Pirate Club Newsletter

The Pirate Club Newsletter May 2003

PIRATE NEWS

NEW ACTIVITIES PROGRAMME SUCCESSFUL

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

PARENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS

SOMALI COMMUNITY INTEREST

END OF SUMMER FESTIVAL/OPEN DAY

JUNIOR COMMITTEE MEETINGS

SAFETY ON THE WATER

NEW WEB SITE IN DEVELOPMENT

SUE AND FRED GARDENING

PICTURES

NEW ACTIVITIES PROGRAMME SUCCESSFUL
We are now nearly half way through the year and our new activities programme seems to be working mainly well. We have seen the coming and going of Youth Initiatives and their IT suite but now, due to the generosity of Psychosis - a local computer systems maintenance company - we have our very own IT suite with three computers. We have some new software for members to search the net, do their homework, print and make CDs and even start to make their own music with Fruityloops and Cubase software! At the moment we are going to be making the IT suite - which is now housed in the more spacious upstairs office - available to pre-booked members between 4.30pm and 8.30pm each Tuesday for this term. Each Pirate member can book it for one hour and they can share it with one other member during these time slots: 4.40-5.30pm, 5.30-6.30pm, 6.30-7.30pm, 8.30-9.30pm from June 6th. So only three people booking with three guests each hour. Book in with Barry on 07748 368706.

CLICK HERE FOR JUNE ACTIVITIES PROGRAMME

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

Art Clubs
Our Pirate Art Club have finished their two wonderful ceramic mosaics which will be displayed in the main entrance hall. We will have a special opening ceremony soon to celebrate this wonderful achievement - well done young artists. Our Cubeasque self portraits and African masks and costumes have been a great success as well.

Film Clubs
Due to popular demand we have started a new Junior Pirates Cartoon film making club run by Sam of aka Rampage. This is on Wednesdays starting at 4pm until 5pm for the 5-7yrs and 5.15pm until 6.15pm for the 7-9yrs.

For the 9yrs up Barry and Sue Crockford are making great progress and are filming a Pirate animation with Boys versus Girls where Joey the Duck wins of course! They are also finishing a documentary about violence and safety in the area with support from Groundwork Camden and Islington.

As part of the Girls' first sleepover on Pirate Viscount at the 2003 Canalways Cavalcade in Little Venice, the Film Making Club shot a documentary about the Cavalcade's theme of "Carriage" and many interviews were done with cavalcade participants about what interesting thinfgs they and their boats had carried on the canals over the years.

Barry and Sue made a drama about all the animals of the Regent's Canal from boat dogs to captured birds and orix from the London Zoo. Young people from Lisson Green Estate did most of the filming with support from Emma Burford from Lea Rivers Trust and Andrea Vaillancourt-Alder of Groundwork , and this won a Special Communications Prize at the Tokyo Video Festival 2003 where more than 2,300 films were competing.

Junior Skippers
At the Cavalcade, Committee member Libby Bradshaw and also one of the main organisers of the of the Cavalcade joined Baz from the National Community Boats Association, Jim and Barry to present some of our Junior Skippers with their new Pirate Club hats. Junior Skippers, learning the "ropes" (da-dum tissh) of how to become a proper Skipper, are then awarded special silver "Pips" to sew onto their hats when they have earned each of the six badges. So far Beau Diprose has achieved two badges and so has Catherine Peck - both are getting very close to their third badges! First badge successes are: Penny, Usamah, Hannan, Amber, Camila, Marcus, Tony and Amal, with many more keen to do their badges. Last week we had some great rope throwing with Barry and Jim and learned the wonders of the secret boaters mooring knot.

We have changed the format now so that we can do the badges with Giles or Barry taking out two Junior Skippers at a time and the rest do their study on-shore - learning knots, mooring techniques and all all the other aspects of boat captaincy. When they are fourteen years old they can get the National Community Boats Association's Competent Crew certificate and when they are 18 they can go straight on to their Community BVoats Certificate in Boat Management (which is what Barry, Jim and Giles have). Jim and Giles also train trainers of this adult course.

Junior Skippers Fridays 4.30pm 'till 6.30pm may be moved - Because several Junior Skippers can't make it on Fridays, we are thinking of swapping Junior Skippers with I.T. - so that Junior Skippers Fridays will be on Tuesdays and I.T. will be on Friday 4.30pm - 6.30pm.

Hats
You have to wear your hats to Junior Skippers and if you haven't paid for yours yet the cost is only a subsidised Ł2.

Boating
This has become so popular with a regular 20 plus members turning out in some of the most atrocious weather possible. New members can learn on big, safe rowing boats, while the more adveturous get nito their kayaks and even do trips like the one all the way to Little Venice. Boating is on Thursdays 4.30 -6.30 and Saturday 11 a.m.- til 4 pm. We are most greatful to the parents of Mohamud Hajjaj and Jean Fane -Glain who regualarly come and enjoy the day and take on a volunteers role. For parents with children under nine years, we think it is a great idea that they come and supervise their younger children on our boating days. We have to curb any jumoing in the future and we are plannig to dredge an area off the jetty for this purpose.

We will be holding some pool sesssions at the Prince of Wales Pool where we will learn to roll, capsize, use spray decks and rescue procedures but the hot news is that this may well not be until Septenmber when the next pool time is available.

Best spirnt time from bridge to bridge is Sam at 37 seconds - watch out Saphiyah is hot on your tail Sam!

Jim News
Jim has been busy doing residentials and day trips over the last couple of months - he even took Pirate Princess to Watford for a CCBM trainers meeting - much to the surprise of a British Waterways representative who didnt know you could take a narrow boat to Watford!

Garden News
Sue has met with Gus' dad Fred who has given us many new plants and is keen to work with us to make a floating reed garden. Sue inspired the last garden day with Pennys' mum Lynn working all Saturday in the spirng as the other seventeen of us fixed up the dinghies. Sue thinks we could have more gardening days to make our garden environment evewn better. Call Sue on 020 7263 4199 to register your interest. One idea is to take one of the old dinghies and half submerge it with floating islands of reed surrounding it so we have our own frog pond. Watch this space grow! Thanks heaps to Fred for his generous gift of plants and gardening.

Thanks also to John Crowe who helped us fix our dinghies and made a new fire proof letter box recently - John is also keen to see who would like to learn skulling of an historic Thames skiff. This is like rowingon the Thames with big rowing boats, so who is keen? Contact Barry if you are brave enough.

Summer Plans
We are close to settling our summer holidays plans with local support organisations, the Community Housing Association and Groundwork. At this stage we are hoping to do a full four week programme five days a week with lots more boating and trips.

Residentials
Following the success of our first residential with Barry and partner Sue Crockford and the six girl Pirates Suzi, Joanah, Catherine, Emily, Kirsty and Penny, we are going to have a boys night on the Pirate Viscount next weekend on Saturday 31st May. We will depart at around 6pm straight after boating. Places are already booked for Beau, Marcus, Tony, Zabian and Sam. You will need to bring clean clothes (not soaked from the previous boating session), Ł2 for food, a change of clothes, a sleeping bag, tooth brush etc.

We are planning a further two residentials (one for girls and one for boys) during the summer holidays after the four week programme here at the Castle. Watch this space. We need volunteers to support this much desired activity - in the form of parents and volunteer adults - one male and one female (for the girls trip) to join Barry. The plan at this stage is that each trip will be for three nights on the Pirate Princess and each will cost Ł10 per child and the numbers will be limited to six per trip. All food and other costs will be covered and members need only bring their sleeping bags and plenty of dry clothes. We will be taking some kayaks as well. Please book early with Barry.

Joey The Pirate Duck
Joey the Pirate Duck is doing well now that Beau has found the best duck food on earth with the help of Jean (Amber's mother) and the Camden Market Pet Food Supplies. He is getting more adventurous - even stopping out of an evening with his blokey Mallard mates and so causing Barry much parental grief. He even visited Cavalcade this year and would like to say that he wants to go again next year but with a flash new boat please! Joey might also anjoy some new friends - watch this space.

CLICK HERE FOR JUNE ACTIVITIES PROGRAMME

PARENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS
We have three possible new committee members who have offered their time and expertise to help us out: Jean, Lynn and Maria. We are looking forward to more of this community support.

SOMALI COMMUNITY INTEREST
We have been approached by the local Somali community organisation to partner with us to run art classes during daytime hours for Somali adults and to look at other initiatives together. Abdiwali Mohammud and Giles will be settling initial plans very soon.

END OF SUMMER FESTIVAL/OPEN DAY
Barry and the Pirates want to hold a one day festival to celebrate all we have achieved this year. The plan is to hold it late in the summer holidays or in the first weekend of school term time. We will show our films, a play, our artwork, our kayaking, canoeing, rowing, music and fun battles with our expert from Slovakia, Flavio, who has held mediaeval battles throughout Europe's ancient castles!

JUNIOR COMMITTEE MEETINGS
We have had two Junior Committee meetings so far with a good selection of young Pirates sharing their views on how the castle and club should develop. They are very keen that we have more boating days, showers, more Junior Skippers sessions, music making and especially residential trips in the summer. Two representatives will deliver their thoughts to each Management Committee meeting from now on.

SAFETY ON THE WATER
Just a reminder that if you feel unwell and have flu like symptoms after a session of boating, go to your doctor and tell them you have been in the canal and that you might have caught Weils disease. Make sure you are familiar with the water safety rules - cover all your cuts with plasters, shower or bath after a boating session and read more about it with our boating handout leaflet available from Barry or Giles. Weils disease is extremely rare but just in case, take care. In the nearly 40 years of Pirate Club activities we have not had one case! We now have a rule that there is no swimming and no jumping from the jetty.

NEW WEB SITE IN DEVELOPMENT
We are currently developing a new website - if anyone has any ideas and suggestions please contact Barry or Giles and we will incorporate them if possible. We will have the newsletter available through emails and on the web, and lots of other exciting things, like a page for Old Pirates! We are constantly bumping into Pirates from from the last century who were members here during Lord St Davids' day and we think it would be great to have an Old Pirates club, and maybe a regular get-together - we are always looking for volunteers to help us with our boating! Please contact Barry who is keeping a register of Old Pirate contact names.

This also leads to the idea that we make a film and/or book about about the history of the Pirate Club - did you know that in the seventies the members would break the winter ice to jump in the water?!! Great stories.

SUE AND FRED GARDENING
On Thursday 22nd May Fred brought over some plants he'd grown in his Finsbury Park Progect. He and Sue are developing a gardening project and want anyone interested to join in. Would you believe that the first volunteers were Marcus, Tony and Sam and Jay, Beau and Penny. So there was much planting and pruning and several self-sown tree seedlings went home with the kids. Please get in touch with Sue on 020 7263 4911 if you're interested in bat boxes and trips to garden centres and building ponds.

keyaking
Saphiyah - "the most intrepid kayaker of all time" - is the current holder of the Castle to Blow Up Bridge And Return Journey distance record! Henry is the Bridge To Bridge Rowing record holder at 108 seconds and Sam is the Bridge To Bridge Kayaking record holder at 37 seconds.

Sam and aka Rampage with Pirate Art Clubbers making their aaart architecture edifice experiment.

From left: Suzi, Joana, Catherine, Baz, Kirsty, Jim, Emily, Marcus, Libby, Tony, Drillon, Billy, Giles and Penny at Canalways Cavalcade receiving their new Pirate Hats.

boating
Giles, Yami, Suzie and Joana - lounge lizards of the canoeing world enjoy their Saturday boating in luxurious style.

Barry, Usamah, Henry, Charles, Beau and Michael make it all the way to Little Venice with the help of Pirate Viscount, Giles and the Junior Skippers.

The Film Making Club helps make a documentary in Somerstown with Sue and Barry. The trip to Somerstown was on Barry's narrowboat "Spirit". Jean, Amber and a friend came along for the Junior Skippers ride. We also took a trip to Camley Street to explore their wildlife and make some more of our film capturing film of jays, terrapins, Canada geese, newts and baby mallards - well done our aspiring wildlife film makers.

canal bank
Fred, Sue, Marcus, Tony, Jay and Sam (deep in the bushes) greening our environment.

Camilla, Katie and Usamah with our new paddle rack. It was
Katie's idea to use the old metal table legs as the basis for the
racks - a great future architect or designer here.

narrowboat
Henry getting to grips with his ropes.

CLICK HERE FOR JUNE ACTIVITIES PROGRAMME

The Pirate Club Newsletter May 2003
PIRATE NEWS NEW ACTIVITIES PROGRAMME SUCCESSFUL CURRENT ACTIVITIES PARENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS SOMALI COMMUNITY INTEREST END OF SUMMER FESTIVAL/OPEN DAY JUNIOR COMMITTEE MEETINGS SAFETY ON THE WATER NEW WEB SITE IN DEVELOPMENT SUE AND FRED GARDENING PICTURES
NEW ACTIVITIES PROGRAMME SUCCESSFUL We are now nearly half way through the year and our new activities programme seems to be working mainly well. We have seen the coming and going of Youth Initiatives and their IT suite but now, due to the generosity of Psychosis - a local computer systems maintenance company - we have our very own IT suite with three computers. We have some new software for members to search the net, do their homework, print and make CDs and even start to make their own music with Fruityloops and Cubase software! At the moment we are going to be making the IT suite - which is now housed in the more spacious upstairs office - available to pre-booked members between 4.30pm and 8.30pm each Tuesday for this term. Each Pirate member can book it for one hour and they can share it with one other member during these time slots: 4.40-5.30pm, 5.30-6.30pm, 6.30-7.30pm, 8.30-9.30pm from June 6th. So only three people booking with three guests each hour. Book in with Barry on 07748 368706. CLICK HERE FOR JUNE ACTIVITIES PROGRAMME
CURRENT ACTIVITIES Art Clubs Our Pirate Art Club have finished their two wonderful ceramic mosaics which will be displayed in the main entrance hall. We will have a special opening ceremony soon to celebrate this wonderful achievement - well done young artists. Our Cubeasque self portraits and African masks and costumes have been a great success as well. Film Clubs Due to popular demand we have started a new Junior Pirates Cartoon film making club run by Sam of aka Rampage. This is on Wednesdays starting at 4pm until 5pm for the 5-7yrs and 5.15pm until 6.15pm for the 7-9yrs. For the 9yrs up Barry and Sue Crockford are making great progress and are filming a Pirate animation with Boys versus Girls where Joey the Duck wins of course! They are also finishing a documentary about violence and safety in the area with support from Groundwork Camden and Islington. As part of the Girls' first sleepover on Pirate Viscount at the 2003 Canalways Cavalcade in Little Venice, the Film Making Club shot a documentary about the Cavalcade's theme of "Carriage" and many interviews were done with cavalcade participants about what interesting thinfgs they and their boats had carried on the canals over the years. Barry and Sue made a drama about all the animals of the Regent's Canal from boat dogs to captured birds and orix from the London Zoo. Young people from Lisson Green Estate did most of the filming with support from Emma Burford from Lea Rivers Trust and Andrea Vaillancourt-Alder of Groundwork , and this won a Special Communications Prize at the Tokyo Video Festival 2003 where more than 2,300 films were competing. Junior Skippers At the Cavalcade, Committee member Libby Bradshaw and also one of the main organisers of the of the Cavalcade joined Baz from the National Community Boats Association, Jim and Barry to present some of our Junior Skippers with their new Pirate Club hats. Junior Skippers, learning the "ropes" (da-dum tissh) of how to become a proper Skipper, are then awarded special silver "Pips" to sew onto their hats when they have earned each of the six badges. So far Beau Diprose has achieved two badges and so has Catherine Peck - both are getting very close to their third badges! First badge successes are: Penny, Usamah, Hannan, Amber, Camila, Marcus, Tony and Amal, with many more keen to do their badges. Last week we had some great rope throwing with Barry and Jim and learned the wonders of the secret boaters mooring knot. We have changed the format now so that we can do the badges with Giles or Barry taking out two Junior Skippers at a time and the rest do their study on-shore - learning knots, mooring techniques and all all the other aspects of boat captaincy. When they are fourteen years old they can get the National Community Boats Association's Competent Crew certificate and when they are 18 they can go straight on to their Community BVoats Certificate in Boat Management (which is what Barry, Jim and Giles have). Jim and Giles also train trainers of this adult course. Junior Skippers Fridays 4.30pm 'till 6.30pm may be moved - Because several Junior Skippers can't make it on Fridays, we are thinking of swapping Junior Skippers with I.T. - so that Junior Skippers Fridays will be on Tuesdays and I.T. will be on Friday 4.30pm - 6.30pm. Hats You have to wear your hats to Junior Skippers and if you haven't paid for yours yet the cost is only a subsidised Ł2. Boating This has become so popular with a regular 20 plus members turning out in some of the most atrocious weather possible. New members can learn on big, safe rowing boats, while the more adveturous get nito their kayaks and even do trips like the one all the way to Little Venice. Boating is on Thursdays 4.30 -6.30 and Saturday 11 a.m.- til 4 pm. We are most greatful to the parents of Mohamud Hajjaj and Jean Fane -Glain who regualarly come and enjoy the day and take on a volunteers role. For parents with children under nine years, we think it is a great idea that they come and supervise their younger children on our boating days. We have to curb any jumoing in the future and we are plannig to dredge an area off the jetty for this purpose. We will be holding some pool sesssions at the Prince of Wales Pool where we will learn to roll, capsize, use spray decks and rescue procedures but the hot news is that this may well not be until Septenmber when the next pool time is available. Best spirnt time from bridge to bridge is Sam at 37 seconds - watch out Saphiyah is hot on your tail Sam! Jim News Jim has been busy doing residentials and day trips over the last couple of months - he even took Pirate Princess to Watford for a CCBM trainers meeting - much to the surprise of a British Waterways representative who didnt know you could take a narrow boat to Watford! Garden News Sue has met with Gus' dad Fred who has given us many new plants and is keen to work with us to make a floating reed garden. Sue inspired the last garden day with Pennys' mum Lynn working all Saturday in the spirng as the other seventeen of us fixed up the dinghies. Sue thinks we could have more gardening days to make our garden environment evewn better. Call Sue on 020 7263 4199 to register your interest. One idea is to take one of the old dinghies and half submerge it with floating islands of reed surrounding it so we have our own frog pond. Watch this space grow! Thanks heaps to Fred for his generous gift of plants and gardening. Thanks also to John Crowe who helped us fix our dinghies and made a new fire proof letter box recently - John is also keen to see who would like to learn skulling of an historic Thames skiff. This is like rowingon the Thames with big rowing boats, so who is keen? Contact Barry if you are brave enough. Summer Plans We are close to settling our summer holidays plans with local support organisations, the Community Housing Association and Groundwork. At this stage we are hoping to do a full four week programme five days a week with lots more boating and trips. Residentials Following the success of our first residential with Barry and partner Sue Crockford and the six girl Pirates Suzi, Joanah, Catherine, Emily, Kirsty and Penny, we are going to have a boys night on the Pirate Viscount next weekend on Saturday 31st May. We will depart at around 6pm straight after boating. Places are already booked for Beau, Marcus, Tony, Zabian and Sam. You will need to bring clean clothes (not soaked from the previous boating session), Ł2 for food, a change of clothes, a sleeping bag, tooth brush etc. We are planning a further two residentials (one for girls and one for boys) during the summer holidays after the four week programme here at the Castle. Watch this space. We need volunteers to support this much desired activity - in the form of parents and volunteer adults - one male and one female (for the girls trip) to join Barry. The plan at this stage is that each trip will be for three nights on the Pirate Princess and each will cost Ł10 per child and the numbers will be limited to six per trip. All food and other costs will be covered and members need only bring their sleeping bags and plenty of dry clothes. We will be taking some kayaks as well. Please book early with Barry. Joey The Pirate Duck Joey the Pirate Duck is doing well now that Beau has found the best duck food on earth with the help of Jean (Amber's mother) and the Camden Market Pet Food Supplies. He is getting more adventurous - even stopping out of an evening with his blokey Mallard mates and so causing Barry much parental grief. He even visited Cavalcade this year and would like to say that he wants to go again next year but with a flash new boat please! Joey might also anjoy some new friends - watch this space. CLICK HERE FOR JUNE ACTIVITIES PROGRAMME
PARENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS We have three possible new committee members who have offered their time and expertise to help us out: Jean, Lynn and Maria. We are looking forward to more of this community support.
SOMALI COMMUNITY INTEREST We have been approached by the local Somali community organisation to partner with us to run art classes during daytime hours for Somali adults and to look at other initiatives together. Abdiwali Mohammud and Giles will be settling initial plans very soon.
END OF SUMMER FESTIVAL/OPEN DAY Barry and the Pirates want to hold a one day festival to celebrate all we have achieved this year. The plan is to hold it late in the summer holidays or in the first weekend of school term time. We will show our films, a play, our artwork, our kayaking, canoeing, rowing, music and fun battles with our expert from Slovakia, Flavio, who has held mediaeval battles throughout Europe's ancient castles!
JUNIOR COMMITTEE MEETINGS We have had two Junior Committee meetings so far with a good selection of young Pirates sharing their views on how the castle and club should develop. They are very keen that we have more boating days, showers, more Junior Skippers sessions, music making and especially residential trips in the summer. Two representatives will deliver their thoughts to each Management Committee meeting from now on.
SAFETY ON THE WATER Just a reminder that if you feel unwell and have flu like symptoms after a session of boating, go to your doctor and tell them you have been in the canal and that you might have caught Weils disease. Make sure you are familiar with the water safety rules - cover all your cuts with plasters, shower or bath after a boating session and read more about it with our boating handout leaflet available from Barry or Giles. Weils disease is extremely rare but just in case, take care. In the nearly 40 years of Pirate Club activities we have not had one case! We now have a rule that there is no swimming and no jumping from the jetty.
NEW WEB SITE IN DEVELOPMENT We are currently developing a new website - if anyone has any ideas and suggestions please contact Barry or Giles and we will incorporate them if possible. We will have the newsletter available through emails and on the web, and lots of other exciting things, like a page for Old Pirates! We are constantly bumping into Pirates from from the last century who were members here during Lord St Davids' day and we think it would be great to have an Old Pirates club, and maybe a regular get-together - we are always looking for volunteers to help us with our boating! Please contact Barry who is keeping a register of Old Pirate contact names. This also leads to the idea that we make a film and/or book about about the history of the Pirate Club - did you know that in the seventies the members would break the winter ice to jump in the water?!! Great stories.
SUE AND FRED GARDENING On Thursday 22nd May Fred brought over some plants he'd grown in his Finsbury Park Progect. He and Sue are developing a gardening project and want anyone interested to join in. Would you believe that the first volunteers were Marcus, Tony and Sam and Jay, Beau and Penny. So there was much planting and pruning and several self-sown tree seedlings went home with the kids. Please get in touch with Sue on 020 7263 4911 if you're interested in bat boxes and trips to garden centres and building ponds.
Saphiyah - "the most intrepid kayaker of all time" - is the current holder of the Castle to Blow Up Bridge And Return Journey distance record! Henry is the Bridge To Bridge Rowing record holder at 108 seconds and Sam is the Bridge To Bridge Kayaking record holder at 37 seconds.
Sam and aka Rampage with Pirate Art Clubbers making their aaart architecture edifice experiment.
From left: Suzi, Joana, Catherine, Baz, Kirsty, Jim, Emily, Marcus, Libby, Tony, Drillon, Billy, Giles and Penny at Canalways Cavalcade receiving their new Pirate Hats.
Giles, Yami, Suzie and Joana - lounge lizards of the canoeing world enjoy their Saturday boating in luxurious style.
Barry, Usamah, Henry, Charles, Beau and Michael make it all the way to Little Venice with the help of Pirate Viscount, Giles and the Junior Skippers.
The Film Making Club helps make a documentary in Somerstown with Sue and Barry. The trip to Somerstown was on Barry's narrowboat "Spirit". Jean, Amber and a friend came along for the Junior Skippers ride. We also took a trip to Camley Street to explore their wildlife and make some more of our film capturing film of jays, terrapins, Canada geese, newts and baby mallards - well done our aspiring wildlife film makers.
Fred, Sue, Marcus, Tony, Jay and Sam (deep in the bushes) greening our environment.
Camilla, Katie and Usamah with our new paddle rack. It was Katie's idea to use the old metal table legs as the basis for the racks - a great future architect or designer here.
Henry getting to grips with his ropes. CLICK HERE FOR JUNE ACTIVITIES PROGRAMME