A note about Thames paddles: wind speeds can be substantially lower than forecasted because of trees sheltering the Thames. For Thames paddles around the CKC base at Kew Bridge, Thames leaders will base their decision to paddle on the actual experienced windspeed on the river on that day, combined with other factors including fluvial flow, group experience and state of the tide for the trip. Remember, the trip leader has the final say on whether a trip goes ahead or not, how things are run and who gets to paddle.