Sorry for the delay in getting this out this year - we usually aim to send it before the end of March.

Appreciate if you can return your forms and make the annual fee payment as soon as possible.

If you joined after the 1st January this year and submitted a 2018-19 membership form, your annual fee will carry over to cover this year - but you still should complete a 2019-20 membership form, as that is how we manage the mail and contact information database.

As you know from the previous circulated mail from the club we'll be distributing membership cards at Wednesday evening sessions.  Let us know if this doesn't work for you and we'll make alternative individual arrangements.

Lock codes will change at the end of April this year.

​The membership form can be accessed here.

We'd like to thank everyone who helped to clean the boats last week - it was great to see so many people there and it all went very smoothly!
 
Hope to see you next week for a paddle on the lake
 
Rhiannon and the committee

Well Pete Knowles was keen - everytime I looked at the Environmental Agency website the water was higher.  The last ime I did this in these conditions Alistair Honsby lost his paddle and was lucky not to lose is river racer trying to get under Rosthwaite bridge!
Getting up Borrowdale was very wet - had to get in above the Bowderstone as no chance to drive higher - although there were a lot trying....
Only major rapid was fairly chunky - rest was washed out so mainly naviagting to avoid the trees!

Girls in the Polo were keen to drive through - but had to reverse back past me!

River was easy to access - just over the style and then paddle through the trees!  Chunky in places and not much stopping!

John & Sarah Platt were gathering their boats in as lake rose.

Derwentwater times 2!

Thanks Pete for convincing me to give it a go - I know you were surprised by the level!  Greta tomorrow!

West Cumbria Canoe Club
Jim Wilson Tiger Boat Challenge 2017
Derwentwater Marina, CA12 5RF.        Wednesday 26th April
Registration from 6.15.p.m.                    Races start from 6.30. p.m.

Results
West Cumbria Canoe Club            64.8
Carlisle Canoe Club                        65
Copeland Canoe Club                    67
Duddon and Sedbergh                  67.2
Penrith A                                          67.5        (penalty added)
Penrith B                                          68.5
Carlisle B                                          71
 
More information                 Pete Knowles                017687 73686
                                                      Alan Ashby                     017687 80050

Last Sunday, a strong team of members from the local West Cumbria Canoe Club did their bit to clear up the debris from the Big Flood of last December on the river Greta.

Linda Furness of the Keswick Tourism Association had made a special request to the Canoe Club for help to clear unsightly flood debris off the banks of the Greta.  Whilst other local bodies had offered their help and co-operation, it was felt that canoeists were uniquely equipped and experienced to help reach the flood debris, which was often awkwardly stuck between water and land.

Ian Creighton of the West Cumbria Rivers Trust was especially keen to try and get as much plastic as possible out of the river system, because this gets ingested by fish and into the wildlife cycle.  So the teams made this the main priority as they scoured the river and banks for some two kilometres through the tourist heart of Keswick – canoeing, wading and clambering along the banks they collected some forty sacs of plastic.  They also collected a huge amount of other assorted debris that had been washed down by the December flood – including 7 carpets, 2 mattresses and a lot of nasty sharp metal waste – some of it the remains of several caravans that had floated down the river!
 
Co-ordinator and Keswick resident Peter Knowles, said “I was surprised at the amount and the variety of rubbish.  There were some really horrid things that our team pulled out of the river – you don’t want to know the details!  I just admire the enthusiasm of the teams who grafted at this unpleasant job for some four hours, in and out of the cold river.  It was good to see this nasty sharp metal rubbish taken out of the river as I know that in the summer local kids play and wade in it”.  

Dan Jordan, Chair of WCCC said  “As the local canoe club we were delighted to take the lead and do our best to help clear up this, our beautiful local river and help get it ready for the tourist season.  We locals appreciate the Greta as a beautiful river, but it’s perhaps not generally known that the Greta is nationally important as “the best grade 3 kayaking river in England”.  As a local paddler and resident I doubly appreciate and enjoy having such a lovely river on my doorstep.” 

Can you help?

The West Cumbria Rivers Trust are appealing for help for a litter pick along the banks of the River Derwent on Sunday 17th April, meet at Portinscale Bridge at 10.00.  See their website for more details.

For more information on this story please phone Peter Knowles on 017687 73686