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2026 sea kayak aims and ambitions. Let us know!
This year, led sea kayak trips (away from the club) will have ample opportunities to practice skills and move towards Paddle UK awards - if you want to.
Trips won't just be 'lessons' though, so if you just want to paddle there's plenty for you too.
What's new?
The club has developed a detailed list of skills working up to sea kayak award, and anyone can have a copy. It'll let you spot any gaps so you can ask trip leaders to help you fill them. You won't need to be on a course or part of a small 'push group'. You won't need to always paddle with the same leader in order to make progress, and you can go at your own pace without losing track. When you're ready, certification will be straightforward.
If you want to take this approach, and don't already have the doc, let us know in the comments.
Coastal sea kayak award
If this is what you're working towards, look at the award descriptions and say what opportunities you need. We're delighted to help you practice and extend. It would be helpful to know, via the comments, who wants this. The coastal award can't currently be assessed in the club, but lots of local providers offer it.
Beyond coastal sea kayak award
Have you got ambitions for a particular trip? Are you looking for opportunities to get into leading? Would you like to do more in surf? Or tideraces? It would be great to know what people want.
Midweek v weekends.
Most trips will be weekends. But some could be weekdays. If you have a regular or flexible week day, let us know.
Summer rolling
Yes, well do more roll focused short sessions this year. But we'll wait for the water to warm up. Meanwhile, pool sessions are already being arranged - they're on the forum, but there's also a WhatsApp group to look for workable future dates.
Trips won't just be 'lessons' though, so if you just want to paddle there's plenty for you too.
What's new?
The club has developed a detailed list of skills working up to sea kayak award, and anyone can have a copy. It'll let you spot any gaps so you can ask trip leaders to help you fill them. You won't need to be on a course or part of a small 'push group'. You won't need to always paddle with the same leader in order to make progress, and you can go at your own pace without losing track. When you're ready, certification will be straightforward.
If you want to take this approach, and don't already have the doc, let us know in the comments.
Coastal sea kayak award
If this is what you're working towards, look at the award descriptions and say what opportunities you need. We're delighted to help you practice and extend. It would be helpful to know, via the comments, who wants this. The coastal award can't currently be assessed in the club, but lots of local providers offer it.
Beyond coastal sea kayak award
Have you got ambitions for a particular trip? Are you looking for opportunities to get into leading? Would you like to do more in surf? Or tideraces? It would be great to know what people want.
Midweek v weekends.
Most trips will be weekends. But some could be weekdays. If you have a regular or flexible week day, let us know.
Summer rolling
Yes, well do more roll focused short sessions this year. But we'll wait for the water to warm up. Meanwhile, pool sessions are already being arranged - they're on the forum, but there's also a WhatsApp group to look for workable future dates.
Comments
I'm definitely looking to get my Coastal SK award. @Maggie_Watson do you mean I would need to be assessed by an external assessor?
I'm pretty flexible during the week so would potentially be up for a weekday trip.
And, yes, more rolling, please!!
Thanks to you all for putting these opportunities together.
@Connor Gilronan mid week suits me better than weekends, and Jane and other leaders often prefer weekends, so between us we can cover this. May I pull your number from the club system so we can stay in touch? The skills list isn't the course description, it's a working doc for each paddler that portably tracks progress. I'll try to attach, and if that doesn't work will email it to you via the club software.
@laurahallett we'll do some bracing next time we paddle then. And we should get you and Andy paddling together. As you know, there's nothing like a bit of minor surf for bracing! Teignmouth has options further up towards east cliff. I'll keep it on my priority list.
It's really helpful to have a list of 'wants' because it means trip planning can make the best of weather forecasts and conditions. So everyone else, do chip in!
Rolling PS: we can all learn it, we can all get skills fade. I'm really keen to foster supportive opportunities to practice that go beyond deep water rolls with everyone watching at the end of a tiring paddle. Owen and I have been discussing how shallow water partial roll practice can be built into even gentle trips. We can make rolling less of a big deal!
@Maggie_Watson does Pete Scott still do any assessment work for the club?
https://www.shorelineactivities.co.uk/team/simon-hammond/
@Maggie_Watson yes, I do believe he was a teacher. He's a family friend and wondered if he was still involved.
Thanks for sharing the other providers.
You've got a copy via the WhatsApp chat now - it'll look detailed but you'll have done a lot already.
Great that you're interested in more efficient forward paddling. We can all do with keeping that front of mind! It's an under rated topic.
It would be good to get more people out in the surf! Have you done any already?
Certainly want to get better at planning paddles, tides, charts and weather.
Keen get on the water practice more rolling, get some surf practice in in a long boat also, not sure how my ruddered tub will do in that...
I would simply like to get more experience of coastal paddling and along build skills and perhaps think about working towards an award.
I’ve done rolling/ rescues in SK.
Would be interested to know more about the coastal sea kayak award and get more surf practice.
Could I bring my surfski out with a SK group or would I need to be in a sea kayak. I don’t mind either way as just need ocean experience.
If seems like there's a small group who could nail the coastal award this year, if they want to. That's great. It's a marker of increasing competence.
@Evelyn Gawen you can laminate the sheet. Some people will want to keep an electronic version that they update in collaboration with a coach/leader. But definitely the intention is that it 'belongs' to the paddler.
@Lewis_Hawkins if that's the boat you're paddling then that's the boat you'd better try out in the surf... Even if it's just getting the hang of surfy landings. Does the rudder ever come off - eg If you wanted a practice session but didn't want to risk damaging the rudder when taking a tumble? People don't usually use a skeg when beach surfing - it's just asking for damage. If your boat doesn't work out, then a surf specific SOT can be a lot of fun.
@James_Dyke I'll send you the progress tracker later, then each time you get out you can pick a skill to embed. It won't take long.
@Ruth_Osborne come on some SK trips. I don't know much about surfski, other than it looks fun. I imagine a SK is more stable, so if you're looking to get comfortable away from shore, maybe start there.
Last year was a bit of a 'keep ticking over' year for me, so my objectives have stayed pretty much the same.
On the leading side, I'd like to start leading some trips such as estuary or, if someone experienced approves (or supervises), fair-weather sea trips. This might involve Paddlesport Leader (or Touring Leader?), although I'm still cynical about whether it's a worthwhile qualification. The problem I had last year was that, by the time the weather and I were ready for estuary trips, there were sea trips on offer, so there wasn't much interest in anything I was qualified to run.
On the coaching side, I'm happy to keep running odds and ends of beginner coaching for canoe or kayak. I prefer leading to coaching. I'm alright at showing and explaining something, but not great at teaching or at helping to optimise technique.
As a sea kayaker, I like distance paddles and seeing and playing with coast, rock islands, caves/tunnels, wrecks/ruins/oddities, etc. I like a bit of gentle swell and I'm happy in 3*. I can tolerate a bit more than that, but I wouldn't deliberately seek it out. I'm happy to slog into wind - it's a nice workout if the water conditions are otherwise fine and if you don't have to paddle the next day! There are a few areas I think I'd like to paddle - I haven't done any of the Plymouth estuary or coast yet (although it's a bit of a drive), on the North coast I've only done a little bit of Cornwall - no Devon yet, I've canoed parts of Poole harbour but haven't kayaked it or been out on the coast. Ideally, I'd love to do a bit of loch/glen paddling, but it's an awfully long way to drive. Welsh South coast looks lovely from the cliffs, but I'd want good conditions.
Other craft - I'm up for some canoe paddling if other people are interested. I'd love to do some canoe sailing, but it's tricky to get the right conditions and people. I'd tentatively like to do some more kayak surfing, whether that's with the club or with my friend outside the club. I'd like to get back into beginner white water, but that depends on how much capacity and courage I have in the winter and on getting lucky with the weather. I should buy some proper winter gear too, if doing white water.
Personal challenges - I know I need to face my fear of being upside-down underwater in a boat, at some point. None of those aspects are a challenge on their own, but I hate the combination of them. I should be fit to go in pools within a few weeks (ingrown nail finally treated), so I think I need to pair up with someone for some pool or sea sessions and systematically tackle it. I want to address it rather than just ticking the 'done a roll' box and moving on. On a lighter note, I also want to get quicker at processing kit after paddles so it's not lying around wet and so it's ready to go paddling again! I should buy more kit (and more "proper" kit) - I've got enough to get by, but could do better on comfort (particularly when wet) and redundancy for multi-sport/multi-day.
With longer evenings on the way, shorter estuary midweek after work paddles can work well alongside sea trips.
Jane will be in a better position to advise on leadership qualifications, but the ones you mention preclude anything other than really fairly sheltered situations, I believe. For anything more you really need to be comfortable in your boat, out of your boat, and helping other people who have got into difficulty in waves or around rocks. Pool sessions are a great place to start - if they are still running when you're ready. Or systematically ask for practice on gentle paddles. You might need to be vocal. I will definitely run some sea evening sessions later in the year for people wanting to roll / brace / balance etc. Consider joining the improvers classes again too - we can all practise hard skills in easy water, and there's a spot near blue bridge where a coach can stand next to you. The early improver classes may not be busy because anyone starting from scratch won't be ready for them. So don't think they are beneath you - they can be what you want them to be. I'm currently down for running a set, beginning late April, with Dave. See you there?? (BTW there's no such thing as a 'done a roll' box from which people move on, most especially if you're interested in surf!!)
However a friend of mine is lending me his Scorpio HV for a few months whilst on deployment... so that solves that! I want to get used to paddling that boat as that's likely what I'll be after buying next.
Saying that, I do also really want to give surfskis a go!
Also, I'm aiming for some longer trips this spring because I'm building up for a trip in June. I need to do more solo, but I'm also happy for company if journeys interest anyone. They will be around the 23-30km range and the intention will be to push on at a steady (not fast) pace rather than pootle. If longer trips interest anyone, let me know.
Also if anyone has any Greenland paddles... I'm really curious to give them a go
https://britishcanoeingawarding.org.uk/sharpen-your-navigation-skills-with-two-new-elearning-packages/
I'd like the skills for sea kayak coastal award, more experience in tides races/surf and maybe try for sea kayak leader at the end of the season. I've signed up for an advanced sea kayak course to help with some of that too.
Christina, if you've signed up for an advanced course they'll be working above coastal level anyway. End of season, when the water is warm, is a great time to book a leadership assessment. You'll need the nav, first aid etc for that too. Personally I'd recommend picking an assessor and doing the training with him/her first. It makes the assessment more relaxed.
Several people are saying tide races. Teignmouth on the ebb against a strong swell, especially an Easterly, gives close waves but needs care because it gets rougher before it gets calmer again if someone gets washed out. Plus it's outside moderate water remit. A flood tide is safer but needs a decent easterly. The mouth of the Dart also offers sheltered launch into waves when conditions are right. And I'd love to go back to Start Point. Or north coast, Rillage Point on the flood, Burrows Nose on the ebb against a Westerly swell. We should plan some of these! If people are willing to go north, then surfing the inside of Bideford bar on the beginning of the flood and with some swell is a great and empty learning environment.
Jane will probably do some weekend trips. My time is a bit constrained but I'll look for opportunities.