Today marks the start of the third annual National Paddle Week, a Canada-wide celebration of paddling craft, sport, and heritage. NPW aims to boost awareness of paddling activities taking place across the country, while also educating participants about safe paddling practices.
The extended long weekend was inspired by the Canadian Canoe Museum’s National Canoe Day project. NPW founder Scott McGregor decided to expand the event into a nine-day celebration of all things canoe, kayak, or paddle board related.
NPW goes from June 5 to 14 and will be celebrated by community organizations and clubs across Canada, from Peggy’s Cove to Vancouver Island. The online events calendar highlights activities in each province, like a kayak-based gourmet food tour in the Gulf Islands, a surfboard workshop in Pemberton, and sea kayaking at the Paddlepalooza Festival in Perry Sound.
This year the festival has teamed up with PaddleSmart water safety training and will be emphasizing safety education. Along with the more adventures events aimed at skilled paddlers, there will also be introductory classes for people who are trying paddle-based activities for the first time, as well as first aid and safety measures training.
Participants are encouraged to submit photos, videos and updates from their NPW events online, or tag #NPW when tweeting about their paddling adventures.
To find out about NPW events in your area check out paddleweek.ca or tweet at @paddlingweek.
