November 2006 - Canoeist Magazine

Desperate pool
Desperate Measures
are to run the canoeing
pool at the London
Caravan & Outdoor
Show at ExCeL on Nov
16 - 19th. Visitors will
have a chance to get
afloat and to purchase
a range of models.
Out for a duck
Favourite media
picture of late has to be
from the Times on 29th
Aug. A kayak sits
surrounded by 15,000
tightly packed rubber
ducks in dark glasses at
the start of the 18th
annual Duck Race on
the Illinois River at
Peoria.
Welsh open
canoe group
proposed
Paul Samuels is
hoping to start an open
canoe group in
southeast Wales. Email
him at
sewalesrco@hotmail.com.
Water activities
centre shortlisted
The water activities
centre in Whitlingham
Country Park,
Norwich, was
shortlisted for a
Building Construction
Industry Award for
2006 as well as for the
Prime Minister’s Better
Public Building Award.
The modular wooden
cabins were inspired
by boat design.
Everest lecture
Would you like a
lecture about kayak
descents of Everest to
K2, Maoists to grade
5+ and the like? Daz
Clarkson is your man.
[07752 234173]
Give geography
its place
Over 1,300
geography lecturers
and teachers have
signed a petition
entitled Give
Geography its Place
with a letter going to
Tessa Jowell to
complain about
inadequate attention to
geography, particularly
by the media. If you
travel and want to add
your voice, go to
passion4geography.co.uk.
6
Trips
Kayak 4 a Kure will be a 3,780km kayak trip from the
source of the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico next spring
to support a cancer fund.
Piotr Chmielinsk’s Polish team, who ran the Colca
River canyon in 1981, have made a 25th anniversary return
trip to the Peruvian river which forms the headwaters of
the Amazon. The 121km trip took them a month with
rudimentary equipment but they went on to complete the
first full length descent of the Amazon. They did not return
home because of the political situation. This year’s return to
the 3.2km deep gorge was just a reunion without paddling.
An attempted crossing of the Adriatic from Split by two
American paddlers was called off near the halfway point in
excellent conditions after the harbourmaster radioed them
for their position and then threatened them with all kinds
of reprisals. Presumably they would have been harder to
find if they had not given the required information
correctly.
Alwyn Dunn from Flint, Paul Filby of Criccieth, Rob
Tovey of the Mumbles and Richard Bowles of Little
& Broad Haven have completed an 80km canoe trip
down the Dee from Trevor to Flint and raised over
£1,000 for the RNLI’s Rapid Response Unit, of
which they are members. The 4 day trip in
September had special permission from anglers to
use the river. They were hit by some heavy
thunderstorms. Boats and kit were loaned by the
National White Water Centre. The unit are ready to
fly anywhere in the world at short notice. To
contribute call Alwyn on 07762 187319.
Lonnie Dupre and Eric Larsen have finally succeeded
in becoming the first people to travel to the North
Pole in summer, arriving on Jul 1st. Last year
(shown) they had to give up because of unusually
deep snow and frequent leads (Jun 05, p10).
Mark Warford/Greenpeace Laura Kerr
CANOEIST November 2006
The announcement that Alison Jackson had tied the
knot with Simon Dark came just too late for our last
issue, in which their exploits on the Murray were
featured. Best wishes for the future.
Matt Hawkins and 5 others are to spend 2 months in
northern India and will raise funds for Equal
Opportunities Adventure. There will be a month of
warming up on known white water rivers and then a
month exploring new areas.
New world distance record
Brandon Nelson has set a new world paddling record
of 235km in 24 hours. He used a 3km oval course on
Lake Whatcom in Washington state and raised $10,000
for hospice care. Since then he has set a new record of
40 hrs 37 mins 5 secs for the Yukon River Quest, the
world’s longest race.
Where the big money goes
The Financial Times are running the conference
Where Sport Meets Business on Nov 1st in London. It
will address such questions as ‘Who is going to bankroll
our Olympic dreams?’, ‘Has sport sold its soul?’ and
‘Can our industry hang onto its sponsors?’ The one day
conference costs £1,028.12 per head including cocktail
party.
Cardiff course begins
Approval has been given for an artificial white water
course by Cardiff Bay, to be completed by Easter 2008.
It will be pumped at 8 - 16m3/s from a clean reservoir
and will also have a return conveyor. The French
company Hydrostadium, known for their Olympic
courses, have undertaken the design, which will include
their adjustable Omniflot obstacles. South Wales is
Consulting Engineers of Alberta are another body
using canoeing to entice engineers to emigrate for
a better lifestyle.
Alison Jackson