Swampscott To Offer Stand-Up Paddle Board For Kids After All

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — Stand-up paddle boarding is coming to Fisherman's Beach this summer after all.

A month after the popular annual program, which served 312 Swampscott families, was abruptly canceled amid a disconnect between the town and the vendor over a parking lot storage container, the Swampscott Recreation Department said this week it will offer a town-run program for kids starting next week.

The program runs with weekly sessions beginning July 18 for $190 per week. The camp runs weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon for children in grades 1 through 8.

(ALSO ON PATCH: Swampscott Paddle Board Breakdown Causes Select Board Stir)

Swampscott Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald said the town was looking into an alternative program for families frustrated with the sudden cancellation of the SUP East Coast Style program on June 18.

"I do want to make it clear to everyone that the town would have taken whatever steps, reasonably, necessary to continue to support the container and continue to try to support the program," Fitzgerald said during an often-contentious, 90-minute Select Board discussion about the previous program's cancellation two weeks ago. "I recognize that, at some point, was just a little bit too little and too late."

Those who registered for the previous program have been refunded and will have to re-register for the new camp. That can be done here.

"Our top priority is safety on and off the water," Swampscott Recreation said of the replacement program. "Participants will be educated on how to properly handle equipment, how to safely launch and land a paddle board, how to turn and maneuver while in the water, water and sun safety and etiquette, and how to safely dismount and get back on a board while in the water.

"Our next priority is fun. We've got program leaders who are excited to welcome you to the program and jam pack the morning with high-octane fun, fun, fun."

All levels of experience are welcome with participants responsible for their own life jackets.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)