Welcome to the Paddle Sports page of the Website!
We are a small but growing
segment within the Squadron, including folks who have been paddling for a long time,
as well as relative newcomers to the fascinating world of canoeing and
kayaking.
We do everything from
leisurely paddles on local lakes and slow moving rivers, to fun rides on faster
moving “whitewater” streams. We explore the wonderful marshes along our
beautiful shorelines, as well as longer outings and open-water trips poking
around the islands of Long Island Sound and
We also participate in river
cleanups and educational events. We practice nature stewardship and public
awareness. We enjoy the solitude of small group outings, but also the
camaraderie of our social gatherings.
We have our own kayaks and
canoes, but we also have connections to a local store where we can rent boats
and gear, or test and try something out on the water before committing to buy.
We take water safety very seriously and make sure everybody has adequate
experience and equipment for our outings.
Click here to see a typical
safety checklist. Click here to download a
typical Float Plan, and click
here for information on how to use VHF communication to make emergency
calls.
We participate in the public
Boating Course and join the AMC whitewater group for their winter pool
sessions. Annual events we participate in include the Naugatuck River Race
and a 2- or 3-day paddle down the
Weather and conditions
permitting, we are out on the water somewhere pretty much every weekend, even
before or after the main season. Check our calendar, or just give us a call and
find out what is going on, and who is going where. We’d love to have you come
along and take you places you always wanted to go but haven’t had a chance to
see for yourself!
More photos of Paddle events
can be found at the WPS photo page
and the Non Squadron Activities page.
This is the time of year
where our paddle group moves some of our activities indoors. There are many
great opportunities to join up with fellow boaters and learn from their skills
and expertise in the comfortable setting of a pool. There you can learn and
practice basic paddling strokes and techniques like bracing and skulling, and the all-important skill of rolling your boat
in a controlled environment, under the superb guidance and friendly
encouragement of highly skilled and experienced kayakers!
There are many offerings out
there, including some by professional outfitters offering dedicated classes. Some
of us are members of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) and have become
friends with their Whitewater paddling group, during their summer sessions on
lakes and ponds, and several guided outings. They offer pool sessions in
January and February, to anyone, for a fee to cover the cost of renting the
pools (members receive a discount). Their sessions will be on Friday evenings
from 7-9 in
See their website at http://www.ct-amc.org/paddle/index.shtm
for registration and more detail.
We have a variety of
exciting outings planned for next year:
-
Our traditional New
Year’s Day paddle to cap off the year
-
Our traditional Good
Friday season opener on the
-
The Memorial Day
raft-up in Hamburg Cove
-
The annual Naugatuck
River Race and Festival in early May
-
Our traditional Spring
3-day camping trip down the CT River in mid May
-
Another
-
Another trip to
-
The fall CT River trip
after Labor Day in September
-
The Water Safety
support for the Triathlons at Quassy and Waramaug
-
Plus all the weekend
paddles we plan on short notice, depending on conditions
As always, contact
We would like to thank all
of the many paddlers who joined us on our trips and made them safe and
enjoyable. After all, boating is fun, especially with a group of like-minded
people. Above all, we want everyone to be safe, so make the proper
preparations, and consider taking additional boating classes with us!
Finally, we wish everyone
Happy Holidays, and a safe boating season for 2013!
Regina and Egbert