Issue 47 Late Spring 2019

paddler The International magazine for recreational paddlers Issue 47 Late Spring 2019

The making of little pro

paddlers Corran Addison Applying theTransfer of

learning Dave Rossetter Canoeing around the

isle of mull Ray Goodwin Mediterranean jewel of

spain Duncan Riddle SUP’ing the

sun kosi Louise Royle

The rivers of the border of

germany/austria Markus Stehbock 24-page late spring issue of

canoe focus

Claire O’Hara MBE New SUP coach awards Go Paddling week ready to go

ezine Simon Wyndham

freestyle is for everyone Russia’s wilderness

siberia Mark Corti

Canada’s Lake

superior Josh Spina The need for speed

tomthorpe

interview The plastic pollution of

cambodia

David Brearley

+

World Paddle Awards 2018

By Guy Dresser Hurley Classic

By Steffan Meyric Hughes Devizes to Westminster

By Guy Dresser Paddle Round the Pier

Rafting world champs preview

By Sean Clarke

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BRITISH CANOEING

Testing, testing

contents

Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race. Photo: Nicki Douglas-Lee editor

Peter Tranter peter@thepaddlerezine.com Tel: (01480) 465081 Mob: 07411 005824 www.thepaddlerezine.com

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

design

2b Graphic Design Limited

cover

The making of a little pro-paddler by Corran Addison

additional thanks to:

Jennifer Stevens, Nicki Douglas-Lee, Phil Carr, Andy Globe, Rob van Bommel, Emily Ashman, Colin Skeath, International Rafting Federation.

Not all contributors are professional writers and photographers, so don’t be put off writing because you have no experience! The Paddler magazine is all about paddler to paddler dialogue: a paddler’s magazine written by paddlers. next issue is early summer 2019, with a deadline of submissions on may 20th 2019. 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 magazine is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved.

Reproduction without prior permission from the editor is forbidden.

Issue 47

Late Spring 2019

004 World Paddle Awards 2018 008 The coach by guy dresser

016 Freestyle is for everyone

applying transfer of learning by dave rossetter

024 The Hurley Classic by simon Wyndham

030 Testing, testing

thirty years by steffan meyric hughes

036 Cambodian’s plastic waste five pages of new kit

044 Canoeing Mull, Scotland by david brearley

054 Paddle Round the Pier by ray goodwin mbe

056 Siberia, Russia

rob pelling tells us about the evolution of prtp

064 Spain’s Mediterranean jewel remote wilderness by mark corti

073 Canoe Focus by duncan riddle

british canoeing’s 24-page magazine

098 Rafting world champs preview 104 Devizes to Westminster a preview from australia by sean clarke

108 Lake Superior, Canada

a short round-up of the race by guy dresser

118 German/Austria border pukaskwa national park by Josh spina

124 The need for speed

a quick guide to the rivers by markus stehbock

134 The making of little paddlers an interview with… tom thorpe

144 SUP’ing the Sun Kosi, Nepal by corran addison

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World Paddle Awards

By Guy Dresser The 2018 World Paddle Awards have been announced, celebrating the best and most remarkable performances in paddlesport over the past year. sportsWoman of the year

Jessica Fox was Sportswoman of the Year, a second consecutive win and, perhaps, an unsurprising victory for the Australian who last year won her second Olympic medal and, with the successful defence of her 2017 World Championship K1 title, became the most successful slalom paddler in history with seven world senior titles.

sportsman of the year

Sportsman of the Year is Fernando Pimenta, the sprinter who in 2018 became the first Portuguese kayaker to win a world title in an Olympic event after carrying off the K1 1,000m title at the ICF World Championships. He also took the World 5,000m title after virtually leading the race from start to finish.

team aWard

On the water, Germany’s all-conquering men’s canoe polo team picked up the inaugural Team Award, ahead

Ottilie Robinson-Shaw

of Canada’s Outer Harbour Warriors and Tahiti’s Shell Va’a.The German team, which had won five silver and three bronze medals in the 12 World Championships staged since the first event in the UK, finally won gold in 2018.The team dedicated their win – and the World Paddle Award – to former teammate Fiete Junge, who died unexpectedly in the run-up to the Canoe Polo World Championships after contracting meningitis.

sports Junior aWard

There was British delight at the victory of freestyle kayaker Ottilie Robinson Shaw. Her win marked the fifth year on the trot that a girl has won the Sports Junior award. Ottilie said she hoped her win would encourage other girls into kayaking.

Gerd Serrasolses

Olaf Obsommer Daniel Stach

Claudia Kerckhoff van Wijk Jessica Fox

Joe Mornini

Jonas Vieren

Thepaddler 6 foundation aWard

Joe Mornini and Team River Runner were a popular American winner of the 2018 Foundation Award. A retired special education teacher and lifetime outdoor enthusiast, Joe co-founded Team River Runner, to provide wounded and disable military veterans with the opportunity to embrace new challenges through adaptive paddling adventure programmes.

the academy aWards

Off the water, film maker and adventurer Olaf Obsommer from Germany, and Czech Daniel Stach tied in the Media Professional of the Year category. It’s the first time there’s been a tie for any World Paddle Award.

These awards are made solely at the discretion of the World Paddle Awards Academy with over 40 members, recognising exceptional achievements. So far only three people have had the honour to receive this award: Jessica Fox (2014), Sebastian Brendel (2015) and Hank McGregor (2017). This year, the Academy recognised three individuals:

Obsommer won for his substantial story-telling contributions to major sports television projects, especially in whitewater kayaking.

Both were nominated for the Sportsman of the Year award for their achievements on wildwater: Gerd in 2015 and Aniol in 2016. Both were nominated for the 2018 Foundation Award with the Serrasolses Brothers Program. They are elite athletes who have pushed the boundaries of wildwater kayaking, their humanitarian projects have transcended the sport and made a positive societal impact around the globe.

media professional of the year

Stach is that unusual creature, a canoeing celebrity. The media professional has his own national TV show but started out as a member of the Czech junior slalom canoeing team in 2004. He was nominated for an award in recognition of his breathtaking commentaries at numerous canoe/kayak World championships.

lifetime achieVement aWard

The profiles of all nominees, finalists and winners can be found at: www.worldpaddle awards.com/ nominees

whitewater kayaking all her life, from her competitive youth to her life as an owner/operator of canoeing and rafting centres, manager of the Canadian national team, and as a driving force behind the inclusion of canoe slalom in the 2016 Pan American Games.

A popular winner in the Lifetime Achievement Award category was Claudia Kerckhoff van Wijk from Canada.

A ten-time Canadian slalom paddler back in the 1970s and 1980s, and a World Championship bronze medalist, it is her drive and enthusiasm in inspiring others for which she has principally been recognised.

Van Wijk has practically lived and breathed the world of

aniol and gerd serrasolses

laurence Vincent lapointe

Laurence has been a nominee for the Sportswoman of the Year award three times, in 2015, 2017 and 2018. An outspoken advocate for women’s canoeing to be included in the Olympic programme, in 2018 Laurence received more than 3,000 votes, one of the highest public votes in the history of the World Paddle Awards.

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COACH

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t h e

WITH DAVE ROSSETTER HEAD OF PADDLESPORTS AT GLENMORE LODGE

Where the focus, is always on the paddler

Scotland’s National Outdoor Training Centre

The last edition was all about the stories, analogies, imagery that we may use as coaches / paddlers to help us with our learning. In other words, we are exploring the theory of - ‘Transfer of Learning’.This taking existing knowledge from one context to another helps with speeding up the process and at the depth that we understand the knowledge. Get the context right and the learning is secure, accessible when needed and aids us when we are faced with new or different problems.

In this article I am looking at a case study of how this ‘Transfer of Learning’ could be applied. This is using competitive paddling to build our skills within non-competitive Paddlesport.

HOWTO APPLY TRANSFER OF LEARNING INTRODUCTION

Over the past few years I have been working with/paddling and chatting with coaches and paddlers who spend their time in the competitive parts of our sport. As time has gone on it has been amazing to hear their experiences and how I can make the links between the demands that their disciplines and environments place on them and my own.

I have sought to learn from these areas and deepen my understanding as well as introduce these ideas to the staff team that I lead/support.

CONTExT:

Our job as a coach is in aiding paddlers achieve their goals and aspirations. Understanding what motivates them and help them with the tools to achieve this. There can be those hard conversations where what the paddler ‘wants’ isn’t always what they ‘need’.

Coaches: how often have you helped your paddlers with different solutions, but they really needed to forward paddle more efficiently? Was this due to the resistance from the paddler or missing bits in your knowledge base?

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In a conversation with a coach from sprint paddling was that there could be some amazing links drawn for recreational paddlers on the forward paddle stroke. This started the first of the case studies.

CASE STUDY 1 the team: •

• •

We were a team of 15 paddlesports coaches from all non-competitive disciplines.

The team were used to working with all abilities in various disciplines.

Strong opinions on how to coach forward paddling but hadn’t spent time in the competitive world.

The coach:

I had the pleasure of spending time with a former Olympic sprint kayaker, record holder for crossing the English Channel and a coach to the next generation of sprint paddlers. In conversation with Ian it became apparent that he was 1) up for the challenge 2) available 3) open-minded to how to support noncompetitive coaches with their understanding of forward paddling.

THE CRAFT:

We deliberately chose to be in our non-competitive boats to allow us to see how the knowledge would land and how we could apply the learning in our domains.

THE DAY:

The day started by exploring the known absolutes of forward paddling. This created a lot of discussion for everyone had some of their own beliefs.

However, the day continued with Ian giving us some of the research and data that stands behind the known beliefs. This brought about the differences between boats and paddles.

What is common for us all is that we have all the knowledge in how to get paddlers going forward. We all left with so much more. This was brought home to us when we were on the water and witnessed Ian

drive our white water and sea kayaks forward.

Understanding the forward stroke has been amazing transfer of learning for us as a staff team. The ability to help our paddlers get out of difficulty, catch the wave, boof, paddle further for longer and maintain a cruising speed by getting the most out of the inputs that we put in has been amazing for our coaching.

SINCE THEN:

I was privileged recently to spend time with two sprint paddlers who have expressed interest in exploring areas on the sea and rivers. They have both had great success as sprint paddlers and were concerned that they wouldn’t be able to cope with the changing conditions. Reciting the learning journey that we went on and how they have one of the most critical skills in the bag – forward paddling!

Coaches: you are coaching forward paddling all the time.

How often do you look to develop your knowledge? In what domain is this in?

Paddlers: when did you last spend time getting coached on your forward paddling? Time spent on your forward paddling will aid you in any of the disciplines/environments that you paddle in.

CASE STUDY 2

The problem of working on white water is that there as many opinions on ‘what’ to coach and ‘how’ to coach the technical/tactical demands of the sport as there are paddlers or coaches. I have spent time with a few of the top slalom coaches and been impressed as to how their knowledge will help non-competitive paddlers. Many times, while coaching on white water I am aiming to support paddlers with their ability to problem solve quickly and keep the boat moving. We therefore, set up two days on the river with the aid of a slalom coach. One day spent in white water kayaks and the other in canoes.

the team: •

• •

We were a team of 10 paddlesports coaches from all non-competitive disciplines.

The team were used to working with all abilities in various disciplines but mainly white water kayak and canoe.

Strong opinions on how to coach on white water but hadn’t spent time in the competitive world.

THE COACH:

We were privileged to work with a friend of the centre and a coach who has crossed over into the world of slalom coaching. As a coach educator, noncompetitive coach (holding the highest qualifications) and now a full time slalom coach who spends time coaching the next generation of young slalom paddlers including mentoring a range of slalom coaches, Steve had a lot to offer the team with taking their existing knowledge and offering some challenge and learning.

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THE CRAFT:

We deliberately chose to be in our non-competitive boats to allow us to see how the knowledge would land and how we could apply the learning in our domains.

THE TRAINING:

A fascinating start to the training looked at what we held true as white water kayakers. This was done by looking at videos of intermediate paddlers before observing two current slalom paddlers (who also have experience of paddling white water kayaks at a good level) to see what was similar and different.

This opened up the pandoras box of options and endless possibilities as to ‘why’.The fascinating learning and challenges that this brought for us was around in the ability to problem solve.This challenged our slow or classical decision-making abilities.This planning of reading the environment and how to get a gate sequence in our white water kayaks caused some great transfer of learning. We were providing demos by the slalom paddlers to allow us to see what was possible and how things needed to be adapted. Being able to complete the same tasks but changing focus or routes helped with keeping the kayak moving.

The carrying of speed brought some interesting recall from the team on the forward paddling training.The ability to carry speed while moving around the river and travelling down river is something that is required in white water kayakers and the use of slalom certainly highlighted this.

Dave has been involved in the development of the new awards and provides expert advice throughout the industry on all things to do with coaching, safety, leadership and personal paddling. He is passionate about all things paddling.

UP NExT In the next set of articles, I will be back into technical aspects of paddling to aid both paddlers and coaches.

Happy paddling/coaching!

Coaches: If you coach on white water get yourself along to a slalom and observe. Match video footage of slalom to your own performance or that of the paddlers that you work with.

Paddlers: If you are looking to improve in your problem solving, accuracy, carrying speed through turns or your attentional focus then get along to a slalom and give it a go!

SUMMARY

This article was looking at bringing the previous one on ‘Transfer of Learning’ to life. By using the two examples from competitive paddlesport • forward paddling from sprint and how we can take the learning from the pure form of the discipline to apply it in white water, sea or canoeing.

• problem solving and carrying speed from Slalom.

The ability to transfer this to when coaching white water kayaking or canoeing.

‘Transfer of Learning’ needs context – the ‘why’. By understanding what we need to take from the learning will help us to establish the links. We start to see the links and the schemas that are built aids us for later recall.

Coaches and paddlers need to look at the broad range of disciplines within Paddlesport and see what links are available for them and how it will improve their depth of understanding and aid them in transferring knowledge so that it is accessible and secure when required.

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FREESTYLE I S

F O R

E V E R YO N E Words and photos: Simon Wyndham If I told you that there was a type of boating that could solve a myriad of confidence and control issues, while simultaneously affording you more time in a boat than most years of river running, and being a whole load of fun to boot, would you be interested?

Thought so.

When I first started kayaking I went through the usual ups and downs that afflict most boaters. Learning to read the water, trying to make the boat go where I wanted it and that demon that haunts pretty much every beginner, trying to get a consistent and reliable roll. As my kayaking developed I took on many different boats going on all sorts of rivers. I even dipped my toes into slalom. But there was one type of boat I didn’t go anywhere near, because I thought they were silly and short: a freestyle boat.

In fact my narrow mindedness was such that I used to hold the opinion that freestyle kayakers were not really in control and were simply capsizing in a stylised way.Yet I have gone from one of freestyle’s biggest sceptics to being one of its biggest supporters, and for very good reason.The benefits are so all encompassing that I have converted my local club from, in some cases not even wanting to sit in a playboat, into a fantastic peer supported group of enthusiastic freestylers. As a result I’ve seen people go from having almost zero confidence going upside down, to pretty much not being able to get enough of it!

And there’s some very good reasons for you to be giving it a go, too.

Indeed, if you have attended any coached kayaking course recently and listened to the list of things paddlers tell the coach they need to get better at, it reads like a what’s what of how freestyle can benefit you. From confidence through to boat control, it’s all here.

If you’re a sceptic, as I once was, and you don’t like the look of those short boats, you’ve come to the right place to have your conversion!

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Inset: Bartosz Czauderna mid-air screw on Nile Special. Photo: Emily Ashman

Main photo: Craig Ayres takes flight on the now deceased Nile Special wave in Uganda. Photo: Emily Ashman

1. it improVes your roll

Going upside down, a lot, is an integral part of freestyle kayaking. And going upside down means your roll will get a lot of practice in a live environment, while going over in all sorts of weird and wonderful positions. My partner, Emily, was quite sceptical about playboats to begin with, until she went in my old GForce to play on the bottom wave at CIWW. She was hooked and I barely saw the boat again. But importantly her roll went from being sporadically successful to being 80% reliable within a few weeks.

Going over in a feature means that not only is your actual rolling technique applied in a white water environment, but you are also learning to become more comfortable with being upside down in such an environment to begin with. Fear is born of the unknown and familiarity with such situations only help to make you comfortable when you are in such a place.

2. it’s a Whole load of fun

This is an important one, and an aspect that often gets lost in amongst the talk of kayaking technique and methodology. Fun is, after all, one of the main reasons we get into our plastic tubs in the first place. Freestyle really does allow you to have a barrel of laughs.

Sometimes with river boating those with less confidence can feel conscious if they keep swimming.

I’ve even known some groups to poke fun if someone merely capsizes.

Freestyle has none of those hangups. Going over a lot and getting thoroughly soaked is a part and parcel of it. Going over is cool. And if you swim? So what? Your roll will come on so much faster, especially in a supportive group of like-minded paddlers.

3. it improVes your balance and control

Freestyle boating is great for gaining control over your balance in a boat in all sorts of positions.You’ll be balancing on extreme edges with lots of movement and after a while you’ll get to the point where you can recover the boat from going upside down from positions that would see most people going on their heads. More comfort and control of your boat in such positions, translates into being more comfortable and balanced in rough water in your normal river running boat.

On top of this, most playboating tricks require you to develop good rotation, and the ability to anticipate and rotate ahead of your boat. These are concepts that can apply to and are useful for any type of kayaking or canoeing.

4. you don’t need White Water to haVe fun

This is a biggie. If you are one of the many people up and down the country who have to travel two hours or more to get to the nearest decent piece of moving water, freestyle offers you a chance to have a whole ton of fun even if you only have a lake or flat water river available.

Flat water freestyle allows you to receive many of the benefits of learning extreme boat control and rolling practice within a fairly benign environment. To do it well takes a lot of skill, but it does afford you the opportunity to learn the moves you’ll be using on waves and in holes, even when you don’t have any such features near to you.

Warm summer evening flat water freestyle sessions are glorious, and makes any piece of water into a fun playground.

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Main photo: The big impressive moves in freestyle are within reach of everyone. Photo: Simon Wyndham

Inset: Heidi Walsh mid-loop at Hurley.

Photo: Simon Wyndham

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5. you can practice in safe enVironments

One of the best aspects to freestyle kayaking is that a lot of features that are great for playing in are quite often in relatively safe environments, with plenty of flat space to pick up pieces from any swimming practice.

Features such as the bottom wave on the Dee, through to CIWW and inlet gate at HPP are all pretty low pressure environments to practice in, with not too much to be concerned about if you get even wetter than you anticipated.

6. the boats aren’t uncomfortable

One of the big myths out there is that freestyle boats are uncomfortable. For the vast majority of people, if you get the right boat and outfit it properly a playboat shouldn’t be any different, comfort wise, than your big boat.

7. it helps your riVer skills

Practicing freestyle helps you read white water, particularly features such as waves and holes. Not only that, but it gives you a lot more tools to deal with, and be more confident if you ever end up getting side surfed in your big boat.

8. you get much more time on the Water

Getting time on the water can be hard. If you work during the week you can’t just up sticks and go to the best river with the most water coming down it.

The weather doesn’t plan its activity around your work or study schedule. But by getting yourself into a playboat you can get plenty of time in the boat come rain or shine, all year round, particularly in the summer months.

For sure you can take a big boat to CIWW or Lee Valley, but when you’ve caught every eddy and side surfed yourself into oblivion, getting into a short boat will give you a load more options for dynamic fun.

You don’t need the latest boat to enjoy it either. If you surf a boat on a wave, or even just do a spin or tail squirt, that’s freestyle, and you can enjoy such things in all manner of designs going back to the mid-2000s. Of course it goes without saying that a modern boat will give you a bit more flexibility, particularly if you want to be practicing on the flat or you want to learn the latest moves. But the concept of freestyle can be enjoyed in a wide variety of designs.

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Thepaddler 22 Importantly, even if you feel you are too old and inflexible, I have some news for you. You aren’t. You can make as much of freestyle as you want to. Getting vertical on the tail, or just surfing and spinning are perfectly cool ways to have fun in the boat if you don’t feel physically up to trying aerial loops. For youngsters, getting them in a playboat early is really good way to build confidence and control, as well as having a ton of fun.

top names

Here’s a simple fact. Mention any top ‘name’ in the modern paddling world, from Bren Orton to Aniol Serrasolses, through to Nouria Newman, Adrienne Levknecht, Evan Garcia, Benny Marr and a whole host of others, and you will find one thing they all have in common. They either started out in, or subsequently practice to a good or even high level, freestyle kayaking. There’s almost no exception to this rule. And there’s a good reason for it.

So the next time you find yourself trying to talk yourself out of having a go in a playboat, give it a go.

You never know, it might be the most fun you’ve ever had in a boat.

bio

Simon Wyndham is Deputy Editor of RedShark News. When he isn’t trying to mention kayaking in his day-to-day writing, he can be found on the Slightly White Water Kayaking Facebook group, where like-minded paddlers support each other’s development in a relaxed, encouraging environment. https://www.facebook.com/groups/566085703545526/

James Bebbington making air screws look easy at Hurley. Photo: Simon Wyndham

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Hurley Classic 2019 – 30th anniversary event T H I R T Y Y E A R S

&

45 SECONDS Words and photos: Steffan Meyric Hughes Thirty years ago, the Bangles were walking like Egyptians and the big news was all about a wall, and about an inflexible female Conservative prime minister struggling to hold her party together over the divisive issue of EU membership.These days, the music has changed, and the news remains the same.

Freestyle kayaking has changed a bit though. In the late 1980s, it was all about endos, unintendos, pirouettes, shudder rudders, paddle twirls and neon gear, as Hurley’s old school comp now reminds us every year. Oh, and it was called rodeo, before being referred to as ‘playboating’, subsequently freestyle, as paddlers have taken themselves, and their sport, gradually more seriously. And the kayaks? They were known as ‘canoes.’ It’s easy for those of us the wrong side of 40 to romanticise the past, I reflected, as, suffering from a cold and back trouble, I watched the event from the bridge. But it’s hard to claim kayaking used to be better.

This year’s Hurley was a spectacle of modern freestyle. After last year’s freezing conditions, the sun bounced off custom paint jobs on the riders’ carbon boats as they raced down the fluffy central ‘wave gate’ (gate 2) to throw down some of the most complex moves in freestyle. Hurley is a fast, dynamic feature on top form, and from 16-17 March, as paddlers came from near and far, it didn’t disappoint, with decent height (3-4ft), a good pile to keep riders on the wave, and the obligatory ‘three gates’ that everyone dreams of. Hurley Weir does work on two (it’s better than the purists will have you believe), and four, which is a little stickier, but three is… another 1989 reference… ‘the magic number’.

Main photo: winner in the K1 men’s freestyle – Gav Barker Thepaddler 25

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Women's K1 freestyle winner Ottie Robinson-Shaw

Women

The women’s category has been growing in popularity and quality for a few years now, and this year, 17-year-old junior female world champion Ottilie (‘Ottie’) Robinson-Shaw took the title, prevailing in both junior and senior categories to win overall. And once again, it was a duel against Lowri Davies, a relative veteran in this youthful sport. After a couple of dicey runs, Ottie used her loop and McNasty (which has become something of a trademark for her) to win the day.

Flatwater freestyle joint winner Mike Shaw

men

In the male category, there were about half a dozen men who were pulling all the big moves in the heats, any of whom could have won it. The ride sequence was similar among the men; KY (blunt/McNasty combo) in the hole gate, followed by an airscrew both sides in the wave gate, then either a big blunt or pan am, again on both sides. It boiled down to who could hold their nerve best in the 45-second rides of the finals, and in the end it was Gav Barker who took it.

flatWater competition

A new event this year was the flatwater competition, won jointly by Mike Shaw (whose articles you might have read in this magazine) and Bartosz Czauderna.

The young Harry Price completed the podium in second place.

shaun baker

Thirty years ago, it wasn’t just shoulder pads and the Berlin Wall.There was this guy called Shaun Baker, and he was in the marquee to talk about his waterjetpowered kayak that he had with him. He was the founder of Hurley Classic, and the most famous ‘extreme’ paddler of his day, at least in Britain.

Seriously, in 1989, if you were young, male and into whitewater kayaking, you wanted to be Shaun.

He was the first to run the infamous, dangerous, high-volume Aldeyjarfoss waterfall, setting a height record of 19.7m in 1996, and did a number of other very naughty things in neon clothes in Wales in the 80s, among them the first descent of Swallow Falls.

Local paddler Doug Cooper, who was throwing some effortless panams

Writing this now, I wonder – was Shaun really the first of the modern breed of extreme kayakers? The godfather of steep? Something to return to in a future issue, perhaps? Shaun’s quiet misdemeanour makes him easy to miss, until you overhear him say, to a group of young paddlers, “Seriously, my advice would be not to do anything I did. I’m lucky to be alive.

But if you do decide to do it…” Legend.

coming of age

The Hurley Classic, aged 30, is coming of age. It continues to grow yearly, attracting paddlers from Europe and occasionally the US. The roster of events is now very full, and includes SUP, Boater X, the old skool contest (itself in two categories!), most rolls in a minute, most beautiful roll and a host of other

Organiser Andrew Jackson

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Bren Orton

stuff. Inside the large marquee is the live big screen of the freestyle, free massages (perfect for my lower back!) and more. This year, it attracted more competitors than ever before, and it must surely count as one of the biggest freestyle throw downs in the world.

Commentary at an event like this is challenging: things are happening fast, and it’s always a tightrope between dumbing down the complex moves too much and assuming too much knowledge. Robin Lee (GB), Tom Zach (Austria), Bartosz Czauderna (POL), Jez ‘Jez Jez’ Blanchard (AUS) and Lowri Davies (GB) were outstanding. And while we’re on the subject, let’s not forget the man himself – Andrew ‘Jacko’ Jackson, organiser for the last 15 years.

hurley foundation

This was the first year the event was run under the new Hurley Foundation (thehurleyfoundation.co.uk/) which plans, in the future, not just to continue the event, but to put in place programmes to, “Build the community, improve access to quality paddle sports resources and encourage healthy participation in outdoor activities through paddle sports.”

The central message of the Hurley Classic remains the same, and it is one of inclusively. Whatever you do, don’t think you can’t do it. Think of Hurley like the London Marathon – the world’s best will be there to win it, but so will hundreds of other paddlers, just for the fun of it. It’s a fast, powerful

wave, with a chunky wave train and big-water style eddy fences, and a perfect, safe opportunity to find out what that feels like if you don’t already know.

The judges are very generous to novices. I got 1.5 points and I didn’t even get in my boat. And thanks to that score, I achieved a lifelong ambition to come last in something, a PB I’ve been very close to on many occasions, after a lifetime of training. See you next year, Hurley Classic!

James 'Pringle' Bebbington, ex-world freestyle champion, making his return to competition at Hurley this year.

River basins of Europe, made by grasshoppergeography.com

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Thepaddler 30

Testing, hh odin stretch hooded insulated Jacket www.hellyhansen.com Andy Globe

features: l

l l l l l l

Lightweight 30D fabric, Primaloft Gold Active 80g stretch Insulation.

Four-way full stretch fabric, and stretch lining.

PFC Free DWR. Full inner front placket.

YKK zippers.

Seamless underarm stretch panels.

Hood with sculpted brim, Soft edge band around hood and cuffs.

The jacket is built around 80 grams of Primaloft Gold Active insulation. The outer shell is a fourway stretch 30D nylon and water-resistant of course with a soft polyester inner layer. All in all, this makes it compressible, warm, quick to dry and as its name implies, is very stretchy.

What all of this means in the real world is an incredibly snug, comfortable and lightweight jacket that is a joy to wear and one that I treasured from the first second I put it on. Many technical jackets have that cold, plastic feel - not the Odin. The polyester lining is extremely soft and pliable and gives a feel of a silky fleece, which is very clever. It’s easy to compress and pack and very light to carry

It’s also unrestricted in movement, thanks to stretch panels under the armpits with the layers of the jacket gliding very easily over each other. There’s also ample room in the shoulders and around the chest and never feels tight or restrained. The cuffs are not tight but stay in place regardless and it’s finished with a loose fitting hood that neatly comes down over the forehead.

The overall aim of any technical jacket is to keep you warm without the build up of sweat that would make you cold. Breathable layers are employed to do this with differing results in some cases, however, the Odin is excellent in this regard. The thin layers maintain a healthy warmth inside but allow the jacket to breathe with no sweat being the end result even with intense exercise. The soft inside layer also means it’s very soft and comfortable directly against the skin, without the need for a base layer.

As I’ve found out, it’s the perfect jacket for those chilly spring evenings, getting off the water once the sun has disappeared and would make a great piece of camping clothing for later in the year with our sometimes unpredictable summer weather and later on still when autumn once again approaches. I hesitate to mention winter, as the outer layer is good only for light rain and showers, though if no heavy rain

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dd lers - email us: review s@thep addle rez ine

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HH RRP Prices: UK: £180.00 EU: €230.00 US: $240.00 Store and online prices are cheaper.

res t to pa

However, I’m not going to finish on its only downside when in reality I have made this my favourite go to jacket for the majority of conditions and that includes going down the pub. The jacket I’ve tested is in a mid-blue with lighter blue highlights, which makes it very subtle when worn for leisure. Finding a balance between keeping the wearer warm and comfortable without over-heating, whilst being flexible, lightweight and so easy to pack isn’t easy but HH have managed it with the Odin.

e will b nd it ed a iew rev uct od

I also prefer a breast pocket, which the Odin has alongside two regular pockets, with YKK zippers. This neatly brings me to the only item I found to be a nuisance and that’s how the zips regularly catch on the outside layer making zipping a bit of a two-handed operation.

ou want y ion. If y o u stat rp st r

is forecast, I would happily wear the Odin down to freezing temperatures and lower within a layering system of clothing.

The Paddle r ez ine te

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dryrobe advance long sleeve https://dryrobe.com

By Peter Tranter

In some ways it’s hard to believe the Dryrobe didn’t exist before 2012 as it’s one of those items that seemed to be have been around forever They are from what I’ve seen at events, the most popular changing robe by far but there are many imitators out there following the what now seems to be an obvious piece of kit for anyone involved in outdoor sport but particularly watersports.

Each and everyone of us have been there at the awkward moment of having to get changed in car parks, beaches, etc and of course as with everything in life, you have your exhibitionists who don’t really care who sees what, however, for the majority, discretion does apply and rightly so.

The Dryrobes use as just a changing robe only tells a small part of its versatility, it is adaptable in any situation where you need to keep warm. That may be pre-event, post-event, changing clothes or even washing the car in cold weather or moving around the house instead of a bath robe.

features: •

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A completely waterproof and windproof outer shell fabric.

A tailored, fitted sleeve with velcro fasteners at the wrist.

Our super warm lining Synthetic Lambswool lining (51% Acrylic, 49% Polyester).

The dryrobe full length twoway reversible YKK® zip.

Minimal sealed seam construction.

Deep external fleece warm lined pockets.

A huge 'A4' size internal soft lined poacher pocket.

Internal zip entry phone, iPod, MP3 player or wallet pocket.

The inside chest pocket, twoway waterproof design.

Super light construction at just 1.3kg.

fully insulated

Whichever way you use it you will be fully insulated from the elements. it starts with a tough windproof and waterproof shell that withstands and finishes on the inside with a very comfy synthetic wooly material, designed to dry you and keep you warm. that also feels great next to the skin.

The Dryrobe features a good, comfy and well sized hood as well as two large zipped pockets on the outside and a smaller one on the inside, which is

However, changing rooms are never small and the large size Dryrobe is bulky to say the least but not as bulky as a tent and much easier to put on and though bulky, is still pretty light at just 1.3 kilos for the large version. Ideally, the Dryrobe would stay in the car/van/tent and used accordingly. If you do travel with a backpack, etc, then Dryrobe sell less bulky alternatives – you make the choice.

Whilst we’re on the subject of choice, you may well be spoilt when choosing from the Dryrobe website – there are so many colours and short arm and towel version alternatives plus a growing range of accessories. two-way waterproof for electronic gadgets/car keys, etc. The zip handles are nice and big – so no fiddling about, which is just what you need for freezing cold hands. The long sleeves have Velcro cuffs to tighten and keep you toasty warm.

portable changing room

The one tested is a large size and when I say large, I mean large. However, that’s the advantage because it gives you acres of room inside when getting changed and not only that but there’s enough room for you to pull your arms inside and really get on with the job of getting changed as quickly as possible – it is a portable changing room! There’s also a very large internal pocket for putting smaller items into when changing clothing.

conclusion

I found the Dryrobe to be the perfect companion for any watersports enthusiast and though on the surface it may well look expensive when compared against cheaper imitators, the build quality and the assurance that you’ll get many, many years use is all the compensation you need, especially when you start to realise just how versatile it is. On a cold January late Sunday afternoon, you’ll appreciate it and keep it in the car, so if you break down on the way home you have the perfect companion to keep you warm.

Price: UK £110.00 US $175.00

this summer For expert advice on the RTM range visit an approved Test Centre 24/7 Boardsports Southampton North Shore Watersports Stockton-on-Tees Windermere Canoe & Kayak Bowness-on-Windermere

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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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nookie rockhopper pfd

http://www.nookie.co.uk

By Phil Carr www.unsponsored.co.uk

The Nookie Rockhopper PFD is designed to be at home on the sea, lake, river or play wave. It is an over the head, slab style PFD with QR buckles on the right hand side to make it nice and easy to slip on.

Putting the PFD on is super easy, with the ability to undo and slacken off so many straps makes it a dream – there is clearly lots of adjustment.The front pocket is accessed via a two-way zip, with both zip tabs having additional fabric zip pulls.The front pocket is easily accessible whilst wearing the PFD and can store a relatively large amount of gear.The pocket itself is pretty large, with a number of smaller compartments and you’ll get loads of gear in with ease, whilst remaining straight-forward to access even when full. I carried my river knife, a couple of carabiners, prussik and a few other bits and bobs without issue.

rear pocket

I don't personally like carrying knives on the outside of a PFD but there is the option to do just this with a plastic attachment point. One unusual feature is the additional of a rear pocket.These were quite a thing many years ago and it’s good to see a return of this feature.

The rear pocket has two sections. One that has been designed to store a hydration bladder (there’s also a Velcro loop to hold the end of the hose). I used a fairly bog-standard hydration bladder that

had a three-litre capacity. The location of the one Velcro point does mean that the hose needs to go over your right shoulder. There is also a mesh outer pocket designed to hold things such as flares. It’s a nice touch that would see this PFD being perfectly at home on a range of different waters. This makes it a pretty versatile system for those wishing to find a PFD that works well out on the sea.

The outer shell is made from 500D Cordura, so you know it will take a beating and come back wanting more. The stitching is precise and it looks like a really well thought out package.

The floatation provided by the Nookie Rockhopper is 66 to 74N depending on the size of the PFD. This one at Unsponsored HQ is a L/xL so has 74N – plenty of buoyancy for most folk.

failsafe shoulder straps

Having great buoyancy is one plus but it is super important that any PFD fits well and can be adjusted in such a way that if you do end up swimming, the PFD isn’t going to ride up. The straps on any PFD are one of the most critical components and a failure of such would be a big deal. Nookie have used Failsafe shoulder straps with a continuous length webbing bar-tacked at both waist and shoulder. There is also a lower belt and a chest belt. All are fitted with quality quick-release buckles and/or ladder lock buckles.

Although I have found that the Rockhopper PFD is great on all types of water (and great for swimming in) it doesn’t have a rescue belt or the ability to add one. So if you were looking for such a feature the Rockhopper isn’t for you. However if you do a bit of white water, sea kayaking, SoT, SUP, or a combination of them all, the Rockhopper is well worth a look.

There for you Whatever the conditions The new HX40E VHF radio from Standard Horizon is ideal for all watersports enthusiasts. One of the main features is its ultracompact size, so it’s easy to carry, pop in your pocket or clip onto your lifejacket.

It has an excellent battery life, bright display, built-in FM radio, and comes with a three year warranty.

www.kentcanoes.co.uk Tel: 01732 886688 Email: info@kentcanoes.co.uk

for your life on the water Email us at sales@standardhorizon.co.uk or call us on +44 (0)1962 866667 Please visit our website for details of our stockists. www.standardhorizon.co.uk

KAYAKS|CANOES COURSES TECHNICAL CLOTHING|SAFETY ACCESSORIES KAYAKS|CANOES|COURSES|TECHNICAL GEAR|ACCESSORIES CLOTHING SAFETY GEAR

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Since the initial impressions piece I wrote in January, I took a break from kayaking and visited my mate’s zipline course (Tad Fan and Tree Top Explorer, Green Discovery) while I was planning my trip across Cambodia. Little did I know that my preparation would be fairly futile and my first solo kayaking expedition would be a massive learning curve, in a new country that speaks little to no English! I was told I would have to camp for a couple of nights at the beginning and from there would be able to stay in hostels.

When I arrived back in Don Det, I experimented with different camping variations using what kit I already had. The owner of the hostel was doubtful that my homemade hammock would work and so gave me one of his old and slightly broken ones. This began a trend; I was given gifts of food and little bits and pieces that I could not find in the Loatian markets from many generous people. This was a great confidence booster and I will always be grateful for the parting gifts and support from the backpackers just before I left.

plastic footprint

Words: David Brearley Cambodia is a beautiful country, but has a side that I have attempted to shed some light on. Not because I necessarily wanted to, but felt I had to. From Laos, I decided to paddle to Vietnam and document the plastic tide down the Mekong.

In hindsight, there are several things I would have done and bought before the trip that would have seriously cut down on my plastic footprint. Turns out six days with very poor internet isn’t really enough time to plan for an 11-day expedition. I concentrated more on the logistics and how to tackle the problems I might encounter and less on planning the documentation of the plastic problem and how I could reduce my own impact on it. I realized along the way I shouldn’t beat myself up about this as the preparation I did saved me a fair few times. One preparation that I did not take, and potentially couldn’t have, was cutting down on how much stuff I brought with me.

The Watershed Futa Stowfloat I was using contained my thin down jacket, a jumper, a t-shirt, a pair of underwear, trousers, socks, food and my computer case, which contained a heap of other important things. These things were crucial to keep dry as I needed a fresh set of clothes for when I got off the water and it was a good bag to take from the river to wherever I was staying for the night as it contained all my valuables. Everything else I had for the four months in SE Asia and New Zealand was tucked away in the back of my boat or strapped to the top. Both these places would inevitably end up getting drenched but this did not matter.

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What I should have taken

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to cut down on my waste above all things was a reusable tupperware box. I tried to cut down on the packaging for my food as much as possible but without the means to cook/store food efficiently, there was no point in buying lots of food before the trip. A jetboil would have been a good investment as coffee would have been greatly appreciated.

However again, I didn’t want to add weight to my already heavy load and good luck trying to find any of these items between Pakse and Phnom Penh.

Instead I had to buy my food almost daily, with the exception of when I knew I wouldn’t encounter anywhere for the day after. This included rice in a polystyrene box and food in little plastic bags. I know, terrible! But I reused a couple of the clean ones which was almost as good as having a tupperware and said no to anything unnecessary that didn’t increase the structural integrity of my food, or keep it dry.

As good as it would have been for cutting down on waste, having a tupperware box would be another bulky thing I would have had to carry and wash.

Spending around 12 hours on the water, and not having any daylight or tap water on land, created more hassle than I could afford if I wanted to have enough sleep for the next day.You are recommended to drink a couple of litres of water over a period of 12 hours wherever you are, but when there’s no shade in 35 degree heat, you need to double that. Although I had my one-litre Degbit bottle, I also needed a couple of two-litre plastic bottles that I reused. These got slowly destroyed when empty and so I had to replace one. Maybe I should have had lifestraw, but as I mentioned in my previous article, you can’t rely on these.

These sound like excuses but really I just found it hard in general to think about my plastic footprint, as well as all the other challenges that come with a

Fisherman 1

Fisherman 2

self-supported expedition and the documentation I was trying to achieve. That being said, I kept every bit of rubbish I made until the middle of the trip where I found a recycling point at Hanchey Bamboo Resort. The rest of the expedition’s rubbish was recycled in Phnom Penh.

Again, more weight. I can understand why around the mooring sites in a town, there was so much rubbish generated by the river people. With no easy alternatives and lack of knowledge on plastic leakage, etc, the fishermen will discard all their rubbish on the bank. Any extra weight that they and their family generate slows their boat down and costs them more in fuel. There are a couple of places that they can deposit their rubbish, but these are pretty far from the river and when you are only ever on land to sell your catch for the day and pick up a couple of supplies before you return to your bed on the boat, finding a bin is your last priority. I can relate to this (apart from sleeping on the boat) but I did it because I had the knowledge of what plastic pollution in and next to the rivers leads to on a local and global scale.

Although there was a lot of rubbish on the sides of the river, I found very little floating in the river. There were several occasions that I found it in mangroves, essentially acting as natural filters for the rivers, and again in fishing traps, where the only thing the fishermen caught was plastic. Hopefully this means that most of the rubbish that the fishermen make is deposited on land, but I doubt this. Regardless, I predict that come the monsoon season, it all gets washed down to the sea anyway.

human impact

Vietnam-Cambodia border

Fisherman 3

Research is lacking in how the plastic is affecting the local fish stock and environment, but some local facilities and universities are conducting studies to see what environmental changes are happening due to human impact. I want to come back during the wet season one day, and paddle from the top of Vietnam to the sea, so I can see what is coming down from the Mekong in general. I decided not to do it this trip due to the nature of the Mekong past the border and not knowing which channel of the vast delta would lead to the sea. Maybe a trip, with a sea kayak next time, would be good to explore the whole delta and find possibilities, if there are any, of how to cap the outflow of plastic into the South China Sea.

I mentioned it in a previous article (Initial Impressions of the plastic problem Laos side of the Mekong, https://thepaddlermag.com/initialimpressions-of-the-plastic-problem-lao-side-of-themekong/) about how, in Laos, the plastic bottles are getting reused as fishing net markers and I have seen this time and time again in Cambodia. They also use metal spray canisters and utilize both products in different ways. I can’t say for certain, but I predict they use the metal canisters because they are tougher and last longer. I wanted to explain to the fishermen that they lasted longer because they don’t degrade in the sun, unlike plastic.

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Thepaddler 40 microplastic

The environment is a perfect condition to make microplastic, which fish and other aquatic species ingest causing harm. The language barrier is so large that I couldn’t even start, but even if I did, I’m not sure if the locals would really care. More research should be done into the local fish stock and if the decline is due to overfishing or pollution. The river people only care about the near future and don't think far ahead, and it’s not my place to tell them to.

Paddling along I saw a house that had fallen into the ever-changing Mekong. The monsoon season brings power currents that destroy the outer corner bank and deposit silt on the inner, slower side of the river. This movement of the river brings about so many problems for the riverside people. Mid-water villages on stilts become landbased, making it harder for the fishermen to unload and load their produce. Vice versa, houses fall into the river and even if they can remain intact by becoming floating villages, it still means a drastic change for the people living there. Like the fishermen having problems with plastic waste weight, the locals have other matters to worry about from the Mekong than their rubbish that they know little, nor care, about.

plastic landfill landslide

On the second day, I came across Strung Treng, the first notable town and there the plastic problem became worse. For the first time, I saw a plastic landfill landslide. Essentially, the rubbish gets chucked from the roadside and tumbles down the bank to sit there till the rain washes it into the Mekong, or the river rises carrying it away.

I got very bored of taking photos of these and quickly realized that a clean up effort along the bank would be a large challenge due to the volume of plastic and terrain that would have to be traversed. That’s not to say it would be impossible, but it would be far easier to collect the plastic once it gets taken by the river. Part of my expedition was to identify a point where a decent clean up effort would be most effective and locate a spot where the ‘real' issue started.

Although I am not to say that the whole river shouldn’t be cleaned, just starting with an achievable goal.

On day nine, for the first time, I was completely speechless at Ruessej Chrouy, 25km north of the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. There, the beach was around two kilometres long and completely filled with rubbish, with a couple of

hundred people milling about their everyday business. With many beautifully decorated fishing boats moored to the bank, it was clear this was a popular site to sell the goods the Mekong provided. Families ate, worked and lived in this rubbish heap, but didn’t seem to mind or didn’t have an alternative. From here, as I paddled down the river, I found myself kayaking through an oil spill that covered my boat, hands and paddle. I’ve never wanted a shower as much as after paddling through that, but I had another five hours of paddling to go. This was a worrying sight to witness before I got to the most populated city in the country.

phnom penh

From this point onwards, the villages were bad, towns were worse and Phnom Penh… I’m not even sure where to begin. However, the particularly worrying thing was that there were no buildings on the riverbank but I still couldn’t paddle more than five metres without paddling past a piece of plastic. Ranging from full bin bags to small bottle caps, it was everywhere. All the way down to Vietnam, the problem stayed pretty constant and almost certainly got worse further into the delta, with 30 million Vietnamese living there.

On a beach where a lot of plastic had washed up, I saw a man and his son walking down and collecting the bottle caps (made from a valuable plastic that can be recycled) to sell back to the companies. They also collected aluminium cans and glass bottles that are heavily recycled in Cambodia (or old to another country for recycling) and have been for some time. It was unclear if this was how he made the majority of his money but they were definitely there for profit and not to clean the beaches. This was really encouraging, as it shows there is worth to other people’s rubbish and could be a turning point if everyone was aware of this.

Even so, trying to communicate this would be hard as the locals only see things a day at a time, and if fishing earns them more money and is what they know, they will always choose that. I’m hopeful that if a system was implemented that makes it easy, and once the locals are educated in how the plastic is destroying the local ecosystem, then the plastic tide down the Mekong could be reduced. Plastic Free Cambodia are leading the charge on educating local people and organizations in the importance of living plastic free lives, or at least as close as possible. Look them up to see how you can live a plastic free lifestyle if you are ever in South East Asia.

Oil pollution

A plastic landslide Thepaddler 41

Thepaddler 42 My summary of the plastic problem is an 11-day glimpse into the pollution along the Mekong. I hope it has brought some context to this river as one of the most plastic polluted rivers in the world. It’s easy for me to be sitting behind a screen trying to build awareness, but it’s up to everyone to bring about a change and save our rivers and seas. They will continue to be here long after we are gone and hopefully, with your help, won’t be condemned by human influence.

House falling into the Mekong

Sunrise

Fisherman’s net full of plastic

acknoWledgements

With the conclusion of my expedition and report on the plastic problem out along the Mekong, I need to thank the people and organizations that helped me up to now and continue to do so.

My friends and family that shared my campaign and are responsible for the majority of the publicity throughout these past few months.They messaged throughout my time in Laos and the expedition in Cambodia, spurring me on to the finish line when the going got tough. I took their advice and drastically changed my mindset.

Some of the best advice I got was from Mick O’Shea, the first person to fully navigate the Mekong from source to sea (check out his book: ‘In The Naga’s Wake’) and his wife Yuta, who was a great reassurance that if all went to hell, I had someone on this right side of the world that could help me.

The journey would have taken far longer, without the grace and kindness of the locals. From putting me up for the night and feeding me, to directing me down the fastest channels. No transport or hostels were booked in advanced but the Cambodian people came through and saved my ass on several occasions. I would like to thank all of them for making the river my friend and not my nemesis. Big thanks to my drivers that took me to guesthouses, resorts and me and my boat back to Phnom Penh from the Vietnamese border. Equally, Blue Hostel, Phnom Penh, and White Rabbit Siem Reap, were kind enough to store my boat during my trip back to Bangkok.

While in Siem Reap, Sarah Rhodes let me use a spare donated computer and her desk, which allow me to write the majority of this article. Plastic Free Cambodia has been a great resource for ideas on how to approach the problem in Cambodia, so I would like to thank everyone that contributes to such a great organization. I am so proud to be raising money for a program that has such a great leadership and education mission.

Cheers to Alpacr for sharing my posts and gaining better publicity. Their efforts in eco-tourism are great and fresh due to the attitude of its CEO, Dan Swygart and his team. Alpacr landed in Southeast Asia in

The worst polluted beach

February 2019 and I hope their users will continue to bring awareness to the plastic problem across the area for years to come, with their social media posts and conduct clean ups to inspire more people to less polluting lifestyles.

I wouldn’t have got anywhere without the VE Aircore Pro Carbon whitewater paddle. With their adjustable length and feather that allowed me to have a great paddle for every occasion.Thank you to Stu Morris for donating these to replace the Aircore Creeker Carbon for Laos that I sent back to the UK before the expedition. Being two-piece, I could easily hide them in my boat overnight, allowing for a better night’s sleep with less to worry about. Stu also linked me to many people in the kayaking industry who, without, I would not have as much publicity, which has helped spread the awareness of the mismanaged plastic waste along the Mekong.

When I started this campaign my parents thought I was a little crazy because I had never shown a passion for helping with environmental problems in such a way before. I always wanted to get into renewable energy and environmentally friendly technologies (my master's’ thesis was on energy harvesting in rivers) but never focused on a particular field until now. Once they realized my new found enthusiasm was well intended and not an impulsive dream, they fully supported my mission. Without them I wouldn’t have been able to carry on at the beginning when progress was slow and the bumps seemed endless. So cheers, mum and dad.

Finally, everyone who has donated, or will donate, I have been humbled by your generosity, which has spurred me on since I made my Go Fund Me page (gf.me/u/q3w73p). Please carry on sharing the campaign and its updates, as this was the main aim for creating the page, although the money is greatly appreciated by myself, Plastic Free Cambodia and Surfers Against Sewage.

If you have any have questions about how you can help, aside from contributing to the pre-existing charities around the world, please feel free to contact me on Facebook, Instagram or email me: djbrearley1995@gmail.com

Fishing bottle chain

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R AY G O O D W I N ’ S B Y C A N O E A R O U N D …

MULL

Photos: Ray Goodwin and Colin Skeath

I have paddled around Mull some five times in a sea kayak and have spent time on other trips exploring the western coast and islands. It was time for a bit of a challenge. I knew it could be a great trip in canoe but it would so depend on getting good conditions. I broached the idea with Colin Skeath and the idea excited him even though he had paddled around Britain in a canoe the previous year. It was now sorting the rules of engagement: solo, sails were ok but no rudders or leeboards.We would keep everything simple. Then it would be down to the weather, if we had a poor forecast I wouldn’t even bother to drive to Scotland. day 1

Colin: “We arrived at Kilchoan, a tiny village spread out along the coastal shores and just along from my home. It is the crossroads of Loch Sunart, the open sea and the Sound of Mull. In good mood we loaded our boats in the sunshine and checked we had everything. Ray’s good in this respect if you’ve forgotten anything, he’s probably got a spare somewhere in his car!”

There was a family launching from the same slip and heading out for an hour or so exploring the coast. We chatted about canoes and what Colin and I were up as well as their adventures. I even managed to sell them a copy of my book: you just got to try.

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The crossing to Mull was only a couple of kilometres and the wind was so low that the yachts were only passing us slowly. Soon we were paddling along the north coast of Mull and with a few cliffs and rocky islands it began to give us a taste of what was in store.

We kept checking our progress and mulled over the idea of crossing to the Treshnish Islands that evening but the tides were not going to work. Some three kilometres short of Caliach Point, we pulled in to a nice sandy beach and a great little spot.

Our location looked north to Rhum and Skye and west to Coll. With a meal consumed it was time to chill out and enjoy the moment. A spectacular sunset bathed the area in an orange glow bringing out the amber in the Ledaig whisky. Having a bottle of the local malt has been part of the tradition through all my years of sea kayak guiding, it was a fitting end to the day.

day 2

Up early and on the way, time and tide wait for no one. Passing Caliach, we did the first big turn of the trip and started to head south. We sighted a pod of dolphins for the second time on the trip but now they passed close enough for a good view. Like us they were heading south but moving far more efficiently and were soon lost to sight.

From the next headland we started our paddle out to the Treshnish Islands a few kilometres off our route but a must for the pair of us. The sea had a nice little chop on it but nothing to slow or concern us and soon we were passing the twin islands of Cairn na Burgh Beg and More, both worthy of exploration but not today. Past Fladda: I had camped here once and been kept awake for many hours by a corncrake. If you have ever been kept awake by its persistent and rasping call, you will understand why it is an endangered species.

Arctic terns were filling the air with their calls as they filled the air around the other rocks and skerries as we threaded our way through to Lunga. We were sharing the landing with a whole series of tourist boats as this is one of the spectacular bird experiences in the British Isles. Canoes lifted high above the potential tide and tied into place we set off for a wander. A quick detour to show Colin the ‘secret’ well for future use, although in reality it is just a small seepage allowed to pool between a few rocks and capped by a small flat stone.

We climbed up onto the first terrace and although we were sharing it with tens of other folk, it still felt an intimate experience. Puffins with bills full of sand eels were coming into land just a couple of metres from where we stood. Quickly scurrying along they disappeared underground into their burrows. Some recent research seemed to indicate that the puffins came in more frequently when there were people about. Apparently the larger predatory birds were put off by people so the puffins had an easier run.

Onward along a narrow path, past cormorants and a few other birds, we ended up over looking a sea stack separated from the island by a narrow cleft. A cacophony of razorbills and guillemots coated every available space.

Eventually we had had our fill, photographs had been taken and we wandered back to the canoe. Originally we had planned to camp on the island but conditions were too good with the wind dying completely. We needed to take advantage of conditions and the gem of Staffa beckoned in the distance.

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Thepaddler 48

Colin: “Paddling in solo canoes allows time to be alone in a beautiful place, with your own thoughts. But having a friend paddling nearby provides a perfect balance. It was nice to share conversation. Ray had an intimate knowledge of Mull from its history to geology and was full of entertaining stories from years of expeditioning.”

The sea took on an oily calm and we plodded along with Staffa slowly getting bigger until we could at last make out its massive basalt columns. More yachts and boats were lying off its south east corner. We paddled past the mighty Fingal’s cave and then had to make a decision. Landing and a camp beckoned but the forecast was now showing a wind increasing from the north. We could easily get stuck on Staffa in a big blow. It was onwards to the Ross of Mull as the wind started. Soon we could get the sails up and have a bit of ‘free travel’.

Colin: “This was my first time out with an Endless River sail. Perfect for the expedition canoeist, no rudder or leeboard needed, just a paddle, canoe pole and a bit of “down” wind… they are guaranteed to bring a smile and relief to tired arms. The low height of the sail meant for a stable ride even in some fairly strong gusts later in the trip!”

Picking a spot on the Ross wasn’t easy as most landings were rocky and possible sites were in too close a proximity to houses. Eventually we slipped into a small bay and an opportunity presented itself. We

were tucked out of sight and there was plenty of flat grass. Another wonderful sunset and a wee dram finished a perfect day.

day 3

Wind was now forecast as Northerly 4 with occasional gusts above that. Running south through the Sound of Iona was a delight. The grey squat bulk of the abbey clearly visible on the Island of Iona. On our side of the sound we wove our way past more skerries and islands and took the passage thought the granite domes of Tinker’s Hole: a favourite anchorage for yachts. Soon we took our second turn of the trip onto the south coast of Mull. The north wind had enough west in it for us to continue sailing. With the shore close by the sea was easy and progress was easy and great fun. The granite continued with numerous small cliffs, islands and wonderfully isolated sandy beaches. But not for today we were making too good a progress.

At Rubh Ardalanish the coast headed back north for two kilometres. I was wondering whether to be cautious, drop sail and head directly to windward to get into the back of the bay. Colin was feeling bold. A short debate and we decided to cut across. The wind would have more fetch and so seas would be bigger and a careful eye would be needed to make sure we

were not being blown further out to sea. Winds were now a steady four with gust of five. Our boats came alive and surfed eastwards. Yep it was working and we were heading nicely past the next headland.

Soon the wind eased slightly and we took the opportunity to raft up with my bow at Colin’s midthwart. A chance to chat and for me to ease my legs.

Colin: “I could see that Ray was uncomfortable in his canoe. Kneeling is great but after a few hours of paddling without a break it becomes painful and it is nice to sit on a seat and stretch the legs. Ray didn’t have this option, but he didn’t complain!”

Past the granite and back to a massive hillside of volcanic deposits, ash, lava beds and occasionally basalt columns. Past the Carsaig Arches but with no desire to stop the wild ride. At Malcolm’s point there was a

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Thepaddler 50

small amount of tide running against us and so the sea humped up steeper and higher.We were separate again and surging forwards in the occasional surf. And in the midst of this all was a lobster boat putting down its creels it lone fisherman oblivious to us.

Onwards still as the wind died and we needed to paddle more until at last we pulled the sails down.

We plodded on to the small bay of Port Donain just short of the entrance to the Sound of Mull. My boat grounded on the sandy beach but my legs needed some convincing before they would work again. This was the big day. We had managed 58 kilometres of which 50 were under sail. We were busted. Colin had a hidden treat and we dined on haggis and taties all finished off with yet another dram of Ladaig.

North of us lighthouses blinked out their steady beams. A mighty day.

day 4

The wind had died and we needed to pick up the tide heading up the Sound of Mull. Duart Point passed along with its castle. Progress now felt like a plod and when the tide turned we pulled ashore at Garmony Point. The sun was out and it felt good to soak up the heat, snack and doze.

By the time the tide had turned north again, the canoes were well and truly aground and a distance from the water.We dragged our boats down to a small stream and waded along until there was enough depth to paddle. The sound does a big turn and we cut across to shorten the distance. A slightly worn and battered yacht passed close by with a cheery wave from its occupant. It got slightly ahead of us and then turned 180 degrees and headed back. The fella was concerned about us being out in the middle of the sound and wanted to caution us (in the friendliest manner possible). We chatted away and I explained I had written the book on canoe (no I didn’t have a copy to sell him) and Colin had paddled around Britain the year before. He was satisfied with that. It was our turn to question and he informed us that he was retired and spent three months of the year sailing the west coast. He resumed his journey and we were left to ourselves again.

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Thepaddler 52 finish

We were getting little assistance from the tide and so we decided to camp one more time. A southerly wind was forecast for the morning. It would give us a more fitting finish if we sailed the rest of the way home.

Eventually we found a landing on the mainland shore.

https://goo.gl/m aps/cL8Lak9p8 bJ9fLb39

Colin: The campsite consisted patches of salt grass between pools of smelly stagnant water. All around there were patches of rotting seaweed and shellfish.The whole place stunk.To make matters worse It was my turn to cook and I couldn’t get the stove to work properly… It was near midnight and Ray was very tolerant of my incompetence.This, I suspect, was in part due to the Whisky he was drinking and the feeling you get when ‘all’s good’ on a journey.

Morning dawned and the south wind was there. Sails up and we soon barrelling our way northwards. Yet again surging waves as the boats surged forwards.

Tobermory was pasted and soon our last spot on Mull, the lighthouse at Rubha nan Gall. The wind was dropping as we did the six-kilometre crossing to Kilchoan. Each of us was deep in our thoughts as we headed in.

Colin: I paddled ahead of Ray to film him landing at Kilchoan Jetty. A big otter splashed at the side of my boat, the sun shone and Ben Hiant provided the perfect backdrop for. Mull lay behind us and I was content.

Four and a half days, 160 km paddled and sailed. We both had VHF radios and a compliment of flares. In addition Colin had a Spot Messenger as a Personal Location Beacon for dire emergency.

There is a film of the trip on Ray’s YouTube channel at: www.youtube.com/c/RayGoodwinCanoe With a direct link at: https://youtu.be/p9FqWSWO5-8

Ray’s website is: www.RayGoodwin.com Colin Skeath is one half of Source to Sea and runs trips in the area: http://source-2-sea.co.uk

Ray is paddling the Venture Prospector and Colin the Hou Prospector. Both used Freebird Paddles. Ray is using gear from NRS.

Canoeing adventures on the Loire river France logistic & canoĂŤ hire Canoeing is not just our passion. It is also our main excuse to spend more time outdoors and traveling.

www.destinationh2o.fr

@destinationh2o ti h2

#PRTP19

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We spoke with Paddle Round the Pier event co-chair Rob Pelling about the evolution of the festival from its humble beginnings 23 years ago.

Since its inception in 1996 Paddle Round the Pier has grown into the largest FREE charity beach festival in Europe. The event has become a firm fixture on the in Brighton and Hove events calendar. The festival now features the very best in water, street and urban sports, live music and family focused entertainment.

Over the years the organization has raised over £300,000 for local causes and I am really excited to be a part of this dynamic volunteer lead team.

Two years ago PRTP took the step to become a charity. This means we are now able to award grants to a greater number of organizations and groups.

Our charitable aim being: 1. The promotion and participation in safe, amateur water sports 2. The advancement and education in water safety and lifesaving techniques

Paddle has always appealed to surfers and watersports enthusiasts, but it seems we just can’t stop people wanting to get involved. With all the usual suspects from surfing, kayaking and windsurfing, to all new sports like stand up paddle boarding, kite-surfing and more.

Well before widespread publicity surrounding single use plastics, the impact large events have on the environment is something that PRTP takes very seriously. Since 2012 PRTP has been trying to minimise the use and has taken some great strides to this effect. Since 2017 we began encouraging vendors to use alternatives such as Biodegradable products and in 2018 we advised all vendors they must stay away from single use plastic. We are pleased to say that last year all but a couple were able to do so, making the festival circa 95% single use plastic free.

We also implemented a large scale recycling program across the site alongside minimising the use of generators; having no additional lighting; and encouraging the use of public transport through our partnership with Brighton City Bikes and Brighton and Hove Buses.

This year we even have designated bus route/stop for PRTP allowing more visitors to ditch the car.

neW for 2019

We are excited to have exhibitors such as the Brighton Dolphin Project, Re-Plastic, Eco-Bricks and many more demonstrating to attendees ways in which they can both reduce and remove plastic use.

There are activities for all members of the family including our furry friends with the introduction of the Doggie Paddle last year. Whilst all this is going on within the Land Paddle Village, there is a host of water activities open to everyone to participate in, from Paddle Something Unusual to The Big Paddle, where we all grab our board, SUP, kayak, or other paddled craft and set off for as a ‘parade of paddlers’ towards and around the old, now iconic, Brighton West Pier.

We’re lucky to have the overwhelming support of the watersports industry, Brighton and Hove City Council and many local businesses, #PRTP19 on the 6th & 7th July is set to be the biggest ever.

For this or any of our other events, register now via our website: paddleroundthepier.com

THE WORLDS BIGGEST FREE BEACH FESTIVAL RUN BY VOLUNTEERS

SUP | Paddle | Prone Races

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July 6 & 7 2019 www.paddleroundthepier.com

Hard white water. Remote wilderness.

Boulder-filled

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SIBERIA

Atrocious weather. gnarlfests run by vodka-fuelled lunatics

By Mark Corti Siberia’s got a certain reputation amongst paddlers. It was, therefore, with some trepidation that I said “yes” when Neil Cox (www.neilcoxmisadventures.com) mentioned he had space for another team member on an expedition there. After all, I don’t really like vodka!

After some discussion about the group’s skill levels, and a fairly hair-raising scouting mission on another river by the advance party (a tale for another time), we settled on the Urik. The reports we could find described it as a fairly remote multi-day trip, running at about class III(IV), as it dropped out of the Sayan mountains and then flattening out for the final days to the take-out.

Neil had found a local fixer who arranged the permits needed to travel in this sensitive border area, plus transport to take us to the put-in. It was a full day’s drive from Irkutsk, much of it over unmade track, so we needed a 4WD vehicle of some kind.

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Thepaddler 58

The ‘transport’

turned out to be the most fabulously pimped-out minubus I’d ever seen, riding high on giant monstertruck wheels. If you remember the Tamiya ‘Lunchbox’ radio-controlled van from when you were a kid, you’ll know what I mean! Driving out from Irkutsk, the modern city centre gave way to crumbling Soviet-era housing blocks, and then to traditional wooden houses and barns, often still arranged around the kolkhoz, the collective farms created by Stalin.

The road deteriorated in sympathy: from a three-lane motorway to single-land blacktop, becoming more potholed and dishevelled until finally petering out into a rocky track. We stopped at a picturesque waterfall with a beribboned shrine, to propitiate the local deities and ask their blessing on our trip, drinking vodka and bowing our heads.

The monster van did well to start with, but despite the valiant efforts of Oleg, our driver, it was no match for the terrain and it finally sank up to the doors in a bog – luckily only a few hundred metres from the river. It took a good few hours to extricate it, and the sun was just settling onto the horizon by the time it was freed – much later in the day than was prudent to be putting

into an unknown river. Our fixer was adamant that it wasn’t safe for us to camp this close to the road – armed bandits from a nearby village had apparently robbed a previous expedition in this area – and he wouldn’t leave until he’d seen us safely on our way.

loVely eVening paddle

Somewhat against our better judgement, we packed hurriedly before full dark fell, and the lengthening shadows saw us floating down a tranquil stream in search of another camp spot. In the event, it was a lovely evening paddle – the hills reflected in the still water of the gently-flowing water, the rocks glowing in the soft golden light of evening. On a quiet bend in the river we pulled out the boats and made camp in the pine forest. A large colony of Siberian hamsters had made their home in the rocks around camp, and their soft squeaking was the soundtrack to our sleep.

The morning came bright and clear, the sun quickly melting last night’s frost. By the time we’d re-packed after the rush of last night, the sun was climbing quickly up a cloudless sky. The river meandered through a pretty valley, wide and shallow. Very shallow, in fact. Soon we were wading through it, floating our boats alongside us, slipping and sliding over the weedcovered rocks, which made up the riverbed. It looked idyllic – brightly-coloured boats, clear water, blue skies

and green hills – but it was surprisingly hard work, with the gaps in the rocks and the fast-flowing water providing numerous foot-entrapment opportunities.

Eventually, imperceptibly, the hills closed in, the river narrowed, and the boats, mercifully, began to float. We were paddlers again.

Once we were floating, the river picked up surprisingly quickly. From a fast-moving class II, it swiftly became a bumpy and continuous III, lots of fun with no let-up. I’d had an enforced last-minute change of boat, and with no time to replace the rusted bolts I was unable to store any gear behind the footplate. This meant that all

the weight was in the back of my kayak, making it extremely stern-heavy and pretty unwieldy in the water. Paddling a laden whitewater boat was a new experience for me anyway, and it took most of the morning for me to get used to the handling. Even then I was working pretty hard to get the boat where I wanted it to go. It was definitely not my most elegant paddling day!

I wasn’t the only one making heavy work of it. The river was a grade harder than we’d been expecting and was higher than anticipated for the time of year, and that had led to a couple of swims as things hotted

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Thepaddler 60

up. Max (a fantastically enthusiastic young paddler from Austria) was making everything look easy, but Neil had discovered the repair he’d made on his split boat wasn’t as waterproof as he’d hoped, and after Leanne head-ruddered down a long stretch of class IV we decided to set an early camp at about 4pm and make a fresh start in the morning.

After an evening of cooking (successful), boat repair (moderately successful) and fishing (entirely unsuccessful), we got back on the river bright and early. The gradient had steadily increased throughout the previous day, and the river was a stiff and

unrelenting class IV, occasionally interspersed with harder drops. While inspecting one of these drops, we could see the river churning into a metres-wide slot between sheer cliffs just below us, before dog-legging out of sight.

Previous trip reports had spoken of a narrow gorge completely blocked by rockfall, so we were keen to inspect the canyon before attempting it. There was a huge eddy on the left just below the drop, and we agreed to stop there and take a look from the bank. I can’t stress enough how big this eddy was. Gigantic.

Enormous. There were even a couple of eddies

behind it, in case you somehow missed the first one. It was therefore with considerable chagrin that I sailed past them all after completely fluffing the line, fighting my unwieldy kayak in the swift water as I headed into the gorge. There may have been some bad language.

In desperation I threw the boat into a fissure in the sheer cliffs, a half-an-eddy of surging water below a slimy rock chimney to which I clung grimly. I could still see the rest of the team, gesticulating at me from the eddy – fortunately their words were lost in the roar of the rapids!

fast-moVing

The water in the gorge wasn’t hard, but it was extremely fast-moving with no eddies at all. I couldn’t see far downstream, and with the knowledge of a possible river-wide syphon in there somewhere I wasn’t keen to run it blind. I sat in my slimy chimney, the boat surging beneath me in the not-really-an-eddy, clutching at the cold rock and reflecting that, on balance, I really would have preferred to be in the big eddy above the gorge, in the sunshine with my friends.

After half an hour – a very long, lonely half-an-hour – boats reappeared in the eddy above. Max, the strongest paddler in the group, paddled confidently into the canyon, and I gratefully followed peeled out behind him to make an eddy and beach a short

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Thepaddler 62 behind.The final feature was a magnificent waterfall, the entire river cascading into freefall and disappearing into a cloud of spume.The ever-enthusiastic Max was keen to run it, but after a long time peering into the roaring depths, discretion prevailed and we all portaged to the calm waters below.

Despite the drizzle, we made good time through fun but easier rapids for the next few days, and started to see more signs of habitation – hunters and fishermen for the most part, but we also saw a couple of rafters, riding a cataraft they’d made themselves. They had a pair of inflatable pontoons, lashed together with saplings and old bicycle inner-tubes, with paddles made from aluminium sheet riveted to poles and inflatable life-jackets.

distance downstream. They’d inspected from the top and located the rockfall. A huge rectangular boulder had fallen from the cliff and completely blocked the river – almost the whole mass of water disappeared beneath it with nary a gurgle, before emerging a few metres away into a wide, calm pool.

https://goo.gl/m aps/2i23mnGM nRgYSs4dA

Once we’d negotiated the blockage and emerged back into the sunshine, the river resumed it’s previous character – long, sloping rapids and powerful water, pine forested slopes to either side – and we pushed on until dusk, portaging a couple of nastier drops, before finding a camp spot for the night. It had been a long and eventful day.

the gradient eased off

We’d dropped about 550m in 40km over the last couple of days, but from this point on, the river widened and the gradient eased off as we left the mountains

We shared a bothy with them one night, swapping slugs of our whisky for salami and cheese, and talking around the fire in broken Russian and English, as well as a fair amount of sign language and charades. It turned out that one of the rafters had actually leaped off the waterfall on a previous trip here, but since he’d broken both legs while doing so we didn’t feel too bad opting for the portage ...

By the final day, the split in Neil’s boat was fully open, despite his best efforts each night with the stove and a hot knife, and we were stopping every hour to empty it. It must have been exhausting work, but the river was still flowing at a reasonable pace, and we made the take-out as planned on the final day.The monster van arrived on schedule, and in a few short hours we were sitting in a good restaurant in Irkutsk, freshly scrubbed and slightly discombobulated, swapping stories of our adventure and planning the next.

With thanks to Neil Cox, Leanne Dyke, and Max Rettenbacher.

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C A P J E W E L

D E S A N O N T H E

SPAIN

A N TO N I : M E D I T E R R A N E A N C O A S T O F Cliffs, caves and crystal clear water

Cap de San Antoni is beautiful! It’s a protected Marine Reserve on the Spanish Mediterranean coast midway between Valencia and Alicante. It is a little jewel of rugged coastline with towering limestone and sandstone cliffs and weirdly contorted rock formations that are only accessible by boat – of which there are few due to the marine conservation regulations.

By Duncan Riddle

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Thepaddler 66

Jutting out between the busy towns and sea ports of Dénia and Xàbia (aka Jávea) you’d think that it would be a day trippers paradise, however, I have paddled here off season on many occasions and never seen another sea kayak or indeed another person once you’re beyond the first and only sea cave that’s accessible by foot from Dénia. I expect it’s significantly busier in peak holiday season but would still be a beautiful place to visit. The marine reservation extends to the waters around the cape up to 20 metres in depth and prohibits fishing, spear diving, anchoring and limits boat speed to a slow pootle. In addition, there is nowhere easy to beach and the combination of all these factors essentially keeps power and sailboats out of the protected area.

The reserve spans the transition zone between the lower coastal sand banks of the Valencian Gulf and the sheer cliffs of the Montgo Massif as it meets the sea. The predominant orientation is N-NE and the eroded features of the cliffs reflect the impact of the prevailing wind and swell from the same quadrant.

Established in 1993 due its unique biodiversity of flora and fauna the reserve is home to many of the species found throughout the whole of the Mediterranean. For an area sandwiched between two busy seaports, I’ve found it remarkably remote, awe inspiring and quite mystical.

launching

There are various roadside parking and launch options from either Xàbia or Dénia but my favourite is a little protected slipway and cove in Les Rotes just to the east of the port of Dénia.The easiest way to find it is to aim for the sea front restaurant l’eriçó and you’ll see the parking and a small slipway in front of you.

There are even two parking spots reserved solely for cars with watercraft. Parking is generally no problem, however, at weekends the restaurant gets busy at lunchtimes and parking is at more of a premium.

There’s a good chance that the local ranger will swing by on his scooter, initially to tell you not to fish but once you get chatting you’ll get a very friendly reception and any up to date sightings of whales, dolphins and sea turtles. He’ll also let you know the best spots to keep an eye open for ospreys, booted eagles and peregrine falcons. The marine reserve really appreciate hearing of any sightings that you make during your trip, ask for one of the leaflets “Dénia – Paradise of Biodiversity” which has contact details in it.

before you set off

There are no issues with tides or currents however the Balearic Ferries can throw a large send into the coves so stay alert even if the conditions seem

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Thepaddler 68

completely benign. The first time I stopped in a small cove for some lunch I had to leap and grab my kayak as it was suddenly sucked from high and dry off the shelf I’d beached it on! Under some conditions landing might be anywhere from tricky to unwise so have food and drink within reach in case your pit stops are afloat. Winds can be fun too, often very light in the morning and kicking up in the afternoon, not fierce, however, offshore winds coming down off the cliffs can throw up vicious little gusts.

From midday the base of the cliffs will be in shade and the temperature transition from full sun to full shade can be quite dramatic so it’s worth having an extra outer layer in easy reach.

out and back

From the launch site it’s a straightforward paddle to the south east, firstly along the low lying rocky shoreline of Les Rotes, a rocky shelf that is a protected reserve in it’s own right due to its unusual formation and the rare plant species that inhabit it.

Watch the depth as you cross the rocky points, it gets very shallow and if there’s any swell you might touch down in the trough. Paddle on past a couple more restaurants, and then the road terminates by some houses built precariously over vast sea caves that completely undermine them – quite a sight. The views further inland of the grey terraced mountains of the ‘Marina Alta’ make a spectacular backdrop to the adjacent red and white sea cliffs.

cavernous

Carved out of red sandstone it’s a

space with adjacent rock pools

torre del gerro

Looking up you’ll see a 16th century watchtower, the ‘Torre del Gerro’, a little beyond this you’ll arrive at the first of the sea caves, it’s a real beauty, the Cova Tallada.

At weekends there may be hikers who’ve arrived by a tortuous coastal path but at other times you’ll probably have it all to yourself and what a wonder it is. Carved out of red sandstone it’s a cavernous space with adjacent rock pools. In fact the cave was mined and new chambers created many years ago when it was quarried for building material for Dénia. Evidence of the drilling and cutting can still be seen on the rock face in the photo. The cave is perfectly protected from any swell by a carved out rock band that runs across the entrance. It has many large passages (take a torch if you plan to explore on foot). The still waters are intense blue and crystal clear and it’s a beautifully tranquil spot to sit in and drift around.

extraordinary features

When you can tear yourself away from the Cova Tollada, the coastline goes from one extraordinary feature to another. At sea level there are nooks and crannies, more sea caves, sheltered bays and towering rock pinnacles. Equally impressive are the contorted rock formations and undermined cliffs.The scale is

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Thepaddler 70

difficult to explain but the hollowing of the cliffs in some areas extends for several hundred feet, as if removed with a giant ice cream scoop. Allied with incredibly unstable looking overhangs it can feel quite intimidating.

In some places the geology looks like it’s a badly conglomerated mortar mix that’s been discarded for being too crumbly. Some of the sea caves look so precarious, just a loose jumble of rock and stone, I tend not to hang around in these for too long!

The cliffs rise straight up to heights in excess of 160 metres and are marked with caves and tunnels all the way to the top; it really is an extraordinary sight. The gulls and cormorants that inhabit the cliffs aren’t used to visitors on their patch and get quite agitated at the intrusion. Look down and you’ll see their lunch swimming around and if you’re lucky you might see a dolphin chasing a desperate fish.

cap de san antoni lighthouse

Two miles after leaving Cova Tollada you round a point and on the cliff top in front you’ll see radio masts and the Cap de San Antoni lighthouse. The lighthouse was formerly a watchtower of the ‘Ermita de San Antonio’, a 14th century sanctuary after which the Cape is named. The views from the lighthouse (accessible by road) are stunning and considered amongst the finest on the Valencian coastline.

In the bay beneath the lighthouse there are several small caves and a slightly larger one with jagged rock teeth hanging vertically over the entrance. It feels like paddling through a set of giant jaws and makes the dark, low ceiling cave even spookier than normal.

Inside, the swell produces church organ bass notes as air is squeezed through a variety of flumes and funnels.

By this time you’ll have paddled about four miles and as you round the imposing bluff beneath the lighthouse you’ll bring the sweep of the bay of xàbia into view and in the distance the cliffs of Cap de La Nau, This is another exceptionally beautiful rocky headland with it’s own famous cave, The Cova dels Orguens. The entire cape is worth a trip all to itself but expect the odd boat as it doesn’t have the restrictions of Cap San Antoni.

If you’re ready for refreshments it’s a about a mile to the beach and the cafés and bars in the bustling streets adjacent to xàbia port. Alternatively, if civilization is too much of an intrusion, turn round, head back and notice all the things you didn’t see on the way out!

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Let’s go somewhere

Contents

3

Access and Environment

Welcome Welcome

4

News News

5

Top Tips for Responsible Paddling

13

Could you be a future community champion?

14

We’re supporting Non native Invasive species week (INNS) 2019!

15

Surfers Against Sewage Big Spring Beach Clean: Summit to Sea

15

Coaching and Leadership NEW Introduction to Paddle-Ability Workshop

16

Introduction to Disability Awareness’ eLearning

16

NEW Stand Up Paddleboard Coach Awards

17

Ivan Lawler MBE re-elected as President p5

Upcoming Events What’s On?

6

Featured Interview Claire O’Hara MBE

8

NEW Stand Up Paddleboard Coach Awards p17

Trade Partners Claire O’Hara MBE p8

Go Paddling!

10

New Women’s Paddling Ambassadors Announced!

12

Go Paddling Week is ready and raring to go! p10

18

Jaffa - Chocolate Orange Nut Balls

20

KayakPro Hi-Res Compact Ergometer

22

Adventure Wye Not?

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Wye Not? p23

Canoe Focus Late Spring 2019

Go Paddling Week is ready and raring to go!

Cotswold Outdoor - I am Chris

4

Welcome

Welcome to this late spring edition of Canoe Focus. It’s great to see it packed full of news and views from all parts of British Canoeing.

Just a few weeks ago we hosted our AGM, National Conference and Volunteer Awards Evening. It was great to be able to celebrate some of the outstanding volunteer achievements (p9). I was really pleased with the whole weekend and whilst there is still much to do, there were some strong indications of progress and a growing confidence around British Canoeing.

I presented a progress report on our four year plan, Stronger Together. We have completed the first two years of delivery and we are on track to achieve the ambitions and targets we set for ourselves in 2017.

The full 2018 Review can be found on our website, but headline achievements from the last 12 months include;

>> The Personal Performance Awards reviewed and relaunched

>> A new Go Paddling website launched and Go Paddling repackaged to connect with recreational and new paddlers

>> Membership increased by 3% and member satisfaction rates improved with 72% of members satisfied with their membership

>> 165 canoe trails and 8 challenges are now promoted on the Go Paddling website

>> The Access Charter was launched in Westminster and the Clear Access Clear Waters campaign is gathering pace

>> Our eLearning platform was launched with 30,000 modules completed

>> We launched the new Coach Award and Paddlesport Instructor

>> The Paracanoe and Slalom teams achieved their www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

milestone targets for the year and topped the medal tables in their respective World Championships

>> British athletes won 105 World and European medals across all disciplines

>> We completed the UK Agreement to define roles of the 4 NGBs in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

>> British Canoeing maintained its ‘green’ rating for the Advanced Safeguarding Standard and the UK Code of Sports Governance

>> Membership satisfaction around communications has improved from 57% to 64% being satisfied in this last year Of course there is much still to do but we have now completed 27 of the 67 targets within the strategy and a further 37 are work in progress.

It’s exciting to see the developments in stand up paddling, with the recent launch of the Stand Up Paddleboard Coach Award (p17) and SUP being included in the National Sprint Regatta for the first time in March this year.

There’s lots more planned for 2019, including a focus on our Clear Access Clear Waters campaign which is gaining some real traction not only within our membership, but with our partners, and in Whitehall and Westminster (p14).

Of course all of this work is designed to inspire the passion for paddling. I hope you are noticing the difference.

Happy paddling.

David Joy Chief Executive

N E WS

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Spring Photo Competition sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor is back!

For the latest news from British Canoeing head to our website! If you’re not a member sign up for free updates through regular newsletters www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/news

www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/membership/join-us-online-here

Ivan Lawler MBE re-elected as President Ivan Lawler MBE has been re-elected for a second term, as President of British Canoeing at the Annual General Meeting, held at Eastwood Hall, Nottinghamshire in March.

British Canoeing Pre sident Ivan Lawler MBE (pictured right) with new Vice President Jim Rossiter

Click here to find out more

Slalom team announced after selection weekend The canoe slalom team, which will represent Great Britain for the upcoming international season, has now been confirmed following a weekend of intensely competitive racing at Lee Valley White Water Centre over the Easter weekend.

Click here to find out more

The World Championships, which were last held in the UK in 2015, will once again be held at Lee Valley White Water Centre, the venue that hosted the slalom competitions at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Gove given copy of Access Charter thanks to Colchester Canoe Club On Wednesday 27th March, Colchester MP Will Quince, met with Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to express the concerns of paddlers in his constituency and present him with a copy of the Clear Access, Clear Waters Charter. The work by Colchester Canoe Club and by others all over the country, shows exactly what can be achieved by writing to, and meeting with your local Member of Parliament!

Click here to find out more

Canoe Focus Late Spring 2019

Click here to find out more

Have you taken a brilliant photo on the water? Maybe snapped some white water action or a serene paddle down the canal? Submit your photos by the 24th May and you could win one of three fantastic prizes from Cotswold Outdoor to aid you in your next adventure!

British Canoeing has been awarded the 2023 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships, following an announcement by the International Canoe Federation Board of Directors Meeting in Beijing.

Joe Clarke Reigning Olympic Champion sh team Briti the qualifies once again for

A partnership project between the Canal & River Trust, Linton Hydro Ltd, British Canoeing, Sport England, Nun Monkton Estate and the Environment Agency has seen a new white water course open in Yorkshire. The course, which will officially open to paddlers later this year contains fish passes to aid the migration of fish up the River Ouse to spawn.

Click here to find out more

British Canoeing awarded 2023 ICF World Slalom Championships

Click here to find out more

Linton White Water Course set to open in Yorkshire

The British Canoeing photo competition, sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, is back for spring 2019 with a fantastic set of prizes to be won!

6

What’s On? MAY

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Boater X Series: Sun 5th May, Sat 11th May & Sat 1st June 2019

Boater X sees four racers battle it out at the same time down a white water course in an action packed event.

2019 will see the first national series with three events taking place across the UK. Fast paced and full of energy, Boater X racing pits the best white water kayakers in a tough head to head format. Nothing is certain as competitors charge down a white water course, negotiating obstacles such as gates, buoys or even a kayak role zone - all the while fighting other racers for position. www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/competition/whatson/ boater-x

Sat 11th May 2019

The three event series will see the following events taking place:

Lee Valley – which also includes Great Britain Extreme Canoe Slalom team selection for the For the 2019 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup and World Championships

Sun 5th May 2019

Sat 1st June 2019

Paddlefest – Cardiff International White Water

Paddle in the Park, Holme Pierrepont

www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

JUN

01

Paddle in the Park: Holme Pierrepont Sat 1st and Sun 2nd June 2019

Join us for a weekend at Holme Pierrepont, at the White Water Course, for our annual Paddlesport Festival full of paddling activities for everyone.

There will be plenty on offer across the weekend from workshops and skills clinics to have a go passes for flat water activities, as well as Boater X and raft racing which are great fun to watch!

JUN

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Paddle to the Heart 2019: West Midlands Sat 8th June 2019

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Paddle to the Heart returns to the West Midlands on the 8th June for this annual paddling event.

Now in its eighth year, join the West Midlands Regional Development Team for a day of fun on the water.

Routes range from 1 to 9 miles and all lead into the heart of Birmingham City Centre.

paddleinthepark.info

JUN

14

ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup presented by Jaffa: Lee Valley White Water Centre Fri 14th, Sat 15th & Sun 16th June 2019

Friday’s event is now but it’s not too late to join in on a weekend of World Cup action at Lee Valley White Water Centre, where some of the worlds best slalom paddlers will be taking to the water.

Limited tickets are remaining for Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th June 2019 so head to the events website for more information. www.britishcanoeingevents.org.uk

14

Doggy Paddle 2019: Royal Leamington Spa Sunday 14th July 2019

The Doggy Paddle is a recreational canoe and kayak event in aid of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

The trip runs from Royal Leamington Spa, the Midlands, along the rivers Leam and Avon, and ends in historic Stratford-upon-Avon. Find out more here: rlscc.com/page/doggy-paddle

Canoe Focus Late Spring 2019

JUL

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From mastering a roll at her local canoe club to receiving an MBE, Claire O’Hara has achieved more in her freestyle career than she could have ever imagined.

The most successful British freestyle athlete of all time, with a string of world championship and world record titles under her belt, Claire O’Hara has achieved more in her freestyle career than she could ever have imagined when she took up the sport at Leeds Canoe Club as a teenager.

Now living in Australia, we caught up with Claire when she returned to the UK for a very special date at Buckingham Palace, collecting her MBE for services to canoeing.

How did it feel when you heard you’d been awarded the MBE? “You couldn’t get a bigger pat on the back than this! I feel like I’ve already achieved so much within my career but to receive an MBE is an absolutely amazing honour.”

Do you think your MBE can help to raise the profile of freestyle?

“I’m hoping my MBE will help to get the sport of freestyle out into the mainstream. Freestyle doesn’t just happen in far flung places, it happens in cities across the UK and this will be the perfect opportunity to show that.”

We’re catching up with you at our annual Volunteer and Recognition Awards where you are presenting an award. Who has been key in helping you along the way?

“I’ve paddled for over 20 years and at every single stage, what I have done has been down to volunteers.

“From learning how to get in a kayak at the local canoe club through to the team at Leeds Canoe Club who spent hours with me in the pool learning how to roll, volunteering their time because they enjoy it so much.

“At every single level within paddlesport volunteering is so crucial and so important, and often so under recognised; but for those who are working with them at whatever level, they are valued so much.

“Even 20 years later I have a massive team of volunteers who support me - my coach Dennis Newton has been working with me since 2009 and is crucial to my success.

“The sport wouldn’t exist without volunteers and it’s amazing for me that even at my stage in my career I am surrounded by so many volunteers who make everything possible. Volunteers are crucial.”

www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

9

Did you imagine you would be so successful when you began paddling?

“Back when I started I just wanted to get a roll! So to win world titles and be able to represent Great Britain like I have done for the past decade has been bigger than I could have ever imagined.”

Having taken a well earned break from paddling to have her first child, Claire is now planning her return to freestyle...

You’ve just become a mum, can we expect you back on the water any time soon?

“My biggest achievement by far is my little girl Sky who is here in England for the first time.

“Throughout my pregnancy I worked with professionals with the aim of being back on the water in time for this year’s World Championships in Spain. I had every intention to paddle when I was pregnant but everything was complicated from very early on so I was on a very low activity programme.

“I’ve pretty much had 13 months off where I haven’t been allowed to do anything, so it’s going to be a big turn around to try and get back to fitness. Whether I go to Spain to compete, as a coach or just to soak up the atmosphere on the water, it all depends on how my training goes. My mind is in it, but let’s see how my body copes.

“To have 13 months out of a boat hasn’t happened since I was a child. I don’t regret it because it was for the best reason but it has made me appreciate the sport so much more.”

Congratulations to all of our volunteers who received their awards at the annual Volunteer and Recognition Awards at Eastwood Hall in Nottinghamshire in March.

Eleri Spencer Young Volunteer of the Year sponsored by Wave Sport

Graeme Haigh Volunteer of the Year Sponsored by Jaffa

Helen Griffith Impact on Equality and Diversity sponsored by Pyranha Club of the Year sponsored by Errea

Clare O’Hara presenting Eleri Spencer, Young Volunteer of the Year with her award.

Fiona Quinn John MacGregor Outstanding Challenge Award sponsored by Towergate Insurance

Cliff Melhuish Impact Award sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor

Andy Garlick Clear Access Clear Waters Award sponsored by Peak UK

Woodmill Activity Centre Go Canoeing Award sponsored by Palm Equipment

You can find out more about all of this year’s winners by clicking here

Canoe Focus Late Spring 2019

Norwich Canoe Club

10

Will you be a part of the biggest paddling event in the UK? Go Paddling Week runs from 25th May - 2nd June and we want you to be one of 10,000 people getting on the water during the week.

Is Go Paddling Week for me?

You can tell if Go Paddling Week is something you can join in with using the simple flow chart below:

No

www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

Yes. Go Paddling Week is for everyone!

Go Paddling Week is a celebration of all things paddlesport. It is an opportunity for existing and new paddlers to spend time on the water, enjoying the great variety the sport has to offer.

By taking to the water during the week and registering that you have done so, on the Go Paddling Week website, you are contributing to the target of 10,000 people paddling. Whether you’re a club or centre, an independent paddler or someone brand new to the sport we have some ideas to help you to take part.

Are you an existing Paddler?

Yes

What’s Go Paddling Week all about?

Clubs and Centres

New to the Sport

The week is perfect for getting new people engaged with your activities. Open days and introductory activities are a fantastic way to showcase what you have on offer. Delivering the new Paddle Start Award is a great way to engage people to come back to progress to the Discover Award and then on to the new Personal Performance Awards.

Go Paddling Week is also an excuse for a fun social event for existing members. Get together for a group paddle, do something new and fun and have cake and a barbecue after! The British Canoeing staff at Holme Pierrepont had some great (and ever so slightly competitive) fun last year, with their school sports day themed paddling games!

11

If you’ve never paddled before or know someone wanting to get into the sport the week is the ideal time to start. Clubs and Centres across the UK will be welcoming newcomers with taster sessions and events.

We don’t want people to just have a first experience and move on. The new Start and Discover Awards have been designed to give new paddlers the skills and confidence to get going on the water. They are the perfect starting platform for paddlers to move onto the Explore and Personal Performance Awards.

Using our dedicated activity finder on the Go Paddling Week website you will be able to find the perfect place for you to begin your journey into paddlesport.

Share Your Fun! We love to see your smiles during Go Paddling Week.

Don’t forget to tag @BritishCanoeing in your social media posts throughout the week, so we can see and share your paddling fun.

There will also be some awesome spot prizes and a photo competition for all those who enter their participation during the week to take part in!

You will be able to log your participation as soon as the week starts here.

Independent Paddlers

Visit gopaddlingweek.info to learn more

Canoe Focus Late Spring 2019

Heading out on an independent adventure with friends or family is a brilliant way to take part in Go Paddling Week. You can check out our Paddling Trails to find new inspiration on places to paddle. Or, if you fancy a bigger adventure, why not take on one of our Challenge Routes and see if you can get to the top of the leaderboard?!

Jo Moseley 12

New British Canoeing Women’s Paddling Ambassadors Announced!

British Canoeing are excited to announce our Women’s Paddling Ambassadors for 2019. Following an amazing response to the application process ten women were selected from a variety of disciplines and levels within the sport.

The Women’s Paddling Ambassador programme is now in its second year and is part of British Canoeing’s initiative to get more women paddling, more often. Our fantastic ambassadors will spend the next year inspiring new and existing paddlers with their own experiences. Look out for their great stories on the British Canoeing site and social media in the coming months.

If you would like to meet the new Women’s Paddling Ambassadors they will be attending the 2019 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup on Saturday 15th June.

You can buy tickets to the World Cup here

I love the sense of joy, confidence and freedom SUP gives and I am keen to share this with other women.

Amiee Caitlin Williams I have been coaching in the UK and abroad for the last 6 years. I can’t imagine a life without paddlesport.

Donna Navarro After several surgeries for lumbar scoliosis I discovered Yoga and SUP. Which keeps my spine healthy and allows me to be active.

Rebecca Pope

Vicki Birch

My paddling journey has been a cocktail of challenges, achievements, lessons and friends and I’m not afraid to share any of it.

I have been paddling for 5 years and am a Level 1 Coach.

Paddling has given me a sense of purpose and zest for life.

www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

Emma Kitchen

Ruby Isserlis

Kate Waite

I can’t imagine my life without paddlesport now. It’s allowed me, and my 3 year old son, to have some truly amazing adventures.

Canoe polo is my passion. The opportunities paddling has given me are immense. It makes me smile every day.

I’ve been kayaking for 12 months now and want to share how accessible the sport is.

You don’t have to be super-fit and sporty!

Shona Brownlee

Lizzie Neave

I began paddling later in life after loosing my right leg. I really feel it is a sport that can be accessible and enjoyed by all.

I have been a paddler for most of my life.

I love that there is always something new to learn, or new places to explore.

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01

02

03

Know the basics

Improve your confidence

Whether you’re hitting the water for the first time or need a refresher, the information on offer can be intimidating. But do not fear! The Go Paddling website is full of bite sized information to give you a head start on the water or refresh your memory on the basics. As well as practical tips you can find your nearest hire provider or centre so you can get on the water and have fun.

Once you’ve had a go on the water, you may want to venture further afield or paddle independently.

This is where Paddle Awards come in - three introductory awards that are designed for those new to paddlesport. If you’ve mastered the basics take a look at our Personal Performance Awards! There are 12 discipline specific awards to choose from designed for those who want to take their next step.

Make sure you’re licenced and insured

04

05

06

Protect your belongings

Be aware of your environment

Join the campaign for fair, shared and sustainable access

Leave no trace and dispose of all litter correctly - even if that means taking it home with you. Follow check, clean, dry on ALL waterways to help stop the spread of invasive species. Avoid activities which could disturb wildlife or damage the environment, such as seal launching and paddling in shallow waters where spawning fish could be disturbed - use designated launch points and portage where necessary.

Last year British Canoeing launched it’s charter in Westminster campaigning for Fair Shared and Sustainable access.

Get involved in this campaign by writing to your MP, organising your own clean up event or simply spreading the word.

*If you are paddling independently from your canoe club or organised activity session then you will not be covered by a licence or insurance.

Canoe Focus Late Spring 2019

Look after your belongings when paddling and take the relevant precautions to protect them such as dry bags and cases for phones and gadgets. If you are an ‘On The Water’ member you can take advantage of discounted rates for craft insurance through our partners at Towergate. Policies cover accidental damage and theft, so it pays to be protected!

In order to paddle on British waterways you need a licence*.

A British Canoeing on the water membership gives you access to over 5000km of UK waterways and combined liability insurance. Your membership also includes a host of other benefits, offers and discounts!

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Could you be a future community champion?

In partnership with Peak UK we are looking for Clear Access Clear Waters Community Champions who can inspire a movement to campaign for fair, shared and sustainable open access!

Each month we will select one champion (either a club, group or individual) who has truly inspired others and really gone above and beyond to champion the cause. We will be shouting about their achievements, whether that’s campaigning, organising events or spreading the word - whatever your inspirational efforts we want to know!

Successful champions will receive a bespoke , limited edition Clear Access Clear Waters Community Champion Buoyancy Aid to wear with pride!

They are not available to buy and you will be the envy of your club.

Head to the British Canoeing website to find out more and submit your nomination

www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

We’re supporting Non native Invasive species week (INNS) 2019!

15

INNS Week runs from the 13th – 17th May 2019 and this year the campaign is all about improving awareness of invasive non-native species and their impacts on a range of environments.

Did you know… produces a chemical which causes nasty skin burns on contact with sunlight.

Around 2000 non-native plants and animals from all over the world have been introduced to the UK by people.

We are all affected by invasive non-native species in some way, and we all have a part to play in preventing their spread.

The damage they cause is usually irreversible.

They can interfere with recreational activities, for example, invasive aquatic plants block waterways preventing paddlers from using them.

How people can help Everyone taking part in recreational activities in water should Check Clean Dry their equipment and clothing after leaving the water to avoid spreading invasive aquatic species.

They are easily spread - many are small and can survive out of water for over two weeks on damp clothing or equipment.

@InvasiveSp #InvasivesWeek #getINNSvolved www.nonnativespecies.org/invasivespeciesweek

Some can be harmful to our health, for example the sap of giant hogweed

SURFERS AGAINST SEWAGE BIG SPRING BEACH CLEAN: SUMMIT TO SEA A huge well done and thank you to all paddlers who have been getting involved with clean up events! We’ve had a fantastic response to the Surfers Against Sewage Big Spring Beach Clean: Summit to Sea campaign.

We’ve had clubs up and down the country registering their events and collectively we will have prevented a staggering amount of litter ending up in the oceans. We love hearing from paddlers who have been getting involved - here are some highlights!

cted Canoe Club colle Whoosh Explore er Stort Riv e th m fro ish 66 bags of rubb

Royal Canoe Club sto pped 5 bags worth of litter entering the tidal Thames

Lincoln Canoe C lub bizarre items in collected a ran cluding ge of a mann equin.

Canoe Focus Late Spring 2019

Pennine Canoe and Rowing Club a collected 8 bags of litter (and half er. trampoline!) from the River Cald

Click here to see some of the highlights

16

NEW Introduction to Paddle-Ability Workshop British Canoeing Awarding Body is pleased to launch the NEW Introduction to PaddleAbility workshop, aimed at anyone who would like to develop their understanding of working with paddlers with a disability.

Through a series of practical exercises, attendees will begin to investigate the challenges, real and perceived, that people with a disability face in accessing paddlesport.

Through this process, participants will gain a better understanding of how they can adapt their approach and break down barriers to engage people with a disability.

This workshop introduces a range of bespoke, adaptive and offthe-shelf equipment that is commercially available and how this can be used to work with people with a range of impairments.

‘Introduction to Disability Awareness’ eLearning Why not try the online ‘Introduction to Disability Awareness’ eLearning which will give you an insight into the different types of disability, acceptable terminology and what you can do to help.

For further details, please visit the British Canoeing Awarding Body website or to find upcoming courses and information, please click here

www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

NEW Stand Up Paddleboard Coach Awards

17

British Canoeing Awarding Body is delighted to announce FOUR new Coach Award pathways for those looking to coach Stand Up Paddleboarding

The Coach Awards offer discipline specific pathways across all disciplines and environments and are designed for people whose core function is to coach paddlers who want to gain/improve paddlesport skills within the discipline chosen. This will include coaching beginners new to the sport, or paddlers looking to develop their skills in the given discipline/environment. The coach is able to plan, deliver and review progressive sessions safely, effectively and independently.

The new awards will be available in the summer of 2019 with full details being released on the website over the coming months.

The new pathways are: Stand Up Paddleboard Sheltered Water Coach: An ideal award for anyone wanting a formal and regulated qualification coaching SUP in a sheltered water environment, introducing fundamental skills up to 200 metres from the bank and up to force 3 winds.

Stand Up Paddleboard Open Water Coach: For anyone operating further afield and wanting to coach the relevant skills that the environment presents, then the Stand Up Paddleboard Open Water Coach could be the right choice. Operating up to 500 metres from the shore with winds up to force 4.

The white water environment presents exciting challenges, for coaches working on SUP in this environment, developing skills, confidence and raising safety awareness. The qualification enables the coach to operate on grade 2(3).

Stand Up Paddleboard Race Coach: This is an ideal qualification for anyone wanting a formal award that specifically concentrates on developing race skills on a SUP in open water environments. Both technical, tactical, physiological and psychological aspects are all part of this programme.

Canoe Focus Late Spring 2019

Stand Up Paddleboard White Water Coach:

20

CHOCOLATE ORANGE NUT BALLS CHOCOLATE ORANGE NUT BALLS

A great energy hit on or off the water, Phil SharmaWoodland, British Canoeing Performance Nutritionist shares a simple citrus inspired recipe.

Phil Sharma-Woodland | Performance Nutritionist | British Canoeing & EIS

INGREDIENTS: 100g Mixed nuts 100g Dates

2 tbsp Peanut butter 10 drops Orange extract

50ml Water Drizzle of Honey

50g Ground almonds

METHOD: 1. Place the mixed nuts, dates, & ground almonds into a mixing bowl.

2. Spoon in the peanut butter & mix thoroughly.

3. Add 10 drops of orange extract to 50ml of water, then sprinkle into the mixture.

This adds flavour & also helps bind the ingredients together.

4. Add the honey.

5. Mold the mixture into balls (golf ball size) & place in fridge for an hour to firm up.

SERVING: 15 - 20 Balls STORAGE: Store in an airtight container, in the fridge, for 3-4 days NUTRITIONAL INFO: Energy- 156kcal, Carbohydrate- 8.6g, Protein- 5.4g, Fat- 11g

www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

Use Jaffa oranges in this recipe!

In celebration of our partnership with British Canoeing, redeem this voucher in any Tesco store across the UK to receive ÂŁ1 off your Jaffa citrus!

Great for snacking, and creating our delicious recipes!

22

KayakPro Hi-Res Compact Ergometer British Canoeing’s partner KayakPro has released its Hi-Res version of its popular Compact ergometer.

It is a specialist innovation to allow Slalom, Canoe Polo players and 200m flat water athletes to increase their strength and force.

It has resistance levels some 15-20% higher than the standard Compact version.

“Since its initial test release, we have had a lot of positive feedback” says Grayson Bourne owner of KayakPro – Athletes such as Hannes Aigner [GER] and Pavel Eigel [RUS] Hi-Res owners, winning both Gold and Bronze medals respectively at the 2018 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships.

“These are great results for athletes and great results for us too; It’s been a remarkable year for us with this new product,” commented Bourne.

Interested? www.kayakpro.com/ kayakcanoe/hi-rescompact UK Pricing: £2050 including VAT + £85 shipping

or email: Steve@ kayakpro.com

www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

23

(article written by John Breen, Photo’s

by Rich Rendall, John Breen and Ken Johnson)

Wye Not ?

What began as a joke conversation between three paddling friends, turned into a fully fledged source to sea journey along the River Wye. John Breen shares highlights of his 6 day 272km stand up paddleboard journey with his fellow paddlers from Welshpool Canoe Club.

Start: Mon 18 of March Finish: Sat 23rd of March at 16:05 Time: 126 hours and 4 minutes Distance: 272km Speed: Average of 7km an hour Paddlestrokes: 69,129 th

Carrying all their own kit and stopping for supplies in the villages they past, the group of paddlers spent 6 days completing the source to sea journey of the River Wye. Welcomed by heavy rain, sleet and wind, the team battled a range of weather and terrain, with some places too shallow to paddle meaning they hiked certain parts, carrying their boards along behind them.

Following 4am starts, a puncture on the first day and some tricky rapids which hampered their progress, the team were not deterred and continued their journey taking in some fantastic views and scenery along the way.

“We had an amazing ad venture wit river levels h perfect and near p erfect wea no access ther. We ha issues and d we did our mindful an best to be d not leave anything be hind.

“You can see every rock on th and it am e riverbed azed me in the clea h o w you cou of the rive r water ld see the r as it dro gradient c pped awa hange y down th e valley.”

John Bre en.

Canoe Focus Late Spring 2019

and the the tide h it w nt g flowin e tide we “We were rew higher as th e th d s an sg above u silt bank e s ro s ff r. cli ctacula out. The was spe scenery

uch vable how m “It’s unbelie P U S a n eo more you se

Since the launch of the Aqualyte® Pioneer kayak in February 2019, we have moved to split production into two sectors: Aqualyte® Marine We continue to develop and produce the Pioneer range of Organic Composite kayaks, plus we are now developing an Aqualyte® range of paddle blades in conjunction with existing market leaders. In addition to this we have teamed up with some world class surfers to re-produce an incredible 1961 longboard using our Aqualyte®material.

www.aqualyteuk.com

Aqualyte® Formula Using the same basic Organic Composites as with Aqualyte® Marine, we are able to now re-structure our Aqualyte® materials to suit new products such as Race Bike Fairings for British Super Bikes and Electric Race Bikes taking part in the Isle Of Mann T.T. By doing this we are helping other established international manufacturers to produce greener technology that will benefit all.

www.aqualyteuk.com

Thepaddler 98

RAFTING C E L E B R AT I N G world champions for the 18th time

By Sean Clarke Photos: International Rafting Federation In November last year the International Rafting Federation (IRF) held their World Rafting Championship on the Rio AluminĂŠ and Rio Ruca Churoy in NeuquĂŠn,Argentina.This was the 17th instalment of this highly successful international event.

Only six short months later, we head now to the Tully River, in Northern Queensland, Australia for the 18th instalment.With 51 teams from 18 nations as geographically spaced as you can possibly be, this competition is asking teams to step up their skill level as they take on the demanding white water of the River Tully.

Thepaddler 99

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International teams can expect jaw dropping scenery and warm welcomes from the peoples and environs of the Tully Gorge National Park. Of particular interest will be the welcome and story tellings from the Jirrbal and Gulngay Rainforest Aboriginal people. Teams will be treated to performances and a history of The Water Story which describes how the animals searched the lands for water and in challenging Bangarra, were able to start the waters flowing in the River Tully.

This is the first time that a world level rafting event is being staged in Australia. However, Australia and in particular, far north Queensland is no stranger to rafting with many large scale commercial operations in the Cassowary Coast and surrounds. Australia are looking for a home turf advantage fielding teams from each of the eight age and gender categories: • Youth (Under-19) men and women • Junior (Under-23) men and women • Masters (Over-40) men and women • Open (over-15) men and women

This year teams will race in the R6 format - six athletes in the raft. Last year was in the R4 format so some teams will have brought in their reserves to fill the team complement, whilst others will be trialling newer members to the team. This means the results of last year’s IRF World Rafting Championship won’t necessarily indicate which teams will walk away with the medals this time round.

The competition kicks off this year on the 15th of May with teams from all age categories racing up their times in the first discipline. Raft racing takes place over several days and at the continental and world level is held in four disciplines: • Sprint: fastest from top to bottom • Head-to-Head: teams battle it out 1:1 over the sprint course but this time with buoy navigation mandatory – full contact is permitted in a knockout competition where the winner is decided not necessarily on who is fastest but who plays their tactics the best. If you’ve seen Boaterx – increase the contact and obstacles and you’ll understand Head-to-Head

•

Slalom: very similar to canoe/kayak slalom with the best of two runs counting but more complex with a larger craft and more heads to pass through the gates in the correct direction

Short video introduction of the IRF WRC 2019, Australia https://www.facebo ok.com/watch/?v=3 48443542368910

•

Downriver (Endurance): a gruelling test of working together as a team - race rules dictate this should be more than 20 minutes but less than 60 minutes.

In a very recent change to the race rules, slalom and downriver are now worth equal points (previously 30% and 40% respectively). On a demanding river such as the Tully, this could result in some unexpected overall results from R6 teams who would normally be reliant on their Downriver scores to top up their overall standings.

Teams this year are also all vying on the big ticket winner for top teams. Only the top teams will receive allexpenses paid invites to the IRF Invitational Futaleufu World Cup in Chile, in March next year.This added incentive to be crowned the overall IRF World Rafting Champions this year will no doubt bear down on teams looking to return to the pristine waters of the Futaleufu, on which the IRF has not held a competition since the Camel White Water Challenge back in 2000.

Next year, the IRF World Rafting Championship reverts back to the R4 format and moves to Ziyuan, China on the Wu Pai River. The pre-worlds event for this takes place in July this year where teams will get to practice on the very rapids that their decisions will make or break their results next year.

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INFORMATION

International Rafting Federation

The International Rafting Federation is recognised as the world governing body for Rafting Sport.

Every year, the IRF organises the World Rafting Championship (WRC), a top tier competition between the most recognised and celebrated rafting athletes in the world who gather together to represent their respective nations. The IRF also organises or oversees a tremendous variety of continental, regional and local rafting competitions and championships. IRF competitions closely follow the Olympic model and IOC recommendations, while remaining true to the traditions and history of our sport that has made it so popular.

The IRF is about bringing the world of rafting together so we can all benefit from our interaction. This interaction may involve anything from competing at the world championship level to being part of a local grassroots event in your home town. Or it could be that once-in-a-lifetime experience of going on a commercial raft trip locally or around the world, whether it be for one hour or 16 days.

The IRF is in the forefront of raft safety worldwide.

Recognised as the world body, which oversees the certification and training of professional river rafting guides, the IRF works closely with national organisations and government bodies by offering the only rafting guide certification program accepted worldwide.

The IRF is deeply committed to protecting the rivers of our planet from senseless destruction, and to preserve them for future generations. We recognize that mankind are not the owners of our planet, but instead are its caretakers and stewards.

Find out more here: http://www.internationalrafting.com

Social media: @internationalrafting (Facebook, Instagram)

IRF World Rafting Championship: @IRFWorldRaftingChamps (Facebook)

About the author: Sean Clarke is the Head of Media & Marketing for the International Rafting Federation, and Chair of British Rafting, the rafting discipline committee of British Canoeing.

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

DEVIZES

Major upset as mixed crew wins

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WESTMINSTER Canoe Race

Alex Lane, Dan Seaford (overall winners)

to

By Guy Dresser Photos: Nicki Douglas-Lee Alex Lane and Dan Seaford from Reading Canoe Club shocked canoe marathon pundits with a surprise victory in the annual 125-mile Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race, held in blistering temperatures over the Easter weekend.The pair became only the second ever mixed boat to win the race outright in the event’s 71-year history, seeing off challenges from numerous all-male crews.

By coincidence these included Keith Moule of Chelmsford Canoe Club, racing this year with Richmond’s Tom Sharpe. Moule, one half of the first mixed crew to win the DW race four years ago with fellow GB team mate Lizzie Broughton, was hotly tipped to win but struggled to make any impact on the early canal section and he and Sharpe retired at Reading.

The pair had talked before Easter about challenging the 40-year old course record of 15 hours 34 minutes but with little flow on the Thames this never looked realistic.

Meanwhile, Fowey River Canoe Club’s Dan Palmer and Peter Wilkes, strong performers on the Waterside Series of races held on the Kennet and Avon Canal in the run-up to Easter and seen as a good guide to form among DW crews, also retired, barely an hour into the river section. Palmer, a two-time winner of the junior doubles race, had high hopes of winning his first senior race but it was not to be after Wilkes fell ill.

“I thought we might do well but Pete became quite unwell and by the time we reached Henley it was clear we were going to have to stop,” said an obviously disappointed Palmer.

The withdrawals left Richmond’s Richard Hendron and Aaron Jordan from Barking and Dagenham to challenge Lane and Seaford, but they never looked like a serious threat to the slick Reading boat, and reached Westminster 13 minutes down. In third place were Alex Burt and Paul Hayes whose club, Newbury, also picked up the team trophy for the first time in its history.

Lane expressed delight at her win, adding that she hoped it would inspire more women to take part in marathon canoeing. Citing the This Girl Can movement, she added: “I think women were always persuaded they were not capable of winning ultraendurance events,” she said. “It’s rubbish – I grew up with three brothers and never felt I couldn't do things.This growing movement, it’s empowering women, and we’re all finding it very satisfying to beat the men.”

senior singles class

The senior singles class, won by Ben Haynes of Falcon Canoe Club in 16 hours 45 minutes, was itself notable for the fierce competition in the women’s class. Just nine minutes separated winner Bethan Davies of Reading from second-placed Jenny Illedge of Worcester, and the final 17-mile stage from Teddington to Westminster saw a five-strong group of women racing head-to-head for much of the way.

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In the Junior Doubles race, there was a runaway victory for Matthew Collinge and James Drage of Fowey, who finished more than two hours ahead of the next placed boys crew, James Lewin and Felix Hawkings from Bryanston School.

There was more success for Fowey as clubmate Bronte Holden raced to third place with Wey Kayak Club’s Samantha Martyn – comfortable winners of the junior girls’ race, they had vied for second place for some of the weekend. Fowey’s success underlined a growing trend, the lack of canoe club participation in the junior doubles class. With the exception of Fowey and a handful of paddlers from Devizes and Reading, the under-19 DW competition is now dominated by canoeists from independent schools, many of whose paddlers use their canoeing experience as part of a Duke of Edinburgh Award and focus on winning the team competition.

remarkable tales of heroism

Elsewhere, there were remarkable tales of heroism and examples of quiet determination. Injured former Royal Marines Jon White and Lee Waters returned for a second crack at the race and beat their 2012 time by more than two hours to finish in 26 hours 27 minutes. White, who has three prosthetic limbs, completed the race unassisted.

Royal Canoe Club’s Nicole Williams, widely thought capable of a top three finish, was disqualified on the

first day after a check on her emergency kit. Despite having her boat number removed, Williams’ demand to be allowed to finish was granted and she continued to Westminster. Although denied a finisher’s medal, she still raised £1,200 for the RNLI.

ciara lee and ollie harding

Another notable finisher was Ciara Lee, whose husband Eddy was killed in a road accident by an inattentive driver in 2017. Lee took up canoeing just eight months before Easter, determined to take part in the DW race and raise funds for two road safety charities. Partner Ollie Harding, who has five non-stop race finishes under his belt, including one win and three second places, described Lee’s race as ‘the most remarkable he’d ever seen’. Proof, as always, that some of the most amazing stories on the DW race are not necessarily those of the winners.

After 2018’s mid-race cancellation, DW organisers were hoping to put the race back on track this year.

Despite many incredible performances, however, the event was marred on the final day of racing by the death of a competitor, the first fatality in the race’s history. DW Race Director Tom Armitstead said the organisers were working closely with investigators looking into the incident. "We are all shocked. It is devastating for the family and friends of the paddler concerned and we extend our deepest sympathy to them.

We continue to cooperate fully with the relevant authorities to understand exactly what happened."

Sam Martyn/Bronte Holden (junior ladies)

Jon White/Lee Waters (ex Marines)

Ollie Harding/Ciara Lee (fund raising)

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lake

Paddling Pukaskwa National Park

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superior’s W I L D

C O A S T

by Josh spina

This wild and remote stretch of Lake Superior coastline had been on our paddling destination bucket list for some time.We had considered exploring this section of the lake in the past but weren’t quite able to work out the logistics.We wouldn’t have adequate time to properly paddle the whole coast (180+kms) from its northern border (Hattie Cove) to southern (Pukaskwa River) leaving the park turning east along crown land (Superior Highlands) to the mouth of the Michipicoten River (Wawa Ontario).

(Wawa,

There simply wasn’t enough time to do it all in one trip and the issue of effectively shuttling our vehicle 196kms from Hattie to Wawa. We also weren’t satisfied with the idea of just paddling out of Hattie Cove for three days and then turning back. Many paddlers have raced through the full route but we wanted to hug the land exploring as much of the coast as possible. We came to the conclusion that the route would be split in half. With that being said the trip has sat idle for the past couple years.

Over the winter I stumbled upon Taylor Angers of True North Charters (out of Marathon, Ontario).We chatted online, and he answered all the questions I could toss at him.We worked on a rough plan, and sat on it over the next couple winter months. In the spring we touched base once again and decided that he would provide us a water taxi from Marathon, Ontario to the Park’s Southern border allowing us to utilize our full seven day’s vacation.

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The route from Windsor, Ontario to Marathon, Ontario

is easily a ten-hour plus drive cutting through Michigan at Detroit, and crossing back at Sault St. Marie, Ontario. The road trip is quite beautiful, but personally it was a little overwhelming. I had just completed the same route two days earlier with my wife and kids (trailer in tow) as we camped at Neys Provincial Park, Pukaskwa NP and Pancake Bay PP along Superior’s North Shore. As tiring as the thought of hitting the road again so soon weighed on me, we set off and I was quickly filled with the energy of the open road and the upcoming adventure.

We left at noon with blue skies and little to no traffic.

The ride was relaxing and uneventful until arriving in Wawa. We ran into David Wells (owner of Naturally Superior Adventures) while filling up at a gas station, which we thought might be a sign of good luck. He had personally shuttled our car two years earlier when paddling the coast of Lake Superior Provincial Park. The light started to fade as we headed towards White River, and that’s when the sky started to flash with impressive streaks of lightning. We both looked at each other and laughed as the rain began to come down hard. Our laughter quickly turned to swearing, and three hours of white knuckle driving. Torrential downpours, semi-trucks, thick fog, ponding water, hills/curves, and kilometres of (moose) night danger signs made for an interesting

Cascade Falls

Even at two kilometres away, we could hear the rumbling sound of end to our night. Taylor told us we could sleep at the campground in Marathon, but at this point we decided we’d just grab a motel in town. We pulled into Marathon around midnight. All the motels along the highway were full, likely due to the intense storm, so we thought we were lucky to find a room at the Zero-100 Motor Inn. Now that’s a funny story for another time.

We ended up with maybe two hours of sleep before setting off to meet Taylor at 08.00 to load the boats.

Taylor was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, professional and genuinely excited for us to head off on our adventure. With the boats and gear loaded we set off to meet with Park staff for a mandatory trip meeting.

day one

We set off by boat shuttle to the southern edge of the park, making a stop at ‘Old Daves Harbour’ on Otter Island. There we hiked to the Otter Island Light House and checked out the old lighthouse keeper’s buildings. Even at two kilometres away, we could hear the rumbling sound of Cascade Falls. The falls would be our first night’s camp and a spectacular one at that.

The paddle towards the falls was simply surreal.

Seeing the water pour into Lake Superior was awesome and deafening. The falls really do roar and I wondered if sleeping next to them would be soothing or annoying.

We set up camp on the large cobble stone beach, seeking out a small patch of sand. Taylor mentioned we could hike to the top of the falls for an impressive

view, and was it ever! We enjoyed swimming beneath the falls and attempts at catching a few fish. Turns out the falls were soothing to fall asleep to after all.

day tWo

We were up for an early start, as we decided to be packing by 06.00 each day and on the water before the winds could pick up. We continued north towards our first river mouth. We were really looking forward to paddling up each river we crossed in hopes of seeing wildlife, good fishing, and maybe a waterfall or two (cautionary note: many rivers along the coast can swell during spring melt or during heavy rains causing dangerous currents where they meet the lake. Always cross with caution).

https://goo.gl/maps/Ec7MTHRMsQxAdCw6A

Swallow River did not disappoint as Swallow Falls was absolutely gorgeous. Our day two camp wasn’t too far from the river mouth at North Swallow Harbour. This would be one of many picturesque white sandy beaches along the paddling route. We set up camp on the beach and enjoyed the bay all to ourselves until near sun set.

That’s when we heard the faint sound of a motor boat.

Turns out this harbour is the start of the park’s coastal hiking trail. A shuttle boat pulled ashore with two hikers sporting looks of sheer disappointment on their faces. I guess they were as happy to see us as we were to see them! It was very busy with hikers, and as the trip progressed we’d see backpackers at almost all of our camps. Generally something we try to avoid.

My only negative comment about the park. With route timing changes due to weather, we (along with other paddlers/hikers) would end up being knocked off our

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explore each bay

For most of this trip we hugged the coast and rarely skipped the chance to

scheduled reservations. This ended up causing campsite reservation conflicts for the majority of our trip. One day a group of hikers were nice enough to share a site with us, but another time we saw hikers push a kayaking group from a site. There are definitely positives to crown land use or unreserved first-come first-serve campsites (ex: Lake Superior PP). Pukaskwa NP coastal campsites are reservable, so keeping to your dates can be tough.

day three

We lucked out with minimal wind in the morning for our passing of the Ramparts (reflection wave danger zone). This would be the day our itinerary was blown off schedule. The afternoon winds picked up from the south and we made the decision to ride the waves beyond our day three campsite at White Spruce Harbour. For most of this trip we hugged the coast and rarely skipped the chance to explore each bay.

We made the choice to blow past our site because we’ve had enough experience with Superior to know to take the wind at our backs when we can, as she might just as easily turn on us the following day. We decided to attempt to make camp at our day four site if it was empty (Nicols Cove) but unfortunately we couldn’t locate the site. This was my mistake as my map was a couple years old and some of the marked sites had been moved. At this point we had no choice but to continue forward to nearby Oiseau Bay.

We found this massive bay completely empty. The white sand on this beach was the finest we’d encounter on the entire trip. It was like baby powder and as it would turn out later in the night as winds picked up it also would easily blow into our tent coating everything. A lone hiker would stroll into the bay near sunset once again, but stuck to one of the

wooded sites. While hiking we stumbled across an old cabin that looked to be actively used and we wondered what the story was behind it.

day four

Started with an almost embarrassingly short paddle to our next site. We were literally a day ahead of schedule so we took this to be a rest day. We investigated the cave within Cave Harbour and then continued to Fish Harbour.This site was suggested to us by a local paddling legend (Steve Lutsch). He told us it was his favourite site and we soon found out why.

As we paddled in, a large group of kayakers were just packing up. We chatted with them for a bit before setting up camp in the woods. Once again we enjoyed the bay all to ourselves until backpackers started to stroll in. The two remaining sites filled up, and we enjoyed a laugh as one of the groups decided to walk around on the beach in the nude doing odd exercises/stretches for close to an hour. Unfortunately it wasn’t a pretty sight.

Soon another group of four hikers approached and I realized that we were likely set up on their campsite.

We might have reserved it but we were a day off schedule. They were super friendly and understanding about the situation and decided to share the site with us (we offered to move to the beach but they insisted we stay). We sat around the campfire exchanging stories with our new camping friends while watching an amazing sunset over the lake.

day fiVe

We paddled out again with the wind blowing in our favour. We spent some time exploring the Willow River until we reached a massive log jam and had to turn around. This was supposed to be our day five

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Thepaddler 114 campsite but once again we thought we’d just go with the winds. We took our time fishing along the river and when we left the mouth the winds had picked up considerably. This would be our biggest wave action day, and we felt we sort of deserved it (the punishment) as we had stuck around the Willow River too late in the day knowing this might happen.

After some abuse from Superior we pushed on towards the White River. My brother had hoped this would be THE PLACE to catch some serious fish.

Exhausted from the afternoon’s waves, we pushed our way up the warm waters of the river to the base of Chigamiwinigum Falls where we set up camp for the night. The campsite was perched atop a large rock face with gorgeous 360 degree views of the lower falls, rapids and river. My brother continued to luck out with hooking a couple descent Pike and Trout. Before leaving we hiked up to the suspension bridge to see the upper falls. The sight was definitely as impressive as people had described it.

day six

Would be our last campsite before heading back to Hattie Cove the following morning. We paddled down river and out to Picture Rock Harbour. The water in this area was almost tropical in appearance. Once again my outdated map caused us some minor campsite grief. The paddle only access sites on our map now had a new extension of the coastal hiking trail leading to them and with that, more backpackers.

When we showed up, we had the bay to ourselves.

The three sites sat open, and now knowing better we decided to see if we could pick up cellphone data at this point to verify if the sites were actually reserved that night. Turns out only one was, so we chose

another. A few minutes later the large group of kayakers we met previously, sailed in and set up on the booked site. We assumed it was their camp until later in the day a couple hikers came in and claimed it as theirs. The whole thing quickly became tense, awkward and annoying, with the large group pushed to the beach right next to our camp.

When one of them started playing a flute, we decided to pack up and head to another less scenic (but quieter) site across the bay.

day seVen

Was an early start as forecasts were calling for rain and a high wind advisory. The weather, up until this point, had been superb. All week there was nothing but blue skies and relatively light winds/waves. Actually the past three trips to Superior had been very much the same in regards to weather (unseasonably warm air and water… we lucked out).

We made it safely past the rugged Campbell Point before the lake had time to deliver us reflection waves and paddled into Hattie Cove, loaded up the gear into the car before heading towards our hotel in the Sault St. Marie. We took our time checking out the tug boat

in Marathon Ontario, and some of the rivers along the Trans Canada highway.

Overall we’d had an amazing week-long backcountry paddling experience. Next year we might give Superior a rest, and return to Georgian Bay, but who knows. That’s what we’ve said the past two years. All photos by Josh & his brother Gilles Spina.

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information

Link to full photo album: https://preview.tinyurl.com/pukaskwa

Link to full youtube video: https://youtu.be/-GSxbRFe59U

Josh spina

Josh is a high school design/drafting teacher, husband and father to two beautiful children out of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He has always had a love for the outdoors and a passion for being on the water. He took up sea kayaking later in life as a hobby and a means of exploring beautiful camping locations along the Great lakes. Feel free to follow his adventures on the facebook page ‘@canyak family adventures blog’ as well as the instagram account ‘canoe_kayak_family_adventures’. He also runs the very popular canoeing facebook group ‘view FROM my canoe’.

Pukaskwa National Park: www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/on/pukaskwa

True North Charters: truenorthcharters@outlook.com 1-807-228-0038 www.facebook.com/True-North-Charters269642397083366/

Naturally Superior Adventures (Outfitter): www.naturallysuperior.com/

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GERMAN AUSTRIA Quick guide to the rivers of the

B O R D E R

By Markus Stehbock If you think of paddling in Austria, maybe rivers like the Ötz and Inn will immediately come to mind – as these rivers provide you with everything a white water kayaker dreams of. However, if you take a closer look, you’ll find many not so well known rivers of various character with differing types of difficulties.

I run a white water paddling school in the very south of Bavaria on the Austrian border and I invite you to discover some of the lesser known creeks and rivers in my home area between Munich, Innsbruck and Salzburg.

You'll always find enough water on the bigger rivers like Saalach, Lammer, Salzach and Inn – so you can consider them as an ‘all year run’. The sections on these rivers offer anything between class I-V (VI) depending on the water levels. Being at the right spot at the right time you will find some very nice playspots on Salzach and Inn.Also with some of them it doesn’t matter if you cannot decide between a SUP or a kayak for surfing – the waves are perfect for both’

Photo: The Lammeröfen

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These bigger rivers

are fed their additional water from smaller side valleys, which carry the tributaries and many of them offer plenty of interesting runs as well.

that runs through the gorge. The Weißbach offers class IV (VI) white water but be careful with higher water levels – some of the drops can become pretty retentive and dangerous.

The Salzach area south of Salzburg is well know for some classic box canyon runs – like Salzachöfen and Lammeröfen, which are only a few kilometres apart.

The Salzachöfen becomes more difficult and dangerous with bigger flows, so the best time is in summer or autumn. Though the difficulties don’t rise above class III+ white water, swimming is not an option as there are many dangerous undercuts.

The Strubbach is a comparatively small but very fast and heavily blocked river of class IV white water. It can easily be scouted as it runs besides the road for about four kilometres before it flows into the Saalach just upstream of the classic slalom course at Lofer. The

The Lammeröfen offers nice class IV-IV+ white water in a deep and very impressive box canyon. During late afternoon runs, you can enjoy dramatic changes

slalom course leads into the Devil’s Gorge IV (V), which is well known and frequently paddled over the whole year. After this section the classic raft section begins II (III), nice white water in an open river bed, which is well suited for beginners.

between the darkness and bright light. Both gorges can be scouted by a tourist foot path for a small fee.

At a nearby playspot on the Salzach in Kuchl, you will find good surfing opportunities just 10 minutes away from the get-outs.

Crossing the Bavarian border on this section you will get to the confluence of a small and unimpressive lefthanded creek, apparently uninteresting for paddlers. In this case the first impression is misleading. A brief look at the gorge of the Weißbach makes it clear there is not much water needed to make it runnable. Even a thunderstorm on a hot summer day is likely to reawaken it – you just need to be fast as the level drops again pretty fast, too.

Checking the eastern parts of northern Tyrol, in several side valleys of the Inn you can find perfect white water adventures. One of the most famous is probably the Brandenberger Ache, offering four different sections of various difficulties ranging from white water class II to V (VI).

crossing the border

At the put-in, the level might seem poor, but after a few metres the Weißbach narrows and disappears into an impressive gorge. That’s where the fun begins: smaller and bigger drops up to five-metre in height provide you with an exciting run in a very picturesque gorge. It’s recommended to scout for trees before paddling, which can easily be done from a hiking path

brandenberger ache

Extraordinary beautiful Canyons like the Kaiserklamm (V) and the Tiefenbachklamm IV (VI), cut through the limestone of the northern Alps and form a perfect white water playground for experienced paddlers.

There are nevertheless, sections for intermediate paddlers as well. The Pinegger-Canyon starts with a drop into a class III and the section of the Saugraben are perfect possibilities for paddlers less skilled and experienced.

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Not far from the Brandenberger Ache, a little creek is hiding – perfect for creeking rookies. The Upper Walchen is always worth a visit when the water levels in the region are high for the main rivers. It impresses with various drops and slides in a small but beautiful gorge. As the paddling distance is not very long, you can do the run several times testing the different lines of the Walchen. The road is just a few metres above the river so the shuttle is really short.

If you are more into canoes, SUP or you prefer less adrenaline fuelled runs in your kayak, the whole regions offers some interesting rivers and lakes with the possibility for some cultural exploration as well.

The Tiroler Ache leads to the

Chiemsee,

the biggest lake in the area with three little islands

The Entenloch Klamm on the Tiroler Ache, is a kayak school classic for the first days on a river, offering perfect class II white water with many eddys in a breathtaking gorge. It’s perfect for paddling with any kind of watercraft, as long you have some white water experience, or a guide.

chiemsee lake

The Tiroler Ache leads to the Chiemsee, the biggest lake in the area with three little islands (Frauenchiemsee, Krautinsel and Herreninsel) within it. Here, the famous ‘Schloss Herrenchiemsee’ on Herreninsel can be visited. One of the best paddling trips leads from Felden to the island, a 90-minute guided tour of the castle and then another twokilometre paddle to the Fraueninsel, where you can enjoy the ‘Biergarden’ with a perfect view to the Alps.

Don’t forget the way back takes another 90 minutes.

In Bavaria, the Inn and Salzachriver used to be the ‘Saltstreets’ so you can enjoy them on any watercraft.

The fast current makes it easy to paddle 30km and more. Both rivers pass through Italian influenced towns like Burghausen and Wasserburg. They don't offer white water, but the fast current requires some paddling skills, nevertheless.

There you go – take your pick – happy paddling and exploring.

SILVERBIRCHCANOES.COM

An interview with‌ Tom Thorpe

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SPEED Interview: Peter Tranter Photos: Tom Thorpe Thanks for reading. Its amazing to be asked to do an interview for the paddler mag and its amazing to know that I will be able to share my training and expeditions with you over the next two years.There are lots of things in the pipeline and my options are always broadening and evolving.

The need for‌

Thepaddler 125

Thepaddler 126 We grew up in a small village in the countryside, a place called Piddletrenthide. When I was 11, we moved to a town. I managed to escape the urban life for a couple of years until I was 13 and then I got caught up with it. From then on I spent all of my time on Skateboards, BMX and mountain bikes, riding street. My friends and I spent a lot of time causing problems for the residents of Dorchester and created a bit of a name for ourselves.

Later on, when I managed to get back involved with the rural life, building dirt jumps and spending time riding single track and downhill on my custom Mountain Bike things seemed to get back in order.

People kept telling me I needed to think about a career and further education. All I was interested in was art and being active. The Art world annoyed me because of how subjective and fickle it seemed to be. I chose the outdoor world and moved to Cornwall where I trained as an outdoor instructor.

I did my first outdoor season as a kayak guide in the Lake District when I was 17/18. From 2003 up to around 2008 I was completely obsessed with Trad-climbing, bouldering and I open canoed a lot. Whitewater kayaking was fun and I spent time in the Alps, Wales and Scotland running rivers.

What kayak and equipment are you using?

I’ve been through stages with my sea kayaking. I used to use anything I could get my hands on and just get out there. My issue is that I progress really fast and get fully involved with the things I do. I can see the benefits of equipment and as I get better I can measure the impact it has. I slowly began to spend all of my money on gaining better, composite boats. Lighter or stronger paddles and more waterproof gear.

before We start – Just let our readers knoW a little about yourself, family, background, etc.

Thanks for reading. Its amazing to be asked to do an interview for the paddler mag and its amazing to know that I will be able to share my training and expeditions with you over the next two years. There are lots of things in the pipeline and my options are always broadening and evolving.

My name is Tom. I grew up in Dorset, I have two brothers, when we were kids we were always out in the countryside, playing games, exploring new woodlands, buildings and areas.

Luckily, around three years ago VE paddles recognised the significance of what I was doing and began supporting me. I am dedicated to VE paddles. I have broken a lot of paddles and so have my friends.

VE paddles don’t break or at least I don’t break them and Stu is a top chap, fully into product development and we work together to create better products.

The same goes for the other companies that support me. NRS create amazing outer wear, PFDs, drybags and other small items and they are very supportive. If I’m doing a trip or expedition they will make sure I have the right gear. NRS equipment fits me and it keeps the water out and I love the colours and attention to detail.

SKUK, the man himself; Nigel Dennis provides me with my kayaks. SKUK kayaks are fantastic!

http://maximumseakayaking.com

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Thepaddler 128

hoW did you start out in What is a Very successful career in sea kayaking?

I am a semi-professional sea kayaker as I work full time running an outdoor department at a school. It’s my dream to be professional kayaker and I’d love to be successful in getting paid to kayak and push the limits of the sport, testing equipment and hanging out in amazing places without relying on guiding.

My sea kayak journey began when I moved to the Isle of Skye to be a lead instructor at an outdoor centre. There was no one to climb with so as always, I trained for climbing and did some rope solo and free solo ascents. My favourite crag is still on the Isle Of Skye (Kilt Rock).

There were some sea kayaks in a shipping container and occasionally I would guide trips using them. I’d use the kayaks to find new routes on small Islands, loading the kayaks with stakes, a sledge hammer, ropes and a rack. That’s where and when I realized that sea kayaks were the best aspects of white water kayaks and open canoes in one.

A few years later companies began giving me gear to test and use in all conditions and it was amazing that companies were keen and open to accept honest feedback and modify equipment based on my findings.

Fast Sea Kayaks (FSKs).These are kayaks which go fast. Some of the Traditional boats like the Greenlander Pro or the Nordkapp are fast but an FSK is a faster boat. A boat that can be maintained over distance from 4.5-5.3 knots (without tide or wind).The distance I’m talking about is over ten miles.

Often an FSK has a rudder to help the paddler maintain rhythm and flow. It’s an approach and a lifestyle thing and fitness is a major part. I’m not the fastest paddler but I love the progression, nutrition, speed, training and mental challenge.

What’s your eco message to felloW paddlers?

My Eco message goes out to everyone. It’s not about greenwashing our companies or our lives.

Being environmentally aware and active in reducing our impact is more than litter picking and recycling.

The truth is (backed up by top scientists) is that we are facing a crisis.

It is essential that reduce our plastic waste, offset our carbon footprint and think about our consumption of products and foods. I guess if I was being paddling specific I’d talk about buying quality products, which last and think about the kayaks which are best suited to your environment, the

environment which you do not have to travel far to get to. I am a massive composite kayak endorser.

Composite kayaks last for years and when I repair them I am always trying to sand as little as possible to reduce the micro plastics entering the environment. This is one of the reasons why I am not into rock hopping so much these days.

What’s the most enJoyable encounter With Wildlife that you’Ve had at sea?

Sometimes, pods of dolphins escort me, swim under me and jump at my bow; that’s amazing!

hoW does sea kayaking giVe you satisfaction

I’ve done a lot of sports to an OK level and I’m still OK at some of them. Other than my longboard skateboard, paddling out in my sea kayak is the only sport where I enjoy it every time. As soon as I get on the water, it feels good and the world opens up, I leave the stress behind me. The sea settles my manic brain.

if you could capture Just one ‘feel good’ moment on the ocean – Which Would it be and Why?

For me, the times which stick out in my mind are the times when I’m under pressure and fully committed. I can remember and relive some moments when I achieve flow or overcome a physical boundary. That could be on a downwind paddle or on a committing open crossing.

One time which sticks out is when I paddled to Lundy Island. It was warm and I climbed to the top of a headland. I sat there for a while climbed back down, circumnavigated the island and then Paddled back. On that trip, I watch the sunrise. I saw Puffins, seals, dolphins, ships and just had a great time.

When preparing for a challenging expedition – What are the qualities you look for in a felloW team mate kayaker?

This is hard. Because I am into FSKs and paddling long distances reasonably quickly, finding partners is tricky. They need to have the same mentality and be resilient. We also need to get along and have the same expectations, be able to agree on a plan and be able to compromise. A sense of humour is important and making light of serious situations.

One thing I do know is that once we find a good partner or partners, paddling is more fun. Sharing is great.

What’s the one faVourite piece of camping kit you couldn’t do Without?

Compact cooking systems. Simplicity is important and a midge net, Scotland can be a hostile place without one.

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fsk floats your boat – explain to us exactly What this is…

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Thepaddler 130

any faVourite conditions for paddling or areyou ok With WhateVer mother nature boWls your Way?

When I am doing an open crossing or big trip I like paddling at night or in low visibility. I find it easier mentally. Looking ahead and wishing I was there is counter productive, it’s important to settle into a rhythm and be content with pace and timings.

In the shorter boats when I’m travelling with groups or looking for playful conditions I like it to be quite choppy and windy, it keeps me engaged and focused. I love downwind paddling in all kayaks.

When I’m in open water and the conditions change and a squall or storm hits, that can be stressful but it rates highly in factor two fun, reflecting at the end and being tired. If things are easy they are at risk of being boring.

eVer been scared out there and

by What?

I think that surf zones are quite scary in sea kayaks. I surf sea kayaks a lot and I am comfortable in waves these days, however I also surf boards a lot, sometimes pretty big waves, I wouldn’t want to be out there in my boat.

I have been lost a few times, in the early days that was stressful. Now though, it rarely happens but I get myself mentally prepared for the fact that I could get blown or drift off-course before most big crossings. If we are calm about it and logical, it’s easy to work out

how it happened and where we are. Logic and experience of course allows us paddlers to include these factors in the planning stage, lessening the chance that we will become misplaced. Whatever happens, happens.

do you haVe an ultimate achieVement?

My ultimate achievement is staying focused on what I want to do and committing to this lifestyle. I love what I do and I love the UK and the outdoor world.

What proJects are you currently Working on?

I am working on a project called ‘Expedition Unite’.

The trip starts in Anglesey, crosses to the Isle of Man and the to Ireland, Scotland, England and then Back to Holyhead. It’s a massive open water expedition, which has never been done, I’m hoping to break some of the crossing times. It should happen this year but it’s very weather dependent. I work full-time running an outdoor education department at a school, so I need to work within my allocated holidays.

I’m training hard at the moment, and I’ve been focusing on my nutrition and endurance. Self-coaching is helping me to improve my skills and develop a better stroke and my focus. I have some amazing training and endurance paddles planned.

Where do you see yourself in 20 years?

Being a wise old kayaker and surfer talking about the old days, living on the beach or boat and teaching my kids how to put themselves in ridiculous situations and be safe. Also I fancy campaigning against digitalized marketing and games aimed at children. Fortnight (gaming) Dyspraxia is a thing, I’m sure of it. The outdoors is so important for everyone, especially developing minds and bodies.

What do you do When not kayaking?

http://maximumseakayaking.com

In 2020 I set myself to a challenge to paddle over 1,000 miles (Expedition Gaia) around the UK coastline, visiting all the major cities and meeting with youth groups to spread the eco-message and encourage them to look after and enjoy their local environments. Since planning Expedition Gaia I have become aware of all of the efforts across the world of similar projects and paddlers focusing their trips towards the environment, education and sustainability.

So I’ll be watching throughout 2019 and if they do a cracking job, expedition Gaia will be extended and become something less engaging and more extreme.

Climbing, surfing and hanging out with cool people on the beach. I work with special needs children and we have great adventures.

i’m a paddler and going on Vacation,Where Would you recommend?

Scotland, the area around Oban and the Orkney Isles.

Brittany. The Islands and beaches are amazing.

one location on your bucket list?

The Bay of Fundy looks amazing. British Columbia and I’d love to kayak the Aleutian Islands.

are there any issues that stop you sleeping at night?

I get excited about kayaking trips and I struggle to sleep for sure, although if I have worn myself out I’ll sleep through anything.

Thepaddler

Quickies…

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If you could paddle with anyone in the world dead or alive who would it be?

Nigel Foster, he is an amazing old skool paddler. I’d like to be coached by Sean Morley, Sean is one of the original FSK paddlers.

I’d like to spend six months with the Inuit, 300 years ago.

Pick two celebrities to be your parents.

Laird Hamilton and Lynn Hill.

Which one sportsman or woman has inspired you?

I read a lot of climbing books and I’d have to say that some of the older climbers, which put up routes in the old days have inspired me a lot.

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

I just make weird noises!

One film star you would love to get naughty with?

My girlfriend, if she was in the movies.

Cats or dogs?

I love all animals.

Facebook or Twitter?

Facebook, I like to keep my life simple.

An ideal night out for you is?

A beach fire with friends and a marquee with cool music and good beer.

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

A snorkel.You can find cool stuff.

What’s in your fridge right now?

Oat milk and lots of veg.

If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us?

Vegan curry with rice. For pudding we would have chocolate brownie and dairy free ice-cream.

Who are your kayaking buddies?

I have lots.

What’s the most boring question you’re asked?

Where do you get your protein from? Haha.

Finally, any final shout outs?

I am sponsored by some of the most amazing brands and the people that support me are like a family.

Sea Kayaking UK (Nigel Dennis Kayaks) Northern River Supplies – NRS VE Paddles LifeStraw water bottles

Many thanks Tom for all of your help on this – we really appreciate it.

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Success is a great motivator. Give your kid the feeling of doing something cool, while feeling safe in your hands.

PRO PADDLER The making of your little

Words: Corran Addison Sometimes you spend an hour getting dressed and ready to paddle, and all the kid wants to do is throw rocks into the river. Well, guess what? Today’s game is to throw rocks into the river dressed like kayakers.

That headline is what you call click bait. The reality is that, if you think you’re taking your toddler out into class 3 white water in a solo kayak so the two of you can rage side by side, you need to step back and reevaluate the meaning of life (cue Monty Python music).

alone. diVorced.

Now, I’ll give it to you, this is the ultimate goal, is it not? To be able to go out, parent and child, sharing the sport that you dearly love. It’s a dream, and if you play your cards just right, it may actually happen. But you have to do this the right way: the smart way. And that means… baby steps!

If you read my ‘Good Dad, Bon Mom’ article in the Paddler (August, 2017) about getting your kid out onto the water, then some of this may seem repetitive.

However, bear with me, as I am taking this to the next level.

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i introduced my son, kailix, to whitewater before his second birthday. He’d sit in the cockpit with me and we paddled everything from class 1 to 3. At this age, everything is just a riot of giggles and fun, and he had little concept of consequence, nor fear. That kicked in when he turned about three, which is about the same time that he had the muscle control to begin paddling his own kayak in flat water and tiny rapids.

i shaped him a boat

I started him off on a SOT, but I quickly changed tack.

One, the splashing of water on him, even warm water mid summer, spooked him. Secondly, because I was taking him onto tiny little rivers with so little water that I could run around the riverbed chasing him, as soon as the SOT would touch a rock he’d go sliding off. A friend had a small plastic kids whitewater kayak and we tried that, but it was too wide and too edgy for Kailix, so I shaped him a sit inside boat of his own (that later evolved into the Mini Me). I added a flip up skeg to help him paddle straight, and by the time he was just three and a half, he was paddling class 1+ in his solo kayak. Sounds easy, right?

It’s not. Behind the scenes, there is a lot of parenting going on. Sometimes you spend an hour getting dressed and ready to paddle, and all the kid wants to

The SPA has been a great tool for us.

Warm water, in a familiar environment – the kayak is just another spa toy to mess around with.

do is throw rocks into the river. Well, guess what?

Today’s game is to throw rocks into the river dressed like kayakers.

We also spend a lot of time playing in the water.

Other than the super bony creeks where I was literally bounding about leaping from rock to rock chasing him, we would swim down any rapid he was going to run before running it. Numerous times. And if there is a rock in that little swim, I’d yank him up onto me right as we passed over it, and take the hit like a man! I have the scars and bruises to show for it.

sWimming

Spending hours and hours playing in the water (always with a life jacket and helmet) has made Kailix feel very safe and comfortable in that environment. We’ve probably clocked twice the hours swimming in rivers than paddling them. However, that means that when the day came that he finally did flip over, other than a brief fright, he was not put off by the experience.

Combined with the river swimming, has been time spent in our spa: with and without his kayak. I have him diving underwater with the jets blasting, looking for trinkets at the bottom.This teaches him to hold his breath, and the constant racket and swirling water of the jets becomes normal. We make a game out of how many he can find at once and how long he can stay under.

We put his kayak in the spa, and he sits in it and flips himself over; at first holding my hand and I’d pull him out before he was even upside down, and over time letting him do it entirely by himself; when he was ready.

Spending hours and hours playing in the made Kailix feel

I found sit-on-tops to be less than ideal, but it’s better than nothing. Since at this age there is no fear of entrapment like adults can have, there is no point to using a SOT.

water (always with a life jacket and helmet) has very safe and comfortable in that environment.

Kailix wasn’t even two when I realized a SOT was the wrong tool, and I made him a custom composite kayak to learn with. He was so proud to have a life-size kayak.

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I’ll ask Kailix to show us the way down the rapid prior to starting. This gets him thinking.

Get them out of their boat to scout the rapids, so they know what they’re going to paddle down before they do.

Just gentle moving water is more than enough to keep your toddler interested. Learning how to paddle and manoeuvre the kayak is interesting enough without adding rapids.

When its time for them to try whitewater by themselves, find a spot that has an easy entry, and a gentle safe run-out at the bottom. By the time anything goes wrong, if it does, it’s over anyway. Have someone standing in the reception to pick up the pieces, and as a visual encouragement for them to focus on.

And it’s all about when they are ready. You push too hard, and it can backfire on you. Be patient, and remember to always keep it a game. Kailix does not love kayaking. He loves doing things with Daddy.

Daddy loves kayaking, so Kailix wants to go because I love it.

Last winter, at his fourth birthday, we were visiting my father in South Africa and were paddling every day. I left for a week to do an expedition and the next day my wife asked Kailix if he wanted to go paddle. His answer was priceless, “No mommy, daddy has gone.

We can so something fun now!” You know that hurt when Christine told me the story on my return, but it’s an important lesson.

A year later and he’s starting to ask to go. In the winter driving past the river he asked several times when it would be warm enough to go kayaking (proud dada moment). We did our first tandem river run in the Terrible Two since his fifth birthday, on class 3 river in spring flood, and he was giggling and screaming, “I’m excited about this one” as we’d come over the lip and he’d see the rapid below.

I’m a true believer that hand in hand with teaching him all things paddling, that it’s equally important to

have him doing other ‘scary’ sports. You want to develop that natural physical ability of having control of your body and a natural mental decision-making state that sports as a whole develop. Risk assessment, judgment, failure, success, fear and elation.

The more those become ‘normal’ so the better paddler he’s likely to be. I put Kailix on motorcycles, bicycles and snowboards, but this is because these are sports I do. You’ll have your own pet sports outside of kayaking that you love.

‘speed is your friend’

After three years of paddling his own kayak, and four years of kayaking total in his short five years of life, I have yet to give him a kayaking lesson. He doesn’t know about upstream or downstream. He figured out how to make turning strokes and paddling strokes on his own long before he had the mental understanding to absorb and process this as taught instruction. He has no concept of edging. In fact the only lessons I’ve taught him are ‘speed is your friend’ (applies equally to motorbikes, snowboards, bicycles and everything else he does), and always aim straight for the top of the biggest waves.

I’m a firm believer that the more sports they do, the better their bodies and minds will form to do these sorts of activities. As a toddler or young kid, it’s too early to specialize. Keep it fun and varied.

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Thepaddler 140 I have him teaching his friends. It empowers him, and confirms that he knows how to do this; after all, to teach it first you must know how yourself. So he drags the kayaks to the water for his friends the way I do for him when we paddle together. He tells them how to get in, where to put their feet and knees, how to hold the paddle and then goes out with them and basically shows off. If it’s a girl…even better. But it works.

We have a little ‘sports’ calendar that has all the sports on it that he’s likely to do that month. Each time he does one he puts a sticker on it. There are no prizes, or rewards. It’s just part of the game. It’s pride for him to get home and add a sticker to that activity, and then as the month ends, look back and see how many times he did which sports.

I also show him that I can fail. When he crashes on his snowboard, if I get a sense it shook him up, I’ll make a spectacular crash in front of him. The one time he swam out of his kayak, just before his fourth birthday, running a one-metre high waterfall of all things, he got a little shaken up. So I went up, ran the same drop, and in dramatic fashion capsized in an explosion of boat and paddle. Just like daddy, he jumped into the water to come save me, his own fear from moments ago forgotten. While he didn’t run that drop again, he did go straight back up and run one about half as big several times over.

As parents we all know that smile. That proud moment as you first introduce your child to the sport you love, hoping they’ll love it too.

He got back on the horse. Because even daddy fell in so it must be OK.

Every kid is different, and every parent is different.

These are the lessons I’ve learned and what works for my son, and you can take away things from this. But you will undoubtedly have your own challenges and little tricks to overcome them.

My only steadfast piece of advice is to always keep it fun, and always, always, choose caution over excitement. You’re the adult. Your kid might want to try something you think is a bad idea. It’s better to have them mad at you for not letting them try, than be scared away because they got spooked trying something you could have prevented.

And remember, your days are numbered. It’s just a matter of time before one day your kid says, “Just follow me. You’ll be fine!”

I’ve found it a useful tool to video them, and then show them the video.

They see they’re being successful and that they’re having fun. Edit out any scared face moments – they don’t need reminding of that part.

If you’re going to use a spray skirt, make sure it’ll release on its own as soon as they start to fall over.

Your toddler is NOT going to pull release it!

I empower my son by having him do the same things I do. He teaches his friends, he gets their gear to the water, and instructs them on correct use.

Thepaddler 142 Tailor-made Canoeing, Kayaking & Rafting Holidays

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I live in Vancouver BC and I am passionate about SUP touring.

There’s nothing I love more in life than paddling to a remote island, harvesting seafood from the area and cooking it over a campfire and sleeping on the beach. So in the last four years I’ve been getting deeper and deeper into island chains and exploring the coastline with my SUP board.

Word and pics: Aya Kristina Engel

My reason to SUP: freedom, healthy for my body and the best views!

The feeling I had the first time I did an over night paddle trip was akin to that feeling when you get your first car. A giant new found sense of freedom. I can go anywhere, whenever I want feeling!

Except this one is on water with no ‘lanes’, less rules and more beaches. I love paddling on my SUP board because it’s so versatile. I find when I’m doing distance paddling in a kayak, my back gets stiff and cramps. On my SUP board, I can move my body in a more ergonomical way that feels good.

I can rotate from standing, sitting or kneeling. Also, when you’re standing on SUP you get a way better view of the wildlife beneath you. I have now paddled over the top of orcas, humpbacks, seals, sea lions, and dolphins – and saw them all while standing on my board.

Our goal: Broughton Archipelago This summer, my friends and I (Ariane Tasca and Valtteri Rantala) decided to go to the northern tip of Vancouver Island to a place called the Broughton Archipelago. It should be noted that most Canadians have no idea where this is or have never heard of it – it is that remote. We chose this location due to its immense whale activity. We wanted to paddle with whales… and did we ever! s t a n d

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ISSN 2397-8597 October 2018

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SUNKOSI

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S U P

T H E

Words: Louise Royle

The River: The Sun Kosi river is in Nepal about three hours drive east of Kathmandu. It flows east in the valley between the Mahbharat Lekh mountains and the Himalayas. Several major tributaries drain into the Sun Kosi over this 170-mile journey; increasing the water volume and producing increasingly harder rapids.

It starts at about 100 cumecs, increasing to 400 in the Jungle corridor and finishing at 800, where it enters the plains above Chatra and becomes the Septa Kosi. This big volume water has lots of big bouncy mainly grade 2 to 3+ rapids with flattish sections between. There are a few harder rapids, notably Hakapur which is 5- but this can be portaged. There are lots of lovely sandy beaches for camping along the way as it winds through jungle and passes a few small villages.

logistics:

The 10-day expedition was organised and led by Darren Clarkson-King of www.Purelandexpeditions.com. I took my own SUP and gear, comprised of an 11-foot Fanatic Rapid Air board with a 20 cm touring fin (nice to have no rocks to worry about) and a carbon VE paddle.

Standing on a SUP on a big volume class 3+ rapid heading toward the horizon line. Ahead stretched a big green glassy tongue of water leading down into a train of white crashing waves. The joy of gliding down this smooth, green, undulating slide, with the anticipation of what you are about to hit. The waves, big enough to block your view, collide, resulting in the chaos of cross waves, whirlpools and boils.You stay standing until you feel like the next wave will knock you off, then you drop to your knees to negotiate safe passage though the chaos until you arrive at the bottom of the rapid. Then you stand up and smile. Heaven!

Where it started

Two years ago, I would never have entertained the idea of taking a SUP on a flat river, never mind white water. However, after my first try at SUP during a coaching update, I was hooked. Having been white water kayaking for 35 years it was not long until I just had to take the SUP on moving water and wow what fun. It certainly makes paddling more difficult and is a challenge on water that is relatively easy in a kayak, plus you learn lots of new ways to fall in! Perfect for someone who likes to push herself and learn new skills but does not want to paddle above class 4.

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I had kayaked in Nepal a couple of times and had promised myself I would go back and paddle the Sun Kosi before it became too difficult for me. So as my husband (who gets dragged along rafting) had recently retired and I was about to, I contacted Daz at Pureland Expeditions to arrange a kayaking trip for October 2018. The last time I had met Daz was at the Dee on my SUP and he had a very wobbly go! His response was ‘why don’t you bring your SUP to the Sun Kosi’ and that was all the encouragement I needed! Daz is brilliant at sorting stuff, so not only was the trip raft supported, but I was to share a kayak with Aakriti (who was part of the Nepali support crew) – she would kayak when I SUPed, then I could kayak when the continuous more difficult (grade 3+/4) sections whilst she paddled in the raft.

introduction to the riVer

After meeting Daz in Kathmandu we headed straight to the Sun Kosi riverside camp at Star Rafting to meet up with everyone. In addition to myself, my husband Ian was rafting, whilst Wendy (from New Zealand) and Elvin and Bav (from India) were kayaking. We jumped on the river for an afternoon warm up on class 1-2.. I felt quite wobbly and fell off a couple of times, before relaxing back into it. The next day I got the chance to check out a boat and kayaked the Indrawati River (a lovely class 2 run with fantastic bird life – including kingfishers and flocks of egrets) along with my husband Ian who only occasionally kayaks flat water. He paddled really well, but after a couple of swims was in no doubt that he was happy to be on the raft for the expedition.

day 1 sun kosi

Whilst the crew packed up the raft, we headed upstream to kayak the upper Sun Kosi. This was a brilliant fun packed 90-minute run on class 3+ with big waves and holes to avoid. This brought us back to the camp by Sukhute beach where we met the raft before setting off for the expedition proper. I was starting to get my ‘legs’ back as we bounced down and the difficulty of the rapids slowly increased to class 3.

I was having to concentrate quite hard to keep my balance and kneeled down for the bigger waves, but there were plenty of opportunities to look around and enjoy the fantastic scenery. After a couple more hours on the water we set up camp on a lovely beach. It is rather nice when all the food magically appears, the organisation of camp and the quality of the food on the whole trip was excellent.

day 2

Today started with lots of fun class 2+ rapids for 90 minutes before I swapped from the SUP into a kayak for ‘No Exit’ which had a big hole then another big rapid before easing off. After lunch I got back to my SUP, I was now feeling much more stable and had worked out not to follow the raft as it slows down during rapids, whereas the SUP needs speed to get through the waves.

Being stood up I got a very good view of the whole length of most rapids, much better than when sitting in a kayak, so I was able to see and plan my route fairly easily.Thus I generally paddled at the front along with Hem or Bimal our Nepali safety kayakers, who also had sussed me out by now, but kept an eye out. At first no one had been quite sure what to expect from me and my SUP, as this was the first time they had seen anyone

SUP the Sun Kosi, and no one had taken a SUP down the whole river before. We reached another tricky class 3+ rapid which bends to the right with all the water piling up onto the wall. I paddled this all successfully on my knees and afterwards was told that this was the most technically challenging water I was likely to SUP on the whole trip.

Daz was really pleased that I had paddled it successfully and was therefore happy that I was well up for the challenge of the rest of the river. This was then followed by another 3+ rapid where I had to move across from left to right to avoid a massive hole in the middle of the rapid – I kept my head dry here as well. Feeling knackered after a brilliant day on the river we stopped at a big beach where locals were herding cows and goats. There was enough drift wood to build a fire and as there was a village nearby we had beer to go with our curry that night.

day 3

This was the best SUP day! I was now standing up down all the rapids up to grade 3 and paddled ‘Meatgrinder’ (4-) by taking the left line and missing the big crashing waves in the centre, although the eddy line did take a lot of paddling to get over. I think I surprised everyone by not getting my hair wet on this!

The kayakers had fun going back into the big surf waves, whilst I was happy to paddle around the edges.

In the afternoon I paddled ‘Punch & Judy’ (4- and 3), the waves were so big that even though I was kneeling, the board took off and flew through the air on ‘Punch’. This was my first proper trash of the trip and at one point I was under my board trying to get up for air, it can be quite challenging getting back on

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Thepaddler 148

Daz leading the kayakers

leopards!

We were warned not to go into the jungle in the dark as we might meet

when the waves keep flipping the board over! Later a few of the crew and Daz had a go at SUPing to see just how different it felt to kayaking. The Nepali guys who spend their life on the river do have excellent balance, but still wobbled on the flat. It was great to see them enjoying themselves on the trip even though it is work for them. That night when it got dark, we found them splashing about in shallow water with head torches and machetes; the small fishes came up to the light and they chopped them with the machete to kill/catch them! It was a very funny sight and they had fish to supplement their supper.

day 4

Today I was in a kayak as this was the ‘Hakapur’ day. It did take us 90 minutes longer to get there than we expected as Daz and Hem had forgotten about a section of river! There were some good rapids ‘preAnxiety’ and ‘Anxiety’ that were fun to kayak, but would have been too difficult for me on a SUP.

We did not arrive at Hakapur until after lunch, where we all portaged the grade 5 ‘Hakapur 2’. It took a bit of time to unload and carry everything from the raft, but then we still had ‘Hakapur 3’ to kayak. This was the only rapid on the trip where we had any swimmers, Elvin and myself. I had managed to stay upright through the biggest waves, but then my roll failed (too much time on SUP lately instead of practicing rolling, is my excuse). We paddled down to camp and had Dahl Baht just above the confluence with the Dudh Kosi.

day 6

After a lazy start we went in search of ‘Rhino Rock’ which heralds the start of the ‘Jungle Corridor’ section, which was estimated by Bimal to be just 45 minutes away. After 2.5 hours we had still not found it… Also the wind had got up and was making it really hard to paddle, I was glad I was in a kayak. We all stopped exhausted for lunch: noodles, peanut butter, baked beans, and tinned fruit can make the best meal in the world when you are tired! Thirty minutes later and we finally reached ‘Rhino Rock,’ which had a fun big rapid with an enormous crashing wave big enough to flip a raft. Fuelled by lunch we all made it through before stopping at the next village to pick up supplies before finding another nice beach to camp.

day 7

‘Jungle Corridor’, 90 minutes of full-on grade 3-4 challenging rapids with just enough time to catch breath in-between. Finishing off with ‘Egg Basket’ (the biggest rapid we paddled on the river, named because it flipped a raft and they lost all of the eggs). The whole of the river piles into a wall on the left forming a massive crashing/cushion wave, which is followed by a huge wave train with massive boils on the right. I aimed for the centre line, got over the wall wave, then capsized in the wave train but held onto a high brace, got some air and managed to roll up and make it to the bottom. What a brilliant rapid to end this section with! This was followed by a shower in the waterfall at ‘Paradise Falls’ and lunch.

day 5

As the hardest part of the journey was over I pumped up my SUP and stood up for the 90-minute afternoon run down to an idyllic beach with glittering mica sand, a back drop of a waterfall in the jungle, and river caves opposite. We were warned not to go into the jungle in the dark as we might meet leopards!

knocked me off. Luckily I did manage to get back on in time to make the big eddy above ‘Jaws’. We all inspected this grade 4 rapid, I walked round. Then we loaded SUP on the raft for ‘Dead Mans Eddy’.

day 8

We started the day with a breakfast of eggs and hash watching a troop of monkeys on the opposite bank. I was starting to feel some muscle tiredness by now, but my confidence was growing and I was SUPing the vast majority of the time standing up. There was one big rapid, which I did kneel for but the waves still

I was really pleased not to have paddled this as Wendy only just made it through with some powerful paddling after a big boil moment. We stopped for a late lunch and set up camp as we were all getting a bit tired.

Rest day in paradise. Camping in the jungle near a small village (with beer shop) and rice fields. A walk up the hill to overlook the river, followed by an afternoon spent reading/dozing/practicing Z-drags, with curry and chapattis for dinner.

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Thepaddler 150 day 9

A superb section for WWSUP. Lots of really nice fun grade 2-3 rapids and waves. I was enjoying paddling over big boils and hitching a ride on the seam lines. I did take a couple of tumbles as I was standing up for much longer before dropping a knee, but with the nice big deep water I was happy to push my limits as my skill and confidence had visibly improved so much over the trip.

The Arun and Tamur rivers now joined bringing up the volume to 800 cumecs, so even though the river had flattened out, there were still lots of boils and currents to keep me on my toes, and to knock me off if I lost my concentration! We camped just before the Hindu temple Baraha Chetra which we walked up to before dinner.

day 10

Our last day on the river. We got up early to paddle the last 90 minutes to the get-out at Chatra, where we had a friendly welcome and Dhal Bhat waiting for us. We then found out that Elvin and Bav were the first people from India to have kayaked the Sun Kosi and I was the first person to have SUPed it. We loaded all the kit onto a coach, then we headed off to the airport to fly back to Katmandu for a couple of days touristing before heading home.

thanks

Thanks to everyone for a great trip, really great company on and off the river. Daz runs amazing trips with superb support on and off the river.The conditions for SUP could not have been better, the harder sections of river were great fun to kayak, and Ian had fun rafting. I grew up reading my Dad’s National Geographic magazines and dreamed of visiting Nepal. It is so special to be able to visit these amazing places, to see the wildlife from the river, and most of all to meet the wonderful friendly Nepali people.

S t a n d

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P a d d l e

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