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However, when the canal starts to descend, (at Eldonian Village, parallel to Vauxhall Road) you can see the river, approx 1Km away and you are about the same distance from city centre so it depends what you want.
A word of caution. A lot of effort and expense is being put into revitalising and upgrading the canal into Liverpool but as with all major industrialised cities we have run-down areas with social problems and there can be problems with vandalism, yobs etc on the Litherland and Bootle stretches. Also landscape is not the best. Things are improving but personally I wouldn't paddle further than Aintree unaccompanied. If you really want to complete the trip into Liverpool and you are a lone paddler let me know dates etc and we will try to help.
Otherwise if you just want to do a' coast to coast' trip you could take the Rufford branch off the L & Lpl. just before Burscough. The branch is 7 miles long, (6 locks) with 4 almost at the start. It runs through fertile farmland to the Ribble estuary at Tarleton where it locks down into the river. Burscough is 24 miles from the Liverpool terminus so finishing your trip atTarleton would reduce the overall distance by 17 miles. Hope this helps. Best Wishes Frank Vaughan Is there any problem with using the bow seat as the stern seat when I paddle alone? Using the bow seat gives the canoe a better trim. The other alternative is to place ballast in the bow. I weigh in at 240. see the problem when I am way back in the stern seat? No, it is common practise to use the bow seat when paddling solo (boat hull should be symmetrical). As you progress you may try a kneeling position near the central thwart to gain even better trim. My 10yr old son and I recently passed a one star Kayak course; we would both like to continue to improve over the winter period. We live about 15 minutes from Speke and are both interested in your pool sessions on a Wednesday night. If we joined and attended your pool lessons, would we be in the same class at the same time, and at which level? Our instructor classed us as good one star paddles? We do not run formal classes - we are a kayaking club and individuals book an hour of pool time in which to practice their skills. Coaches are available both in the water and around the sides to advise, help and coach. The sessions are less formal and more club orientated and allow club members to progress as quickly as possible. Both you and your son will / could be on the water at the same time. If you are in any doubt as to our structure please pop down and either chat to us or watch from the viewing gallery. Please note that we are a very large club (250 members) but do strive to treat people as individuals and we try to give newcomers the time / information that they need. However, please bear with us as the first week is likely to be very busy and hectic Where is the nearest kayak shop? Try our website `For sale` page. Kayaks North West is the shop outside the Pyranha factory http://pyranha.com/ Kayaks NW have a reduced / clearance clothing sale up the spiral stairs in the shop and is often missed by customers.
I am an 44 year old officer within the Boys Bridage organisation, have paddled on an off since I was around 10 years old. I've had no formal canoe training (though, class myself an reasonably proficient and can role) and would like to work for coach certificates. Is this something that FOA can help me with or can you suggest another organisation that would be better suited? We currently have 16 club members working towards their Level 1 / 2 coaching award. The club regularly runs coaching sessions where trainee coaches work alongside established coaches to gain experience and log the hours required before assessment. We are planning to run a L2 coach training course in April with an assessment at the end of the summer. Last September we ran a course for the canoe safety test and will run a 3 star assessment before the L2 training course in April. We currently have a pool session at Speke pool, 7-10pm. Why not come down and introduce yourself or if you have joined the club (joining forms from www.foacc.com - Membership for the year costs £15-£17) why not have a go. Hi, "Re:If you would like to attend a course Level 2 Training (Kayak) BCU NW Region COACHING SCHEME 10/11 September" Just a few quick questions: 1. where will this course be held? 2. how much will it cost to FoA members? 3. what if people are strong paddlers but need to take 3* first? It would be advisable to contact the organiser direct to find out the exact location and details. Courses are cancelled if there is not enough interest! It will be held in the Manchester / Bolton / Merseyside area.
Discussion is under way re:subsidising FOA members undertaking coaching courses. I will try and clarify how much at the next coaching meeting on the 11th Aug (Why not come along as you are a potential coach). If there is enough interest the club could hold its own L1 / L2 courses.
3* and CST etc can be assessed during normal club evenings. Just ask to be assessed by myself or any coach with assessor status. How to become a Level 1 or 2 Coach
Two boat choices - straight line touring kayaks (like the ones in the article above) or open canadian canoes. I would suggest a training day(s) along the Leeds - Liverpool canal before you went to familiarise yourselves with the equipment. The club does not really have this type of canoe, most of our boats are shorter white water or training boats. It is unlikely that we would let out the canadian canoes to "brand new members". However, many commercial companies hire out canoes - the web is full of them (try brookbank canoes, they hire out equipment including plastic touring kayaks http://www.brookbankcanoes.co.uk/) or Caledonian Activity Breaks based in Fort William (they also do a pick-up and recovery service!). Also Loch Morar Activities. Why not come down to a beginners session and find out more about the club or canoeing. There is no charge for the coaching and all the paddling equipment is provided by the club. You may be asked to pay a session fee for the hire of the pool or contribution to the Marina or Dock license (£3 per session or £40 for the year). After a couple of sessions you will be expected to join the canoe club. Club Venues and Training sessions http://foacc.com/venues/venues.html To Join the Club http://foacc.com/join.html What to wear to a beginners session What to wear
I am new to the sport and would like to attend one of your coaching sessions. What should I wear and bring? The club provides all the paddling and safety equipment at beginner sessions. If you are attending an indoor pool session you only need to bring a towel and swimming costume. If it is one of the outdoor venues you will need: Old trainers or similar to protect your feet Shorts / swimming costume Tee shirt Thin jumper or top (if it is cold) Track suit bottoms or similar (if it is cold) Some kind of windproof (waterproof) top. Special canoeing cagoules are available in canoe shops but any lightweight "golf" type jacket or cagoule would do to start. Towel. Hi, Having recently returned from a holiday in Canada where I had the opportunity to give kayaking a try, I am now interested in taking up the sport as a regular sport/hobby. I would also be particularly interested in pursuing white water canoeing at some point in the future. Would you be able to provide me with any information about beginner training sessions, courses or training that your club offers, and which days and locations in Liverpool that these courses would be available. The club runs numerous sessions in and around Liverpool. Probably the best general coaching session to go to is Queens Dock - Merseysport - Wednesdays 6:30pm till dusk. (See the link below for directions / details etc.) Just introduce yourself and say you are thinking of joining the club. You MUST be a member before your paddle, you can either join on the night or download a membership form. The club provides all the equipment for coaching sessions etc. You can hire club boats and canoeing equipment when going on river trips, Surfing weekends etc. See the club calendar for details of some of the events we are involved in. The club always welcomes new, active members. Club Venues and Training sessions http://foacc.com/venues/venues.html To Join the Club http://foacc.com/join.html Hiya, I have just had to give up rowing for my uni as im in my final year and didnt have the time they required any more, but am lost without a hobby on the weekends and quite fancy learning how to canoe. I was just wondering how I go about doing this? Could I arrange to come down sometime and see someone or have a go? I have forwarded your enquiry on to several Key Members and hopefully they will get back to you individually to invite you down to sessions that they attend. You are more than welcome to come down to any of the club sessions. However, now it has got colder the club has moved its main coaching session indoors to Westminster Road Pool. All equipment is included with the pool fee. - Wednesday night is the best night for beginners. http://www.foacc.com/venues/venues.html
At present myself and my daughter kayak on saturday mornings at Merseysport. We both want to improve our skills and my daughter wants to play more canoe polo. some friends at merseysport told us that they had joined your club recently and that your club runs sessions through the winter at westminister road pool. I have looked on your site but need some additional information. Do you need your own boat/paddle? How much are the sessions ? What happens at the sessions? Club Boats (In the main plastic Revenges) and Paddles are included in the session fee. Sessions cost £3.00 per hour. The Polo session runs on Tuesday 1915hrs to 2115hrs. General session Wednesday same time. Depends what level your daughter is. In terms of the girls at the moment there are three distinct levels. Novice both Paddling and Polo this group numbers about 6 or 7 girls aged 9 to 12 years. Intermediate these girls are from 16 to 18 years old and are about 4 in number. Senior girls these are from 18 years onwards of which there are 7 players. I have no doubt your daughter will fit in somewhere from what has been said more than likely with the intermediate group if she already paddling and playing a bit of polo. Fact is without rushing things we are short of a couple of players as it stands. She is more than welcome to come along. Maybe if they can come along to the Tuesday session just to have a look first or I am at Merseysport on Saturday if they want to have a chat. Either way it suits me. We are short of girls and the more the merrier. Mike Moffit Can someone tell me in simple terms how to get on the clubs message board through the yahoo set up? First you have to send an email to join. Click this link or send an email to: foacc-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Please give brief details of who you are so that we can check your membership (Name, Address and/or membership No.)
In a few days one of the moderators should add you to the user list. When they have confirmed this you will receive all future club emails sent to the group and are free to send emails yourself. You do this by sending ONE email to foacc@yahoogroups.com which is then forwarded automatically to all subscribed members. You can un-subscribe yourself at any time. If you have a yahoo account you can view the groups message board at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/foacc/ More information...... Hi, Just wondering what the situation is with dock fees for members? If I pay the dock fee does that mean that I can paddle on dock/use Merseysport facilities anytime, including outside club sessions, eg if group of us wanted to go down and get some independent practice in? I am sorry but the dock fees only cover the times which are detailed in our license. The fee covers any number of sessions in a year but you MUST stay within the terms of use for the facility. (Minimum of three competent paddlers on the water, use of buoyancy aids on pontoons etc). A group of you are more than welcome to `get independent practice` (indeed we fully encourage this use of the facility) but it must be within the times posted for club sessions. (Click here for more) Mondays 1830hrs - dusk Wednesday's 1830hrs - dusk Saturday 1000hrs - 1600hrs Sunday 1000hrs - 1600hrs Notes: The Crosby session is already paddling at the dock on Wednesday's because of contaminated water. More than ten sessions in a year will save you money and offset the cost of a Dock Bib. Hi, We're members of Liverpool Uni canoe club who are staying in Liverpool over the Easter holiday. Someone suggested we should contact you to see if there was any chance of coming and paddling with you at the docks for the next couple of weeks while we're not meeting. Would we need to be members to paddle with you for a few weeks and how much would it cost? Thanks Officially, if you are thinking of joining then you would be welcome at the first 1 or 2 sessions but because of the club insurance requirements you would be expected to join after that. (£7 for students + £30 for use of facillity for the whole year). If Liverpool University Canoe Club was to affiliate to FOA (£25 for ALL, see below) You could just pay for each session. The Fees as they are at the moment. I suggest that you go down to try at least one session. You might get charged £3.00 for use of the facility. Just introduce yourselves or contact Mike Moffit mike@mmoffit.freeserve.co.uk who runs most of the sessions. What is C-to-C Roll? In a pure C-to-C roll, you sweep the paddle out to 90 degrees. At this point, your body is twisted out to the side in a C shape with your paddle on the surface of the water (a good, long torsoed C-to-C roller can reach the paddle above the water and slap the surface). Then with a powerful, smooth and single motion, you roll the hips going from a C pointing to the right (left) to one pointing to the left (right). The final position looks like a high brace. See our rolling pages.
I am confused about all the different types of canoes. Is there a simple way of explaining it? Try our pages on the different canoe and kayak disciplines. I would like to start canoeing. What is the best way to begin. One of the best ways to start is to go on a course. There are several teaching centres in Merseyside. Try Mersey Watersports Centre in Kings Dock or Sefton Youth Service based at Crosby Marina. Are there any other clubs in the Friends of Allonby area that offer coaching? There are several local clubs, besides ourselves who cater for beginners. Click here for details. Can you tell me what a boof is?
This is from the glossary in Classic Northeastern Whitewater Guide: The Best Whitewater Runs In New England and NewYork-Novice To Expert (1998) by Bruce Lessels, Appalachian Mountain Club 3rd edition, pg. 369: BOOF-A technique used to run a steep drop that may be shallow at the base. By leaning back and running the drop at an angle, the boater can land flat on the hull with a resounding "BOOF!" and avoid pitoning on the rocks at the bottom. Boofing drops higher than about 10 feet can be hazardous to your spine.
Boofing is a whitewater paddling maneuver for going over drops whereby the paddler jumps over water hazards known as holes at the bottom. The two main components are acceleration and a flat landing. One can boof a waterfall in a direct fashion by speeding up and controlling the angle of the boat so that it lands flat downstream, beyond the hole created by the waterfall. One can also boof a rock in order to get a better line, which entails bouncing off a low rock just before going over the drop. Again, the objective is a flat landing beyond the water hazard. Such a rock is often called a "boof rock".