*
I am a schoolteacher, and want to do a
class outing *
Canoe and Kayak trips on the
Bob’s Canoe Rental, Inc.
Call (631) 269- 9761
Yes !!! We love School Trips !!!
Nissequogue River
Nissequogue River Short
Trips- a 2 to
Peconic River Canoe and Kayak
Trips- we assist you at the portages
Canoe and kayak field trips are fun
for teachers and students alike. Some
teachers come year after year with their new class. If you are a teacher interested in bringing
your students, here’s some basic things
you should know.
Safety first
There are three
basic safety rules
Rule one- the lifejacket rule. On
a school field trip, we expect everyone
to wear a lifejacket. We mean
everyone. We mean the principal , the gym teacher, the swim instructor, the parent chaperones, everyone.
When one person takes lifejacket off,
it spreads like wildfire, and
everyone starts to take them off. The
end result is that the very weakest students,
or the non swimming students, will wind up not wearing a life jacket due
to the old “…but everybody’s taking them off” syndrome. So if you are a good swimmer, wear yours anyway, and be a good example for the kids.
Rule two - no bare feet. Everyone has to wear old sneakers or water
shoes.
Rule three- appropriate
behavior. Now this one is a mystery to
me, how you get a bunch of kids to
exhibit appropriate behavior, but some
teachers are very good at it. I will
tell you this, the more horsing around
you allow the more chance there is that someone will get hurt. Splashing one another with the paddles and
turning canoes over on purpose are strictly forbidden. If
they want to swim and splash,
take them to a water park.
Pre trip instruction
It ain’t rocket science, but…..students
should know a few basics before they get into a canoe or kayak. Stuff like how to get in and out without
turning over, for starters. They should
be shown how to hold a paddle, and how
to make a stroke that makes the boat go foreword, or backward,
or right or left. They need to
know what to do if the boat tips over
and they find themselves in the water.
If we are going to the Peconic River,
they must know how to carry the boat over the portages.
Do instruction in your
classroom
We can and will go over the above stuff in the field on the
morning of the canoe trip, of course,
but it is better by far to do a classroom session beforehand. The most successful school trips are the ones
where the teacher thoroughly prepares the class for the experience. Some of our teachers go so far as using a
swimming pool to show canoeing techniques,
others do a demonstration in the gym or classroom.
Organization is the key to
success
Organize
the trip before you go. Your very
best, most competent, most reliable person should
be in charge of the last
canoe. This is the sweep position, bringing up the rear, and it is toughest job of all. The responsibility of the sweep boat is to make
sure that all the other boats make it to the end, and in so doing, they get to help all the weaker and less
skilled paddlers. The sweep boat starts last,
and stays last, and they don’t come in until every other boat is in.
Second in importance is the lead boat.
This is usually an easy job. The
lead canoeist should have enough paddling experience that they can stay ahead of every one and enough
authority to prevent anyone from passing.
Knowing where you are going is helpful,
too, of course, but not absolutely necessary, as most reasonably intelligent people can
find their way down the river.
In between the Lead Boat and the Sweep Boat, space out whatever teachers or
parent chaperones that you may
have, more towards the rear of the pack
rather than up front, and explain to
them beforehand that although they should have a good time themselves, they are really along to help the students. So if they see a boat in trouble, they should stop and help.
Along those lines, it sometimes
happens that the weakest, most giggley
girls or the most un-outdoorsy guys will wind up in the same boat
together, and just can’t seem to make
any headway. It sometimes becomes
necessary to pull over and switch paddlers to and from different boats in order to get everyone
going.
Where to Go
Lots of schools do canoe and kayak trips on the Nissequogue River, and lots of schools do the Peconic
River. We also deliver canoes and kayaks
to other locations. Please call me with
any questions (631) 269- 9761. Each
location has a different character, each requires a different game plan. Here’s a brief look at what to expect.
School trips on the Nissequogue River must be planned around the
tide. On some days the tide will be
right for a canoe trip, and on some days
it will not. We know the tides in
advance, so we can plan accordingly. On incoming tide, the trip starts at the Bluff in Kings
Park, and ends at the Paul T. Given
County Park on Jericho Turnpike in Smithtown.
On the outgoing tide, the trip is
reversed; we start at the Paul T. Given County Park and end at the
Bluff. This is a five mile paddle that
takes about 3 hours. Click
here for the best dates for School Trips on the Nissequogue River.
Nissequogue River- the short trip
For younger children,
the Short Trip is ideal. We start
and end at the Paul T. Given County Park on Jericho Turnpike in Smithtown. We have a short instruction and safety
session. After that, the group paddles a mile or so down the
River, then we turn around and paddle
back. We do lunch either before or after
canoeing, depending upon how the tide is running. At least one of our guides must accompany your group. Unfortunately, this trip can only be accomplished on very
specific tides, and dates are extremely
limited. Click here for the best dates
for the Short Trip
School trips on the
Guides Available
if you
have no experienced paddlers on your staff,
you may want to hire a guide or two.
Release Forms
* available on Home Page *
have each participant
print one out and sign
I love to help plan school
trips! Call me- (631) 269- 9761
Bob’s Canoe Rental, Inc.