Thanks to leader Fiona and co-leader Jan, 6 other paddlers took the opportunity to embark on a club paddle in Chichester on the weekend. Rich, Jo, Christine, Mike & Marcel used club boats, Jan took his own and Kenneth used the opportunity to try out his new Inuit-inspired, aluminum-framed kayak covered by stretched polyurethane skin. Second only to his assortment of sweets, everyone was quite impressed!
An early start meant departing Kew at shortly after 7:30am, planning around high water at 12:30pm. ETA in Itchenor was around 9:30am. Fiona’s trip plan advised ‘paddle to Fishbourne’ and during our pre-trip briefing it became clear that she didn’t mean Fishbourne on the Isle of Wight – apparently there are two towns in this area with the same name! With this cleared up, we set off shortly after 10am, headed towards Chichester whilst enjoying views of the spire in the distance marking the historic town location.
Towards Fishbourne, Fiona disappeared but we soon realised she paddled up the reeded creek …….. we all followed and this narrow inlet forced us to practice some skills – turning, reversing, maneuvering etc.
Lunch at Dell Quay – lovely pub and sailing school location – sitting on the wall watching the world go by, soaking up loads of sun and scoffing a sneaky Victoria sponge.
After lunch, the tide had turned and aided our paddle back. The gentle flow allowed us to practice some skills before heading back. All-in-all super weather, super company and a lovely day out!
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