Toucan with D & M
Coniston Water 1996

Robinsons, in their first year to paddle the lake from side to side, end to end, and sometimes top to bottom, whilst all its many islands were visited, some illegally.

Canoeing fills your garden.
D with the fleet post Canute,
pre Cucumber and Plum

In time other lakes were paddled in their entirety, at least once, some both ways; Coniston, Crummock, Thirlmere, Ullswater, Wast Water and Windermere.
  Outside of Club Wednesdays there were Club other times too, often on/in freezing rivers, with their various perils. The Eden, (Grade III) almost destroyed Toucan, The Eamont’s weirs, one of which trapped Plum vertically, forced a soaking vicar to undress publicly, whilst one stretch of the Derwent precipitated a mass arrest. Salt water forays included The Solway, surfing St. Bees, and the estuaries of Lune and Esk, the latter demonstrating the ease of travelling backwards, while paddling forward as hard as possible. Tide was deliberately employed on the Lune, however. After a nostalgic canal glide to the estuary mouth the World Water Speed Record came under pressure as WCCC paddled into Lancaster with the Lune in full flood and a raging gale to help.
  Yum Yums and Tyne Tour were regular events, whilst Robinsons sometimes went off on their own, (Loch Ken, Kielder), or with Newtons, (Loch Lomond and coast to coast via Caledonian Canal).
  WCCC members sometimes had “If it’s wet it’s paddleable” ideas. One “canoed” across Rannoch Moor; another compiled a comprehensive list of Lakeland tarns. Gene’s project of the late 90’s demanded a portable boat to reach the highest sheets of water in England, Scotland and Wales, as well as a loch on an island in a loch.  
  How half the planet came to believe that 2000 was the start of a new millennium is beyond anyone who can count to ten, though the predicted mass computer crash didn’t help, but Millennium Bug was scheduled for a blue debut in 2001. Like the expected extinction, the boat failed to materialise.
  Two-way splits for portability would have allowed Millennium Bug to be propelled C, or K, enabling claim to both for each sheet. As canoeists know, the canoe/kayak distinction has little to do with boat. It’s more a question of paddle; one blade, or two!
  Robinsons achieved between them a BCU Two Star and two Three Star awards, thanks to Club coaching, but training for the annual barbecue on St. Herbert’s Island was minimal. It was “make it up as you go along” when it came to paddling home in the dark after a quantity of wine/beer, or both!
  Among the gamut of WCCC events were parties, dinners, talks, and quizzes, and, each year, The Quadrathon. Team Robinson won in ‘97 and ‘98, 2nd in ‘96 and ‘99.
  Between 1996 and 2000 both Gene and Martin served continuously on the Committee. Gene was Secretary for the five years ‘98 to ‘02.

From Karen Shankland's
big shed..

G

D

Tyne Tour

  Early each November a Guy Fawkes-ish weekend sees hundreds of paddlers descend on Tyne Green with boats and tents; the object; get deafened by Whapweasel at Hexham’s Wentworth Centre, while trying to decipher steps to dances demanding sets of 9, then keep all campers awake with daft night-long songs about bears. Oh, yes; and paddle the Tyne and/or its tributaries.
  Robinsons were there in 1996, 7 and 8, paddling the Tyne from Hexham to Bywell, the South Tyne and Tyne between Haydon Bridge and Hexham twice, and the North Tyne thrice, Falstone to Bellingham and Bellingham to Wark. None of the rapids is much above Grade II, though one bit involves shooting a fall, but in 1998 Martin braved the Grade III Warden Gorge.
  It was on one of these trips that Diane performed the feat that later earned her the Club Paddle Throwing Prize!

Maiden Voyage Derwent Water October 1997
  after 49 weeks of work!

D and M
Paddles were borrowed

Portage at Clachnaharry near end of
  Caledonian Canal 1998

G

M

D and G Loch Lomond 1998
with proper Cucumber paddles

  West Cumbria Canoe Club

  (WCCC)
  Meets Wednesday evenings
  Derwentwater Marina
 
  (Pictures are of Club Quadrathon)

Yum Yums

  Yum Yums, a snacks-on-wheels van, gave its name to a lay-by on the A66 between Cockermouth and Workington. A loop of the river Derwent approaches the A66 at Yum Yums lay-by, providing access, a launch site and the start point for the annual canoe race.
  Yum Yums (Internationally Renowned) Canoe Race, held each January, ran down white water to Workington, featuring Camerton Rapids and three weirs. Camerton Weir, broken and dangerous, was a compulsory portage. The Yearl, followed closely by a fish-counter weir, was optional. The finish was at Barepot, just above Workington Bridge, (Calva Bridge).
  In 1996, with deep snow by the river and icicles dangling in the water, Diane and Gene in Toucan came 3rd in the K2 Class. Martin, in Rhubarb, was part of the sweep party.
  Water levels in 1997 were even lower than they’d been in ‘96 and the race was hastily redesigned to start at Barepot and run quickly down into the tidal stretch. Yum Yums now

Quadrathon first leg...The Swim, always Diane. Here she is in 1998.

Last leg...The Run, always Gene.

Martin
handing over
in 1997.

The '96
run and
swim took
place simultaneously.
In '97, '98 and '99 they didn't.
There were 3 handovers.

Martin paddled and pedalled in '96. In '97, '98 and '99 he only pedalled. So, who.......?

took on a different character, becoming a simple speed contest on flat water. In the K1’s Diane came 20th, Gene 8th and Martin was 6th, (Puddleduck, Gnu and Rhubarb respectively).
  1998 saw plentiful water, a return to the traditional course and Diane a spectator. Gene in Gnu was 17th in the general K1 Class, while Martin, at only 14 years, took Plum to 3rd, 0.65 seconds behind the winner. He was overtaken on the line to miss 2nd by 0.06 seconds.