Club AGM 7pm at HHCC 18 February 2010 Accounts Here Agenda Minutes of Previous

7 Feb Waterside A, Great Bedwyn to Newbury; 13.5 miles; 21 portages. HHCC first and second, but what do Chris & Robin have to do to get past Al & Shirine (apart from paddling together for 20 years)? Thanks to Sally for supporting us.

Crew	Class	Time	Place	vs last year
Shirine Voller & Alan Farrance	C2 (Pro Boat)	02:19:25	1	3 mins faster
Chris Collison & Robin Oakley	C2 (ICF)	02:20:28	2	13 mins faster

Back at HHCC there was a mini marathon of 4 miles results awaited. James and Grant were the fastest juniors.

30 January Shirine went to Cambridge for mandatory welfare course at luxury conference centre. Sue, James, Helen, Grant & Neil training at Harefield. Robin & Chris C2 training at HHCC. Also spotted braving the cold and ice at HHCC John B and Andrew B.

First Aid Course HHCC 8am 28 March 2010 8hrs meets BCU requirements just £30 apply here

23 January James Prowse and Grant Underwood went WWR training with the regional squad (Torsten Krebs) at HYMB. Robin & Chris C2 training with the GD senior mixed DG squad in their O1's.

16/17 January An intrepid group (Sue, James, Helen & Grant) going to West Wales; Llandysul for 3 star training course. Plus quite a few club members involved in the Henley Winter Series Dragon Boat Racing on Sunday. Which is when the Frank Luzmore race is now being run, but club participation, on this clashing date, looks low now. Robin did a slalom coaching course at the BCU coaches conference.

9/10 January James Prowse and Grant Underwood went slalom training at Harefield on Saturday and WWR training with the regional squad (Torsten Krebs) at Hertford on Sunday. Al and Shirine were out in the C2 training as well. Xavier went ice kayaking too. More decaffeinated coffees!

  3 January Club Mini Marathon, Hunton Bridge and back (5.72 miles) 11 competitors and 5 helpers.
James Prowse and Grant Underwood won the handicap. (I think Tom Fryer and Gary in their C2 did the fastest time).
Well done all - double decaffeinated coffees all round! 7 February next race - 8 miles.

Frank Luzmore K2 Race River Thames: 12 miles, 3 portages. Race postponed to Sunday 17th January.

21/22 December Slalom White Water Skill Days at HPP organised by Phil McDonagh and with slalom ace Laura Blakeman. Very cold, great lumps of ice in the warm up lake and Robin regrets camping out, it was -3. However a lot was learnt, thanks to the coaches!

13 December Winter non-ranking Slalom at Orton Mere, a few HHCC folks going. Congrats to James Prowse and Grant Underwood who both won their classes, and to the adults Sue, Neal and Robin who competed too, despite the cold. See press release here (featured in Hermel Gazette 16.12.09)

29 November Ross Warland Challange, 20 miles 12 portages. Al Farrance and Dave Prior flew round in the new ICF C2, they were the fastest C2 by a long way! Robin struggled, swimming at second portage and suffering from cramp and not being in practice with K1's. It was blooming cold, and it rained and what sun there was blinded you!
28 November Juniors James Prowse and Grant Underwood attended WWR Development Coaching at Cardington. Long cold day, but was fun with a lot of learning! Well done guys.

Avon Descent 8 November James Prowse, Grant Underwood and Robin competed and it was good fun. Robin came fourth in WWR class, and the juniors further down as Grants boat got split which slowed him down, but great work by them. 10 miles is a long way especially for 15 year olds!

HHCC Winter Marathon Series. 1st Sunday of every month, through to, and including February 2010.
Congrats to Andy who I understand won, despite the rain.
PLUS a race training session with a time trial on the third Sunday of each month, run by Bob Pearce.

Teifi Tour 24/25 October. A real hit - as one lifeguard commented, "That's the best injury I've seen in 10 years of working on the Tour". HHCC do it better! Click here for the video.

Meanwhile, HHCC Teifi Tourist 2008 Dan Woollacott is in India after a summer in Canada guiding on grade 4 - see his Kali blog / video here.

Pool Sessions: Thursday nights - now FULL. Starting 5th Nov for 7 weeks till 17th Dec. Eight participants plus at least one coach. Basically short skill sessions, with a focus on safety ie capsize and rolling drills with a game of polo at the end. Prompt finish as next group would then be due. £9 a person payable in advance (£63 for the 7 week term) - as the pool has to be booked and paid for. All kit supplied, just bring your swimming trunks and towel. Sandringham School, St Albans, AL4 9NX.

European Canoe Polo Championships 2009
Three paddlers who train at HHCC won medals. Pip Grayson in the GB gold medalling woman's team and Alan Vassey captained the men's bronze medal team, with team mate Ed Feltham.
Well done to you all, great work!

11 October Nene White Water Course. A group of seven went from the club in training for the Teifi Tour. Four hours paddling provided growing confidence and skill. Video here and pictures here.

10 October Wavehopper Challenge national Championships at Nene James Prowse and Grant Underwood performed well coming sixth and seventh in U16 class, despite being relatively new to the discipline, great work boys!

4 October Wildwater Racing (WWR) regional squad training at Cardington: Long fun, educational but exhausting day attended by James Prowse, Grant Underwood and Robin (who came second in the race at the end).  

Dan Corner, retains his World Quadrathlon crown for an amazing third year. HHCC salutes its gold medal member!   Click for full report.

26 September North Walls Slalom: James Prowse won the Div 4 J16 section again and congrats to Sue Prowse for winning the vets section in her first slalom! Grant & Kaycee Underwood both did well.

Races page updated so you can plan your winter racing and 2010 DW campaign! Essex Winter Series dates now confirmed and included, plus Leighton Buzzard Hare & Hounds events.

13 September HHCC Hasler Marathon, Well done all competitors and helpers - a great day.    RESULTS HERE>

3 September HHCC Summer Mini Marathon Series Final Race. Congratulations to Shirine, who despite not being fit to compete, had already done enough to win the series.

30 August Slalom at Nene: well done to James Prowse who was first J16 in Div 4 K1 and Robin who was first DV in Div 3 K1 (and promoted to Div 2).
James and Robin also won Div 4 C2 (pictured).

Shirine: Get well soon and remember "It's not a race" but it'll be great to see you back on the water.

25/30 August Dragon Boat World Championships in Prague: best wishes to the HHCC paddlers doing it for Britain.

HHCC is working towards Club Mark accreditation, which brings a number of benefits to the club. Primarily it gives us more funding opportunities, will be required if we're to use the Olympic course at Broxbourne and helps us meet ever increasing legislation.

We believe that taking part in a club is long-established and proven means of developing teamwork, social skills and mutual responsibility in young people and adults alike. Paddlesport offers excitement and physical exertion in a controlled environment.  It trains individuals to manage risk and gives a sense responsibility, personal achievement, resourcefulness and teamwork.

To qualify for the Club Mark, we need to reinforce these beliefs with written evidence, including a code of conduct, club rules, risk assessment, child protection policy and health & safety policy. We have all these in place, but they have not all been formally issued. 

The code of conduct and club rules, as here, and have now been agreed by the club committee and are in force. This document formalises our informal practices and must be adhered to by all please! The membership has been amended to include an emergency contact for parents/guardians of junior members, and include a space for members (and their parents/guardians if applicable) to sign that they agree to abide by the code.

Any queries members have over the code, club rules and associated policies can be raised at the AGM.

The club Hasler Marathon is on 13th September
and organiser Chris Carter is looking for more help running it, please - click this link to volunteer!

13 August HHCC Summer Mini Marathon Series Race 6, 6 miles. New boy Graham won followed by David to howls of protest to the handicapper from the regulars. A special mention goes to Dean & Dan who were not lost but just hiding in the bushes, a little to learn there boys! But well done to all for joining in. Last race in series is on 3rd Sept, apparently 2 miles.

9 August Slalom at Harefield: well done to James Prowse who completed his first event with no spills, in K1 and C2 with Robin (pictured). Robin also competed in Div 3 K1 and didn't get quite enough points for promotion.

3rd August, new beginners training course started Details here.

23 July HHCC Summer Mini Marathon Series Race 5. Tom Fryer & Mark Petersen in C2 won the handicap 6 mile race in 49.28 mins and were only 15 secs behind a storming Mike Thornton blasting the cobwebs off his K1.

11 July: Great Open Day - thanks to all who came be it guest or club coach/helper. I trust you all enjoyed it, was good to see so many smiling faces!
Obviously the question on everyone's lips was where was Tippy Tom the BBQ boy, could he really have been performing mystery moves in a Ferrari?

Shirine fulfils prophecy in 4-mile no-portage sprint
On Thursday 3 July, competitors lined up for the hottest club race of the year. Dubbed 'Shirine's race', a concession to Shirine's preference for races without portages, the four mile course was down-and-back to the first lock, and again.
Setting off first, on her maiden race, Diana made good progress until she was caught by the more experienced regulars. John Gavin set off in second position, and after taking Diana, maintained his lead right up until the home stretch. Aidie and Andy battled it out (Aidie having been caught by surprise when she turned up for a 'leisurely paddle') meanwhile Shirine and UnC Al raced off the line, and stayed together up to the first turning buoy. Here, Al showed his gentlemanly nature, faffing excessively to allow Shirine to get ahead.
Chris Carter was disadvantaged by setting off late due to helping Tippy Tom recover from his O1 capsize. Chris never quite managed to claw the race back, and remained pretty near the back of the field throughout.
The home straight saw John Houston displaying an exerted sprint finish when he sensed Shirine on his tail. Shirine crossed the line second, followed by John Gavin, Andy, Alan, Aidie, Chris and Diana.
Timewise, Shirine stole the show, with Chris and Al coming in close together in second and third place respectively.

20/21 June Orton Mere Slalom, Div 3 & 4.
See our slalom section for more details.

14 June Hasler Marathon race at Leighton Buzzard CC (click here for full race details)
Chris Carter and Al (UnC) Farrence come 4th in 8 mile K2 race.

13 June Wild Water Race at Hertford. James Prowse comes second in U16's, brilliant effort especially as first race, and first time on white water. Sue Prowse was there too with her delightful non stop stories on horses (neigh!).

11 June HHCC Summer Mini Marathon Series Race 3: 4 miles, Aidie won the handicap, drawing past the competition like a shower curtain on fire! Al (UnC) Farrence struggled through to quickest time in spite of the sporting attentions of Rammer Houston.

31 May John Bennett officiates at EU Slalom Championships at Nottingham. Great weather and much paddling over the weekend. Four racing C2's out on Saturday morning!

23-24 May CHAR Raft Race with Shirine competing, lots of paddling at HHCC, level 2 coach assessment on Sunday and various other canal forays.

21 May 7pm HHCC Summer Mini Marathon Series Race 2: 3 miles, 2 portages and swan attacks, Shirine won.

16 & 17 May Orton Mere Slalom, Robin won Div 3 for HHCC on both days.

30 April HHCC Summer Mini Marathon Series started - short 2 mile race, no portages. Robin won.

4 May Bank Holiday Monday - River Loddon Slalom Robin competed in K1 and did his first C1, and didn't drown!

11 April Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race, 125 miles 77 portages, four crews did it non stop. Three of the crews, Shirine Voller & Al Farrance, Robin Oakley & Chris Collison, Chris Preston (Elmbridge) & Tom Fryer in C2's. The other pair Max Hayden & David Richardson were in the more popular K2 class.
Hurrah and thanks for those less romantic but essential support crews. The paddlers couldn't do it without you and owe you a huge debt of gratitude.   Race preview on Hemel Today    Race report on Hemel Today    Click the crew names below for their stories.

Crew	Class	Time	Place Class	Place OA
Max Hayden & David Richardson	K2 Senior	29:28:47	~	115
Tom Fryer & Chris Preston	C2 (ICF)	21:05:30	1	17
Shirine Voller & Alan Farrance	C2 (Pro Boat)	22:19:03	3	26
Chris Collison & Robin Oakley	C2 (Pro Boat)	22:26:27	4	28

Footnote: only 14 C2's have been quicker than 22 hrs 30 mins in the 60 year history of the race!

29 March Waterside D, Devizes to Newbury; 34 miles; 35 portages. Long hard race after early 4.50am meet at the club. Cold start turning into blinding sun, biggest every entry with a field of over 400 paddlers. Great work from the HHCC folks and thanks for the generous support from John Bennett and Andy Potter.
Dan tried to beat Robin's K1 time from last year, but despite being half his age just matched it. (Don't worry, he just avoided being arrested on the way home.)
Al (UnC) & Sinar put in a fantastic performance to come second in their class, meanwhile Chris & Robin came third in the series, "not bad for a scratch team, who did the first two races in a slow boat". Less than two weeks to the DW now.

Crew	Class	Time	Place
Max Hayden & David Richardson	K2 Senior	07:23:36	47
Dan Woollacott	K1 Senior	06:22:57	12
Shirine Voller & Alan Farrance	C2 (Pro Boat)	06:18:51	2
Chris Collison & Robin Oakley	C2 (Pro Boat)	06:23:20	4

22 March Royal CC Marathon, Runnymede to Teddington; 19 miles; 6 portages. It was fairytale weather for a meeting of Beauty and the Beast.
Al (UnC) & Sinar showed the beauty of their 3 year paddling partnership in the same boat while 3 weeks of boat and partnership for Hopping Chris & Robin was telling, despite their bestial power. A big thank you to Sally for supporting. See pictures here
Al (UnC) & Sinar won the C2 class in 2 hrs 40 mins with Hopping Chris & Robin second in 2 hrs 45 mins

Al (UnC) & Sinar (Shirine: "It's not a race") trained three times on the local canal and once in the dark on the Thames with Hopping Chris & Robin. Max & David also did a night session.

15 March Waterside C, Pewsey to Newbury; 23 miles; 35 portages. Fantastic weather and a good HHCC turn out again. Jurassic Farmerz (combined age of 125 years) in the Noah's Ark won their class and Chris and Tom came second (photo below). Great work well done chaps! Special thanks to John Bennett for supporting and Al Farrance and Bill Bental for meeting the paddlers at the finish.

Crew	Class	Time	Place
Max Hayden & David Richardson	K2 Senior	04:30:49	39
Dan Woollacott	K1 Senior	04:16:15	17
Chris Carter	K1 Vet	03:49:13	9
Mark Petersen & Steve Hughes	C2 (ICF)	03:32:46	1
Tom Fryer & Chris Preston	C2 (ICF)	03:34:11	2
Chris Collison & Robin Oakley	C2 (Pro Boat)	04:10:36	5

8 March Thameside 2, Reading to Marlow, 19 miles; 8 portages. Big up Al and Shirine winning their class. Some unsettled challenging weather, but when the rain came they were probably in need of some cooling! Not sure about the hail. Dan stopped to rescue a swimmer, so he would have been a tad faster.

Crew	Class	Time	Place
Max Hayden & David Richardson	K2 Senior	02:56:23	26
Dan Woollacott	K1 Men	02:50:56	20
John Bennett	K1 Men	02:40:09	18
Shirine Voller & Alan Farrance	C2 (Pro Boat)	02:42:27	1

1 March Waterside B, Newbury to Aldermaston & Back, 17.5 miles; 19 portages. The HHCC posse was out in force again. Well done to all, great effort! Dave had a swim to celebrate his birthday! Tom & Chris were "not counted for prizes as non ICF class boat" but did a great time and won their class regardless. Somebody did a YouTube movie of this, see it here.

Crew	Class	Time	Place
Max Hayden & David Richardson	K2 Senior	03:30:55	34
Dan Woollacott	K1 Senior	03:14:16	25
John Bennett	K1 Vet	03:02:00	16
Tom Fryer & Chris Preston	C2 (k2)	02:47:29	1
Shirine Voller & Alan Farrance	C2 (Pro Boat)	03:04:22	3
Chris Collison & Robin Oakley	C2 (Heavy Boat)	03:20:16	9
Dave Fryer & Gary Watts	C2 (ICF)	03:20:31	10

22 Feb Thameside 1, Aldermaston to Caversham; 12 miles; 13 portages. HHCC paddlers excelled!

Crew	Class	Time	Place
Max Hayden & David Richardson	K2 Senior	02:18:55	20
Chris Preston & Robin Oakley	K2 Vet	01:43:22	3
Dan Woollacott	K1 Senior	02:03:48	14
John Bennett	K1 Senior	02:00:52	13
Shirine Voller & Alan Farrance	C2 (Pro Boat)	02:02:04	2
Mark Petersen & Steve Hughes	C2 (ICF)	01:49:58	1	course record

15 Feb Waterside A, Great Bedwyn to Newbury; 13.5 miles; 21 portages. A good turnout of Hemel paddlers in decent weather.

Crew	Class	Time	Place
Max Hayden & David Richardson	K2 Senior	02:43:19	21
John Bennett	K1 Vet	02:18:06	26
Tom Fryer & Chris Preston	C2 (ICF)	02:03:26	1
Shirine Voller & Alan Farrance	C2 (Pro Boat)	02:22:14	4
Chris Collison & Robin Oakley	C2 (Heavy Boat)	02:33:10	12

See pictures etc here

25 Jan Essex Winter Series - Chelmsford Race: Slasher and Jurassic won their class. John Bennet did well too. Race report here.

18 Jan there was a Dragonboat race meeting at Henley and five HHCC paddlers were there in three different teams. Needless to say we had three in the winning boat. See if you can spot them in the pictures here.

Jan 4 2009 Frank Luzmore K2 Race, River Thames: 12 miles with 3 portages. Slasher and Jurassic came first in class in the ICF C2 in 1hr 49 mins, one minute behind were Shirine and Robin in the clubs new K2 (the slow one), and not in the medals in their class. It was so cold the locks were frozen so extended portages were necessary! Al (UnC) was unselfishly in support, thanks Al!  Picture library here.

 

“Canoeing and Kayaking are “Assumed risk” – “Water contact sports” that may carry attendant risks. Participants should be aware of and accept these risks, and be responsible for their own action and involvement”.