When I started nearly 30 years ago I was barely capable of paddling grade 3. Now I can paddle grade 4 . Marvellous 1 grade in 30 years, by the time I am 70 I will be up to grade 5!

When I started, the height of my ambition was to paddle the somewhere, anywhere in Wales (as all Welsh rivers were equally difficult to me). Since then I have paddled in the French Alps , Italian Alps, Slovenia, Austria, the East coast of America and Costa Rica.

I have visited places I would never have had an excuse to visit had I not been a member of the canoe club. I have been frightened in more countries than you could wish to imagine.

The club has given me friendship and I have given my friendship to others even when they didn't ask for it (or want it). I have thrust myself mentally upon others and occasionally physically and enjoyed every minute of it. Spend a week under canvas and every waking moment with BDCC members in a foreign country and you begin to build a bond, you get to know people and they get to know you.

I have nearly died twice but I still keep coming back. Why?

The answer is JOY.

Joy at all the things that make up a canoeing experience:

• the sunlight glinting off the water on a frosty winter morning;
• the iridescent blue flash of a kingfisher;
• the craec in the pub afterwards;
• the danger and the excitement;
• the sense of adventure and the sense of achievement.

All these are part of the experience but mainly for me it is simply the water. There is something fascinating about water whether a crystal clear sparkling river or a thunderous brown heaving mass. WATER FASCINATES me and I hope it always will.

I hope the next 30 years are as good as the past 30, and that I don't lose sight of why I started canoeing. I started canoeing because I found getting back to nature was incredibly rejuvenating. I found canoeing gave me joy and pleasure.

Quite simply, Canoeing made my heart smile.

Martin Home

The Beginning

In 1982, Martin Home and Dave Cope made the decision, for the purely selfish reason of maximising their own paddling opportunities, to start a canoe club.  They displayed posters in Baldock, Royston, Stevenage and Letchworth inviting interested persons to attend a meeting at the:

THREE TUNS Pub in Ashwell at 7.30 pm on Tuesday 16^th February 1982

From that first meeting, the club was formed and named with an initial membership of 14 people. Two people are still members from that inaugural meeting – Chris Morley and Martin Home.

Our first weekend away was on the River Teme at Ludlow. This was a river with a maximum classification of grade III (I – being easy and VI – being death). We were barely able to cope with the degree of difficulty but somehow survived the weekend!

Since Then

In the intervening 22 years, the cub has moved pools from Royston Meridian school to North Herts Leisure Centre and has managed to average around 60 members per annum. Within the club there are currently Level 1, 2 and 3 Coaches who between them have introduced hundreds of paddlers to canoeing in almost 30 years.

Canoe Polo

We have risen to the giddy heights of Canoe Polo and managed to get into Division I Mens – playing in a national event at Crystal Palace, and currently have a very successful social Ladies Polo team.

White Water

Thankfully, our standard of white water paddling has increased dramatically from that first weekend away and have since then paddled in:

• the UK - including Wales and Scotland;
• Europe - France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Norway;
• Central America - Costa Rica;
• South America - Chile;
• North America - Eastern USA, Western USA, Canada;
• Australasia - New Zealand;
• Asia - Nepal...

...on some of the most testing rivers in the world.

Slalom

In slalom we have had paddlers in the Premier division and currently have a Veteran paddler who has consistently been in the top 3 of his category for the last 8 years!

Social Events

These have happened regularily since the club began. Quizzes, 10 pin bowling; Ice Skating and Vodka nights, Pub Games evenings; and most importantly the Annual Dinner and Dance where awards are given, some serious and many tongue-in-cheek. We are never more serious than when we are taking the mickey!

It's a great club. Why not give it a go and give yourself a chance to experience something new.

"We are all better than we know.
Provided we are given the chance to find out,
we will never settle for less."

Martin Home (oldest swinger in town)

Moved house?  New mobile number?  Update your details in the Members' Area now!

The purpose of this page isn’t to give advice on technique; you can get that from the recommended reading and from coaching sessions. What this page is telling you, is that no matter how much space there is in the pool, there’s always lots we can be paddling!

Remember that bad habits are easier to adopt than good technique. Quality practice in a warm clean and safe environment goes a long way.

Stuck in a static spot in the pool?

You can still work on these skills: -

Foundation Skills

• Good posture and body rotation at all times
• Practice balance. Try paddling, sitting on top of the boat – away from the pool walls!
• Edge control on both sides.
• Forward sweep strokes (front half of the boat, and rear half of the boat)
• Low Brace and High Brace.
• Draw stroke at the front
• Draw stroke at the side
• Draw stroke at the rear
• Deep water rescue

Advanced Skills

• Rolling
• Combine sweep stroke with edged control
• Stern Dip, levelling off the kayak after it’s sliced at the back
• Bow dip, levelling off the kayak after it’s sliced at the front

Got space to move into?

Try these skills:

Foundation Skills

• Forward Paddling (most important stroke. Don’t neglect it). Try sprinting.
• Backwards Paddling.
• Stern Rudder/ Stern Draw
• Low brace turn with edge control.
• Low brace turn with edge control.
• Figure of 8 while paddling forwards.
• Figure of 8 while paddling backwards
• Stern rudder with good trunk rotation.
• Combine strokes that involve slicing the paddle through the water.
• Combine strokes that involve a change of direction. E.g. a forward stroke to the hips and then slice it out to perform a stern draw)

Advanced

• Figure of 8 while paddling forwards with edge control
• Figure of 8 while paddling backwards with edge control
• (You’ll have to swap edges as you cross from one loop to the next)
• Paddle in a circle using only strokes on the inside of the turn (good edge control).
• Bow stalls, cartwheels and beyond.

Paddlesport can’t be learned by reading. Thankfully some of the core skills are generic between all types of boat that the club has. It’s up to you to get in a boat and practice

The Core Skills

These are essential to effective paddling.

1. Good Posture.
2. Precise and coordinated handling of the paddles.
3. Applying power by using strong muscle groups.
4. Body, boat, blade and water awareness.

Make every paddlestroke count to the max.

You can achieve this by: -

1. Good body rotation, before planting the blade on the water.
2. Clean entry of the blade in the water. (splashing wastes energy).
3. Full blade to enter the water. (Half a blade equals half the maximum power)
4. Use strong muscle groups (the stomach, back and shoulders)
5. Look at where you are going (so easy to get wrong with the forward sweeps)

Posture in the Boat

• Feet need to be able to apply pressure on the footrests without being cramped.
• Knees will be tucked under the thigh braces, again having good contact with the boat.
• The backrest should give support. If this is too tight your legs will go numb. No good.
• You should be able to move the boat in any direction by moving your hips.

Your body should be leaning slightly forwards. Never slouch.

Forward Paddling

• Rotate your trunk. This will increase your reach. The blade should enter about level with your ankles. There should be gentle pressure on the footrest, stabilising ready for the main activity
• The blade should not create much splash
• Think of the blade as locked into the water
• Drive your hips past the blade. This uses the much stronger abdominal and back muscles.
• Keep the full blade in the water
• Keep the blade close to the boat, as this will reduce the zig-zag effect of paddling.
• Your top hand will have to come across to keep the lower hand close to the boat
• The blade comes out of the water about level with the hips.
• You should remain leaning slightly forward throughout the stroke.
• Now plant your next stroke in by your ankles and you’re ready to start all over again.

It’s that simple!!!! Only kidding. It takes a lot of practice to do it right. I’m still working on it as it’s the most important stroke in our repertoire.

Recommended Books

BCU Canoe and Kayak Handbook
BCU Coaching Handbook

The club has a number of coaches who support both beginners and more experienced paddlers during pool sessions and on river trips. They are all volunteers and give their time freely as and when they can. If you would like to learn something specific, just want some advice or are interested in progressing through the BCU Star Awards, speak to one of them directly or approach one of the committee who will know if there are courses being planned that you could participate in.

Paul StephensBCU Level 3 Coach

I started my paddling career with the scouts in 1989 and developed my personal and coaching skills with my Kingston kayak club in Hull and through voluntary work with a local council outdoor pursuits centre and developed to a level 3 coach in 1998, before moving south in 2000 joining BDCC shortly after. I am a keen whitewater, slalom (C1,C2 and K1) and polo paddler (Div Letchworth team) and am spotted in a c1 from time to time, but have partaken in a wide range of paddle sport disciplines at some point.

Barbara StewartBCU Level 2 Coach

I started paddling in 2004 as a mother of three, in my late forties-and I hated it; I couldn't go in a straight line and I couldn't balance! Then I went to pool sessions, where straight lines and balance don't matter, and found I loved "messing around in boats" and talking about paddling. I qualified as a (flat water) level 2 coach (after finally mastering straight lines) in 2006 and I now coach for three clubs locally. I'm a keen open boater (canoeist) and I dabble in the lower divisions of slalom K1 and C2 (ha ha)- but my greatest passion is the belief that anyone can paddle- regardless of age, gender, fitness and strength- and still get that buzz from doing something they never thought they'd be able to do. To sound clever, I'd say my coaching style was consensual, incremental and within the bounds of the paddler's discovery zone- but all that means is, that even the difficult or scary stuff can be broken down into achievable chunks which the paddler then chooses to have a go at, at their own pace and then feel good about having done it!

Andy BarrasBCU Level 2 Coach

I started paddling in 1997 and was immediately drawn to the social side of the sport, the chance to get away for the weekend, enjoy the stunning scenery and relax in the company of friends. Back in the 90’s I learned by trial and error, but a eureka moment was paddling with another group and seeing how much more there was to learn. I focused on improving/correcting my technique, gaining BCU 5 star awards in both White Water and Sea Kayaking, as well as my level 2 coaching award. I recently enjoyed running a structured course of 6 progressive classes but in reality, working shifts means the coaching I do is more usually a single event.

Here is the current proposed roadmap for the redevelopment of the BDCC wesbite. Suggestions will be added as appropriate and checked off as completed.

v2.0a - Initial Design

v2.1b - 1/4/11

Fix: Alter BCU logo to reflect correct affiliation number;
Update: Slice up bottom logos and link to specific sites;
Update: Alter 'Read More...' links in news section to text only;
Update: Add '#comments' to previews in news section;
Update: Add 'Last updated:' to previews in news section;
Update: Amend CSS/PHP/HTML for footers;
Update: Add bottom logos to all sections.

v2.2b - 14/4/11

New: Add document repository;
New: Add contact information;
Update: Refine 'Search' function;
Suggestion: Coach details.

v2.3b

Update: Add full calendar view;
New: Add function for users to add/edit content, calendar dates and documents as appropriate;
New: Populate static content. Waiting on Slalom updates

v2.4b

Update: Refine Membership system to enable selected users to populate member data.
Update: Refine WYSIWYG editor layout;
Fix: Amend all SEF page titles and Meta data.

v2.5 - Public Release - 08/05/11

Update: Enable members to login; Payment gateway setup fixes and updates testing still required.
Fix: Modify all confirmation emails;
Update: Enable all members to add/edit own membership details;
Update: Add captcha for anti-SPAM control;
Update: Apply performance tweaks.
Update: Enable members to view selected details of selected groups of members;

v2.5.1

New: Implement SSL for all membership related pages and contact forms.

v2.6

Suggestion: Integrate external systems i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Mailing List;
Suggestion: New mailing list to replace Yahoo Groups in place and automatically managed through membership on website;
Fix: Users of Internet Explorer (all versions) are not able to login with Facebook; Waiting on a fix from Facebook developers.
Fix: 'Login With Facebook' workflow improvements for non-members;
Suggestion: Add native gallery function or link to external system;
Fix: Photo upload not working correctly with SSL turned on;
Suggestion: Develop and integrate RSVP system for club trips and events;
Fix: RSVP & calendar events not displaying correctly. RSVP disabled again as a temporary workaround.
Suggestion: Add shopping cart system for selling club merchandise;
Update: Populate shopping cart with products;
Fix: Clean-up of inconsistent URLs in Member Area.

v2.7

New: Build mobile friendly templates;
Update: Populate links section;
Suggestion: Implement quick and easy file/document sharing for Groups (e.g. Committee)

In whitewater, safety is principally a state of mind.  As in most environmental adventure sports, experience, judgment and a calm alert spirit are far more important than any safety equipment in keeping yourself out of trouble.  Of course facing up to possible danger (and in large measure cancelling it out through a combination of judgement and technique) adds another dimension of personal satisfaction to the sport

DON'T CANOE ALONE - Running rapids by yourself is sheer folly. In mountaineering, despite the risk, a certain glamour and mystique is associated with solo ascents.  This is NOT SO in kayaking.  Whenever you run a rapid, you do so by yourself, fundamentally alone, even if there are other boaters at the top and bottom of the rapids.  You have no rope and no helping hand for aid or comfort.  For this reason, whitewater canoeists do NOT consider it more difficult or more daring to run rapids alone - JUST MORE STUPID !!

A useful adage when organising a trip is:-

LESS THAN THREE THERE SHOULD NEVER BE

GROUP ORGANISATION on the WATER - This brings us to the whole question of leadership, mutual responsibility, and the interaction among members of the group 

Experienced Parties - Whitewater river running is a free thing, magnificently so, and kayakers themselves tend to be free spirits, escaping from social regulations rather than recreating them anew on the water.  Experienced kayakers, therefore, tend to canoe together in a very loose, and unstructured way.  They have no designated leader, and they make no rules.  At first glance it looks like anarchy, and yet, in a party of experienced kayakers there is a strong sense of river etiquette and an informal but real group, dynamic at work all the time.

River Etiquette - The overriding principle of river etiquette is - DON'T INTERFERE WITH OTHER CANOEISTS WHEN THEY ARE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN SOME STRETCH OF WATER.  For example, don't blindly move out onto a wave if someone is already surfing it; or wait until there is room in an eddy before ferry gliding over to it.  Likewise, canoeists starting down a drop will adjust their line to avoid people playing at the bottom; and kayakers waiting at the bottom of a rapid to play in the waves will tend to wait until the drop is free of kayakers.  These are simple matters of common sense and courtesy, but they make canoeing in a large group a pleasure not a pain.

Roles of participants - The informal and usually unexpressed organisation of a group of experienced canoeists comes down to one simple idea - EACH canoeist is mentally concerned about the welfare and whereabouts of his companions ALL the time.  Thus even though a group may be strung out along a stretch of river, with various kayakers out of sight, everyone knows who's ahead and who's behind.  It's just a matter of paying attention.  In a similar way, WHOEVER HAPPENS TO BE IN FRONT WILL BEHAVE LIKE A LEADER without actually being designated as such, trying to pick a good line for following canoeists, warning them of unexpected hazards or problems, and waiting below a hard spot if he senses that it may cause problems for some of the other boaters.  Then, too, WHOEVER HAPPENS TO BE LAST WILL ACT AS A SWEEP, checking to see that no one is left behind, for example with boat trouble.  Neither role is official or designated or PERMANENT. And the whole thing works well because each canoeist senses and accepts his share of RESPONSIBILITY for the WELFARE of the GROUP.

Inexperienced Parties on the Water - The picture changes however if there are a numbers of beginners or inexperienced canoeists in the group.  They will have enough trouble just getting through the rapids themselves, and may need a bit of help to do so.

In such a group it is common to designate a LEADER and another experienced canoeist to come last (TAIL-END CHARLIE).  It is also a good idea to have several more experienced kayakers waiting at the bottom of a drop before beginners start down, either to assist in RECOVERING EQUIPMENT, or to help a SWIMMER to shore.  If there are enough experienced canoeists in the group, a fine idea is to pair them up with the less experienced and get them to lead their "buddy" down the rapid.  It's both a confidence builder and a way to show the best line. THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND MORAL SUPPORT THAT WHITEWATER CANOEISTS CAN GIVE EACH OTHER IS ITSELF A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN SAFE BOATING

Martin Home 14th Sept 1988