2nd Ahoghill Company Section's canoes returned to the water after a two year absence as the boys enjoyed a leisurely paddle on the River Bann at Newferry.
It was our first canoeing trip since our Dunseverick Camp in 2019, and was a welcome return to the activities we had enjoyed pre-COVID. Thankfully the persistent rain from earlier in the day stopped long enough for us to enjoy a dry evening, bar the occasional splash from a wayward paddle. The ten boys in attendance were all eager to get out on the water, and for some it would be their first experience of the BB canoes since joining the Company Section.
After getting the boys fitted up with buoyancy aids we made our way down to the jetty and the first two groups headed off in the canoes. With no one else on the water we were free to paddle across the full width of the river at our leisure, and spent the remainder of the evening taking turns to explore the stretch of river visible from the jetty. Some boys opted to venture downstream to the slipway of the western side of Newferry, while others headed upstream towards the mouth of Lough Beg.
Overall it was a successful night, allowing boys and leaders alike to familiarise themselves with the BB canoes ahead of our return to Dunseverick at the end of August.
