Spooky SUP 2024 – we had a fun Halloween last night with our biggest ever parade through Chelmsford, as skeletons, witches, warlocks, ghouls, the undead, Death himself, an angel, murder bunny, a head trauma victim, and other misfits paddled up and down through the city centre on the Rivers Chelmer and Can before joining fancy-dress the student populace for dinner and drinks at the ’spoons. Thanks for everyone’s amazing efforts – and hopefully see you again for a Xmas paddle, conditions allowing…

Venue: Chelmsford city centre – Meadows Surface car-park (CM2 0WP / https://w3w.co/winner.orchestra.riding)
Meeting: from c.6pm
Launch: after 6.45pm briefing
Finish: c.8pm
Level: Confident, competent city / night paddlers

We’re very pleased to see that conditions are looking great for this Thursday on actual Halloween for our 2024 Spooky SUP. So we’re definitely on! Do dress up if you like (of course, don’t if you don’t) and please no drowning hazards. Lights would certainly be good – please no bright whites though. It seems almost traditional that someone falls in at Halloween, so be prepared just in case it’s you this year! Also be ready for properly dark inner-city paddling with plenty of low bridges – a couple in particular very low indeed…

Dare we say the forecast is looking ideal – no wind and there’s even the outside chance of some moody fog – so it should be fun… We’d anticipate meeting from 6pm to get prepped ahead of a 6.45pm briefing and launch from Meadows Surface car-park (CM2 0WP / https://w3w.co/winner.orchestra.riding – exactly where we’ve been for the last couple of Water Wombles litterpicks). There is a 2.1m height restriction barrier and we’ll assemble near the launch opposite the canoe club, so please do double-check to make sure you’re going to the right place: it’s mildly tricky to get to, with some to-ing and fro-ing up and down the main road required if you’re coming up from the south.

For the uninitiated, this paddle’s more of a parade up and down the Rivers Chelmer and Can through town than a ‘normal’ SUP Club, so don’t expect to go fast or all that far – certainly not a night for your fastest, narrowest, most delicate board! We will try to eat and will definitely grab a drink after, probably freestyling it in town so it could be the ‘spoons, therefore please make sure you’ve eaten in the afternoon to avoid any unnecessary Halloween hanger…