SUP Mag UK lo-res free to readers July 2014 lo-res - free to read | Page 68

Baywatch
BaySUP is one of the original stand up paddle boarding clubs in the UK
and is based in Dorset. Being right there at the start has stood the group
in good stead and member numbers continue to grow. Many of our top
paddlers live and train in the area so there must be something in it?
Our Ed caught up with Nick Watt, one of the three founding members of
B a y S U P, f o r a n a t t e r o n a l l t h i n g s c l u b s t a n d u p .

Te l l u s a l i t t l e a b o u t t h e h i s t o ry
of BaySUP – when did it start, why
did it start and who are the
founding members?
BaySUP started on the back of a forum thread where a few guys
were talking about setting up clubs in various areas. Matt
French, Dennis Mears and I all paddled in the same area and
we could see the potential. So after a few more posts, we met in
September 2009 for our first paddle which went from Durley
Chine to Boscombe and back. BaySUP was born.

What made you think there was a
need for a SUP club in your area
and why is Boscombe/Bournemouth/
Poole so good for SUP?
The thought behind the club came naturally because we were
all interested in a new sport which was perfect for the area we
lived in. We have waves (sometimes), rivers, the stunning Poole
Harbour as well as the Jurassic Coast. It quickly became a
mecca for the sport. The area has been home to some excellent
watersports athletes for many years and it now has some of
the best paddlers in the country.

What sacrifices have to be made
for running a successful SUP club?
At the start of creating your club a great deal of time will be
sacrificed as there are lots of things to organise. Then it’s a case

of growing it and developing, which will take up lots of time! It’s a
good idea to get a committee as soon as you can so you can steer
the club in the right direction as well as get help with tasks.
Communication is key to the success of any club especially with
social media being so prevalent nowadays and managing this is
tiring – emails, phone calls, texts and then there is the monster
that is Facebook. If you are passionate enough you’ll make sure
your communication is solid and will look after your followers
regardless of whether they are members or not.

How many members does BaySUP
have and what are the benefits of
joining such a club?
We have 77 members to date. We offer discounts in shops,
access to club equipment, discounted race entry but the
biggest benefit of joining BaySUP is the people you will paddle
with and get to know. Three of us founded BaySUP and from
there we have made many friends who we paddle and socialise
with – we have built a community of paddlers (or ‘Ohana as
Westy would say). It’s great to see new members coming
through and see them become a part of this. We are also very
lucky to have highly experienced paddlers in the club who are
willing to pass on knowledge to members. Last year we saw a
massive increase in training and we had people who joined
with hardly any experience but are now good paddlers and use
the sport as a fitness tool as well as a lifestyle.

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