Colleagues-turned-canoeists go for a paddle in Lokeren

The Antea Group kayaking crew sporting our newly earned t-shirts. Jan, Nena, Raquel, Anna, and Inma.

Last weekend, five enthusiastic Antea Group employees embarked on a Sunday morning canoe trip in Lokeren. The company I work for, Antea Group, has an internal organization called Antea Group Sport that supports employees in organizing "sporting" events. Since I started a year ago, they've organized runs, triathlons, volleyball, soccer, mountain biking, cycling, and even badminton. I decided that some more watery events were necessary*, so I went about organizing a kayaking trip, destination: Lokeren. It's a convenient location for people living in Antwerp and Gent. First, I did a scouting trip to check out the conditions.

*Disclaimer: I was also motivated by a need to find/develop paddling buddies here in Belgium, and the awesome t-shirt you get the first time you participate in an Antea sporting event (see above). :)

Raquel and Jan gliding peacefully down the river.

Then I polled the office to pick a date that worked well for people, and sent out the notice in the Antea Group Sport newsletter. Enthusiasm was high! We had about 17 people signed up at a certain point. Some people even requested a more exciting whitewater trip (will have to organize this in the future!). As the day approached, I anxiously checked the weather forecast and sent emails to manage expectations about kayaking in the rain. Then, as I sat in my apartment on the eve of the trip, eyeing the thunderstorm forecasts and listening to a torrential downpour on the roof, punctuated by thunder and lightning... I cancelled. It was heartbreaking.

Okay, let's be a little less dramatic. We rescheduled, and a week later those who could still join (Inma, Anna, Raquel, Jan, and I) met up at 9am at the rental location in Lokeren. It was a sunny cool day - perfect for kayaking. Just kidding! There were no more kayaks available on such short notice (I tried to rebook 4 days ahead), so we opted for canoes instead. Sadly, we lost some people who seem to think one awesome non-motorized water sport (kayaking) is superior to another (canoeing).

Everyone arrived enthusiastic and ready to paddle, even though human-powered boating was relatively new to most. After a few shakey boat entries (we found out that Raquel likes to stand in boats) and one minor collision with a yacht nearby (no biggie), we were off! 

Inma and Anna still smiling after a morning of canoeing :)

Canoe group selfie - more or less successful, minus the pixels :)

Letting Anna steer the boat.

The trip itself was uneventful and relaxing. We saw a sheep, a blue heron, some ducks, and some weird pipes squirting sketchy looking water into the river. Anna, Inma, and I did lots of chatting (it had been a while since we all caught up). I explained some basic boat steering instructions, and everyone but Inma gave it a try (Inma - you're up next time!). We made it to our picnic destination with ~one hour to relax and snack. Jan told us some fascinating life stories and gave us tips on how to camp with babies (he's an expert). We all dreamed about traveling to faraway places like India, Chile, Africa, and New Zealand while eating strawberries and sandwiches in the grass. 

Raquel in a natural canoeing position.

We were all awed by this beautiful weeping willow tree.

We switched positions on the way back, with Anna and Jan taking over the stern. Jan remarked that the two positions create different experiences - different views and levels of control. At the end of the trip, with a half hour to spare, we stopped in a scenic area, propped up our legs and basked in the sun. Later, we wrapped up the trip with a drink in Lokeren centrum, at a cafe called Markt 32 with nice outdoor seating. By 2pm everyone was back on the train and off to continue their successful Sunday :)

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Killing time at the end of the paddle :)

More photos - click to enlarge!

Photos were taken by everyone in the group and they're all mixed up below.

Date: Sunday, July 3rd, 2016
Duration: 4 hours (including ~1 hr picnic)
Distance: 9.3 km (5.8 miles)
Weather: Perfect! Cool, breezy, mostly sun but a tiny bit of rain