The Mechanics of Organising a Paddle – What’s your idea?
Where, when and what is the objective of your paddle. The questions you should ask are:
- Where would you like to paddle? – A benefit of organising a paddle is that you get to decide where to go. You may choose a favourite place or perhaps somewhere new to explore. The choice is yours, however it’s best to try somewhere that other members will want to join you.
- What’s is the paddle objective? – Are you aiming for social/leisure paddle, for a longer, faster, endurance paddle, to develop skills, for a weekend away, or something else?
- What category of water are you paddling? – Flat water, ocean, rivers and whitewater. See the Waterways Guide for Water Grading Categories.
- When is the best time to run the trip? – You need to consider the environment, tides, winds, etc. You should also try to avoid any clash with other club trips that are happening nearby.
- Who and how many do you want to attend the paddle? – The RCC endeavours to be inclusive, however it is acceptable to limit numbers of paddlers and the type of paddler based on their ability and the boat they paddle. For example, for a long paddle in the winter you would need to limit the paddle to people with proven stamina and speed paddling long seakayaks. Limiting the overall number on a paddle also makes the trip easier for both the organiser and the on-water leaders.
- What participant interest do you have? – Unless you are confident that people will want to attend it’s worth asking. The club WhatsApp group is good for gauge interest, but you could also ask people directly
Once you have formed your idea, you need to run it past someone on the committee. Normally this will be the convenor for the category of paddle, for example the flatwater convenor or the whitewater convenor. The RCC Destinations Webpage has information on many popular locations for club trips..
