A Day of Canoe Parties

A few daft relay races got everyone warmed up
A few daft relay races got everyone warmed up

It’s been a busy day today with two canoe parties. Thankfully, both where at The Mere in Ellesmere, otherwise I doubt I’d have been able to do both.

The first was for Sian, you turned 15 earlier in the week. She’s invited a mixture of friends from School (in Shrewsbury) and the local area for a couple of hours of fun on the water. We actually ended up with an odd number, so when one of the Dad’s expressed an interest in having a go as well, it seemed ideal.

Having got togged up in buoyancy aids and helmets, we spent 10 minutes or so messing about on the bank playing a few games to get warmed up and get the blood pumping. I’m always interested in new warm up games, so if you’ve got any good june, do let me know.

About to get wet feet on the see-saw
About to get wet feet on the see-saw

Once on the water, we went in search of a bit of shelter from the wind, which was causing a few issues for a couple of the paddling pairs. It was a bit of a fight to get to the shelter, but once there, it was ideal for playing games and practicing a few basic skills.

When it comes to parties and general fun sessions, I always like to throw in a few fun challenges. Most of these have little value in terms of developing paddling ability, but they encourage confidence and are definitely good for a laugh. On this occasion, the canoe see-saw came out for the first time this year.

With everyone a bit wet, they had the chance to get dry and changed, while I prepared to go again – this time for Blake’s 8th birthday. Blake has recently moved away from the area but, due to his main friendships still being in Ellesmere, his parents decided to have a party here. We followed a very similar routine as the first party, but with a bit more emphasis on boy focussed games.

It certainly seemed like a long day, but it was great to see a range of ages having fun on the water.

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