If You Hear Banjos Paddle Faster!
Meet The CKC Team
Our volunteer committee is committed to prioritising the well-being of our members and guests, as well as maintaining the efficient operation of the Crouch Kayak Club at all times.
Together, they collectively offer a broad and diverse range of experience and knowledge, enriching our clubs activities and ensuring a fulfilling experience for everyone involved.
Scoop
Congratulations to
Roger Simmons
on gaining
Sea Kayak Leader
Tidal Award
Hello, my name is John and I am the newly appointed chairman of the Crouch Kayak Club. I have stepped down as Treasurer and taken over from Jerry who has looked after the club for the last two years. He has done an amazing job and I would really like to thank him and Dee for all their hard work. I have big shoes to fill. My kayaking started in Leigh-on-sea at the age of thirteen when I was bought a second-hand double kayak. At sixteen I built a single kayak using an Otter sports plywood kayak kit. All a long time ago now. Over the years I have paddled and sailed various craft around the country and in Europe. One place I remember fondly is kayaking in Venice. I can highly recommend it as a way of exploring the bits of the city you can’t see by foot. By the way the Italians drive their boats like their cars which adds to the excitement. And so to the present, I am equally excited to announce our new committee and take this opportunity to warmly welcome Dan as our Vice Chairman. Dan will also continue to manage all our social media alongside his new role. Andy Coppin, our dedicated Equipment Officer, will step into the position of Club Secretary and complete the necessary courses to also become our Deputy Safeguarding Officer. Alan Organ will remain as our Welfare Officer and will also take on the role of Treasurer. We’re also pleased to welcome a new member to the committee, Roger Smith, who will serve as our Membership Secretary, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mark Kendrick for all his work over the last 4 years in this role. Additionally, Newton Ford will continue his work as our Health and Safety Officer. Their commitment and support are truly appreciated, and we look forward to the positive contributions they will bring to the club. The new season is upon us and as a Paddle UK Quality Club we are looking forward to building an exciting programme of paddles, kayak training and social events. Keep an eye on the club calendar on the website. May the season's weather be kind to us and I will see you on the water. John Holliday
In the words of the great Britney Spears, 🎵 Whoops we did it again 🎵 For the 4th consecutive year, Crouch Kayak Club have been Awarded Quality Club Status from Paddle UK. This is a national award which recognises that our club has excelled in providing paddle activities for our members . Well done to all the committee members for making sure that the processes we have in place help us adhere to Paddle UK’s high bar for governance, safety, safeguarding, equality, diversity and inclusion and much more. Thank you to all our members for your help and support and for making Crouch Kayak Club fun to be a part of. Tell your friends! Our affiliation to Paddle UK is very important to our club, we will continue to push to improve with Paddle UK support and guidance to make our club even better. Onwards and upwards! Andy
For most of the nine club members, this was a first: a day trip paddling along the Thames in London. John, Kelsey, Jerry, and I started our adventure by meeting at Burnham train station, joining up with Mark at Billericay to continue our journey into the city. Upon arriving at Pimlico, we took a short walk to the Westminster Boating Base, were we met up with the rest of our group. A quick lunch out on the balcony before changing and gearing up for the paddle. With buoyancy aids, paddles, and spray skirts selected, our group was joined by two leaders, a handful of seasoned paddlers, and a few other first-timers like us. In total, there were 15 —quite a large group, with the leaders agreeing. This becoming even more evident as they had to dig deep into storage to find enough suitable boats. I say "suitable" loosely, as Kelsey and I had a slightly different opinion on what qualifies as such! Finally, we set off. Two speedboats, packed with both people and kayaks stuffed into every available crevice, ferried us out. It was a bumpy, cold ride—definitely not the glamorous scene you'd expect from a James Bond movie. Once we were dropped off on a small beach, the real fun began for Kelsey and me. Our little river boats, without skegs, made for a rather interesting experience. Cue the laughter, the frustration, and the spinning as we fought to gain control on the Thames. Eventually, we got the hang of it, but let me tell you, give us a sea kayak any day! We were blessed with perfect weather: calm, dry, and not too cold. The entire group enjoyed a leisurely paddle, taking in the iconic sights of London from a completely different perspective. It was an absolutely fantastic day, finished off nicely with a pizza and a pint. The biggest thanks goes to Mark for organising this unforgettable adventure for the club. Definitely one for the books, and one we'd love to do again! Dee Photos supplied: Kelsey, Dee, John and Mark
Sunday August 4th Walton Backwaters 10.9 miles This paddle was organised and led by Adrian. It was an early one, the plan was to leave the club by 8am. The participants were Adrian, Mark, Jerry, John, Lorraine and Clare, in four single kayaks and a double. We left the club at the allotted time in three cars and the drive to Dovercourt went smoothly with us arriving in a convoy at Dovercourt. As Adrian had predicted parking at this location is tight but we all managed to fit in for an easy beach launch. The weather was perfect with very little wind and no waves however there was a swell which was different to paddling on the crouch. Adrian remembered from the last time he had paddled, some twenty years previously, there was a small creek before the main channels that would enable us to cut into the Walton Backwaters without paddling all the way down the coast. We thought we had found this entrance shortly after leaving the beach. It looked promising but just got narrower and narrower. After a while we were paddling with paddles on the shore either side and the hulls scraping along the mud. We had to reverse a little way before we could turn the kayaks. Having back tracked we continued down the coast before attempting to enter again. The inlets into the marsh make quite a maze and it is very easy to become disoriented when you are viewing everything from a couple of feet above the water line. The second attempt eventually worked with the map on my watch suggesting a route through and we arrived at the seal spotting location. There were plenty of reddy brown seals on the bank and also in the water. Heads kept popping up quite close to the kayaks and it was hard to know who was watching who. We crossed Hamford Water and landed on a beach behind the sunken barges for lunch. The wind was now picking up and was certainly more than had been forecast. After lunch, with the tide now dropping, we paddled straight back to our starting point. It was certainly a more challenging sea state than when we left. Thank you Adrian, a very successful day in a location I have previously only ever explored by boat. John
