Pool Sessions

I know that I haven't updated my blog for a while but I will now. Since I last blogged the pool sessions have been split into two groups, I am in the experienced group.in this group we are learning to do the Eskimo roll, self rescue and how to rescue each other. One of the kayak instructors named Dave, said that he will have me rolling by May! I am hopefully going to go on the trip to Jura on the first weekend in May, because I have a long school weekend, and by then hopefully the weather will be good. Me and my Dad have started to plan the route we are going to take on the trip. I have started to take pictures of me and my Dad in the swimming pool practicing our kayaking. We still need some practice at it, though we do have some good ones.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog!

KAYAKING TOP TIPS!

Here are some useful tips for what to bring with you on a long kayaking trip. SIGNAL WHISTLES need to shout? save your voice and carry a whistle with you. ALL IN ONE FRISBEE TOOL! Its a multi use camp tool:fan fires, wind block, foot rest on wet ground, even a signaling device, if it has reflective tape on it. PUT REFLECTIVE TAPE ON KAYAK PADDLE You should put reflective tape on the kayak paddle and on the deck of the kayak. BRING EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT At the very least, bring a life jacket, paddle floats, water pump, emergancy light, emergancy food, emergancy water, a few flares and good knife as well. Thank you for reading my blog, I hope you enjoyed it!

CANOES AND KAYAKS, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

A lot of people get a kayak and canoe mixed up. So just in case your wondering what the difference is I am going to tell you. A canoe is made to so that you have to either kneel in the boat or sit in it. The paddle is also different to a kayak, it is a single bladed paddle. A kayak on the other hand has a double bladed paddle. The position you sit in a kayak is also different to the way you sit in a canoe, instead of kneeling or sitting with nothing over your legs you sit with your legs in front of you with a funny thing on top of the kayak called a spray deck that pretty much stops the water getting in to the boat. Did you know that it doesn't matter if you spell the word kayak backwards or forwards, it is still spelt the same! That is called a palindrome!

PRACTICE!

Last week at kayaking club I was practicing my long distance paddling up and down the swimming pool. Unfortunately there were a lot of people there so I did not get many chances in the kayak, hopefully this week I will have better luck.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog!    

Here are some helpful facts about preparing a route for a kayaking trip:

• Use an ordinance survey map instead of a sea chart. This is because we kayak close to shore, so we use a lot of land based references to navigate by. 
• Do not be afraid to add information to your map. Adding more information, such as reefs, rocks only visible at low tide and tide times, makes a land map even more useful for kayaking.
• Laminate the map to make it water proof. This will stop it from getting ruined by the sea and rain when on the deck of the kayak.
• Highlight land marks such as light houses and mountains. This will make them easier to spot when out on the water. 

This information was found on www.canoekayak.co.uk 

Here are some of measurement in my trip, these figures come from a website called digimapforschools.edina.ac.uk :

• The Paps of Jura are 5.52 KM from the sea.
• The route we are taking will be about 16 KM.
• The distance across the Sound of Jura at the shortest point is 1.08 KM

I hope you have enjoyed  reading this blog!

Bothies

        On our trip we plan to stay at a Bothy on Jura. The Bothy we will be using is at Cruib, which is on Loch Tarbert, at grid reference is NR 566 828. The initial distance from the map is 16 kilometres. Here are some facts about Bothies.

Bothies are remote man-made mountain shelters, usually constructed of stone, which can be used by anyone at any time, and at no cost. Bothies are largely a Scottish phenomenon and there are believed to be more than 300 north of the border. England and Wales are another story entirely: very little information exists about mountain shelters south of the border.

There are traditional hut-style bothies as well as modified caves and even holes under boulders. They include former stalkers’ shelters, shepherds’ huts and old stables, and they range in size anywhere from a garden shed to a six-room two-storey building.

Most bothies date back to a time when landowners kept separate quarters for permanent ground staff. The buildings haven’t been abandoned but, with the invention of the Land Rover, they’re simply no longer necessary for use by the ground staff. Landowners of today rely on the common sense of walkers to use the bothies appropriately.

There is a strict code of practice surrounding the use of bothies, and many in Scottish are looked after by the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA).

 

The Bothy Code 

The Bothies maintained by the MBA are available by courtesy of the owners. Please respect this privilege.

Please record your visit in the Bothy Log-Book.

Note that bothies are used entirely at your own risk

Respect Other Users

Please leave the bothy clean and tidy with dry kindling for the next visitors. Make other visitors welcome. If they are not MBA members set a good example.

Respect the Bothy

Tell us about any accidental damage. Don't leave graffiti or vandalise the bothy. Please take out all rubbish which you can't burn. Avoid burying rubbish; this pollutes the environment. Please don't leave perishable food as this attracts vermin. Guard against fire risk and ensure the fire is out before you leave. Make sure the doors and windows are properly closed when you leave.

Respect the Surroundings

If there is no toilet at the bothy please bury human waste out of sight. Use the spade provided, keep well away from the water supply and never use the vicinity of the bothy as a toilet.
Never cut live wood or damage estate property. Use fuel sparingly.

Respect Agreement with the Estate

Please observe any restrictions on use of the bothy, for example during stag stalking or at lambing time. Please remember bothies are available for short stays only. The owner's permission must be obtained if you intend an extended stay.

Respect the Restriction On Numbers

Because of over crowding and lack of facilities, large groups (6 or more) should not use a bothy nor camp near a bothy without first seeking permission from the owner.

This information is from:

http://www.mountainbothies.org.uk

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog posting!

MAP READING ON THE COBBLER

Last week I went to a family house in Arrochar and climbed a famous mountain called the Cobbler, and I was the map reader for the climb. Our party consisted of, my dad, my uncle Jonny, my uncle Laci and my Grumps. When we were away my grumps gave me his hand held GPS. This will help me navigate, but I still need to learn to read a map. So now I have started to learn to read a map, now I need to learn to read a map from a boat.

Me in a kayak!

 Also last week a reporter from a teachers newspaper came to interview my class but unfortunately I wasn't there, so instead my mum and dad sent in some photos of me in a kayak!
I hope you enjoy reading this blog!