The Paddler Late Summer issue 43

paddler The International magazine for recreational paddlers Issue 43 Late Summer 2018

Retracing RM WWII operations

norway 75 Ric Moat

ezine

Creating a cleanerThames

tideway

Learn to roll

Foreshore Festival Scottish serenity

Coaching

Austrian WW

stop swimming Mike Shaw

playing Dave Rossetter

An interview with‌

cal major

Paddle Against Plastic

sunart Angela Ward and Adam Evans

gimbach Steve Brooks Sea kayaking the

lofotens Sarah Webster

24-page

canoe focus Liam Heath interview Behind the scenes at Pyranha New personal performance awards

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BRITISH CANoEINg

+

Seasonal delights Sonja Jones

Training with rescuers Andrew Wallace Glenmore Lodge 70th birthday Venetian SUP

contents

Paddling the River great ouse, Hemingford grey, Cambridgeshire. Photo by Peter Tranter editor

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design

Many thanks to: Mark Anderson, Pete Crafer, Brian gallagher, Tim Pitcher, Andrew Ainsworth, Jacopo giusti, Plas Y Brenin, Chris Brain, Karl Midlane, Steffan Meyric Hughes, Victoria Smith, Ed Smith, Paul Hyman, Phil Carr, Andy Lees, Robert Carroll, Alan george, Tomasz Furmanek, Neil Irwin and James Appleton for your additional help in putting this edition together.

Peter Tranter peter@thepaddlerezine.com Tel: (01480) 465081 Mob: 07411 005824 www.thepaddlerezine.com 2b Graphic Design Limited

Anne Egan Tel: (01480) 465081 advertising@thepaddlerezine.com

cover

Royal Marine’s Norway 75 expedition Photo by Neil Irwin

Not all contributors are professional writers and photographers, so don’t be put off writing because you have no experience! The Paddler ezine is all about paddler to paddler dialogue: a paddler’s magazine written by paddlers. next issue is autumn/fall 2018 with a deadline of submissions on september 20th 2018. Technical Information: Contributions preferably as a Microsoft Word file with 1200-2000 words, emailed to submissions@thepaddler.ezine.com. Images should be hi-resolution and emailed with the Word file or if preferred, a Dropbox folder will be created for you. The Paddler ezine encourages contributions of any nature but reserves the right to edit to the space available. opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishing parent company, 2b graphic Design Limited. The publishing of an advertisement in the Paddler ezine does not necessarily mean that the parent company, 2b graphic Design Limited, endorse the company, item or service advertised. All material in the Paddler ezine is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved.

Reproduction without prior permission from the editor is forbidden.

Issue 43

004 Seasonal delights

Late Summer 2018

012 Testing, testing

Drowning in litter by Sonja Jones

030 The coach

Reviews, reviews and more reviews

036 Norway 75

It’s all about play by Dave Rossetter

044 An interview with…

Retracing WWII RM operations by Ric Moat

054 Austrian WW

Cal Major of Paddle Against Plastic

060 Venetian SUP

Paddling the Gimbach by Steve Brooks

063 Canoe Focus

Surf’in in Venice organised by RRD British Canoeing’s 24-page magazine

088 Thames Foreshore Festival 094 Scottish serenity

Creating a cleaner river with Tideway

104 Stop swimming

Serenity on Sunart by Angela Ward and Adam Evans

112 Lofotens, Norway Learning to roll by Mike Shaw

120 Glenmore Lodge

Sea kayaking the Lofotens by Sarah Webster

126 Training with rescuers

Celebrating the Lodge’s 70th birthday

130 There’s just so much water

With the RNLI and Surrey Fire and Rescue Service

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ThePADDLER 3

SoNJA JoNES

delights

Seasonal

drowning in litter

In the UK, we are drowning in litter – be that in the canals, on the beach, or even outside your local supermarket. Don’t even get me started on music festivals where fields turn to landfill in hours.You can’t really go anywhere where there isn’t a sign of human life, no matter how remote; this quite genuinely pains me.

In recent times, due to ‘The Blue Planet Effect’, the world appears to be waking up to the plastic deluge and whilst this is tremendous and crucial awareness raising, isn’t it really sad that it has taken something like a documentary to get people to sit up and pay attention. That being said, it’s really clear to me, looking at my community around me in Cardiff, that we still have one hell of a long way to go to fully clean up our act.

I think the answer to all of this is to introduce bears, racoons, cougar, and wolves to the UK, because apparently the likes of foxes and badgers aren’t deterrent enough for littering. Before you write to me and tell me that is a very silly idea, I of course don’t mean that we should do that, it’s an example for illustrative purposes.

Let me explain

I am not long back from a three-week adventure to British Columbia; I have never been anywhere that is so respectful of its animal friends.

As a most essential basic, there are bear proof bins everywhere to prevent human-bear conflict, as the smell of food can attract bears and if bears get a taste for our food, they will begin to seek out tasty morsels at their treasure location again, or approach developed areas in search of food. This is a scary concept for people, but more importantly, if bears or other animals eat our food or litter, it can result in their health being compromised, giving them; lacerations, tooth decay, internal organ damage, parasitic infections, ingestion of toxic substances, leading ultimately, to their death.

By default, having such creatures sharing their homes, this has naturally made the inhabits of British Columbia exceedingly wildlife aware, taking advantage of every opportunity possible to tell you about the region’s natural and cultural wonders.

One such place was unexpectedly on a ferry ride from Victoria to Vancouver, where over the ship’s tannoy, we were invited to a talk on deck by their very own Coastal Naturalists.

BC Ferries have joined forces with Parks Canada, where in their 13th year, provide ferry-based inspirational talks to approximately 150,000 customers, and seasonal programmes reaching millions. This is a fabulous initiative connecting those who may not otherwise be engaged, from all over the world, with information about BC’s coastal wildlife and marine life, cultural history, coupled with engaging personal anecdotes about what connects them so strongly to nature.

Left: Coastal Naturalists, Angie and Rachael

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5

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When we were on Vancouver Island, we became rather frustrated initially with the difficulty we had in finding somewhere to rent sea kayaks from, but on closer inspection and conversations with the locals, it soon became apparent why.The west coast of Vancouver Island in particular, has some very strong currents, and so it becomes very hard and indeed expensive insurance wise for providers to hire to paddlers.

I’m really not one for organised tours of any kind, however, not wanting to go three weeks without paddling, we succumbed to being led on some micro-adventures. I couldn’t have been happier.

The guides we encountered were the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic I have ever had, especially about their surroundings.

When in very rainy Ucluelet, we were taken on a six-hour paddle with Cali Mitchell and a lovely chap called Martin of Patagonia, from Jamie’s Whaling Station. It was probably a good job we did go with them as in the words of Cali herself, “If you get the tides wrong, next stop is Japan.” Cali’s wealth of knowledge about intertidal species was exceptional to the point I asked her if she’s a marine biologist, to which she replied, “No, I used to work in construction.”

We were treated to a show of Bald Eagles, they

were as common as seagulls, as we paddled around the inlets, and even a cheeky harbour seal bobbed up to play with the back of Cali’s kayak. We even saw a Doe and her fawn stand at the waters edge of a tiny island as we glided by – I had no idea deer could swim, let alone from island to island.

The pair had such passion for their local marine species that they told us about how they go to Ucluelet Aquarium to check out their library, so that they can be sure of what they are looking at with clients.

Friends of Clayoquot Sound

After a rainy yet glorious paddle, we had a standard hot chocolate drying off session before heading back to camp; even in the cafe, conservation messages slapped us in the face where we spied a beach clean leaflet by the Surfrider Foundation and the newsletter for the organisation ‘Friends of Clayoquot Sound’.

Friends of Clayoquot Sound is a grassroots organisation advocating protection for the ancient temperate rainforest ecosystems of Clayoquot sound.

They are ‘part of an international movement calling for a shift of consciousness in the way humans relate to Earth’.This newsletter details environmental threats that they are working to address or indeed

as a half way pit-stop to the west coast of Vancouver island, spend some time at port alberni (often overlooked and used only to do a last big supermarket shop), where you can stay in a 1944 converted tug boat called ‘the swept away inn’, and rent sups from tracey and billy from totally board surf company to explore the crystal clear waters of sproat lake.

“ b w n p o o a

raise awareness of, such as; the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline, salmon farming and its detrimental effects on wild salmon, potential mining, and the devastating effects of logging. It is very clear that historically and right up to present day, people will go as far as being arrested to protect their beloved wild home and all its inhabitants.What’s more, FoCS want to ensure a legacy for future generations and so welcome bequests.

Tofino Sea Kayaking Company

On visiting Tofino we headed out for a four-hour mini adventure with Jesse Pictou and Braden Burke, from The Tofino Sea Kayaking Company. Remember how I am not usually into organised tours? Well, when it came to these two chaps, to be quite frank, I could have paddled with and listened to them all day.

Our journey took us to Meares Island, and as we paddled we had the world’s largest barnacles (Belanus nubilus) and vibrant starfish below us, tiny little fairy tale wooden houses on islands around us, and mountains ahead of us – you could have been mistaken for being in a Norwegian Fjord or Scottish Loch, it really was heavenly. It felt a million miles away from the trendy hubbub of the surfing mecca that we set off from.

On landing at Meares Island, we slid our kayaks onto the beach, found a boardwalk, which was made by the First Nations and FoCS, and embarked on the Big Tree Trail. Meares Island has some of the oldest and biggest trees on Earth, some approximately 1,500 years old, with widths of up to 60 feet – the largest recorded trunks internationally.

Both natives, they offered an entirely authentic and somewhat spiritual experience.

We were in a group of all ages, including tiny tots in a double kayak with their parents and most hadn’t really kayaked before. The idea of such a sedate paddle would usually frustrate me, but the opposite happened – I was able to take the time to absorb my surroundings properly and be truly in the moment.

“I think because the wild west coast was the last to be colonised, first contact being around 1744 by the Spanish, they had heard what had happened on the east coast with their forests and wildlife. Sustainability is huge among all native people but has definitely rubbed off more to the non-natives in BC.That could be the stunning natural beauty or the collective consciousness of preservation of beauty. In my experience, the west coast attracts these types of people.The rest of Canada definitely needs to step it up a few notches, but some are getting there. Quebec being one with its wind farms, is doing really well for lowering its carbon footprint. We’re getting there as a whole. It’s just slow going.”

Jesse (one of the native paddlers from the Paddlers Inn)

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the biggest tree on meare’s island

The boys spoke with passion about how in 1984 there was a tree war where MacMillan Bloedel intended to log it but The Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal council were able to, in the end, through evidencing its tribal heritage, declare the island a Tribal Park, so that noone could log it and so to this day, the island is protected and governed by Tla-o-qui-aht and Ahousaht First Nations.

a banana slug

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As well as cultural history, including how First Nations used Cedar for all their lives (mentioning their respectful ceremonies to thank the trees for helping them), from clothing to canoes, Jesse and Braden, barefoot, walked us through the forest and talked energetically and at length about the ecology of the rainforest and all its inhabitants, not forgetting the Banana Slug, the second largest slug in the world, and yes, its name suggests its colour – it can be anything a banana can be!

This was such an inspiring, ecologically and spiritually aware talk – if you ever make it to Tofino, do try head to the Paddlers Inn where Tofino Sea Kayaking is based and book on a trip with these guys, as I promise you, you won’t be disappointed. As well as short trips, they do multi-day expeditions too.

Remember earlier I mentioned about Music Festivals in the UK becoming essentially landfill? To cap off everything I have been telling you about conservation minded BC; we went to see Vance Joy headline at an open air concert at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby, and after essentially a music festival with everything that goes with it – food, booze, and music, it may astonish you to know that we did not see one ounce of rubbish thrown on the floor, funnily enough, everyone used the bins provided. If there was any litter on the floor, it must have been minimal. We really could learn a thing or two from the Canadians in respect of our environment, and in turn, each other.

our group including my wife emily and our guides from uclulet, cali and martin the paddlers inn

Next issue, keep your eyes peeled to learn all about Vancouver Aquarium and its conservation projects, the most authentic seafood dining experience you can get in Campbell River, whale watching around the gulf Islands, and a visit to one of the most respectful animal sanctuaries and hospitals I have ever seen.

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Thepaddler 12

Testing, sevylor colorado inflatable kayak

Photos: Mark Anderson

www.sevylor-europe.com www.coleman.com/sevylorkayaksandcanoes/ Peter Tranter

Took the Colorado out over two successive days on the Bank holiday weekend. On the Saturday as a single-seater and on the Sunday www.facebook.com/ morning as a two-seater with my son and it cambridgeshirepictures makes a big difference to the result.

Firstly, the Colorado is very easy and straightforward to inflate and only doesn’t take much more than five minutes. My kayak arrived with the supplied footpump and a pressure guage, as it’s important not to over inflate above 1.5 bar. Inflation is achieved with the help of Boston valves, which is akin to a doublebarrel inflation and deflation system that worked extremely well in both cases.

A couple of tips though to make life easier at this stage is to inflate the central floor chamber first, as it’s difficult to access the valve if you inflate the walls first and secondly to insert the supplied detachable fin as its pretty difficult once inflated.

inflatable seat

Such was my urge to get onto the river, I actually didn’t notice that the seats are inflatable too and that gave me an unfair negative impression on the Colorado on the first part of the paddle. I was too low down, chafing my knuckles on the sides and of course my backside was getting wet.

At the portage at the locks, I corrected this by inflating the seat and all was much, much better. You get a couple of inches of extra height, which helps considerably with your paddle stroke and control of the kayak, plus the bonus of a dry backside!

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I may have forgot to inflate the seat at the start but I didn’t forget to attach the fin and that is vital with such a broad, flat bottomed kayak in you want to maintain a decent tracking line. In that regard, the Colorado does well considering it’s lack of hull depth. Sevylor have welded directional strakes into the bottom hull of the Colorado, which helps too.

res t to pa

That extra height gained by inflating the seat is so important as the Colorado, being inflatable, is very wide and the higher you are, the more clearance you have over the side of the kayak with your stroke. The Colorado comes with a basic two-piece double blade included, which I didn’t use, however, it’s important to note that you can also use a single blade too, if that’s your preference.

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Thepaddler 14 speed and pace

In single seat mode, the Colorado for obvious reasons in terms of speed, can be challenging. I was on the water with three fellow paddlers in a variety of rotomoulded kayaks and I struggled to keep pace and whilst they paddled and glided along, my paddle was a constant chug.

However, if I had been on my own, I honestly don’t think it would have been a problem, as I wouldn’t have needed to keep up with the group.The Colorado won’t win any races though.

one aspect of the Colorado, particularly in single-seat mode is the absence of foot and thigh braces. For me that’s a major drawback in respect of a day-ong paddle and even after our four-hour paddle, my back was doing plenty of complaining and I don’t suffer with back problems. Now there may be after market solutions to this problem, so I would look into this if your mission is longer sessions on the water.

Speaking about longer sessions on the water, you may be surprised at just how much water drips into the Colorado from the blades due to the open nature of the kayak. get yourself a couple of drip cups on the paddles to reduce this. It should also be noted that the Colorado has a very effective drainage system.

So there are a couple of negatives and so at this stage I think it’s important to note that the Colorado is obviously aimed at the family market and at a low price that introduces people into the sport without it costing a fortune. Therefore there will be sacrifices to performance, speed and sometimes comfort and those disadvantages are equally matched by the advantages of being an inflatable.

inflatable adVantages

For a family kayak, it’s built to last, constructed with a sturdy material that’s both tough, durable and able to take a bump or two. The extra width also offers top-

Thepaddler 16

https://youtu.be/ FftEY3yYjjQ

notch stability, which beginners will find reassuring straight away, it’s a craft that kids will take to in an instant and be able to have a lot of fun with. Add to that the obvious advantage of being able to fold away at the end of the paddle, without the need for roof bars and there can’t be too many grumbles. In short, families should love the Colorado.

It’s also important to note that all that I’ve written up to this point has been in single-seater mode. So on the Sunday morning I took the Colorado onto the water in our local boatyard with my son and just had a fun paddle as a two-seater.

two seat differences

Straight away you notice the uptake in speed, as we now have two engines paddling away and that makes a difference not just to performance but also comfort, as my big lump of a son in the front kayak provided a convenient foot brace for me as I placed my feet either side beneath his front seat. He in turn being much further forward was to brace himself into and under walls of the Colorado where it comes together at the bow.

This for me this is exactly what I would purchase a Colorado for: having a splash about for a few hours of fun with all the advantages of stability and ease of use.

It also has plenty of carry handles, mesh in the back of the seats to place drink bottles and other attachment areas dotted around to make items secure.

conclusion

The Colorado is all about uncomplicated fun at a very convenient pricing point – take the Colorado to a lake or a calm day at the beach and it will become the focal point of having a good time. It’s very easy to use as a platform in the water to jump in and out off with it’s soft rounded edges. If this is your reason for purchasing a double family kayak, then the Colorado does the job in spades. get one for the kids and they’ll absolutely love you for it.

tech specs l Broad shape offering excellent stability. l Boston, Mini Boston and Mini Double Lock valves for easy inflation and deflation. l Easy Inflation Manometer: check pressure easily during inflation. l Highly effective drainage system. l Two fabric covered, adjustable seats with high backrests and inflatable sitting area. l Removable seats - easily turn the kayak into a one or two-person version. l Removable fin and welded directional strakes. for excellent manoeuvrability. l Four ergonomic carry handles for easy transportation. l The Colorado™ Kit also includes one paddle and pump. l Carry bag (100% Nylon).

Price: UK £349; US $449; Europe €390

protect yourself from the elements www.liquidsports.co.uk

Thepaddler 18

ainsworth glass range www.ainsworthpaddles.co.uk Andy Lees

ainsworth paddles have been manufacturing paddles in the uK since the 1975 and have a solid reputation with their trusted abs range and their innovative aft ( advanced foam technology) and hand made carbon paddles.

With recent developments in pre preg glass and carbon fibre, Ainsworth have bolstered their range with some of the strongest composite paddles available on the market today. In addition this new processing technique (snap cure) has vastly reduced the cost of making products in these materials making them more cost effective than ever!

what makes these paddles unique?

The breakthrough in construction means that Ainsworth paddles attain over 65% of fibres to resin ratio with fibre orientation exactly placed for the best edge wear and at the same time offering the ability to fine tune stiffness. What you see is what you get! No gel coats or excess resin and more fibres packed into the same weight.

Some other glass/carbon composite paddles invariably have only 40% fibres to resin ratio and although they may have a high-gloss surface or coloured gel coat to look nice, this is at the expense of poor edge wear and excess weight.

paddle test

Photo: Nick Jones Photography www.nickjonesphotography.co.uk/

go Kayaking North West, a specialist paddlesports shop in Cheshire, have been testing the prototype paddles for a while. The glass paddles have been in the

hands of team paddlers and staff members, spending as much time on low water Welsh slate rivers as possible to give them a thorough test.

“I’ve swapped my full carbon crank blades for a set of straight glass Ainsworth paddles. I thought I needed a crank to help with my joints, but in fact I just needed a slightly more flexible glass bladed paddle so the blades flex and not my joints.There is plenty of power behind the large blades and this never felt a compromise.They also feel indestructible and they have barely worn down considering the tough testing we’ve done.They slot nicely into Ainsworth’s reputable range of super-durable, hard wearing paddles but remain light weight and cost effective. Nice work!” Andy Lees, Go Kayaking Store Manager, paddles whenever he can!

“These are great paddles; they’re well balanced and powerful. A lot of thought has clearly gone into the design and it shows with the way they respond to the Paddlers input.” Mike Ryder from Mike Ryder Coaching.

Professional kayak and canoe coach for 10 years.

Paddling for 12 years.

“The weight of the paddles are perfect for me, they’re not too heavy or too light.The blades on the first prototype felt slightly flexible but still gave me considerable amount of power to boof.There is a good amount of flex in the shaft which means it is more likely to bend instead of snap.” Dan Jones 16-year-old regular paddler of grade 3-4.

“They felt extremely powerful and you can tell the quality of the glass from the responsiveness of them.” Jack Daker local paddler paddling grade 4+

durability:

glass fibre: 9/10. carbon fibre: 8/10 Both constructions seemed to drastically reduce the wear on the edge of the blade and the shaft evidently seems very durable for low water UK ditches.

After even a small amount of use, you will have complete faith in these paddles to be reliable in all conditions.

stiffness

glass fibre: 8/10. carbon fibre: 9/10 The feedback from the first prototype of the glass paddles is that they are more flexible than required – however, there was feedback that this helped reduce the strain on joints. The paddles are still super powerful and responsive. The second and third prototypes are less flexible and are currently on the water being tested. Finding the compromise between weight and stiffness is the challenge.

The carbon blades are super stiff and rigid and these offer even greater power transfer.

weight

glass fibre prototype one, weighs in at 1028g. carbon fibre weighs in at 850g.

Both blades seem suitably light in weight. Some testers felt the glass blades were too light, however, other people felt they were just right. In comparison, they are currently sat right in the middle of competitors

Photo: Nick Jones Photography www.nickjonesphotography.co.uk/

Specifications: Shaft construction: Weight: Blade height: Blade width: Shaft diameter: Shaft and index grip: RRP:

Glass blades Carbon composite 1028g 48.5cm 20.25cm 28.5mm 32.5mm £189

blade shape

•

9/10 Big blades for big strokes. Modern boats these days require focus on key strokes only – rather than using the paddle all the time. The Ainsworth paddles fit this to perfection. They’re big, powerful and reliable. The paddles are scooped forward meaning the catch is further forward, which gives you more power. The smooth dihedral ensures the blade cuts through smoothly so you can put the power down.

Value for money

• •

10/10 glass blade, carbon straight shaft: £189 carbon blade, carbon straight shaft: £249 For something that hasn’t compromised on durability, weight or stiffness, these Ainsworth Paddles offer superb value for money and are notably cheaper than most other brands out there.

Carbon blades Carbon composite 850g 48.5cm 20.25cm 28.5mm 32.5mm £249 Designed and manufactured In the UK. Pre preg composite blades for the strongest blades possible.

Excellent value for money.

Follow Go Kayaking on social media at: @Go Kayaking North West. #Go_kayakingnw for more updates.

Or get in touch with your thoughts to info@go-kayaking.com

Demo paddles in both glass and carbon are available from go Kayaking North West, or can be requested from your local Ainsworth dealership.

Thepaddler 19

Thepaddler 20

Vivida Quickdry surf tee www.vividalifestyle.com

By Robert Carroll

The breathable Vivida tee has been on and off continuously throughout this unusually hot British summer and has just arrived back from a watersport trip in Zadar, Croatia.

on more than one occasion this shirt has been a true saviour, due to its rapid drying ability and its cool, breezy design, allowing comfort in direct sun.

Whilst I personally favour the shirt over its standard cotton, or rash vest counterparts, its unusual sizing did warrant some frustration at times. As a consistent wearer of medium shirts since my early teens, I was surprised to discover the overly long approach adopted by Vivida, and I’m still unsure if this was a conscious manufacturing decision. If it was purposely made larger than average I can understand the comfort and cooling benefits but it seemed slightly bigger and longer than most shop bought ‘large’ sizes I’ve tried wearing in the past.

The design is sleek and fitting for a watersport enthusiast but as a photographer used to observing small detail, I would have to critique the slight lack of clarity in the print, which, when compared against other established branded shirts, looks mildly blurry.

I would recommend a size check before purchasing, and a comparison with other similar products but cannot fault the comfort and practical benefits of this fun looking and protective tee. pros: Cool and comfortable.

Attractive design.

Rapidly wicks away moisture. cons: Unusual sizing.

Slightly blurry printed design. price: £34.00

overboard pro-light waterproof waist pack www.over-board.co.uk

By Anne Egan

With a capacity of two litres, this lightweight but rugged waterproof waist bag is for me, a woman’s best friend.

I do tend to carry a lot and that doesn’t change on the water, however, I don’t like the large waterproof bags or anything too cumbersome and therefore I found overboard’s solution a very neat middle ground.

It’s neat and tidy, fits around my waist and is extremely light. Contents are well protected with a waterproof folding system that can either be used on the top or side and you get the bonus of a foldaway bottle holder – a feature I’ve found very handy.

The main body of the bag is waterproof standard IP66, which will not protect your belongings in the bag if submerged for prolonged periods but the bag is designed to float anyway. The front zipped compartment is splash proof only, so phones, key fobs or anything electronic shouldn’t be kept in there.

Keep that in mind and you won’t go wrong with this bag – I like it a lot.

tech specs l 100% waterproof main compartment: Class 3 IP66. l Front pocket with water resistant zip: Class 2 IP65. l Two-way sealing system (top or side). l Constructed from lightweight TPU fabrics. l Side bottle holder, with tuck away zip pocket. l Floats if dropped in water. price: £29.99

Thepaddler 22

epicV6 surf ski

www.epickayaks.uk.com Alan george

last year with retirement progressing and more time on my hands, i undertook the challenge to get back into kayaking now as a veteran in the sport. i had to accept the limitations i had incurred in reduced balance and find a workable and affordable solution to re-joining the sport. so i undertook an exercise to modify my K1 to improve its stability, this was the subject of a previous article in the paddler, issue 35 may 2017. since then i have enjoyed my stability enhanced K1, touring and generally keeping fit on the canal for the best part of 18 months.

Although my K1 modification provided me with a solution to the stability issue, I had not abandoned my interest in surf skis which I had considered as a possible solution at the time. So with the announcement of the Epic V5 surf ski, my interest was spiked yet again. A year ago the Epic V7 in rotomoulded form was the only option open to me at an affordable price, but the weight was an issue at 23Kg (a little over 50lbs). Now with the launch of the new V5 there was an alternative to the V7 offering additional features. The V5 was lighter, a more manageable size, important when kayaking solo and also slightly cheaper. So with interest sparked my journey towards acquiring a surf ski began.

My desire to paddle a surf ski is driven by the layout of the open cockpit, offering K1 style knees together paddling, footboards and toe control of the rudder,

open cockpit for easy access and the potential increased stability options available. There are many manufacturers of surf skis and as many variations in size stability and build configuration. But what had drawn me to Epic was the development of the rotomoulding, now a major step forward from the heavy ‘Tupperware’ general purpose sit on kayaks seen at activity centres across the country. I had originally seen an Epic V8 in Malta whilst on holiday but the cost was prohibitive and at 18-foot long, it would be a challenge to store in my garage. The V7 at 17-foot long was the same length as my K1 with greater stability, it had good reviews on speed and handling but the weight was still an issue to a single handed lift onto the car roof rack.

epic V5

So the V5 at 14-foot long and lighter than the V7, was moving in the right direction. The V5 in roto-moulded specification weighed in at 22kg getting on for 50lbs. I was trying to convince myself that the weigh was not an issue, but having been used to my K1 weighing in at 12kg at nearly half the weight and my wife reminding me I did not want to make a mistake with this purchase, so I finally had to reconsider the options.

With my 65th birthday approaching, maybe I was due a big present to myself to enjoy in my retirement years. So another seed was sown to look for a surf ski of similar weight to my K1. With cost not so much of an issue I looked at the lighter build specifications of the V5 and was impressed to find the ultraspecification weighed in at 12kg, the same as my K1.

So I had now sourced a surf ski kayak with good stability perfect layout and at the right build weight.

Perfect? Well not quite.

epic V6

My research continued and I kept coming across the Epic V6 predominately a 16-foot touring kayak with a surf ski deck. It also had a flip up rudder system which would suit my usage far better than the under stern rudder as standard on the V5. As an option there was a retro fit over stern rudder available for the V5, which made differentiating between the V5 and V6 very difficult. The price of the V5 equipped with an over stern rudder was virtually identical to the V6. In the end the decision as to V5 or V6 would come down to; was the extra length of the V6 enough of an advantage to improve the paddling experience and outweigh the extra 2.5kgs in weight over the V5.

time to choose

At this point I started an email dialogue with Jim Taylor-Ross at Epic Kayaks UK, based in Exeter. I was pleasantly surprised as to the friendly offer of support and access to demonstration models. However, living in East Yorkshire, Exeter was a long haul to try out the two alternatives in my decision. Then Jim made an offer to meet me half way at a rowing club in gloucester to try the V5 and V6 in ultra-build specifications. As an aside I had been watching the development of wing paddles and thought maybe I should move into the 21st century with an up-to-date paddle, so I asked if I could also try an Epic wing paddle, in for a penny in for a pound.

Fortunately good weather prevailed and the location in gloucester was great for a paddling trial. I was advised to use my own paddle for the trial to evaluate one change at a time. Both kayaks were prepared and the V6 was first up as this was quietly my preference. on entering the cockpit from the river bank my body took on the action of an out of control servo loop. I was surprised to find it so twitchy and tried to tell myself that this is a stable kayak with similar width to a slalom kayak so it should not be twitchy. After sitting for a short period and giving myself a good talking to, I set off up river.

What a transformation, I settled into a relaxed paddle, experiencing the great feel of the kayak on a level keel and the build-up of secondary stability when heeled.

The rudder took some getting used to due to the amount of pressure required to operate it but I was having a great time paddling the V6, sadly I had to return to the river bank for the next trial. Next up was the V5, now this was a completely different experience. Entering the V5 from the bank it was rock solid in stability as you would expect from a sit-on-top kayak. However at 14-foot long, the directional stability was not as good as the V6, the rudder was very responsive but the feel of the boat I am used to from my previous kayaks was just not there.

In discussion with Jim later he explained that the development routes of the V5 and V6 were very different.The V6 was a development from the very successful stable of surf skis Epic are so famous for and therefore it exhibits the pedigree of a performance kayak. Whereas the V5 has come from the opposite direction using Epic’s knowledge to make massive leaps forward in the sit-on-top kayak market, and that, it has achieved but without very much feel.That explained the feel of the V6 that I experienced, which verified my final decision as to which of the two surf skis was for me.The V6 has the stability with the feel of a responsive fast kayak; this was definitely the one for me. My initial preference for the V6 because of the extra length was right but the development pedigree that came with the V6 was the defining factor.

epic wing paddles

Finally I was to try the Epic wing paddles. A new technique was required to get the most from the wing design and with a little advice from Jim I took to the water again. My first reaction was what a quantum leap in paddle technology. The paddle was so light and the ability to adjust the length and the feather was so straight forward it could be carried out on the water with ease. on the water the feel of the paddle was fantastic and the performance from the wing design combined to enhance the experience.

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I was blown away by the amount of grab and the ease with which it literally flew through the water. I opted to purchase the Mid wing as I am used to the large blade area of my vintage paddles and found the Mid wing gave me equivalent resistance to my existing paddles but with much less blade area.The demonstrator paddle I tried was a full carbon but for my touring usage the Club Carbon spec has proved totally adequate with great feel, stiffness and best price verses weight. My beautiful wooden paddles would now have to become wall mounted ornaments.

After a very enjoyable day we packed up and I put my new Epic V6 on the roof rack to take home. I paid up and thanked Jim for his help, advice and five-star service and we both departed having had a very rewarding day.

Since the trial I have spent many memorable hours in my V6 and I am now fully committed to surf skis, especially the V6 and I am so glad I took the step to buy one. The ultra-specification with its low weight has also been vindicated in the ease with which the kayak can be handled on and off the water.

V6 rudder system

The V6 rudder system is also a major advantage over the under stern rudders of other K1s and surf skis.

When paddling my K1 on the canal it has always suffered from weed build up on the under stern rudder and the bow and I needed to regularly stop and reverse to de-weed it. With the V6 the rudder system is essentially an over stern but integrated into

the hull length. It can be raised via a cord and lowered under spring tension. on the canal when weed accumulates the light spring tension allows the rudder blade to flip up clearing the weed and then returning to the lowered position. The up haul cord can also be used to raise the rudder blade if any stubborn weed attaches.

With my weight being at the bottom of the V6 range the bow is higher on the water than normal and with its gentle curved shape it also doesn’t pick up weed.

My paddling these days is predominantly carried out on rivers and canals so the rudder is used mainly as additional directional stability. So the V6 rudder system and hull shape has again showed additional qualities I never expected. For the majority of time I paddle with the rudder lowered and in a neutral position making the kayak go perfectly straight and when correction is required for bends in the canal or river I heel the

kayak slightly and it follows a gentle and predictable curve with no rudder input required.

However, when required to turn at the return point on the canal even an effective rudder would struggle, but raise the V6 rudder and the kayak becomes as responsive as a slalom kayak and can be turned very easily with a few directional strokes. A slight criticism of the rudder installation on my V6 was I found it very hard to move in small increments constantly over correcting due to the stiffness, I thought maybe in time I would get used to it. However, after some investigation, I found the rudder cross bar spacer washer was too thick therefore stopping free rotation by clamping the rudder down and making it hard to move. With slight fettling to reduce the thickness of the nylon washer the rudder moved with ease and precision.

The V6 is set up in preference for tall people, therefore due to my short legs the foot boards were fully aft and when paddling water off the paddle was thrown directly into the cockpit. I recognise that this would not be a problem to most users, especially at sea, but for touring I like a dry cockpit if possible.To rectify this I made a number of trial covers for the front of the cockpit from fabric, card and plastic and finally settled for a simple 1mm polystyrene sheet hatch attached with Velcro to cover the front section of the cockpit opening back as far as the foot boards.This solved the problem and gave my V6 a dry cockpit.

Another area to customise was the self-bailer, as again with the foot boards being fully aft they were so close to the bailer as to prevent easy opening. To rectify this I added a cord and T-bar to open the bailer, closing was easily completed as intended with my heel. So now removal of any cockpit water if there is any, can easily carried out. A 15mm thick shaped foam seat pad attached with Velcro completed my comfort seating requirements. For transportation over long distances I bought a universal kayak trolley with quick release wheels making it easily stowed in the rear hatch when out on the water.

summary

the V6 has an uncanny range of qualities that you would not imagine on initial inspection. it has improved my paddling experience in so many areas i could not have imagined. and it still keeps on giving.

i have nothing but praise for the V6 as the ideal touring kayak, and i would encourage anyone looking for a fast tourer to try the epic V6 for size.the V6 has the feel of a pedigree kayak, with superb build quality and awesome performance on the water. it also has enough storage for camping trips and i haven’t even thought of sea use yet. it also fits on my garage wall easier than the K1, what more could you ask for. what a craft, thank you epic Kayaks uK and jim taylor-ross.

self-bailer

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red original insulated drinks bottle

https://redoriginal.com Peter Tranter

red original dry pouch

There’s so much to like with this stainless steel bottle from Red Original. Let’s just start with its impressive look and feel – definitely leagues ahead of anything plastic that I’ve owned in the past or present. It looks weapon grade – leaving you in no doubt that it can perform the job asked.

Make no mistake, this is a serious piece of kit on what is now a serious problem on our waterways: plastic pollution. It is expensive but that’s your commitment to the cause and nobody throws away a bottle costing £25.

In the winter you’ll use it for tea and coffee, which it will keep hot for an impressive 12 hours, more than enough for all paddlers with the possible exception of the Sian Sykes and Cal Majors of this world. In the summer it performs the reverse result by keeping cold beverages, really cold for up to 24 hours – try doing that with plastic!

Take a look at the tech specs below to see how it performs this and you’ll soon realise that a lot of thought has gone into making this an invaluable part of your paddling kit.

other notes of mention include the rubberised sports cap for drinking on the move, the ability to attach with a carabiner to anywhere you line and the large size of 750ml, which is ideal for a couple of hours on the water. All your problems solved.

https://youtu.bev Y3AYRksiIk

Tech specs l Insulated double walled construction: the double wall construction creates a vacuum between the outside environment and inside liquid helping to keep cold drinks cold for 24 hours and hot drinks hot for 12 hours with no external condensation. l Keep warm with hot drinks on the go: the canteen cap enables you to take your favourite hot drink or soup on every adventure. l Single-handed drinking: sports cap attachment enables easy drinking whilst on the go. l Easily attachable: attach your bottle to your board, deck bag or cool bag with a carabiner so it wont get lost when on the water. l Comfortable rubberised mouth piece (sports cap): easy to use and prevents any leakage. l Large 750ml/25oz capacity: big enough to carry three cups of coffee or a whole bottle of wine! price: £25.00

On the surface, looking at Red’s Dry Pouch, you may be thinking, “Why so expensive?”

There are many cheaper alternatives out there and many of them we have featured in our reviews in the past. However, as always with Red Original products, they do go that extra mile at the design stage, thinking through all the scenarios.

Red’s Dry Pouch falls somewhere in the middle of a waterproof phone case to the larger waterproof dry bags – in essence you can carry your phone, car keys, money and a little more besides.

Your smartphone fits snugly into the internal pocket for added security from sudden movements and to isolate it from keys, etc that may scratch the screen.

The protection on the outside is provided by a tough but pliable material that again is constructed to absorb knocks and shocks.

To keep the contents waterproof if you do have an unexpected swim, is the tried and tested YKK aquaseal zip. To stop if floating away you keep the Dry Bag attached to you either by daisy chaining it to a strap or using the supplied Velcro strips.

Tech specs l Easy-attach Velcro strap system: secures to the carry strap or bungee cord on your board for convenient on-water access. l YKK Aquaseal zip: zero-leak totally waterproof zip which won’t corrode or fail. l Robust welded seams: prevents water from entering the pouch. l Foam lined padding: protects contents against knocks and scrapes. l Armour tech material: tough but tactile high density fabric provides the optimum in durability. l Convenient size: L:230mm W: 50mm H: 120mm price: £65.00

WWW EPICKAYAKS UK COM

ROCKPOOL

KAYAKS

0) "/% /08 "-40 1637&:034 0' '*/& '"4)*0/ Unit 7, Holland Park Ind Est, Cyttir Rd, Holyhead, Anglesey LL65 2PU Workshop: 01407 764422 Mike Webb: 07970 298985 sales@rockpoolkayaks.com www.rockpoolkayaks.com

To advertise email: ads@thepaddlerezine.com or call +44 (0)1480 465081

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palm equipment shuck helmet

http://palmequipmenteurope.com Phil Carr www.unsponsored.co.uk

After a few years in development, Palm Equipment has revealed the Shuck helmet. I tried out a 3D printed Shuck almost two years ago but was sworn to secrecy. It took a few days to print and was super heavy.

Roll on a couple of years and the Shuck has been released into the world.The Shuck is approved to CE water sport safety standard EN1385 and has a claimed weight of 533g in the large size.This example weighed in at 537g before additional outfitting.

The Shuck is available in two varieties, the full cut, which includes additional coverage of the ears and the half-cut version – it is the half-cut version that is reviewed here. However, both versions use the same tough ABS shell and multi-impact EPP liner.

The Shuck retails at around £80, which puts the helmet (in terms of cost) in the middle of the Sweet Wanderer (£110) and Shred Ready’s Standard (£72).

Now it is important to state that you should choose a helmet based upon how it fits you. Everyone is different and fit and protection coverage should be the deciding factor before fashion and cost comes into play. I would therefore always recommend trying on helmets in a store that sells a number of different brands to find the one most suitable for the shape of your head.

The Shuck is available in three sizes: small (51-55cm); medium (56-58cm) and large (58-61cm). My current helmet is a Sweet Rocker M/L which is designed for a head circumference of 56-59cm and although I am at the top end of this, the L/XL is far too big. Trying on the Shuck in the store, I found that although I could wear the medium there was definitely some

pressure points that indicated that over a longer period of time, I would probably have issues wearing that size. I therefore went for the large.

getting the fit right

To get the fit right, I needed to remove the washable Polygiene fabric comfort liner and add in a few of the provided self-adhesive foam strips. The liner was then reattached using the Velcro tabs and the helmet popped back on. This made sure that the helmet was both snug and comfortable with no side to side wobble. Additional tweaks could be made using the dial-based adjustable occipital stabiliser. If you have ever used a good cycling helmet you will be familiar with this dial concept. This system not only gets the fit spot-on but it also helps prevent the helmet from tipping backwards and exposing the temples.

For me the fit is great with plenty of coverage of the temples, sides and rear. The slight peak at the front of the helmet will help with protection of the face.

Most helmets have some sort of drainage system in the form of multiple holes in the shell. The Shuck does not have any of these. In reality if a helmet fits well, there shouldn’t really be a need of drainage holes. on the colour front, the helmet is available in red, blue, black and white. All have contrasting coloured straps and highlights to match in with Palm’s wide range of watersport gear.

I have been using my Shuck since they were first released earlier this year – so how has it been? Well, I haven’t noticed it, which is definitely a good thing.

Wearing it for hours on end in some pretty hot conditions hasn’t resulted in any discomfit or hot spots. Now I haven’t gone about deliberately banging my head off solid objects but the odd knock from paddles, boats and tree branches have been taken in their stride. given that it has full CE EN385 approval I’m confident that it will be able to handle the job.

So if you are considering a new helmet then I would recommend checking out the Shuck helmet. If one fits you well then, it’s definitely worth considering.

WO R L D - C L AS S K AYAKS , C AN O ES AN D PAD D L I N G EQ U I PMEN T

paddles with are

“go anywhere� dependable exploration

adventure around every corner

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20/02/2018 13:53

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RTM products are distributed in the UK and Ireland by Lyon Equipment - www.lyon.co.uk

To advertise email: ads@thepaddlerezine.com or call +44 (0)1480 465081

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COACH

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t h e

WITH DAVE RoSSETTER HEAD oF PADDLESPoRTS AT gLENMoRE LoDgE

Scotland’s National outdoor Training Centre

Where the focus, is always on the paddler

This edition of the Paddler, sees the return of articles/topics around how we can improve and develop as coaches and/or paddlers. I am keen to explore the options that we have available to improve while we are on the water, with or without a coach to support us. For coaches these will also help trigger your thoughts and options while running sessions.

I am interested in how we improve. In looking at how we structure our time on the water we can plan to spend time focusing on areas of our paddling of our choice. How often do we go out on the section of river/coastline/loch/canal with a plan? Do we choose where we go only based on where is closest/water levels/wind direction, etc.? How often do we factor in what is best for our development?

IT’S ALL ABoUT PLAY! WHAT Do WE Do,To gET BETTER? This article is focused on making sure we have a plan for when we are on the water and ensuring that it is good for our development.To that end…

INTRoDUCTIoN

Paddling is fun/paddling should be fun and enjoyable. Treat it as play time and something to look forward to. We can turn our paddling into something we enjoy and something that we can improve. Patience and making the correct choices about our paddling will go a long way to ensure that we can improve.

A few years ago I put together this article: https://thepaddlermag.com/2015/09/30/what-do-you-do-to-improve/ on different ways that we help ourselves improve. In the last section I mention about ‘play time!’ and the determination to get out and do. The child-like approach to trial and error and being un-afraid to get it wrong. This concept of play time is what I keen to explore and expand upon in this article.

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BACKgRoUND

The concept of play time for me is around playing the game or doing the sport/activity. I can spend time learning the individual skills and components but it is not until in the ‘game’ that the context becomes real and the understanding of what is important jumps out at me. Putting this together is of real value for us as paddlers and coaches.

Paddlers: have you ever been frustrated because you don’t know where the session is going or what context the skill is done in?

Coaches: have you ever witnessed the paddlers getting the skill in ‘training’ but not being able to put it in while ‘playing’?

This understanding of context can happen in many ways but what is crucial that we have an understanding of the principles or rules of the ‘game’.This comes from doing the activity in the environment required.

There is a caveat to this – that is safety! We do need to make sure that we are safe or our paddlers are safe and that we have chosen an environment that is manageable and will not stretch us out of our comfort zones/safety zones.

TACTICS

My tactic when out playing is to ensure that I know what and why the activity is about for the time I am out. To help with this I need to decide if it: • is real play time where I am exploring and developing a greater understanding of what I am doing; • is grooving and embedding something that I know and can do and want to ensure I can get it better/stronger/smoother/more consistent; • is about excelling and mastering the skill so that I own it and it becomes autonomous.

These three concepts/tactics will structure my time on the water for when I want to improve: • practice to explore; • practice to embed; • practice to excel.

When I reflect back on successful sessions I have delivered or been part of, where there has been a sense of achievement, it comes back to those three tactics.

Structuring sessions that allow yourself the time to explore and get familiar the environment. The success is that exploration and discovery happened.

Structuring time on the water where we know we can do something and now it’s time to get good at it –

owning it so that we trust it and it becomes a positive consistent trait, is what we need and what the environment will demand from us. Structuring our time so we are excelling and performing with ease, with flair and with creativity, so that our performance has the ability to shaped and grow.

There is time for all of these and perhaps even in one session on the water, all three could be undertaken.

However, there are times when out on my local stretch of water where I will go out with one of these areas as my focus.There is something special about being in the familiar environment and seeing what is possible, grooving a known skill or just getting off the water, having nailed all your known challenges and moves.

EXERCISES

Regardless if you are a coach or paddler, here are some example exercises to try when next on the water. explore on a piece of water that you are very familiar with, look to explore it through a different lens. Is there a different route down the rapid? Why do I always go left when I could go right? What happens when you try your favourite move from a different starting point?

By exploring something that is well known through those childlike eyes, gives us an amazing perspective on our well-known stretches of water. With meaningful reflection it is amazing and inspiring what we can find out about. This deepening of our existing knowledge will allow us to construct a new and different knowledge that in turn may be useful for us.

Remember with exploration things may go wrong and not be successful. This is also of great interest for us. This experimentation stage is one that we hear about in many successful companies, in that the trial and error helps shape our knowledge. Having knowledge of what doesn’t work is just as valuable of what does!

embed When you have something that you can do – rolling for example, look to make this consistent and get it nailed by practice in a way that embeds the skill. Next time you are out, look to practice in various environments e.g. in the eddy and in the flow or roll on your upwind and downwind side of the kayak.

Adding variety to our practice can help us become consistent and embed what we already can do but in different places.

It could be that you are getting some form of consistency in whatever the skill is – so how about going from 60% to 90% consistency?

going out with the clear idea of having a plan and knowing that you complete the skill and understanding that focusing on this and getting good at it does wonders for our confidence.

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SET CHALLENgESTHAT ARE ABoUT HELPINg WITHTHIS E.g.

easy task on easy water means I am looking for success the majority of the time > 80%.

hard task on easy water means I am looking for success 50-80% of the time.

EXCEL

Now you can do the skill let’s own it/make it autonomous. By being to perform with ease, with added creativity is what we are after. Can you tap into the energy that the water/environment gives us, to allow us to still achieve the same outcome but with less effort? Put a clock on the task – are you aware how long it takes to do and can you do it quicker? We could use the same with heart-rate monitors, gPS, etc.

By knowing what we can currently achieve, allows us to find those small marginal gains that can ensure that we are performing to our best and excelling in the environment/activity.

SUMMARY

going out for purposeful play is what this article is about and each and every time you are on the water you can play! by using these tactics it can bring a focus to our time on the water and turn sections of easy water still into a training zone and adds context for us.

paddlers: the next time you are out what type of practice are you going to do and why? Where will this help you in paddling? Make sure you have a focus and don’t forget – It’s play time!

coaches: when running your next sessions are you aware of what type of practice your paddlers need you to run? How can you help structure your sessions so that your paddlers can explore, embed or excel whilst doing the activity in context. Have a focus for them and remember – it’s their play time!

Happy paddling/coaching!

The Wayland folding kayaks are based on the most successful andÊproven designs that have been produced over the years of foldingÊkayaks. Since the early 1930s various folding kayaks of differentÊbrands have been used successfully on expeditions around theÊworld, many under extreme conditions and over long distances asÊwell as by numerous special forces on military operations. TheseÊkayaks are designed to be collapsed into easily manageableÊrucksacks and carry bags for simple transportation and storage, andÊcan be completely assembled within 15-20 minutes.

7>Þ > `ÃÊÕÃiÊ>à ]ÊLiiV ]Ê >À iÊ« ÞÜ `Êv ÀÊÌ iÊvÀ> i]Ê Þ«> Ê­ ÀÊ - ÊÉÊ/*1®Êv ÀÊÌ iÊ Õ Ê> `Ê À>Þ Ê ÊÎÓÊ­ ÀÊ ->ÌÌ iÀ®Ê >À iÊV> Û>ÃÊv ÀÊÌ iÊÕ««iÀÊ`iV °ÊThe kayak¿s skin hasÊ built-in pockets to hold bow to stern air sponsons, providing a dualÊpurpose of extra buoyancy and tightening the skin over the entireÊframe. The broad beam plus sponsons produce very stable kayaksÊthat are difficult to capsize and to sink. The huge amount of internalÊstorage space makes these kayaks ideal for touring and camping.

There is a wide range of Wayland models to choose from, all of which are customisable according to your needs, from a plain 4.5mÊsingle seater to a large 7m 4-5 multi-seater full expedition modelÊcomplete with various furnishings on the deck – all models comeÊwith standard fittings to accommodate sail rigs.

Strongly constructed military gradeÊkayaks, also available for civilian purchase, is a very popular choiceÊwith wild life/ documentary film crews. / iÃiÊ¿L >ÌÊ Ê>ÊL>}¿Ê7>Þ > `Êv ` }Ê >Þ> ÃÊ>ÀiÊiV V> ÞÊ «À Vi`ÊV «>Ài`ÊÌ Ê Ì iÀÊÜ `i ÊvÀ> i`Êv ` }Ê >Þ> ÊLÀ> `ÃÊ VÕÀÀi Ì ÞÊ ÊÌ iÊ >À iÌ°Ê `` Ì > Þ]Ê7>Þ > `]ÊÜ Ì Ê ÛiÀÊÓäÊ Þi>ÀÃÊ vÊiÝ«iÀ i Vi]Ê ÃÊÜi Ê Ü Êv ÀÊ«À `ÕV }Ê } ʵÕ> ÌÞÊ Ài« >Vi i ÌÊà ÃÊv ÀÊ> ÞÊ `i ÊLÀ> `Ê vÊv ` }ÊL >ÌÊ Ài}>À` iÃÃÊ vÊÌ iÊÞi>À°. Also Wayland is NATO certified to produce & supply militaryÊgrade folding kayaks, so they do know how to produce really robustÊand long lasting kayaks!

Wayland Folding Kayaks UK 07875 497841 (Please leave a message) www.waylandkayaks.co.uk info@waylandkayaks.co.uk

Thepaddler 36

75

NORWAY Story: Ric Moat Photos: Tim Pitcher, Tomasz Furmanek and Neil Irwin It’s 1943 and Norway is occupied by Nazi germany. The entire Norwegian coast has been rapidly fortified with gun batteries and troops in order to protect infrastructure vital to maintaining the Nazi’s pace in the war as well as guarding the german Navy nestled in deep fjords.

The dark night of September 11th, a French submarine is entering Bjærangsfjorden, a heavily protected 10-km long fjord. Nazi searchlights reflect off the water’s calm surface. In the shadows, 12 Commandos, a mix of British and Norwegian, emerge from the submarine and paddle the final kilometre to the back of the fjord. Despite the submarine being spotted, the commandos covertly make it ashore. With their small boats hidden they embark upon a daring mission that takes them over the mountain pass behind the fjord, dropping them directly onto the hydroelectric Glomfjord power plant.

These men successfully destroy the power plant thus ceasing the production of aluminium so crucial to the Luftwaffe. Despite all their guile, eight of these men were killed and only four were able to escape back to UK.

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northern Norway

our route starts in the high Arctic of

where water temperatures are perennially low (6-deg C), so drysuits are squeezed in.

our mission

It’s the middle of June 2018.The waters of Bjærangsfjorden are calm and, just like our predecessors we are searching for the shadows. However, we are trying to avoid the rarely seen Norwegian sun rather than enemy spotlights as we make our way, in three tandem kayaks to the exact landing spot that the Commando team used in ‘42. We continue on foot, up over the mountain and reach the power plant where we enjoy a cinnamon bun before packing kit away and continuing on our own mission. our team comprises of eight British Royal Marines Commandos. our self-initiated plan is to travel the length of Norway, north to south in order to revisit, re-tell and commemorate commando raids from

WWII. The glomfjord power plant, or operation MARTIN, is one of six sites that we will visit.

Attempting to better understand the endurance challenges of WWII commando operations, we have decided to cycle between these locations, a total distance of 3,500 km. As amphibious specialists we have also chosen to take to kayaks at each raid location and spend a number of days in the boats, paddling the ambitious insertion and escape routes taken by commandos during each operation.

the eQuipment

Commando operations were characterized by their small, diverse and self-sufficient teams. Therefore, the eight of us travel by bicycle, taking it in turns to run support from two Land Rovers. Space is a premium

so we have chosen Neris tandem folding kayaks. Three boats pack up neatly along with safety kit in the back of our trailer. our route starts in the high Arctic of northern Norway where water temperatures are perennially low (6-deg C), so drysuits are squeezed in.

The team have completed a week-long training period on the Isle of Wight prior to this challenge so, despite being relatively inexperienced sea paddlers, we are all zeroed in to the expectations of paddling in Arctic waters. However, when we arrive at Kåfjord, our first put-in, the sun is beating down on us and any apprehension is quickly taken in the gentle breeze.

Folding or collapsible kayaks have been a preserve of commando operations since WWII.They offer covert infiltration into tight spots, can be operated in silence

and easily hidden and re-constructed for a swift getaway. on the sunny beach at Kåfjord we are all trying to work out the exact meaning of ‘swift’.The aluminium kayak frames now appear as rubik’s cubes and the rubber skins like a prophylactic to the uninitiated. Excitement to get on the water only exacerbates our lack of skill at constructing these boats.

Finally put together, we stow kit in the cavernous bow and stern of the boats in preparation for an overnight wild camp. Ambiguous currents and tides of these demisea fjords (the shelter offered by numerous offshore islands and being surrounded by steep mountain sides makes one forget that you are, technically, in the Norwegian Sea) are negated by calm weather and we paddle at good speed to excellent views.

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the operations

As we paddle south down KĂĽfjord we trace the route of Operation SOURCE, an audacious mission carried out by brave men in mini submarines, given the task of infiltrating the protected fjord that harboured the 42,000 ton battleship,Tirpitz, the jewel of the German Navy. Remnants of enemy gun batteries can be seen on headlands as we progress south. As if to underline the foreboding that these men must have felt, the weather starts to grumble with discontent at our presence.

We were all aware of the fickleness of Norwegian weather, now we were getting a practical demonstration. With the sea state and winds quickly rising we are glad of the broad build of our kayaks and our training around The Needles back on the Isle of Wight. Whilst desire and burning shoulders push us on, the grey-green water becomes increasingly lively with white tops. The seriously strong gusting headwinds means that our progress is painfully slow. Coupled with the fact that the next 10-km stretch is accompanied only by sheer granite cliffs plunging deep into the fjord, means that we have to make a decision to put ashore now.

Guttural feelings of shame overcome us as each boat negotiates its landing onto a small rocky beach and awaits the support team. Once ashore wry grins find each other as the characteristic commando trait of cheerfulness in adversity comes through. We are humbled. These conditions have changed quickly and we have had the luxury of calling a support team, having time to make sensible decisions under no pressure; what on earth must it have been like for the commandos 75 years ago?

The subsequent kayak phases go more smoothly despite variable weather conditions keeping us alert.We trace the epic escape route of Norwegian operative, Jan Baalsrud, which weaves through the serene and calm waters of the Lyngen Alps.

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lofoten islands

our excitement to visit the world famous Lofoten Islands is quickly dampened as we cycle west along the peninsula against 50-kph winds.

Two things this region’s social media coverage often misses are: 1) the persistent low cloud and…

2) that Lofoten was the site of an early and aggressive commando raid that destroyed fish and oil reserves used by the Nazi’s. Paddling amongst the rocky outcrops and iconic red fishing buildings it is hard to believe that this narrow strip of beautiful coastline could ever be involved in such an event. Mild swells bounce us around in our boats and navigation amongst standing waves, submerged ironwork and rocks becomes a test of teamwork.

By the time we reach the fjords in the south we find that we have caught up with the good weather. Furthermore, we have become quite the professionals at constructing the kayaks, which affords us a little extra time for another coffee (at this point, six weeks of more-orless non-stop cycling and kayaking, an extra coffee with obligatory Norwegian pastry is the only way any of us can start the day).

Paddling around the Vågsøy region, we reap the benefits of our recent paddling experience; paddle strokes are strong and efficient, bodies prepared for regimented breaks on the hour, each team member alert to weather systems rolling in, disturbances in the water from wildlife (sea eagles have become too common to care for), we are a slick operation. our evolution is rewarded with a spectacular, secluded camping spot on a tiny island. With a small fire cooking our freshly caught haul, guys making small repairs to the boats in preparation for the following day there is an air of commando operation.

We discuss whether, 75 years ago, the commandos possessed the time and security to absorb the magnificence of this amazing landscape as we are doing now. As harsh as it is beautiful, the Norwegian landscape was one of the biggest advantages to commando operations. So long as one understood it, one could hide, escape and invade with ease. Just as it is a playground for adventure sports now, we like to think that those courageous few enjoyed ‘playing’ their dangerous games here 75 years ago.

aims of the expedition:

one of the aims is to raise awareness and funds for the royal marines charity, specifically supporting the development of a mental health unit that will aid the recovery of serving and veteran royal marines commandos.to find out more or to donate please visit www.norway75.com or our instagram page @norway75.

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The single-seater Valkure-1 400 has a huge open cockpit with very short bow and stern decks – ideal for ease of access to all stowed kit and for fishing.

The optional spray deck cover does have a keyhole type cockpit so packed kit can be kept dry.

The double-seater Valkure-2 550, the most popular selling kayak, can easily be used as a singleseater with both a double-seater and solo paddler spray decks being available. This is the model kayak that was used for the ‘Norway 75’ expedition and is also fast becoming the favourite boat of choice for the non-stop Folding Boat Class in the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race.

The triple-seater Valkure-3 570 can be used as a large double-seater for those extended expeditions or as a family four-seater with two small kids. This kayak is also has a short bow and stern decks for ease of internal storage access.

Neris Folding Kayaks UK www.neris.co.uk info@neris.co.uk

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SUP An interview with…

Cal Major

Interview: Peter Tranter Photos: James Appleton Land’s End to John o’groats is a popular challenge with cyclists and hikers, but nobody had ever done it by…

until now…

Before we start – just let our readers know a little about yourself, background, etc.

Hello! I am a veterinary surgeon turned ocean advocate and stand up paddleboarder, campaigning to stop plastic pollution at source. I have previously stand up paddle boarded around the Cornish coast and circumnavigated the Isle of Skye, and this year I became the first person in history to SUP the length of the UK, – 1,000 miles, from Land’s End to John o’groats.The expeditions are used to raise awareness of plastic pollution in the ocean and to highlight all the positive solutions we can be proud to be a part of. I am a Surfers Against Sewage Plastic Free Coastlines Ambassador, surfer and kitesurfer in my spare(!) time.

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So when and why did the idea of paddling Land’s End to John o’groats first come to mind?

I’ve had the idea in the back of my mind for several years. It’s been completed on most other modes of transport, but never on a SUP and this is what attracted me to it in the first place! It gave me the opportunity to capture peoples’ imaginations and talk to them about the plastic problem. on a SUP I could go to beaches that weren’t otherwise accessible, paddle up canals and rivers, and really get a feel for the level of plastic pollution in the water. I wanted to show that wherever we are in the UK, we’re never too far from plastic pollution, but also to highlight all the amazing stuff happening the length of the UK to help tackle it.

You’re obviously comfortable with yourself but are there times when the isolation becomes a little too much?

Absolutely. There are times when I just wanted someone to bounce an idea or a plan off, someone to talk to, to relieve the boredom and monotony, and to comfort me when it got tough. But being out there alone meant I learnt a lot about myself, my resilience and my ability to make decisions. If you had told me before setting off, some of the situations I would get into and asked whether I would be able to cope alone, I would have said, “No way!” But when you’re out there, alone, and you have to deal with it, you realise you have more strength, decision making ability and endurance than you or your comfort zone ever gave you credit for.

Is it just plastic or are there other major causes of pollution of our oceans and rivers?

hen and how did you get into SUP?

in 2014 i moved to plymouth and lived with other keen ocean lovers! i was injured at the time and suping was one of the only sports i was able to do. i was hooked after my first session, and it strengthened my muscles enough to get me back into other forms of exercise too.

Plastic for me is one of the most ludicrous pollutants as it’s often so easily avoided. There are of course chemical pollutants and pesticides that wash off the land causing serious disruption to aquatic ecosystems.

Some sunscreens can be very toxic too, containing potent chemicals, which even in tiny quantities bleach and kill corals. It’s always worth checking that your sunscreen doesn’t contain oxybenzone.

This has been your third momentous paddle, what keeps you motivated?

The need to talk to people about plastic pollution; each expedition has had a specific message relating to protecting our oceans. once I begin an expedition, there’s never any doubt in my mind that I’ll get to the end. If you set off thinking that not finishing is an option, you’ll never get there. It’s taken a long time to master the endurance mindset and I think not having a support boat helps me put the mileage in each day – there simply isn’t any other option but to get to your destination each day – there’s nobody to pull you out of the water if you’re tired or hungry or fed up.

https://paddleagainstplastic.com

What really helped on this trip too was the support from people following the expedition – the most lovely comments on my social media posts, or messages from people I’d never met; donations to my fundraising page, or strangers along the way offering me accommodation, food or just kind words of support. I really cannot thank people who helped in this way enough, you have no idea how much of a difference that made to a tired, hungry, emotional adventurer!

Lands End to John o’groats must be your greatest achievement – do you have anything in mind to surpass that?

I have a couple of expeditions for the future that I'm looking at doing, and very excited for! I think it’s difficult to look at it as ‘topping’ a previous expedition – each expedition is such a different experience and set of challenges and I think that makes them difficult to compare.

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I’m so stoked you are featuring more expeditions led by women! We are all humans, and man or woman there are some incredible things being attempted these days. I long for the day when the distinction isn’t such a big deal. I am inspired by women and men who are authentic and doing their expeditions for genuine reasons – whatever that may mean to them.

I am particularly inspired by those who are putting themselves out there to fight for a cause.

You must have found some unusual items amongst all the plastic trash? one day I was paddling towards a big blob floating in the ocean. I thought it might be a dead dolphin or seal – it was quite eerie. As I got nearer, I found I was paddling through glittery water. As I got closer to the blob I discovered it was a giant unicorn balloon, leaving its micro plastics in the sea and ready to entangle an unsuspecting animal with its ribbon.

Tell us about how you managed the risks in such varied conditions, particularly the sea crossings?

There were so many crossings on this trip! I find them the hardest paddles of all as the destination doesn’t seem to get any closer for hours and hours and there’s a constant fear that the conditions so far out to sea might change suddenly. All of my crossings carried a calculated risk. I checked condition forecasts carefully and on multiple forecasting tools. I always checked in with the coastguard before and after each paddle and they had a link to my tracker. I carried a VHF so I could contact ships if we were on a collision course, or if the coastguard needed to get hold of me, a gPS tracker and Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) that could be activated in case of real emergency.

I always wear my leash and a personal flotation device, and carry warm clothing, a mobile phone, food and water with me. You just can’t mess with the open ocean! I’ve learnt a profound respect for the power of the oceans, and our vulnerability to them.

Despite doing everything within my power to minimise risk on the crossings, I still found myself out to sea on the 20-mile crossing to Arran when a storm hit – in shoulder high swell, with barely any visibility and gale force winds. That was pretty nervewracking, and the safety measures were little comfort when everything around me turned black!

https://paddleagainstplastic.com

We seem to be featuring more and more expeditions that are being led by women – do you have any particular woman as an inspiration?

There must have been some huge unexpected learning experiences on the expeditions?

Absolutely! on each expedition I learn a lot about myself, and a deeper respect for the ocean. This trip I really learned my limits as I pushed past them a few too many times, and when I thought I should be able to do more than I had that day, I learned I needed to be much kinder to myself. I also learned a lot about my body and nutrition, and how much harder things are on very little or no sleep!

Have you ever been scared and if not – what would it take?

Yes, many times. Particularly on crossings. Before my Mull of galloway paddle I was physically shaking from fear before entering the water. It was 11.30 at night, pitch black and I had to paddle 20 miles across a large bay, with swell coming in from one side, wind from the other side and no means of navigating except by gPS. I was paddling towards one of the most dangerous tidal races in the UK, where nine tides meet and shipwrecks are numerous. The anticipation of a dangerous stretch is often worse than the reality; I would have to comfort myself knowing that I’d done all I could to minimise risks and understand the conditions. I’d also visualise the paddle, and what I would do in certain scenarios. It helped knowing the coastguard knew I was out to sea each time.

Even on calm days I was often still a bit anxious getting onto the water – once you’re out to sea on a SUP, you’re pretty vulnerable, and I think it would be unwise to approach it without some degree of consideration for the potential dangers.The trick was to not let that stop me from getting on the water – once on the board the anxieties normally quickly subsided.

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Do you have one standout moment you remember fondly from your paddles?

The moments with wildlife are my favourite. The first pod of dolphins on my Land’s End to John o’groats paddle was incredible, they played around my board for a few minutes before heading off in search of fish.

I felt very lucky to be out in the ocean with them.

If you could head anywhere in the world to SUP, where would it be and what appeals about this location?

I’d love to SUP in the Arctic. I have never been further north than Scotland, and would love to experience the Icebergs, the colours and the Northern Lights.

What advice you would give to somebody who thinks plastic pollution is out of our control and there is little if anything they can do?

I think this is by far the most dangerous way to think, and a sure fire way to lose any chance of tackling plastic pollution. We all have a part we can play and to become overwhelmed by the enormity of the issue, and paralysed into inactivity, will halt all the forward momentum that is happening. I would suggest looking at all the incredible positive changes that have happened in just the last few years to tackle plastic pollution! Four years ago when I started campaigning, the awareness that there was of an issue was minute. Now there are communities coming together the length of the UK to tackle plastic pollution at source, a plastic bag charge that has reduced usage by over 80% and an upcoming bottle deposit return scheme that promises to hugely increase recycling rates.

https://paddleagainstplastic.com

Most people you talk to now in the UK have at least some idea that it’s a problem, and many are proud to do what they can to help reduce it. We all need to add our individual voices to this growing movement of people demanding change, and together, collaboratively, we can, and ARE making a difference!

give us all one piece of advice on cutting down our plastic use.

Try not to feel guilty about what you are using, but to feel positive about what you can avoid! Look at the single use plastic you’re using and try and cut down where possible. Start with a reusable water bottle and commit to not buying single use plastic water bottles at all. There are loads of places to refill for free, check out the ‘refill app’.

If you want to be more involved, I’d strongly recommend finding your local Surfers Against Sewage Plastic Free Coastlines group, or starting one. The pride and positive action coming from collaboration with these communities is staggering and very reassuring!

If somebody was to follow in the strokes of your long range paddles, what would be your advice?

Never underestimate the power of the ocean, and the vulnerability to it on a SUP. Conditions can change quickly. It’s sometimes as hard to decide not to paddle in marginal conditions as it is to get onto the water, but humility is key.

What do you do to relax?

I like to swim, and sometimes I’ll just go in the sea to bob around - I’ll leave my surfboard at home and just dunk my head under the waves to clear the cookies.

Thepaddler

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Quickies… if you could paddle with anyone in the world dead or alive, who would it be?

Sylvia Earle

which famous person would you most like to see play you in a film?

Can I do it myself?

I like the idea of doing my own stunts! www.youtube.com/ watch?v=-nr8qrltQhs

are you a bathroom/shower singer and if so what do you sing?

Yes! oh man, anything that is stuck in my head, very loud! facebook or twitter?

Facebook

an ideal night out for you is?

A Thai takeaway, a couple of gin and tonics with friends and an early night in my own bed! How times change!

what one luxury item would you take with you on a desert island?

Ipod; I love music. or cake… I love cake.

what would i find in your fridge right now?

Some dodgy almond milk I have attempted to make myself and a massive chunk of root ginger. if we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us?

Veggie chilli - it’s one of the easiest things I can make plastic free! if you could be a superhero for one day, what superpower would you choose and why?

I’d love to be able to swim underwater for hours on end and explore, swim with the whales and the dolphins, without getting cold and without needing to come up for air. favourite film?

Moana (judge all you like!)

favourite musical track?

Does Moana count as a musical?

what three words would you use to describe you?

Caring, passionate, spontaneous.

any final shout outs?

Big Massive shout outs to my sponsors: Palm Equipment, Klean Kanteen, green Tourism, Dryrobe and Starboard SUP. My amazing support team, Lesley Quinn, James Appleton the legendary photographer and my rock throughout, and EVERYBoDY who has supported me along my expeditions, brought me food, met up with me along the way or put me up for a night, sent me kind messages or left lovely comments or donated to my fundraising pages.You are incredible and your support really means the world, thank you so much.

Thank you so much Cal for your time.

Thank you guys!

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S M A L L ,

S T E E P

GIMBACH

A N D

S T U N N I N g T H E

by Steve Brooks After flying back from a months kayaking in the Indian Himalayas, Stanzin was with us. Being granted a three-month visa for Austria and the rest of Europe, we took him skiing for the first time on our home mountain in the Arlberg region of Austria and then it was onto Slovenia to kayak for our second spring of 2018.

We had been in the So a Valley for a couple of weeks and had a few unexpected days off. We thought about heading south but we got a nod from the boys in the east (of Austria) that the Gimbach was running. So we changed our direction and found ourselves on a two-day road trip to the Salzkammergut region.

I got my first taste of Salzkammergut kayaking with Allgäu (Bavaria) based, John Blake, back in 2006. We were kayaking with friends in the Salzburg area running some rivers and drops that I had never heard of, then one day we went off for the day to the Koppentraun and had a blast! So with more information and a bit of planning and preparation, we were back in the area a couple of years later!

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Slides, lips to fly off, a steep walled gorge in the middle part with a crux three drops that must be run Thepaddler 56

We had an amazing road trip

and the jewel of it all for us was the gimbach. A small, steep creek that is a bit temperamental with water levels but when it is in, wow – what a river awaits you!

Slides, lips to fly off, a steep walled gorge in the middle part with a crux three drops that must be run. As the gorge opens up, the drops keep on coming, each set of rapids seemed to have three drops or combos that made us hope that this little creek would never end!

When John’s friend and long time AKC kayaker Flo heard about our trip, his comments were, “Not many people paddle (at the time) the Kummerbrücke at that level! Koppentraun is a fun river and how did you find out about the Gimbach?”

So on this trip our first stop was the Koppentraun, where great spring levels made for a fun, fast run. The sweet thing about the Koppentraun is that you can do the shuttle with the train so it makes for many easy laps. Since one of the most stunning villages in Austria is just around the corner, we stopped by the banks of the lake looking at the village of Hallstatt.

With its steep mountain sides towering over the village, it is no wonder it has been given the title UNESCo World Heritage Site. It is absolutely stunning! However, now it was time to make our way to the gimbach Kaskaden!

This little creek is well known in the german kayaking community and translated to English they are the gimbach Waterfalls. However, it is only recently since the development of social media, that the word has got out. How many people kayak them a year? I have no idea, but when they are in, well they are well worth getting to!

Thepaddler 58 It was day two of our mini-road trip and we wanted to get an early start. That was not such a big problem as Stanzin has been accustomed all his life to getting up early. I always wondered if he got up early in the deepest darkest depths of a Ladakh Winter?

You need to earn your drops down the gimbach and so we hiked in and made the most of the warm up! It is quite a short little river but it packs a punch and of course it is extremely photogenic.

Needless to say we had a great time kayaking this little gem and for Stanzin it was something completely different in character to rivers and creeks he had kayaked before. our two-day mini road trip had come to an end and we were heading back to the Soča Valley to meet up with Ute and Ramona before another two weeks of kayaking on the gem of Slovenia.

My 10-month kayaking season was going really well…

To be continued in the next Paddler magazine.

Steve Brooks

steve has lived in austria now for over 20 years and from being a place to come and work seasonally on the river, to a base camp and finally making austria his home! steve’s love for kayaking and adventure is infectious and this can especially be seen in the kayak school he set up eight years ago. based out of the arlberg region in western austria the school runs courses for beginners plus coaching and instructing kayakers through all the whitewater grades, including creeking and river running. in-between the kayaking season in austria, steve can be found kayaking and leading adventure trips and expeditions in the indian himalayas, peru and chile in south america.

he speaks german like a local and is fluent in spanish. when he is not kayaking he searches for that perfect powder run in the back country in his home mountain of st anton am arlberg or riding his royal enfield bullet in search of undiscovered rivers in the himalayas. for more information check out: www.gokayaking.at and www.gokayaking.at/blog https://goo.gl/maps/fyruZjum9gs

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SThe most Uexclusive R SUPFevent’ ofIthe year N Try to imagine more than 100 stand up paddleboarders paddling along the Big Canal of Venice.This is the RRD Surf’in Venice 2018.

As you can imagine, to paddle in Venice is not the easiest task to undertake for two main reasons: boat traffic and permission. However, RRD have organised a paddle every year now for eight years and this year’s event took place on July 22nd.

Surf’in Venice is a special parade along the Grand Canal of Venice, where you can paddle in total safety and security under the Calatrava and Rialto bridges. The event is open to a maximum of 100 paddlers, which they reach every year within three days.

It’s incredible to see all the tourist taking photos of the paddlers during the parade in a truly unique setting…

VENICE Thepaddler 61

PROUD PARTNERS:

t: +44 1629 732611 e: info@peakuk.com w: www.peakuk.com Paddler: Kerry Old eld. River Derwent. Image: Pete Astles. Gear: Semi Long Jacket. River Vest PFD.

Women’s Paddle Ambassador round up Liam Heath – Stepping into K4

Read more on page 22

Read more on page 14

British Canoeing Announce the NEW Personal Performance Awards Read more on page 8

Late Summer 2018

Let’s go Somewhere 15% discount for British Canoeing members in-store and online.

You can also use your discount with:

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Contents

3

Welcome

Featured Interview

From David Joy

4

Liam Heath – Stepping into K4

14

News News

5

Liam Heath – Stepping into K4 p14

News p5

Access and Environment Cleaning up our rivers

6

Promotion We go behind the scenes at Pyranha

16

Prepare for your next adventure with Cotswold Outdoor

18

Cleaning up our rivers p6

Qualifications and Awards NEW Personal Performance Awards

8

Performance International performance round up

We go behind the scenes at Pyranha p16

Challenge Andy Sutton: First paraplegic paddler to complete the Three Lakes Challenge

20

10

Paddlesport

Upcoming Events What’s on?

12

From Time-Trials to Seven-Day Trail by Nancy Campbell

22

World Cup 2019

13

Women’s Paddle Ambassador round up

24

Canoe Focus Late Summer 2018

Andy Sutton p20 International performance round up p10

4

Welcome to the late summer edition of Canoe Focus.

Welcome to another feature packed edition of Canoe Focus. I hope you are enjoying receiving Canoe Focus as part of your British Canoeing membership. You can also register to receive a print version, delivered to your preferred address six times a year, for just £20.99.

We have made some great progress in improving the promotion of membership, the membership management system and member benefits.

It is pleasing to be able to report that British Canoeing membership numbers have recently been increasing every month and currently stand at an all-time high of just over 36,000.

We are currently testing the Club Associate Membership system with eight clubs. Over the next two years we anticipate that a further 20,000 club members (who are not already members of British Canoeing) will become Associate Members. This will mark another big step forward in strengthening engagement with paddlers and improving communications throughout our sport. There’s lots of information to share with paddlers and some of the latest developments are highlighted in the next few pages of Canoe Focus.

It was exciting to announce the new Personal Performance Awards in July. These will replace the Star Awards and Paddle Power from January 2019. We have listened hard and consulted widely in the development of these new awards and initial feedback has been very positive. We expect the take up and impact of the Paddle Awards and Personal Performance Awards to be considerable and now look forward to their delivery from January 2019. See the full story on pages 8 & 9.

www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

Great progress has also been made on the Access and Environment Charter which is to be launched in Westminster on 28 November 2018. This will set out unequivocally, the position of British Canoeing on access

and will call on government to confirm the rights of all to fair, shared and open access along navigable rivers.

Another key target within our strategy is to increase commercial income into British Canoeing by 2021.

We recently presented our commercial opportunities at a well-attended event in Lee Valley and the early responses have been encouraging. Tickets are to go on sale shortly for the 2019 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup to be held at Lee Valley between 14-16 June 2019. This is another shop window opportunity for the whole of the sport and we have been encouraged by the partner interest which is also being shown around this event.

It’s been a very busy few months for GB teams in the various disciplines. A full round up is covered in the following pages, but a special mention is due to the British Canoeing Canoe Polo teams that recently competed in the World Championships in Canada. The U21 men’s team played magnificently to retain their World Championship title, whilst the women’s senior team finished in the silver medal position. Our big congratulations to all of the players, the staff and coaches.

There’s lots more to look out for over the coming months. We hope to be launching a new Places to Paddle website in the Autumn. This will be another great example of delivering the key actions set out in Stronger Together.

I hope you enjoy many more warm and sunny days on the water this year and maybe try out a few of the 160 trails we now have published on our website. Happy paddling.

David Joy Chief Executive

N E WS

For the latest news from British Canoeing head to our website!

If you’re not a member sign up to our FREE membership category to receive regular newsletters and updates. www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/news www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/membership/join-us-online-here

5

The Big Idea launched to take paddle sport to greater heights

Click here to read more

British Canoeing staff conquer the August Paddle Challenge

Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and British Canoeing launched an exciting range of commercial opportunities developed to support the growth of paddle sport.

This August British Canoeing challenged people to paddle 30 or 60 miles throughout the month to claim a free boat sticker. We felt we couldn’t really ask other people to take on the challenge unless we put our money where our mouth is and did it ourselves!

The Big Idea was presented to business leaders at Lee Valley White Water Centre, the iconic venue built to host canoe the slalom events at the London 2012 Olympic Games, which is now a thriving sports and leisure hub.

Craig Duff and Cadi Lambert from the Go Canoeing team decided to do just that, taking the challenge to another level by completing their 30 miles in just one day.

Click here to read more

Hou says no to single use plastic!?”

Hou Canoes have recently announced that they are no longer packaging their canoes in plastic packaging as standard.

“Since all of our UK dispatches are delivered by traditional canoe trailer/racking style transport there is in fact little need for the plastic packaging. If of course a customer does want his canoe to be wrapped in plastic for delivery we can still do this but from our research the majority of our customers do not wish to see the boat arrive wrapped in plastic” Hou Canoes estimate that they will save at least 3 tons of single use plastic over the next year alone.

Just under 3,000 people take to the water at Countryfile Live Just under 3,000 members of the public took to the water between 2nd – 5th August at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire for the annual Countryfile Live event.

Vote For Emma: Emma Wiggs Nominated for National Lottery Athlete of the Year 2017 ‘Grand Slam’ Champion Emma Wiggs MBE has been nominated for the National Lottery Athlete of the Year Award.

The public vote will decide which athlete is crowned champion in the first ever National Lottery Awards ‘Athlete of the Year’ category.

Click here to read more

Canoe Focus Late Summer 2018

Just Snell, founder of Hou Canoes says;

Click here to read more

Click here to read more

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cleaning our waterways In spring this year Kingston Kayak Club collected 25 bags of litter from the Driffield Navigation, whilst Colchester Canoe Club collected 50 bags, a selection of traffic cones, a road barrier, and a pushbike from the River Colne, and as part of West Midlands Regional Development Team’s Paddle to the Heart event, there was a litter clean up element, covering 32km of waterways.

We know that there are great plans in place to clean up our rivers for World Rivers Day 23 September which is totally awesome. Please keep sharing your cleans with us so we can track how much litter or non-native species we are taking out of the water.

To amplify our environmental campaign further and encourage more paddlers to get involved British Canoeing is delighted to be supporting marine conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage with their Autumn Beach and River Clean Series. By working with Surfers Against Sewage, we can make a significant impact on reducing the amount of rubbish in our waterways.

Both organisations are committed to addressing the issue of plastic in our waterways and promoting opportunities for paddler clean ups.

Surfers Against Sewage Community Coordinator Jack Middleton says: “Every day approximately 8 million pieces of plastic pollution find their way into our oceans, harming wildlife and ruining our beautiful environment.

‘Surfers Against Sewage is determined to tackle plastic pollution and make beaches and rivers clean, safe and protected for everyone.

‘We’re thrilled to be teaming up with British Canoeing to take the plastic pollution fight upstream to our rivers. It will take a huge team effort to tackle such a huge issue. That’s why we need as many people as possible to get involved to stop plastic at source, before it gets to our oceans.”

How can I get involved?

Autumn Beach and River Clean Series 2018 will take place during the last full week of October (over 2 weekends) – 20th to 28th October. www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

In order to enable and increase club and centre participation, there will be a limited number of clean up kits for clubs who pledge to undertake an annual river clean up. The kits have been funded by The Canoe Foundation.

Surfers Against Sewage are increasingly working inland and this is a great opportunity to expand the reach of one of their most successful beach/ river clean series in a concerted way and address the source to sea issue - rivers are like our highways and carry the litter out to sea.

British Canoeing says: British Canoeing will shortly be launching our Access and Environment Charter to champion the case for fair shared sustainable open access on and along inland waters. As part of the Charter we are pledging to continue to protect and improve the health of our rivers, by addressing plastic in waterways and promoting opportunities to engage with nature. Our partnership with Surfers Against Sewage provides an excellent opportunity for paddlers to get involved in a national clean up campaign tackling the plastic problem at source at a local level.

7

We hear great stories every week from clubs, centres and individuals doing their bit to help clean up our rivers. We would love to hear your stories access@britishcanoeing. org.uk

To get involved please email beachcleans@ sas.org.uk

Steve Ba

nks Lond on

Thames

It is really important to prevent plastics and other litter reaching the ocean. Birds and other wildlife can become entangled often leading to death.

Small fish confuse the plastic particles with food items such as zoo plankton and fish eggs and ingest them, it then enters the food chain.

And as plastic journeys down the river it begins to break down into tiny pieces known as micro-plastics which have devastating impacts on the marine environment.

The long term solution is to keep plastic out of our rivers and oceans in the first place and we can all take action to reduce this together: >> Reduce: Buy a re-usable coffee

C

age BSB inst Sew

Aga Surfers

cup to avoid using single use coffee cups coated with the plastic.

>> Reuse: Need some new kit then why not opt for a pre-used paddle!

>> Recycle: When buying a new canoe consider a recycled one. Check out the work that Palm are doing with Fathom Free. Â

>> Responsible: Dispose of all litter responsibly, taking it home if necessary.

A plastic bag takes between 10-1,000 years to degrade

A disposable coffee cup takes 30 years to degrade

A crisp packet up to 80 years to degrade

An aluminium can can take 80-200 years to degrade

A glass bottle can take millions of years to degrade

Canoe Focus Late Summer 2018

A plastic bottle can take over 450 years to degrade

8

British Canoeing Announce the NEW Personal Performance Awards British Canoeing are pleased to announce the NEW Personal Performance Awards which are designed for paddlers wanting to gain recognition of their learning and development, in the craft and environment they choose.

Whether you’re getting into a boat for the first time or looking to progress your decision making and fundamental skills, there’s something for everyone!

Paddle Awards: Designed to develop enjoyment, safety and skills for those new to Paddlesport The three Paddle Awards are for those getting into a boat for the first time, enabling them to feel confident in their chosen craft in a sheltered water environment. The awards help empower the paddler, enabling them to start their lifelong journey into paddlesport.

Name of Award

Description

Paddle Start

Encouragement award aimed at someone new to paddlesport

Paddle Discover

Enables the paddler to develop decision making and fundamental skills

Paddle Explore

An award that empowers and supports the individual paddler

Discipline Specific Pathway Awards >> Each of the 12 disciplines has three awards, enabling paddlers to choose the environment and craft that is right for them.

www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

>> Five new disciplines have been introduced including Stand Up Paddleboard, Polo, Racing, Rafting and Slalom, which means there is something for everyone. With a range of different environments and crafts, this enables the individual to make choices on the type of craft and environment they wish to paddle. >> No dual discipline awards. >> All of the awards are direct entry. Paddlers can choose which award they would like to work towards, developing their skills and decision making.

>> The awards provide appropriate milestones and acknowledgement of personal skills, setting up the paddler appropriately for British Canoeing Coaching and Leadership qualifications. >> There are no age restrictions for any of the awards. Providers should check paddlers’ suitability, as well as having appropriate mechanisms for anyone under 18. >> All of the awards have been created and written with the paddler at the heart of the content and creating self-directed learning, empowerment and ownership.

Discipline

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Awards White Water Award

White Water

Progressive White Water Award Advanced White Water Award Canoe Award

Canoeing

Progressive Canoe Award Advanced Canoe Award Surf Kayak Award

Surf Kayak

Progressive Surf Kayak Award Advanced Surf Kayak Award Sea Kayak Award

Sea Kayak

Coastal Sea Kayak Award Advanced Sea Kayak Award Touring Award

Touring

Open Water Touring Award Multi Day Touring Award SUP Sheltered Water Award

Stand up Paddleboard

SUP White Water Award SUP Paddle Surf Award Flat Water Freestyle Award

Freestyle

Freestyle Award Advanced Freestyle Award Flat Water Raft Racing Award

Rafting

Stadium Raft Racing Award River Raft Racing Award Polo Explore Award

Polo

Polo Perform Award Polo Excel Award Racing Explore Award

Racing

Racing Perform Award Racing Excel Award Slalom Explore Award

Slalom

Slalom Perform Award Slalom Excel Award Wild Water Racing Explore Award Wild Water Racing Perform Award Wild Water Racing Excel Award

Full details of the content of the awards are available from Autumn 2018.

The NEW Personal Performance Awards will be available from 2nd January 2019.

Find out more on the British Canoeing website.

Click here to watch the video

Canoe Focus Late Summer 2018

Wild Water Racing

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International Performance Round up Canoe Polo Great Britain’s men’s u21 team have retained their title at the 2018 ICF Canoe Polo World Championships in Canada. The reigning European and World Champions qualified top of their group in round 1 and round 2 to set up an emphatic 9-3 victory over Poland in the semi-finals.

In the final against Germany Alex Lowthorpe broke the deadlock to give Britain the lead. Germany equalised, but two goals from Jack Playford put GB in control of the final. A consolation goal from Germany in the final seconds was not enough as Britain claimed the 3-2 victory and to retained their World Championship title.

Great Britain’s senior women’s team also made it onto the podium, claiming a fine silver medal. In the semifinal goals from Virginia Coyles, Bethan Littlewood and Bethan Dean gave Britain a well-earned 3-1 victory over Italy. In the final Britain were denied by Germany, with Bethan Littlewood scoring in the 3-1 defeat to secure the silver medal.

Sprint

www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

Chelmsford paddler Emma Russell continued her impressive season by winning the bronze medal in the K1 women junior 500m at the Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships in Bulgaria. On a flat Plovdiv course the 17-year-old paced herself well in the first half of the final before upping the tempo in the second 250m to claim a fine bronze.

Great Britain claimed three medals at the ECA Canoe Sprint Junior and U23 European Championships in Italy.

Rio Olympian Rebii Simon won Britain’s first medal, taking the bronze medal under 23 K1 women’s U23 1000m. Emma Russell claimed a fine silver medal in the K1 women’s junior 500m and Afton Fitzhenry took a well-deserved bronze in the C1 Women’s U23 200m.

Congratulations to Jonny Jones, who claimed his first international medal by winning bronze in the C1 men’s 500m at the International University Sports Federation World University Championships in Hungary. Jonny (Fladbury/University of Birmingham) was one of eight university paddlers representing Great Britain.

Rafting

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The British teams have enjoyed huge success at the European R4 Rafting Championships in Slovakia. The senior women’s team picked up five medals, including three golds in the head-to-head sprint, slalom and downriver disciplines, leading them to take the gold in the overall standings. There were 13 British teams taking part and a total of 24 medals were won.

Wild Water Racing Laura Milne, Jodie Ball and Esme Durrant have won the bronze medal in the Team Classic event at the Junior and U23 Wild Water European Championships in Macedonia. Holding on to their early lead the British team stayed ahead of the German and French teams to finish in third place, behind the winners, Czech Republic.

Slalom British duo Kimberley Woods (silver C1 and bronze K1) and Bradley Forbes-Cryans (silver K1) were the standout performers at the Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships in Italy. There were also three medals in the team events – silver C1 women junior and bronze for the K1 women under 23 and C1 men under 23 teams.

Great Britain have won seven medals in the first three World Cups of the season. Joe Clarke (K1), Mallory Franklin (C1) and Ryan Westley (C1) all won bronze

medals at World Cup 1 in Slovakia. Joe Clarke (K1) and David Florence (C1) then claimed gold in the second event in Poland. Mallory Franklin returned to the podium in World Cup 3 winning two silver medals (C1 and K1) in Germany.

Marathon

Freestyle The British Freestyle team scooped six medals at World Cup 1 and 2 in Spain. Alex Edwards claimed two gold medals in the men’s squirt boat, posting the top scores of 823.33 and 706.67. Ottilie Robinson-Shaw also had a golden double in the K1 women’s junior event. In the K1 men’s junior Harry Price won two bronze medals to take the British haul to six.

Canoe Focus Late Summer 2018

British paddlers have won four medals at the ECA Canoe Marathon European Championships in Croatia. Emma Russell put in a dominant display to win the K1 women Junior race ahead of Viktoria Nagy of Hungary. There were also fine bronze medals for Lizzie Broughton (K1 women) Sam Rees-Clark (K1 women U23) and William Scammell/James Bell (K2 Men Junior).

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What’s On? OCT

12

Surf Kayak Symposium

NOV

St Ives Bay, Cornwall

Fri 12 – Sun 14 October 2018 th

2

th

This Surf Kayak Symposium is based in the stunning St Ives Bay, Cornwall which forms a shallow crescent, some 4 miles or 6 km across, between St Ives in the west and Godrevy Head in the east. Sign up before the 2nd October.

Tyne Tour

Hexham Canoe Club

Fri 2nd – Sun 4th November 2018

A weekend paddling event to celebrate the start of the season. Includes 2 days paddling on the River Tyne, Tyne Decent race, wild water race (ranked), taster sessions, guided tours, ceilidh, camping and shuttle buses. On site camping, catering, trade stands and demo boats.

British Canoeing want to make it easy for you promote your event You can register your event online our promote your events page and we can help promote it to our canoeing community. www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

Click here for more information

For more information about promoting your event, please contact us at event.promotion@ britishcanoeing.org.uk

For up to date event listings check out the Canoe Near You Map on our website

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14th - 16th June 2019

Tickets for the World Cup will go on sale in October 2018 Via two priority windows; firstly for British Canoeing members - who will receive 15% off ticket prices, and secondly for subscribers to British Canoeing’s new free International Events newsletter.

Full details about ticket and priority windows will be announced in September 2018.

All subscribers to British Canoeing’s free monthly International Events newsletter benefit from a ticket purchase priority window.

Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of a major sporting event. Complete the form below today. Deadline for applications is Friday 14th September 2018.

Join the ‘Canoe Crew’ and become a volunteer at the 2019 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup alongside other British Canoeing international and domestic events.

Details on how to sign up and a full list of the volunteer roles are available on the website.

Canoe Focus Late Summer 2018

Volunteer!

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After an unforgettable 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, becoming Team GB’s most successful Olympic canoeist, Liam Heath continued his gold medal form going into 2017. The K1 athlete achieved the canoe sprint ‘Grand Slam’, holding Olympic, European and World titles in the same calendar year. But this year he takes on a new challenge.

2018 has been a different prospect for the three time Olympic medallist, stepping out of the K1 and K2 where he has enjoyed all of his international success and getting into the K4 boat.

After a rigorous crew boat process where multiple combinations were trialled during the winter months, Liam is once again competing alongside his two time Olympic K2 medal winning partner Jon Schofield. The pair have teamed up with Matt Robinson and Lewis Fletcher as they look to take on K4 on an international setting.

It is certainly something different for Liam with an extra two people in the boat and many new aspects to consider.

He said: “2018 has been very different for me personally. I have stepped out of my K1 and now I am sitting in a K4.

“We competed at the two World Cups earlier in the season and they really highlighted where we need to focus on in the training.”

A larger training gap between the World Cups and the World Championships has given the four athletes a good opportunity to really hone in on some aspects of the race, with race speed and endurance on the agenda.

www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

15 “I have known Matt and Lewis for a couple of years now and all four of us have gelled really well as we continue to train and compete more regularly together. That really helps us.

“They are all talented athletes and we get a lot of positive feedback as we continue to develop the boat.

“The key training areas for us heading into the World Championships are race pace and maintenance at this stage. As we head towards the last few weeks before the competition, we will make sure we sharpen up the last few tweaks ready for the competition to make sure we hit those top speeds.

“This year has really been about the development. Stepping into K4 for the first time it is very much a learning process.

“It is a bigger boat, it runs faster and it isn’t something we have really done before in the UK at a high international standard.

“It has been a development year and one focus for the World Championships is to develop our personal goals in terms of speed and where we want to be at the end of the season, as opposed to looking at the results.”

Canoe Focus Late Summer 2018

At the time of writing, the team are preparing to descend on their first World Championships as a quartet, as they head to Montemor O Velho in Portugal.

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British Canoeing goes behind the scenes at Pyranha With bright colours, a whole plethora of progressive designs, and boasting kayaks paddled on some of the most unforgiving waters on the planet, Pyranha, a British Canoeing Trade Partner, are all about fun and adventure, a drive to go faster and continue to push boundaries and innovation.

We went behind the scenes with Marketing Manager, Mathew Wilkinson at their factory in Runcorn, Cheshire to find out more about the boats that are paddled across the world by champions and hobbyists alike, their trade partnership with British Canoeing, and how their passion for paddlesports causes them to stand out.

“We became Trade Partners because we want to see an increase in participation, and for us, British Canoeing’s Stronger Together message highlights how collectively we are making it more obvious to the world what paddling is all about; the idea that everyone gets together, challenges themselves and explores, all in a welcoming and inclusive environment.

“We don’t have a fear of exploring new ideas and taking them to the limits. Our tagline is “By Enthusiasts, For Enthusiasts”, and that’s the way it will always be” says Mat. Described as ‘an enthusiast at heart’, Pyranha was founded by 1972 Olympian, K1 Sprint athlete Graham Mackereth in 1971, in his father’s garage. That marked the beginning of pushing the boundaries which lead to great success on the world stage.

>> 1982 – Pyranha’s first PE play kayak, the Freestyle, led the way with an innovative, adjustable and impact absorbing full plate footrest.

>> 1994 – Introduction of the first ever planing hull kayak, for higher wave speed and greater precision.

“It’s really nice to see that carry over not only into the industry, but the national governing body too.” Says Mat. The brand has earned a reputation of not being afraid to try new things, which has resulted in world first designs and innovations.

>> 2014 – Pyranha’s 9R took the world by storm and revolutionised creek boat design, introducing the #FastIsFun ethos.

In the 1970’s and 80’s, Pyranha kayaks were used to win numerous Slalom World Championships, and this success encouraged them to move onto plastic white water adventure kayaks and push the boundaries even more.

www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

Now in its fifth decade of production, with a further 2 brands under its belt (Venture Canoes & Kayaks, which have allowed Pyranha to expand its innovative nature into the canoeing and touring markets, and P&H Sea Kayaks whose history goes back to 1968, and under the Pyranha brand since 2004 has continued to innovate and build on this heritage). We wanted to find out what continues to drive the innovation of the products, what sees customers return again and again, and how partnering the industry and National Governing Body can help to encourage a next generation of paddlesport enthusiasts.

17

After our factory tour we sat down with Mat to find out more about Pyranha’s passion for paddling.

What does paddling mean to Pyranha?

“There is no other sport that will lead you to seeing so many parts of a country you never intended to see. Every sport, to my mind, you’d see the same places if you went for a walk, but with paddlesports you get a totally different perspective every time and the environments are mind blowing.

“In 1976 people were paddling Pyranha boats on Everest. When you think of Everest you think of people climbing it, not paddling down the side of it! However, you don’t need to go far as there is an adventure to be had all around you. For me, the strangest place I’ve paddled is actually the centre of Stockport! On the River Mersey you’d never expect the wilderness to be there, but in the middle of the city there’s trees, ducks, and heron everywhere you look!”

Pyranha has developed a number of world firsts over the years, what drives the constant innovation?

“This approach is reinforced by our work with a team of pro kayakers - coaches, athletes, and enthusiasts to really help push the boundaries and develop the next big thing.

“We have a huge list of ideas for the future, and the only pressure is choosing which of those we go ahead with – this generally ends up being the ones we are the most enthusiastic about, and that approach has led to us being humbled by the response to a good number of designs we’ve released recently, as well as over the rest of our 47+ year history.

“I’d like to hope we push the boundaries and are able to produce things that others may be too scared to try. We’ve got boats coming into fruition only now that at the time people may have said were too radical and not for them, but once they try them they enjoy them!”

So what makes a great boat?

“Every boat has its own feel. A lot of people get in different boats and expect them to paddle the same way and that’s not the case at all. Every boat has its own personality and even when we have designed something with a particular intent in mind, occasionally it ends up working incredibly well in a totally different way too.

“Each Pyranha boat is also unique in other ways; no colour pattern is ever identical to another. The way they are moulded in the ovens means there will always be slight differences, which can be handy when telling boats apart!”

Canoe Focus Late Summer 2018

“Our passion for the sport. We’re kayakers ourselves, and Graham is also an avid collector of historic canoes and kayaks. To this day he leads the way with every boat we make, and it’s interesting to see him look at his (now quite extensive) collection and bring out ideas that may not have worked or been relevant in the past, but have become ideal solutions today in a constantly evolving sport.

“Recently, design trends have come full circle, taking paddlers back to playful river runners and the idea of embracing different designs for different purposes and really making the most of various kayaks on different rivers.

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P R E PA R E F O R Y O U R N E X T

Here at Cotswold Outdoor, we know a thing or two about adventure. We’ve been helping paddlers prepare for over 40 years, so whether you’re heading out for the first time or need to replace your favourite kit that has a few stories to tell, we’ve got everything you need for adventures on and off the water.

Explore more this season with our exclusive 15% discount* for all British Canoeing members.

Shop in-store or online at cotswoldoutdoor.com.

www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

Need help preparing for your next adventure? Pop into your local store and one of our experts will help you to discover your great outdoors with kit from the very best brands. *Full T&Cs apply. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer or discount. Selected lines are exempt. 10% discount only on bikes. Only valid upon production of your British Canoeing membership identification in-store or use of valid discount code online. Offer expires 31.12.18.

Our experts have climbed hills, conquered mountains, and paddled their fair share of rivers and seas too.

When planning a multi-day paddling adventure or a day on the water, there are some things we simply wouldn’t leave home without.

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The right footwear is vital for any paddler.

It’s not just about being dry and comfortable in the boat; you need something that stands up to every bit of your adventures.

We’ll help you find footwear that won’t have you slipping and sliding when you jump from boat to dry land and back again, with free boot fitting in-store.

As we head into the autumnal months, you’re going to need something a little extra, especially when it cools down in the evenings. A lightweight insulated jacket is perfect to throw on if the wind gets up or when the sun goes down. It’ll keep you warm without the bulk and won’t take up heaps of room in your pack.

Paddling in the UK brings with it the wonderfully unpredictable weather. But you shouldn’t let a little rain stop you from exploring the water. Be prepared with a lightweight and reliable waterproof that you can throw on at a moment’s notice. We’ll help you find a jacket that won’t restrict your range of movement while paddling, with good ventilation and excellent protection.

Of course, you’re going to want to keep all that kit dry when you’re out on the water.

The solution comes in the form of dry bags, a lightweight and super effective way to make sure your kit stays safe and dry out there. And if the weather takes a turn for the worse, your kit is still protected, rain or shine.

Canoe Focus Late Summer 2018

We know that your adventures come in all shapes and sizes, and so do our packs. Wherever your paddling leads you, you’re going to need a rucksack to make sure you’ve got everything in one place on the boat. From convenient daysacks to carry-it-all rucksacks, we’ll help you pick a pack and fit it for free in-store.

20

Andy Sutton:

First paraplegic paddler to complete the Three Lakes Challenge Back in June 2017 an email popped into our British Canoeing inbox. Andy Sutton wanted to know if anyone who was paraplegic had completed our Three Lakes Challenge. We were instantly intrigued.

The Three Lakes Challenge takes in the longest lakes in England, Scotland and Wales, a grand total of 43 miles. Bala in Wales and Windermere in England are not easy paddles but Loch Awe is a whole other level of difficulty. 25 miles long and almost a mile wide in places, it is exposed, stunning and in poor weather, a brutal paddle.

Andy’s email explained that he has a rare spinal cord tumour. Before it took away any more of his mobility, he wanted to take on a big challenge, giving himself and his family something to be proud of.

I am paraplegic but paddle with Rutland Canoe Club at Rutland Water.

I’m a 2* paddler, with pretty good upper body strength. My condition is progressing and I’m pretty certain I won’t be able to paddle in a couple of years But... I was always a keen sportsman in the past and would love to achieve one more physical goal before I’m unable to. www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

Andy Sutton in his first email to British Canoeing

Meeting Andy Meeting with Andy in July we were immediately struck by his huge enthusiasm as well as the depth of emotion behind his desire to complete the challenge. Andy uses a wheelchair most of the time and keeps fit by paddling and hand cycling. His strength of character and drive had us pretty well convinced but it was the strength of Andy’s handshake that really proved his mettle.

Months of training followed, with Andy (with the help of family and friends) setting up the Broken Body of Water Facebook page, Instagram and website, to help start his fundraising mission for the Queen’s Medical Centre Hospital in Nottingham.

In the past people have taken on the Three Lakes Challenge over a variety of time periods - from 24 hours to 2 years. Andy had chosen to go with the harder end of the scale and complete it over 2 days.

Andy’s Challenge Story As the challenge date approached changeable weather was forecast. The team were not to be deterred however. Here Andy tells us the story of how his challenge unfolded: I had been training with Pete Dunlop over the winter of 2017/18, on the River Trent, at Rutland Water and on Windermere. Unfortunately, Pete was unable to paddle the actual event, so Kevin Spiers, Andy Seager, Steve Winship and John Thomason (Loch Awe leg only) agreed to step in and join me. Unbeknownst to me at the time, they had even practised righting an overturned boat with the paddler still in the cockpit.

21

My message to everyone is: ‘Get Out There And Do It – In A Kayak!’

Andy Sutton

Loch Awe, June 16th, 05.00hrs Starting at Torran Bay, we launched from a gentle grassy slope into shallow water, under heavily overcast skies, which quickly descended into rain for the whole duration. With a film crew in tow we tracked up the east side of Loch Awe, avoiding the worst of the wind and giving Chris Pavey of Growmotion a chance to capture some good footage.

Making good progress, with just three short stops along the way, we finished in 6hrs 30mins.

The unloading process at Kilchurn Castle was made difficult by the rain becoming torrential just as we got off the water. I hauled my wheelchair along the uneven path to the car, avoiding an irate Australian with car parking issues, before we set off on the drive to Windermere.

Lake Windermere, June 17th, 06.00hrs

We enjoyed another good paddle, with only one short stop for some drone footage to be shot and a snack. A paddle time of 2hrs 21mins saw us reaching Ambleside at 8.20am, just in time for breakfast before hitting the road for our final lake.

Mission accomplished I have achieved my goal and become the first disabled paraplegic paddler to complete the Three Lakes Challenge!

Our final figures came out at a total paddle time of 10hrs 45mins, achieved in 34hrs 26mins with driving time. This was significantly shorter than my original predictions of just under 20hrs paddle time and 40hrs total travel time.

The challenge is certainly possible for people with disabilities provided you have the backup and support of a good team. I hope this story might inspire other disabled people to take up the sport of kayaking or canoeing. It has given me a freedom of movement and access that I thought had gone forever. I can now get closer to the plants, birds and animals I love so much than I ever could on crutches and in a wheelchair. With the support of Rutland Canoe Club I have found friends and support that have given me a new lease of life.

Lyn Tegid (Lake Bala), June 17th, 13.30hrs Arriving at Bala to a stronger SW wind at 14mph, with 24mph gusts, the team used a grassy slope to get on the water at 13.30.

Click here to watch the video

Click here to read more

Canoe Focus Late Summer 2018

The team had agreed to a slight lie in and a 6am start. Getting on the water at the Newby Bridge end of Windermere with a slightly warmer 12-14C and a light SW wind at 6mph. I have some slight stiffness around my upper shoulders and neck from the previous days efforts but nothing major.

Bala is an out and back trip and we battled gusty conditions to the far end of the lake, in the knowledge that we would have great surfing opportunities for the push back to shore. Resting briefly to appreciate the final leg to come, we headed for home, returning in 1hr 56mins.

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How Nancy Campbell, The 2018 Canal Laureate is using her kayak to take to the water and inspire her writing...

by Nancy Campbell

TIME-TRIALS to a SEVEN-DAY TRAIL For years, along with other members of Oxford’s Falcon Rowing and Canoe Club, I’ve kayaked on the Thames in all-too-brief evening training sessions.

I’ve often wondered what it would be like to be on the water all day, exchanging time trials for a long trail – and this year I was given the perfect opportunity.

I was appointed as the UK’s Canal Laureate, my job being to write poems about the 2000 miles of waterways looked after by Canal and River Trust. For this I needed to explore the waterways to discover the stories of people who live, work and play on them. And of course, I would travel by kayak.

I realised that paddling the canals would call for a new approach. What precautions I should take for personal safety, since I’d spend a lot of time alone? British Canoeing helpfully pointed me in the direction of forums like Song of the Paddle and a couple of Facebook groups for women paddlers. I soon felt more confident and looked forward to my first trip: the Desmond Family Canoe Trail, a new coast-to-coast trail linking Liverpool to Goole. I planned to paddle the 127-mile section that follows the Leeds & Liverpool canal.

osts

milep t of 126 The firs Campbell y

by Nanc

www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

Meetin g Blackbu the SLYNCS te a rn by C anal & m at a litterpic River Tr k, ust

Image by: Canal & River Trust

23 I took warm clothes, in case it got cold. Two of everything, in case something fell in the water. A strap for my spectacles. My extra kit, based on the rough and tumble of training sessions, was unnecessary: a touring kayak is much more stable than a racing Tor. The essentials were a map, complete with information on locks and pubs, and the technology to document my journey. I mustn’t forget I was at work. Kayaking is usually a means to get away from my desk, but this time I’d be taking the desk with me.

But what a great view I had from my desk... the Leeds and Liverpool canal winds through rolling farmland and inner-city areas, taking in historical warehouses in Saltaire and the graffitied underpasses of Leeds. The route offered challenges, like the portages around the Five-Rise and Three-Rise staircase locks at Bingley. The industrial engineering of the canals provided drama too: the mile-long Foulridge Tunnel, only recently opened to paddlers, through which I paddled in the company of Canal and River Trust Writer in Residence Jasper Winn; crossing the M65 on an aqueduct; and the Burnley ‘Straight Mile’ – a good opportunity for a sprint.

I didn’t lack company. A kayak on the canals provokes interest, just because it’s not a narrowboat. Some guys hard at work in a boatyard spotted me and called over: ‘You need your bottom blacked?’ Many boaters greeted me cheerily as I passed. The highlight of the journey was meeting groups of young people who were taking to the water in canoes for litterpicks organised by the Desmond Family Canoe Trail. These enthusiastic volunteers, some out on their local waterway for the first time, were great company as I paddled through Wigan and Blackburn.

The trail is giving young people access to paddlesports and they in turn are doing the canal proud.

I approached Leeds seven days after setting out. In the city centre, the canal widens as it draws towards Lock No 1, where it becomes the Aire and Calder canal. I was sorry to see the end in sight, but look forward to more canal paddles (with less kit!) in future. Meanwhile, I’m back to my usual training routine...

Racing th Blackbu e SLYNCS team rn by C of litte anal & River Tr rpickers, ust e canal

elds, blu s, blue fi Blue skie Campbell y

by Nanc

Image by: Canal & River Trust

Canoe Focus Late Summer 2018

The Canal Laureate is appointed by The Poetry Society and Canal and River Trust as part of Arts on the Waterways. Find out more about the project and read the poems at waterlines.org.uk

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It’s been a busy summer for our British Canoeing Women’s Paddling Ambassadors.

Here are just some of the things a few of them have been getting up to…

Erin Bastien led a successful Addi Man and her daughter Athina took on a whole different challenge in August; a four week, 323 mile coracle adventure!

You can read how they got on here.

Paddle Pickup 2 expedition, collecting a huge amount of plastic from our waterways.

She then headed off to Norway to spend a couple of months leading expeditions on the Fjords with her company, Evoke Adventures.

Click here to find out more

Kimberley Woods had a fantastic final U23 World Championships, coming home with one silver and two bronze medals and a huge smile on her face.

www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

Erin was joined on Paddle Pickup 2 and in Norway

by Clare Osborn, who wrote a great piece on How to Adventure with Less Plastic Waste, for her Clare Talks Rubbish blog.

Pam Phillips chose to spread the word about how great paddling is to her local U3A group; helping 28 of them get on the water at Lee Valley.

Click here to read more

ULTRALIGHT KAYAKS award winning design, class leading construction.

WWW.TOOTEGA.COM

thames

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Celebrating a cleaner River Story: Tideway Photos:Tideway and Active360 While the River Thames has seen a drastic clean-up over the past few decades, it still faces a massive threat from sewage pollution. London’s sewerage system was designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette in the 1860s for a population of four million people, however, the population has now doubled to eight million! While the Victorian sewers are still in excellent working condition, they are full to capacity and regularly spill sewage into the River Thames from overflow points along the embankment.

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The Thames Tideway Tunnel, a 7.2m diameter interception and transfer tunnel running up to 65 metres below the river, has been designed to intercept these overflow points and prevent tens of millions of tonnes of raw sewage pouring into the river each year. Starting in west London, the proposed route for the main tunnel generally follows the River Thames to Limehouse, where it then continues northeast to Abbey Mills Pumping Station near Stratford.

There it will be connected to Thames Water’s Lee Tunnel, which will transfer the sewage to Beckton Sewage Treatment Works.

The project has been split geographically into three main construction works contracts: Central, East and West – and work is well underway in each of the sections ahead of the start of tunnelling later this year.

The main tunnel will be dug by four tunnel boring machines (TBMs), while two smaller TBMs will also dig connection tunnels from Wandsworth and greenwich.

once complete, the Thames Tideway Tunnel will collect sewage before it enters the river and ensure it is properly treated, cleaning up the river for future generations of Londoners. This will help to prevent fish kills and allow the river to sustain a rich, diverse array of wildlife. It will also address the growth of sewage-related litter, visible on the surface of the river and on the foreshore at low tide. The deadly effect of litter pollution on wildlife in waterways around the world has been brought into sharp focus in recent times through campaigns in the media.

Andrew Triggs Hodge, a former olympic goldmedallist rower who now works at Tideway as a programme manager, said, “As someone who has regularly rowed on the River Thames, I have experienced rowing through raw sewage and the litter that comes with it. Anyone who uses the river for sport will have experienced it, and maybe even have got sick because of it. It’s unacceptable that this still happens in a modern, world leading city like London.”

FORESHORE FESTIVAL

To celebrate the opportunities a cleaner River Thames holds for river communities once the tunnel is complete, around 2023, Tideway is hosting its own Foreshore Festival on September 23, with an array of sports activities in west and east London.

The crowning event of the Foreshore Festival will see hundreds of paddleboarders taking part in the Big Ben Challenge – the biggest race of its kind on the River Thames – from Putney Embankment to Big Ben and back. Earlier in the day, 20 experienced SUP racers will compete in the London Crossing, in the first SUP race right through central London, 15.5km race from Putney to Shadwell.

These iconic events, run by Active 360, will see some of the country’s best paddleboarders leave the seas behind them and head inland to take on the challenge of the river through central London. The Big Ben Challenge will give safe passage to a popular event to

see everyone else get their chance to paddle to the houses of parliament.

For everyone else who doesn’t have a paddleboard, an array of activities will take place on the foreshore from 10am-5pm, in Putney Embankment and Shadwell Basin. Visitors will have the opportunity to try out kayaking, rowing and paddleboarding, while a beach combing session will explore the hundreds of years of Thames history, as well as uncovering the ecology of the river and the threats that face it.

The festival will also offer an opportunity to find out more about the giant tunnelling machines that will start digging the super sewer later in the year, and to learn how Tideway is helping to tackle sewage pollution in the River Thames – making it a more pleasant place for the animals that live there, and the people who use the river.

Other activities in partnership with organisations including the RNLI, London Youth Rowing and Museum of London Archaeology will also be on offer.

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ThePADDLER 92 materials to and from site by river. This involves training a future generation of river workers and the company has helped set up the Thames Skills Academy to achieve this. Anyone working on the river for Tideway goes through extensive training to ensure the highest standards of health and safety.

Tideway also supports the Thames River Watch programme, by environmental charity Thames21 to raise awareness about issues affecting the health of the River Thames. Volunteers complete water quality and litter surveys and take part in foreshore clean-ups, and Tideway volunteers can often be seen out on the foreshore collecting litter.

To learn more on Tideway, the super sewer and its future impact on London, see the BBC mini-series on the project @: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bc2h13 Paul Hyman of Active 360 with Bill Bailey at the 2017 Big Ben Challenge

Andrew said, “While work is underway to build the super sewer,Tideway’s vision extends much further than just building a tunnel. Our ultimate goal is to ‘reconnect Londoners with the River Thames’, to see a rejuvenated River Thames used increasingly for recreation, transport and freight, while protecting its wildlife.”

As well as the future legacy of a cleaner river, Tideway is already actively working towards rejuvenating the use of the river. The company aims to move 90% of

Action from the 2017 Big Ben Challenge

Andrew said: “The River Thames is at the centre of everything we do, and it’s fantastically rewarding to see the tangible impacts our work is already having.”

Celebrating the

Fores river Thames

sunday 23 sept Putney embankment and SHadwell Basin, 10-5pm

Are you ‘SUP’ to the challenge?

The Foreshore Festival presents

Big Ben Challenge 2018 Open to 200+ experienced and confident paddlers.

Active360 will run the 20km endurance paddle from Putney Embankment, all the way to Big Ben and back. Entry is £65. Limited number of boards are available for hire.

To find out more and book your place visit www.active360.co.uk/big-ben-challenge.htm

The Foreshore Festival is a free, family festival celebrating the River Thames. To find out more about the day please visit

www.tideway.london/foreshorefestival

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S E R E N I T Y

o N

Story: Angela Ward and Adam Evans Photos: Adam Evans and Angela Ward Day one: Monday our car journeys northwards always bring with them a sense of familiarity coupled with impending excitement. Passing by Loch Ba never fails to rekindle vivid memories of March 2017, when we set off from there in full winter conditions. Paddling through blizzards was certainly an unforgettably awesome experience!

These previously paddled places stir up so many memories and that only serves to heighten our excitement for the adventures which await us.

This time we were surrounded by the night-time majesty of Rannoch Moor, which gave us fleeting glimpses of stags and does, their gleaming eyes caught in the car headlights.

The Corran Ferry crossed the black waters of Loch Linnhe, before our short drive to the Sunart campsite. Strontian, at sea-level, greeted us with an iron-hard ground frost which we stumbled and slipped over in order to reach our cedar cabin. The luxury of all mod cons, including underfloor heating, meant that we could spend a few hours carefully repacking our kit so as to have a quicker getaway in the morning.

Every canoe journey differs in its agenda and we’ve done many previous trips. In the past, we were focussed on making distance each day and so therefore travelling fast and light. This trip was to be very different. We wanted to have the time to appreciate and immerse ourselves (figuratively and not literally!) in this magnificent coastline. To soak up and savour this wondrous area, because taking time and enjoying was the rightful purpose of this trip.

On our previous ‘Morar Madness' adventure, pack weight was a crucial issue and thus food had been basic and fast to cook. This trip was to be more about tantalising the tastebuds and satiating the senses. Whilst our eyes, ears and our spirits enjoyed Sunart, we planned to treat ourselves to such gustatory pleasures as ribeye steak, freshly brewed coffee and a smorgasbord of salivatory nibbles.

Day two:Tuesday

Post-breakfast and kit tweaks, we drove along the winding wintery road which hugs the shoreline, catching suggestive glimpses of the loch through the trees. After locating a suitable spot to park up and beginning to unload the boats, an elderly couple walking past asked us if we were lost. I’m not sure why they would think this because the fact that we had canoes and were on a dead-end road next to a loch should have been a give-away that we were not in fact lost.

With a sharp wind and the prospect of a short winter day, we didn’t have the light or the time to risk not making it as far as Loch Teacuis. Deciding that our get-in point would be at Glenborrowdale, an extremely short portage of around 20 metres led

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us onto the beach. We were then able to quickly load up our boats and slide into the water at near-enough high tide.

The first strokes were the christening of Adam’s new paddle, a WW Big Dipper which had been custom-made for him by Jude Todd at Downcreek Paddles. Close to perfect handcrafted strips made a strong yet elegant wooden paddle, capable of slicing through the water with such ease. The sunlight glistened on the blade with each effortlessly powerful stroke and it was wonderful to behold his new paddle start out on its maiden voyage.

Leaving the relative shelter of glenborrowdale Bay, the bitter winds crackled across the December sea and nipped uncaringly at our faces. Chunky winter paddling hats with faux fur trim and faceguards were so successful at stopping the icy-fingered grip of the wind, that we actually ended up becoming too hot. An unexpectedly luxurious experience for Scottish winter paddling!

Adjusting our trim, we made slow steady progress into the headwind.The stunning expanse of Loch Sunart opened up in front of us. In my early days of solo paddling on open water, I would have found these conditions to be both extremely daunting and incredibly hard-going. Having subsequently spent many hours paddling on open water in conditions ranging from ‘ultra calm’ to ‘quite atrocious’, I now feel very much at home and at one with my boat. I’m always mindful however that the weather can change so quickly and the need to be able to deal effectively with whatever surprises Mother Nature may reveal, is paramount.

Keeping close to the edge of Carna Island afforded us some shelter, and the chance to cruise unfettered by the gusts. In the still waters behind us, we noticed the following noses and everobservant eyes of a couple of seals, a mere 15 metres behind. I could barely contain my excitement! In fact, I didn’t contain my excitement at all as I embarked on my best ‘seal whispering’ techniques.This basically involves me waving at them and shouting, “cheeky cheeky seals” in a highpitched voice. I’m not sure that Adam was too convinced about my tactics but the seals appeared to like it. In no time at all, we (although probably just me really) had attracted an entourage of cheeky cheeky seals. It was entrancing to watch them vanish from our sight and reappear elsewhere as if by underwater magic.

our excitement increased again when we caught sight of wild otters in The Narrows. They were far less inquisitive than the seals, even bordering on nonchalance, nibbling on shellfish and floating lazily on their backs. Those of you who know me well will understand the significance of this. I’ve adopted a British otter called Sammy from a wildlife sanctuary in Devon and at the time of writing this, I have commissioned a new Lapwing paddle from Downcreek Paddles. Now that I ‘own’ an otter, I must also own an ottertail paddle!

In the far distance, we briefly saw three dorsal fin which we later learned were likely to be porpoises.

As the tide began to turn, the wind was on our left flank and we continued to forge steadily through The Narrows and saw Loch Teacuis lay out before us. Behind us we could see that we were still being followed by the cheeky seal convoy. We’ve since learned that there are several names for a collective group of seals.

Pod, Bob, Harem , Herd and Rookery. There was certainly one incredibly cheeky seal who kept popping his head up out of the water at regular intervals in order to see what was going on. I became increasingly giddy as the seal quota increased and they swam increasingly closer to our boats. At one point, we counted 10 of them.

Sliding our boats up onto the short grass at the very limit of the tideline at Eilean gabhar, we were watched by the seals who by now were only metres away. To be able to interact with such wonderful animals in close proximity in their natural habitat is truly a privilege.

Having subsequently spent many hours paddling on open water in conditions ranging from ‘ultra calm’ to

‘quite atrocious’,

I now feel very much at home and at one with my boat

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As open and rugged as LochTeacuis is, there are few places to pitch a sturdy tipi.

Thankfully, our flat patch of land served us well both in terms of space and good deep pegging points. Another fact to consider when camping on the edge of sea lochs is the availability of fresh water. Earlier studying of our maps located a tiny river in close proximity to our tipi and this fed into our loch. Fresh water found, we lugged our kit across the carrageen-covered rocks whilst a white-tailed eagle circled us overhead. We had come to a very special place indeed.

With 16 guylines and 17 outer edge pegs buried deep, the tipi stood resolute and it was a reassuring feeling to know that it would withstand pretty much anything that Mother Nature could throw at it in December.

For us, the two essential pieces of kit necessary for long winter evenings in Scotland are a bombproof shelter and a warm sleeping bag, to ensure deep restorative sleep. This shelter could be in the form of a tent, a tarp or a tipi. For this kind of trip, a tipi was preferable as it provided a place to sleep, eat, cook, clean, store our kit and also socialise in. After watching the sun set in the snowy distance and with the coming forecast of driving rain and gusting winds, we battened down the hatches ready for a heavy night.

As is customary, ‘Angela’s Exped Catering Service’ had supplied all the sumptuous provisions. Upon the purring petrol-powered stove sat a cast iron skillet with two succulent ribeye steaks. In addition, the

expectation of long cold nights meant that it was vital to have copious amounts of hot drinks and belly filling food. As the darkness thickened, we indulged gleefully in Blue Stilton washed down with Ruby Port.

of all the human-powered means of transport, I think the canoe is the one with both the capacity and versatility to transport such luxury to remote locations. We were reminded of this as we sipped glayva liqueur from stainless steel shot glasses whilst listening to the sound of guylines singing in the wind.

Day three:Wednesday

As is customary on expeds, I was the first to rise, so I headed outside to check out the weather conditions.

The sun broke through the clouds and unfurled like golden ribbons over the black-edged mountains. The sky was dour with the imminent threat of hail and sleet. Steadily the tiny frozen white baubles fell against the tipi and we could almost hear them slide down the heavy canvas, gathering at the bottom edge like a white-hemmed skirt encircling the base of the tipi.

Despite having excellent kit, neither of us fancied paddling in the peltin hail, which was a shame because the tide had crept silently up to our camp and settled a mere two metres away from our canoes. Quite possibly the shortest ever portage to water for us! Instead, we donned our heavy Ventile bush smocks and picked our

The two essential pieces of kit necessary for

long winter evenings in Scotland are a bombproof shelter and a warm sleeping bag way on foot along the edges of Loch Teacuis.The tide was now receding and the weather was now skittish with light, a continuously changing ambiance which gave way to picture-perfect moments, snatched amidst this classic dreich Scottish weather.

As the sun’s eyes became heavy, hues of rich plum and shades of deep resonant blue met the heavy blackness of the salty water. Perfect moments in places such as this simply remind you to slow down and just be part of it. No more needs to be done than witness the life around you and allow it to slow down your own rushing thoughts.

The tipi, now lightly decked in peppering hail, still held the remnants of warmth inside. A faint hint of petrol in the air and a brief flare, signalled the stove to fire into life and heralded the start of around 13 hours of December darkness.

We always take time beforehand to prepare choice foods so we are not simply eating to fuel our bodies but instead are eating to taste, savour and enjoy every bite. Tasting mindfully and with pleasure reminds us that we are present. After all, we are human beings and not human doings.

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greater panoramic Standing tall with our big sticks and poling along the loch edge, we gained a far

vista than from the usual fixed position of our kneeling thwarts

Day four:Thursday

We awoke after a long night of raw gusting winds to the sight of the sun tiptoeing through the clouds, alas with not a hint of warmth, a faint wisp of mist enshrouding the tipi. Usually on expeds, each morning we pack up our kit and change locations every day so the chance to relax is always most welcome. A roaring stove soon took the chill out of the tipi inner and we enjoyed a pot of freshly brewed coffee, the aroma of which drifted out over the loch, along with the delicious smell of our hearty breakfast of freshly made pancakes, as thick as plates and drenched in maple syrup.

With the wind dropping, the tide had slid out to reveal a seaweed strewn expanse of mud flats. We zipped up and buckled down and found the easiest way to get the boats to the sea , some 200 metres away, was to enter the small feeder river only 30 metres away and cautiously snub our way onto the loch.

Afloat on the salt water shallows, standing tall with our big sticks and poling along the loch edge, we gained a far greater panoramic vista than from the usual fixed position of our kneeling thwarts.

Today was a different world, and under an almost cloudless sky, as far as the eye could see, the only water moving was being moved by the very moon. It was as if this giant body of water wasn’t just a piece of geography, but a living breathing creature who inhaled and exhaled slowly and steadily twice each day. Each breath bringing with it the very life which keeps it alive.

It was blissful to be back on Loch Teacuis and making our way deftly and oh-so-quietly eastward, past small tide-bound islands on which basked, bronzed by the sun, a small colony of seals, appearing oblivious to our quiet respectful presence.

With no wind and no agenda, we let ourselves drift, to just allow ourselves the experience. Just like the loch and just like nature, there was no plan other than making time to be ourselves. Nothing more was needed other than to simply taking time and remembering to be present. gradually the loch drew itself in fully and the light began to fade. We paddled leisurely back to camp, with it’s welcoming plump down sleeping bags, fairy lights and hot drinks. There’s something very reassuring about heading ‘home’ at the end of a day on the water, with everything being there and ready for us

With the tide in, we could paddle right up to the edge of our camp. As is customary for Scotland, the weather had now changed. Fat juicy raindrops fell like cool marbles and ran down off the peaks of our faux fur winter hats our own really thoughts about tomorrow’s homeward paddle was the weather and what impact this could have upon us. Loch Teacuis allowed us a complete technology detox with no phone signal or wifi. The drawback to this is that all judgements about the weather had to be done in real-time, a rare thing in today’s modern world.

Day five: Friday

Like wolves in the distance, the wind howled all night so we looked out of the tipi with a sense of trepidation to see what Mother Nature had in store for us. gusting at around F4, it was so much calmer than it had been for the past 24 hours. We packed up our kit with quick fingers and military precision and planned our route back out onto Loch Sunart, taking into account the wind speed and direction.

Momentarily their eyes made contact with ours and they seemed as enthralled with us as were with them, before they slid quickly and silently into the water.

We’d assumed they’d skedaddled but instead, they played hide and seek behind us in gentle pursuit, dipping here and reappearing there, their eyes wide with curiosity.

The narrows of the loch created clean sea water down to it’s bed, scoured twice daily by tidal races which had left it devoid of seaweed. The crystal clear water let in so much light that we were able to see several metres down through the liquid glass. We could spy sea urchins and slowly moving starfish from our canoes above.

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Thepaddler 102 on our way into Loch Teacuis, we’d paddled through The Narrows but today, we opted to head for Eilean nan gabhar and circumnavigate Carna in the opposite direction through Caol Charna. This gave us chance to paddle in a more sheltered location with the hope of encountering more seals and hopefully some otters too. In no time at all, our seal entourage appeared and they seemed even more curious than usual. I’m convinced that it was my seal whispering skills which attracted them although I obviously can’t prove this.

It’s a belief rather than a fact!

Hugging the rocky coastline, we made our way around Carna and this gave us the perfect opportunity to explore the tiny sheltered bays. As much as I love being in my boat, it’s great to head onto dry land and stretch our legs. We were mindful of the tidal changes though as we wanted to be able to get off the water relatively close to glenborrowdale Bay rather than having to do a long portage if the tide was out.

After paddling past Rubha Bheithe and Rubha an Aisig Mhoir, we made good headway across towards Risga and then decided to see if we could take a shortcut through the channel between Eilean an Fheidh and the mainland. There was a definite way through and although the water was too shallow to paddle, it gave us the perfect opportunity to pole our way back into glenborrowdale Bay. The tide was receding quickly although we made good poling progress and only had a short portage to get back to the road. on the promise of a home-cooked curry by Colin and Katrina Skeath, we quickly loaded our boats and kit and dashed back to the Sunart campsite. Not actually knowing which house they lived in, proved to be no problem as Katrina waved to Adam from the bedroom window. Apparently this happens a lot!

Treacherously icy pavements were potentially the most dangerous part of the whole trip and we skated our way round to the Skeaths, bearing gifts of a three-

foot long chorizo and a partly consumed bottle of Buckfast tonic. As we got closer, their house was instantly recognisable by the flotilla of canoes in the front garden.

For those of you who may not be aware, Colin and his nephew Davis circumnavigated the coast of great Britain last year. Covering 2,064 miles in 86 days in an open canoe is an awesome achievement. Massive credit also goes to Katrina for her fantastic planning and logistical expertise (see the Paddler for the full story).

We had a brilliant evening involving chatting , eating and learning about their plans for a business venture which has now become a reality.

Colin and Katrina provide guided canoe trips in one of the most beautiful areas in Scotland, for all ages and abilities. Alongside paddling on lochs, they also offer introductions to canoe sailing, coastal canoeing and river trips.

For further details, please check out their FB page ‘Source To Sea Canoe Adventures’ and their website www.source-2-sea.co.uk.

SILVERBIRCHCANOES.COM

STOP

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S W I M M I N g

by Mike Shaw Photos: Plas y Brenin and Chris Brain In this article I want to address why people swim and how to avoid it. I am not talking about those life-or-death situations when you have to. I’m talking about the time you pulled your deck on flat water, at your local play spot or even in the swimming pool after missing a roll or two; times when you just know deep down that you should have rolled back up. I don’t mean to sound harsh; but sometimes some home truths are needed to move on to the next level.

If you are struggling with getting your first roll, then there are countless online videos, articles, books and DVDs all designed to teach you. Better yet, go and get some coaching, even if only from a friend who has a good roll.

Let’s assume for now that you have a good roll: one that gets you up first time. I want to talk about the perfect roll, one that gets you up first time every time, and fast. If you can roll every time in the pool, you can roll every time on whitewater, sea or surf.

Karl Midlane rolling at Plas Y Brenin

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Confidence

The reason people swim is lack of confidence in their roll. I was ‘lucky’ in that I got to spend a whole season practising my rolling before I ever had a chance to go on whitewater. Since then I’ve never swum. I say this not to show off (I know a couple of others who can claim it too), but in an effort to inspire – if I can do it, so can you!

The most important thing to note is that there is zero difference between rolling a swimming pool to rolling in real situations. on whitewater or surf it can feel different but the technique is exactly the same.The disorientation and the fear factor are what we need to address.

Disorientation

Being upside down in a boat can be disorientating, particularly in rough water. So it is so important not to just practise rolls in the ideal set-up position: we never go over like this.You need to be able to roll up from any which way. Practise in this area is key.

Panic

Upside down and ‘trapped’ inside a plastic box is logically a nightmare scenario. We need to override this logic, as it’s part of the sport – in fact, it’s when you are at your most stable. Most beginners are nervous about capsizing, many panicking on first attempt, a completely natural response. We need to override this. We don’t have time to panic, we only have time to think about and address our current situation.

Fear factor

If you are the sort of paddler who runs a river with crossed fingers, hoping you won’t capsize and worried you might swim if you do, you need to stop and rethink.

If you think you are going to swim, you probably will.

Whitewater kayaking requires a clear head; fear should not be allowed to overcome you.You cannot paddle scared, the same as you cannot paddle angry. It will cloud your judgement – and it’s not much fun!

If you are about to run a section that you find scary you firstly need to take some time out to gather your thoughts.

I’ve seen too many people swim on a section of water they have the skill level to run because they worried about being stuck in a hole at the bottom of a drop, or because they thought they had hit a certain feature.

The habit

You may find that you’ve inadvertently made a habit of swimming.You might find that each time you go over you ‘involuntarily’ reach for the handle and out you come. Like any habit you need to break it by making some fundamental changes to your mind set.

Changing your mind set: swimming is not an option!

Pulling my deck is so far down the list of priorities that it does not enter my head. Every conceivable option should be exhausted first. A fighter pilot doesn’t pull the ejector seat lever at the first sign of trouble and neither should you!

If you paddle with a group where swimming is the first port of call, a rethink and a new mentality is in order. It can be very dangerous to swim. We’ve all seen videos

or know friends who have had horrendous swims.These could have all been avoided by rolling up.The best rescue is a self-rescue, and the best self-rescue is a roll!

The decision to swim can turn what would have been a simple capsize into an arduous ordeal. When you are out of your boat you are at the mercy of the river and most likely relying on your friends to help you, potentially putting them in danger too.

Nine times out of ten, it is much safer to be in a boat than out of it.The boat works like a tank, our buoyancy aid (PFD for my American friends) like body armour, and a helmet to protect our head. At times people opt for a full-face helmet and elbow and forearm protection.

These are the parts of our body that we are exposed and vulnerable. Have you ever seen a kayaker wear kneepads? No, that’s what our boat is for. But take a swim and you’ll be exposing your whole body to potential injury. I have seen plenty of bashed knees. Most injuries I have dealt with have been caused by swimming.

In shallow water the logical side of the brain says “I’m scraping along the bottom, I should get out!” But think about that for a second. If you are getting scraped then how will exiting the boat help? It is not going to change anything; the water will not magically get deeper.You will only be exposing more of yourself to the riverbed. What will help you is being upright, with a large lump of plastic between you and the riverbed.

What roll should I use?

Whatever roll gets you up. Ideally it will be one that gets you up on the first attempt. Even better than that is a roll that gets you up first time and fast.

Personally I am a big fan of the back deck roll. If this is something you haven’t added to your arsenal of rolls, I would strongly suggest learning it. It makes little sense at first and can be a struggle to get your head round it. But once you give it a go all become clear.You will also find that your standard roll will improve no end because of it.

Usually when I go over I am already in the perfect position to use the back deck roll, making it the fastest option.

There is/was an argument that in shallow water it is best to tuck forward to protect yourself with the crown of your helmet.The reason it should be discredited, if it’s not already, is this: if I go over on the back deck of my boat and decide to tuck all the way forwards before rolling, I will be exposing my whole upper body and more importantly my face, to the river bed.To get forward and tuck, my body will go far deeper and for much longer than it would during a back deck roll. If you get good at back deck rolling, you can even do it keeping your whole face out of the water. So contrary to vintage wisdom, you can back deck roll in shallower water than you can do a traditional roll in.

All being said there are times when I do opt to tuck up. often when I am at a play feature where I know that it gets shallow immediately after and I am not in a position to do a back deck roll, or can’t do one fast enough then I will quickly tuck forwards to protect myself. I aim to move my body sideways rather than straight down to keep myself low profile and avoid exposing my face.

Swimming can be very dangerous.We’ve all seen videos or know friends who have had horrendous swims

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Excuses

Nine times out of ten the person who swam comes up with an excuse. They are just that, excuses!

Excuses are dangerous because they don’t allow the person to learn from the experience and cover up their mistakes. It needs to be a learning experience and they should seek to correct mistakes that they’ve made. The only goal of an excuse is to cover up the reasons for the swim and make the person feel better about their failure. Here are a few of those excuses: i’ve lost my roll What do you mean you’ve lost your roll? It’s not a wallet or a phone.You can’t have left it on the roof of a car! The only reason you can ‘lose’ a roll is because you’ve not practised it.

my paddle slipped… i hit something… my paddle broke… i lost my paddle… it caught me by surprise… i would have swum anyway… hand slipped off the paddle?

Regain your grip and roll up! Lost your paddle? Hand roll! Broke your paddle? Roll up with the other end!

All these have happened to me.Twice my paddle has broken in my hands; a paddle has two ends to it, so use the other end (If you can I’d also advise you to keep hold of both parts). I’ve seen many people panic and decide to pull the deck. A simple assessment of the current situation and they’d have rolled up just fine and been able to sort the situation.

I’ve had a friend dislocate a shoulder twice on two separate occasions. He still rolled up both times and has yet to swim (proof that such a concept can be taught) another friend was extremely unfortunate and dislocated both shoulders at the same time; he also rolled up. No excuses: they both have the mindset that swimming is not an option. Swimming with two dislocated shoulders would have been nothing short of a disaster. i tried three rolls…

Why didn’t you try another? What if that fourth or fifth attempt was the one that would have got you up? Remember that your last attempt is always the one that gets you up. Firstly ask yourself, did you really run out breath?

What did you do to address the reason you couldn’t roll up the first time? Did you panic and stop thinking about the task at hand? Stop, readjust, try again and roll. Think about what you may be doing wrong and correct these. Did you lift your head too soon? Did you forget your hip flick, are you still in the hole? Are you trying to roll up on the wrong side? You have time so try again.

it was my offside/i can’t hand roll…

The river will sometimes make it impossible to roll up on one side. Perhaps you are being pushed against a wall, or need to roll up in a hole.You need to work towards having an offside roll and then you need to work towards having no offside roll. By that I mean that both sides should feel the same.When you paddle forward do you feel like your offside is working extra hard to keep up? I’d hope not.The same should be said for your roll.There is no offside.

Your ‘offside’ is no big deal.You learn it the same way as our onside. If you can roll on one side, you already have the skills to roll on the other. The only thing stopping you achieving an off side roll is practice; like a bodybuilder you need to put in the reps to achieve the goal.

If you can’t hand roll, you also need to work on this.

You can’t muscle it through like you can with a paddle so it works wonders for improving your rolling technique. If you’ve swum because you lost your paddle did you even try a hand roll? If you didn’t, you should have.You might just surprise yourself – particularly in a hole!

i ran out of air It is always quicker to roll up than it is to wet exit.

Rolling up will get you that breath much sooner. If you think you are running out, then try for that roll. I guarantee you have not run out yet! When you come up blue in the face, it might be uncomfortable, it might even be a little scary but you have not run out of air!

Is holding your breath something you practise? It should be something you incorporate into your training. Stop and try it now. Hold your breath and time yourself. What did you get? 10, 15, 20 seconds?

Now try again. I guarantee you will beat it easily.

Now ask yourself: did you really need to breathe when you did? Could you have held on a bit longer?

I guarantee you could have.

Aim for 45 seconds, then a minute. With just a little practise, most people I’ve taught can achieve a minute. I have seen a friend do 1.58. When he came up, he was rather short on breath. If he’d known he was that close to two minutes, he could have managed two more seconds. Imagine how many roll attempts you could do in that time!

Of course when we are rolling ‘in anger’ we are exhausting oxygen reserves, which is why we must remain calm and take action when necessary. But training your lungs will most certainly help you.

Without much training you should see an increase in how long you can hold your breath. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable feeling of holding your breath.

it is ok to fail It is Ok to fail. Failure should never be a barrier to learning. The fear of failure should never stop you trying anything! Whether that is in a kayak or in life.

If every kayaker was afraid to fail then nobody would step foot in a boat. It is a fundamental part of the learning process.

When you first learn to roll, you will fail, but keep trying and you will succeed.

we are all between swims I’m sure you have all heard the notion that ‘we are all between swims’. Personally I don’t subscribe to this line of thinking. It is designed to keep us humble; however the river has plenty of other ways of keeping us humble.

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Thepaddler 110 The phrase itself is a negative thought. If you believe it then you are just accepting that it is inevitable that you’ll swim. If you swim again, instead say to yourself, “That was my last swim” say it to yourself and it might just be the case.

As Peyton Manning’s coach once said, “One quarterback fumble is a lifetime too many.” The same goes for swimming. I know we can’t achieve perfection, but we can damn well aim for it!

Mindset

I hope some of those ideas and techniques help you improve your roll and more importantly change your mindset about rolling and swimming! I’m sorry if some of the home truths hit hard, sometimes these things need to be said. Remember, no excuses.

If you’ve questions then feel free to give me a shout, if you see me on the river and want some advice then come over and say hi.

Mike Shaw is a professional coach and playboater in his spare time, sponsored

by Jackson Kayaks, Mitchell Blades and Square Rock.

Karl Midlane rolling at Plas Y Brenin

Postscript

As a postscript to the above, and as one who occasionally swims (much to Mike’s disappointment), I recognise the culture Mike refers to among British paddlers, the culture that accepts unnecessary swims as inevitable. It all starts with the winter pool sessions.We learn a straightforward screw roll, or some variant of it, on our good side, practise it until we can do it every time – on flat water – then consider the job a good’un.

It’s not enough. For a playboater, having that one basic roll is simply too slow, even if it does work every time. If you flip lying back, then tuck to roll, by the time you’re up you’ve missed the eddy you want to paddle back into for the feature you are working. If you are in a serious situation, then speed of recovery is even more important.

In the ideal world, we would screw roll if inverted leaning forwards, back-deck roll if flipped leaning back, and hand roll when up shit creek without a paddle. When you see even mediocre playboaters flip, they often roll up in any way they see fit – just find the pressure and flick. This is the pinnacle of rolling, and what to aim for.

River runners (unless at a very good level) experience fewer inversions and their rolls suffer as a result, something both Mike and I noticed at the 2017 Sickline – otherwise decent paddlers were overwhelmed by the river and the sense of occasion and pulled their decks in the serene waters after Champion’s Killer and Minus One. I’d suggest learning all three on both sides, or at least have your basic roll working on both sides.

The backdeck and hand rolls are not particularly easy, but they will come, just as that screw roll eventually came to you in the swimming pool.

The great thing is that you can practise rolling anywhere. Rolling is not a thing you learn once, like riding a bike. It’s a habit that needs to be practised. And often.

Steffan Meyric Hughes is an experienced swimmer and a Paddler magazine contributor.

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LOFOTENS

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Sea kayaking in the Story and photos: Sarah Webster

The Lofoten Islands are an archipelago of five larger islands and many smaller ones, off the northwest coast of Norway, some 300km inside the Arctic circle. Legend has it that the name comes from ‘Lynx foot’, and the five islands sprang up after a giant Lynx put its paw down in the sea.

I was lucky enough to spend a week sea kayaking and camping there in late June with my family: Holly, Jack and Tom, my friend Robin Buxton, Robin’s Danish friend Hanne Hubertz and Hanne's nephew Max. Robin deserves a special mention as he had polio when he was 18 months old, which left him with permanently weakened muscles in his legs, but he has never let this deter him from doing what he wanted in life. Unable to take part in sports at school, he took up kayaking at university, racing in 20k marathons, and remains a strong paddler today.

In the Raftsund

rafting up after the windy crossing

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brilliant sunshine,

The next morning, we woke up to

the peaks of the snowy mountains embellished with white clouds

View from Brakøya

Lofoten Aktiv

We had been inspired by Jann Engstad’s book, ‘The Lofoten Islands - a sea-kayak guide to the magical isles’ and we went with Jann’s company Lofoten Aktiv, who provided our boats and kit and a wonderful local guide, Kristian Jensen.

The outer edge of the islands is exposed to the north-east Atlantic, but in stormy conditions, a more sheltered route can be chosen along the inner edge and between the islands.

Packing for the off, Holdøya

our starting point was Jann's base in Kabelvåg, which can be reached by boat (Hurtigbåten) or a short flight from the Norwegian mainland port of Bodø. Jann’s fleet of boats are Prijons of various vintages, all with rudders which proved useful on the trip.

After kitting up with boats, tents and stoves, buying some last-minute pieces of clothing and a map at Jann’s brother’s excellent outdoor store, and stocking up with four days’ worth of food at the supermarket, we were finally off.

Holdøya

our get-in was at Holdøya, from where we paddled to our first camping spot on the small island of Slattøya. We set off into a steady drizzle, but were immediately rewarded by sightings of otter, harbourporpoise, a pair of White-tailed Eagles and an Arctic tern. once on the island, after checking carefully for

cattle, we pitched our tents among the beautiful, springy Arctic vegetation. As there is no freshwater on the island, we were glad of the supplies we had brought. At night we listened to the sound of sheep going round the island clanking their bells.

The next morning, we woke up to brilliant sunshine, the peaks of the snowy mountains embellished with white clouds. We first visited the tiny Falkfjord, which was rich in underwater life and where, to my surprise, Kristian said we could top up the water bottles from the stream – something that I have not done in the UK for

LeavingTrollfjord

many years. During a long day’s paddling we covered 24km and saw both golden and White-tailed Eagle. As we headed towards Raftsund, we had tidal assistance but the wind was steadily picking up, making for some sizeable waves, and we were all grateful to reach a campsite that had running water and a drying room.

The following day we continued along Raftsund and entered the famous Trollfjord, amid dramatic scenery but a strong headwind. At night we heard the distinctive horn of the Hurtigruten cruise boat reverberating around the fjords and mountain sides.

Trolls

on leaving the fjord, Kristian recounted both ancient legends of the trolls, whose faces, now rendered harmless by the sunshine, glowered at us from the smooth granite, as well as the more recent story of the battle of Trollfjord, which led to the regulation of cod-fishing in the area.

once we left the shelter of Trollfjord, we were back in the head-wind of Raftsund and, as it was time to stock up with food again, we landed on Brakøya and Kristian divided the group into two, with the stronger paddlers accompanying him to the shop, while the rest of us did battle pitching the tents in the wind. Nesting curlews made their presence felt with constant flypasts and calls, and Max was excited by the sight of a black grouse in the forest. In the evening we saw a pod of harbour porpoises go past.

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Abundant marine life

July 1st was a beautiful sunny day with calm water, which meant that we could see to the bottom of Raftsund and appreciate the abundant marine life as we paddled, seeing iridescent comb-jellies and many different sorts of jellyfish, including the large and colourful lion’s mane. After a while, we found ourselves looking down on what looked like the savannah, with many baobab trees dotted along the sandy bed.

These were in fact sea cucumbers, a filterfeeding marine animal. We paddled 15km in three 5km stretches, Kristian brewed up coffee on the Trangia stove when we paused at little sheltered beaches and eventually reached the island of Sandøya, where several of the group had a brief swim. Hanne and I went out for a midnight sun paddle in the double kayak.

Clear waters of the Raftsund

Camp at Brakøya

To do list

Waking up to sunshine on Slattøya

1 Take a good, experienced guide with local knowledge.

There is no substitute for someone who knows how the local tides and weather behave, where the crossing points, get-outs, water sources and campsites are and can make flexible plans with a range of options; 2 Carry plenty of water; there is no freshwater on some of the islands. We took several five-litre bottles, which can be topped up at waterfalls; 3 Plan your food shopping at the start of the trip; fresh food doesn't last and food for a whole week is too bulky. We did one food shop at the start of the trip and another halfway through; 4 It is a good idea to take a double kayak; while most paddlers have a slight preference for a single kayak, it is a wise precaution for the days when one person is tired or under the weather; 5 Be prepared to change your plans according to tide, weather and people; 6 Bring one thick fleece and fleece-lined trousers for the arctic evenings; although it stays light, the temperature drops as soon as the sun goes behind the mountains, and there is often a significant wind chill factor; 7 Bring as many dry sacks as you have; 8 Bring dry trousers if you have them; 9 A mobile phone is useful for checking weather and tides, and general communication; there is good 4G in most places. It is also useful to bring a powerbank; 10 Paddle along the shore; it is more sheltered and you will see more underwater life.

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Storøya

Arriving at the tipi, Kvanndalen

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We broke camp at Sandøya on another beautifully warm and sunny day. We meandered our way between several small islands and then made a crossing to Storøya where we had a second breakfast of chocolate and coffee and continued up Austnesfjord, enjoying the sightings of birds and underwater life. Eventually we reached our goal – a beautiful tipi, smelling of woodsmoke, with reindeer skins to lie on and complete with a picnic bench, firepit and composting toilet! A freshwater stream tumbled into the fjord and several of us had a swim in the cold water. That night there was a thunderstorm and we were grateful for the shelter of the tipi. on our final day, we woke up to the sound of wind and rain, but once we emerged from the tipi the conditions were quite manageable. We paddled back down Austnesfjord, crossing by the island of Austpollholmen and to our final get-out, where Kristian called Jann to come and collect us with the minibus and trailer.

In a week's paddling we had paddled 80km, seen all weathers and bonded as a group, but we had only just started to appreciate the scale of the place – we had only seen a very small portion of the Lofotens. Kristian is a wonderfully skilled guide, not only for his extensive knowledge of the area – the tides, the weather conditions and the campsites – but also in his ability to flex the plans for the trip according to the abilities and the morale of the group.

Approach to Trollfjord

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70YEARS

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C E L E B R AT I N g

and looking

to the next 70…

“To help an individual discover their own physical, mental and spiritual potential.”

With these words, glenmore Lodge, Scotland’s National outdoor Training Centre, was established, starting a 70-year history, which has seen thousands of students of all ages and backgrounds, either start their outdoor adventures, or turn their passion into a career.

ByVictoria Smith and Dave Rossetter Present day photos: Ed Smith

In the post second world war era, society was on the cusp of massive change and educational philosophies were being evaluated amongst concerns of over urbanisation. Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton, credited with the vision and foresight to realise the ‘Glenmore Idea’, wrote, “Not only to give young people the opportunity of an introduction to the treasures that a true appreciation for the country can provide, but also to inspire young people so much with the idea of healthful outdoor recreation that they would act in their own localities as advocates.” This is an abbreviated narrative and one which could fill the pages of this magazine, but for the interested reader, Catherine Loader’s book Glenmore Lodge provides far greater detail. However, with this as the background, the Scottish Sports Council (now known as sportscotland) created Glenmore Lodge.

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The aim was to provide boys and girls, men and women, with new skills of moving safely in, living in, understanding and appreciating a completely different environment (quote from Murray Scott, A history of glenmore Lodge).

For ‘The Lodge’, the outdoors represented more than just a physical challenge. This ethos still runs through the heart of the present day training centre. Any visitor or student who has visited the centre or attended a course will recognise this through the building and approach to life when staying at the glenmore Lodge campus and in the delivery of training by its instructors.

A visit to the archives at glenmore Lodge will provide the visitor with a powerful sense of the belonging that students felt after their time here. That sense of belonging continues today for both staff and students alike.

The early days of glenmore Lodge offered, what was referred to until the 1970s, as ‘holiday training courses’, in downhill skiing, ski touring, ski mountaineering, Nordic skiing, snow and ice climbing, winter mountaineering, hill walking, canoeing, field studies and rock climbing.

Each decade brought its own change to glenmore Lodge. The 50s and 60s were firmly in the ‘holiday training’ style, for groups of young people, for clubs and for individual people looking to develop personally against a background of outdoor sports development.

Throughout its history, glenmore Lodge has led and supported the development of outdoor sports and education, it was there at the beginning of skiing, winter climbing, kayaking and canoeing.

As local authorities acquired and built centres throughout the country, a shift in the centre’s role took place, away from hosting schools to a focus on training and qualifying adults to lead youngsters safely and competently. Under Eric Langmuir’s guidance in the 60s, the Lodge played a major role in leader training and qualification.

According to Murray Scott (Principal 1955-61) the demand for informed and insightful skills training is driven by an ever-increasingly sophisticated client group and glenmore Lodge begins to be referenced as a ‘centre of excellence’ for a number of sports. From 1970 the charismatic Principal, Fred Harper, continues to develop a culture of insight, high performance and specialisation within the instructors, and the first references to ‘national centre’ appear.

The Cairngorm Plateau disaster in November 1971, when five Edinburgh teenagers and an assistant leader perished in winter conditions whilst on a school expedition based out of their local authority centre, further galvanised the need for good governance and qualifications within outdoor education. This incident no doubt had a profound impact on glenmore Lodge instructors who were involved in the rescue, and no doubt acted as a collective point of reference for the numerous glenmore Lodge instructors today.

glenmore lodge today

Today, you can sea kayak in the North West Islands, white water kayak down Scotland’s rapids, canoe or bike pack across our last remaining wildernesses, climb Ben Nevis ice, scramble in the Cuillins, ski the Cairngorm plateau, get the skills for Enduro racing, spend the weekend trail running or develop your Alpine mountaineering and ski touring skills.

Scottish and UK governing bodies have developed a full range of leadership and qualifications, often with glenmore Lodge as key development partner. Today the centre offers the most comprehensive selection of qualification courses in the UK and continues to mentor, support and inspire indivduals as they progress on their chosen profession or pathway.

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Thepaddler 124 glenmore Lodge also acts as a hub for Scotland’s outdoor Industry. It is home to Mountaineering Scotland’s own safety advisor, Heather Morning; Scottish Mountain Rescue, Mountain Training Scotland, the Scottish Avalanche Information Service, Scottish orienteering Association, Disability Snowsports UK, Scottish Cycling and Spòrs gàidhlig.

sport deVelopment, continuous research and training

Skills training is one part of the triangle and for many the most visible but there is a lot of development work going on in the background. glenmore Lodge is an early adopter of new awards and qualifications, working with governing bodies to shape these and bring real resilience and capacity into these qualification frameworks. our hunger for knowledge and insight is just as strong today as it has ever been, and our culture of continued development is one handed down over many decades. Whilst we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before we remain driven by the objective to be a relevant national asset and resource today.

glenmore lodge of tomorrow?

As we mark our 70th year, it is easy to reflect over a period that has shaped the world of outdoor adventure skills, safety and leadership development, but life has never stood still for glenmore Lodge.

our language is changing. We now talk about discover/learn/adventure/qualify. We understand the complexities of life get in the way of sporting participation, we understand that participation is about much more than getting to the top of the mountain or down the rapid. The pathway is unique to you, the reasons to participate are unique to you and it is our role to have something to support you along a lifetime of participation.

outdoor adventure and the way we define ‘adventure’ is also continually evolving. For some of us, it is all about fitness in nature, choosing to keep fit in the fresh air, for some of us it is about exploring, being part of nature and the greater world. For some it is thrill seeking. others being part of a ‘tribe’. one size doesn’t fit all.

It is up to us to make sure everyone can continue to find their sense of belonging in glenmore Lodge. We’re reminded of those original words in 1948 discover your own physical, mental and spiritual potential.

01479 861 256 www.glenmorelodge.org.uk

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rescuers T R A I N I N g

W I T H

Story: Andrew Wallace, Hampton Canoe Club Paddlers training with the ‘blue light’ rescue services? It sounds a really good thing to do, and at Hampton Canoe Club, we thought this would be an excellent idea. But who to train with? The club is based where the coverage of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution on the Thames from the estuary up to Molesey Lock meets the coverage of Surrey Fire and Rescue Service on the Thames in Surrey. obvious answer: train with both.

So on a Monday evening in June, eight experienced paddlers trained with Surrey Fire and Rescue Service in and on the calm waters of Shepperton Marina (access had kindly been arranged by WhiteWater The Canoe Centre, which is based there). Two days later, the same team trained with the Teddington crew of the RNLI in and on the Thames near Teddington Lock.

First up: an explanation of the features of the varied boats we’d brought along: a canoe, a K1, a K2, a white water boat and a sea kayak. The presence, or absence, of toggles, buoyancy, bulkheads, deck lines, etc. were discussed. This was followed by a live demonstration of some of our essential skills, such as emptying a K1, and the ‘Hand of god’ rescue.

Then onto the water for the main session: one boat full of rescuers was given hints and had time to practise how to rescue our various craft. With their sturdy RIBs, they were really good at rescuing canoes, and found emptying a K1 as tricky as novices usually do.

Meanwhile another boat of rescuers were trying their hand at rescuing paddlers pretending to be unwell or injured in their closed cockpit kayaks (practising rescues from open cockpit kayaks or canoes would have been too easy). First, they rescued a paddler from a white water boat: that

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Thepaddler 128 turned out to be surprisingly easy, they just pulled the boat and paddler straight up onto the lifeboat! Then they rescued a paddler from a sea kayak with a keyhole cockpit. Finally they rescued a brave paddler, upside down in her sea kayak with its tiny ocean cockpit. That needed a quick ‘Hand of god’ rescue, then they eased her out onto the back deck of the kayak, and up into the lifeboat.

Partway through the session, the rescuers’ boats swapped places, so all the crews could tackle the full range of the planned agenda. At the end of each evening’s session, paddlers and rescuers were all happy with what had been achieved: the rescuers had a better understanding of how best to rescue paddlers, kayaks and canoes; and paddlers were impressed by the skills and resources of the rescuers.

Follow-on sessions are already under discussion. other clubs considering training with the ‘blue light’ rescuers can find our session plan on the club website.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution

the royal national lifeboat institution has been saving lives along all the tidal thames in the port of london since 2002. the rnli station at teddington in suburban west london covers the tidal thames down to richmond, and the non-tidal thames up to molesey, by hampton court. afterwards they said, “Thanks so much yet again to you and your marvellous club-mates for a brilliant session last night. Everyone enjoyed it and found it very informative and useful, especially our newer crew, many of whom were there.”

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service

surrey fire and rescue service is the statutory rescue service for the county of surrey, and its remit includes responding to flooding and other water rescue incidents, alongside responding to fires and road accidents.the crews immediately saw the advantage in training with paddlers, and “were all very complimentary about the event itself and the members of the club.” they have expressed an interest in rolling out further training to other watches and stations.

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T H E R E ’ S

J U S T

By Warren Macdonald Knees burning, the straps of a heavy pack cut into my shoulders at each downward step. Step forward, fire quads; brace, grinding impact as ankles roll; burn. Repeat…

It’s day five of a hike on Tasmania’s infamous South Coast Track, and of the three of us that descended that day along the section of trail that bought the bay into view, a view complete with a yacht, I’m pretty sure I’m the only one that thought, “When I’m too old and to hike into a place like this; I’m coming in like that; on the water.”

It’s all about wilderness, about seeking out that connection that drives folks like us to suffer; and suffer we had.The suggested time to walk the South Coast Track is 14 days. We were pushing for ten so one of us could be back in time for a court appearance. No, you don’t get to know which one. So our packs were heavy, capital H heavy.

So it dawned on me as the view unfolded, that those folks had merely sailed in. Sat on their backsides likely, and just gone there; the same place that we’d just paid such a high price to experience.

“Yep, one day, that will be me”.

Little did I know that day would come sooner than I thought.

S o O

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baja

WATER

M U C H

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thousand steps I’d take…

I rose at dawn, swam for a few minutes in the warm salty water, and began racking up the last of the seven or eight

fighting for my life

summit; spend the night; back down by early afternoon the following day. At least, that was the plan.

I’d gone to the island for the same reason I went anywhere; chasing that feeling of exposure; of wildness. The feeling I call ‘the connection’.

Towards the end of the day, we came to a headwall; 400ft of towering granite with no obvious weakness; at which point we’d begun to wonder if we were somehow off route. Not a big deal, we both thought.

We’ll set up camp here for the night and find a way in the morning.

Less than eighteen months (check) later, I would find myself fighting for my life on the side of North Queensland’s Hinchinbrook Island; trapped beneath a one-ton boulder.

To get a sense of Hinchinbrook, think Jurassic Park.

Lush tropical rainforest covers a mountainous strip separated from the mainland by a narrow channel.

With Saltwater crocodiles. Mt Bowen dominates, though its often shrouded in cloud as it seems to create its own weather system.

I’d gone to the island burnt out, a result of the hard partying lifestyle of a contract painter on the regions only five-star resort. I’d gone seeking solitude; seeking connection.

A chance meeting on the beach at Little Ramsay Bay at the end of the first day led to an invitation to climb Mt Bowen. geert van Keulen, a Dutch backpacker, had been given some trail notes with a route description to make what we figured would be a day and a half scramble/bushwack. Most of the day to reach the

I rose at dawn, swam for a few minutes in the warm salty water, and began racking up the last of the seven or eight thousand steps I’d take…

‘Here’ was a granite slab beside a trickling creek; thick jungle behind us with a 12-14ft rock wall on the opposite bank. We ate; drank chateau cardboard, before geert slipped into his sleeping bag and I was about to get into mine. Before I did that though, I needed to take a leak.

Stepping softly across the moss covered rocks, I made my way across the creek. Years of hiking dictated I should move as far away from the creek as possible, and I figured I could climb up and over the rock wall to get far enough away. As I moved closer to the wall, I saw a crack.

“That should make this way easier,” I thought.

I got one hand in that crack, put my right foot against the wall, and pulled…

Are you happy now? Is that what you’ve been looking for?”

An almighty crack, and next thing I know… Nothing.

I’m winched up on a wire cable and flown straight to Cairns Base Hospital, where a team of doctors and nurses run all kinds of tests on my legs before a surgeon, Dr. Bill Clarke, says to me softly, “Warren, you realize your legs have been badly damaged, don’t you?”

CRACK!

To this day I have no memory of being in the air or falling. Then another crack, and a world of pain.

geert is out of his bag in an instant, running across the same creek to find me, pinned from the hips down under a refrigerator sized piece of rock…

So begins an experience nightmares are made of.

trapped

Attempt after attempt to free me fails; from snapped branches to stacked rocks and wedgestones attempting to force some pressure off of my legs.

Nothing works. We’re both exhausted. Beaten.

Just when it seemed things couldn’t possibly be worse, I feel the first few drops of rain. The drops get bigger; the frequency increases, until eventually, a tropical downpour has both of us soaked to the bone but that’s not the problem.

The problem, is that I’m watching the creek rise, slowly at first, but eventually; over the course of an hour, what was a trickle has become a swollen flooded creek.

Where I’d fallen, my backside was barely touching the water. Now, an hour later, water swirled around my waist. “I am surely going to die.” There’s so much water.

I could see the high-water line on the rock wall; it was over my head. “Nooooooooooooo!”

I’m sure you’ve thought about drowning; I know I had.

I’d been caught once under a ledge snorkelling, held under by a large swell. What seemed like a full minute was likely seconds, but it was enough to scare me. It was over in seconds though.

What was happening now happened in slow motion.

The water would slowly rise, till it washed under my chin. I’d keep my mouth tightly closed and until it covered my nose, and then.

Then I’d be screwed. Nothing peaceful about that; just screwed.

Then, silence. As slowly as it had begun, the rain began to ease, then stopped. Slowly, ever so slowly, the water stopped rising, and eventually, subside. However, I still had a huge problem; I was still trapped.

the only way

It’s now clear what needs to happen; neither of us wants to voice it. Finally, I say to geert, “You’re going to have to walk out mate, it’s the only way.”

The night is the longest of my life; the idea of sleep a joke as the cold permeates into my bones; the grinding, crushing pain coming in waves; increasing every time I move.

At first light, I watch as geert packs up his things. We hug goodbye, and I urge him to take it easy on the descent. My life is in his hands.

Then the realization. “Is this connected enough for you?

I end up waiting the best part of two days until finally, the sound of a chopper.

“Yes” I reply.

“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but we’re going to have to amputate them”…

So begins my new life.

fiVe months later

Cut to a scene five months later at a waterhole five kilometres from the trailhead. I’m stretched out naked on a rock, sunning myself like a lizard, having just had my first swim outside of a swimming pool. If I can do this already, if I can ‘hike’ like this, I wonder. Could I possibly climb a mountain?

In the beginning, when I was first in that hospital, feeling that connection again outside seemed like it might have been lost forever. But it ate away at me. It was part of who I was. It was who I was; and I couldn’t let it go that easily.

An image of Cradle Mountain in Tasmania flashed in my mind, partly I think because I’d climbed it twice before; and I knew. I knew the only way to answer the question, if there was any way I could reclaim that part of my life, that the answer lay in Tasmania, and it lay on top of (or part way up) Cradle Mountain.

I set about planning, and training, then planning and training some more, until on a crisp February morning, surrounded by a small group of friends and family, after two days of wheeling and then scooting and then climbing; I reached the summit of Cradle Mountain.

And I knew. I knew I wasn’t done.

climbs and summits

That feeling of connection coursed through my like electricity, and I wanted more. So began a series of climbs and summits. Federation Peak in Tasmania’s south west; Mt Kilimanjaro, El Capital; The Weeping Wall in the Canadian Rockies.

Life was great, and I eventually reached the point where I could honestly say, given the choice, that I wouldn’t not go back. That I wouldn’t trade my current reality for anything.

Then the problems started. First in my shoulders; I’d worn them out. Elbows, wrists; hands; all started to go.

A love hate relationship with my prosthetics turned into a hate relationship as I began to realize it made no sense to use them in everyday life when they slowed me down so much, so it became more and more difficult to just slip back into them when I wanted to do something outside.

None of that mattered though when it came to water.

In or on water, I had close to the same mobility as everyone else.

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ThePADDLER 134 FAST FORWARD TO JANUARY 2018

It was Instagram that led me reaching out and connecting with Jason from Trak Kayaks in mid-2017.

Everywhere I looked, there it was; this skin on frame kayak that answered a pivotal question for me when it came to kayaking: what kind of boats will they have when I get there and will my foam blocks fit?

The foam I’d had shaped years before by Chris Ryan at Endless Adventure in the Kooteneys. I’d signed up for his white water course and the first point of order was to get me locked down, albeit not permanently, into the boat so I could have some kind of control using (what was left of) my thighs. But of course, every boat’s different and I found myself often frustrated when using a rental.

But this TRAK Kayak packed up into a large ‘golf club type bag’ that you can simply take with you!

Realising I could customize it just for me opened up a whole new world of possibilities; and not just me. I’m

part of a larger community of amputees, paraplegics, quadriplegics; folks with all manner of challenges that are not content sitting on the sidelines of life just because regular equipment or circumstance doesn’t quite work for them. The market for adaptive sports and equipment is growing, and it wasn’t lost on me that I could help figure out how to get more people like me out on the water, not just out on the water, but out into the world.

I dream of seeing folks in wheelchairs towing their kayaks behind their chairs through airports; along with their handcycles; their paraglider wings; their dive gear.

That dream turned into reality as I landed in Loretto on Mexico’s Baja peninsular in March 2018. Six of us, all with varying degrees of experience from total newbie to fairly seasoned, would spend a week exploring the islands off of the coast with three guides; Hans our trip leader from Vancouver Island, Yuri and Eder – our two local guides.

Now, the Baja trip could easily be an entire article, but I want to leave you with me three takeaways.

But thisTrak

packed up into a large golf clubs type bag and you simply took it with you!

ThePADDLER 136 1. JUST GO

My system for giving me something to brace against in my boat was still very much in development when I arrived in Loretto. I managed to break it on the first day before we got on the water. With some Mexican ingenuity and much appreciated help from local outfitters Sea Kayak Baja, we got it working again, and continued working on it throughout the trip. The lesson: get it good enough, then go. Waiting around until everything is 100% and perfect typically means you’ll never go.

2. SHATTERING PERCEPTIONS

The Trak kayak challenges people perceptions of what a kayak should be. Most people are shocked when I explain to them that, “Yes, there is a kayak in this bag.”

I get a similar reaction when I pull up onto a beach where other kayakers have already landed, pull my skirt and pop up onto the deck. People just don’t expect to see someone with no legs out in a remote place; pushing the limits of their mobility. I like to think that it shatters people perceptions of not just what’s possible, but what is.

Why wouldn’t I be out there; it’s just adapting isn’t it?

The equipment; the people; the mindset.

3.WE LEARN FROM EACH OTHER

I certainly learned a lot about courage from Terri, who’d never kayaked on the ocean before; barely even sat in a kayak before our trip. Watching her go from terrified on the first day, to a calm and competent paddler over the course of the trip was a great lesson in supporting someone through what at times I’m sure was a terrifying journey. We were all there for her, for each other, and grew together through the experience.

I learnt a lot from Mike, a 70 something New Yorker who probably had more experience than all of us. I watched how he managed his energy; how he could keep his steady pace going all day.

Watching Mike reminded me how I might come full circle; how I’d come full circle from that hot afternoon on the South Coast track all those years before, and how I might travel as I get older; how I might get to feel that sense of connection as my mobility options decrease.

How one doors closes and another opens.

There’s so much water…

DIRECToRY

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