Who are we?
Peninsula Canoe
Club, or the Pen Pads for short, is a group of enthusiastic canoeists of all
ages and backgrounds based on the Wirral Peninsula. Whatever sort of canoeing
you would like to do, the club will have a few like-minded paddlers for you to
paddle with.
The main aims of the Club are:
What is Canoeing?
"Canoeing"
covers a whole range of activities from quiet river touring to serious
competition, and a wide range of craft, Kayaks and Canoes.
Recreation:
Placid water
touring appeals to some, finding quiet enjoyment in the scenery and water
wildlife along slow flowing rivers, lakes and canals. Others prefer white water
touring on steeper faster rivers. Playboating in "holes" and on waves
is also popular among members. Sea Kayaking with day trips and longer
expeditions may be to your taste. In the Club we paddle both canoes and kayaks
on almost any type of water.
Where can you find
us?
Indoor
Pool Sessions
Every Wednesday night at Calday Trust pool at the end of Gourleys Lane in West Kirby.
"The Pool" is the main meeting place for the club and the starting point for nearly all paddlers. Pool sessions are supervised by club members who are also British Canoe Union (BCU) qualified coaches.
There are three main sessions at the Pool.
1. The first session is a 10 week course designed to meet the criteria for PaddlePower 1 for young people or to bring adult beginners up to BCU 1 Star award level. As a part of this 12 week course there may be additional sessions out of the pool to let you put into practice in a safe outside environment, those skills acquired in the pool. By the time members have been through the initial 12 week course, they are ready to move on to the second session.
2. The second session is split between two or three skills areas for coaching. Paddlers on this session are aiming at BCU1 and 2 Star level while still working towards PaddlePower – butnow moving on to skills needed for Book 2 Awards. Skills areas include turning, rolling, support strokes, rescues. No free play is allowed.
3. The third session is reserved for adults and more experienced paddlers. There may be some advanced coaching available. This has included reverse screw rolling, handling open canoes, sea kayaks, rolling the Topo Duo, and freestyle coaching. As this session is for adults and more experienced paddlers, some free play is allowed.
Session 1 8:00 - 8:40 paid for in advance of week 1
Session 2 8:40 - 9:20 paid for and booked on the night
Session 3 9:20 - 10:00 paid for and booked on the night
All course places
(Session 1) are booked and paid for before the start of week 1. To book on Sessions 2 and 3 you need to come
to the pool and book and pay for sessions. You can book and pay for up to three
sessions at a time. Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Coaches at the
pool are willing to help and encourage new paddlers or all ages. Coaches give
of their time and expertise on a volunteer basis. A set of guidelines on how
pool sessions are run is available to all members.
Look out for the noticeboard which tells you of forthcoming events and trips and ask about any trips or events as you book on your pool sessions.
Outdoor water Sessions
We use a variety of other venues for our outdoor water activities such as Eccleston, Chester, West Kirby Marine Lake, and Mile End Mill at Llangollen.
The River Dee at Chester offers both flat and moving water to suit all abilities. We usually have some lake licences allowing members access to West Kirby Marine Lake, an ideal starting point for beginners. We usually offer sessions here during the summer months. Summer months see us one night a week at Llangollen with coaching for beginners, and safety cover for the more experienced paddlers. Other activities are arranged depending on the weather and time of year. Information about official Club trips - where full safety cover is provided and the BCU safety recommendations are followed - is given in the monthly club Newsletter.
Tuition
After practising in the pool, you will want to move onto "proper" water. From time to time courses will be organised by coaches and these will be advertised in the Newsletter. These are usually run at minimal cost.
Everybody likes to have their progression in skill development marked in some way. Everyone can progress through the BCU Star Awards. Junior members are encouraged to work on the BCU PaddlePower award scheme. Guidance on development of coaching skills and qualifications is available.
Club Equipment:
Club equipment is available for members to use. We ask a small donation to club funds. Members are fully responsible for the collection and safe return of Club equipment used. We have a selection of kayaks and canoes, paddles, buoyancy aids and spraydeck. Personal clothing is the paddlers responsibility. Canoeing does require some specialist clothing and equipment. Ask the coach running the Club trip or event about personal clothing required.
Transport:
Canoeing involves getting you and your boat to the water. You will find Club members are good about offering lifts, but parents of junior members should be aware that they will need to do some fetching and carrying. It is customary to share petrol costs.
Canoeing Safety
Canoeing is an
exciting and adventurous sport and, as with all water sports, carries an
element of risk. On any club sponsored
trips all paddlers must be members and must fill in a paddler information form.
This is also the paddler consent form for all under 18s. No consent/information
form and the coach will not let you get on the water!
U18s remain the responsibility of parents at
all times when not on the water, except for during an official club trip.
The members run
the Club. We are a non-profit-making organisation and are not owned or
controlled by anybody outside the club. A small committee is resonsible for the
day to day running including looking after club funds and equipment. The
Committee Members details are printed in the Newsletter. For more information about
Club organisation, please refer to your copy of the Club Constitution, which
every member should receive on joining.
We can think of at least 5 good reasons
For more information call Jude on 0151 653 8414
If you are interested in joining, why not look at our membership charges and then fill in our membership form. It will need to be posted using snail mail though because we only accept cheques and they need to be posted to us. We take cash too - but it's not always safe in the snail mail.
Peninsula Canoe club is affiliated to the British Canoe Union
.