Paddlesport touring and expeditions, particularly in sea kayaks, is a growing aspect of the sport but very few opportunities exist in London.
Chelsea Kayak Club was officially founded in March 2010 by a small group of enthusiastic London paddlers to help provide more opportunities in this area of the sport. All of the founding members are members of other clubs and the majority are experienced paddlers in other disciplines of canoeing and kayaking, and include several qualified UKCC / BCU coaches.
The Club is classed as an “Unincorporated Association” run on a voluntary, non-commercial, not-for-profit basis by members for members and is governed by a Club Constitution and the rules of Canoe England (a division of the British Canoe Union which is the National Governing Body for canoeing and kayaking). The Club has a management committee to help manage and run the Club however all members are encouraged to attend meetings and get involved; to help assist these roles and to organise trips.
The Club’s main base is Cremorne Riverside Activity Centre (the Centre) in Chelsea which is owned and run by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC). The Club is a completely independent legal entity to the Centre and has a licence with RBKC to use the premises as an adult community paddlesport club subject to certain additional provisions which are set out in a separate contract.
The Club aims to get like-minded paddlers together to enjoy the health and social benefits of paddling, to engage in safe river and sea trips at the same time as encouraging people to learn about and develop within the sport.
The Club also offers a next-step arrangement for individuals attending adult sessions organised by the Centre should they wish to progress, develop their skills and practice what they have learnt to keep them interested in the sport.
The Club runs regular weekly and occasional weekend sessions on the Thames at which times it operates to the Centre’s procedures. The Club does not operate at the Centre when youth based activities are taking place.
Away from the Centre it runs regular trips (including overseas) and social events. It also provides regular safety, coaching and leadership training opportunities for its members. See the Events Calendar for details of upcoming events and activities.
As a community orientated Club, membership is open to all individuals over the age of 18 who are able to swim 50m in light clothing.
Thanks to grants from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Sport England the Club now has a number of sea kayaks and other equipment available for club members to use.
Club members are also encouraged to write blogs and contribute to the CKC Forum on topics relating to the Club (e.g. trip summaries) or sea kayaking and touring in general.
The Club promotes and practices a positive health and safety culture at all times and wants to be seen as leading the way in safe tideway paddling.
To support the borough’s sport development objectives and to further demonstrate its commitment to be a safe and competent club which operates to high standards the Club is also working towards achieving accreditation to Clubmark.
