🌊 A Perfect Day on Poole Harbour: Kayaks, Sunshine & Team Spirit
What started as a last-minute change turned into one of the most memorable days we’ve had on the water. With the weather showing off in true British summer style, we made the spontaneous decision to move our meet-up from 10 am to a bright and early 8 am—and thank goodness we did! By 9 am the car park was packed, and the roads were gridlocked thanks to Sand Polo and Sand Fest bringing waves of visitors to the area.
🥓 Butties Before Buoys: Breakfast at Base Camp
Before the paddles even touched the water, our morning was off to a sizzling start thanks to Tim Travers, who stepped up as our impromptu breakfast chef. His bacon and egg butties were the perfect fuel for a big day ahead—thank you, Tim, for keeping the crew happy and well-fed!
🚣♀️ Launch & Learn: Training Begins
With kayaks launched from the North Haven Yacht Club, we were greeted by calm, sheltered waters that made for ideal training conditions. Under the watchful eye of John Wheeler from RLSS Boscombe Lifeguards, participants practiced:
- Kayaking techniques and control
- Team-based rescue drills
- Solo self-rescue strategies
- Efficient paddling in varied conditions
It wasn’t just about skills—it was about confidence on the water, and everyone gave it their all.
👨👩👧 Family Matters: Building a Community
We had 12 participants, including 4 parents who joined in wholeheartedly. Seeing families involved together made this event even more special. The laughter, encouragement, and teamwork reminded us why we do these sessions—not just to learn, but to build connections.
🙌 Thank You, Team!
Big gratitude to:
- John Wheeler for leading the training with skill and care
- Tom McMahon and Sam Travers for being right there on the water, supporting the group
- Everyone who showed up with energy, enthusiasm, and smiles
📅 Sessions Covered:
The sessions shown below gives an indication of what was taught and practiced today
Session 1 Practical skills;
- Refresher on forward and reverse paddling
- steering strokes – sweeps, rudders,
- turning strokes – to include static and on the move
- support strokes
- moving sideways – draws
Session 2 Theory
- weather / tide effects
- positioning
- launching and landing considerations.
- what equip to consider carrying when providing safety cover
Session 3 Rescue Skills
- self rescues
- assisting another craft in a rescue
- towing
- swimmer rescues
- unconscious casualties
Overall a great day out, with lost of laughter and merriment, but above all everyone learning new skills and thoroughly enjoying them selves
#staysafe #keeppaddling #rlsspoole
