Guidelines for use of NPC Canoes

The Session of the Nineveh Presbyterian Church is pleased to be able to provide the use of church-owned canoes for youth and adult recreational activities.  It is our desire that each participant has a safe and enjoyable time as they experience the beauty of God’s magnificent creation.  Therefore, we ask that each person planning to participate in a canoe related activity read the following guidelines.

Personal Safety:

·        Session requires that all participants wear a coastguard approved life saving device at all times while in a boat/canoe. 

·        It is strongly recommended that parents do not bring children under the age of 8 on the canoe trips.  We have “tip overs” on every trip, and we would not like to see a young child, or a parent, put in a frightening situation.

·        Each canoe will be provided with a whistle to help alert other boaters if problems should arise. 

Parental Guidance:

·        No children under the age of 10 are permitted on a canoe trip without a parent or parent-appointed guardian that is at least 21 years old. 

·        Parents are responsible for the safety and conduct of their children, regardless of their age.

·        Make sure that leaders have personal information for all participants.

Protecting God’s Creation:

·        We want the canoe trips to be fun, but we also must respect and protect our environment.  Therefore, no water balloons or other foreign matter may be thrown into the river, left along its banks, or at river access areas.  You bring it in, you take it out.

Fellowship:

·        The canoe trips provide participants with a wonderful time of fellowship.  In order for this to happen, however, we ask that the canoes travel in a group.  Please do not rush way ahead of the group, or lag way behind unnecessarily. 

Care and use of equipment:

·        Leaders must inspect canoes and equipment prior to and upon completion of canoe trips.

·        The ability to use the canoes and other necessary equipment is a real privilege that we should not take for granted.  It takes many hands to organize a canoe trip, and many hands are needed to help load and unload the boats, hand out and collect the paddles, lifejackets, etc.  All participants need to be careful in how they use the canoes and other equipment, and be willing to help put it away at the conclusion of the trip.

Trip Routes, Weather Concerns and Staying in Contact:

·        The most commonly used route is from the Afton access area to the Nineveh access area, or to the VanDeWeert Farm (just a little ways past the Nineveh Bridge).  These trips take at least 3 hours, and although are manageable, do have several sections that can be a struggle to paddle through.  Be aware that other routes can be very taxing for young or inexperienced paddlers.  If you are organizing a canoe trip, please keep this in mind, and get Session approval for routes other than the ones described here.

·        It is recommended that at least one person bring a cell phone in a waterproof container so that a call can be made in the event of an emergency.

·        It is the responsibility of the trip organizer to do his/her best to get an accurate weather report and call off any planned trips that have a potential to be impacted by thunder storms, high winds, etc.

Other:

Past participants have found the following items to be very helpful:

Bottled water, sunscreen, a hat, a cushion (those canoe benches are hard!), water shoes (at times we have to get out of the boats and push them through low water – cuts are possible), and food of course!

HAVE FUN!!!!