Club members are strongly encouraged to maintain simple paddling log books detailing their training, paddling sessions, and trips. While you could simply use a school exercise book bought from your newsagent/supermarket. It is better to use a spreadsheet, or if you have a smart phone use the paddle log app.
Log books serve a number of purposes.
- Activity record – useful if, at some point in the future, you wish to show your experience to –
- indicate your skill level to a trip organiser so that they will feel happy to have you join a trip
- show your commitment should you ask the club to subsidise any formal training and certification
- contribute your prior experience toward some sort of certificate
- Training record – showing how regularly you are training and what type of training
- Personal record – maintain a personal record of your paddling experiences and trips
You might think about including the following information. If you use a spreadsheet, use a format that you can potentially import into a logbook app (see the paddle log app format).
- Session number
- Date and times
- Destination
- Purpose
- Canoe/kayak used
- Conditions
- Participants
- Leader / trainder / organiser
- General comments
- Signature
LM: Mar 17