Guidelines for Hosting Trips

Cherry Capital Paddle America Club
revised March 2006

When people go on club trips, we presume they do so for a number of reasons. Some of those may be:

To learn about new areas to paddle.
To enjoy the company of other people who like paddling.
To decrease the real or perceived risk of paddling alone.
To increase their skill level by learning from others who have more experience.

Being a good host means helping people achieve their goals. Here are a few simple guidelines to use when hosting a trip for CCPAC.

Planning the trip

The person hosting the trip should be familiar with the area being paddled including routes to the access point(s). If the trip involves significant point-to-point distance, you should think about potential bail out points if an emergency presents itself.

Listing the trip in the newsletter

When writing the listing for the newsletter, make the trip sound appealing. Include a short description of the trip along with the skills needed by the participants to enjoy the trip.

All CCPAC outings are listed in two categories: JSU (Just Show Up) and RSVP (call or e-mail the host beforehand to get specifics on place and time). Each leader has the option of listing his or her paddle either way. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.

If a trip is listed as JSU, the advantage is that the leader doesn’t have to take phone calls (or return them), and can simply list the meeting time and driving instructions in the newsletter. People can decide to come at the last minute. But the host must show up, even if it’s just to say that the trip is being canceled due to weather. JSU trips are popular with some leaders, especially when a trip might easily accommodate a large group.

If a trip is listed as RSVP, then a host has the option of phoning the participants to cancel or change a date (or location) if conditions are predicted to be awful on the date the trip is scheduled. Leaders can get to know people before the trip, and can tell them a little bit about what to expect. At that point, they may remind them of any special things they should bring or wear. In a phone conversation or e-mail exchange, a participant may be asked to bring a piece of group safety gear like an extra paddle and a throw bag. Taking sign-ups ahead of time also allows the leader to limit the number of people and boats. If a leader chooses to use this option, he or she should leave out the specific meeting time or place in the newsletter write-up so people don’t JSU.

At the put-in

As the host, you should arrive about 30 minutes before the meeting time. This gives you time to get your own equipment ready so you can greet people as they arrive, sign them up, and help them as necessary.

In many cases, you can't always predict what the weather will be at launch time. Note that if there is lightning in the area, club policy dictates that a trip should be canceled. If your trip was a JSU trip, you still must show up yourself to tell participants that the trip will not go. You Cannot Cancel An Event By Simply Not Showing Up. Some of our most memorable paddles have taken place when the forecast was not very promising.

Before the trip sets off, make sure everyone has signed an ACA waiver form, and you have kept a list of each ACA number and name. Some leaders who host RSVP trips find it's handy to have the forms ready, with the names printed and ACA numbers included beforehand. The host should make a mental note of how many people are on the trip and how many boats are participating. Check the list of recommended equipment and make sure you know who has the group safety gear. Make sure everyone knows that since this is a club trip, they must wear their PFD's while on the water.

If you have paddlers who are not ACA members, they may participate as guests, but each non-member who participates must fill out a separate waiver, and there is a $10 fee to participate. This $10 is actually for a ?one day event membership" in the American Canoe Association (the parent organization for CCPAC).

Before you launch

At some convenient time before everyone sets out on the water, or leaves to shuttle cars, the host should call the group together, have everyone introduce themselves, and explain the plan for the day. This shows participants that some thought has gone into the outing, and tells them what they need to do to help the trip run smoothly. Some mention should be made of your expectations regarding paddling speed and the time you think people will be back at their cars. For example:

You may say, "We are going to proceed down the coastline at a comfortable, but sustained speed. We will stop at a park five miles down the coast for lunch. We need to be there by noon because the wind is predicted to build to 15 mph. Mary will be paddling the yellow kayak and will be the lead boat. Please stay to her right and do not get ahead of her. I will be in the red kayak and will be the sweep boat. If anyone gets in trouble, the nearest boats should come to their aid. After lunch we will take a swim break and wait for the waves to build. With luck we can ride the swells back to the car. In any event we hope to be back by 4 PM. Since this is a club trip everyone must wear a PFD. If anyone has any medical conditions I should know about, talk to me before we launch. Can everyone be on the water in ten minutes?"

Or you may say, "This is a leisure float down the river. Be sure and take time to look at the turtles. Lois has a red canoe and will be the lead boat, so please stay behind her. Since this is a club trip, even though it is hot, everyone must wear a PFD. Lois will pull over after about an hour for the first swim break. I will be in the green canoe and will be the sweep boat. I will stay back with the last person. This is an easy river, but stay away from the downed trees at the outside of the bends. Lois will stop at the lunch spot in about two hours. We should be at the take out by 5 PM. In five minutes we will drive all the cars to the take-out. I have the white minivan so follow me. We will all ride back in Dan's van, then Fred will give Dan a ride back to his car at the end. Are there any questions? If anyone has any medical conditions I should know about, talk to me before we launch."

On the water

If the trip is on a sheltered body of water with no current, then it can be run with only one host. However if the trip is on a river with current, there must be a lead and a sweep boat. If someone needs help, you often won't know it if you are in the lead and around a bend. On many of our rivers it is extremely difficult to paddle upstream even if you know someone is in trouble. The lead person needs to set a reasonable pace, and stop occasionally to allow the group to get back together. They must know where to stop if a specific lunch spot is needed, and they must know what the take-out looks like. If the lead discovers a difficult obstacle that may tax the abilities of less skilled paddlers, safety boats may be assigned to the location until all paddlers have passed. The sweep should be a competent paddler who has the knowledge and strength to help someone who gets in trouble. They should also have the patience to help someone who is not very skilled or physically strong. You may ask people to be a lead or a sweep boat when you meet them at the put-in.

On open water it also helps to have a lead and a sweep boat to keep the group together. The lead must know the course and set a reasonable pace, but it is difficult for the lead to keep a constant eye on all the boats. It is much easier for the sweep to notice if one of the participants is having difficulty. The lead and sweep should agree to a set of signals before everyone sets out. If possible, there should be a flank paddler to assure that the group doesn't stray too far from shore.

If there are any participants with weak swimming skills, or weak paddling skills, the leader should assign a person to buddy up with that person so they can stay near enough to quickly lend assistance if it is needed.

At the end of the paddle

Make sure everyone is accounted for. Ask someone who had a good time to write a trip report for the newsletter; it can be sent directly to the editor. Accept thanks from all the participants who enjoyed the trip. If there has been an injury on the trip, the leader must make a written report to the outings chair who will forward it to the ACA.

When you get home

Email the names of trip participants and their ACA #'s to:

Vicki Baron, ACA, at vbaron@americancanoe.org for insurance purposes
The outings co-chairs at outings@ccpac.org for club records."

Thanks so much for volunteering to lead an outing for the club. It is volunteers like you that make our club a success!