Most summer Wednesday evenings I drive from South Woodham to Burnham for our club social paddle. Today I had the luxury of being collected by Rick and Dan with a club boat on the roof for me, and we headed to the shore of the River Crouch on Marsh Farm Road for a weekend paddle. Here we met up with Chris, Alan and Andy. Once on the water, Dan told me to paddle straight then turn and point to Burnham which I did. Then they said ‘Sue turn for a group photo’ I think we all realised in that moment that ‘quick’ turning is not something I have fully mastered yet- work in progress and now at the top of my skills practise list!! We then started our paddle towards Burnham under blue skies with the fast flowing tide and the wind behind us. Having walked that river bank for the last 30 years, seeing it from the water was fantastic, Even more so as we got to Fambridge and saw the house on sticks close to the Ferry Boat Pub. All so pretty. The stretch of water from Fambridge to Bridge Marsh was completely new to me and a real treat. We found a beach to stop off for a drink, snack and a few pics. Once we had taken in the views and had a breather we got back in our kayaks for the last stretch back to the club. Last Wednesday evening was tough on the river but today the sun wind and tide were our friend- a perfect Saturday afternoon with a great bunch, how lucky we are. Cheers Sue Q Photos Supplied: Dan / Sue / Chris

Wednesday 30th July Weekly Club Paddle on the River Crouch Easy conditions on the River and great summer weather allowed for a quick paddle up to Bridgemarsh island. Once there, the group decided to split into 2 smaller groups. The first group taking a leisurely paddle back to Burnham Sailing Club, whilst the 2nd group continued on further up river. This allowed us to pass beyond black point and into the part of the Crouch River which then faces directly west. Allowing us some playful conditions in the outgoing tide as its rushes around the corner towards Creeksea. We enjoyed one of the summers best sunsets before we turned around and headed back to the sailing club before the last light. Cheers Dan Photos Supplied: Dan

Wednesday 23rd July Club Paddle to the River Roach More lovely summer weather lead to hot and calm conditions on the River Crouch, allowing the club paddle to head down river. As we past the entrance to the River Roach we noticed the outline of a lovely sailing boat in the distance, so decided to explore further. On arrival, we noticed the Sailing Vessel was from Holland and was visiting the area as part of a larger sail across the channel and surrounding coastline. The boat is called "Willem Johannes", she is a beautiful Bronsveen Cutter, with a crew of 2 plus their dog Rif. It was lovely to stop by and have a quick chat with the crew of the boat before heading back to the Sailing Club for Food and Drinks. Cheers Dan Photos Supplied: Dan

Wednesday 16th July Club Paddle - Creeksea / Essex Marina More lovely summer weather lead to hot and calm conditions on the River Crouch, allowing the club paddle past Creeksea towards the entrance to Bridgemarsh marina. We then split into 2 groups for the return journey back to the sailing club, the first group went back via the north shore whilst the 2nd group took the south shore and cut via Essex Marina, they then cut across the River Crouch through the moorings before turning back to the pontoon at Burnham Sailing Club. Fun conditions when you have a strong outgoing tide but zero wind, allowing the river to look almost perfectly flat like a mirror but with the added benefit of allowing you to practice ferry gliding across the river sideways in the fast flowing current heading back out to sea. Cheers Dan Photos Supplied: Dan

Friday 11th to 14th July Norfolk Summer Camp 2025 This years summer camp was based a Bureside Holiday Park, allowing easy access to the Norfolk Broads for a weekend of paddles and social catch-ups for member of the kayak Club whilst away from home. We paddle over the 2 middle days of the camp, first day up to Hickling broad, stopping for lunch before heading back with an additional stop a Potter Heigham for ice cream. For the 2nd days paddle, we returned to a favourite paddle route from 2 years back to Ranworth Broad. Never a disappointing paddle as lots to see on route, whilst avoiding the tourist day boats, Norfolk sailing boats and many other types of water based craft that operate on the Broads daily. As we entered Ranworth Broad, we was overtaken by the Tourist Paddle Steamer which leaves from Horning slightly further up river, Jerry and Dan had great fun riding in its wake as it entered the broad. We then all stopped for a lovely lunch before exploring on foot a local church. As you'll see from the pictures, once at the top of the church spire we stopped for a group photo. I have no idea why I'm still wearing my buoyancy aid at the top of a church as I'm not sure it was providing any protection at that height. Big Thank you to John for arranging the weekend accommodation and pub bookings, plus Adrian for guiding us on both of these paddles across the weekend. Cheers Dan Photos Supplied: Dan

The not so famous five of Adrian, Roger, Darryl, Dan and Andy gathered at the start point in Tonbridge with an unusually full car park, due to a park run that was taking place. There was a parking warden present handing out fines, we spotted Adrian chatting to him and convinced him successfully that he didn't need to pay for parking as he was just dropping off his boat. We started the trip just after a troop of Scouts with about 7 Canadian canoes who were going to the same location, with a nights camping in between. Adrian was on his own in his Candian, Roger in his canoe, fresh with newly applied gaffer tape. Dan in his orange river boat, which is Adrian's favourite colour. Darryl and Andy were in hired river boats. The conditions were perfect, as usual the BBC weather reporting dark red danger on their map, you won't survive message but that wasn't the case. It was medium cloud and a nice breeze along the river. We arrived at the first weir and as most times the shute was shut due to low water. After the portage we continued merrily on our way. We carried along and stopped for lunch at the 3rd weir. One of us had decided it would be good to freeze a bottle of lemonade so it was still cold for the journey and would keep their food cold. Unfortunately much to everyone's amusement it was still solid ice when we stopped. You had to be there. As we began to leave the lunch site the flotilla of scout boats turned up. Their leaders were contemplating whether or not it was safe for the troop to go down the shute graded 3. I heard their leader say "let's watch the professionals", luckily Adrian was first on hand and of course descended it impeccably. All the scout boats followed without fault, the kids were clearly having a great time. We carried on in front of the scouts who had kindly let us go first. We got to the 4th weir which we always forget is coming up and then on to the final big weir, which is only graded a 3 but should frankly be a 7. We all got down safely although Rogers canoe was beginning to show some signs of distress with loose tape beginning to depart the hull. We carried on to the end of paddle at Tea Pot Island, where unfortunately we had some bad news. The ice cream shop was shut. Fortunately we were able to pull Adrian out of his disappointment for the drive home. So a great day, we learnt lots. Adrian is a diplomat, who knew! And although Roger's canoe was much lighter than when it started the day you can build back better with gaffer tape. And we should always check if the ice cream shop is open. This day was less about the paddling and more about the experience of being together and the laughs we had along the way. We all got through it relatively dry, with some wobbles on shutes but everyone stayed the right side up. Cheers Andy Photos Supplied: Dan

Perfect weather for a paddle on the River Cam. An early start meant meeting at the little village of Grantchester, on the river Cam, which cuts through the heart of Cambridge City. Good to see a mixture of short river boats and canoes out on the river, with some of our newest club members joining us for this paddle on the river Cam.

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