SUP FAQ
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Paddleboarding appeals to boys, girls, men and women of all ages.
There are beginner lessons taking place at Thames Sailing Club most weekends
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The Thames Sailing Club Beginner Lessons:

The original Blue Chip Paddleboard School started in 2008 by Brian Johncey soon built up a reputation of excellence and fun training, being the first ASI qualified school in Europe. The school established a great relationship with The Thames Sailing Club in Surbiton in 2010. The Thames Sailing Club Paddleboard School was the natural progression.
The Good News:-
Thames Sailing Club is delighted that the same team of Club instructors that built the original school’s reputation will continue to teach Paddleboarding at the Thames Sailing Club Paddleboard School.
TSCPS instructors have all been tutored by Brian Johncey at the Blue Chip Paddleboard Instructor Training Centre. All the TSC Paddleboard instructors have maintained their ASI and or British Canoeing qualifications, TSCPS instructors are certified by British Canoeing “Paddle-Safe, Safeguarding and Best Practices” along with first aid qualifications..
TSCPS Lessons run on the principle of safety, knowledge, fun and more fun.
- All instructors are Qualified SUP Instructors either with ASI or British Canoeing
- The Thames Sailing Club hosted the first ASI accredited SUP School in Europe
- TSCPS lessons take you through every aspect of Paddleboarding
- Click here for more infomation about the TSC Paddleboarding School - info@paddleboardschool.co.uk
- Email ClubSecretary@BlueChipSUPerClub.co.uk for more information on Paddleboarding at Thames Sailing Club.
Questions & Answers:
When does the Thames Sailing Club
Paddleboard School (TSCPS) run its Lessons? |
Most Saturdays from April to end of October at 09:00 | |
Will I be able to do it first time? | Yes! Flat Water Stand Up Paddle boarding is not a falling-in sport. Virtually none of our clients fall in - and any dunkings that have occurred are almost always due to over-exuberance (and thus entirely avoidable if you want to stay dry!). We guarantee that you’ll be on your feet and paddling within your first session. | |
Can I come on my own and join in with a group? | Yes, you can book in for just you on your own and join in one of our TSCPS Saturday morning group lessons | |
What are the class sizes? | There will be at least one fully qualified Instructor taking the class with a maximum of 8 students to a class as we feel this is the maximum to operate safely. In Addition to the qualified Instructor, our classes also incorporate experienced paddlers with a minimum ratio of 4:1 students to an experienced paddler, (it is not unusual for our classes to run with a 2:1 ratio), we have found our students benefit greatly having experienced paddlers on hand within the lesson. | |
Can I organise a small group of friends to have our own lesson session ? | Yes, if you can get a group of 5 - 10, we will give you a 10% discount and the session will be devoted just to you group | |
Do I need water sports experience at all, would it make a difference? | No but previous water sports experience is an advantage but it will make no difference, you will still be Paddleboarding by the end of the lesson | |
What equipment does theTSCPS use? |
Buoyancy aids will
be provided but you will be expected to bring along any
personal equipment that you require such as: Trainers
that can get wet or wetsuit booties and a towel (just in
case). |
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Where is the teaching location? | The TSCPS lessons take place at Thames Sailing Club in Surbiton KT6 4HH on the quite non tidal waters of the upper Thames with some great back drops. | |
What if I can’t swim? | Like any water sport, it is highly recommend that can swim. However, we have buoyancy aids and will ensure that you go no deeper than chest high in the water should you be unfortunate enough to fall in. | |
Can I be taught SUP surfing? | TSCPS only teach on flat water and open water environments. Their SUP lessons will not teach you to surf. However, Once you have successfully completed your flat water Paddleboard lesson, you can join in on one of TSCPS Surfing coaching sessions at the coast. | |
What qualifications do the instructors have to teach? | TSCPS have British Canoeing Paddleboarding instructors at the School and abide by the high international standards for Paddleboarding school operations and are recognised worldwide. | |
Once I have completed the Paddleboard Lesson, what next? | Now that you can Paddleboard safely and in control, you can join in with us on our Blue Chip Super Club Paddleboarding adventures, we paddle every Wednesday evening and a lot of Sundays | |
Can I join The Real Blue Chip Super Club ? |
Yes, you can join the
The Real Blue Chip SUPer Club which includes membership of the Thames Sailing Club, then you can come paddling with us on any of our Wednesday evening and any club paddles, SUPing is a very sociable sport and the more the merrier. for more details
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