Disciplines

The BVCC offer whitewater trips for all abilities from introductory trips to the Symonds Yat rapids on the River Wye and visits to the Nene Whitewater Centre in Northampton to weeks away to Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

Members are encouraged to take an active role in organising trips and although there is a dedicated Trips officer, but anyone is welcome to organise their own trips. See our list of trips, found on our calendar, if you are interested in participating.

Polo

BVCC have three teams entered in National Div 3 South, Div 4 South West and the South west Invitational league all run through the winter and continue to play international tournaments held through the summer months.

We welcome paddlers of all ages and abilities and offer opportunites for all to train and compete. Winter trainnig is currently held at Alton Awimming Pool during the winter and Aldershot Lido during the summer.

Open Boating

This can vary from a couple of hours paddling on the local canal, to an extended holiday, wilderness paddling in Canada.

It’s an awesome way to explore a river or a lake and it can be very chilled out way to paddle too.
 

Marathon Racing

Marathon racing is mainly run on flat water on a season long (September to August) divisional league basis within regions. At the end of the season, the top four clubs from each of the nine regions then qualify for the Hasler finals in September each year. The divisions range from 1 to 9 with divisions 1 and 2 consisting of the country’s top international standard paddlers, divisions 8 and 9 are the entry levels for novices and beginners.
Distances raced range from 2 to 4 miles for divisions 7, 8 and 9 with no portages to around 12 miles for divisions 1 to 4 with four portages.

Sprint racing usually takes place on purpose built multi-lane courses such as Holme Pierrepont at Nottingham. This exciting form of racing involves K1’s, K2’s, K4’s, C1’s, C2’s, C4’s and very occasionally C7’s (essentially the number e.g. K4 represents how many people are in the boat). It is usually over distances of 250 metres and 500 metres (in the Olympics over 2,000 metres).

It is divisional based; Div A being international level paddlers, Div B club level paddlers and Div C for the novice and beginners level. Whilst the BVCC has not yet been involved as a club, members have competed in a K2 and a K4 in the Jeremy West sprint regatta on the Serpentine as part of a Southern Region team.
Outside the Hasler league races there are many ‘Descent’ type of races such as the Exe Descent and the Liffey Descent (both races are over 19 miles) where the idea is to race from A to B downriver negotiating weirs, waterfalls and rapids. These races are very exciting both for spectator and paddler alike and require much tactics, cunning and watermanship to navigate the right lines down the course, around or over the natural hazards whilst at the same time avoiding areas of congestion, swimmers, wrecked and swamped boats and all the time trying to shake off wash hangers.

BVCC members have represented the club for over 15 years in the Hasler series and raced in many descent events throughout the UK and as far afield as Ireland, Finland and Australia. Marathon racing a canoe or kayak is highly recommended. Don’t think about it just do it. You never know you might enjoy it. For more information and guidance on both sprint and marathon racing talk to our secretary.

Playboating

It’s a discipline of whitewater, whereby a paddler produces a number of technical moves in one place.
Specialized canoes or kayaks (boats) known as playboats are often used, but any boat can be used for playing, although playboats, as designed for playboating are more suited for the job. The moves and tricks are often similar to those performed by snowboarders, surfers or skaters, where they complete spins, flips, turns, etc. With modern playboats it is possible to get the kayak and the paddler completely airborne whilst performing tricks.

Within the club, we have a large number of Jackson Playboats for club use. Sizes range from the 1.5 for the kids, right up to the 4fun in the fun series. We also have a few of the star series of playboats too.

We tend to get to playspots as often as possible as well as taking playboats along to white water trips to perform tricks whilst on the river.

White Water

Whitewater kayak as well as canoe, can range from simple, carefree gently moving water, to demanding, dangerous whitewater. Most of the club trips we run tend to be some kind of whitewater suited for the group of paddlers on the trip. We visit places such as Dartmoor, South & North Wales & Scotland mainly to feed peoples White Water addiction. We even go abroad to explore the cultures and rivers of other countries too.

Within in the club, we have a number of boats, both big and small designed for taking to White Water rivers.

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Surfing

The Club has been taking part in recreational canoe surfing since its inception back in 1986, visiting the safe tourist beaches of Polzeath and Woolacombe and elsewhere throughout the year. Surfing is a popular activity since this tends to be a  summer activity for us.

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Squirt Boating

Squirt boating incorporates the use of low-volume boats to perform special moves in whitewater features. Squirt boating predates, and was critical to the foundation of, playboating. Squirt boats are often fairly long and flat, with low volume throughout
the design. Because squirt boats are custom built to the paddlers weight, inseam, and personal preference, they are constructed with composite materials instead of plastic. Many squirt moves are
intended to submerge all or part of the craft and paddler, such as the “mystery move,” in which both the boat and the paddler submerge completely into the river’s flow for several seconds and up to half a minute.

We have a few squirt boaters within the club and one squirt club boat too. It makes a nice change from playboating or white water to get that sinking feeling once again.

Sea Kayaking

It’s a nice way to explore the coastline. It’s developed for use on open waters of lakes, bays, as well as the ocean. We have a number of people in the club that own their own sea kayaks as well as paddle all over the world. From the UK to Norway and even to Greenland.