Lot's of whitewater this week! Weekend at Llangollen running a three star course and then a run down Jackfield on Tuesday.
A big thanks to all those who attended the course and made it a great weekend. Also a big thank you to Jonny - our new wonder kid instructor. If he falls in while surfing with his feet on the deck - he's on his own!
Well done to all the guys on the course for a tremendous effort and it was great to see you all progress so quickly over the course.
Keep an eye on the website for more courses and trips coming this Autumn!
Friday, 13 August 2010
Friday, 30 July 2010
The Month of July
July is traditionally our busiest month. This year has been no exception! Firstly there was the much fated Foundation, Safety and Rescue Course - this course saw attendance beset by illness and exploding engines. Well done to Tony and Phil for passing.
Then came a weekend of BCU Two Star. Congratulations to Harry, Phil and Amy on gaining this award and I hope to see you guys again on the water soon,
The last weekend of good weather saw me out on the hills taking Adrian through his NNAS Silver award. Congratulations on passing the assessment, I'm sure you now know exactly where Cranbury Rock is! I’m sure Adrian took away a lot of new techniques that will keep him safe in the hills and add to his enjoyment of our wonderful uplands.
Then it started to rain! Normally this is a good sign, but for the weekend of a Three Star training course this was bad news. We have to run these courses on grade 2 water. Trying to find a river without a flood warning that had water in it was impossible. So, sorry guys and see you on the rescheduled course on 7th & 8th August!
Our other news is welcome aboard Jonny! The last time I meet Jonny he was 12 and paddling slalom C1, now he's at uni and regularly paddling things his mum doesn't ask questions about. Jonny's going to be joining us to help out with some of the more technical courses, so look out for him if you're paddling with us this summer.
Those of you who’ve paddled with us for sometime know my views on open canoes – old playboaters never die, they just get in a spin! Well we’ve purchased two Venture Ontario Opens from Endless River in Worcestershire. These boats are fantastic – low to the water, easy to paddle, with a good turn of speed and very manoeuvrable. If you want your mind changing on open canoes or just fancy giving it a go, why not come down to the river one Thursday and try one.
On the SUP front, the board has at last been in salt water! Rides waves like a dream, even in a closed out 4 foot swell at Borth. Forecast said waves would be a foot, but didn’t account for the wind - the line up ended somewhere off the coast of Ireland. Anyway I still had fun (among the odd wipeout).
See you all out on the water again soon!
Then came a weekend of BCU Two Star. Congratulations to Harry, Phil and Amy on gaining this award and I hope to see you guys again on the water soon,
The last weekend of good weather saw me out on the hills taking Adrian through his NNAS Silver award. Congratulations on passing the assessment, I'm sure you now know exactly where Cranbury Rock is! I’m sure Adrian took away a lot of new techniques that will keep him safe in the hills and add to his enjoyment of our wonderful uplands.
Then it started to rain! Normally this is a good sign, but for the weekend of a Three Star training course this was bad news. We have to run these courses on grade 2 water. Trying to find a river without a flood warning that had water in it was impossible. So, sorry guys and see you on the rescheduled course on 7th & 8th August!
Our other news is welcome aboard Jonny! The last time I meet Jonny he was 12 and paddling slalom C1, now he's at uni and regularly paddling things his mum doesn't ask questions about. Jonny's going to be joining us to help out with some of the more technical courses, so look out for him if you're paddling with us this summer.
Those of you who’ve paddled with us for sometime know my views on open canoes – old playboaters never die, they just get in a spin! Well we’ve purchased two Venture Ontario Opens from Endless River in Worcestershire. These boats are fantastic – low to the water, easy to paddle, with a good turn of speed and very manoeuvrable. If you want your mind changing on open canoes or just fancy giving it a go, why not come down to the river one Thursday and try one.
On the SUP front, the board has at last been in salt water! Rides waves like a dream, even in a closed out 4 foot swell at Borth. Forecast said waves would be a foot, but didn’t account for the wind - the line up ended somewhere off the coast of Ireland. Anyway I still had fun (among the odd wipeout).
See you all out on the water again soon!
Sunday, 27 June 2010
Ups and downs.
Just when you think everything is going great you know life is going to jump up and bite you on the backside. The unexpected summer weather has been great for business - not having to switch to the canal due to sudden rises in river levels, people actually looking forward to getting wet, the list is endless. I'm getting to grips with SUP and making a presence for the sport on the Severn and all our clients are showing a great improvement in their paddling!
Then on Thursday I over do it in an open canoe and rediscover on old injury lingering under my shoulder, just waiting for a chance to bite. About 12 years ago I tore a nerve just below my shoulder blade. Having to paddle with a single blade for a couple of hours reignited the injury - this has just compounded my dislike for opens!
Friday morning I felt a bit stiff and I hoped a day of easy hillwalking would rest it. By teatime I was doing okay and confirmed with Saturdays clients the session would be happening, I had a strange feeling as I clicked send on the email this wouldn't be the end of it. After a quick trip to my parents I was unable to move and trying to get hold of the clients to say I would have to cancel. I always suspected their end of The Gorge had something against me.
I hate cancelling sessions, not just because of the loss of income (this was only a two hour intro session), but because it messes people around. Pam and I have tried to build a business where that doesn't happen, where sessions are only cancelled in extreme circumstances (usually water levels getting out of hand) and we do our very best to be at venues on time. We've all suffered the poor customer care offered by some more established centres and never want our clients to be messed around in the way we've been messed around when attending courses in the past.
To this end, we don't always offer the cheapest course prices, but I hope we represent the best value for money and the best coaching you could hope to gain!
Then on Thursday I over do it in an open canoe and rediscover on old injury lingering under my shoulder, just waiting for a chance to bite. About 12 years ago I tore a nerve just below my shoulder blade. Having to paddle with a single blade for a couple of hours reignited the injury - this has just compounded my dislike for opens!
Friday morning I felt a bit stiff and I hoped a day of easy hillwalking would rest it. By teatime I was doing okay and confirmed with Saturdays clients the session would be happening, I had a strange feeling as I clicked send on the email this wouldn't be the end of it. After a quick trip to my parents I was unable to move and trying to get hold of the clients to say I would have to cancel. I always suspected their end of The Gorge had something against me.
I hate cancelling sessions, not just because of the loss of income (this was only a two hour intro session), but because it messes people around. Pam and I have tried to build a business where that doesn't happen, where sessions are only cancelled in extreme circumstances (usually water levels getting out of hand) and we do our very best to be at venues on time. We've all suffered the poor customer care offered by some more established centres and never want our clients to be messed around in the way we've been messed around when attending courses in the past.
To this end, we don't always offer the cheapest course prices, but I hope we represent the best value for money and the best coaching you could hope to gain!
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