AquaPaddle is the Paddle Sport charity. It aims to help people’s mental wellbeing and physical health through paddle sport and a free-of-charge, timed 5km paddle for all abilities, on waterways across the country. We are growing and supporting the paddle sport community, that will complement our BlueSpace activities.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT AN AQUAPADDLE
Let’s start with what to expect. Yow will arrive at the location and park your car in a safe and sensible place. If arriving by public transport, you will head to the meeting point as given using the What3Words location.
Once you have prepared your boat or pumped up you paddle board, you will wait for the safety briefing to begin. If you are a Newbie, then please make yourself known to the Crew and AquaPaddle Captain before the Safety Briefing. Please take note of the safety advice and any obstacles. The safety briefing is given by the AquaPaddle Captain, who has overall charge of the local AquaPaddle Event.
You will then head over to the launch point and carefully launch your craft and head over to the starting line. The Time Lord will take over and the AquaPaddle Crew will help guide you and make sure everyone is safely in position.
Once the Time Lord or AquaPaddle Captain starts the AquaPaddle, you will head off along the route. Remember this is a Timed Social Paddle and not a race. You are just trying to do the 5 kilometre route as fast as you can. There are no prizes. Also, the ethos of AquaPaddle is you help other paddlers if they fall in near you. Your fellow AquaPaddlers are more important than your time.
The idea of AquaPaddle isn’t to beat a previous time as a one off, but to see an improvement in times over a season. Wind and water conditions can speed you up or slow you down, but over time you will see an improvement. Hence not worrying if you have to stop for a few minutes to help someone back onto their craft.
The marshals will be on hand to help and take over, but they can’t be everywhere and alongside every AquaPaddler.
When you come up towards the finish, make sure your personal AquaPaddle Number is easy to see and if you can, shout out the first 3 letters. Once over the line, what seems to be the tradition is that the AquaPaddlers wait to cheer the last paddlers home. It’s not a problem if you have to head off either.
AquaPaddle is a big community here to encourage others to be the best they can.
For All the information you need, head over to Aquapaddle.org
