Here's a list of our most frequently asked questions. We hope you find them helpful, whether you are starting paddling, looking for training and courses, or you are an existing paddler within the club.
Despite the title most canoe clubs in the UK are kayak clubs with a small amount of paddling in canoes as well. PHCC is no exception, have a look at some of the pictures on the website. (Kayaks are paddled with a double ended paddle, canoes with a single ended paddle.) The rest of the world tends to keep more strictly to the kayaking/canoeing definition.
We have no age limits on membership. The young children of family members can paddle with their parents either in a shared boat or alongside. We have a specific junior section for which 8 is the minimum age. A proportion of junior events will only be suitable for those of 10 or more. Ability to swim is required of any juniors participating without parents.
We have paddlers of all ages and in every age group right up to 70+. We HAVE taught old dogs new tricks!
Just send back the membership form and a cheque to the address on the form. You can download it from the web-site. We will then send out the members password to you so you can download the members pack and gain access to the events list and members contact details.
A skill level is included in the events list, although weather conditions can change an easy paddle into a challenge. If unsure phone the contact shown against each event.
PHCC has a specific junior section with an activity most weekends including occasional pool sessions. These are supervised by a BCU qualified instructor. You don’t have to do a course to join in although if you have no experience many events will be beyond your skills at first. Activities have an age guide against them. Parental consent forms are needed for junior and club events.
We only have insurance cover to take you on the water once you are a member but you are welcome to visit the club by coming down to the club on a Wednesday night during the season. Alternatively commercial organisations such as Woodmill in Southampton do offer taster sessions.
If you are attending a beginners course Boats, Paddles, Buoyancy aids and spraydecks are supplied. Wetsuits aren’t needed only a waterproof top. Do bring a change of clothes a towel and footwear that can get wet. Juniors in particular are more prone to getting totally soaked. If you’re not on a course then equipment can be borrowed for a fee until you buy your own.
You need to be a club member for our courses. The courses are popular and we usually have a waiting list so do join and put your name on the list now if interested.
The 5 week courses are run by our volunteer coaches form the beach in the harbour. They run on midweek evenings while there is daylight from Late Spring to Autumn. Courses are usually a couple of hours on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday but if there is sufficient demand other days can sometimes be arranged. The more flexible you are the quicker we can fit you in. Course dates are arranged as instructors volunteer there is no fixed timetable.
A course isn’t essential but is the fastest and best way to learn, the alternative is to pick it up gradually on club nights. If you are a raw beginner then you may have to miss some activities if no-one is available to look after you. For Juniors we run sessions with a coach in attendance.
All our courses usually mix adults and children, although we try not to have a sole adult surrounded by children. Seeing the children outclass you is usually too much for most adults.
We have no beginners courses during the winter as usually the weather is not suitable for learning in. The club however has a regular meeting on alternate Saturdays and Sundays throughout the year and a series of midweek courses to learn to roll a kayak.
You need to join the club first. The beginners course is then £20 for 5 weeks.
One of the primary benefits is being part of a friendly club; plenty of people to paddle with; share stories with; ask advice from; discover new places with. Another primary benefit is safety: courses with British Canoe Union (BCU) qualified instructors and liability insurance through the clubs affiliation to the BCU. As a member you are covered by the BCU insurance.
The club runs BCU star courses from grade 1 to 5. Up to three star there is at least one course a year. Four and five depend on collecting together enough names. During the winter the club hires a local swimming pool and runs 5 week courses to learn to roll.
Whilst it is important to realise that they are not an end in themselves. Getting out on club paddles regularly can teach you a great deal as well as giving plenty of practice of strokes and technique and becoming paddle fit.
The club mostly contains club boats and we only have spaces for a handful of private boats in the club, so for the majority we unfortunately have no room. A water supply for washing your equipment after paddling is available at the club hut.
The club is always keen to encourage volunteer coaches, they are essential in introducing new paddlers into the sport. Provided there is a commitment to use the coaching qualifications to the benefit of the club then the club will reimburse some of the training costs.
The club has members interested in most disciplines, Sea kayaking, Surfing, Playboating, Open Canoeing, River Touring, Marathon. The majority of club members engage in at least a couple of disciplines and some have tried everything. The club is run as a whole without splitting up into discipline sections but we do try to put you in contact with others keen for the same aspects.
As well as plenty of opinion about the best boat to buy, membership of the club entitles club members to a 10-15% discount on equipment purchase from a variety of suppliers. Trying out the club boats and paddling other members boats can also be invaluable.