Christmas Session: With lots of talk in previous years of Christmas sessions and very few ever coming off, it has been decided to have a get together on November the 28th in Cork City for a few drinks. A venue has yet to be confirmed but it is planned to meet up about 9:30pm. Some people are committed to the Pool Sessions which finish at 9:00pm so hopefully these will be along soon after. Partners are more than welcome. Please use the forum to check out the venue which should be agreed on in the coming days. Click here for the link to this topic on the forum

Hope to see ye all there as I need to cash in on some swim beers (and pay up as well)

Aura Leisure Centre - Pool Sessions : The first block of pool sessions finished on the 14th of November. There were some people who began the pool sessions late or missed a session. These people will of course be accomodated on the 28th of November, when the next block of sessions begin. The 21st of November is only for instructors or those who have assisted in the pool to date. In the last newsletter we spoke of people who claimed to possess a bomb-proof roll. This person failed to roll before my very eyes last friday night. I hope I didn't jinx him. I won't say who it was to save him the embarassment. (DAN KAVANAGH)

There are still places available for the next block of sessions beginning on the 28th. If interested please E-mail info@phoenixkayakclub.com with your name and mobile no. For those of you who do not wish to complete the 7 sessions then come along on the night with your own gear and practise your roll. No instruction will be given to these people as things are tight as it is for instructors. It was this time last year that the pool sessions seemed to fall apart so please attend if interested or else it will be scrapped again. Great thanks and appreciation must go to the people who are giving up each and every friday night to come along and instruct. If anybody out there feels they can assist in the rolling sessions please come along and give a hand out.

Sullane River Trip: This trip was due to take place on Sunday the 9th of November but due to the huge rainfall the country endured again on the Friday & Saturday prior to the trip it was decided to change the venue for the river trip to the Lower Bandon again. All who attended were in agreement that the river was totally different to the one they had paddled a few weeks ago. The weir was a lot higher and the flow on the river was much quicker. This was of great benefit as it tested the paddlers ability a bit more than usual. There were some people assessed on the day and all passed with flying colours. A trip on the Roughty was organised for Sunday afternoon for Level 3 paddlers. This is a great river for level 3's to hone their paddling skills and test their nerve on some of the numerous drops and undercut's. Again this trip was not taken up by many of the clubs Level 3 paddlers. There were numerous reasons for this including the fact that some of the Level 3's attended the lower bandon trip in order to log hours for their Instructor Training. Those who did attend really enjoyed it and can't wait for the next Level 3 trip. Some issues arose with the text system again on the saturday night which prevented the group text from being sent. It should be noted that the Forum should be checked prior to any trip as this seems to be fairly reliable.

The Great Island Kayak Race: This years Great Island Kayak Race is due to take place on Tuesday the 30th of December 2008. This is a great race and while having a very competitive group involved it also has its relaxed paddlers to such an extent that last year there were some paddlers pulled their kayaks up on the beach and got out to have some lunch. No records broke there.

This year see's a different course due to the lack of suitable tides. The race will begin in Marloag and head clockwise around the island of Cobh past the old IFI jetty. From there the competitors will turn back down and paddle around the Island of Haulbowline and Spike Island before a last sprint back across the harbour to the finish line at Marloag.

There has been a big investment in Sea-kayaks in the club over the past year and it would be a shame to see any of these left on the racks for this race. If interested in paddling then get onto Rob Boland (equipment officer) who can assist you in getting a loan of Club Equipment for the event. His e-mail address is on the club website.

This course would suggest that a Level 3 qualification would be necessary due too the two crossings of the shipping channel, but if in doubt or really interested talk to some of the instructors and they can advise you of your suitability.

Double Sea-kayaks are also available so no excuses. Lets make this our event this year Ladies & Gents

Club Contacts: All e-mail addresses for Club Committee have been updated on the Club Website

Limited Club Clothing left. 5 hats, 3 jackets, 4 hoodies and 2 polo shirts. So if you have not got your hands on some yet and wish to, then e-mail glide45@gmail.com stating what you require and what size. Limited sizes left so first come - first served.

If you wish to have something included in our next Newsletter please e-mail info@phoenixkayakclub.com

Yours in Paddling,

Dave