What’s In A Name?

Sometimes more than is initially apparent.

A SUP Board is a Stand-Up paddle board. But the acronym doesn’t do the experience credit.

Paddle boarding has been such a great thing for me to learn. Brilliant for improving balance (VERY important once you hit the downhill section of the Ageing Graph) but not difficult to pick up, if you take it slowly.

I’ve been able to teach myself. We’ve got access to a big lake here in the Netherlands. It’s shallow for quite a way out, so ideal for those early stages of learning. But then there is a whole world to explore.

It is still slightly nerve racking heading across the lake to the other side - instead of around the edge. But sometimes I have the whole water to myself if I go out at the right time (early or late). And when the motor boats are out and about…well, more chance to improve the balance further, when their waves come by. LOL.

Lying still on my board in the middle of a relatively large expanse of water feels liberating.

And the quiet moments are sublime. I paddle up the little inlets and can see carp and perch swimming beneath. Easier to see than when sitting in a canoe. I can even sometimes watch the Great Crested Grebes swimming underneath while chasing the minnows. The dragon flies… well they fly alongside. The coots, moorhens, and various ducks dive for cover, heading into the reed beds with their chicks as I pass by - “What is this strange thing…a man walking on water!?”

The occasional blue flash of a Kingfisher darts past.

I haven’t experienced this particular brand of peacefulness before. It’s a cliche, but I do genuinely feel like a part of nature.

And it’s all happening on my “SUP Board”.