May 2026 club update
Build it and they will come. The club and the membership base keep growing, and May was the month that showed up in the numbers.
Membership is past 70 and climbing. Say g’day on the water to our newest members: Nir Galili, Guy Markham and Luke Grice.
May was also a record month for the hire fleet, with rentals up over 200%. With membership and rental activity both growing, the club has the cashflow to keep investing in the fleet and other club assets.
Eighteen paddlers at the May time trial
Good numbers for the time trial, and the double and the triple were both on the water with competitive times. Grab a paddling partner and book one of the multi-skis if you want to raise the bar.
It is a useful way to gauge training progress, benchmark against the rest of the club, and work out who your best training partner might be.
Moreton Bay Classic, 16 May
A great day at the Moreton Bay Classic, run by Paddle Queensland, in excellent conditions, though the elites might have liked a touch more push to get home faster. Good to see Patricia and Murray out on the double. The club has doubles and a triple, so if you want to buddy up for the experience, reach out.
| Member | Category | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Oz Bestel | Ski Single 55+ | 59:48 |
| Peter Winton | Ski Single | 1:07:04 |
| Stephan Lorenze | Ski Single 45+ | 1:07:53 |
| Craig Bradfield | Ski Singles 55+ | 1:08:29 |
| Leila Furness | Ski Junior | 1:11:03 |
| Sue Beith | Ski Single 65+ | 1:18:44 |
| Patricia and Murray | Doubles Mixed Ski 55+ | 1:25:43 |
| Laurelle Stalker | Ski Single 55+ | 1:34:47 |
The hire fleet is running hot
The club rental fleet has grown strongly through 2026, with 141 rentals year to date and over $1,700 in fleet revenue. Usage has climbed steadily month on month, and May was the biggest month so far, up roughly 225% since February.
Top hires this year: Epic V9 with 30 rentals, Fenn Spearfish with 24, Epic V8 with 23, and Carbonology Boost with 22. The trend worth noting is that intermediate and step-up skis are the popular ones, which suggests more paddlers are building confidence and moving into faster craft.
Building out the fleet
The new triple has been a big success, so we are adding across every level: entry, mid-range and higher end. Sue’s Wednesday session has flagged a need for a ski better suited to introducing new paddlers, so that is a priority.
We are also quoting an enclosed, lockable trailer to be secured in the carpark as overflow storage. The shed stays for the frequently used skis and the trailer takes the ones that do not get as wet, at a slightly cheaper rental tier. If you would like your own ski stored there, let Peter Dyer know, as numbers are limited.
Life vests are now available through the club. They are recommended for all paddles and mandatory for offshore sessions. Gus has also circulated the club uniform order form, with the first order going in this week.
New here?
Whether you are chasing performance gains, enjoying a social paddle or just getting started, there is a place for you here. The easiest way in is the $50 try-us pass: thirty days, ski and PFD included, an experienced paddler beside you the whole time.