Waterside A

15 February 2026

Dear WKC,

The Waterside Series started last weekend with a great turn out from Wey KC for Waterside A. We have a brief report and some photos below.

We are looking for volunteers to help with DW marshalling, we have reports on water quality monitoring, core coach training and more, see below for details.

The Catch comes to you on a fortnightly basis. If you'd like to include anything in a future edition, such as race reports, photos, talks, etc, please send details to comms@weykayak.co.uk. We've moved to a new newsletter platform, so please do share any feedback you have on our new look!

A quick reminder that we do try and communicate on as many channels as possible to accommodate preferences, with all formal club communications being made via TeamApp and this newsletter. Members are reminded to sign up for TeamApp (and the various groups within) to keep up to date with daily goings on.
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Enjoy the Water!

Also in this edition...

• What's On - Club Events and Calendar
• Waterside A
• Volunteers for DW Marshalling
• Water Quality Monitoring
• Coach Coach
• Club K2s - booking sheet
• Nationals 2026
• Deep water rescue technique course
• Nelo - For Sale
• Beginner courses
• Focus on... Waterside Series
• Winter training programme
• Newsletter Editors
• WKC Paddler Safety Code
• Sign up to TeamApp for news, photos and chat
• Share your news, photos and chat

Waterside A

Last Sunday saw almost 500 paddlers take on 13.5 miles of canal, 21 portages, a lot of mud and a flowy finish with 29 paddlers from Wey KC, the most represented club. There were top 3 finishes for:

Arthur M and Will R - 3rd K2 Senior Men

Emma S and Agnes G - 2nd K2 Junior Ladies

Izzy R and Eira S - 3rd K2 Junior Ladies

Robert P and Stephen T - 2nd K2 Veteran

Beth P and Nathaniel L (Reading) - K2 Mixed

Edward S - 3rd K1 Junior Men

and many more great performances. Well done to all the paddlers and a big thank you to those who helped and supported. Thank you to Kelly-Jane E and Calum S for the photos.

Volunteers for DW Marshalling

As a club we support the annual Devizes to Westminster race by providing marshalling at Shepperton Lock. Boats should come through the lock from around midnight on Saturday April 4th up until the afternoon of Sunday 5th (rough times e.g. midnight to 6 am for the Senior Doubles and then 11 to 3 on Sunday for the rest, i.e. two separate shifts, exact timing will be given closer to the day). Given enough volunteers we should be able to have a shift system in place. If you are able to spare some time to support the DW please can you let David Halliwell know.

(treasurer@weykayak.co.uk)

Water Quality Monitoring

Last Summer I decided to get involved with the Water Rangers and add to the water quality monitoring that was being done on the Wey. The club is sampling from the club site, so I decided to sample regularly upstream by the Broadford Bridge (just downstream of the Wey and Arun junction). This would give the water quality entering into St. Cats lock. The results for all tests on the Wey and many other locations is available online (https://waterrangers.com/).

The kit I bought lasts a year and includes a range of tests, including for E.coli – the main motivation for me, because like others, I’ve suffered from gut rot! Other tests give conductivity, temperature, chlorine, hardness, phosphates and nitrates.

The first step is to get a sample of water into a cup from about a metre out and at least 30cm under the surface. Then get the conductivity and temperature monitor in it.

Next, get three 1ml samples of the water in the centre of the three E.coli R-cards. There’s a gel that helps the E.coli grow and colour, so the number of colonies can be counted.

Then water from the sample cup is drawn into the phosphate and nitrate test capsules, with a short wait to match their colour against a scale for the result. A test strip with four colour blocks is dipped in the water sample to colour match for chlorine, pH, alkalinity and hardness.

Once all samples taken and recorded, it’s back home to put the R-cards into an egg incubator and “cook” for 24hrs.

After that, there’s just the counting of the coloured dots to record the number of E.coli colonies in the 1ml sample. This is averaged over the three cards and multiplied by 100 to give the 100ml colony count score used as the standard measure. Anything up to 1000 is defined as ok by the Environment Agency.

With the rains, we’ve had readings over 10 times the recommended level for E.coli. You can find all observations from Broadford Bridge here https://data.waterrangers.com/locations/broadford-road-bridge-1757087513).

Paul H-H

Core Coach

Wey Kayak Club prides itself on having a wealth of good coaches and as such has invested significantly in coach development including The “Core Coach” Qualification. The Core Coach is a relatively new qualification and is the minimum standard of coaching award Paddle UK accept of those coaching at any club or centre in the UK.

Wey have arranged a Core Coach training session at no cost to you on 28 & 29^th March.

If you would like to know more about the two day course being held at Wey on the 28^th and 29^th or reserve a place, then please contact Paul Dimmock paul.dimmock2026@gmail.com​
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Club K2s - booking sheet

Thank you to boatswain Cesar Falco for his work updating the list of club K2s. The booking sheet is now organised by stability and boat number - so please be aware if you are booking a boat from March onwards then your usual boat might have moved position!

The updated booking sheet is being finalised at the moment, and will be up in the club entrance shortly.
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National Marathon

Championships 2026

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The Nationals organising committee are moving forward with arrangements - the date and location is now in the racing calendar and we now have a logo!
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There's lots going on behind the scenes, but as this progresses we will start allocating roles to the volunteer list, so look out for your call-up!
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​Role of Honour Volunteering List

To stage the biggest event in the Kayak Racing calendar we need more people to step up and help those listed above, so please don’t be shy and contact Paul Dimmock so your name can be added to the list. Please do this sooner rather than later, so that we can move from a call for volunteers to planning the event!
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In upcoming newsletters it will be great to report who else paddler, parent or a friend has put themselves forward to support our club.
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An outline of the type of areas that need covering or arranging include:
​Course - site use permission, approval of route, Marathon Race Committee liaison
​Race - starter, portage siting, number boards, finish line, safety boats, first aid, race briefing
​Facilities - marquee, toilets, drinking water, power, PA system, car parking, catering, road signage
​Admin - risk assessment, race pack, entries, results
​Marketing - logo, promotion (posters, social media, other clubs), filming/photographer, merchandise, prizes & prize giving, sponsors, trade stands
​Volunteers - coordination, uniform, security, welfare
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Of course this is not an exhaustive list of roles but may give you an indication of the areas which need your help, please contact me Paul Dimmock for further information paul.dimmock2016@gmail.com​

Deep water rescue technique course

One of the great skills to develop is the deep water rescue technique - not only may it save your life or that of a fellow paddler, it may save a long uncomfortable swim to the bank. This may not be so critical on our river, but could well be when paddling further afield on wider expanses of water.

Anyone interested in learning the effective deep water rescue, irrespective of you being a coach wanting to help others or simply a skill to develop for your own self-preservation, young or not so young, then let Paul Dimmock know at paul.dimmock2016@gmail.com

The dates haven’t been confirmed yet, but likely to be May / June when it’s a little warmer. The session takes approximately 2 hours.

For Sale - Nelo 7, Large

Boat weighs 11.2kg but there are weights under the seat which takes it up to 12.5kg. It’s in very good condition. £1,500.

Contact Wendy for further information: 07966 488089.

New Beginner Courses

For anyone who may be interested in learning to paddle and joining the club in 2026, there are now adult kayak taster sessions and Junior kayak introductory courses available to book through the club website. Please spread the word to friends and family!​
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Three-day junior courses will run from:
8-10 April
27-29 May
22-24 July
29-31 July
5-7 August
12-14 August
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All sessions are 1.30pm to 3.30pm. Full details on the website. You may need to click the "Booking" link to see the correct dates, whilst we get the main webpage updated.
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An adult taster session is running on Friday 10 April 6pm to 7.30pm. Further information on the website here.

Focus on... The Waterside Series

The Newbury Canoe Club Waterside Series (NCCWS), (originally known as Waterside Series) is the largest annual kayak and canoe racing series in England. With each of the 4 races increasing in distance and portaging, it creates a challenging series.
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Wey Kayak Club has a great history at the race series, often fielding the largest number of paddlers/boats at the first race, and always having some committed members who complete the full series.
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The dates for this year's events are:
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Waterside A - 8 February
13.5 miles, 21 portages
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Waterside B - 22 February
17.5 miles, 19 portages
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Waterside C - 8 March
23 miles, 35 portages
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Waterside D - 22 March
34 miles, 35 portages
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Full details are on the Newbury Canoe Club website, with entries on Marathon entries.
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If using a club K2, please use the booking sheet in the entrance hall.

Winter Timetable

Your newsletter editors

Chris H and Sheila A are taking it in turns to produce The Catch every fortnight - so grab us at the club with your stories or drop us an email. If you want to be more involved and join the editor rota, please contact comms@weykayak.co.uk or have a chat with one of us.

After 3 years of operation, the updated code seeks to move away from reliance on the NT boards (which will still operate), to using a river range of flow rates to better reflect the real time conditions on our beautiful but sometimes challenging stretch of water.
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Key changes are:
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Conditions are split into three types, Green (flow below 15m2), Amber (flow between15 and 25m2) and Red (over 25m2); Day and Night

• Over 25m2 Red there should be NO paddling, day or night. This is a reduction from 30m2 as it is felt there is no training advantage gained from those conditions.
• Green conditions - requirements remain unchanged from the previous code.
• Amber conditions (flow between 15m2 and 25m2) - this reflects more challenging conditions - in addition to the previous requirements under NT red boards - all U18 will be required to wear buoyancy aids.

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​Buoyancy aids are required and are recommended for all, at all times, and in all conditions. It is recognised however that in some conditions (green), paddlers experience and subject to coach discretion (and parental consent in the case of juniors) this requirement can be relaxed. The recommendation to wear one still stands.
The club has a large supply of BAs which members can utilise with a coach, alternatively members may wish to explore purchasing their own to meet their individual requirements.
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For those paddling outside of club organised and supervised sessions we strongly recommend adherence to the code and need to complete a dynamic risk assessment, considering elements such as the conditions, buoyancy requirements, planned route, paddling competency, safety equipment and appropriate clothing, every time you go out.
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It is better to be cautious and come back safe.

Keep up to date with the latest news, photos, events and chat!
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