For the past couple of months Kirkwall Kayak Club have been preparing a team to play in scottish division 1.

Mostly I have been running the coaching sessions for these which is not an easy task as I dont really know the game very well!

Orkney' A' line up for the start of the game.

We traveled away for the first 4 games last weekend, Some flew down in Torquil's private plane but I took the van down with boats on the roof and did some sea paddling whilst I could.

Giving a 'team talk'!

We quickly realsied that the jump from div' 2 to div' 1 is a massive leap in standards, losing our first 4 games.

Some of the teams have played together for almost 20 years and were very willing to give coaching and tactical advise to us after the games.

My home made polo gaols, made from 50mm drainage pipe!

Orkney 'A' play the next group of fixtures on 12th december. I am looking forward to picking up more training tips and hopefully winning our first games in div 1!

Thursday Evenining paddling restarts

Kirkwall Kayak Club resumed our Bi weekly summer paddling last Thursday.






A nice easy trip around the famous Churchill Barriers was a pleasant starter. Peter and Neil took a closer look aboard one of the block ships.

The ships were sunk during the First World War to block the channels between the Islands of Scapa Flow to protect the Navel base from German U boats.

This proved to be unsuccessful when in 1939 A German sub found a channel between the ships and hit the HMS Royal Oak with the loss of 833 men and boys. After this Winston Churchill commissioned the building of the barriers.

The barriers provided us with shelter from the cool West wind.

Coaching and canoeing

A Few weeks ago Mary organised a weekend of Open boating with Canoe coach 'Biscuit'.
Iam glad to say I thouroghly enjoyed it! The main reason for this was because he allowed us to raft up and sail for an hour os so across Scapa Flow.




Me and Neil enjoying a 'rest'.


The following weekend Me and Peter fired down to Inverness for our level 2 coach training.
Once again This was an excellent weekend. Steve Mackinnon and Dave Rositer doing a sterling job!


Prospective coaches listen to Daves breifing

Peter is missing from this photo.. I guess he will be toasting a scone or something..!

Coach Weekend.... Brilliant!

Just returned from my first two days of Level2 Canoe/Kayak coaching course so my head is buzzing!

Loads of information and some great coaching ideas to think about. This was all delivered excellently by Dave Rossiter and Steve Mackinnon. Dave is a level 5 coach and also started the outdoor centre 'Standing Waves' , his delivery was second to none backed up by steve this was an extremely usefull weekend

Daves coaching style reflects this pose perfectly!

Cant wait to go try out some of my new coaching techniques!!

Work, Wind and Snow

Pickie Terno is looking rather lost and cold lying in my front garden!

Apart from a quick dip in the swimming pool last weekend I haven't managed to get out in her this month!

I was out in the North isle of Sanday re-building a stone gable end this week. The house I was working on is called 'Strangquoy' This tidal race, which is just below the house is called the 'Lashy Sound' and looked pretty exciting this morning!
This is during an Ebb tide running against the strong force 6-7 Northerly winds that was battering us as we were building.
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My workmate Damian doing the grafting while I took the photos! Bit cold for building but we were out there to do a job... Below is Lashy Sound again from a distance with the Calf of Eday behind. I haven't paddled this area yet but certainly plan to do so. During the Flood tide there are no standing waves but it does flow nice and fast!



Below is the reason that paddling got scuppered last weekend.. Orkney tradition that if you are getting married the groom gets 'Blackened'(tarred and feathered) and driven around town on the back of a lorry for all to see!.I am not the groom, before any rumours start, I just got involved with a friend's Blackening and you can't help but get in a bit of a mess !
After we all got cleaned up a large drinking session was called for (6.30 AM before I got finished..oops).

Although the wind and snow has returned with vengeance today I really must get out on the sea.. I bought a dry suit weeks ago and have a 4* Leader assessment to get ready for in April!..

More polo training

Friday evening canoe Polo training, the hardest part being I cant have my after work Guinness till after 10 O' clock! Murder!!! Anyway we had a job to do this week so Graham and me turned up early to stick up our Polo goals that we had made..

Peter guarding my Hepworth goals..

Mine was the lightest so we worked with them as we didn't have much time to spare. Hepworth sink drain pipe was what i used, Graham opted for 2 Inch scaffold pole with key clamp corners! having proper goals will hopefully improve everyone's shooting skills. No one needs that more than myself!

Graham looking pleased with himself..(I'm scared when he is smiling!)




Although I enjoyed this training session, being quite structured with a proper warm up, ball control practice, an over view of some more rules and a good competitive game, I feel I didn't play very well. Schoolboy errors going for the ball with my paddle, over shooting it and a few dodgy passes. Basically due to a lack of practice and perhaps now I'am starting to take what we do a bit more seriously, knowing that you cant make those errors next week at the Div 2 games.



I like this photo, looks like someone is actually listening to what I am saying..

We have another practise next Friday, then it is our second Polo session of the league on Sunday, I cant wait!

I have also realised that I am getting seriously soft and believe it must be the influence of the 'Far side' who are joining our club.. I bought a 'Dry suit' this week!! Scary..Soon i will have to feel the need to tie my paddle to myself when paddling at Scapa peir!! No, Never..!

On a serious note I like to keep loose rope and cords to a minimum as they are defiantly a danger when upside doon!

I will head out for a walk now its a beautifull day. Scotland v France then!!! Whoop!






Send them home wards tae think again!!

Polo Goals and Eskimo Rolls....

Whit? no paddle? That's no possible!

Tuesday night in Kirkwall mean KKC pool sessions! Tonight me and graham Summers were going to have a talk about the putting up of Canoe Polo goals in kirkwall swimming pool, so I was hoping our session would be slightly quieter than the 40 people who turned up last week!!

The return of sub zero temp's and snow to orkney kept the numbers lower this week but still a healthy number of hardies braved the elements.

Keen learners

We had one of those long discussions about hanging the goals and decided that we didn't need to speak about anything we just needed to DO IT! So that's what we will do... but another day!!

Dennis demonstrates a nice roll!

It seemed that rolling was the order of the evening and as i looked around there seemed to be more upside-doon boats than the right way up most of the night.. i didn't do a big lot of coaching myself tonight as everyone seemed quite wrapped up in their own self appointed tasks..

Colin makes a successful up righting.

It might be a bit of a cop-out but I quite enjoy watching folk trying their own things and just feeding small bis of info or tips as they go. its also a good way of learning how other people figure thins out for themselves.. everyone seems to do this completely different.

hope you don't mind me putting this in MR B. you were almost up here, after Peter had handed you the paddle when you were already capsized great effort! We all do it though when under pressure for a breath ofair sit up a bit quicker than we would normaly..

Lots of folk put in good work tonight and it was all smiles when in helgies for an apre paddle beverage!