristol canoe club has a membership of about a hundred, but only Janet Adcock, Bernie Cole and myself compete in slaloms. Why is this? Anyone wanting more information about starting in slalom just needs to log on to the website www.canoeslalom.co.uk Why not give it a try next season?
Avis
The Beginners Tale
Acknowledgement to Geoffrey Chaucer
Whan that Octobre with his shoures soote
The beginner to the waters tooke
Befil that in that seson on a day
In Bristol at the cage we laye
Redy to wenden on a pilgrimage
To the Exe with ful devout courage
Of sondly folk, by adventure falle
In car shuttles and wetsuit gear were they alle
That toward Tiverton wolden ride
With narrow boats and river wide
Before too longen we taketh a swim
And entreth the water, both body and limbe
The time spent in the pool and docks
Doth not help when it comes to rockes
Yet every time, theyre is Conor and Lisa at hande
To take canoe, paddle and swimmer to lande
Over the weirs, rounde the rockes
This is not quite like the docks
Why is Quentin in every stopper
And who is that hath come a cropper?
Forever we paddle, oon and oon
My gode is it but noon?
At lengthe we come upon the hostelrie
There to enjoy the compaigne
Ye goon to Bristol- God yow speede
The blissful paddler, quite yow youre meede!
Teresa Treasure
Endeavour Challenge
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Bristol Marathon, June 2002
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Bristol Canoe Club Treasure Hunt July 2002
Thanks very much to Avis Noott for organising this.
Results were as follows:
1 Robin Wilson 2 Christine Davis 3 Mark Gillett 4 Harvey Lyons 5 Conor O’Neill 6 Ian and Daniel Goodyear 7 Richard & Shane 8 Mark Aplin 9 Lisa Gunton 10 Kath Cotton 11 Dave Brain 12 Paul & Diane 13 Amanda Raine 14 Richard Gunton 15 Clive Weston & Geoff Scrase
Many thanks to all who entered, and well done to Robin.
Conor
Idaho the white water state 17-27 May 2002
Canoe Polo Rule Interpretations
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Bristol Harbour Inaugural Canoe Polo Tournament Sunday 6 October – by Dylan Tomlinson
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Northern Exposure
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Wilderness Lectures
Many of you will already know about the wilderness lectures. They are a series of lectures held at Bristol University on fortnightly Wednesdays all through the winter (which, unfortunately, clash with our pool sessions).
They have just published their timetable for this winter. For more details, including a paragraph or so about each talk, see their web site on: http://www.wildernesslectures.com/
The Electronic Canoe Club
In case you’ve missed it, the club has a web page at:
http://www.bristolcanoeclub.org.uk
I can add any photos or articles if you’d like to send them to me…
We also have an email mailing list, which is used for various announcements and some chat. If you are not already on this list, email me (Conor) at ONeillCJ@Logica.com, and I’ll add you to the list.
Conor