News

The Spirit of Plurabelle Award was finally presented  to one of last year’s recipients, Chris Barnes. Lockdown measures meant that Chris had to wait until today to receive her award from cub chairperson, Susan Rowe.  Chris and her fellow recipients (Tara, Marian and Gina) received the award for their roles in ensuring that – despite a tough year due to the pandemic – the Plurabelle Paddlers continues to be an active, supportive, welcoming and cheerful club. Chris was instrumental in supporting last year’s return of paddlers to the dock in O1s.

The annual Spirit of Plurabelle award is given in memory of Fiona Tiernan, our club founder.

Our 2nd ‘virtual’ AGM was held on 10 April 2021.  As we are a registered charity we had to formally sign off our finances and directors report. We also got a chance to talk about the plans for the months ahead on and off the water, depending on restrictions.

In the meantime our Zoom account is been put to good use with two Pilates sessions per week, our weekly Knitting & Crocheting Group and weekly Virtual Coffee Break.  And not forgeting that our Board Meetings have been over Zoom for the last year. A big thank you to all the board members for all their work.

The Spirit of Plurabelle Award was donated to the club by Eamon and Oscar Doyle in memory of their wife and mother, Fiona Tiernan.  It is  awarded every year to the member who in the year has best embodied the spirit of the Plurabelle Paddlers. Nominated by their fellow team members, the 2020 Spirit of Plurabelle was ‘virtually’ awarded to:

• Chris Barnes
• Tara Byrne
• Gina Lyons
• Marian O’Dea

In announcing the award winners, Susan Rowe, Chairperson, said, ‘Over the last number of months (along with help from many more)  Chris, Tara, Gina and Marian have helped to pull the club together with social and sporting activities. We had fun with Gina’s quizzes which started early in lockdown. These were followed by Tara’s stretch classes and eventually when we managed to get back on the water more than 50 members were facilitated to get out on our club O1s, with Marian and Chris being the driving force behind this.’

Since restrictions have been lifted somewhat, the Plurabelle Paddlers have started training again using our O1’s –  kayaks with an ‘outrigger’ which can be paddled using the traditional dragon boat stroke.

There is a rudder on the O1 and inside the boat, at toe level, there is a small peg, which allows the paddler steer the boat. You have to remember that there is always that pesky outrigger, waiting to catch you out if you go too near a canal bridge or worse, another paddler.

But it’s great fun and gradually more and more Plurabelles have been trying them out. Chris Barnes, who is overseeing the O1 training, says there are now 36 people availing of the training and the numbers are growing weekly. The training is undertaken under IDBA rules and there is a strict regime of cleaning the boats and equipment down – both before and after use.

Thanks to Chris and all the helms who are giving of their time and energy to bring us back on the water again.

The photos (thanks Mairead!) show some of the routines the Plurabelles go through while launching and paddling the O1’s.