Sunday 2nd April was designated as a day for all members to come along and help out with maintenance tasks instead of the usual paddling session. By coincidence, CRT had asked everyone to keep off the river that weekend anyway, due to the unusually strong flow.

Buoyancy aids and paddles were tidied up, boats washed and many repaired.  Gutters were cleaned, weeds pulled, a pile of leaves and an ugly old sofa removed.

We had a very productive day- thanks to the many helpers that showed up. The photos show only some of you - cleaning what felt like thousands of boats!

And indoors we had the changing rooms and toilets cleaned, main club room hoovered, kitchen tidied and a thorough review of the content in the loft performed. 

Amazing work and a huge thank you to all that contributed !

It is with great sadness that the Club announces the passing of James Smythe on Monday 18th April 2022 after a short second battle with cancer. 

James started his paddling career in the mid 1980’s at Wey Kayak Club, finishing his first Devizes to Westminster 125 Mile Canoe Race (DW) with them in junior K2 in 1987.  He then went to university and raced for Royal Lemington Spa before moving to Nottingham.  By this time he was a Men’s A sprinter, Div 1 marathon paddler, and represented Great Britain at two World Cups in Hungary in 1994 and South Africa in 1995, as well as competing for GB at other races on the international circuit.  In 1995 he also took the bronze at the National Marathon Championships in Senior K1.

He then took a break and moved to France before returning and joining Leaside in 2001 and latterly Bishops Stortford in 2016.  In his very first race in a Bishops Stortford vest he took silver in Veteran 35-44 K2 at the National Marathon Championships before winning the Bill Sparks trophy for the fastest veteran K2 at the Hasler Finals later that same year.

We are delighted to announce that we have recently been awarded two major grants to help the club introduce more people to the exciting sport of kayak racing. The first grant of £9600 of National Lottery funding comes from Sport England and this has already funded the purchase of five beginner racing kayaks and is supporting three volunteers in taking coaching qualifications.

A further £4400 is to follow from an East Herts Council Community Grant towards the purchase of five more kayaks suitable as follow-on racing boats. Together, these will enable the club to run a programme of beginner training with the aim of tempting people into joining the club and taking up the sport regularly.

Racing requires a particular type of kayak.The grant has enabled us to purchase four extra boats of the most stable kind, suitable for new paddlers. From here, the beginners can gradually progress to lighter and sleeker craft which are harder to balance but can go faster. But the equipment alone is not enough - the magic ingredient is hours of teaching by racing coaches who can pass on the skills and techniques needed to master the sport.  

Thanks to the smart new boats provided by the Sport England National Lottery grant, and with the new trainees already acting as assistants to established coaches, the club is now offering weekend beginner courses for adults and older teens new to the sport, and a programme of four taster sessions on Sundays for youngsters (usually age 10-15).

A two-day Starter course took place in September and there will be another in October - a third may take place in November depending on demand and the weather. More will follow in the spring. See our Join Us page for scheduled dates.