Sprinting through Czarna Hańcza and Wigry with a child

I know Czarna Hańcza, like it, and visit it every year. In the past, by kayak, and for the past few years, exclusively by sup, with one or two camps along the way. The river is so beautiful and interesting that each trip is always different from the last. This year, I took my 8-year-old grandson Tadzio camping for the first time. Tadeusz received his own Starboard paddle for Children's Day, and at Fun Wind, we have junior Fanatic boards , so he could paddle on his own sup.

We only had 4 days for the entire trip, so after arriving at the Jastrzęby campsite on Lake Wigry on Sunday afternoon, we immediately rode our bikes to Czarna Hańcza to reconnoitre.

We chose Wysoki Most as the starting point for our trip, and on Monday morning we prepared our kayaks and camping equipment at the PIK kayaking base. Our destination was the Mikaszówka Lock on the Augustów Canal, which meant about 40 km of paddling over two days. Such a distance is obviously too long and tiring for an 8-year-old, so I took Tadzio's kayak in tow.

I've been towing children on their own boards for some time now, instead of carrying them on board, and I think it's a better option than carrying them on board. Firstly, the child has more to do because they're paddling and steering their own board, and secondly, they don't have to rock the adult's board, which can sometimes lead to capsizing (we tested this with our family 😉).

Towing a child on a small board requires virtually no extra effort.

In July, there is a lot of underwater vegetation on Czarna Hańcza, so I installed a River fin on my Starboard Touring DSC 12.6x28 , and I towed Tadzio's Fanatic Ripper Air board only with 2 short side fins.

After getting down to the water in Wysoki Most, we immediately realized it had been the right decision. Because morning preparations, taking the bus to Mikaszówka, and returning on bikes took a long time, we set off around 1 p.m. After five hours on the river, with stops for swimming and delicious blueberry cakes sold by a woman on the bank behind Głęboki Brod, we reached the Adamowe Łączki campsite, where we set up camp. The evening pasta was delicious, and the bonfire and the silence of the surrounding forest concluded a busy day.

Tuesday morning greeted us with beautiful, sunny weather. It promised to be another hot day, so after a quick breakfast, we packed up our campsite and headed down to the water. Ahead of us lay what I consider the most beautiful section of the Czarna Hańcza River: the Dworczysko nature reserve. In total, we had almost 25 km to the finish line in Mikaszówka, including a section of the Augustów Canal with the Sosnówek Lock. SUP boarding is always a bit of a thrill. Tadzio initially didn't want to enter the lock, but I somehow convinced him, and now he has a souvenir ticket.  Of course, during the locking, we had our boards linked side to side, and I belayed us by holding onto chains lowered on the wall. We were cruising at a leisurely pace of about 4.5 km/h, so the entire route took us over five hours of paddling, and with stops and locking, practically the entire day. Just a few more things to do in Mikaszówka, some quick pasta cooked in the van and we set off to collect our bikes in Wysoki Most and back to the Jastrzęby campsite.

Two busy and exciting days are behind us!

On the last day of our trip, on Wednesday morning, as a break from rowing, we went by bike to see the former Camaldolese monastery complex in Wigry.

Along the way, we found a great bay with shallow water and a swimming spot, where we decided to paddle our SUPs in the afternoon. Often, on our trips, we prefer to head home in the evening, as we gain an extra day of vacation, and there's usually less traffic on the road. Furthermore, on July 10th, it was well over 30 degrees Celsius in the shade all day, and driving in such heat is no fun, even with good air conditioning. In short, around 5:00 PM, we reached the bay we'd discovered in the morning. It was about 2 km in the water, which, with the help of a tugboat driver, took us about half an hour. Once there, Tadzio, at his own request, began learning tight turns and board maneuvering. We had two junior Fanatic boards at our disposal: the shorter and more agile Ripper Air 7'10" and the longer, narrower, and faster Ripper Air Touring 10'0"

After a few words of instruction, Tadeusz moved practically to the stern and, even though he weighs less than 25 kg, he turned and maneuvered the board with ease.

Needless to say, 99% of adults wouldn't even do this on a large board, but that's how kids are. They learn quickly and effortlessly. I was incredibly proud to hear the praise and appreciation for my grandson from other SUPers sitting next to us .

To sum up our short trip, I assure you that:

- The Suwałki region, Lake Wigry and Czarna Hańcza are a great place even for a longer vacation or a weekend trip; today (S8 and almost the entire completed S61) it is only a 3-hour drive from Warsaw

- even heat of over 30 degrees Celsius is not bothersome when flowing on a river with cooler water for bathing and often with forested banks providing some shade

- a child equipped with equipment appropriate to their physical condition has great fun riding on their own SUP, learns the technique and, most importantly, does not get bored as a passive passenger on our adult board

- a few days of less comfort on an expedition is nothing compared to the impressions that such a trip leaves!

In one word, I RECOMMEND!

For more practical details, please visit the store or email pawel@funwind.com.pl.

Kind regards

Paweł Jędrzejewski