Sea Kayak Program
Contact the trip organiser well ahead of the date for boat hire, and to confirm that the trip is going ahead.
If there's no contact, why not volunteer! Times given are generally targets to meet at the venue NOT to meet at Muchalls. Click here for equipment/rental information. Access details for our more regular launch sites here.
Trip organisers are volunteers who give up their time to act as a contact point for paddlers interested in paddling that particular trip. Other than on specified training events, organisers do not accept responsibility for other paddlers or for instructing them. Participants need to be self sufficient in paddling equipment. These are generally NOT guided trips run by qualified instructors.
Day and weekend trip gradings are intended to give some idea of the type of trip. However they are only indicative so contact the organiser to understand the trip envisaged.
Grade A is in sheltered water. Participants should be capable of paddling 20 km (12 miles) per day in Force 2/3 conditions.
Grade B is in more challenging waters and may include tidal streams, exposed headlands, and open crossings between islands. Participants should be capable of paddling 25km (16 miles) per day in up to Force 4 conditions. A 4* paddler would feel comfortable on such a trip.
Grade C participants should be capable of paddling in more difficult conditions than Grade b for a longer time.
A short summary of our program for 2010 can be found in our calendar. A detailed program is only available for members via their Google account.
Sea Kayak Training
Training sessions are available for members and take place in Stonehaven Harbour. More details can be found in the calendar and Google website. Contact us if you're interested to come along.
In 2009, Ed, Gav, Rebekka and Nigel held a number of 2* training sessions throughout the summer, which were all well attended. Some club members gained their 2* award after a training and assessment day at Knockburn Loch. Nigel and Mark also ran a series of taster sessions with members of Aberdeen Boat Club and Aberdeen Surf Lifesavers which were a great success.
The pool sessions at Stonehaven pool received a lot of interest as well and gave new members the chance to hone their bracing, rescue and rolling skills. A boatswap day was held at Sandend with Deveron club, which gave a lot of members their first taste of surfing.
Interesting talks on the local birdlife and Devizes-Westminster race were well attended at the start of the year.
We hope to continue our training programme for 2010, with pool sessions and more 2* training for new members, and 3* training for more established members and perhaps some surf and tidal training events. VHF courses and first aid courses are available if there's sufficient interest.
