Paddling For Pleasure?

It’s a question we are always asking paddlers – why do you paddle?  

Most respond with great affirmations of the SUP community, blue water therapy, time alone on the water or with friends – most people just LOVE paddling once they have had their first time on a board. 

I recently met a young lady sitting on the riverbank where I train. I had my carbon race board; I had warmed up and was getting on the water next to her. I could hear a few questions going back and forth between the couple, and I knew right there and then, she was new to this, and I could help. Before I had the chance to offer, they asked for help – they clearly thought I knew what I was doing, and I did after 14 years on the water. I must admit lately I do not proffer my help or knowledge all the time, many times ‘newbies’ just seem to want to be left alone and muddle through and offering advice is seen as critisism. 

So, to be asked was lovely; it was her first time – the board was the standard 10’6 kind; I never make judgement on the make as I am just happy someone is getting out on the water. The first thing she said was that the pump appeared to be broken; as regularl and seasoned paddlers, we all know what this means, so I tested the board, and encouraged her to go back and try again, so that she reached the correct PSI. I told her it was tough to pump up a board when you are new to it, and it was unlikely the pump was broken.  

I then asked if she would like me to give her some top tips and she was very keen. So, how to get on the board from the bank, how to paddle on your knees, forward, backwards, stop and turn and how to stand and return to kneeling if you feel up for it and how to get back off the board. She was grateful and I paddled off whilst she went back to the pumping! 

I was paddling up and down between locks, so it was a 2 km distance between. On my return I spotted her, sitting on her bottom, paddling forward with a huge grin on her face! She was beaming and excitedly told me the pump was indeed NOT broken; we laughed about it – this girl has a good attitude. She had tried to stand but didn’t feel too confident, wobbly legs and all that, so I gave her some more ‘top tips’. I then talked to her about the benefits of getting a lesson and where to go locally and told her about making sure she had a licence for being on the water.  

Once again, I left her; she was having a really lovely time.  

On my way back past the van, I presumed she had finished and gone home but was surprised to see she had kept paddling, again with a huge grin on her face; ‘I cannot believe how beautiful this is’ – music to my ears.  

I was not surprised, the weather was glorious, so sunny and very still. The Wey Navigation shone in all its glory, and this really was the best place for this young lady to try paddleboarding for the very first time. There is a footpath that runs along the navigation, so you are never truly alone which makes it feel incredibly safe too. 

Again, more top tips about when not to paddle on this river, too windy, too much flow due to heavy rainfall, sign yourself up for the EA notifications and what “red boards” means – I wonder if she remembered everything! 

Again, we parted and a while later we came off the water at the same time. She was deflating her board with the pump and thought that was hard work, I suggested she just lay on it to expel the air!  

Before I left, I remembered that I carry safety info in the van so handed her a couple of great resources, one from Supboarder Mag and the other Paddle UK, together with a postcard about the SUPer Festival and a SUPjunkie sticker. She was so, so grateful for these and to have met me. 

I often wonder, a minute or two either side of us meeting and things would not have been the same. It is moments like this, when I cherish everything that I have learned on and off the water, the SUP community that has been so supportive and that meeting new paddlers is really very, very exciting – who knows, this young lady, Heidi, will hopefully get that lesson and have the most wonderful time on the water, maybe even in a few months/year’s discover AquaPaddle and maybe one day race on her board – the circle of SUP life – I love it! 

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