SUP Club – 14th May 2014
Looks like summer’s on its way? A healthy turnout of 18 stand-up paddlers plus one prone surfboard is a sure sign the warmer weather has arrived… Last night’s SUP Club convened at Two Tree Island for an hour’s paddle down the Ray into a moderate sea breeze – enough to notice, but nothing that a bit of digging in couldn’t overcome. A handful of our crew were treating this as a training paddle for this Saturday’s Battle of the Thames: Claire, Julia and Dan put in a solid steady state paddle over the 7km loop … while Tanzi and Chris charged off for the horizon at full-on race pace, not turning until beyond Seal Point! (Good luck to them all in Surbiton this weekend.) It was great to see some new faces amongst the familiar smiles too; as always, all comers with a little experience are very welcome to join in on a Wednesday night…
Most of us stopped at the orange buoy to chat and admire the setting sun before turning for home, aided by the flooding tide and an ever decreasing tailwind. Then back up the slipway and into the car-park to pack up as a stunning full moon rose over the pier – before the obligatory post paddle pint, this time at the Smack in Old Leigh so canine companions Ruby and Bongo could join us! Thanks again to everyone for another great SUP Club evening…
If you fancy joining SUP Club, all we ask is that you have some paddling experience (if not, check out our SUP Lessons) – we call Wednesday SUP Club on the day on our Facebook page and Wet’n’Dry SUP calendar, location depending on weather and tide conditions. If you have your own kit, just turn up and you’ll be very welcome. If not, we do offer limited SUP hire for £25.