Go and play on some really easy water for a bit, preferably something that you've done before. Don't get hung up on what grade it is - the object is to have fun, relax and play. Build up if/when you feel ready.

At uni I think we used to be allowed the safety cover to be CST/coaching quals as long as everyone was wearing a BA. That meant that there was no chance of anyone ending up at the bottom.

Point North at http://www.profabrics.co.uk

Pennine Outdoor at http://www.pennineoutdoor.co.uk/

Give them a call if you can't find what you want.

From the AALS web page http://www.hse.gov.uk/aala/watersports.htm "For any of these activities to be licensable, they need to be done on 'specified water' – this is the sea, tidal waters (eg estuaries), inland waters more than 50 metres from the nearest land excluding any island or on turbulent inla...

Thanks Andy,

I've already got several coaches in mind, and the final decision will depend on where we go and who's involved.

As an add on to point 10, have a list of 'people to contact in an emergency' for each person that everyone has a copy of. If there's an accident, the last thing you want is to get them carted off in an ambulance/helicopter/lifeboat, and then sit there wondering what their partner/parents names and a...

I'd like to do my 5* assessment this year, but am still sometimes unconfident on G4 water. I'd like to arrange a weekend of coaching on G3/4 water on personal paddling with a level 5 coach. I'm looking for 1 or 2 other people of a similar ability to join in, and split the cost; I think it would be £...

I've got the thick non breathable one for my dry suit (3 years old) and the thin non breathable one for my cag (6 months old). Both brilliant and apparently indestructable - definitely recommended! Fabrics both as I was expecting - the thick one is quite chunky, but it means I have no real worries i...

Having just concluded in the survey that I wouldn't wear any other safety gear, despite listing 4 paddling injuries, am feeling the need to add more information. I don't think more safety gear is the solution to any of the problems I've had - yes I could wear a full face helmet, which would have sto...

http://www.hse.gov.uk/aala/recommendati ... h-aala.htm

What do you think - is it a step forward or a step back, or something completely irrelevant?

http://www.travelinescotland.com/ - a really useful website, and usually seems to be right.

Looks like you can do it via Aberfeldy, although not until the afternoon.

Surely as a coach, if I'm leading a group of beginners down an easy (for me) bit of river, I am in effect soloing. If I swim or get into trouble, I can't expect them to rescue me.

The opposite of selfish - you're giving up your time to teach others! I agree that doing it is the way to learn - but learners do need to be doing approximately the right thing, otherwise they just get it wrong and get frustrated. So they need a bit of understanding first. For some people, especiall...

Yes, we were there. It was a full release - a couple of other paddlers there reckoned it was a bit over the normal release level (I don't go often enough to know one way or the other). But enough water to spend 5 hours playing :D.

Enjoy!

The SCA have put an online survey up to find out the views of all paddlers in Scotland. Please fill it in if you wish to let them know your opinion - it appears that you can skip through the survey without answering questions if you don't want to.

You can do the qualification in Angling!

http://www.anglingtrust.net/page.asp?se ... ngling+FAQ

Any takers?

I'm missing the I spy action now, so 2 obvious seasons, and then you have to look really really carefully to see the dead leaves and the spring flowers...

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5 ... =537742872

I spy some pink boat action :).

I have a Canon Powershot A610 (£155) and waterproof case (£130). Bulky, but all the functions work in the case (including the optical zoom), and it has a manual mode, so I can change the settings to cope with low light levels. I like it. I can email you images of boating pictures I've taken with it ...

I've PMed you

Paddling the Leny before work this morning :D.

I worked at a local centre, and we used the gorge for gorge walking. The tree I think came down about 4 years ago. The land owner is a local farmer who owns the campsite - I think it's the one just up the road from the entrance. Good luck!

I did try to get some info out of the BCU a couple of years back as to whether there was actually a male/female imbalance in their membership and at different coaching levels. They were spectacularly unhelpful in providing any information at all, so I'd recommend trying to get the data before making...

The new 2* and 3* are now prerequisites for the UKCC L2, otherwise you could coach canoeing having never been in a canoe before...

Go on, I'm intrigued. Are you people with pink boats:

(a) girls, who think the colour is 'pretty'
(b) boys, who think the colour is funny
(c) some other category?

Jenny

Night paddling is awesome - no, you don't need a moon or glow sticks, but a head torch, a river you know well, and a grade easier than you can paddle normally are all recommended. Plus enough water for rocks to be covered. It means that you only see things coming up a couple fo seconds before you hi...

DamX. Made to measure, cheap and really tough. What more do you want?

You have to have logged experience of paddling G5 for the new 5*, although the assessment is only on G3/4. Does this put anyone else off? Does it make me a better leader if I can throw myself down G5?

Just wondering.

For me personally sculling was a great way to learn to roll - I was really scared of putting my head in the water for several years, but slowly built up my confidence by sculling myself a little bit further over each time. No, it's not how I'd now usually teach it now, but it helped me!

It can't be - they say that 'noeing is the most popular watersport by far, but there are more 'anglers from land' in the figures given.

Just a thought.

we flew with Qatar, who were good, bar a bit of hassle when the message about our luggage being large and plastic didn't get passed on when the return flights were reconfirmed. They took them in the end. Flights cost £600 - £800, depending on how far in advance they were booked. Actually out there i...