There are many groups you can join to help you get onto the water in Whitstable, whether it’s cold water swimming, kayaking, sailing or paddle boarding it’s always better to join a group, get the correct training and have the safety of numbers.
Here’s a guide to some of those clubs that you can join - and some safety information too.
Sea Cadets
Let’s start with the younger ones! Ever wished you had learnt to sail, kayak, windsurf or power boat well at Whitstable Sea Cadets, which happens to be the UK’s oldest sea cadet unit. It has both a Junior Section from 10-12, and a Senior Section from 12-18, and they always need Adult Volunteers to pass on their skills.
It’s a great way for young people to build confidence, form lasting friendships in shared interests and be safe on the water, and it’s not just sea based, they also do some rock climbing, camping and learn musical instruments to play in the cadet band, so a real way to explore what natural skills they might have which can become lifelong hobbies or who knows discover a future Olympian or musical genius.
Their ethos is to provide the young people in the local community access to incredible opportunities and skills to help them launch themselves into the world with disciplines they have gained during their sea cadet journey.
All the cadets currently meet on Mondays and Wednesdays 7pm to 9pm and to get more information call 01227 265430 or email info@whitstableseacadets.org.uk
Whitstable Yacht Club
Whitstable Yacht Club is not only one of the oldest and largest sailing clubs in England, formed in 1902, but it is also a rarity in that it has an integrated RYA Recognised Training Centre which caters for all ages, young and older and all levels from beginners to race training.
The club covers sailing of all kinds: yachts, lasers, dinghies and catamarans, but also has Kayak & Stand-up Paddleboard groups to ensure safe paddling in the company of others. Therefore, a great club to for younger ones to graduate from the Sea Cadets and an opportunity for family activities.
The club welcomes new members of any age, and it’s a lovely way to meet new people with similar interests in the water. It’s never too late to learn to sail, so if it’s something you have always thought about doing, then give them a call. The club is situated close to the Harbour and offers sailing in sheltered waters in the Thames Estuary so again a great place to start a water based activity journey.
Membership also gives access to the social scene at the clubhouse, regular events around their hosted regattas, plus non-sailing clubs within the group, with art, game, book and music clubs and groups. For more information call 01227 272942 or email office@wyc.org.uk
Tankerton Bay Sailing Club
Tankerton Bay Sailing Club was formed in 1962 and sails most weekends and some weekdays from late March to early November. The club offers dinghy and catamaran racing and cruising and it is also is an accredited RYA training centre. As with the WYC it has a fun social programme & a cadet club.
Oyster Water Sports
This facility is also an RYA recognised training centre, specialising in Power boat courses, including jet skis, as well as Advanced powerboat for use in the hours of darkness. They also offer online courses such as Essential Navigation, Skipper Theory, Yacht Master Theory. Take a look at the website for all the courses on offer to help you get on the water.
There are also Shore courses such as the RYA First Aid course. For more information call them on 01227 806108 or email info@oystercoastwatersports.co.uk
Sea Swimming
Getting on the water doesn’t have to include a boat or a board, there are many cold-water swimming groups in Whitstable and Tankerton. We would always suggest joining a group to ensure safety when swimming in the cool out-of-season waters, plus it’s supportive and more fun.
In Whitstable there is a wonderful group called The Bluetits Chill Swimmers Whitstable, it’s a Facebook group. They have over 2.4k members, so you can join a wonderful group of people to swim throughout the year with.
If Kayaking is your preference, then give Mick a call on 07950 145358 to find out more about his Kayak Club.
When it’s time to buy that paddleboard then pop along to Board Worx close to the harbour on Beach Walk, Whitstable CT5 2BP. Tel no 01227 276566 they also operate an online store and can offer all the experience needed to get the correct equipment. They also sell swimming suits, hats, gloves and everything you need for your cold water swimming.
Boat trips
If you prefer to explore by boat, let someone else propel you with one of the local boat tours. Take a trip out with www.whitstableboattrips.co.uk on Venturer & Poppy. Venturer has just been refitted and licensed so that it can take much larger groups out on the water, out to the wind farms and the seals. The boats are also available for charters too, for fishing or just exploring.
Safety on the Water
However you decide to enjoy the waters around Whitstable and Tankerton please always consider the following advice to keep you and your family safe.
- Choose a lifeguarded beach
Tankerton offers a lifeguarded beach, which gives you and your family the protection of highly trained lifesavers. They can see the dangers develop, prevent accidents before they happen and respond instantly if anyone gets into difficulty.
- Call 999 or 112 in an emergency
When you go to the beach, always carry a means of calling for help. If you’re going in the water, you can carry your mobile phone in a waterproof pouch. That way, if you find yourself or spot someone else in an emergency situation, you can get help. In a coastal emergency, call 999 if you're in the UK
- Float to Live
If you find yourself struggling in the water, or if you fall in unexpectedly, Float to Live:
- Relax and try to breathe normally.
- Tilt your head back and submerge your ears.
- Use your hands to help you stay afloat.
- Once your breathing is under control, call for help or swim to safety.
It’s important to help children learn how to float too, and practise often somewhere safe – like a local swimming pool. This video from the RNLI can help you learn more about teaching your child how to float so, if you’re visiting the coast, you and your loved ones can enjoy a safe and happy summer.
- Know the risks and what to do
When you’re heading to the beach, it’s important that you know the risks and what you can do to minimise them. From rip currents to tides, cold water shock to waves, being aware of the dangers will help you to stay safe. Prevailing summer winds on the North Kent coast blow offshore.
In such conditions, look for the orange windsock at the lifeguard unit; this flag means 'No inflatables’ due to the risk of getting blow/swept out to sea.
- Know your flags
If you visit a lifeguarded beach, there will be flags on the beach to show you where it’s safe to swim.
If you’re planning to swim or bodyboard, stay between the red-and-yellow flags. For surfboards, stand-up paddleboards or other non-powered craft, go between the black and white chequered flag. You should not swim there.
If a red flag is flying, the water is dangerous. Do not enter the water under any circumstances. Speak to the lifeguards for more information.
We hope this guide will get you on the water safely and lead to new adventures
RNLI
We hope that you will never need the services of the Whitstable RNLI, but they have a key role in saving lives when people & boats do get into difficulty, and they are always looking for volunteers and supporters for their fundraising opportunities. Here’s some information they have provided for this blog:
Whitstable RNLI Lifeboat Station was established in 1963 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and is one of 237 lifeboat stations around the shores of the UK and Ireland.
The lifeboat is launched on average to 50-calls per year to a variety of mostly leisure related maritime incidents. The volunteer crews provide a maritime search and rescue service for the Kent coast. They cover the area between the Kingsferry Bridge on the Swale, in the west, around the south-eastern side of Sheppey and along the coast through Whitstable and Herne Bay to Reculver in the east and outwards into the Thames Estuary.
The station is equipped with a B-class lifeboat named Lewisco, purchased through a bequest of a Miss Lewis of London who passed away in 2006. She is what is known as a rigid inflatable inshore lifeboat, the boat’s rigid hull being topped by an inflatable sponson. She carries a crew of four people and they are backed up by launching tractor drivers and shore crew who assist with a launch and recovery.
The station is backed up by the fund raising branch whose volunteers run the souvenir shop and arrange other fund raising activities. The station is always interested in hearing from potential volunteers on the fund raising and promotional side.
Search for current volunteering opportunities at https://rnli.org/support-us/volunteer and search for Whitstable.
