SUPsect SUP Club meets every Wednesday night throughout British Summer Time, from when the clocks go forward in spring to when they go back in autumn – if you have your own kit and know how to paddle it, it’s completely free of charge and you’re very welcome to just come along and join us. If you don’t have your own board, limited hire kit is available when conditions and route are suitable – as long as you have completed our Learn to SUP course or can prove competence on a stand-up paddleboard (email [email protected] to secure yours…)
We go every week throughout BST, whatever the weather, so conditions will dictate how tough / easy the evening will be and how long / short the route. Some weeks, particularly when it’s warm, sunny and still, we’ll call an ‘all-comers’ night that will be very relaxed and suitable for everyone. But other weeks, often when it’s windy and/or cold, we might call it a ‘challenging’ or even ‘hardcore’ night that will demand some experience and paddling strength / confidence to keep up with the group and therefore won’t suit first-time SUP Clubbers.
We paddle at various Essex SUP spots depending on tide times and conditions: some of our favourites launches include Two Tree, Chalkwell and Thorpe Bay on the Thames Estuary, Hullbridge on the River Crouch, and Mill House, Papermill Lock (where we teach our paddleboard lessons) and Hoe Mill Lock on the River Chelmer. After the paddle, which usually lasts from 90 minutes to 2-hours covering c. 6-9km, we generally fit in a post paddle pint – and often dinner at a pub or curryhouse too (although that’s absolutely not compulsory, everyone is very welcome to join us for either, both, or neither!)
While we try to keep SUP Club as relaxed as possible, in order for it to work safely and effectively we do need to operate within a few simple rules:
• Leashes are compulsory for all paddlers at all times.
• No late launching (especially if you’re pumping up, please arrive in plenty of time to make the published launch time).
• No chewing gum on the water.
• Respect the turning time / place (as per the call and/or briefing) so we all get back broadly together as a group.
• Please paddle responsibly and courteously – don’t endanger yourself or other water users by paddling unsafely.
Full details of SUP Club, which vary week to week depending on weather, tides and wind, are published Facebook page @SUPsectUK. (And below!) As the forecast develops we’ll give a heads-up of the likely location via Facebook on Tuesday evening, before calling the event for sure by Wednesday lunchtime.
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SUP Club, Wednesday 11th September 2019: With a westerly wind back today, we’re going to tuck out with another fun-&-games ‘splashabout’ session down the dogleg from Two Tree. So, bring your most robust paddle and a knockabout, stable (ideally inflatable) board if you can as rather than going anywhere we’ll be messing about, enjoying a round or two of SUPdog and a bit of surf hockey… Meeting at 6pm at Two Tree (be earlier if you want to pay the £4 slipway charge!) we’ll launch at 6.20pm, paddle around the corner and play it by ear. (As last time, if you’re not up for the carnage there’ll be a chill-out zone too – although we can’t guarantee that Dave Sanchez will keep you company this week!) With the wind blowing and the nights drawing in, conditions aren’t suitable for us to offer hire kit. After, we’ll maybe try our luck down at the Smack in Old Leigh: it’s been a while…