Go Open Canoeing

 

Course Title:	Go Open Canoeing
Course Dates:	13th June, 8th Aug, 19th Sept 2010
Cost:	£70

Who Is This Course For?
This course is pitched at entry level and will take place on flat water - sheltered lake or enclosed sea areas with light winds and flat water conditions. This course is ideal for those wishing to experience open canoeing for the first time or for those wishing to develop existing basic skills.

 

This day course is designed to whet your paddlesport appetite, if you have dabbled before or are a first timer then this is the day for you.

Course Aims

-          Have fun day on the water

-          Develop basic boat handling skills

-          Develop a level of confidence and independence through greater understanding

-          Provide individually tailored coaching experience

Skills Covered
When the staff meet the group and discuss aspirations and previous experience, they will decide on a more accurate structure for the day.  This will ensure that all participants will have the opportunity to learn new skills at a pace that suits them.  They will also bring course participants into the planning process, looking at the current weather, equipment required, choice of location…. 

A variety of skills will be covered over the day, including:

-        Planning your day

-        Choosing the right boat and paddling equipment

-        Basic boat handling – launching & landing, forward, backwards and basic turns

-        Skills necessary to be an effective member of a group,

-        Safety considerations appropriate to the environment,

These are some of the essential skills required to get a float for the first time.. All of these areas will be covered in a practical way during the course and reinforced on the bank, giving you the opportunity to learn from the staff and other course participants alike.

Outline Programme

8.45 - 9.15 a.m.	Arrive at Tollymore, registration and outline for the day from staff.
4.15 p.m.	Return to Centre after a day ‘on the water’
5.00 p.m.	Course End

It is important to note that the above outline programme is a guide.  Times may vary due to weather conditions or other reasons.

Our Staff
The instructor(s) who will work with you are all highly experienced and qualified.  Tollymore prides itself in the knowledge and experience that its full time and part time staff bring to its courses.  Our staff are all keen canoeists who know all the local ‘hot spots’ enabling them to choose the most suitable site to run your course.  You may well have met them on the water in the past, if not you’re  sure to bump into them in the future on days when they are not working!

All are obliged to attend annual staff updates and training courses

What do I need to bring?
The following list is of equipment we recommend you bring.  All essential equipment is available from our extensive stores.  We advise you not to rush out and buy kit for the course, but use it as a chance to find out what would best suit your needs. But if you do have any of your own equipment do bring it along our staff will be required to vet for suitability equipment such as buoyancy aids and helmets. You should bring the following personal equipment with you:

 

Footwear  - wet suit boots	Thermal tops
Waterproof jacket	Waterproof trousers
Warm outdoor wear (fleece is ideal),	Hat
Gloves	Towel
Small first aid kit	Vacuum flask
Personal medication	Notebook and pen

Tollymore Information
Tollymore Mountain Centre, on the edge of the Mournes, is Northern Ireland’s National Centre for Mountaineering and Canoeing Activities.  It is funded and managed by the Sports Council for Northern Ireland as a National Centre. The Centre is an attractive, purpose-built facility of log construction with accommodation for 30 people in 2, 4 and 6 berth bedrooms.  Quilts, pillows and bed linen are all provided.  The Centre is well appointed with toilets, showers, modern kitchen, lecture room, workshop and drying room.  Outside there is ample parking space, a ropes course and a floodlit granite-climbing wall.  A modern indoor climbing wall is open year round.  The centre is ideally situated on the edge of the Mournes, with quick and easy access to the hills.

The Central Council for Physical Recreation opened Tollymore Mountain Centre in 1969.  In 1974, it passed to the newly established Sports Council for Northern Ireland Trust.  In 1995, Tollymore achieved the management standard BS EN ISO 9001:2000 for the quality systems it operates.   However, as part of Sports Council for Northern Ireland’s ongoing commitment to the development of the National Centre, Tollymore will be undergoing a major redevelopment, commencing in 2007.  The facilities will be improved and expanded, to ensure that Tollymore remains as an example of best practice in the provision of mountaineering, hillwalking, climbing and canoeing courses in Northern Ireland.

Accommodation
Your course is a one-day course; however, you are welcome to use our showers and changing rooms after the course ends.  Tollymore has a number of comfortable meeting rooms, where the instructors will meet the group prior to the start of the course.  We will also meet here and discuss the course and what to do next over a cup of tea or coffee.

Catering
Your course is self-catered, so you will need to bring a packed lunch and some spare food.  You can fill a flask with tea or coffee at the centre if required.

What next?
Having attended our ‘Go Open Canoeing’ course there are a number of options open to you. Why not try one of our other ‘Go courses’ for example ‘Go Sea kayaking’ or try ‘Go Kayaking’. Alternatively you could focus on continuing to develop your skills in canoeing by attending ‘River Skills and Journeying’, ‘Sea skills and Journeying’ or try one of our next step weekend courses, which are based in a sheltered environment  

You may also choose to join a canoe club, or join the governing body, The Canoe Association Of Northern Ireland (CANI). A full list of clubs is available from CANI

Useful Books

Recommended by and available from Tollymore
British Canoe Union handbook, Published by Pesda Press

Useful contacts:

Canoe Association of Northern Ireland

Unit 2 Rivers Edge

13 – 15 Ravenhill Rd

Belfast

BT68DN

Email: office@cani.org.uk

Web: www.cani.org.uk

Tel: 0870 2405065