Canoe Wales guidance: Firebreak lockdown

Jen Browning • Oct 21, 2020
The First Minister has confirmed that Wales will enter a 'firebreak' lockdown at 6pm on Friday 23 October. This period will continue until 12.01am on 9 November. During the lockdown, everyone in Wales will be asked to stay at home as much as possible and the police will have powers to enforce the restrictions.
 
Extensive FAQs are available on the Welsh Government website, including sections on sport and exercise:
https://gov.wales/coronavirus-circuit-break-frequently-asked-questions

Unfortunately, these FAQs clearly state that no form of 'exercise at sea, or in lakes, rivers or other waterways' will be permitted during the lockdown. It is our understanding that this is because Welsh Government wishes to eliminate the risk of the emergency services being called out to any water-based rescue, and it is not possible for local officials and the police to assess if someone on the water has the appropriate skill level and experience to safely paddle in that water environment.

Therefore, to comply with the regulations, Canoe Wales advises that all paddlers stay off the water throughout the firebreak lockdown period. All Canoe Wales-affiliated clubs must close from Friday 23 October at 6pm, and all paddlesport activities and events in Wales must be cancelled, including coaching courses and elite training sessions.

For paddlers, the most important points are:
  • You can leave your home as often as you want to exercise, but that exercise must start and finish from home. You cannot drive to exercise unless you have a mobility impairment which makes it difficult to exercise from your home.
  • They have specified that no form of exercise which involves 'significant risk' will be allowed, which they have explicitly defined to include all watersports. This is because they want to eliminate the risk of the emergency services being called out for any water-based rescues.
  • You cannot travel outside of Wales to go paddling.
  • You can leave your home to work - but if you work in paddlesport, you cannot lead sessions for clients in Wales. In practice, this means that you would only be able to travel to lead paid sessions for clients in England.
Just like during the Spring lockdown, our team will be available to provide support and answer any questions throughout the lockdown period. While we share your frustration at our sport being categorised as 'significant risk', it is clear that Welsh Government are aiming for a short, sharp, aggressive lockdown that the police can easily enforce - and for that reason we ask for your help to protect the NHS and maintain the reputation of our sport by staying home and staying off the water.

If you need any assistance, or if you can't find the answer to your question in our FAQs below, please do get in touch with our team and we will do everything we possibly can to help.

Firebreak lockdown FAQs for paddlers

  • If I live close to water, can I carry my boat and launch it during the lockdown?

    No, we have had confirmation from Welsh Government that there should be no recreation on any body of water, even if you can start and finish your exercise from home.

  • I'm an experienced paddler - can I go paddling during lockdown because my level of risk is lower?

    No, unfortunately the guidance from Welsh Government does not make any allowances for the experience level of the participant. 

  • I live near a canal, where the risks are very low. Can I paddle there?

    No, unfortunately Welsh Government has been clear that there should be no water-based recreation, even in sheltered water like a canal.

  • Why can people take part in other activities that are riskier than paddlesport?

    We know that many of you have expressed frustration that you can go cycling, which some statistics show has a higher rate of injury than paddlesport, but you can't go paddling. We agree that this feels inconsistent, and  throughout the last lockdown we regularly advocated that paddlesport is a low-risk activity.


    However, we have been advised that the emergency services have concerns about the additional resources required to respond to a water-based incident as compared to a road-based incident, and that cycling is a form of road transportation. It should also be noted that cyclists are being advised not to travel further than they could reasonably walk home from if they had a puncture, and that all watersports are affected by the regulations, including open water swimming, surfing, sailing/boating, and rowing.

  • Is it actually illegal to go paddling during the lockdown?

    We have been advised that the police are likely to stop paddlers and interpret the government guidance as a clear instruction to the public not to take part in any type of watersports. Whether or not it is ‘illegal’ to paddle is not something we are able to advise on and it would be up to members to get their own legal advice if they wanted to paddle against the government's advice. 

  • I'm a professional coach. Can I go paddling in Wales for work?

    In almost all circumstances the answer is no, you cannot go paddling or lead sessions for others in Wales. Maintaining your skills would not be considered a reasonable excuse, and were you to lead others, they would be breaching the regulations by leaving home. We have queried if professionals could lead paid sessions for other professionals, and we have been advised that these types of courses and activities should be postponed until after the lockdown period.


    However, you can travel to England for paid work, though we would advise anyone travelling with any paddling equipment (such as a boat on your roof) that you should expect to be stopped by the police and be prepared to explain your reason for travelling.

  • Can I go paddling in England?

    If you live in Wales, the regulations do not allow you to travel to England except for work which cannot be done from home. If you are working, you can travel to England specifically for the purpose of work - i.e. to lead clients, run a course, etc.


    We would advise anyone travelling with any paddling equipment (such as a boat on your roof) that you should expect to be stopped by the police and be prepared to explain your reason for travelling.

  • What will happen after the lockdown period?

    Welsh Government is currently advising that this will be a fixed period of lockdown ending on 9 November. We do not yet have any information about what that will mean for paddling after the lockdown period ends. As soon as we have more information we will publish new guidance.

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