The government has begun to ease lockdown quite a bit now and from Monday 1st June, we will be allowed to meet up to six people outside our household for a socially distanced meeting. We'll not go into the nuances of social distancing for 2m (observed by nearly no one by my reckoning) and the logic behind restricting numbers to 2 or 6 or 8.
Moving on to what it means for paddlers, groups of up to six have started going out for long journeys and enjoying their time out on the water. I've been seeing some lovely photos from people with their own sea kayaks, sufficient training to be out at sea and lots of mates in the same position regarding equipment/training. Sadly, however, the updates from coastguards, RNLI and other rescue services have not gone unnoticed. I have heard about people going out to sea in inflatable kayaks, sit on top kayaks in rather strong winds and sometimes, without the necessary safety equipment. Just the thought of doing that, or being out at sea on my own frightens me.
I enjoy sharing my love for the water with everyone and ask everyone to take minimal risks, seek proper training, carry safety equipment and avoid going out alone if they are inexperienced. More experienced paddlers will know that they can get caught out on a bad day too, so we try to stay within our limits when we go out alone. This is especially important now, more than ever, as our beaches have no lifeguards, our rescue services are stretched and lets be honest, being rescued increases our risk of contracting or transmitting the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
I'm no stranger to watersports, but planning my return to paddling was very tough for many reasons. Will I be safe on my own? Where can I go? Will there be parking? There were many questions but the toughest part for me was driving to new places. I'm a nervous driver and even more anxious about parking in random places. Apart from the docks in Liverpool, most of the paddling spots I know are about 30-45 minutes outside of the city and driving that distance to go out on my own was very daunting. Thanks to tips from fellow kayakers at my local club, I found the entry to the Liverpool-Leeds canal which is an under ten minute drive from me.
The current heatwave and changes in regulation for watersports prompted me to try it, just to blow off the cobwebs and test the water (literally!). Unsurprising to those who know me well, I got very lost and couldn't find the start of the canal for a while. An hour later, by some miracle I found it and knew I had to try it. The water was calm, there was a bit of a breeze in a south easterly direction and my direction of paddle was to the north west. Not ideal, and I wouldn't have done that at sea, but I felt I could do it in a sheltered canal.
I managed to paddle for about 2 miles, returning in some gusting wind which weren't too off putting since the distance was so short. I managed to stand up again, and didn't immediately fall in which felt like a huge achievement. I picked some elderflower that grows in abundance in our canals and chatted to many anglers enjoying a sunny day.
Bigger than the miracle of me standing up on a paddleboard, was the miracle of seeing clear water in an English canal. I've seen crystal clear waters only in the Norfolk Broads before and I wondered if, what I was seeing now was due to the recent lack of human activity. There were thousands of fish, many damselflies that kept me entertained while I paddled but I was sad to see the usual sight of plastic on our waterways. I didn't have a bag or gloves to do a proper clean but I'll be heading back there to take out what I can.
You're probably wondering if this was a safe trip for me to undertake. Even though I am a qualified coach and able to take small groups out on sheltered water, it was important for me to do a personal risk assessment. I was on sheltered water which is perhaps knee deep for a regularly sized person so I felt there was low risk of hypothermia or drowning. I had my phone in a waterproof floating case, I wore 3mm neoprene trousers and wore a buoyancy aid. I also wore a paddle leash to remain connected to my board and in the middle of the board, I had connected a safety sling with a karabiner in case I take a tumble and can't get back on easily. If it got too windy or tough to paddle, I could just get out and walk the board back using this sling. It was a deliberate decision to take a short journey, since its been a while and paddling fitness has been impossible to maintain recently.
I have now booked a 1:1 lesson with my favourite paddleboarding coach at Liverpool SUP co. to teach me a few more things so I can feel confident on my board. I said to her, "formal coaching is in dire need and is highly underrated" and meant every word of it not just for me but for thousands of others who are discovering the joy of watersports in the time of a pandemic. Please stay safe out there, try to paddle locally and enjoy the water :-) xx.
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