Drama and manoeuvres in Shepperton

As training sessions go, this one seemed to skip along happily like a kayaker in the wake of a Thames party boat. The three newbies, Dan, Dave and Nick figured a beautiful autumnal day along the quiet Shepperton river banks lined with post rehab rocker villas would be like chicken soup for their busy London […]

Wat’er Way to Learn

13 October 2011

Last night Chelsea Kayak Club held its second water skills session at Brockwell Lido and, despite the cold water and diminishing sunlight, was a huge success.

Geoff was kind enough to not only organise these two-hour pool sessions, but to also load up the CKC trailer and bring the […]

I must see Old Harry from Dorset again

7th – 9th October 2011

My adventure began on Thursday 6th October and I still get a strong heartbeat every time I see a photo of Old Harry – I definitely must see him again – soon!

It all started in Lot’s Road Pub that Thursday evening, when 10 enthusiastic sea kayak paddlers met in […]

VHF Marine Short Range Radio Course

Four CKC paddlers today picked up their ‘VHF Licence’ after a full-on day at the Timuna Sea training centre Canary Wharf, squawking “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” in to a range of short range radios. The course, endorsed by the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) is required for anyone who wishes to use a Digital Selective Calling (DSC) […]

Isle of Wight Symposium

August Bank Holiday Weekend, 2011

Six of us from the Club (Jac, Toons, Miranda, Debs, Ann and I) attended the inaugural Isle of Wight Symposium which took place over August Bank Holiday weekend. The Symposium, organised by Isle of Wight Sea Kayaking, was put on to to fill a bit of a gap […]

Use your Skeg!

With the Club’s fleet of sea kayaks fast approaching their first birthday the Scotland trip a few weeks ago presented an opportunity of giving them a bit of well earned TLC.

With some people moaning that their skegs were not working, upon inspection it was immediately apparent that most of the skegs were not […]

Chelsea Flare – safety with style

We had the rare opportunity to ignite some safety flares in a controlled environment, so that Chelsea Kayak Club members were able to see how they work – helping to avoid any confusion when the heat is on, in a real situation.

Warning and safety flares should be part of any sea […]

Kentish 3 Star Sea Paddling

Sunday 29th and Monday 30th May 2011

Warning : wild, windy weather whips wind-chill warmth waywardly Westward!!! Now that’s out in the open let’s move swiftly on…

So, who was there? Fiona, Judes, Stu, Izzy, Jonathon, Alan, Gieve and me as 3 Star Sea aspirants and Kate for a refresher. Phil (organiser supremo) came along […]

Open Boating Coaching

Sunday 22nd May 2011

It’s not often I get to coach open canoeing, so when a small group of CKC paddlers asked me to provide them with a day’s coaching I was more than happy to oblige.

Feeling a little exhausted from the previous days paddling on the Solent I headed over to Thames Ditton […]

Canoe & Kayak: Sea Kayaking Special

This month’s issue of Canoe & Kayak UK magazine is dedicated to sea kayaking, something close to the heart of all Chelsea Kayak Club members – and is jam packed to overflowing with features, trip suggestions and tips – so much so, there’s a 24 page mini-mag pull out.