Summer of Fun: Rock Hopping and Paddling, Dartmouth July 2019

A weekend of rock hopping and paddling in the summer sun, around the beautiful south coast of Devon near Salcombe and Dartmouth.

Arriving on Thursday evening, we were the first campers to setup at the Slapton Sands camp site. Although the evening was warm and mild, some CKC members had taken the easier option and […]

Kilchoan 2015: Planes, trains and automobiles. And a Frenchman in a van.

30 May – 6 June 2015: Kilchoan, Ardnamurchan

Not the title of a crappy sequel to the classic John Candy movie, but how a dozen CKC members got to this remote part of Scotland.

SATURDAY, 30 MAY 2015

Kilchoan is the most westerly village on the British mainland. It is so remote that you have […]

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) […]

Paddler’s Poo Protocol

Whether you’re planning on ‘changing your shoes’ or ‘taking your trowel for a walk’ there’s no getting away from that call of nature when you’re out in the back of beyond on a paddling expedition – no matter what you call it. Admittedly those are two of the more polite terms we’ve had knocking around […]

Thames Festival – A Paddling Party

Chelsea Kayak Club got into a celebratory mood this Saturday for the The Mayor’s Thames Festival when we took part in a massive parade of boats down the river, amid cheers from the crowded banks and bridges.

The annual Thames Festival celebrates everything special about this great waterway, but this year something […]

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 […]

Kentish Sea Paddling the Return

Saturday 13th August 2011

In sea paddling terms can the Kent coast be compared to say Cornwall or Pembrokeshire or even Dorset for that matter? No, possibly not but in its own way it is unique and even has some great paddling gems if you go looking for them and you get […]

A marathon a day: Helps get you from Marlow to Chel-say

30-31 July 2011

There’s nothing quite like the ‘home stretch’ whenever you’re out paddling – the optimism, the burst of speed, the feeling of ‘nearly there’. Well on this trip we had two whole days of home stretch as we shuttled eight of the club boats 52 miles up river on the CKC trailer to […]