July 2023, Peter, my son needed a wetsuit to go swimming at Willowgate Activity Centre in Perth. We visited Tiso, Perth, an outdoor shop in Perth where he got said wet-suit. We noticed a cheap (£180) Stand up paddle board kit and decided to get it between us. It was then decided that it would be best to get one each to go out together. It was a 9ft long and 30 inch wide Inflatable board. He is 70kg while I am 90kg 😞 however we thought this would be alright.
Upon further investigation I decided to opt for a slightly longer and slightly wider Inflatable board for better stability. Although it cost a bit more at £399, I thought it a good price.
So I watched a few YouTube videos and online websites and set off for my first session down at Loch Clunie, a reasonable sized loch near me in Blairgowrie.
I donned my wet-suit and proceeded to inflate my board to the recommended 12 - 15psi. It did take a fair bit of pumping to get there, and when I disconnected my air hose, i immediately lost around 5psi before I closed the valve and had to continue pumping. The more air = the better stability.
Ready to launch.
I floated the board and , with trepidation, knelt on it astride the center carrying handle. I thought that I'd better try standing up while in shallow water. I am not sure why I thought that, perhaps it was the fear of falling off in deep water, even though I had a protective buoyancy aid on. However up I went.. My legs turned to jelly and I was sure that I was going to fall off. I remembered to fix my gaze towards the horizon and start paddling, and hey presto, it worked. I immediately felt more stable once the board was moving and I didn't look down. I was paddle-boarding! 3 strokes on one side, change over and 3 strokes on the other side, keep looking up, making good progress. I did feel a bit stressed having to concentrate so hard, and told myself to try to relax, it worked but as I relaxed I felt my balance starting to waiver and a bit off wobbling ensued :).
Before I set off, I asked a couple, who were setting up an inflatable kayak prior to entry, if they could zip me up into my wet-suit, as It wouldn't budge for me. This they did and they said for me to stop by up at the far end of the loch, where they were headed, and they would offer me a coffee. Sounded good to me.
I could see them at their destination, so I set off to meet them.
paddle-boarding is not a fast pursuit for a complete beginner such as I, so it did take some time for me to get there, skirting around the edges of the loch, past the large area of lilly leaves and between a small man-made island and the shore.
On arrival I 'egressed' the water succesfully and re-aquanted with the couple. It turns out that Edward was from Arbroath and June was from somewhere more south than Scotland. I let Edward take a spin on the board, which he did kneeling down.
They had a small gas cooking setup and soon had the water boiling and Lattes poured. What a treat!
They did offer me a bacon roll, but I did not want to overstay or take advantage of their kind hospitality, and I was also keen to get back onto the water. I bid them goodbye and set off once more.
This time I felt more confident and decided to go out nearer the middle of the loch and to head back to my starting point and to paddle past the island on the other side from when I headed up. It looked man-made, with large stones at the edge, trees and a stone building . I may explore this at a later date.
I could see the slight breeze blowing on the water and really enjoyed my paddle back. Now and then a fish would come up to take a fly.
On arrival, I then practiced my turning skills and lost my balance and in I went. Not to worry, now I could practice getting back onto the board, which I did do.
Time to head back in and deflate the board and pack it away in its bag.
I did feel quite proud of myself and I look forward to many more such adventures, and will keep you posted.
I don't have any pictures because I was by myself and did not want to take my phone onto the water without a pouch. Hopefully next time when I'm with peter I will get some pictures.
