Links & Tips

Links

UK water levels

Flood warning information service (Environment Agency)

UK water situation reports (Environment Agency)

Water Safety in Winter (Royal Life Saving Society)

A Spotter’s Guide to Waterway Wildlife | Canal & River Trust

Tips

Gary Fletcher:

• Make sure your boat and equipment is appropriate for the activity you are undertaking.
• Purchase the correct size and shape of boat and equipment for you.
• Adjust the fit of the boat to optimise your connectivity.

Chris Porteous:

• Keep practicing your strokes on standard club trips. Ask someone more experienced about what the “next stroke” you should learn is and then just keep trying every-so-often.
• LEARNING TO ROLL: Once you have a flat water roll, to learn a WW roll, go to Hurley when it is on 2 gates and ignore the main wave, just purposefully capsize in the wave train and try to roll. If you can’t, you’ll be in flat water within 4 seconds maximum where you can roll. Once you can roll at Hurley, you can roll anywhere.
• NEWBIES: If you capsize, don’t worry and don’t think you have to act immediately. You can hold your breath for at least 20 seconds, so just hang there, gather your thoughts and bang for help. It’s a lot warmer and less faff than swimming!

Andy Maxted:

• If it’s hot, don’t forget a hat and plenty of fluids for drinking. And don’t forget to apply sun tan lotion to the underside of your nose and ears – the reflection off the water can soon cause burns there!

John Norris:

• Essentials (sleeping bag and shelter) should be double bagged and stored in the driest compartment, which is usually the front in a sea kayak.