Couldnt have asked for a better end to the summer holidays than the final of the DCC South Lakes Summer Series set of four races. Could have asked for better weather though but it didnt deter anyone from having a great time. This race was well attended as most folk were home from holiday ready to send their children back to school the next week.
There were no mishaps during the race and all passed the finishing line in their chosen boat. 
The intention of the DCC SLSS races is to encourage paddlers new to white water, to promote confindence in their abilities and to have fun in a safer environment.. This has been well demonstrated by all who took part in the series.
Because of the rain only certificates of the afternoons race were given out.. The medals of the overall series winners were presented at the docks on Friday 8th after the normal club sesson which was then followed by a lovely buffet in the club house provided by all the members. Congratulations to all who took part.

So today saw a few club members plus a friend head to Lazonby on the River Eden to have an explore of the river down to Armathwaite. It was a lovely sunny day but we all heeded the advice of a great man who always tells us to dress for the water not the weather. As a result we all got gradually warmer before having a little dunk of some description in the river.

I must say the journey was superb and certainly a good canoeing river. One that we all intend to visit again

As always plenty of pictures have been taken. A small sample of which are below. Check out the Google+ album for the full set of pictures.

Todays race was well attended by members of DCC. I think the weather conditions put many off from travelling the distance here as it was so wet plus it was the start of the holidays. Despite the rain competitors only really got wet once they got off the water which was great as they all passed the finish in their boats. Everyone did very well especially the young ones who are really getting the racing bug. To keep us entertained while waiting for the race to start we played a variety of games such as "Wheres Owen" and later on it was "Who can travel the furthest using a tarpaulin" and "How long can you stay on a skate board"( been corrected, its a ripstik. Either way its difficult.). Sue and Julie used the latest club acquisiton of a fishermans tent. This was perfect for sitting in the rain at the finish as it kept the time sheets dry. We are getting our moneys worth out of it as it will double up as Santas Grotto in December. Now all we need is a Santa, I wonder who!!

So this weekend was Ulverston canal gala, organised by Ulverston canal regeneration group. 

This year the weather gods looked upon us favourably and we had an entire day of sunshine. As a result we had a steady stream of people wanting to give canoeing a go, and hopefully some new members. We had lots of positive comments and interesting questions on the day, as well as many generous donations. 

I'm sure pictures for this will pop up all over the place so please feel free to send them over and I'll add them to the gallery.

The pictures and video I have so far are below. Happy viewing :) 

Tuesday 11th July was the final special school canoe club session before the start of the summer holidays. Looking back over the months its been great to see the progress the young folk have made. They have made personal improvements in their paddling skills and have excelled in their knowledge of the kit they wear and what is needed to enjoy paddling safely. All of this has been reinforced by their visits to the docks with their schools. The sessions start again on Tuesday 12th September till Tuesday 10th October when they will finish till April 2018.  

Up to now this year DCC has helped Cubs, Scouts, Guides, Youth groups, special school youth groups, Council run groups, community groups, school groups and many others achieve great things down at the docks. The smile on the faces of all who attend these sessions says it all. This is only acheiveable with the dedicaton and help of all volunteer coaches and helpers not only at DCC but those that run these clubs.

Monday evening was perfect for a sea paddle starting from Roa Island. The group paddled past Piel and onto and around the South end of Walney before returning to land on the island for a well earned rest. When ready they continued their journey back to the jetty on the incoming tide. On the way back to Piel they encountered a few large vessels that were making their way up to Barrow Docks. Never a dull moment out at sea.

This year saw DCC members Scott Wilson and Lee Bentley compete in the Windermere Triathlon.  This meant swimming, cycling and then running a set distance in and around Windermere. Both did them selves proud and finished with in a couple of minutes of each other. Well done to both and their support crew.
 
"This is what Me and Scott trained for the last 12 month after marshalling last year and thinking yes we could do This! Was a hard slog as you can tell from some of the pictures (Scott looks more tired then me) but happy to say we both finished thanks to the support of the Marshalls from Duddon Victoria Andy and Emily Longstaff, Julie Brandon and Owen Wilson,Rhiann Chris and Cari Taylor and Connor Ryan and Kirsty Bentley you were all brill. The weather stayed ok too think the swimming was tougher then expected but we both excelled on the cycle overtaking some very expensive bikes and then the run was a hard 10k for me but what a brill day we had and both were happy with times. Should be up for beating them next year, Thanks again Duddon for your support." Lee Bentley