First time with all 3 children out on the water.
On Saturday May 5th, we for the first time got all 3 of our children out on the water in our kayak and on the Stand up paddle board.
We have owned our Kayak, a Ocean Malibu 2 XL for many years, before me and Hanna were even married.
But since having children I think we have used it once before this
Its Big at 4.1 meters, and Heavy at 68lbs, but its absolutely brilliant on the water, and very sturdy.
We brought our Stand-up-Paddle boards (SUP) a couple of years ago as they were much easier to transport than the kayak. We toyed with selling the kayak several times over the last few years, but always wanted to hang onto it for when the children were bigger, but now we are really thankful we didn't.
We felt our youngest (almost 2) was at a good age to get him out safely on the water in the kayak, so we headed to the Cuckmere meanders for our first family paddle.
The Cuckmere meanders is shallow and cut off from the main Cuckmere stream, so is non tidal and has no current.
You can launch for free from launch slope outside the Buzz Active centre.
You do need to pay for parking, Cars - £3.00 for up to 2 hours - £4.00 for the day, Or if you have a Discovery Pass, parking is free.
We loaded the 2 boys onto the kayak with me, youngest sitting between my legs and the other up front, my daughter sat on the front of the SUP with my wife. They soon started swapping with each other as we headed down the river.
They loved spotting all the crabs on the bottom, they also found a recently hatched Goose egg shell, we paddled unto the sheep, which the older 2 got out to get a closer look, our youngest spent most the time hanging of the side playing with the water.
We spent a couple of hours on the water, all 3 said they loved it and are looking forward to more family paddling adventures.
Our youngest even had a little go on the paddle board, and was desperate to even stand up.
Things to remember when taking children onto the water
- Buoyancy aid/Life Jacket.
- Wetsuit.
- Foot protection.
- DO NOT EVER leave your children unattended or trust a child’s life to another child.
- Suncream, if needed.
- Stay within a safe distance.
- Avoid rough of fast flowing water, Beware of rip currents.
- Ensure they are warm enough.
- Pay attention to any warning flags
- Carry a phone or device to contact Emergency services if needed.
- If at the beach, stay near lifeguarded beaches or have your own watcher on shore.
- Know your limits, and DO NOT EVER put your children into danger. Don’t take risks.
Also, the most important thing to any child SNACKS 😁
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