Saturday is Paddling Day

SUP Basics course

‘Saturday is Paddling Day’ at Middle Island

WORDS: MELISSA DAVIS,RHKYC Paddle Sports Coach | IMAGES: MELISSA DAVIS | AUGUST CHOW

From left clockwise: DB Intro course; DB Club training; Outrigger Canoe

very Saturday Middle Island comes alive with paddlers travelling from all over Hong Kong to partake in the various paddle sports offered at the Club.

As usual, the first to hit the waters are the early rising ‘outriggers’. Outrigger canoe is a fast growing sport in Hong Kong therefore it is no surprise that RHKYC are spearheading the charge to expand and promote the sport to be ‘officially’ recognised in Hong Kong. A large fleet of canoes heads out each Saturday morning in search of bigger water to experience more challenging conditions with the collective hope it will teach, push, and motivate the many paddlers who love to paddle outrigger canoe.

As the group finishes their long paddle and heads back to shore a different style of paddling is getting underway. Dragon Boat paddling prefers the calmer waters around the Bays to execute the intense drills that are required to be ‘ready and race fit’ for competition. The session lasts for around 90 minutes finishing in time for a hearty meal in the restaurant and a great way to kick off the weekend.

With over 100 paddlers on the water in the morning, the stand up paddling (SUP) course is also making waves with participants learning all they need to know to safely paddle around the surrounding waters of Middle Island on a board. All in all, you can expect to see a lot of paddling from now on as we gear ourselves towards the upcoming races!