Ipswich Canoe Club was formed in 1979 to promote the sport in the Ipswich area and to provide the organisation necessary for paddlers of all abilities. We are a firmly established and active club with British Canoe Union (BCU) affiliation, the sport’s governing body in the UK. Our membership currently stands at around 300, with members from Suffolk, Essex and Norfolk.
The Club provides a year long programme of events with meetings on weekday evenings and many weekends. There are a wide range of activities on offer, including gentle paddles on local rivers, estuaries and coastline, plus trips away to paddle sea, surf and white water in Wales, Yorkshire, Cornwall and further afield.
During the spring and summer months, training takes place on Thursday evenings at different sites on the River Stour. At these meetings there are introductory courses for beginners, formal training, and also more informal events going on. During the autumn and winter months we run a varied pool programme at a local indoor pool, including rolling tuition, canoe polo and other events. All our activities are covered by fully qualified BCU coaches and we pride ourselves on our safety standards.
We cater for all types of craft and interests; kayak and open canoes, touring, recreational, white-water, sea, surf, playboating, and we have a small selection of marathon racing kayaks. We are very much a family club and because we don’t have a clubhouse to run and maintain, membership costs are very reasonable. We also run various social functions to which family and friends are all welcome to attend.
Unfortunately, the club is unable to cater for outside groups although we welcome individual members from any other organisation.