Sunday 11 August 2013

Try Paddle Boarding with the Newfoundland Adventure Company



by Keith and Heather Nicol
      Pasadena Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Western Newfoundland and we recently went there to try paddle boarding with Scott Ledrew who runs the brand new Newfoundland Adventure Company. Scott has started this company to allow visitors at the beach to try some different activities and he has sea kayaks and paddle boards to rent right on the beach.  He also sells bikes and has bikes for rent for anyone that wants to cruise around the beach front roads in Pasadena. He operates the bike rental out of A. Watton and Son Store where he also sells beach wear, art and some crafts. 


The store rents bikes and is close to the beach

       Paddle boarding has been around for a few years but Scott told us he knew of no other place in Newfoundland where you could rent paddle boards .  The sport is sort of a cross between canoeing and surfing. But instead of sitting you stand up and paddle using an extended canoe style blade. Our only experience with surfing was many years ago in Hawaii and at that time we didn’t have much success with it. As we recall, we may have managed to stand up for a nano secord before the next wave sent us into the water. Surfing is much harder than it looks. But the paddle board has lots of buoyancy and is much easier to stand on. One of the reasons it has become so popular in many places is that is easy to learn and is good exercise.  
Paddling boarding is easy to learn
     Scott started us out kneeling on the board to get a feel for it and then we stood up when we felt comfortable. It didn’t take long before we were standing up and paddling out into the lake. Keeping the board going straight ahead is abit of a challenge since you tend to take several strokes on one side. Just like in a canoe if you paddle only on one side the bow tends to turn. Scott told us to try a J stroke which we had some success with but we found we usually just changed sides to keep the board going straight. This gives both arms and shoulders a work out which is one of the goals of the sport. And if you want even more challenge try paddling with Tiloup, a dog that likely paddle boarding. If you are interested in trying this sport then contact Scott at: 632-6970 or check out his facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/NewfoundlandAdventureCompany.
Paddling with Tiloup
Heather paddling a sea kayak at Pasadena Beach





No comments:

Post a Comment