Jack gets us to our get out on the Gweebarra

The smile on Jack's face is at the tiredness on all our faces- we are just finishing the lower Gweebarra in SW Donegal during my stag weekend. We hadn't reckoned on a westerly gale slowing our descent by half so that we had to contend with many a sand bar and haul the canoes behind us.

The kids- Oisin, Cormac and Jack, were incredible keeping happy and game for the challenge.

Lucie has swallowed almost all canoe time- or time for anything other than work- so kayaking has been on the back burner. Our level 3 assessment is finally due in a month from now, so have to get back on the water.

Marty and me

Emerging from winter, and our baby Lucie is now three months. Kayaking has been on the back burner but I manged to get out with a few friends at Shaw's Bridge, just to wet the head so to speak. Also CANI's Paddlefest in Lough Melvin was a good two day outing on surf and whitewater.

I'd planned to be doing L3 assessment over Paddy's weekend but we lost out from lack of availability of a coach. So hopefully it will run later in April.

I'm interested in connecting with any bloggers out there with an interest in kayaking and/or hiking/climbing. I'm based in Belfast in Ireland and hoping to develop activities for visitors to Ireland around these interests.

Timeframe is flexible- just hoping to get a process that works at the right pace for me and others involved.

Well I'm heading into a period of quiet as Cath and I await the birth of our wee baby, so I don't expect to be on the water anytime soon. hopefully January...

However had a great paddle recently on the Roe with the BAC group we have been working with. despite a few boats going astray in the dog's leap, mention no names, it was great craic all round and I think mucho learning was acquired..

Welly well well. It has been a week of down pours and little opportunity to get out on that water...how frustrating. My 'new' kayak is lying in pieces in the shed due to lack of an obscure piece of closed cell foam that pyranha don't seem to want to help with...plus...I've been really busy. BUT the water was massive tonight and had a lovely whirl down the rapids...rather 3 big standing waves at Shaw's Bridge...in an open canoe no less with Chris and Enda. Nice staaars!

This was mise slaloming at the weekend. note the nervous posture!

kayaknews

Sunday past as few of us entered the Canoe Assoc of NI Slalom Race event at Shaw's Bridge.....

Samtha and myself ended up in boats with race bibs on, not sure what was going on! After an early registration [for a Sunday] we tried the course a few times and then lined up for our time trials.

I've never paddled competitively so am unused to the idea of rushing in a boat, never mind fitting body, boat and paddle between two narrow 'gates'! All was revealed when the professionals kicked off and made it look dead easy, just pop the head through while boat and boday are already heading towards the next gate...never managed to figure out how they got the paddle through so effortlessly.

Anyroad my first time was 170 sec with 3 gates touched [more like the wind moved them as I dashed past..] which computed to 176sec. i haven't got my second time of any photos back yet but await with baited breath...

kayaknews

Taught a kayak session in the dark at Shaw's Bridge on Monday night. Was very different experience, getting on the water in the dark. Extra safety issues etc. The temperature had dropped significantly since our last session two weeks ago, and with the clocks going back as well....Our generator and lighting on the jettee ran out of petrol after 15 mins but we powered on anyway, preparing for 1 and 2* assessment next week.