Our Staff All of our staff hold either British Canoe Union or Royal Yachting Association (or both) qualifications. These are the national governing bodies of the sports of canoeing, kayaking and dinghy sailing in the UK. In addition to this, the core staff have over 60 years of experience between them so you are in safe and experienced hands. WBB prides itself on its safety record which is unscathed in over 30 years of operating on the tidal Thames.   2008 Prices Annual Youth Membership (April 1st - 31st March): A donation at your discretion based upon what you can afford to pay and the value that you perceive we offer. No further charges except away-trips. Adult Courses: Priced individually as listed below. Adult (24 years +) per session rate: £10.00 Adult (24 years +) season tickets: Summer season ticket £100.00 Winter season ticket* £50.00 Annual season ticket* £130.00 Students! A 25% discount applies to the cost of a season ticket upon proof of fulltime education. *Clothing regulations apply from November to March.   Health Benefits Kayaking, canoeing and sailing are active sports which require a degree of physical exertion - the level of exertion depends on you. As a result, these sports can provide a base level of exercise to people of all ages which can be hugely beneficial to your health - both mentally and physically. To read an article published by the British Canoe Union click here For information from the British Heart Foundation, click here   Sailing Westminster Boating Base is a Royal Yachting Association approved centre. Initially you will learn in a crewed dinghy with an Instructor and will progress through the RYA dinghy coaching scheme to become proficient to sail a boat without an instructor and, if you wish, sail single-handed dinghies. Season Start: 31st March 2008 End: 30th September 2008 Sailing continues through the winter on Sundays (winter clothing regulations apply). Beginners' Dinghy Sailing Courses Youths (10-23 yrs inc.): Sessions are on a Tuesday evening 4.45pm - 8pm. These are the ideal sessions for absolute beginners to learn the basics and progress to a stage where you can sail dinghies without an Instructor on board. The course follows the syllabus of the Royal Yachting Association Level 1 & 2 certificates. Please note: Due to restrictions of pupil to staff ratios, there are limited places on Tuesday sailing evenings. We operate on a first come, first served basis so can parents please ensure that we have space for their children, when they drop them off, before disappearing. Once you have achieved a degree of competence you can attend further, improver sessions on other days. You will need to bring: • A completed Youth Membership form, signed by a parent if you are under 18 years of age and including one passport style photograph. • A full change of clothes (appropriate for the weather) including soft-soled shoes and a towel. • Nobody will be allowed on the water without these. Adults (24yrs+): As someone with little or no experience in a sailing dinghy, you will need to attend one of our adult courses. The Royal Yachting Association Level 1 & 2 dinghy sailing course introduces you to sailing and teaches the basic skills required to be able to handle a dinghy by yourself in all but extreme weather conditions.This is a four day course over two weekends and due to the tidal nature of the River Thames, your certificate will include the Coastal Endorsement. 2008 Course Dates: 1. April 19 & 20, 26 & 27 2. May 17 & 18, 24 & 25 3. June 21 & 22, 28 & 29 4. October 4 & 5, 11 & 12 Price: £260.00 per 4-day course. How to book: • Complete an Adult Course Application form and send it with payment to: Westminster Boating Base, 136 Grosvenor Road, London, SW1V 3JY. Note: No booking is confirmed until full payment is received. Please make cheques payable to "Westminster Boating Base". Once this has been received you will be sent a course pack detailing the syllabus and some pre-course reading material.   Improvers & Experienced Sailors - Courses and Sessions Youth & Adult: As an experienced sailor you will be proficient at sailing a dinghy without an Instructor onboard. If you have not sailed with us before, due to the demanding conditions of the River Thames, you will need to undergo a period of familiarisation with another of our experienced sailors in a crewed dinghy before you can sail alone. Session times: Please refer to calendar Improvers coaching is offered on the Sunday sessions. Thursday evenings are reserved for specific coaching, ie. singlehander training and racing. Please refer to our calendar for details of other courses, trips and events. You will need to bring: • A full change of clothes (appropriate for the weather) including soft-soled shoes and a towel. • If 23 years of age or less, a completed Youth Membership form (signed by a parent if you are under 18 years of age) and including one passport style photograph. • Nobody will be allowed on the water without these.     Kayaking & Canoeing Westminster Boating Base is a British Canoe Union approved centre. Training and qualifications issued range from the most basic through to the essential requirements for instructor assessment, introduction to whitewater, sea paddling, slalom competition and freestyle. Season Start: March 31st 2008 End: 31st October 2008 Kayaking continues through the winter on Sundays only. Winter clothing regulations apply.     Beginners' Kayaking & Canoeing Courses Youths (10-23 yrs inc.): Session times for youth beginners are on Wednesday evenings from 4.45pm until 8pm. These sessions will provide you with an introduction to kayaking& canoeing. You will learn the basic strokes required to manoeuvre your craft as per the British Canoe Union One Star personal skills certificate. The sessions operate on a turn-up and try it basis so there is no need to book. Also, you do not have to come every Tuesday if this is difficult for you, as the instructors will continue to teach you from the point you were at the last time you came. After attending approximately four of these sessions you will have progressed to a suitable level to join in on other sessions. You can then continue to work through the British Canoe Union Star Award scheme at your own pace.. You will need to bring: A completed Youth Membership form, signed by a parent if you are under 18 years of age and including one passport style photograph. A full change of clothes (appropriate for the weather) including soft-soled shoes and a towel. NOTE: Nobody will be allowed on the water without the above.   Adults (24yrs+): Session times for adult beginners are on Monday evenings from 5.45pm until 9pm. These sessions will provide you with an introduction to kayaking & canoeing. You will learn the basic strokes required to manoeuvre your craft as per the British Canoe Union One Star personal skills certificate. The sessions operate on a turn-up and try it basis so there is no need to book. Also, you do not have to come every Monday if this is difficult for you, as the instructors will continue to teach you from where you left off the last time you came. After attending approximately four of these sessions you will have progressed to a suitable level to join in on other sessions. You can then continue to work through the British Canoe Union Star Award scheme at your own pace. You will need to bring: A full change of clothes (appropriate for the weather) including soft-soled shoes and a towel. NOTE: Nobody will be allowed on the water without the above.   Improvers and Experienced Kayakers & Canoeists - Sessions & Courses As an experienced paddler you will be reasonably proficient at manoeuvring your kayak or canoe and preferably will hold the British Canoe Union One Star certificate. Session times: Please refer to the calendar Please note: The sessions actually start at the times advertised so you will need to arrive 15 minutes beforehand in order to complete the necessary paperwork and get changed. British Canoe Union 2 and 3 Star coaching (improver and advanced) is offered on the Sunday sessions. Thursday evenings are reserved for specific coaching, eg. slalom, sprint or freestyle training. Please refer to the calendar for details of other trips, courses and events. You will need to bring: • A full change of clothes (appropriate for the weather) including soft-soled shoes and a towel. • If 23 years of age or less, a completed Youth Membership form (signed by a parent if you are under 18 years of age) and including one passport style photograph. • Nobody will be allowed on the water without these.   Group Bookings Kayaking/Canoeing: If you are a group wanting a one-off session we can organise this for you based upon a minimum 2 hour session. The charges are as follows: 1 - 8 people: £160 9 - 16 people: £320 17 - 24 people: £480 Extended sessions are charged at a further £80 per hour. Please contact us.   Sailing: Due to the instructor : pupil ratio for dinghy sailing the costs are higher. Please contact us for more details.   Powerboating Westminster Boating Base is a Royal Yachting Association approved centre offering RYA powerboating Levels 1,2 and Safety Boat Certificates and the International Certificate of Competence (ICC) with CEVNI endorsement for Inland waterways. Although the minimum age as recommended by the RYA is 8 years of age, River Thames byelaws state that powerboat drivers must be at least 16 years of age to use our boats. The following information applies to both our youth and adult members. All courses are run in our own powerboats. All our courses take place on the tidal Thames which allows us to issue coastal endorsements. LEVELS 1 & 2 (NATIONAL POWERBOAT CERTIFICATE) This two-day course provides the skills and background knowledge needed to drive a powerboat and is the basis of the International Certificate of Competence. It includes Close quarters handling, high speed manoeuvres, man overboard recovery and collision regulations. £. Cost: £260 for a 2 day course. Course Dates: April 26 & 27 May 24 & 25 June 21 & 22 July 13 & 20 August 17 & 24 September 21 & 28 October 11 & 12 INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATE OF COMPETENCE (ICC) All EU member countries, except the UK, require a certificate of competence before you can use a motor or sailing boat in their waters, both inland and coastal. If you hold an RYA powerboat Level 2 certificate you can convert directly, otherwise you will need to attend an ICC course or if you are an experienced boat driver you can undergo an assessment of your abilities. For those that have significant experience in driving boats and a thorough knowledge of navigation, a pass can usually be achieved in one day. Cost: For a one day ICC - £130.00 (subject to minimum numbers for the course being met). Assessment @ £35.00 per hour. One-to-one tuition can be arranged. Please contact us CEVNI test: For those who are undertaking an ICC course or being assessed by us, this is included. For those wishing to upgrade their existing ICC certificate, a charge of £10.00 is applicable. SAFETY BOAT CERTIFICATE This certificate is a requirement of the RYA Senior Instructor award. A prerequisite of this course is to hold the Level 2 certificate. The aim of this certificate is to introduce the techniques used in powerboats escorting racing fleets of dinghies, windsurfers and canoes, providing safety and rescue cover for training fleets and assisting in race management. Due to unreliable weather conditions on the day of a course (they may not be troublesome enough for sail boats to actually need rescuing!) and the problems associated with attempting to simulate these conditions, we issue this certificate to those wishing to offer their services on a voluntary basis by crewing our safety boats on actual sessions. You will not be charged for this! Contact us for details of ideal times to attend.   Are you a Powerboat Instructor? If you are a qualified Powerboat Instructor and are interested in supporting us with running any of the courses above, please contact us to send us your details and/or CV.   Volunteer Your Help Westminster Boating Base relies heavily upon the help of volunteers in order to run kayaking and sailing whilst maintaining the low membership fees. We are always seeking the support of qualified kayaking, sailing or powerboat Instructors and also assistance from those that are experienced in these sports. Westminster Boating Base was established in 1976 and operates on a daily basis on the tidal section of the River Thames - a very demanding piece of water with strong tidal flows. In return for your services, we offer the wealth of knowledge and experience of our staff. Would you like to be a Westminster Boating Base volunteer? Please contact us.   Vacancies Westminster Boating Base is a charity teaching young people and adults to sail and kayak on the tidal section of the River Thames in the centre of London. Full-time & Part-time Kayaking, Canoeing & Dinghy Sailing Instructors NGB qualified, enthusiastic and dynamic Instructors are required for the forthcoming 2008 summer season starting in April and finishing at the end of October. Instructors with BCU and RYA qualifications are needed. Further training will be available to successful candidates to gain other NGB qualifications including RYA Safety Boat Certificate. Please apply by sending your CV by email to: alan@westminsterboatingbase.co.uk or by post to: Alan Price, Director, Westminster Boating Base, 136 Grosvenor Road, London, SW1V 3JY. Powerboat Instructor If you are a qualified Powerboat Instructor and are interested in working with us on a part-time basis, please send your details and/or CV to the above address.   Shop Wetsuits A variety of secondhand wetsuits for sale - mostly smaller sizes, various colours - £10 each.   Cagoules A variety of secondhand cagoules for sale - various sizes and colours - £5 each.   WBB also keeps a stock of new Typhoon wetsuits, drysuits, boots and gloves. Ask in-house for details.   T-Shirts Be a proud owner of a Westminster Boating Base T-Shirt for only £5.00. A range of sizes are available. Please ask in-house for stock. Photo Feature: In addition, WBB is running an on-going feature. We would like you to send us photos (digital format preferred but prints are fine) of you wearing your T-shirts in weird and wonderful places. For example, it could be you wearing your T-shirt on holiday in the Himalayas, sailing a tall ship, kayaking down a river, etc. The only limit is your imagination! The best entries will be displayed in the Members' Gallery of this website. Please email to us. Disclaimer: WBB does not endorse potentially dangerous behaviour in order to produce a bizarre photograph. Use your common sense and if under 18 consult your parents beforehand.   Forecasts Weather   Get a current weather forecast for London (from BBC website) here   Windguru forecast for Westminster Boating Base   Comprehensive live wind mapping for the UK   Tides   Get current tidal predictions (from BBC website) here. Select London Bridge. To adjust high water times for WBB, add 20 minutes. To get the low water times for WBB, add 7 hrs and 20 minutes to the previous high water time. These times are in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) so don't forget to add an hour for British Summer Time (BST) when appropriate.   Winter Clothing Regulations Clothing regulations apply through the winter from 1st November through to 31st March. SAILING: A winter-weight wetsuit (5mm thickness on the body) or a drysuit plus other appropriate clothing including soft-soled shoes. KAYAKING: A summer-weight wetsuit (3mm thickness on the body) plus a cagoule and other appropriate clothing including soft-soled shoes.