Thursday 6 October 2022 | by Brett Scillitoe
This week we will be looking at colder weather paddling and what to wear if you do take a dunk into the water.
As the weather changes, as we move towards winter, we need to be aware of the risks of falling in to cold water and what to wear. The first thing is a buoyancy aid and maybe a full buoyancy aid, as opposed to an inflatable one. They act like a gilet and stop you dropping further into the water should you go in.
A Wetsuit or Drysuit depending on your budget, is also a good option. Decathlon along with other general sports retailers offer wetsuits at a reasonable price. Ideally, a swimming wetsuit so that you can move easily. As to drysuits, a sailing drysuit would be best, with room to move and lightweight.
Finally, you could wear quick drying running clothes and either have lightweight waterproof jacket and trousers with you in a drybag or wear them if they are breathable. These should be put on as soon as you are back on your watercraft, after a dunking, as it is the Windchill that will cause you a lot of harm. Once off the water, change into dry clothes as soon as you can and bring a warm drink with you in a flask.
Remember, if you don’t take it with you, you can’t put it on.
The link below is to a good article by AS Watersports about clothing. Although it is written with paddlerboarders in mind, the same advice is true for all paddlers regardless of sitting or standing.
This Sunday’s AquaPaddles are at Swansea with Emily King looking after everyone there and Hampton-Molesey with Judy Scillitoe and her team keeping everyone safe.
Please remember your Buoyancy aid (Full or Inflatable), leash and AquaPaddle Number. If you can’t make it, please remember to cancel your registration on the Website. To do this, login and go to the Registrations page where you can click the Cancel Registration button. It really does help the Crew.
For those who haven’t seen the video from the inaugural AquaPaddle Tonbridge, please click here to see it.
We are always looking to for volunteers, either as, on the water Crew or to help the Charity in general. Whether this is helping with the Admin or Social Media or raising funds. Every little helps. Please contact us via the website or talk to your local AquaPaddle Captain.
As we grow there is a need for more core safety equipment. As a Charity we are rely on donations to provide this equipment. Six radios cost about £250.00 and a Defib cost around £1200.00. Please give what you can, or if you know someone looking to help a worthy charity, please suggest AquaPaddle. Every little helps.