All SISKA Members
It is great to see many activities and services resume as BC’s Restart program has moved into Phase 3 and more restrictions are gradually eased.
Over the past month, in line with this, SISKA successfully resumed small group club paddles in various areas with the help of our volunteer leaders, and they have been very well-received.
On South Vancouver Island we are fortunate to be able to easily enjoy sea kayaking, a wonderful recreational activity focusing our attention on our marine environment, promoting fitness and wellness in equal measure.
We will continue to schedule group paddling outings through the summer months, and hope that many of you will use these opportunities to refresh your skills and experience. Look for them to appear in our online calendar and upcoming paddle list!
Our service partners, professional kayak skills training businesses serving our area, have also begun to resume their operations and we recommend that you check out their many services to further improve your paddling skills and enjoy kayaking adventures. Several offer discounts to SISKA members and some may be offering additional special promotions at this time.
https://siska.ca/prod/docs_public/SISKAsKayakSkillsCoursePartners.pdf
Please remember to stay vigilant to avoid the spread of the coronavirus in our communities!
The sea kayaking safety guidelines below promoting Covid-safe paddling during the continuing pandemic have been amended as highlighted. SISKA will closely monitor these paddles and evolving guidance from public health authorities and will continue to adjust the guidelines as required.
Enjoy paddling our beautiful coast and stay safe!
Alan Campbell
President, SISKA
June 30, 2020
Guidelines for SISKA Paddles during the Covid-19 Pandemic
During the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, we must all be aware of the need to self-isolate at home if we are feeling unwell, have had contact with a symptomatic individual in the past 2 weeks, or have arrived from outside the province. Even if we are apparently well, we must maintain the prescribed distance (2m) from others whenever and wherever we are outside our homes. In addition, of course, we should frequently and thoroughly wash our hands, avoid touching our face and routinely disinfect high-contact surfaces.
As active sea kayakers we maintain our health and fitness partly through regular paddling, so the following guidelines are intended to ensure that we abide by the direction of our public health authorities to minimize the risk of contagion and maintain required separation.
SISKA paddles should be:
- Planned in locations with sufficient space to permit required distancing
- Planned to minimize the likelihood of adverse conditions
- Limited to 6 people in a paddling “pod”; multiple pods with additional leaders may be organized at the discretion of the paddle leader
All paddlers, except for those living in the same household, should:
- Avoid carpooling
- Bring hand sanitizer to maintain personal hygiene as required
- Bring disinfectant to clean surfaces as required
- Carry their own gear between their vehicle and the water.
- Enter and exit their kayak without assistance.
- Not share food or beverages.
- Always maintain 2 meters distance from others
- before and after the paddle
- during launchings and landings
- during any rest/lunch break
- while on the water, unless involved in an emergency
- during any post-paddle gathering
