Guest Blog | What it's like to be a Gutsy Girls Paddleboarding Host
I have been in a similar situation as Gutsy Girls Founder Nat. She moved from Portugal to London and started the group to bring like-minded women together through outdoor adventures and sports.
A few months later, I moved from Malta to London and realized that the choice of things to do in the metropolis can be a bit over-whelming. No matter which things you try, it isn’t easy to stay in touch with the people you meet along the way – this takes a long time and you need to find your group, your tribe, other people who think like you and enjoy the same things.
I joined the group of London Surfers on Facebook and this is where somebody mentioned Gutsy Girls: Outdoor adventures, women only, surf and SUP – those are the things I remember reading in the description that made it sound like a perfect match!
Paddleboarding in London
I had done paddle boarding and SUP Yoga when I was living in Malta and I must admit, it was the last thing I had expected to find in London. I was surprised when I saw that opportunity. My first SUP session with Gutsy Girls was in May 2018 at Paddington Basin. Not only was I introduced to a lovely group of women, paddle boarding on the canals and a hot summer day (it was that year!) but I also got to see a part of London I didn’t know about either: The tour brought us to Little Venice with the most beautiful house boats and barges. The surrounding greenery almost makes you forget that you are in London, near one of the busiest stations, Paddington.
Surfing in Cornwall
I enjoyed that first session so much that I kept on coming back for more. Over the summer, I had done all the different SUP-Tours Gutsy Girls are doing and in December I even joined for a weekend retreat in Cornwall. It was a group of 10 girls staying in a lodge in a spa resort, we had our own Yoga instructor for the weekend and surf lessons both days. Yes, we did go surfing in Cornwall in December and it was great! We were fully wrapped up in wetsuits, had a hot chocolate on the beach and Nat provided us with hot water bottles. We also had the beach entirely to ourselves and very good surf instructors. It was the perfect weekend retreat with a lot of fun and laughter, Yoga, surfing, good food, wine in the hot tub, massages and, not to forget, Cards Against Humanity.
Some of the girls stayed in touch after the weekend and we met again to do other fun activities in London. Nat’s idea to bring like-minded women together was certainly working. Not a single time was I disappointed!
Becoming a Gutsy Girls Host
After the Cornwall trip, Nat asked whether I was interested in hosting SUP sessions in London and I immediately jumped on the occasion. I was familiar with the routes, knew the instructors and had a good idea of the process and yet, I was a little nervous when I hosted my first session. I had no reason though, it all went smoothly, and the girls were lovely, as always.
The main responsibility of the host is to greet the participants, make them fill in the list of emergency telephone numbers and make them feel comfortable and safe in the group and on the water. There are trained instructors who do the security briefing, but as a host who knows the drill, you try and help where you can. You’ll get to know the instructors better and you are of course facilitating the communication between participants and instructors. You let them know if half of the group have been paddling before, if they have preferences for a board or any medical conditions worth mentioning. Of course, all this information is provided when you sign up for the tour, but it is always better to speak about it right before the session. The instructors will appreciate that.
The most important thing for me is always to learn the names of the girls. It immediately builds a relation to call somebody by their name and it will also make it a lot easier when you try to talk to them when you’re on the water. During the session I always try to talk to everybody in the group, I paddle a bit up and down the group to catch the ones in front and the ones at the back, but I never had a feeling that any conversation had to be forced. The girls usually start talking naturally to each other.
I also take photos during the session, but it is not a requirement to do that as the host. I already had a waterproof case for my phone and later got a GoPro which makes that very easy and fun. I also enjoy taking pictures – especially when they contain smiling faces, sunshine, water and beautiful surroundings.
Sports and Food
Gutsy Girls trips are always activity-based, but as much as we love outdoor sports, we also love good food and beers. All of that together makes the perfect recipe for bonding.
After the SUP tour, we usually go for lunch at KUPP, a Swedish restaurant at Merchant Square. The conversations continue and the girls get to know each other a bit better. Again, I never had to facilitate any chat, it just naturally happens. Sometimes, the girls even exchange numbers to meet up again and we often get on the tube together afterwards.
There is no KUPP at the other locations, Richmond and Kew Bridge, but there’s usually other places around. I was a little nervous when I went there for the first time not knowing which place to suggest, but at least one of the girls usually knows a nearby place or the SUP instructors make a recommendation. At Kew Bridge, there is a pub on the other side of the bridge with outside seating. If the session is on a Sunday, it is worth talking to them before the tour as they serve a Sunday Roast and it can get quite busy. In Richmond, we usually go to the Hollyhock Café where we can sit in a beautiful park with views over the river. There is of course more to say about the different locations for paddle boarding in London, but that’s for another day.
Familiar faces
You will notice that over time, it gets easier to remember names as you will see the same girls joining again and you automatically have a few less names to add. I have even met some of the girls on other occasions. With some of them, we signed up for the 5k inflatable run last year. We ran 5k and jumped over all kinds of bouncy castles. I have met other girls again on surf trips with the London Surfers to Cornwall and we immediately recognized each other again. It’s nice when you know some of the people on a trip already.
I hosted a few sessions last year during the bank holidays in May and it happened that I had almost the same group again. They were in the beginners group the first weekend in May and came back for the returner session at the end of the month. It was a funny coincidence and none of them had planned to be on the same session again.
Many more sessions to come
In between, I also hosted a skateboarding session with Gutsy Girls in Clapham Common and many tours on the canals and the Thames. The girls usually have ideas for other events and Nat constantly works on additional activities. I’m already looking forward to more outdoor fun and to meet the lovely girls that enjoy this kind of activities.
Nat has built a great community of Gutsy Girls that stands for fun, adventure and positivity and I’m grateful to be a part of it!
Thank you so much Jules for your super kind words and sharing your experience with us as a host. It’s been fantastic to have you lead so many sessions and be such an important part of our Hosting Team!
Please do check out Jule’s blog and give her a follow on Instagram to see more of Jule’s great photography!