Water Water Everywhere.

So it is still raining. The guys have been out paddling quite a bit. Our part time boys Ross and Scott are doing their bit for charity. For Maggies Cancer Caring Centre they were planning to Paddle from Killin to Dundee. A total Distance of 136km within 24hrs.

Scott Puller.

They are doing the trip in a Tahe Marine Reval Duo They were hoping to do the trip last weekend but the weather was against them. They got a good bit of training done though. They managed to get from Killin to Birnam in 7HOURS!!. Scott has just been in to tell us about the river. There were surf waves like he had never seen before and Grandtully was all but washed out. They decided to pull the trip short for safety. They had told the police they were on the river and the Police advised them not to continue. They are going to complete the journey this week. You can donate to this very worth while charity by clicking here or by popping in store and putting some coins in the collection tins.

Ross Porter

Cam has not been out much on the rivers as he has been having a bit of trouble with his ears. He has been diagnosed with Surfer's Ear. A condition which has got worse for him over the last 2 years. He is off for a CT Scan this week so the doctors know what drill bit to use!. We'll keep you posted. In the mean time to protect yourself on the river or in the sea from surfer's ear you should make sure you have ear plugs or a skull cap.

Dog Display Team

We have Meg and Bramble but now we have Rex.

Brookbank Perth is also now socially networked. We have a group of Facebook now so if you are on the social network site come and join us.

Open Canoe Without a Paddle

The plan was simple. Get a load of Brookbank Staff head down to the Lake District and go Open Boating using more methods of propulsion than just a paddle. We all met up at the south end of Ullswater around 10am and headed down to the sailing school. These guys are one of Brookbank Carlisle's customers and let us use their carpark to leave the vans.


We headed out and most of us started off with poling. Paul was leading the group. Teaching us some goods techniques on the way. Trim of the boats and how to use the poles. We tried going up a little stream too. We practiced with the poles as it started to get quite windy. The rain was coming on and off as well. With a strong head wind it was time to practice some lining up the shores of the Loch, sorry Lake. I kept the camara in it's bag until lunch time with the heavy rain. We did practice some paddle strokes just before lunch where we were able to set up a tarp and talk knots and gear.



The afternoon it was time for some sailing. We were at a sailing centre after all. The wind had dropped a little but there was still more than enough to get the boats moving under wind power. Paul went through three main different types of sailing rigs the last one being the most intricate.


Two Open Canoes were lashed together using some handy two by four and a couple of roof rack straps.

An A frame rig using two poles were lashed together and tied down front and rear. A knot was tied at the top with a crab to hoist the sail. (the tapr we used at lunch.)

Once the sails were rigged and instructions given on how to drop the sail quickly in case of a gust it was onto the water and try them out.

Pete had rigged a solo sail set up.

Paul and Rikki had a two boat set up.

Adam, Mike and John had a the Tarp rig and were able to get some speed up.

It was a great day training and thanks to Paul for all his efforts. All the staff who attened will now be selling you a sailing rig, canoe poles and ropes to propel your new canoe, as well as paddles of course.

Opening Hours November, December

Hi everyone. I thought I would put a quick post up to let you know our opening hours over the next couple of Months. We want to make sure we are here for you to order and pick up your Christmas Presents. So here goes.

We will be open late till 8pm on the 6 Thursdays run up to Christmas.

Thursday 12th Nov
Thursday 19th Nov
Thursday 26th Nov
Thursday 3rd Dec
Thursday 10th Dec
Thursday 17th Dec

We will be Open as usual the rest of the week and Closed on Sundays. Usual Opening Hours are 9.30am till 5.30pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. We are normally around until 6pm on the usual days so if your running late but still want to catch us then give us a call.

Over Christmas our hours will be:-

Mon 21st Dec - Open as usual
Tues 22nd Dec - Open as usual
Weds 23rd Dec - Open as usual
Thurs 24th - CLOSED
Friday 25th - CLOSED
Saturday 26th - CLOSED
Sunday 27th - CLOSED
Monday 28th - Open 9.30am to 5pm
Tuesday 29th - Open 9.30am to 5pm
Wednesday 30th - Open 9.30am to 5pm
Thursday 31st - CLOSED
Friday 1st Jan - CLOSED
Saturday 2nd - Open as usual

So now you know when we will be in, so why not pop in and say hello. Remember we do gift vouchers, ideal christmas present for those paddlers you don't know what to get.

We are still busy with mail order. We are using Parcelforce 48 where possible and have been having no major problems during the Postal Strikes.

Cam got a chance to get out on the water on Wednesday this week and had a great paddle on Loch Tay. Awesome Autumn colours on Drummond Hill and even better the Loch was Mirror Flat. See you on the water.A couple of Pics from Loch Tay