Paddling till the end As usual, Shark activity carried on through the month, with just a short break for the festivities.
Thanks to Co-operation this is possible Collaborative working in Harlesden has been bringing canoeing to a wider audience, getting people active and having fun. We have big plans for 2023, time for you to get involved. call/text 07951 770241 or email: canoeing@thesharks.org.uk.
Richard Davis Congratulations to Richard Davis in becoming the 2023 Over 80s and over 85s National Masters Slalom Champion.
Another Active Month October was a full on month of activities across all Shark sites as we came to the end of Summertime and prepare for Winter sessions.
How many paddlers did we have? October’s Stone Slalom brings to the end another Slalom Season and time to look at the final rankings of Shark Paddlers.
Canalside Improvements and a New Boat. 2023, has been a difficult year for The Sharks at Harlesden as we have not been able to operate properly at the site, whilst prolonged improvements have been undertaken; but now we can see some tangible benefits …
A Busy Month in Sharkland September saw a lot of activity for The Sharks as indeed so do most moths.
Outstanding Contribution Award The Sharks’ Neal Underwood has received the Outstanding Contribution Award by British Canoeing for his contribution to paddlesport over the last 50 years!
What a great event! On Saturday 23rd September The Sharks hosted a Vintage (1985 rules) Slalom at the Lee Valley, along side the World Championships and it was a great day, old boats and some slightly older people having fun.
A very good month for paddling The weather in August was patchy, but the attendance at Shark activities was defiantly not, we were involved in a lot of sessions with partner groups across our sites, delivery Summer holiday activates for people of all ages.
Who missed out on this? Despite a wide invitation, it was only a few paddlers who were able to attend this active weekend, but those who did had lost of fun, some great paddling and other activities.
Fancy a weekend of paddling? We are going to Llandysul next weekend 18th to 20th August, feel free to join us. We are camping and the cost is £5 per person per night. If you are interested in going please email: slalom@thesharks.org.uk or text on 07951 770241
Another Great Shark Month Sessions, races, medals, promotions, and fun, a perfectly normal month in Sharkland.
Supporting Paddling in NW10 We are pleased to announce our partnership with GLi (also know as KSP) is to be extended and expanded. We are very grateful for the support GLi through their Urban Life Project, have given us over the past year and look forward to an exciting Summer in Harlesden.
Another fun event at Harefield The Sharks Division 4 and Open slalom at Harefield was a great event , but would have benefitted form a few more paddlers. Many thanks to those who did paddle, and especially to those who helped run the event.
Sunday 16th April 2023 – 4 & Open The 2023 Harefield Slalom division 4 and Open will take place on Sunday 16th April, races for all abilities and classes. With a special prize for the best multi class paddler! Enter online here. For more information call us on 07951 770241 or email: slalom@thesharks.org.uk.
Moving forward .. Another good month for The Sharks, we were racing and hosting something a bit special.
Getting off to a great start Welcome to 2023, the fifteenth Year of The Sharks and despite the various climatic challenges, The Sharks have been active, have you?
Llangollen 22nd & 23rd November A Chance to see some of Europes best paddlers racing down the Serpents Tail and to race yourself in a Regional Event from below the Tail to Llangollen
Saturday 29th November The next race takes place on Saturday 29th November. They last Saturday of each month, control opens at 10am and the race starts at 11am. Full details are here, with Risk Assessment here.
Saturday 6th December Join us for a great day out, a fun, but competitive race at Barrow-upon-Soar, ideal for entry level paddlers and those with plenty of experience who want a good race. You can enter here.
Become The Legacy #2 13th December Yes, we are back racing at Southmere Lake in Thamesmead, creating The Legacy, click here to enter, and for more information. This event is designed for newcomers to the sport, it is about having fun and gaining experience.
Plenty of races to get involved with The Sharks have targeted a number of races for us to get involved with some are on our own home territory, other involve day trips or overnight stays. Get involved, have fun and see how far you can go.
Join our sessions at Harefield Want to try something new? or maybe returning to canoeing, then come and join us on Sunday mornings at Harefield, the home of our slalom team. Contact us: call/text on 07951 770241 or email: slalom@thesharks.org.uk.
Things we want to achieve in 2025 Each year we set ourselves a list of challenges for the new year, so this is what we have so far, if you can think of any others please do email us: canoeing@thesharks.org.uk and make your suggestions. We will update the list as we go through the year.
And Beyond Building on the work of past years, we have great plans for 2025, to grow our project at Harlesden and create a first class canoe club for a first class town.
Next Race 8th November The Legendary Barrow Wild Water Race series next race on Saturday November 8th and continues once a moth through to March 2026.
Monthly Mini-Marathons The next race takes place on Saturday 29th November. They last Saturday of each month. Full details are here, with Risk Assessment here.
Our annual Sprint challenge in Harlesden. We have introduced a new challenge at our base in Harlesden, NW10, a monthly Sprint race on the canal with distances of 200m, 500m and 1,000m. Next race is Wednesday April 15th 2026.
Our annual challenge in Southall We have set up a series of Sprint evenings in Southall, running in the Summer moths to give everyone the chance to see how they are progressing, to have some fun and enjoy racing. Great for spectators too.
The Final of the 2025 Series Summer paddling at Harlesden draws in and we hosted our final Sprint races of the season, including a race with and for Harlesden Primary School youngsters attending the after school club.
A new event with a difference A small group of Shark Paddlers tried out an event with a difference, it was more about time on the water and learning new skills, in preparation for competition, although there were some non-ranking races to help.
The Charity Race of the year The second Great Harlesden Charity Canoe Race took part on Wednesday 24th September, raising money for local charities, the Brent Food Bank and Queens Park Rangers Community Trust. Both these charities support local people.
Preparing for Marathon The Sharks have introduced the Harlesden GS Series, the races are 3.5k long and are aimed at preparing youngsters for the Geoff Sanders Races at ranking marathons. However, we also run races for seniors.