Well, we’ve come to the end of the 2024 season, my second season, at our Girlguiding boathouse and so it’s time to reflect on the last few months. First of all, this so-called summer has done its level best to sabotage us! We had 19 dates in the calendar, seven boat club sessions and twelve … More 2024 season at the boathouse
And so, at the end of the last week of the 2024 season at the boathouse, I finally reach my first season, 2023, on the blog! My first proper visit was in mid-April when a couple of us went to clear up after the long winter, check on the boats and their airbags and generally … More 2023 season at the boathouse
With sticking last week’s escapade in the blog schedule and booting this a week, it does feel a little odd, because immediately after capsizing, we come to my very first capsize on the sea! This is My Paddling Story clashing big time with Paddling In Real Time. It’s July 2022 and I’m in a long … More My first capsize on the sea
Well, this one wasn’t in my blog schedule but here it is nonetheless! We recently had a group of Guides at the boathouse, eight girls and three leaders, including the region chief commissioner (in her role as leader of said Guides; it wasn’t a region event) and long story short, I capsized. It was a … More Seven things I learned capsizing at the boathouse
Part of the reason I started paddling – well, part of the reason I started looking into qualifications in paddling – was so that I could go to Studland in the summer, hire a kayak and feel confident that I knew what I was doing. I’ve done that a few times and they don’t generally … More A hard paddle and a seaside sauna
By now, you already know about the boathouse but my story has reached just under two years ago and I’m about to discover it. I went to do a fencing session with some local Rangers (who didn’t turn up, for various reasons) and chatting with their leaders, I discovered that they were going kayaking at … More In which I join the boathouse
This one has sat in the blog schedule since March but it was only two weeks ago that I got confirmation it was even going to happen. I’d finally decided to just go to Croatia, found myself heading for Dubrovnik and discovered it’s a bit of a haven for sea kayaking. There was a company … More Sea kayaking off Dubrovnik
Girlguiding South West does an event most year called Wet & Wild At Wimbleball, which is a weekend of watersports & adventurous activities on and around a lake on Exmoor called Wimbleball. I’ve not been. I wish I could but I can’t figure out the logistics of getting four Rangers there – it’s not worth … More Kayaking in the wind on a reservoir
A couple of weeks ago – over a month ago now! – I did the post on the pool/assessment session for the new boat club girls and now finally I’m doing the first boat club session of 2024. Yes, there’s a big gap. There wasn’t such a big gap in real life but 1) I … More The first boat club session of 2024
By this point, I was starting to consider my paddling future. I’d run an archery session in a named storm for our local Inspire group – that’s Girlguiding’s newish 18-30 not-a-section – and one of them had mentioned having access to 24 kayaks and wondered out loud what qualifications someone would need to take Inspire … More Learning to capsize
Bumblebee Paddles 