Welcome to Royal Canoe Club!

We are the oldest canoe club in the world. We offer canoeing/kayaking facilities, instruction and activities at Trowlock Island, Teddington, Middlesex – near Kingston-upon-Thames, in south-west London.

Please check out the links on the site for more information about the canoe club. And feel free to contact the Royal Canoe Club secretary via email. New members are always very welcome at Royal Canoe Club.

Our club blog can be found below and there are links on the right hand side of the page too.

We’re ideally placed for people who work in London and want to canoe before or after work – our nearest train station is Hampton Wick (Waterloo 30 minutes), a ten-minute walk from the canoe club’s premises at Trowlock Island. We’re also close to major bus routes between Kingston-upon-Thames and Teddington. Read more ›

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Surf ski race rescues prompt criticism

The organiser of the GB Oceanski Series of surf ski races is today facing severe criticism after rescue services were called out to help competitors during bad weather on Saturday’s race from Weymouth to Lulworth Cove in Dorset.

One competitor was airlifted to hospital and a search went on for some time for another who was suspected missing. The Portland Coastguard said it had not been informed of the event, which involved some 40 surf ski paddlers. The race featured some top names in the sport, including multiple marathon world champion Ivan Lawler and former DW race winner and ex-GB marathon canoeing team member Simon Dark.

Portland Coastguard, however, declared: “We spent two hours trying to ascertain if people were missing or not. All due to the fact that whoever organised this event did not see fit to inform us. The swell was bad, the wind was high and it was not the place to be in a kayak. It was really bad planning – there could have been a tragedy.”

The race organiser, however, hit out at ‘incorrect’ reports in the media, adding that it had had Coastguard approval of its risk assessment for the event.
Read more ›

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Posted in Race Reports

Marathon – the way forward?

Ben Brown, world marathon champion 2010

A near return to form for former world champ Ben Brown

Congratulations to the British paddlers who excelled last week at the European marathon canoeing championships held in Portugal last weekend. Full details can be found in an excellent write-up by James Smythe, attached here.

The team acquitted itself well with several medals and several near misses, which indicated strength across the team.

Smythe’s write up indicates Read more ›

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Posted in Olympic Canoeing

Fat nutritionist? Lose some weight!

Geoff Lovell

Geoff Lovell

So you’re an elite athlete and your sports governing body appoints a nutritionist to come and advise you on your body’s needs. Trouble is, you need someone you can respect and rely on and this nutritionist is, how shall we put it, um…horizontally challenged?

In plain English…if you’re an overweight sports scientist, your views and opinions won’t be the only thing the elite athlete takes on board. Your bulging waistline may well undermine your credibility.

According to a new study by former Royal Canoe Club member and sports scientist Geoff Lovell (most recently, perhaps, famous for the Olympic canoeing exploits of his wife Rachel as she raced in London for the Australian women’s K4 last year), practitioners’ physical characteristics influence clients’ perceptions of their effectiveness, potentially mediating the efficacy of subsequent interventions. Read more ›

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Strong Hasler turnout

Some 180 competitors arrived at Royal Canoe Club for the annual divisional marathon race. Blustery conditions and a number of passing motor boats failed to dampen spirits and the races passed off with few incidents.

Many thanks to everyone who took part and all those who helped out behind the scenes.

A big thank you also to Beryl Jones for the comprehensive album of photos below: Read more ›

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Posted in Events, Photos & Videos

Royal Hasler results

A great day’s racing at Royal Canoe Club yesterday during our annual divisional Hasler marathon.

A huge thank you to everyone who turned up and especially the team from the club who pulled together to make the day a success.

The results (now including all club results) can be seen here. A  more detailed write-up and more photos will follow shortly.

(Pictures credit: Chris Churchill)

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