Waterside C and Hare and Hounds

15 March 2026

Dear WKC,

The Waterside Series continued last weekend with a hardy contingent from Wey KC taking on Waterside C. We have a report and some photos below.

Today we had the last Hare and Hounds race of the season. The results are now on the club website.

For those taking part or considering taking part in the Nottingham regatta, please read the item below. Entries close next Sunday and you are advised to complete the form with plenty of time.

If you know any juniors aged 9 to 17 that are interested in trying paddling, please see below for details of courses running from Easter into the summer.

We are still looking for volunteers to help with DW marshalling at Easter and also with the Nationals in the summer.

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 C
• Hare and Hounds
• Nottingham Regatta entries
• Volunteers for DW Marshalling
• New beginner courses
• Core coach course
• Nationals 2026
• Deep water rescue technique course
• 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 C

It was a murky start to the day for Waterside C with a gloomy fog hanging over the canal at Pewsey. But Wey had a sturdy group of paddlers ready for the challenge of 35 portages, a tunnel and cool conditions. Jon & Cat were the first off at 9.21am, closely followed by Emma & Agnes a few minutes later. The steady stream of starters continued, completed by Ben & Mary at 10.30am. The fog unfortunately didn’t lift all day, and several unlucky crews endured a chilling 20 minute wait at the tunnel while a barge came through. Everyone completed the race, and Wey paddlers again came away with a good handful of Waterside mugs (see TeamApp for photos). Good luck to the few who will be completing the series from Devizes next weekend. Congratulations to everyone who completed the race:

Edward S and Henry H - 1st K2 Junior Men

Jacob T and Tom H - 3rd K2 Junior Men

Emma S and Agnes G - 2nd K2 Junior Ladies

Mary W and Ben W - 1st K2 Junior/Vet

Owen A - 3rd Junior Men

Tom C - K1 Senior Men

Steve A and Calum S, Cat A and Jon A - K2 Veteran

Tomozo P, Ollie C - K1Junior Men

Hare & Hounds / Dash Hounds

Thank you to all those who made it happen, especially to Duncan for organising this winter's races and well done those who took part.

Prizes will be awarded to:

U14M William S

U16F Eira S

U16M William C

JF Mary S

JM Ollie C

SM Elliot D

VF Lucy R (RIC)

VM David M (ADS)

Nottingham Regatta entries

It is coming around to the speedy season everyone! The first regatta which is a selection regatta, is coming up on the 11^th and 12^th April. Entries still only cost £40 for the weekend as the SRC are keeping the costs down!
All are welcome to come along and join in, if you are a first time regatta goer have chat to your coach about what to expect and how to get a qualifying time or get in touch with some experienced paddlers.
Trying out a new form for Nottingham entries this year, so have a stab before talking to your coach. YOU as the athlete or guardian of the athlete are responsible for the correct information being entered and fees paid. Feedback on the last page of the form is more than welcome! See you all there: Regatta Entries For April Regatta – Fill out form.
​Our entries form closes on the 22nd March at 23:59pm and you must have paid prior to the form submission so fill it out with plenty of time!

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)

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 book onto the course.
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An adult taster session is running on Friday 10 April 6pm to 7.30pm. Further information on the website here​

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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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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​Roll 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.

Winter Timetable

Your newsletter editors

Chris H and Sheila A take 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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TeamApp is for ALL members, adults and juniors and parents/carers of junior members

Step by Step - how to get TeamApp

1. Download the free TeamApp on to your phone via https://www.teamapp.com/app?_detail=v1. If you don’t want to use a phone app, you can access it using a browser, but you won’t get the notifications when there are new messages
2. Open the app and choose Log in or Sign Up, enter an email address and complete your registration.
3. It's a good idea to set up a password. In Team App, from Settings (normally a cog in the top right corner in the main Memberships screen)
4. "Find your Team / Club" choosing WeyKayakClub, and then go to Settings and Access Groups and choose Junior Beginners/Rovers etc etc.

You will now be able to see information under Galleries, Chat and News. Please join in the Chat groups so that you can get the latest updates on what's happening.

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There is also a website version which updates dynamically with the app: https://weykayakclub.teamapp.com.
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We hope you enjoy your TeamApp experience!

Share your stories, photos and news

Send in your news and photos to our news team comms@weykayak.co.uk​