‘Just give it a bash’ – Shetland News tests new paddle boarding experience in Brae
A NEW adventure business offering paddle boarding, kayaking and snorkelling in and around Brae has already started to make a splash.
So who better to go and test out these aquatic activities than Shetland News’ very own non-swimmer Ryan Nicolson?
We joined him from the harbour-side as he wobbled and wavered through a crash course in paddle boarding courtesy of guide Grant Pettigrew.
“WHEN you fall in, what you need to do…”
Grant tails off as I react incredulously. “Not if I fall in, but when?” I ask.
“Yes, you will fall in,” Grant says with assurance.
I’m at the Delting Boating Club in Brae, standing up to my knees in salt water and glancing nervously down at a board which is the only barrier between me and public humiliation.
Grant is only weeks into his SUP Shetland outdoor activities venture – which launched at the beginning of August in Brae – but he knows what he’s talking about.
Formerly a keen surfer, Grant comes from St Abbs – a village in the Scottish Borders which gained fame after being re-christened as New Asgard for Marvel’s Avengers films.
I take on board as much information as I can from him – what to do when I fall in mostly, missing the part about how to steer – then we’re ready to get on board.
We start off slowly as we push off and glide through the marina, both of us resting on our knees and (my) early wobbles soon quelled.
But then as we get further out comes the inevitable ask – “do you want to try standing up?”
I don’t know how many thousands of times I’ve stood up in my life, but I suddenly feel like I’ve been asked to build a fully functional rocket ship out of macaroni.
With Grant’s gentle instructions, I half rise to my feet – and then immediately start rocking the board and coward out of it.
However a minute later I go again – with Shetland News editor Hans Marter helpfully shouting from the shoreline that he wants a photo of me standing up – and this time I get the balance just right.
With Grant at my side, it’s immediately easy to see the appeal of paddle boarding. It’s surprisingly relaxing, and within seconds any fears have melted away.
Next we try going a bit further, out beyond the marina breakwater and along the coast towards the Busta Voe.
Generously Grant says we’re heading into slightly choppier waters, so I can return to my knees if I want to. I don’t need a second invitation.
Even for a novice like me, the effort required to maintain and steer the paddleboard is minimal, which gives you a great opportunity to enjoy the views around Brae as you go.
We’re shouted at from a caravan on the pier to tell us that a curious seal is observing us from a safe distance, and as we near the coastline another pops its head out for a closer look.
When we stop, Grant gives me a chance to try out another SUP Shetland activity – snorkelling.
Sadly I don’t see any seals underwater, but I get a great glimpse of some seaweed in my moment trying it before I hand the snorkel back.
The business might just be getting started, but as we paddle back Grant says the interest has been strong already.
So far he is only offering sessions at evenings and weekends, working around his other job with the council’s youth services department.
He says he can cater for groups of around seven people, which gives him enough of a chance to get around everyone and make sure they’re enjoying the experience.
A massive addition to SUP Shetland will be its axe-throwing sessions, with targets being set up behind the well-known Welcome to Northmavine sign just on the outskirts of Brae.
Grant also has plans to offer people the chance to paddle or kayak out to Busta and then up to the hotel for tea and cakes, as well as group walks around parts of the North Mainland.
Such is the ease of paddle boarding, we can have all these conversations while gliding back into the marina and onto dry land.
To everyone’s surprise – and to the quiet disappointment of all at Shetland News – we make it back to shore without me tumbling into the drink once. A guaranteed £250 from You’ve Been Framed and/or social media fame goes begging.
Back in the warmth of the SUP Shetland shed, which forms part of the Delting Boating Club estate, me and Grant sit down to talk again, this time on a more solid footing.
“I would encourage anyone to come and give any of this a try,” he tells me.
“They end up realising that it is actually really relaxing.”
He says he gets a lot of people like me, who are complete beginners, and says the point of getting out onto the water isn’t to push people past their limits.
“I’m not trying to promote something that’s extreme,” he says.
“I want people to enjoy it and just have a laugh, I want to get people outside and on the water that might not usually go.
“If you fall in, you fall in – you just laugh about it and get back on the board. It’s low key, straightforward, and it’s fun.”
The axe-throwing should be available in the next fortnight, he says, with the pallets which will become the targets waiting to be painted in the SUP Shetland shed.
As well as small groups, Grant says he hopes that he will get larger teams coming in for corporate team building, stag dos and hen parties – either off at sea or on land.
Getting to this point has been a long time. Grant initially spoke to Shetland News in February about his plans, and had been intending to open in time for summer before being hit by delay after delay.
Outdoor activity centre set to offer axe throwing and paddle boarding in North Mainland
“Everything just slowed right down,” he says.
“Whenever you were needing something done, people were on holiday, people were off sick.
“I got all the helmets and wetsuits before the shed was ready, so we were having to store it in our downstairs bathroom!”
SUP Shetland may only have gotten started in August, but Grant is showing no signs of stopping as the winter approaches.
“I’m going to keep going right through the year,” he explains.
“It’s just going to be a case of really watching the weather. It might be that I’m saying on Facebook, ‘this weekend is going to be really good weather’ and seeing who is interested.
“You do need good weather – if it’s even close to force three there’s no point, because it’s not going to be fun.”
And with my shoes – of which I forgot to take a spare pair – sodden from sea water, Grant delivers one final message to anyone interested: “Just come and give it a bash.”
You can visit the SUP Shetland page here to get involved yourself.
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