WE TRIED THAT
with all his waterborne activities it’s amazing he doesn’t have webbed feet. It’s apparent that ‘board’ sports are his thing and have been since he started on a skateboard as a child. He affectionately likens his boards (and he has a few) to “his aquatic dancefloor.” It really is a local sport and well suited to
Dartmouth and its environs. Even our boards came from a local company – The Red Paddle Company (based near Totnes) – who are one of the leading suppliers of inflatable paddle boards worldwide. You can coast upriver or paddle out to sea to explore hidden coves and miniature canyons – one of which Edward even ventured through under Piers’ guidance. I meanwhile sat down on my board outside Castle Cove and watched the world go by – a real treat to be uncontactable and bobbing about on the water. It has that strange magical feeling of walking on water – the alternative South West Coast Path! Paddle Boarding, unsurprisingly, has
Hawaiian heritage and has developed from regular surfing. The big advantage is you don’t need surf for paddle boarding and you can do it on any expanse of water with or without surf. Over the last 10 years the sport has developed hugely and there’s hope that it might soon feature in the Olympics. The Dart even hosts the largest SUP race in the UK – The Head of the Dart - with nearly 100 paddle boarders taking part this year - quite a sight! It’s organised by Dart Adventures and supported by Red Paddle Co. Our biggest impression was it’s a lot easier
than you think and amazingly neither of us fell off during the whole session. It’s also a great form of exercise as it uses pretty much every muscle in your body and is particular good for the much talked about core strength. My biggest problem was the aforesaid wetsuit – without falling in and in the heat of the midday sun I was a little warm! We are now hooked by this new
experience on the familiar River Dart. It is yet another way to see something different (we spotted the dolphin and seals) and suitable for
locals as well as visitors. Instructors can take out groups of up to 6 people and if you’re feeling confident just hire the boards – though don’t forget to check the tides! It’s no wonder that paddle boarders cant hide their infectious enthusiasm and addiction to the sport; we ventured off home full of ideas for future trips and after thanking Piers he declared, with a cheeky grin, that he was off to try out his new board!•
Motor Boats Sailing Boats Ribs Kayaks Stand Up Paddle Boards
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148