Blog #11 – another big Wednesday…

So there goes another week as we accelerate into summer! Our highlight had to be last Wednesday night’s SUP Club which was bound to be a busy one on the back of that mini-heatwave, plus we decided to hit Chalkwell which is always a popular option, yet it was still awesome to see over 40 paddlers on the water. Of course, conditions did deteriorate as per the forecast – having arrived to dead calm as the daytime sea breeze effect had killed the ambient south-westerly, once the heat had faded that onshore breeze filled in and soon after we hit the water it was a full-on Chalkwell chopfest! No problem, as we saw it coming so weren’t planning to go anywhere, so everyone had ‘fun’ splashing about in the challenging conditions … personal achievements ranged from simply getting out there, to getting stood up, to trying different boards, to mastering the conditions: there were even a few choppy little ‘waverides’ being caught into the shallows. See pix on our Facebook page. What’s more, adventure sports photographer Petrisor Craciunoiu (who captured that amazing moody pic of us paddling back from the pub in Old Leigh under moody skies early this spring) had asked us to let him know when we were next out at Chalkwell – and he was kind enough to come down and take some amazing group shots and portraits as we got launched. More on our Facebook page and see more of what Petrisor does at www.adventurephototeam.com

And remember, SUP Club is completely free of charge for anyone with their own kit. We just ask that you already know how to paddle (ideally, having passed a BSUPA Ready to Ride course). If conditions are suitable, limited hire kit is available to graduates of our Learn to SUP lessons from duncan@supsect.com

Which begs the question: what’s in store for SUP Club this week? Well, there’s currently a full-on NNE wind on the forecast, so with an 8.27pm 0.5m low tide the coast is almost definitely off limits and we’re likely back to the river. Maybe heading east from Papermill Lock this week? We’ll see… Stay tuned to Facebook for the heads-up tomorrow then the full call by Wednesday lunchtime.

Returning to paddle board lessons, a few days later we’re back out and teaching more new paddlers on our BSUPA Ready to Ride certificated Learn to SUP lessons at Paper Mill Lock on Saturday – and we still have space if you know anyone who wants to learn? We pride ourselves on being able to offer personal attention at a suitable venue, and we’re so confident in our methods and location that we are continuing to offer our unique stand-up guarantee for this season. More on our paddleboard lesson page or just drop an email to lessons@supsect.com

Meanwhile, keeping it social, we’re gearing up ready for our next SUPfari! Because we’re off to Bigbury in South Devon in under a fortnight now – camping at Mount Folly Farm over the bank holiday weekend, 25-29th May, find details in the SUPsect Forum on Facebook. We had a ball in North Norfolk last month on SUPfari #1 … in fact, if you haven’t already, take a look at this. We’ll leave you with Steve’s movie from our mellow East Runton wave session on the Saturday as filmed by Andy with his drone (plus a bit of random dog-tricking from marvellous Minky at the pub later that day!) SUPfari: Episode 01.