The Paddler Late Summer Issue 31 2016

PADDE PD DLR LER The International digital magazine for recreational paddlers

LENS 3 Dave Wortley

Behind the

ezine

RUSSIA Mark Hirst &

WW Altay region of Sal Montgomery

EJ Steffan Meyric Hughes A week with

Issue 31 Late Summer 2016

NEPAL Kevin Jones

Baby Boomers bombing it in

CONTN TENTS

Joe Clarke - Olympic K1 Gold medallist training at Lee Valley: Photo: Pete Astles Editor

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

Advertising sales

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

Covers

Kayak: Scotty Simmonds, Lee Valley WW Centre by Dave Wortley Salty: Bill Vonnegut, California, US

by Roger Smith Canoe: Yukon River Quest, Canada

by Richard Harpham

Not all contributors are professional writers and photographers, so don’t be put off writing because you have no experience! The Paddler ezine is all about paddler to paddler dialogue: a paddler’s magazine written by paddlers.

Next issue is Autumn/Fall 2016 with a deadline of submissions on September 20th. Technical Information: Contributions preferably as a Microsoft Word file with 1200-2000 words, emailed to submissions@thepaddler.ezine.com. Images should be hi-resolution and emailed with the Word file or if preferred, a Dropbox folder will be created for you. The Paddler ezine encourages contributions of any nature but reserves the right to edit to the space available. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishing parent company, 2b Graphic Design Limited. The publishing of an advertisement in the Paddler ezine does not necessarily mean that the parent company, 2b Graphic Design Limited, endorse the company, item or service advertised. All material in the Paddler ezine is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved. Reproduction without prior permission from the editor is forbidden.

Issue 31 Late Summer 2016

004 The Paddler’s Planet

By Christian Wagley

007 Seasonal delights

The ocean sniper by Sonja Jones

018 Coaching

Mentoring by Dave Rossetter and Alex Lumsden

022 Behind the lens (part 3) Knowing the basics by Dave Wortley

039 Swim, chase, throw

No. 3 of a safety coaching series by Chris Brain

050 Nepal

Baby boomers bombing it in Nepal by Kevin Jones

060 Russia

WW Altay region in Siberia by Mark Hirst

076 Russia

Getting in shape for Siberia by Sal Montgomery

084 Canada

A week with EJ in Ottawa by Steffan Meyric Hughes

098 United States

Surfing or riding waves by Bill Vonnegut

108 United States

Mangrove paddling in Florida by Peter Tranter

120 Ireland

Lough Erne to the Shannon by Phil Maxwell

132 Canada

TheYukon River Quest by Richard Harpham

144 Testing, testing

Plenty of kit reviewed by our contributors Thank you to: Pete Astles, MCS Beachwatch, Surfers Against Sewage, Dimitri Vandepoele, Bex Pope, Chris Horsey, Ben Press, Aapo Halonon, Jake Holland, Chris Doyle-Kelly, Dmitry Ermolov, Anton Sveshnikov, Eric Jackson, Jason Ambrose, Mike Shaw, Mark Boyd, Akiko Yoshikawa, Roger Smith, Siesta Key Bike and Kayak, Andrew Black, Rob Campbell, Scott Edwards, Jeremy Vore, Philip Carr and Chris Stubbs for all your help in putting this issue together.

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PADDLER’S PLANET by CHRISTIAN WAGLEY

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Healthy nature inspires healthy lives For more information on how you can participate wherever you may be on the Planet visit www.supradioshow.com Stay tuned for my weekly podcast of The Paddler’s Planet with my guest host Christian Wagley on www.supradioshow.com, “Where we are Standing Up for the Planet!”

A few days ago, a leisurely Sunday morning beckoned a friend and me to leave our paddleboards hanging in the shed and to head for a swim on a Gulf of Mexico beach near my home in northwest Florida. It was a quiet morning for people, with most sleeping-in and some heading-out to church before the mid-day August heat forces everything to slow down.

For the bountiful life along the shoreline, it wasn’t Sunday morning but another morning in the daily quest to survive and thrive. And on this day the beach was bursting with life, as all kinds of animals swam, crawled, and flew around us.The fullness of life that day reminded me that when healthy – nature, communities, and our minds and bodies – are capable of working in the most beautiful ways.

Our great little beach spot that morning was on Santa Rosa Island inside Gulf Islands National Seashore, one of the jewels among so

many in America’s national park system. With miles of undeveloped beach on either side of us, nature lives without restraint.

As we emerged through the dunes, flocks of several species of shorebirds stood along the beach as if at attention, their heads predictably turned into the steady northeast wind. Sanderlings scurried along the water’s edge to forage.

Giant space ships

Diving beneath the small waves brought a brief shock of cool before we settled-in – wading, swimming, and watching the life around us.

Huge stingrays cruised the shallows like giant

space ships, gliding along in search of clams, worms, and crustaceans. The light was just right for making them barely visible from above, save for their long, thin black tails extending behind and warning of their presence. As we shuffled our feet to avoid an excruciating sting, they darted-away in a cloud of sand.

Several schools of small sharks swam by, with their threatening silhouettes greatly diminished by their size. Larger schools of tiny fish clustered toward the water’s edge, staying away from what dangers that might lurk in open water. In deeper water, dolphins swirled around baitfish.

At the water’s edge the bounty of life was most visible. Thousands of what locals call sand fleas--more appropriately known as mole crabs-popped out of the sand and swirled around in the shallow swash of each receeding wave. These elongated little crabs are good indicators of a healthy beach, as they are nowhere to be found on man-made beaches of dredged sand.

Collective movement

Higher up on the beach, waves washed over thousands of tiny coquina clams, their shells painted with nearly every colour of the spectrum. Each clam used its powerful foot to burrow quickly back into the sand before the next wave, and that collective movement of thousands of clams made the beach face quiver.

On this healthy beach, life was prolific and untamed. The ease and seemingly even joy with which everything moved made me smile.

It’s the same way our communities can be when they are healthy. Neighbourhoods where we know and help our neighbours can be the standard. Lives lived full of purpose and joy are our natural destiny. Watching the thriving life of a gulf coast beach reminded me how good it can be.

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SONJA JONES

Seasonal

delights

The ocean sniper – plastic

Yesterday I was walking down the street with a friend and mid conversation I began to choke uncontrollably – she leapt into action and patted me hard on my back.This lasted for what seemed like a century, where it became so serious she shouted for someone to call “999” whilst she performed the Heimlich manoeuvre on me, and then, without warning, something flew out of my mouth onto the ground. Whilst I was slumped on the floor regaining my breath, she was stunned to discover that I had coughed up a straw.Yes. A plastic drinking straw.

I’m not the only one to experience such a strange phenomenon recently.

A friend was telling me that her and her boyfriend were fast asleep in bed and she was woken up with alarm by him screaming in pain, rolling around and grabbing his left eye. She peeled his hands off his face to find that a plastic drinks bottle lid had become firmly stuck onto his eye ball. Imagine. Imagine the horror.

Thankfully, our everyday lives aren’t really savaged by such hideous happenings, but there is a place on Planet Earth where these occurrences are only too common for a range of creatures – the underwater world.

Although our lives above ground, particularly in urban areas, are unfortunately litter filled affecting the aesthetics and causing potential hazards to hungry animals – our streets and park lands are generally maintained by bin men, street cleaners and park rangers. As such is the human condition, we like to ensure our immediate surroundings are pleasing…but we also, in my opinion, practice the concept of “out of sight, out of mind” incredibly well.

Marine litter is threatening our seas. It is causing acidification of our oceans, climate change, death and entanglement to 100,000 marine mammals and over 1 million sea birds annually, as well as the introduction of non-native invasive species throughout the world causing severe changes to biodiversity and disrupting ecosystems. It is also making our beautiful beaches and landscapes ugly, and is causing health hazards to all.

The main source of litter is plastic, and every single piece of plastic that has ever been made STILL exists.

Paddle Against Plastic 2016 https://youtu.be/nb7SuVbXiwc

It is estimated that in every square mile of ocean, there are 46,000 pieces of plastic within it. It takes longer to degrade in the ocean than on land, where if left on a beach, a plastic bottle can take up to 450 years to degrade.

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Over time, plastic begins to break down (it is NOT biodegradable) in the sea, but just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

Micro-plastics are the snipers of the ocean – they cannot be seen but they have the ability to leach, absorb and carry harmful chemicals and because they are so tiny, they are entering the food chain, including our own. They are being ingested by all manner of creatures causing digestive and reproductive problems, including the fish on your plate; I bet that will make you look at that sea bass differently when you next go out for a meal.

So what can we do about this? Let’s start by using less plastic

Cal Major is a UK-based super SUPer who loathes marine litter. This August, she is SUPing 260 miles around the entire Cornish coast and into North Devon, from Wembury to Croyde; that’s the equivalent of 10 marathons. She hopes to demonstrate just how easy it is to use less plastic in our lives, and as a result, to reduce the amount ending up in our oceans.

Check out her film on the preceeding page to learn more about her challenge and the WHY behind it: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=nb7SuVbXiwc

Sources of marine litter: l l l l l l l

40.4% 4.5% 13.9% 0.7% 3.9% 0.2% 36.3%

from the public sewage related debris fishing litter fly tipping shipping medical waste non-sourced

*MCS Beachwatch Survey 2012 provided by Surfers Against Sewage

In the UK we use 13 billion plastic bottles every year and they are one of the most common items found on UK beach cleans. You’ve probably seen them yourself, dotted around the place. Cal says, “If you haven’t, just keep an eye out next time you’re at the beach or out on your SUP and I guarantee it won’t be long before you bump into a rogue bottle. Picking them up and removing them from the environment is a great step to help protect our oceans and I encourage you to do so!”

With the advent of, Surfers Against Sewage’s community beach cleans and the #2minutebeachclean, more and more people are understanding the positive impact that they can have by removing a couple of pieces of litter from their beloved beach every time they visit.

Cal tells us that, “In the UK we are blessed with safe, clean and abundant drinking water. So why do we need to buy all of these plastic bottles in the first place? Using a refillable alternative will reduce the cost to the individual, and help to safeguard our oceans and our planet from the stress imposed upon it from the production and disposal of plastic bottles.

Recycling is a great step. However, the amount of oil required to produce a plastic bottle in the first place would fill about 25% of its final volume, and to make a one-litre plastic bottle uses seven litres of water.”

Challenge yourself In exchange for my challenge, I am challenging you to go without buying a plastic water bottle this summer, and to use a refillable one instead!

You can get hold of refillable water bottles all over the UK. I am a fan of stainless steel bottles, the water tastes better – you don’t get that horrible plastic taste if it’s sat in your car (or van) for too long and it’s healthier not to be drinking from plastic vessels too!

Photo: Greg Martin

You can pick up stainless steel water bottles online at the Surfers Against Sewage shop, and support a great cause in the process. Use the discount code ‘againstplastic’ at the checkout for 10% off Klean Kanteen bottles.

To donate: If you would like to donate to Surfers Against Sewage to help continue their work in protecting our oceans and beaches, please visit www.justgiving.com/ cal-major

Follow Cal’s progress on Facebook: Paddle Against Plastic 2016, or Twitter: @PaddleVsPlastic, or Instagram: @paddleagainstplastic ThePADDLER 9

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Cal isn’t alone in her fight against marine litter, her passion is shared by this season’s Star Paddler, where he has started up a lesser known sea kayaking scene in Belgium,Team P&H Paddler, Dimitri Vandepoele.

Dimitri, what is the sea kayaking like in Belgium and how did you get started?

When I started paddling there wasn’t much of a sea kayak scene along the Belgian coast. After building our house where we live now, not far from the North Sea, I wanted to do something on the water. I narrowed my search down to dinghy sailing or sea kayaking. In the end I chose sea kayaking because of the versatility of the craft. When trained properly you can paddle in conditions from 0 up to Force 7, you are not dependable on wind or engine and it’s all by your own power.

began dreaming.This dream became more and more a reality with looking at the sea chart, planning, studying tidal streams and looking at a lot of others things that could be important.

The past three years I was sure I would embark on this trip, I just wanted to wait until conditions were perfect. It was only in the summer of 2015 that I found three days in a row with a very good weather forecast. I planned everything myself and I must say, with never taking any class or course, the planning proved to be perfect during the crossing. I came up with a plan A, B and C. It turned out that I did the crossing at a much faster

Because I did not find anyone who could help me learn things, I began doing everything myself.

I learned by trial and error, by watching videos (both the good and the bad ones). The NORTHSEAKAYAK team was only my wife Sylvie, my best friend Kurt and myself in the beginning. After almost ten years of paddling, supporting others and sharing both knowledge and experience, our group was growing.

Since our coast line isn’t that spectacular we train on a wide variety of things, just to keep things interesting. Sea kayaking in general is growing in Belgium, but with small steps.

Although we are not an official club we work together with the Flemish Kayak Association on occasions, and we keep supporting both newcomers and more experienced paddlers as much as possible with our NORTHSEAKAYAK team. It has never been, and will never be, about being better than someone else. In our group it is all about the smiles, the companionship and going on the water together in a safe and responsible way.

You have the coveted title of being the first person to complete a solo unsupported crossing of the North Sea by sea kayak – what inspired you to embark on that adventure?

What were the highs and lows?

The first years of our paddling career we talked about this crossing thinking that it would be impossible. With the years passing by and building up experience by doing a lot of offshore day trips leading us further and further from the shore we

speed than I calculated in my plan A. A bit more than halfway I only had to change course and follow plan B to be on a better track again. Since it was full moon and spring tide, it was a big advantage to keep those things in mind.

There were two ‘big’ moments on this journey. The first was the sunrise. I never appreciated the sunrise more than on this trip, after paddling a night in nearly total darkness. I even thanked the sun out loud (yes, I’m a bit crazy).

The second ‘big’ moment was when I saw the white cliffs of Saint Margaret’s Bay (near Dover).

Some sea gulls must have heard me yelling through pure joy although I still had a long distance to cover.

As for the lows, there weren’t any, really! Of course I was exhausted after completing the mission and I felt every muscle in my body, but I would do it again if conditions were right. It was a fantastic experience; a dream come true.

Dimitri

VANDEPOELE

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ThePADDLER 12 Marine litter is a big hate of yours – tell us more about your thoughts on marine litter…

It makes me sick knowing that there is so much plastic in our seas. Doing nothing and standing on the sideline is maybe even worse than dumping garbage into the water. It is by now a habit to me, my family and my fellow paddlers to pick up trash from our sea. I even teach my young kids to pick up at least one bit of garbage when walking or playing on the beach. I have picked up trash whilst kayaking for years but after a while and with some ideas from the people of the Flanders Marine Institute I started taking pictures of it.

With sharing those pictures on social media I’m hoping that other paddlers around the world may take an example and do the same. I’m hoping that not only paddlers but also other sea lovers (tourists, hikers, boaters...) will follow this example.

I’m not just talking about the ‘visible’ plastic, our oceans are also polluted by micro plastics. That’s maybe even a bigger threat because it easily gets into the food chain.

Will I clean the ocean on my own? Certainly not, but I will give it at least a try. It will take years to convince people to use less plastic in their daily lives and to be honest, I’m also a bit guilty of that matter.

Why is it important to protect our seas?

I’m a sea lover in the first place, a sea kayaker in the second place and therefore important to keep our playground clean. Not only because the sea looks better without trash and plastic, but to keep what’s living in the sea healthy. Have you ever seen those videos and images with dead birds, dead fish and marine mammals caused by plastic? That is why it’s so important.

The seas are teeming with life although we mostly cannot see what’s living under the surface. It is up to us and to the following generations to protect and to conserve this, not to destroy it.

What do you think we can do as the paddling community to help the marine (or even, river or lake) litter problem?

Start by using less plastic in our daily lives and of course, when on (or in) the water, pick up trash along the way and convince others to do the same. Like most things, it begins with ourselves.

Planning beach clean ups for example is a very good idea, but it should not stop by helping out just one day in a year.

Spreading the word by showing other people when returning from a trip what you have picked up on the water is a good start – you should see their faces. Try to convince others, we are stronger together! Take care of each other on the water, and don’t forget to take care of our seas also!

You can follow Dimitri and his adventures on https://www.youtube.com/user/Northseakayak

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Take home messages:

1. Use less plastic. Simple. Start by using a reusable water bottle.

2. Reduce, reuse, and recycle.

3. When out on the water or at the beach, take a few minutes to collect any litter you find and dispose of it responsibly.

4. Take photographs of your findings and spread the word through the powers of social media 5. Set up your own community beach or ‘paddle cleans’, or go and check out what Surfer’s Against Sewage and #2minutebeachclean are up to I hope that this article has inspired you to follow Cal and Dimitri’s lead in the fight against ocean litter; in the words of Dimitri, “Together we are strong.”

Contact Sonja at: sonjafvjones@gmail.com Twitter: @paddlehigh5

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By Dave Rossetter – Head of Paddlespo Continuing the theme of working with other coaches I have asked Alex to get involved in this. I have written and talked about mentoring in the past. It is an area that crops up often when working with coaches and paddlers to help them achieve their goals.This came about at a conference that I was involved in developing the coaching programme for.The workshop covered various aspects for paddlers and how to get the most out of mentoring.This article gives an overview of this area.

In the coming months I will be liaising with coaches that I have the pleasure of working with at various levels to develop their/my coaching!

So over to Alex…

Mentoring An outline for mentors and mentees This article

Anyone who has been involved with the current coaching scheme will be aware that there is an expectation that you find a mentor.You may have been asked to mentor one of these coaches if so read on as this article will outline some of the key roles to help an effective mentoring relationship.

Steve Fisher

Steve Fisher, one of the sports most accomplished paddlers stated that when he was growing up, “I had the disadvantage of no kayak mentors to tell me what to do. But the distinct advantage was I had no one to tell me what I couldn’t do!” To be an effective mentor this quote is important to keep in mind, we’re not there to say what can and can’t be done but to aid the learning of the coach to allow them to excel.

What is mentoring

Mentoring is a process where a coach seeks out a fellow coach to help them develop their practice. It’s a relationship that could be long or short term and range from formal to informal. A mentor is not someone who can answer all your questions with solutions for every occasion.The mentor’s role is to aid the coach/paddler through their learning process, to help them fulfill their full potential. As a mentor it’s important to know the beliefs and values that have guided you in your coaching/paddling. Understanding this will help you guide your mentees.

orts at Glenmore Lodge The reflective cycle - adapted from Gibbs, 1988

The reflective cycle is a key tool for the mentor to add some structure to the relationship with their coach/paddler, done well, it can maximize learning potential. This process can feel time consuming at first but with practice will become less of a burden.

The role of the mentor is to create an environment where the coach/paddler are able to challenge their current way of thinking and modify their current coaching performance. Without self-reflection change in the coaches/paddlers practice will be slow.

The self-reflection cycle starts and finishes with the coaches own performance and will always take place directly after the session. See fig 1.

After the experience with the session fresh in the coach’s mind, the mentor will allow the coach/paddler to follow the steps in the selfrefection asking key questions to help promote meaningful refection.

Describe encourages the coach to review their session in a non-evaluative way which helps the

coach see their coaching more objectively and moves away from the initial subjective feeling of the session.

The coach/paddler should evaluate what was effective/ineffective in the session in relation to their predetermined goals. This allows the individual to evaluate what was working.

The Analysis of the above steps allows a coach or paddler an insight into their strengths and weaknesses and helps them form a conclusion about their coaching/paddling practice.

Action points can be gained from this self refection which should then be implemented in the next session.

The mentor’s role is to focus these action points to have a direct effect on the coach/paddlers behaviour.

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Key skills and qualities for a mentor This article has focused on just a couple key roles of a mentor there a many other factors involved in being an effective mentor some are outlined below to help aid you in area to research further.

Feedback tips

Although there is no one set of skill and qualities to be the ultimate mentor, the ability to have an objective view of the individuals approach and to see there’s not just one way to do things will help. Having a current up to date and knowledgeable understanding of your discipline is vital to allow you to enter into conversation with your mentee and remain credible. The ability to have empathy for an individual’s point of view, whilst empowering and facilitating their style without enforcing yours is crucial. Have you the time to give to help them? Do you have the experience of the individual’s situation and a view of the bigger picture to help them? Have you got the patience to let them make mistakes and learn at their own pace? Can you be a challenger and tackle preconceived ideas and practices of yourself and your paddler?

Feedback can be given a range of ways; here are few you will be familiar with.The evaluative nature of criticism can make it difficult to take even when constructive and well meaning. Look carefully at the goals for development and take a minute to judge if they are secure enough to take it. If your criticism is misinterpreted in the eyes of the coach/paddler any further input may be devalued.

Observation, active listening and questions skills are also essential for effective mentoring.

To develop these skill, Sports Coach UK ‘A Guide to Mentoring sports Coaches’ is an excellent easy to use guide to mentoring with practical elements to help you in your role as a mentor.

Alex Lumsden is an active Level 5 whitewater kayak coach working full-time for Dumfries and Galloway Council. When not leading, coaching and guiding he is out searching new gems to paddle especially in Dumfries and Galloway area of Scotland.

We have all received feedback at some point, some of it would have made us feel on top of the world and some may us question if we know what we are doing!

I had a friend who always said, “You’re never too old for praise” and for me at the age of 36 I still love to be told I'm doing well! However praise has had little effect on my development as a coach as once you feel a practice is good it can be difficult to focus on how effective it is. Asking a coach or paddler about the effectiveness of a task will allow the coach to continue to develop their practices in a range of situations.

Think about using effectiveness versus consequence to evaluate as opposed to good or bad.

If you have been asked to mentor it can be tempting to impart advice from your years of experience, however, advice is directive and assumes a right way of doing things.To allow a coach or paddler to develop their own values of paddling it is important not to clone them to your own philosophy.

Encourage your mentee to use guided selfdiscovery as it is less directive and evaluative than the other options and allows the coach to lead the sessions.This requires good open questioning by the mentor to keep feedback non-directive.

Dave Rossetter Dave is Head of Paddlesports at Glenmore Lodge – Scotland’s National Outdoor Training Centre. He 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 and specialises in white water kayak and open canoe where he will most often be found. www.glenmorelodge.org.uk www.peakuk.co.uk

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B E H I N D t h e

LENS

Part 3: Knowing the basics After writing the first two parts to my series I realised that a third part is really needed in order to help those that maybe have only just picked up a Digital SLR, or leave it on one of the automodes and don’t really know what they are doing with it. Having invested over £1000 in camera equipment I think it’s probably best to have a little bit of an idea of how to use it properly. I’ll keep using kayaking as my analogies as it’s probably what most of you readers are going to be doing, but this applies to every type of photography. If you’re reading this and you’ve got a camera to hand, go pick it up and play with your settings as you read through.

By Dave ‘Scout’ Wortley

Alan Ward 1/5000th F2.8 ISO100 165mm ThePADDLER 23

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The balance of three When it comes down to it all cameras have three controls which determine the exposure of your images. It doesn’t matter if it’s an iPhone, a film SLR, or an expensive high end camera you are always asking; G G G

How much light am I letting into the camera? (Aperture) How long am I letting it in for? (Shutter) How fast does that light get processed? (ISO)

The balance of these is what gives you the control to get the photos you want. These three work in harmony and as a photographer you’ve got to understand the influence and effects of changing these values from one extreme to the other. The flipsides are sometimes what you want depending on how creative you are being, but unless you are in a studio with full control of lighting normally you have to compromise on at least one of the three.

Simple Explanation Chart Low Value Upside

Shutter ISO Aperture F#

Flipside

High Value Upside

Flipside

More light in

Blurry

Sharp

Needs lots of light

Shallow DOF

Limited Focus area

Big Focus

Needs lots of light

Better Quality Low light

Shutter speed

Doesn’t expose quickly More vignette

Processes fast

Grainy Image

No Bokeh bloom

This is the easiest one to understand, this is how long the shutter of the camera is open, how long the digital sensor exposes for in time. On a typical camera the shutter length is between 1/8000th and 30 seconds, with the former being a very short exposure letting in very little light but freezing the moment in time and the latter being a very long exposure letting in a huge amount of light but any motion will be blurred. If your camera is not on a tripod and you are shooting freehand, anything longer than 1/80th of a second will be hard to keep sharp due to the movement of the camera as you hold it and press the shutter button. With white-water, anything below 1/200th will start to look blurry as the water is moving quite fast. If you want to take a nice photo of the stars or a blurry river however you’d want to put the camera on a tripod, (or lean it against a rock if you’re travelling light) and then leave the shutter open for 10-30 seconds to let in as much light as possible exposing for the night sky or making the water look blurry and silky.

Shutter chart (each is a doubling of exposure)

8000th 4000th 2000th 1000th 500th 250th 125th 60th 30th 15th 8th 4th 0.5” 1” 2” 4” 8” 15” 30” Bulb Super Sharp frozen image

Limits of freehand

Blurry water

Night Sky

Alan Ward – 1/100th second = Blurry water Heidi Walsh – 1/4000th Second = Sharp frozen water

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Becka Eva – F2.8 aperture

ISO

ISO = Sensitivity = film speed, three different terms for the same thing, this is how sensitive the sensor is to light. Think of this as a multiplier on your shutter speed. If you shoot at 1/100th at ISO100 and then again at ISO200 you will have twice as much light processed by the sensor. What this means is if you don’t have enough light to get a sharp shutter speed you can increase the ISO sensitivity and keep the shutter to a short duration. The side-effect of increasing your ISO however is image noise/grain, this gets increasingly worse the higher you push your ISO. Some older cameras will start to look bad beyond ISO800 whereas modern cameras can go up to ISO3200 before things get really bad. The nice thing with whitewater is the brightness can hide the grain quite well so you can push your ISO higher than you normally would.

ISO chart (each is a doubling of exposure) 100

200

400

800

Clean image

1600

Grain

Aperture (or f-stop)

3200

6400

12800

25600

Almost unusable

Aperture is the most complex and creative of the camera settings, adjusting this can give you that lovely soft-out-of-focus background for portraits or a sharp image for big landscapes.

Shutter and ISO aren’t restricted too much by the type of equipment you have at your disposal (unless you need to shoot very high ISO), but aperture really comes down to the lens. What happens when you change your aperture setting to change your f-stop (the amount of light coming in), is a dramatic shift in the look due to the depth-of-field changing, this is how big the region we’re looking at that will be in focus.

Small/shallow depth-of-field = subject in focus – background out of focus Large/deep depth-of-field = subject in focus – background in focus

It depends massively on the capabilities (expense) of the lens. The range of light that can be let in is determined by a complicated set of factors including the quality of the glass, the number of glass elements and the size of the glass. The cheaper lens normally go down to F3.5/F4 but a cheap £100 50mm prime F1.8 lens is a great investment.

Aperture values are confusingly inversed… the lower the number, the more light that you’re letting in, the higher the number the less light you let in. So when we say you want a wide open aperture, this may sound like you need a big number, but actually it’s the opposite, F1.2 would be a wide aperture, but gives you a shallow depth-of-field… confusing at first I know!

The numbers also don’t go in a linear fashion, instead they go in increments of ½ or more commonly 1/3 of a stop of light.

Aperture chart (Each stop in bold is a halving of exposure) Fully open: letting plenty of light in

Tight aperture: little light

1.0 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.5 2.8 3.2 3.5 4 4.5 5.0 5.6 6.3 7.1 8 9 10 11 13 14 16 18 20 22

Emily Evans F16 aperture

Shallow depth of field More vignette

Sharpest

Deep depth of field Softens Image

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ThePADDLER 28 One of the things I wish I had known earlier in my journey to understand photography is that the sharpest f-stop of a lens is normally between 8-14 depending on the lens, this goes against what you’ll read in a lot of photography articles which say F2 = blur, F22 = sharp, it’s not strictly true due to an effect called diffraction. So when taking photos of kayakers, where you want to get the entire scene in focus, try and keep around the F8-F14 mark but you’ll need a lot of light around to be able to get a sharp shutter. The closer you are to your subject the narrower the depth of field, this is accentuated when using a longer lens, with a wide lens you need to get very close <1m to the subject to get the background out of focus. F2.8 can sometimes be a very narrow depth of field where you can’t get your whole talent in focus, on a shot like the photo on the right, where the aperture needed to be slightly narrower.

To demonstrate what a stop of light is, set your camera to manual mode; try going from F8 1/250th ISO 200 to F5.6 1/250th ISO 100. This will result in the same exposed image because we halved the ISO speed of the sensor but let twice as much light in using the Aperture. If we tried F8 1/125th ISO 100 it again would be the same exposure of light in our image because we’ve halved the speed at which the light is processed but double the length of time we are exposing for.

If you set your camera to full manual wherever you are, fiddle with your aperture, ISO and shutter until your meter is reading in the middle. Take a shot, you’ll find it should be about the right exposure, not too bright, not too dark, just like if you’ve taken the same photo on fully automatic.

Priority modes

When you’re trying to shoot kayaking out and about, it’s very rare that you want/need to be on full manual. I remember teaching a young aspiring photographer who had been trying to shoot on full manual and all his shots were exposed differently, mostly over-exposed as he couldn’t compensate fast enough for the changing amount of light with whitewater. The priority modes enable you to tell the camera what is the most important out of aperture and shutter speed (you always want ISO as low as you can get it).

On your camera you’ll see on the LCD panel and through the view-finder, something that looks like this:

This is the light meter, it’s calculating what level of exposure you’re going to get with your current settings to return an image that is evenly exposed. This is your friend, use it wisely and learn to trust it, and learn when you can push the meter reading up or down.

Scotty Simmonds, Lee Valley – 200mm, F2.8 1\6400th ISO100

Becka Eva – 105mm F4.5

Switching your camera mode to Av means you are telling it what you want the aperture to be.You can set the aperture manually to a low number F1.8 to get defocussed backgrounds or set it to F11 to get sharper images. The camera will use the meter to work out what the appropriate shutter speed is to get the image exposed, this of course depends on your ISO, but normally it’s best to manually set your ISO or configure your camera so that an automatic ISO won’t go above 800, the camera is clever enough to know it should always keep it as low as possible.

Tv mode

In Tv mode you are telling the camera what your desired shutter length is, you may want to make sure you always freeze the action, in which case you can let the camera adjust the aperture up or down. This is really useful for whitewater as you can set you shutter to 1/2000th ISO400 and every one of your shots will be sharp action shots as the camera will figure out how much light to let in each time.You may need to raise the ISO up or down depending on the conditions and if you’re on a really bright day you can probably get to 1/4000th or 1/8000th.

Alan Ward – Lee Valley, F2.8, 1/8000th, ISO100

Av mode

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Rob Powell Looping huge at Lee Valley, F4.5, 1/2000th, ISO 250

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Stopping up and down: -1ev, 0ev, +1ev

Dan Daley at Lee Valley â&#x20AC;&#x201C; F5.0

Hitting the mark

If the camera can’t get to the target exposure the value will start flashing on your LCD, there’s either too much light for it to cope with or not enough. In these cases you need to adjust your priority value up/down or change the ISO manually.

Stopping up and down

Using the secondary control on your camera you can move your metering point left or right to ask the camera to either deliberately underexpose (to the left) your photo or over-expose (to the right) your photo. Typically underexposing by 2/3 of a stop (two small lines on your meter) allows you to see more details in the water, but you can’t see the paddler’s face so well. Over-exposing 1/3-2/3 will allow you to see all those amusing grins and squirms, but you will end up with whiter water.

One stop under gives more detail in the water but you struggle to see the faces, one stop over and the face becomes very visibly but the water starts to blow out.

Metering modes

Your camera will have at least three different metering modes, spot, centre-weighted and evaluative. In close-up white-water shots there can be a huge exposure difference in what the camera wants to see as exposed in the water and exposed for the paddler, due to the dark kit. The camera can either gauge on the point you are focusing on, or overall across the whole image, or it can make a best guess between the two.

Evaluative will try to meter the whole image but consider where you are focussing as important.

Centre-weighted average will average the reading towards the middle of frame Spot metering will meter the image around the focus point.

Partial metering will evaluate around the focus point but larger than spot metering.

1/2500th ISO160

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ThePADDLER 32 Working the depth

If your lens is fairly wide say 18-24mm and your subject is far away, having a wide aperture like F2.8 won’t give you much defocusing in the background, you want your subject nice and close with a wide lens focusing closely to accentuate the distance or you want to be using a zoom lens which always amplifies the effect of DOF because the field of view is much narrower.

Check and review

When taking shots I am constantly checking my settings. Is my focus on manual or auto? Where is the focus aiming? Am I under or over metering? Am I using the right aperture? The joy with digital photography is you can test before you need to get the shot to make sure these are all correct first and you can fire off a good burst of shots.

Composition

Everything I’ve written so far is about the technical how-to of your camera, what the settings are, what they do, these are things that you can learn fairly quickly with a bit of practice.

However, what really makes a good photo is composition and lighting, how you frame a shot, how you use the best light and angle combined is the difference between an average shot and an absolute winner. I could write pages on composition but you can only learn this by developing your own eye and by practicing.

Heidi – 1/1250th F2.8 ISO200 155mm

F3.5 – doesn’t give a blurry background at this focus and distance

Becka Eva – F4.5 – Closer zoomed in a blurry background helps separate the foreground

Alan Ward – 185mm F3.5 1/8000th ISO160

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Lowri Davies flying in Dagger Green Boat 165mm F2.8 1/6400th ISO1250

Some tips on compositing to get you going: Foreground interest:

something which gives depth to the scene, it could be out of focus.

Scale Object:

sometimes it’s difficult to actually visualise how big something like a waterfall is. It might be tempting to ask one of your friends to step out of your photo but often by having a person in the shot the viewer instantly knows how big the thing is they’re looking at.

Rule of thirds:

textbook composition relies on splitting the image into thirds, the intersections of the thirds are where you should aim to have your interest points. If you’ve got a lot of sky it should take up 1/3 or 2/3 of the image, but symmetry can always look interesting too.

Leading lines:

look for lines that lead the viewer to where the point of interest is, this could be a tree, or a line of rocks, or another channel of water of the drop.

I hope these tips help you get up to speed and encourage you to get out there and taking photos! All this may seem very complicated but trust me it’ll become second-nature after a while and you won’t have to think about it! Follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DaveWortleyPhotography and on twitter: @OnTheRiverDave and Instagram: @daveWortleyPhotography

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PADDE PD DLR LER Kayak y

039 Swim, chase, throw

No. 3 of a safety coaching series by Chris Brain

050 Nepal

Baby boomers bombing it in Nepal by Kevin Jones

060 Russia

WW Altay region in Siberia by Mark Hirst

076 Russia

Getting in shape for Siberia by Sal Montgomery

084 Canada

A week with EJ in Ottawa by Steffan Meyric Hughes

W 7 E 1 N 20

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C O A C H I N G

S A F E T Y

S

SWIM - CHA

No.3

In the third part of the paddler safety series we will be looking at dealing with some scenarios which are common on the river, swimming, chasing boats and using throwbags.

By Chris Brain It is important to remember that there is no substitute for professional training in this area and this must be combined with experience in order to effectively use the ideas and techniques contained in this series. This article is not intended to replace formal training.

Our previous articles have focused on preparation, working together on the river and above all avoiding incidents happening in the first place. The techniques covered in this article assume that you have read the previous chapters.

E R I E S

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Swim In any situation on the river you are always the most important person. Having the mindset that you need to actually get yourself out of the river and actively do something about your own rescue will potentially save long swims and bumps and bruises. Too often I see swimmers adopting a ‘victim’ mentality and wait to be rescued by their team, when a proactive approach and a bit of effort in the water would get them to the bank much sooner.

As paddlers we should be dressing with a ‘clean’ profile, which means that when we swim we have minimal parts of our kit that can catch on anything that might be in the water. Some parts of our kit that present a snagging hazard when we swim, such as a kayaker’s spraydeck cannot be realistically avoided. However, we can make sure that slings and karabiners are zipped and stored out of the way, your knife is stowed away inside your PFD (instead of protruding on the outside) and even watches can be kept under cag sleeves or in a pocket too. Even though they have declined in popularity in recent years, cowstails are still present on some paddler’s PFDs, if you wear one it is important you think about how useful it is for you versus the risk of getting snagged or tangled during a swim or rescue. I personally have never found one very practical or useful in a recreational paddling situation.

Reducing risk

As soon as we are out of our boat we need to act quickly to get ourselves to safety. We can swim on our back with our feet downstream in a defensive position, keeping all of our body to the surface as much as we can. If we ever try and stand up in moving water, we are putting ourselves at risk of entrapment.

By keeping our body (feet, bum, hands) up by the surface of the water we reduce this risk and we should only stand up when we are in calm/still water by the bank. With our feet being downstream it means we can use our legs as shock absorbers if we need to and fend off rocks or obstacles.

When we swim in moving water we generally spend a little more time in our defensive position (as opposed to an aggressive position on our front). This is because it uses less energy and allows us to adjust our location in the river, saving ourselves for our final burst of speed when we get on our front and charge for the eddy.

When we are swimming on our back our angle to the flow is very important, exactly as it is when we are in our boat. If we want to move to the left or the right, we need to change our body’s angle to the flow (just was we would do in a canoe or kayak) and we move in a way which resembles a ferry glide. Changing our angle to the flow means that any swimming movement of the legs or arms to propel us, will be helping us to get to our destination rather than just fighting against the flow. I try to imagine an arrow pointing straight out of the top of my head and shoulders and I point that arrow towards where I want to be, this will change my body’s angle in the flow and will change my position in the river.

Aggressive swimming

As we are nearing our target, we will need a burst of momentum to get us across the eddyline and into the eddy. To do this we roll onto our front and adopt an aggressive swimming position. This position looks very similar to front crawl that you might do in a swimming pool, but we still focus on keeping our body (including our hands) up near the surface of the water. Once again our angle is absolutely critical to our success and we shouldn’t be afraid to swim directly across the eddyline, pointing the arrow coming from our head and shoulders towards our goal. It is important that in this situation we don’t actually swim headfirst downstream as we will have nothing to absorb any impact from head on collisions with rocks.

I am often asked if rolling over the eddyline will help us to cross it, but I personally find that a good angle of entry and carrying momentum is far more effective at getting across the turbulent water.

I find that the most effective/experienced swimmers combine defensive and aggressive techniques seamlessly to help them move around the river and that they use waves, features and the fast/slow water to help them reach their goal just as they would do in their kayak or canoe.

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Chase

When a paddler takes a swim, it is important that we work as a team to complete the jobs that need to be done.The same rules apply as before and we must make our own safety our priority before we assist with a rescue. However, in this situation it is realistic that we might ThePaddle r ez multi-task, checking our own safety, keeping our eyes on the swimmer, ine rescuing the boat and communicating with the team throughout. t

e

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Supporting paddler

. If you want y o tion u rp sta r st

The swimmer’s job should be to self-rescue and my experience is that an effective self-rescue is far quicker than holding onto someone else’s boat and being dragged into an eddy. Allowing a swimmer to get hold of your boat in moving water also puts you at risk too as your boat will handle very differently and if the swimmer is panicked, they can potentially pull you into the water. Assuming that the swimmer still has a paddle in their hands, they should throw it to the side or towards one of their rescuers, trying to swim with it can be awkward and clumsy and will most likely slow them down meaning that they take a longer swim than is necessary.

I think one of the most important roles during a rescue is having a supporting paddler moving slightly downstream of the rest of the team.This paddler is most likely not be hands on with recovering the boat/paddle/swimmer but will warn of upcoming hazards, give direction and be ready to support if required.The rest of the team will work to recover the boat and paddle and if needs be give assistance to the swimmer.

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Ideally we will have different people rescuing paddles and the boat, remember this is a challenging environment and it is easy for things to go wrong if we try and complicate it too much. I find that the best way to rescue a paddle is to simply throw it to the side (into an eddy or on the bank) or to throw it on and catch up with it. If we put it in our hands with the paddle we are already using and try and ‘double up’ we can make it harder to paddle and we will struggle with dle the complex movements we usually can do with ease, this means our skill level is potentially reducedrsand we are not as effective - ethat mail ushould paddling our boat. If we simply throw the paddle, then in theory our ability in a boat s: revialways ews@bethe padd the same. Of course if you are paddling a canoe or have one in the group, they make excellent paddle lere carriers during rescues! zi

Timing

During a boat rescue our timing is very important, we shouldn’t be afraid to wait until the right moment to rescue.This might mean that we stand off at the start and don’t dive straight in or that take a break part way through and keep our distance.This helps to ensure that we don’t end up in a sticky position because we have collided with the boat, got ourselves stuck on a rock or have followed the boat into a sticky stopper. We should be spotting the eddy we want the boat to end up in as early as possible and be working towards that, being realistic about where the boat might be able to be held until it can be emptied.

The swimmer should ideally be making their way down the bank to assist in the recovery of their boat, but as a water-based rescuer we must be realistic about our expectations of what they will be capable of doing. We must remember that they will have been paddling (maybe attempting to roll) and swimming through moving water, all of which is exhausting. If we then expect our swimmer to start sprinting down an uneven bank at top speed they could risk injury.

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I find that the simplest way of rescuing a boat in moving water is to turn it the right way round and push it. Our kayaks/canoes are designed to be the right way round and they move much better like this (even when full of water). If possible during the process of turning the boat over I will try and empty a bit of water out to make it a bit lighter and then I will position myself behind it and push towards the eddy.This does usually require multiple pushes but is far less complex and risky than involving a sling or using a towing method.

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Throw A throwbag can be an incredibly effective rescue tool when deployed at the right time and in the right situation, however, one of the most important skills with a throwbag is understanding when not to throw it! Ropes can complicate situations and can create hazards from snagging, tangling and getting wrapped around swimmers. Just because you have a rope doesn’t mean that you have to throw it and it might not even be the most effective rescue that you could use at the time.

Before we go any further It goes without saying that if you are carrying a rope you need to carry a knife. It should be easily accessible, have a locking blade, be sharp and able to open with one hand.

All shapes and sizes

Throwbags come in all shapes and sizes, and there are some excellent bags out there as well as some poor ones, try to purchase a bag which will best match your needs. You will be looking to balance rope quality and thickness/handling, ease of packing, ease of throwing, size/weight and of course cost. Generally, bags that have a thicker and higher quality rope are bulkier and heavier to throw but feel better in the hands and are good for some of the more advanced rescue techniques such as unpinning and hauling boats. Throwbags that have thinner rope tend to throw better and are more lightweight, but the thin feel of the rope can sometimes be tricky to hold if you don’t have much experience handling ropes in rescues.

Our bags should have no handle at the throwers end (keeping our system clean and snag free) and should only have a loop small enough to clip a karabiner into (if we need to) at the bag end. Some Throwbags have a sling purpose built into the bag to make it as streamlined and as easy to use as possible.

When we are making the decision to throw a line we should first think about our position, choosing the right place to throw from is critical to the effectiveness of the rescue.

• Will I be able to deploy my throwbag effectively to a swimmer from here?

• Where will the swimmer end up once they have hold of the rope?

• Do I have enough room to move with the line if I need to?

• Are there any hazards which will cause an issue when I throw the line? Eg: trees, rocks, stoppers.

No excess of rope

When we are in position, we should undo our bag and pull out the first few metres of rope and drop it to the floor. This gives us a bit of rope to work with and means that we won’t risk the end of the line being pulled out of our hands. We should also be mindful of how much rope we are introducing to the river, if we are holding a 20-metre throwbag and the throw required is only five metres, we can afford to leave at least 10 metres on the bank.This means that there is not an excess of rope in the water that can potentially tangle or get stuck and in fact makes the throwbag lighter, smaller and easier to get on target.

We need to then decide on what technique we will use to throw the bag, will we go underarm, overarm or for a lob?

• An underarm technique can work well if we are at the level of the water as the bag will travel in a straight line to the swimmer.

• If we are above the water an overarm can be more direct as you will be throwing straight down towards your target.

• If we are looking for distance and we are using a long rope a lob can usually do the trick. However, with a lob we potentially lose accuracy as the bag stays in the air for longer and is not as direct to our target.

Remember, our swimmer will not thank us for how we threw the bag to them, they will thank us for getting it on target!

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ThePaddle r ez ine te

After shouting at the swimmer and grabbing their attention we should (where possible) throw when they are upstream of our position (as opposed to when they are level with us or downstream of us) as this will give them a few extra seconds to grab hold of the rope and will give us time to get ready on the bank before the rope pulls tight.

e will b nd it ed a view t re uc od

Stay on your feet

. If you want y o tion u rp sta r st

We are now in position and ready to throw and we can make things easier by throwing at the right time.

Once we have thrown the bag, we need to get ready to take the force of the swimmer, which will come onto the rope. Staying on our feet, we should adopt a low strong position, similar to what you might see in martial arts. This helps us to keep our balance and will mean that we can use our body to pull against the weight of the swimmer. We need to grip the rope tight and position our hands on the rope in a way which will allow us to take a bit more load (see photograph). The swimmer pulls the rope across their chest with both hands and stays on their back whilst they swing in towards the bank.

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If we stand firm and resist any movement we risk the rope being pulled out of our hands and our body being pulled towards the river. However, if we anticipate this and when the rope goes tight we look to move downstream with the swimmer, this will absorb thedlforce er much more gradually, - emWe making it easier for us to hold the weight and easier for the swimmers too. also look to ailcan us: rethe vieangle ws@ofthe move away from the water’s edge and walk further onto the bank, which will change padd the rope and can bring the swimmer in faster. Even if we only have enough space to move just a lere zin little bit, it will make a huge difference. If you think you will find the weight too hard to manage, e consider being backed up with another rescuer holding the line. This means that you can share the load and can make it easier to hold the rope.

Repacking

So that the bag deploys effectively next time you must make sure it is packed well. After throwing, make sure the rope is in a clean and tangle free pile on the floor, take hold of the bag in one hand and push small handfuls of the rope into the bag with your other hand. I usually make the ‘OK’ sign with one hand, holding the edge of the bag with my thumb and first finger and have the rope running through the middle of the ‘O’ to keep it in position whilst I push the rope into the bottom of the bag with the other hand. With a bit of practice, you can do this quite quickly, but it is essential that you make sure it is done properly as you want your rope to be tangle free next time you throw it.

Remember, if you don’t practice using throwbags, your ability at using them effectively will fade.Take five minutes before you get on the river next to throw your line and pack it up, why not challenge your paddling buddies to a throwbag Olympics!

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A huge thank you goes to Bex Pope, Chris Horsey and Ben Press who â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;volunteeredâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to swim and pose for pictures.

Chris Brain

Chris has been kayaking, canoeing and coaching for the last 15 years and runs his own business Chris Brain Coaching, delivering paddlesport coaching, safety and rescue courses and REC First Aid Training. www.chrisbraincoaching.com. Email: chris@chrisbraincoaching.com Chris would like to thank Pyranha Kayaks, Immersion Research, VE Paddles and Go Kayaking for making fantastic kit and their continued support. Photo: Patrick Beavis

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Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s autumn 2015, and a group of nine mostly retired men went to Nepal for a kayaking and rafting expedition on the Sun Kosi.

OK, so whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special about that I hear you say? Well, the average age of this group was 65 and while some of them were experienced kayakers, a number of them had never kayaked or rafted before. So why were they there? To answer that, watch Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman in The Bucket List, or read Dylan Thomas and rage against the dying of the light.

BY KEVIN JONES

L A S T

O F

T H E

SUMMR MER W I N E

The team clockwise: Arend the carpenter, Erjan the physio, Eric the teacher and Henk the organiser

We were a highly skilled group, we comprised a doctor, a physiotherapist, a professor of astronomy, a banker turned cabinet maker, a number of engineers, two teachers and a head teacher, although god knows what he could bring to the party! We were an international group, eight Dutchmen and one token Englishman.

On Saturday 17th October we rendezvoused in Kathmandu.

It was the beginning of the Nepalese festival of Dashain, so every Nepali on the planet w

The team top to bottom: Johan the doctor, John the teacher, Rob the guide

The team top to bottom: John the engineer, Kevin the Englishman, Rob the professor

was coming home and the city was heaving. Nevertheless, we renewed old friendships and made new ones.

We spent the first three days sight-seeing, walking and getting organised with our adventure company GRG. The thought crossed my mind how different this was compared to my earlier trips to the Alps in the 1980s and 90s with the Sheffield based Broomhall Canoe Club. These were one-week dashes to Briancon during the Spring Bank Holiday, setting ourselves up in apartments in the gulag by the Guisane and throwing ourselves at the nearest river and into our favourite bar afterwards, nothing so sedate as sight-seeing! So, it is through this lens that I will take my mind back and describe this expedition.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wednesday and we are on a four-hour ride to Dolhalgat, our put in on the River of Gold, the Sun Kosi. The atmosphere changed from boyish good humour to quiet contemplation as we approached our destination and doubts begin to emerge, especially when you see that the river is close to a 100 metres wide and zipping along

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Eric and Erjan are ready to go

Getting ready at the put in

Loading up for the journey

very nicely. Erand, our ex-banker and rafting virgin, asks me what I think it will be like. I tell him that when he sees his first rapid from the raft it will look horrendous and he will wonder why he ever agreed to come. However, I tell him within seconds he will be whooping and highfiving like a teenager with a grin that will last for the rest of the trip. That was certainly my experience when I first took up kayaking in my 30s when I went to France with Broomhall CC. By late afternoon we are ready to rumble. We have met our raft team led by Daya and our kayak guides are with us: Harry, a Nepali paddler and Rob Hind, an Englishman who came out here 25 years ago and never went home. By the end of the trip I would see why! We set off to our first beach camp. The journey is steady until we meet a Grade 2 rapid on a right hand bend.

This should have been a piece of cake except for the fact that there are two groups on the water comprising four rafts and maybe 20 kayaks, many of whom are novices. We learn a lot about the carnage that boils can cause, not unlike the Rabioux wave on the Durance.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nearly dinner time, we camp

Camping on the Sun Kosi is an experience.

Military would be a good word to describe it.

Cleanliness is everything and the first thing we see is a bucket full of water taken from the river,

iodine added, and a bottle of anti-bacterial hand wash put next to it. We are told we use this wash station every time we move. We are to bathe at the upstream end of the camp, and pee at the downstream end. The lavatory for poo is a hole in the ground with a stone at each side for our feet, covered by a tent. Each time we poo, you cover it with some sand. Cool.

Cleanliness rules OK!

Cooking is done by our raft team. This begins with our vegetables being soaked in iodised water before preparation. Drinking water is taken from the river and seriously chlorinated. It is made palatable by adding copious amounts of fruit cordial or lots of instant coffee â&#x20AC;&#x201C; tea just does not cut it!

After eating there are six bowls of iodised water lined up, the middle two with anti-bacterial detergent added. Our utensils go rinse, rinse, wash, wash, rinse, rinse stack to dry. Throughout the whole trip, no-one is sick and this is despite every human and animal along the river doing unspeakable things in the water as we pass, including sacrifices and cremations.

Harry preparing dinner

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After eating there is beer, which travelled with us in a bag kept cold by the river. Before we open it, give the can a rinse in the iodised water. This is accompanied by the most stunning sunsets I have ever seen in the mountains, then there is sleep and strange animal noises. This is a million miles from apres kayak in France. Shower, eat, bar and then big up all the holes we hit on the Claree that afternoon and stagger back to the gulag.

Over the next few days we paddle down the river to our take-out after Tribeni. I do not propose to describe every rapid, the guide book and YouTube can do a far better job of that for you. However, I will try to give you a flavour and tell a couple of stories. The Sun Kosi is not France, it is not continuous, in your face, at the grade all day. It is very English, pool drop, but on a much more serious scale. The rapids are not rocky. They occur when the 80-metre wide river hits a bend, gets constricted, sometimes down to 15 metres and meets a shallower river bed made by harder rock. This creates waves and holes, often huge ones such as Hakapur which I will tell you about.

Unfortunately, there are several lateral waves moving to the right doing their best to prevent this move and dump you in the stoppers, so we decide to portage.

Harry, our Nepali guide runs it, it looks easy and we are

Above: Terminal hole on Hakapur Kevin, Erjan and Eric after rafting Hakapur

Hakapur

I digress – Hakapur is a Nepali Grade 5. Basically 80 metres of river goes through a 15-metre gap on a left hand bend.The water charges down the right hand side and when it hits the wall it creates a double stopper that Jose Mourinho could park the team bus in.The best line down is ride the main tongue on the right and charge left before the stoppers into a big eddy.

RIver Nene

We met Hakapur on the third day. By now we had learned that when Rob says, “Follow my line,” you follow his line, since even on simple Grade 2 there can be large holes which swallow boats, as my friend Erik found out. We learned that posy little bow rudders were useless for breaking in and out in these rapids.

Breaking in was more like a cavalry charge with loads of edge and speed was very much your friend across the boil line as Erjan learned.

We met Hakapur on the third day. By now we had learned that when Rob says,

“Follow my line,”

The raft followed us through and came off the crest like a Trident missile,

amazing!

The Raft rides Hakapur tempted. Then two kayakers from the other group run it and it looks horrendous, their raft party goes through and flips the raft – carnage! The temptation quickly fades.

We do however get a ride. Three of our rafters decide Hakapur is not for them so we yakkers fill their places and run it. Even in a raft it looks terrifying but there we are, whooping and highfiving like kids again.

Hakapur 2

The other group rescues its rafters and rights its raft and Rob while talks to us about Hakapur 2.

Hakapur 2? I didn’t know there was a Hakapur 2.

His words are, “You won’t see this one until you are already committed. Basically, you go over the lip and in front of you should be a huge wave with a breaking crest. Whatever move I make, you make.”

you follow his line!

Reassuring eh? Anyway, we go over the lip, Rob, me, then Erik and Erjan. The wave looks monstrous. Rob dives left, hits the lateral wave, gets air and flies into the eddy. Easy peasy, except that I have frozen somewhat. I do the same, just a bit too late and too slow. I bury my paddle in the breaking crest and more through luck than judgement, stay upright through the wave. Erik and Erjan see what has happened and are somewhat encouraged to make sure they copy Rob’s move.

The raft followed us through and came off the crest like a Trident missile, amazing! Looking through my Alps lens, I have seen nothing like this in France. It is not harder, just so different.

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Harry nails Hakapur

Daya and the raft team

A visit by the locals

A Village by the Sun Kosi Kevin is ready to go Old school canoeing

The kayaking and rafting are magic but that is not all there is in Nepal.

The pool drop nature of the river lets us rest and look around. Plantations emerge in the rainforest and communities emerge.The overnight camping and a rest day provide time to visit these places and the people we saw were beautiful. Materially they have little, they have a hard life raising crops and animals while many of their men are away in the Middle East building football stadiums and skyscrapers but they never stop smiling and in the evenings some visit our camp. Others are known to our raft team and they barter with them for food, etc. When we leave they take away all of our plastic and tins, which they then reuse or recycle. In France we visited bars, spoke with the locals and shared the craic, but the Nepal experience is on a whole new and seriously thought provoking level.

We continue for a few more days.The Jaws, and Big Dipper rapids are a blast and Jungle Corridor – 10km of Class 4 water is very French.Then we have our very own thought provoking experience.

GRG ring up and say they want to fly us out 24 hours early.There is to be a strike in the Nepali southern states on the Thursday we fly out and we will be stuck unless we leave on Wednesday.This is new! You don’t get this in France, well, not unless you are there when their farmers start blocking motorway exits as we were last summer!

This is not funny for the Nepalese. India, their neighbour, was basically interfering again in Nepali politics and had closed the border for several weeks. All this was tied up with recent changes in Nepal’s constitution which did not suit India or the ethnically Indian southern Nepalese but that‘s another story. However, thanks to some hard paddling, the organisational skills of GRG in Kathmandu, our incredible raft team at the take out and a driver who knew the country lanes, which avoided the road blocks near the airport, we made it.

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Harry shows Kevin the sporting line

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Thanks

We had an amazing holiday, an experience to be treasured. My personal thanks go to Erik, who suggested I went along; Henk, who organised the expedition; my Dutch friends who made it all so enjoyable; GRG for their organisation and support; Rob Hind, Daya’s raft team for keeping us safe, ‘Harry’ our Nepali kayak guide and my wife for letting me go!

The party assembles

The local villagers wake up to this

Nepal is beautiful and seriously augmented by its people. They have had a torrid time with the recent earthquake but they are pulling through, however, they still need help. If anyone reading this is considering a visit, at whatever stage in your life, just do it, you will not regret it. They seriously need tourist dollars and donations. If you have any doubts just repeat the mantra, “Sixty is the new forty!”

One final French thought. On the way out of the Sun Kosi we lunched at a sweltering hotel in Chatari. Posted on the wall was a photograph of a recent rafting expedition on the River of Gold.

It was mostly Broomhall Canoe Club!

How French!

Salut!

The raft team and gear raft following

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RU US SA S SIAN R I V E R

R E V O L

Notes fr ffrom rom an internat ro international a ional gro at group r up of ka ro k kayakers aya ay yake k rs who k ka aya ay yake k d in the Altay a re ay rregion gion of Siberia in June/J / uly 2016. /J kayaked June/July i

By Mark Hirst

For many years I have always had a secret desire to go kayaking in Russia.

Growing up in the 90s, the only real memories I had of Russia all came from the news or the movie Rocky 4, which was not even filmed in Russia.

During my younger kayaking years, I remember watching Russian rafting movies with fearless paddlers paddling homemade rafts down insane sections of whitewater.

Then last year during a raft guide course that I was teaching, I met a Russian kayaker named Anton and the rest as they say is historyâ&#x20AC;Ś

U T I O N

I N

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One thing that struck me straight away about Anton was the fact he was a non-suicidal Russian kayaker. I started to probe Anton about paddling in Russia and the logistics for a visiting group of foreign kayakers, without noticing a potential trip was slowly coming together.

Anton has his own travel agency specialising in taking Russian clients on rafting and trekking trips to India and Nepal. For a few years now Anton has wanted to take groups of foreign kayakers and Introduce them to the rivers of the Altay region of Siberia. Our group were going to be his guinea pigs!

I had a plan in my head. I had dates now I needed to recruit some others to join me. I had a look through my Facebook friends page and thought who would I really want to spend 24-7 with for two weeks in Russia. Over the coming months people agreed to join and dropped out but in the end we had our final team of six. Much to my liking, the team were all really good genuine people and awesome kayakers and on top of that each person brought their own unique skill set, which would be useful on and off the river – ranging from a physiotherapist to a musician.

Commercial trip or not?

A few people had originally turned up their noses at the trip as they thought this was a ‘commercial’ trip. Beforehand the paddle in my view was a grey area, was this a commercial trip – yes or no?

Anton helped us all to apply for visas. Anton had also arranged a driver with a van and had agreed to purchase some food supplies prior to us arriving so that we could concentrate on paddling and get the most out of our two weeks. Anton also gave us an excellent hit list of rivers to paddle based on what our expectations were. He would also paddle with us on the rivers. We would run the rivers as a team and all decisions were team decisions.

Our flights were booked through Turkish airlines who agreed to take our kayaks for €60 each way. On top of that we also had a whooping 30kg personal weight allowance.

Alpo and myself flew from Helsinki to Istanbul and Sal and Jake flew from Heathrow to Istanbul with us meeting up in the Airport for the final flight from Istanbul to Novosibirsk.

Our five-hour flight from Istanbul landed us in Novosibirsk at 5am in the morning and to say we were tired and jet-lagged was an understatement!

I had to switch on as I needed to be prepared for the joys of dealing with the Russian airport immigration, however, we were waved through no with no problems through to the luggage hall. After a short one-hour wait to get through the line and all of our kit scanned, we cleared the airport.

Anton also gave us an excellent

hit list of rivers to paddle based on what our expectations were ThePADDLER 63

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Anton greeted us and introduced us to our driver Dimitri. The first thing I noticed was how warm it was at 6am – already 25C! Anton had laid on a really cool set of wheels – a VW transporter 4 motion, which was great. I secretly think the guys wanted something old and exmilitary but after our flights we were all happy with the VW for the nine-hour drive into the Altay Mountains where we would base ourselves.

Most of us slept for most of the journey as we were tired and hot. For the times we were awake, the scenery was spectacular where flat green plains soon gave way to mountain environments. We all agreed on how vast the Altay region was but most of all we were impressed by the fact it was pretty much untouched by mankind.

We rolled into our first night’s camp on the banks of the Katun River, tired but ready for action the next day. We all chipped into set up camp and prepare some hot food and of course our first Russian meal was washed down with Vodka before an early night.

Our first day on the river was to be a half day paddle on the Katun a big volume (1500cms) Class 3 paddle. The Katun is one of the major rivers of the Altay region. We quickly inhaled breakfast before getting changed and putting on the river. We put in just above the rapid where the Russian national rafting championships are held each year. I was happy to get into my boat.

The Katun was a classic welcome to Russia rivers with big water, features and amazing scenery along with some interesting boils and whirlpools. All of us paddled down the river beaming with ear to ear grins. This was an ideal warm up and a chance for us to paddle together as a team for the first time for some of us.

Anton informed us that all of the levels were at a juicy flow and we might need to change our itinerary a little. In Anton’s words, “Altay was having a big water season.”

We all nervously smiled and looked at each other knowing that we had an adventure on our hands. We were a group of sensible experienced kayakers and knew when to walk away from something and not get involved in situations we could not deal with, and besides we were on holiday.

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We walked up a steep track back to the van which was parked on the road overlooking Mr Putin’s summer pad which looked non to shabby. Dimitri was waiting for us ready to whisk us off for our afternoon run on a small volume tributary of the Katun. We set up some lunch before we got on the river and started to notice that we needed to start paying attention to our fluid intake. A few members of the team had started to feel a bit wobbly – a probable mix of dehydration and jet lag.

Our afternoon run was a big change from the morning’s paddling, as we were now on a narrow fast Class 3+ continuous river. Anton informed us that in normal water levels it takes about one and half hours to paddle the river. It took us a mere 25 minutes of pure read and run Class 3 + boulder gardens with some really fun moves. We got off the river in agreement that if the next two weeks were going to be as fun as this, then we were going to have blast.

We took a short drive to local town to stock up on some very cheap beers and ice cream and met up with the last member for the group to join us called Chris, whom first paddled with in Iceland in 2007 and we have kept in touch since. Whilst balancing running a rafting business and studying to become a doctor, Chris found the time to join us. In his own words Chris said, “I knew I had to come on this trip.” He also said in the same sentence he knew that there was no possible way he could join us too. However, in true Chris fashion he found a way and met up with us after an epic 24 hours of travelling with some lay over time in Moscow.

Lower Chuya River

The next day we tackled the Lower Chuya River. As we were warming up for the run Aapo overstretched his back and pulled a muscle causing his back to go into spasm. So that was Aapo out of action for the next three days and we gave him the nickname of ‘Gandalf ’ due to his hunched walking style.

The Lower Chuya was a tributary of the Katun River at a mere 80cms. Anton once again looked at the river and was amazed at how high the level was, which was starting to become a reoccurring theme. The run turned out to be a really nice pool drop Class 3-4 run with two rapids to inspect. We ended up bumping into a few commercial raft trips on the river.

The commercial groups had some of their own catarafts and Chris could not resist the temptation of having a sit in one on dry land much to the amusement of the locals. The Lower Chuya was classed as another warm up run. We were still finding our feet with the Russian rivers as we found that due to the high water level, all the features on the rivers were bigger and the fast water between the rapids was going to make rescue tricky if we had a swimmer.

Russian banya

We headed further up the Chuya Valley to the town of Aktash, where Anton introduced us to some of his friends from a local rafting company, which allowed us to stay at their camp and take use of a traditional Russian banya. After the initial, ‘who can survive the longest’ competition, Dimitri became the banya master and provided us with a traditional banya massage with birch branches.

It was a little off-putting to see

memorial plaques on the side of the river paying respects to those who had died on the water!

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Altay region, Siberia

Russia

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Remembrance plaques As the water was high, the canyon was quite committing and with the added wood factor included we were quite cautious on the first few rapids.The major rapid on this section needed to be scouted from the bank, where we of course noted the remembrance plaques on the side of the river to those who were not successful in the past.The major rapid was pretty straight forward with a midstream boulder and drop to negotiate. I have found that the older I become and the longer I look at rapids from the bank, then the less likely I am to run the said rapid.

The Middle Chuya

The Middle Chuya welcomed us the next day.

We took some time to inspect one Class 4 rapid, which is also one of the rapids used in the popular King of Asia race. It was a little offputting to see memorial plaques on the side of the river paying respects to those who had died on the water! The rapid was a long Class 4 rapid with three must make moves. We scouted a hole under a bridge for the entry move, then a river wide feature mid-rapid with a small window in the middle, which was move number two. The third and final move was to avoid the big hole at the bottom of the rapid. Chris, Jake and Anton styled the rapid and I decided to walk.

I quickly scouted the rapid and decided it was a class ‘yes’ rapid. Chris and myself paddled the rapid first, eddied out and waited for the others to join us. Sal, Jake and Anton all took really good lines. It was also good to have Aapo back on the water after his back problems and he styled the rapid too. We continued down the rapid discussing the issues with the grading system and came to the agreement that the run contained Class 3-4 moves but a swim would have had Class 5 consequences.

We made it to camp tired and happy. Just as we reached camp the heavens opened and we witnessed a full on thunder storm, which meant setting up camp in the rain. Jake and Myself got a fire going, as the rest of the team got dinner underway.

The next 20km was again action packed Class 3 read and run boating. I was slowly getting into the swing of things we were all stunned with the beautiful landscapes and amazing paddling to be had around each new corner that we turned. We returned to camp in high spirits. A slap up meal of homemade naan bread and spicy chicken was cooked next to the fire, washed down with a few beers and a few shots of vodka of course.

Our journey now took us to the much respected Bashkaus River. We had already agreed that the water was way too high to attempt the famous ‘Book of Legends’ section and we therefore decided to run the middle section, which was again running at a high level.

The Middle Bashkaus is based in a canyon. Anton explained to us that we were probably the first people down the river this season and to keep an eye out for wood. The group automatically switched on.

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ThePADDLER 72 Chulisman River

We awoke to brilliant sunshine and a camp full of cows the next morning as we packed our kayaks for a three-day selfsupported trip on the Chulisman River. Anton had pre warned us that we needed to be alert at the put in for the river, as we were venturing into no man’s land – a lawless town at the end of a six-hour drive. Unfortunately, the residents of the town were all heavily dependent on alcohol and travellers to the town were all seen as a source of alcohol.

We arrived at the river and quickly got dressed as Anton explained to us the first 10km of paddling down to the first night’s camp would all be flat. In my 20+ years of kayaking I have never had so much fun on flatwater. Instead of 10km of flatwater, we had 10km of really fun big wave trains as the river was not quite in flood but was quite high. After 10km Anton told us we needed to find a campsite before we entered the gorge. The next day was to be 15-20km of continuous Class 3-4 with one Class 5, so we finished dinner and hunkered down for an early night.

The next morning, we awoke refreshed and ready for action.

Little did we know we were going to see our fair share of action today.We got on the water and ran two pretty continuous Class 4 rapids. I then noticed that the rest of the team sat silently in the eddy, as wee all knew what was ahead – a hidden hole. Anton explained that I had done a few ‘Russian cartwheels’, which were accidental uncontrolled cartwheels in a hole. Out of breath I smiled and agreed. I sat in the eddy and looked downstream, this was going to be a typical high water seat of the pants day. I mentally engaged four-wheel drive in my mind.

I sat in the eddy and looked downstream, this was going to be a typical high water

seat of the pants day.

I mentally engaged four-wheel drive in my mind.

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Deep in Siberia

It was at this point in time we all agreed that swimming was not an option at any point of the day’s proceedings. A swim would have resulted in a minimum of a lost boat for sure and also risking the safety of the chase team.

Add to this the fact we were also at least a day’s hike to the nearest road deep in Siberia and we all agreed we were venturing into the upper reaches of our comfort zones. We were also paddling fully loaded boats too.

We had been paddling non-stop continuous Class 4+ 5 and were finding our rhythm. We had a few close call rapids where we lost our shape and composure and had to employ ninja paddling survival strokes into a close eddy to regroup. Calls of encouragement echoed around the eddies as we peeled out. I checked my GPS and worked out we must be close to the end of the gorge but the river kept our full attention until we exited the gorge. Big smiles and a sense of relief were the order of the day.

We paddled down to find the most amazing camp for the night to sit back, relax and enjoy the last sun of an amazing day.

5km portage

Our final day on the Chulisman consisted of a short paddle before the joys of a 5km portage around a section of rapids called Kasha (Russian for porridge). We quickly packed up from our amazing camp and paddled the 2km down to the start of the portage. After getting out of our paddling kit we set up the various designs of portage packs for our kayaks before we started out on the trail.

The trail was quite well established, which was a great relief, as the kayaks plus multi-day and paddling kit weighed up 30-35kgs in the midday sun. After 2.5 hours of hard slog up and down the trail we made it to the end of the portage where Chris got a small fire going so we could boil some water for a drink and some noodles.

We were all happy that the portage was over but as we were waiting for the water to boil the fatigue stated to set in.

We still had around 600m of big volume rapids to negotiate before the camp. From our exploits over the past three days we were mentally and physically exhausted. We had to sum up all final reserves of power to tackle the final section down to camp. Our faces told the picture, “Let's

knock this out and get to camp.” The final section ended up to be really fun with massive wave trains, which brought the grins back to our faces and eased the aching bones before we paddled to our camp to some well-deserved beers and massive stories in the banya. A few members from the team were abducted by some locals and forced into an impromptu vodka party that went on until the early hours.

The Chulisman was the turning point of the trip. We decided to have a rest day to recover from our heroics of the past few days and went for a day trek to a local tourist attraction – the massive Uchar Waterfall, which was impressive to say the least.

Lower Chulisman

After our rest day we were ready for more action and took to the water on the Lower Chulisman, a big volume Class 3-4 half-day 20km run. The local kayaker nicknamed this section the ‘Steve fisher section’ as the rapids were big like the rapids you find in Steve Fisher movies. This roadside run turned out to be the favourite run for some members of the team as the added security of the roadside did not give the river the committing feeling that we felt with the middle Chulisman. The run had three Class 4+ rapids with lots of playful Class 3 in-between.

True to all good river trips the saying of, ‘hard road hard river’ rang true with the Chulisman.

The drive out of the valley was quite a challenge with us having to walk the really steep sections of the road to lighten the load on the van – none of us minded though.

Final three rapids

We headed back to the town of Aktash complete with supermarkets and wifi.The following morning the levels had dropped enough to allow Chris, Jake and Anton to have a quick run of the final three rapids of the famous Majoy Gorge.The gorge is the section used for the finals of the Majoy Gorge. Myself, Sal and Aapo, decided that we had pushed our comfort zones enough for the trip. In true fashion the guys came back with beaming smiles.

We were now slowly making our way back towards Novosibirsk, where we decided to go back and run some of the warm up rivers where we had so much fun on a week earlier.

The trail was q relie

weigh

quite well established, which was a great ef, as the kayaks plus multi-day and paddling kit

hed between 30-35kgs in the midday sun ThePADDLER 75

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Two weeks in the Siberian wilderness, paddling big volume water combined with long mountain portages demands a certain amount of physical fitness.

Sal Montgomery explains what she did toâ&#x20AC;Ś

G E T

I N

SHAE APE F O R

Starting the long, hot hike.

Photo: Aapo Halonen

S I B E R I A Training for a Russian adventure!

The fact that I knew so little about Russia was actually one of the main reasons I said yes when Mark invited me on the trip he was organising. I was keen to visit somewhere I had never visited to or had even heard of many kayakers having been to.The unknown is the most intriguing and exciting!

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It didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take too much researching to dis

During a long, hot, steep hike with loaded boats.

Photo: Jake Holland Hiding from the scorching sun whilst waiting for the shuttle.

Photo: Aapo Halonen

that big volume was Altai’s speciality! Anton had also informed us that this winter there had been a big snow pack and we were arriving just in time for a heat wave. Meaning the normally big rivers were about to get huge!

So I knew this trip was not only going to be an adventure, but it would also be a challenge. The rivers were going to be big, the rapids full-on, the days long, the gorges remote and committing, plus potentially a lot of hiking with loaded boats. Knowing that each day you will become more fatigued, with the whitewater only becoming more demanding. So I decided if I was serious about going on this trip I would need to be as prepared as possible. This meant I needed to be get very fit and very strong, quickly!

This was another reason why I wanted to go - I wanted something to train for and this was perfect!

The next few months included a semistructured program of kayaking, running, strength work and long walks – with a kayak.

Which got me a lot of strange looks from dog walkers!

Working at Holme Pierrepont this summer meant that I could fit in lots of sessions on the whitewater course to build paddle fitness and endurance, ready for those long days on the river.

I’m already a keen runner, so I continued to ensure I was running 5-10k at least three times a week. The boat walking part of my training was probably the toughest, especially in the hot weather we had this summer.

Twice a week I walked 5k with my boat on my back, which was a great way of building strength and stamina.This was also useful for getting used to my new carry system, which as anyone who is short can relate with, can need several adaptions and alterations to get the boat balanced right without hitting you in the ankles!

To compliment the running, kayaking and boat walking, I also carried out strength regimes using my body weight, kettle bells and medicine balls. Weekly stretching and pilates sessions were also used to try and keep injuries away!

The months flew by and before we knew it myself and Jake were on a plane heading to Novosibirsk. The next two weeks were fullon adventures and memory making! Every section was stonking, with massive waves, holes and boily confused water. We worked as a team to get safely down the river each day, and had a great time whilst doing so!

Firing through a big rapid on the lower Chuya.

Photo: Dmitry Ermolov

scover

The teamwork continued after the paddling too. We set up camp by a different river each evening and cooked food on an open fire, whilst listening to the water and gazing at a sky full of stars.You can’t get accommodation better than that!

‘Altai’ translates as ‘Gold Mountains’, and when you go there you will understand why.

This place is so spectacularly beautiful and so vast, with an impressive amount of whitewater on offer.

This was a great experience and I would recommend planning a trip to Siberia to any kayaker who enjoys big water and remote mountainous locations. There are endless opportunities for pushing your limits here, with committing gorges, challenging rapids, multi-day expeditions and lots of first descents still around.

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Crossing the flow on the Katun.

Photo: Jake Holland

Putting the training in before a big trip can make a really big different to the success of each day on the river, as fatigue would not be helpful when you need those quick reactions and powerful strokes in demanding big volume water. Being a bit stronger and fitter before the trip meant that I could enjoy myself on the river more and helped me to keep up with the boys!

Non-the-less we all still came back thoroughly exhausted and super happy! Definitely put Russia on your hit list!

Shout outsâ&#x20AC;Ś

Thank you to Mark Hirst and Anton Sveshnikov for organising the trip, as well as Aapo Halonon, Jake Holland, Chris Doyle-Kelly and Dmitry Ermolov for making it awesome!

Camping by the river during our multiday trip.

Photo: Sal

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INFORMATION

GETTING THERE: We flew with Turkish airlines who are kayak friendly. We flew into Novosibirsk – the capital of the Altay region. We then had a nine-hour drive to the main paddling area.

PADDLING: The Altay has something for everyone – you don’t have to be a kayaking legend to paddle out there. If you are travelling to the Altay to paddle on some of the classic multi-day runs you will need to be a confident Class 4 big volume kayaker.

https://goo.gl/maps/M2Cw4mT1Unr

Altay –Siberia WHEN TO GO? We paddled from June 25th-July 10th and the water levels were high and committing. Many others have told me that mid-July to mid-August would be the best time to go, so I definitely have some unfinished business left. We were unable to paddle the classic run of the Karagem-Argut combination.There is plenty to paddle for all types of kayaker.The days were hot between 25-30c.

COMMERCIAL TRIP OR NOT? We did not feel at any point that this was a commercial trip. Anton had organized most of the trip to make our life easy and there was absolutely no way that we could have safely paddled the rivers that we did without Anton’s help – Anton’s knowledge of the river logistics was invaluable. The Altay region is very remote and definitely a wild area with very little English spoken. My top tip for a successful trip would be to take advantage of a local fix it man – I know of quite a few kayaking rockstars that would agree with me.

THE TEAM WERE: Mark Hirst: UK Chris Doyle Kelly: Canada Jake Holland: UK Sal Montgomery: UK Aapo Halonen: Finland Anton Sveshnikov: Russia

NEED A VISA? Russian Visa Support Application: Step by Step Guide: http://waytorussia.net FURTHER INFO: http://www.gotoaltay.com

http://wikitravel.org/en/Altai_Republic https://www.lonelyplanet.com/russia/siberia/altai https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g298523d321103-Reviews-Altai_Mountains-Siberian_District.html

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F E A R L E S S O N

T H E

OT O TT TW AWA A week in play playboating a boat ay a ing heaven at heav a en av with the world's most s fa st ffamous mous paddler could just s st be the most empowering thing you ever do.

By Steff Steffan ffa ff fan Meyric Hughes Let’s say a you’re planning an overseas trip and ay your shopping list reads like k this: big-volume, ke low-consequence, pool-drop river with easy logistics and access, world-class guiding/coaching, warm air and water temperature and, d last l but b not least, l worldld class play features.You’re already thinking of the White Nile aren’t you?

Or you might be thinking of the Zam. Great rivers no doubt – I was lucky enough to score a White Nile trip in late 2013 – but the reason you’ll not find many Americans or Canadians there – at least in summer – is because they’re all on the Ottawa.

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Every one of us carried a Jackson playboat on our shoulder and we followed him around

listening to his

wise words

Sam at Garb by Jason Ambrose

This river ticks every one of the White Nile’s boxes It’s not quite as big and not as exotic, but if you measure a river by the number of world-renowned waves it has in any given mile, nothing touches it: in a little over five miles, you have McCoy’s (site of the 1997 Freestyle Worlds), Corner, Babyface, Garburator (site of the 2015 Freestyle Worlds) and in high-water, Buseater (site of the 2007 Freestyle Worlds), Minibus and Gladiator.

This year, I’d been planning a return visit to Uganda to paddle the White Nile once again before the proposed hydro dam ruins it, but paddling buddy Mike Shaw persuaded me to head to Canada’s Ottawa region instead to spend a week being coached by some guy called Eric Jackson who has a fondness for wearing crotch-hugging Speedos (but only on Thursdays).

Our trip was not without precedent: 2,000 years ago, Jesus called 12 men to follow and learn from him. The men had to leave what they did for work and they followed Jesus wherever he went. They followed Jesus to many towns. They ate with Jesus and slept wherever he did.

My fellow disciples and I followed EJ to many features of the river and occasionally, and more worryingly, parts of his mind.Three times a day we supped with him and we slept not exactly wherever he did – as far as I know, at least – but within a 100 yards of his RV. Every one of us carried a Jackson playboat on our shoulder and we followed him around listening to his wise words (like, “It’s better to die in your boat than swim” – stout!).

Garb from drone, by EJ

Unto us he bestowed many items of knowledge.

Sometimes his teachings were conducted on wide, flat spaces, for Canada is a hot country in July. We broke bread with him three times a day.

In return for the privilege, we bestowed upon Wilderness Tours gifts of gold, incense and myrrh (see panels for details).

Days began with breakfast at the lodge at 8am.

Our group, aside from Mike (looks like a lady) and me (never smiles), consisted of fellow Brit Simon (shuvit!), Keith (Top Gun), wife Stace (what does ‘growler’ mean?), Jason (practical experience with bears?), his much younger partner Melissa (like… what a slut), Richard Van Geilswyk (three swims in a day) and last but not least, Maja (everything is awesome – apart from Phil’s Right) and Johanna (T rescue queen).

Assisting EJ (too old for Speedos?) was Connecticut-based playboater Dave (the child).

It was a friendly, laugh-a-minute crowd and our week was filled with banter, instantly brought down to gutter level by the English contingent.

Mornings were spent practising ‘strokes and concepts’ on the flat before our daily reckoning with McCoys, the first rapid of the section, which consists of two big, offset stoppers. There are various routes through this, like threading the needle or getting smashed in one or both stoppers. EJ liked to see us getting a beating. I had a near-30-second working in the infamous Phil’s Right on my first day, something of a rite of passage on the Ottawa, and probably the most epic stopper I’d ever been roughed up by.

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Dave the Child in Garb by Jason Ambrose

If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re having trouble with your cartwheels,

The feeling that you are dropping into a depression in the river, gives Garb a

scenic quality unrivalled by other big-name waves

or any other vertical move, you’ll definitely score a few here! EJ encourages this (“What?

You didn’t get a beating? Get up there and do it again”) and with good reason. There’s nothing as confidence-inspiring as getting worked in a hole big enough to be in a kayaking video and rolling up, breaking out and doing some stupid claim to the camera.

Mike and Sam at Garb by Jason Ambrose

After McCoy’s comes the Babyface wave, a fun, retentive surf wave about the height of Hurley on a good day but much wider. It was a good place to practise but often overcrowded (largely due to our own presence) and a bit of a hassle to get onto.

On all but the first day, we ran the main channel, with a daily lunch stop above Pushbutton, a small wave feature, very steep and perfectly formed and again very popular, but actually quite tricky to retain, due to its small size. It is, however, as Mike puts it, “Unbelievably friendly” (it is surely the world’s least intimidating play feature) and if you know what you’re doing, both wave and hole moves go ‘super easy’.

The Garb

But there really was only one feature we’d travelled all the way to Canada for and that’s Garburator, the 2015 Freestyle World Cup wave.

We heard the rumours doing the rounds back at the lodge, “Garb’s in – and it’s at a great level.” There is always a feeling of excitement around facing up to a feature like Garb, although in reality, the only thing to fear on this wave is fear itself.

The river constricts through a narrowing, then drops into a mini-canyon through which the Lorne rapid flows. This, and the feeling that you are dropping into a depression in the river, gives Garb a scenic quality unrivalled by other big-name waves. The small island creates a perfectly still eddy, and once you know how, this must be the world’s easiest wave to drop into. It was a welcome change for me, after finding Nile Special (horrible eddy followed by tricky tow-in) a bit too much of a handful back in 2013.

Garb may not be a tall wave – it was 4-5ft high when we were there – but it’s very fast and rowdy – great for bouncing up and down and getting aerial if you know how. It is hard to describe a Garb ride but what happens is this: you paddle up to the completely crisp eddy line and sit on the edge of it in nearly completely calm water.

Someone on the island gives you a thumbs up and you take a gentle stroke or two to break in.You sit, bows pointed upstream, gathering speed fast as you fly down the first big green wave, then the sheer wall of the island flashes past you on the right, nearly close enough to touch.

EJ at Garb by Mike Shaw

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That backwards

ramp ride seems to last a long time.Then you hear it behind you, and start rising up.The haystack hits the small of your back, you paddle forward and the trough rushes up towards you so fast you can barely see the green water moving. Hit the bottom, slow down – and that’s it.You’re surfing Garb. As experiences go, nothing in paddling had prepared me for it.To be taking 30-second rides and throwing flatspins by the end of the week was, for me, the icing on the cake of an incredible week.

For nearly all of us, the week was a chance to be pushed outside of our comfort zones.

Deliberately going into whirlpools without a paddle and hand-rolling up, getting thrashed in stoppers for a laugh and trying to run unnecessarily hard lines all give you one great asset: confidence. Maja said afterwards that she learned, “As much in the first two days as she had in the previous two years.” Melissa, who is normally more of a creek boater, said, “You are in a safe environment and pushed to go into basically everything. It’s amazing for the mind game. It’s had a big impact on the way I approach rivers and features. I look at everything

now thinking ‘is this actually dangerous or am I just afraid? EJ Week takes the fear out of the river which has increased my confidence.”

The psychological angle to EJ’s coaching was, to me too, even more valuable than the technical tuition. There is no danger in the Jackson philosophy – just fun. For me the most interesting lesson was about avoiding tunnel vision, maintaining a “broad, external focus”, which is another way of saying don’t get sucked into the situation you find yourself in. Stay on top of it. If you’re in a big stopper, about to run a huge drop – then remember to look at the camera – claim it – and smile.

Jo at Phil's Right by Jason Ambrose

The Ottawa The classic whitewater section of the Ottawa where ‘EJ Week’ takes place is called the Rocher Fendu (split rock) section, and consists of two separate channels – the ‘middle’ and the ‘main’. The latter is the big-volume run and the one where we spent most of our time. In summer, the water and air temperature are both very warm – leave your dry gear at home. This is rashy and board shorts territory all the way. The nature of the river is bigvolume pool drop, with rapids mostly composed of crashing wave trains with a few heavy holes that are fun to get beaten in if you dare (or if EJ makes you).

There is a big pool to collect the pieces below most rapids! Most of the rapids are graded 3+, although some (including EJ and, for what it’s worth, myself) would award a 4- to McCoy’s and Coliseum. NB: this is ‘big water’ 3+, and if your only experience at the grade is British or Alpine, you’ll be in for the shock of your life, but in a good way, if your roll’s up to scratch.

Richard at Phil’s by Jason Ambrose

The challenge here is not rock-dodging but dealing with big-water features like overhead crashing waves, whirlpools and boils. In general terms, the Ottawa is an ideal learning playground, not only for intermediate playboaters looking to improve (every trick goes off on Garb, for instance), but also for learner playboaters (Pushbutton and Babyface) and those looking to run big water in a warm, forgiving environment.

There is one rapid on the Middle, Garvin’s Chute, that is an anomaly, rated at Grade 4-5 depending on conditions and route taken. It’s a one-shot wonder rocky slide/drop of about 15 feet in height and is potentially dangerous at some states of flow. It’s often run by confident paddlers simply to avoid the short portage. NB: the flow was around -0.5 most of our time there.This is considered a pretty good level, particularly for the Garb. In the spring run-off, flows are much higher, and waves like ‘Bussie’ and Gladiator come into condition.

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Keith Before Phil's Right

by Jason Ambrose

WildernessTours Wilderness Tours, who organise EJ Week (and many other packages) was set up in 1975 by Joe Kowalski, whose son Joel and daughter Katie are top paddlers and were present during our trip. WT is active in buying up tracts of Ontario wilderness to protect it from development and the WT site is a large campsite on a lake formed by a wide, still part of the river.

There are various accommodation options from camping to luxury lodges and facilities are excellent, all centred around a huge, wooden lodge with the large cafeteria/dining room at its heart.

Rafting is the main commercial activity here, so the lodge and its broad verandas heave with stag and hen (batchelorette!) parties, occasionally involving girls getting their bits out and a little high-spirited bad behaviour. For an English paddler, this is rather fun, with something of the feeling of being on the set of a frat movie.

There is also unlimited scope, just a short walk away, for sitting by the lake and watching the stars in silence. Our ‘EJ Week’ was $CAN1,399, which included camping, all meals and tuition – in other words everything once you are on site. Beware the hidden charges: the transfer from Ottawa Airport (c90 minutes) costs $100 per person each way, and if you’re coming from Britain, you’ll probably need to add a day’s extra camping at each end (camping, including three meals, is $49 per day). It all adds up, but imagine what you would pay if you were a club level tennis player wanting to spend a week training with Roger Federer and that puts it back into perspective pretty fast.

Logistics

We flew from Gatwick to Ottawa via St Johns, for about £550 per head return. Full marks to our carrier WestJet, who charged us just £14 each way (per person) for carriage of a boat plus paddle and kindly overlooked a 3kg overweight boat on the return journey. Best of all, their customer service line is manned by human beings who pick up the phone without making you wait for an hour in a queue.

Wilderness Tours is active in buying up tracts of

Ontario wilderness to protect it from development

EJ on Pushbutton by Jason Ambrose https://vimeo.com/176059627

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Accommodation and packing Above: Mike at Garb by Jason Ambrose Right: Melissa before Phil's

by Jason Ambrose

Breaking news: you can fit the excellent Quecha two-man pop-up tent inside a playboat with a bit of effort! Add to this a Thermarest, proper pillow and three-season sleeping bag or equivalent, and you’re set for camping in the mild Ottawa mid-summer.

Paddle gear wise, I would only take a rashy and board shorts on any future visit. The dry cag never left the bag. A pair of Teva-style sandals or Crocs or whatever will do as your only footwear for the trip.

Magical water

A local paddler told me the first evening that the Ottawa river is the perfect temperature: cool when you’re hot and warm when you’re cold. Strangely, it is true.

EJ Week

EJ Week runs twice a year, usually in succession.

Many paddlers do both weeks back to back. Nearly everyone on the course had been before – some go every year. The Ottawa is a river for all abilities. If you have a good moving-water roll, then go for it.

See also Mike’s blog post on the Jackson Kayaks website for another perspective.

Next month I’ll be back with the next in my series on the most iconic paddlers in history – see you on the river (well, at Lee Valley…).

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098 United States

Surfing or riding waves by Bill Vonnegut

108 United States

Mangrove paddling in Florida by Peter Tranter

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SU UF RFING O R

R I D I N G

W A V E S ?

You’re just riding waves, you need to start surfing!

I will never forget Bo saying those words to me as I was starting to get into short boat surfing.

Years ago, I picked up a Necky Rip river boat, which is still a great transitional boat for those wanting to start surfing a short boat. After many times out in the Rip, I found I was dropping down waves and getting long rides. One day, I was surfing with an experienced buddy who both kayaks and board surfs. I asked him for some tips whereupon he very intensely informed me, “You are just riding waves, you need to start surfing, surfing is going this and that way and running at an angle along the waves!”

Those words have stuck with me to this day.These days, the only time I’m ever riding straight down a wave is when I am trying to gain speed, but as soon as the boat has gained speed I’m going left and right and up and down, not straight. Surfing is way more fun than riding waves!

By Bill Vonnegut

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Surfing long or short boats I began surfing with a sea kayak, which at the time had many advantages. It was easy to paddle the distance needed to a good break and I only needed small waves to surf long rides. Larger waves can be taken with these boats, but because of their length a steep wave may cause the bow to bury, which slows the boat allowing the wave to catch up. When the wave catches the boat, it will either purl (boat flips end over end) or broach (boat turns sideways and locks into the foam). Manoeuvring a 16-foot 65lb boat will require a lot of strength to achieve the change in direction, whereas a surf kayak can be manoeuvred quickly with less force from the body. In the time it takes to get a sea kayak just to change direction, a surf boat can make multiple turns with much less effort.

Going short

A couple years ago the whole focus of my kayaking changed when I picked up a composite Mega Bullitt S surf kayak, which is a long High Performance (HP) style surf kayak. The manoeuvrability and speed of the boat were amazing and I was soon running down wave faces and bouncing off foam piles to gain speed with relative ease. I noticed my boat wasn’t spinning out and I could drive it right where I wanted because it had fins, which gave me more directional control. I was totally hooked on kayak surfing from that day.

Having manoeuvrability is just plain fun! These surf kayaks (short boats) accelerate and turn quickly making it possible to play around in the pocket of the wave and those “oh crap” moments when the whole wave looks like it’s about the dump on you are easily turned into a fun surf with a quick turn down wave. By executing a turn just before the wave dumps, I can use the momentum I’ve gained to shoot out in front of the wave. Then, the foam pile will catch up and can be ridden out as the wave dissipates.

By switching to a boat with fins, I was able to figure out what a surf kayak was really meant to do. I had been using an IC (International Class) boat (longer without fins) prior to getting the Bullitt S. I was having a blast with it, but until I

tried this new boat, I had no idea how much more fun I could have and how much more I could do on a wave. All I wanted to do was surf and explore the potential of this new craft.

Recently, I gave my IC boat another try and saw how much potential it had because I had an opportunity to grow a lot with my skills in my HP boat. They’re so much fun that I see a lot of my long boating friends purchasing composite surf kayaks and really getting in to learning the skill set needed for them.

Where to start and beyond

The experience of the paddler determines where they will start with surf kayaking.

Someone new to kayaking may use a sit on top surf kayak, which is usually plastic, stable and designed for catching waves. The models usually have fins to help with manoeuvring and the paddler is secured on the boat with thigh straps that sit on top of the knees so waves don’t wash them off the boat. The thigh straps easily slip off if the boat capsizes and the paddler can climb back on solo fairly easily. I highly recommend taking a class from a certified instructor. Not only will they give important safety tips, but they can also teach important skills such as water reading, wave selection and how to manoeuvre. Plus, you will get a progression beyond the just going out and getting trashed learning curve.

Pho

Manoeuvring a 16-foot 65lb boat will require a lot of strength to achieve the change in direction, whereas a surf kayak can be

manoeuvred quickly

oto by Mark Boyd Photo by Akiko Yoshikawa

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Planing hull

Paddlers with experience and a roll tend to start a step up from sit on top boats by trying out waves using a river boat with a planing hull. A planing hull is important because it allows the boat to gain the speed needed to catch and keep up with the waves. A creek or short play boat may be able to catch waves by being picked up and being pushed along by the foam pile, but to ‘surf ’, extra speed is needed and the way to accomplish that is with a composite surf kayak.

‘Surf kayaks’ are built specifically for performance on ocean waves. They are fast, highly manoeuvrable, and come in a variety of different styles. The main classifications are High Performance (HP) and International class (IC). These classifications are mostly determined by the length and style of the boat as well as how the paddler uses the boat to surf a wave. An IC boat is 2.9 metres or longer and does not have fins. They are designed to use the long edges of the boat to carve out turn, unless surfing backward and sideways is desired, it’s critical to use the edges of the boat to maintain control.

HP boats are 2.74 metres or shorter. The shorter length means that fins are need to help control the boat because it has a shorter water line making it easier to spin around. The shorter length combined with the fins give the paddler control to turn the boat easier and also prevent it from spinning out. There are advantages and disadvantages to either style. The short HP

boats need steeper waves to gain acceleration, but can turn faster whereas the IC boats are longer and don’t need as steep of a wave, but can also slip more easily. I personally prefer an HP boat near the maximum allowed length. It has the advantage of a longer hull to help catch waves and fins to make it drive hard and crank out manoeuvres. These boats are also easier to roll than the short HP versions.

When I was looking for more performance than my longer HP could give me, I decided to try a short HP boat with sharp edges.

For me, the advantage of this boat to make super tight turns, driving down through just about any part of the wave even while it is breaking was offset by the sharp edges, which ironically were what increased its performance. The edges made the boat prone to grabbing and flipping very easily especially in choppy conditions and they made it very difficult to roll.

A more aggressive paddling style is needed to catch a wave in these shorter boats because they need to drop on the steepest parts of the wave to gain the speed to catch it, whereas in a longer boat it’s possible to sit near the shoulder and wait for the wave of your choice. I have seen many highly experienced kayak surfers use shorter boats to tear up any wave they find and have a blast. My goal for kayak surfing is simply to have ‘fun’ and I was not interested in putting in the time to make the smaller boat perform as it should. I feel it’s easier to learn the skills needed to maximize performance and fun using a more forgiving craft.

Photo by Roger Smith

The short HP boats need steeper waves to gain acceleration, but can turn faster whereas

the IC boats are longer and don’t need as steep of a wave, but can also slip more easily

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Improving skills There are numerous resources available in print and online for kayak surfing skills. I have read through many and have picked up tons of useful tips and information from them all. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t recommend any one resource, but do suggest everyone check out http://www.surfkayakskills.com. This has been my go to spot as Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve grown my skills. The website is well organized into different sections that will help anyone at any level practice drills to improve their skills. The site is funded by donations from paddlers. Often, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll read about a manoeuvre on the site and incorporate it into my next day surfing.

Again, another great option is to seek out classes with experienced instructors and follow up what was learned in small, friendly conditions until proficient, then transfer those skills to progressively bigger conditions.

Wave identification

Identifying a good wave to catch and big waves from small waves is a necessary skill. The best way to learn wave identification is to go surfing.

Watch every wave, especially the ones your friends are catching! I have learned to recognize what a wave will do and how large the next wave will be just by spending time observing people surfing waves. Knowledge of how waves work is critical since proper positioning on the steepest part of the wave while avoiding unintentional fraternization with whitewater is needed in order to gain the speed required to efficiently control the kayak. With speed comes more control, allowing me to choose my position on a wave face. Sean Morley once told me I needed to head into the foam pile and bounce off it to accelerate. Until he put it in that context, I had spent time avoiding the foam pile. It took some trial and error of being flipped and spun out to get it, but once I committed to driving into the foam, I felt it working.

Sean Morley once told me I needed to head into the foam pile and bounce off it to accelerate

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Commitment is key After many edges caught, noses planted and backward surfs, I have found the way to improve critical skills (i.e., bottom turns, top turns, cut backs and catching the drop) is committing with my whole body. It took me countless thrashings on top turns to figure out that holding back because I was afraid of wiping instead of committing my whole body was actually working against me.

It felt wrong to lean my body into a wave and have the boat follow, but once I took control and committed, I didn’t wipe out as much. It’s critical to look where I want to go then fully rotate my body into the direction I’m looking – don’t worry about the boat, it will follow.This change in mindset led to a huge jump in my skills.

Committing and practicing the basic skills necessary, have made kayak surfing much more fun. There is always something to work on and no matter the day’s conditions, I can still have fun practicing a drill or manoeuvre.

I am hooked on surfing! I think the draw to it may be that I still have so much to learn (OK, some of the draw may be the shiny new Mega Banshee I have coming too). I attempted some local competitions this year in Davenport and Santa Cruz California. Getting out on the water and competing with the likes of many local pro level kayak surfers is very humbling and just watching them taught me a lot.The surf kayak community vibe is great: everyone is out there on the waves because they love to surf, not just ride waves.

Photos by Mark Boyd

Don’t forget: http://www.surfkayakskills.com

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T H E O F

M A N G R O V E S

FLO FO OD RIDA

S A R A S O T A

The Mexican Gulf coast of Florida is lined with Mangrove trees and they play an extraordinary part in the ecological makeup of that coastline. Unique to tropical environments, their tangle of roots reduce coastal erosion and provide a safe home for a wide variety of marine life. Bill from Siesta Key Bike and Kayak, was our guide for a beautiful day in the waters of Sarasota's exotic Mangrove tunnels.

By Peter Tranter

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I always view Florida as the ultimate adult playground. Granted – it doesn’t have mountains or white water rivers but it is just full of and surrounded by water from the calm warm seas of the Gulf of Mexico to the much livelier crashing wave Atlantic coastline with the Everglades and springs galore in-between. We had been making the most of that water at Siesta Key with SUPing and kayaking on Florida’s Gulf coastline with its World-class pristine sandy beaches. However, on the Saturday I fancied something a little different and became interested in paddling through Florida’s many mangrove forests.

One such forest existed a 10-minute drive from where we were staying in Sarasota Bay, so I got in touch with Siesta Key Bike and Kayak and they very kindly organised a private paddle with one of their expert local guides named Bill.

On arrival we were escorted down to the small landing area, given instructions, paddles and PFDs, stepped into our Wilderness Systems kayaks and slid into the warm water. I must point out at this point that any grade of kayaker can enjoy themselves on this tour including children, who would occupy the front seat of the duo kayaks as my son does on this trip.

I would highly recommend bringing a bottle of water and items that you would normally have while you are in a strong sun including sunscreen, hat and sunglasses. Don’t forget a zipped plastic waterproof bag for phones, cameras, keys, etc.It really was a beautiful morning with a temperature in the mid-70s and a cooling breeze drifting in from the Gulf of Mexico.

Florida fact:

Fort Lauderdale, Florida is known as the Venice of America as it contains over 300 miles of navigable inland waterways.

Florida fact:

DeFuniak Springs is home to one of the very few naturally round lakes in the world.

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ThePADDLER 112 After setting off, the first thing that you notice is how fascinating you are to the local population of Cormorants who drift down to perch themselves on the bow and stern of the kayaks with one even landing on my head! They endlessly circle the boats and occasionally dive down to pluck a fish from the water.They become a great source of amusement for my son, whom is eventually disappointed as he cannot get one to stand on his head. Bill also points out tri-coloured herons and white pelicans with hunting birds perched in the mass of trees.

We paddle down a channel of water between Lido Key and a small wildlife retreat island named Otter Key. The Lido side is lined with very large fine looking waterside palaces

Florida fact:

Florida is the flattest state in the USA. Florida's mean elevation is just 100 ft (30 metres). Britton Hill is the highest natural point with a summit elevation of just 345 feet (105 metres) above mean sea level.

surrounded by palm trees, whereas in contrast, Otter Island is wild and unkept in its appearance with those Osprey birds carefully watching over us.

Paddling around the north of the island, the channels open up and the breeze comes from the back of us and gently pushes us down the water as the needle on the temperature gauge quickly climbs into the 80s. It is now getting hot as we approach noon time and we stop at Sharkerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Island to apply extra sun block. Whilst there, Bill cannot help himself but pluck some marine life out of the crystal clear shallow waters and shows us the huge variety of starfish, urchins and huge water snails that live in the bay. Bill states that all marine animals must be returned to the water and not taken

home, so after carefully placing them back again we set off across the bay to enter the mangrove tunnels and some shelter from the increasing temperatures.

It is noticeable that there are many other people now on the water including other canoe and kayaking groups with a sprinkling of kayak fishermen. We now turn back into the breeze and as I’m now paddling for two, as my son in the front has reverted to sun lounger mode, I’m more than anxious to get a little relief from the sun.

Again before entering the tunnels, Bill gives us some information on the mangroves and what we can expect to find when we are in there

asking us to avoid touching any of the wildlife or trees and to stay firmly in the boats.

Straight away the shade of the trees lowers the temperatures and the waters become much more still as the shelter of the trees halts the breeze. One of the attractions of the Mangrove paddling tours is the hope of seeing manatees and dolphins, which can be seen all year round but more frequently in the warmer summer months. One animal you will not see are alligators, which live in the fresh water further inland. Here the water is brackish saltwater with the mangrove trees sucking the freshwater out of the saltwater and providing a unique eco-system that’s now protected all along Florida’s coastline.

Florida fact:

Florida is the only state in the continental United States to have extensive shallow coral reef formations near its coasts.

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Florida fact:

Florida has the longest coastline in the contiguous United States (1,350 miles or 2,170 km), and is the only US state that borders both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.

The channels of water are shallow and narrow at times, with the need for careful manoeuvres as you follow numbered paths that ensure you don’t get lost in the maze of tunnels. We do come across a few paddlers both in kayaks and on SUPs, who are also exploring this hidden wonderland that seems now so faraway from the luxury condos seen earlier.

Again the water is so crystal clear and as good as looking into an aquarium. Beneath the water is a rich variety of life and for large periods of time you are completely alone in this dense vegetation – where there is near silence with only the sound of the ripple of water, so you do get a sense of pure isolation and complete relief from the sun as the trees provide a complete canopy that block out both sun and sky. The silence is interrupted every now and then by faraway shouts as other paddlers get excited by the wildlife on view, with one child shouting crab, crab, crab!

Fiddler Crabs

The crabs she is referring too are the Fiddler Crabs that live on the roots of the mangrove trees. They scuttle in all directions and are very confident with human interaction, remaining in view at all times and easy to photograph and there are masses of them! Below the surface is a myriad of fish that come to within inches of the kayaks as they dart in and out of the sea grasses.

It’s important that if you decide to go yourself to the mangroves without a guide, that you get the tides and water levels right. When the tide is out there will be areas of the mangroves where you will have to walk as it’s too shallow to paddle. The opposite problem when the tide returns are the mangrove branches providing many obstacles, particularly if you are on a stand up paddleboard. Get the timing right and you will enjoy it so much more.

Huge thanks to Siesta Key Bike and Kayak for all of their help in organizing the paddle.

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INFORMATION WHEN TO GO? Warm sunshine and blue skies are almost always the norm in Florida (the Sunshine state). Subtropical in the south and warm temperate in the north. Orlando and points south have a mild season from October to April, with warm temperatures and low humidity. Conversely, the southern summer (May–Sept) brings high humidity and afternoon storms.

North of Orlando, the northern Florida summer, the crowds arrive, and the days and nights are hot and very humid. June to November is hurricane season with a strong possibility of major storms throughout the entire state.

https://goo.gl/maps/XpNTZHvRZkm

Florida – USA

PLACE TO PADDLE? Central Florida Kayaking near Orlando is great fun for the whole family. These gentle river and family fun guided kayak tours are perfect for beginners of all ages. Whether you are looking for a fun day away or a lazy day on the water, couple that with Central Florida’s native wildlife and these guided kayak trips are perfect!

These gentle river and family fun kayak tours are all about discovering some of Orlando's most unique areas, with a local guide, at a pace that allows you to take it all in. Learn about Florida’s beautiful flora and fauna along with the history of these pristine waterways.

Atlantic coast - Florida Keys There are unlimited places to put in your kayak and paddle through spectacular scenery in the Keys. The Indian Key Historic State Park is an outstanding kayak destination. The historic island is a ghost town with ruins overgrown by jungle. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is famous for its snorkeling, but it also offers 2.5 miles of mangrove trails through the park.

Bahia Honda State Park is a great starting point for kayaking, which can be rented at the park. Paddlers circumnavigate the park, explore nearby islands and paddle under the historic ‘saddleback’ bridge built by Henry Flagler.

Gulf of Mexico coast From Pensacola you are minutes from many great kayaking locations from Milton to Perdido Key. The areas diverse landscape has many rivers, bayous and beaches to explore. Big Lagoon State Park – SW Pensacola/Perdido area – This state park located just outside of Pensacola has a nice kayak launch.

This is a favourite. You will see many birds in this area. The park also rents kayaks.

Florida paddling trails:

www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/PDF/FL_Paddling_Trails.pdf

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

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PADDE DLR LER Canoe Ca C anno an oe oe

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TheYukon River Quest by Richard Harpham

144 Testing, testing

Plenty of kit reviewed by our contributors

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By Phil Maxwell The Drovers Inn, Inveraran is where I found myself sitting with my family devouring my Braveheart burger, enjoying the company of friends but at the same time alone in my thoughts about the prospects of a solo canoe trip on the Erne-Shannon Waterways back home in Ireland.

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Easter 2016

and my wife was walking the West Highland Way with two of her friends and respective husbands following them, setting up camp and looking after the kids along the way. It was sometime during this brief period of physical and mental endurance that my wife mentioned to me that I should do something too. The clouds in my head were starting to form some interesting shapes…

Nothing much happened then for months after, I returned to my day job as a special needs teacher and family life ticked on as normal till again I was reminded that my wife really didn’t mind if I went canoeing.

So the planning started, at a quick measure on Google Maps, it looked to be about 250 miles (straight line) through the waterways from Belleek in County Fermanagh to Limerick City.

With favourable weather, I reckoned I could sustain 2.5mph for 10-12 hours a day, which would give me 25+ miles a day. I figured I could easily exceed this distance with tail wind or the current behind me. Ten days is all I would need.

The dates were set – July 1st – the first day of the school summer holidays, I would be on the water heading south – ish a tailwind hopefully…

Perhaps now I should introduce my intimate friend who would guide me though this challenge, my Old Town Charles River, in green (aka Old Rover). I bought it late one night, after perhaps one or two many beers, on eBay from a ‘buy it now’ auction based in Birmingham. Six months

Andrew Black, kayaker, bushman, electronics guru and all round nice guy

old,‘mint’ and only £500, already kitted out with a sailing thwart and mast foot, kneeling pads and thwart and part laced with two gym balls for buoyancy. About a month later after I figured out that Royal Mail don’t ship canoes via 1st Class post.That was about eight years ago and I’ve had many an adventure in her since. None, however, like what I was about to bestow on her.

Downcreek Paddles

Nothing much happened then until early May where I discovered Downcreek Paddles and fell in love with their paddles and ethos. Jude kindly lent me a few of his sample paddles and I discovered that the Kingfisher was the bird for me. A few weeks later and I was standing holding a work of art that I wasn’t sure if I should paddle or hang in my living room.The Kingfisher is such an elegant name for this paddle and beautifully reflects it’s sleek feeling and it’s effortless performance on long distance trips.

June came around pretty quick and it was then that I figured the enormity of the challenge and perhaps going it solo wasn’t the best course of action. A quick ‘castaway’ comment on Facebook one evening, my ‘Lucy’ came to me in the form of someone I’ve got to know through mutual friends. Andrew Black, kayaker, bushman, electronics guru and all round nice guy had fortunately just enough holidays banked to join me on my adventure.

Phil Maxwell paddling in his Old Town Charles River, in green (aka Old Rover).

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1st July – it’s time…

Andrew arrived at my house with his sea kayak and a surprising amount of gear which he assured me was around 98% food and despite what it looked like would all fit inside his boat.

A quick transfer to my car and we were off, with my wife and one of my daughters to the drop off at Belleek. Weather on the road was good, too good, this isn’t right, this is Ireland in July, it’s not meant to be good! Ahh, there we go, there’s the familiar rain, I felt at ease…

We arrived in Belleek to a two-inch river of rain flowing down through the carpark and into the quay. Little did we know then that this were a hint of what was to come. A break in the clouds and we made a dash for it, unloaded the boats and filled them full of our gear. A quick goodbye and we were off, just as the rain started again.

Leaving the quay and joining the river I was relieved that the wind was blowing from the west and my sail was hoisted making very quick time out onto the open water of Lower Lough Erne. It was here, due to the shape and depth of the lough that things started to get interesting.

With swell of 2-3 feet at times, it was certainly the wildest water I’d ever paddled before and was just glad that it was mainly coming from behind us. ‘Old Rover’ behaved herself and took it all in her stride.

Day one finished around 9.30pm and we had crossed the worst part of the lough and were now in the relative shelter of the islands. Finding a campsite was next, which was difficult due to the commercial development in this part of the lough, however, we did manage to find a tiny extremely overgrown island close to Devenish to hang our hammocks for the night.

The next morning we awoke to sunshine, but don’t worry, it didn't last for long before the comforting rain returned as we made our way through Enniskillen town. A stop at the Round ‘O’ quay to use the toilet’s and a takeaway coffee and we were on our way again down through the meanders of the Erne and passing Carrybridge sometime around early afternoon, where we stopped for a snack.

My food on this trip was something which I had meticulously planned, I wanted to be totally selfsufficient and carry everything I’d need from day one. I’d allocated a minimum of 3,500 kcal per day with a daily water intake of 4-5 litres of water. This food was made up of four day’s worth of ‘Beyond the Beaten Track’ expedition meal kits (Menu 1, which is all my local Cotswold store could get) alternated with dried pasta, fruits, ‘look what we found’ wet meals, oat cakes, cheese, salami, granola, porridge, jerky, cereal bars and the odd packet of sweets and chocolate bars from the pound shop.

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ThePADDLER 126 It was all measured out, bagged up in Ikea zip lock bags and labelled for every meal, every day. This worked for me, it meant that I knew that I was getting enough of the right types of food every day to sustain me. It was much more than I’d normally eat and bagging and labelling it helped me focus.

The evening of day two we set up camp on Nann Island. It had been a short day for us but I knew this part of the lough well and it’s a great clear site perfect for hammocks and allow us to get a good rest before entering the Woodford River the following day.

Day three, passing Trannish Island, we decided to stop and use their long drop loos. It’s surprising, when you’ve little else to think about, how you transfix your mind on finding a recognisable toilet at least once daily. We paddled on, passing the Hare Krishna Temple on Inish Rath before getting quite close to some wild deer on a headland just past Geaglum Jetty. This part of the lough is a paddling home to me, all the inlets, building and way marks are like familiar friends, guiding us past the islands towards Crom and the folly on Gad Island. This marks the end of the Erne Waterway and the beginning of the Woodford River, with canal cuts and locks that join the Erne to countless smaller loughs as its climbs up through the hills.

It was around 18.00 as we reached Ballyconnell to much excitement from the shore as everyone had thought the Vikings had arrived! Ok, we’d been on the water for three days and looked a bit rough, but seriously,Vikings? Turned out that

two viking long ships had been tailing us all day from the Share Centre, but were running a few hours late. Around 60 miles complete at this stage we were feeling good, happy to be in the relative shelter of the river and canals, looking for a camp.

The river here had been very high, with overgrown banks and every field filled with livestock – things weren’t looking good. Just past the town we came across a small section of nettle infested bank with a willow tree branch bending at just the right angle that would have made it possible for Andrew to get out of his kayak – this was it, all or nothing.

We hauled ourselves up about three-foot out of the water and set about doing some gardening to make this little patch of land our own. It was here, that I discovered a fully loaded open canoe is very, very heavy and difficult to haul up to such a hight. On the plus side, it makes an awesome nettle destroyer and made short work of the neck high weeds that were making our lives just a little uncomfortable.

Day four and it’s raining again and despite our thick overhead tree cover, it’s hitting my tarp hard. I curl up in my hammock and go back to sleep. When we finally persuade ourselves to get going, we noticed that the river narrowed at this point, and the flow we were paddling against increased with progress slowing to around 1mph at times. Mile upon mile of treelined and uninteresting canal followed for hour upon hour. If you want to go sight seeing in this part of Ireland, don’t do it by canoe!

A fine soft day on the Shannon

https://youtu.be/YEKwrjcRM9k

The Vikings under tow

https://youtu.be/61Q7vmrdE_o

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Haughtons Shore (official poo stop number 4a) was the next place of interest and gave me a chance to get out and bail 20+ litres of rain water from my boat.The rain showed no sign of letting up today and it was relentless. Leaving the shore, there were two islands marked of Interest in Garadice Lough, but we couldn’t be bothered stopping to investigate and pressed on to Aghoo Lock where we found a nettle free spot in the shade of the road bridge next to a water level monitoring station to set up camp.

Early start to day five and we slowly made our way upstream to Ballnimore and the shower block. An hour or so later, smelling fresher than before, we set off and a few more locks later we met our first ‘moving’ motor cruiser on this section. The couple who owned it were lovely and turned out they were from my home town of Lisburn. Coffee and home made yoghurt cake were on offer from the them, so we took the time to avail of their hospitality.

Finally, after too long against the flow, we reached Keshcarrigan, the highest point on the waterway.

It would be all down hill form now on! Spurred on by the feeling we were now going with the flow (it was a static canal with no flow at all really), we reached the three locks at Kilclare. It was here we started to panic: how much credit did we have left in out smart card for the locks?

Would there be enough or would we have to portage? Thankfully we met the lock keeper, who had arrived to let the vikings through and we were able to buy a new card from him to continue our journey.

Lock 13 (Newbrook) was to be our home for the night and it was here that the Vikings had, after chasing us for two days, eventually caught up with us. Our disappointment at being caught was short-lived when we raised that they were under tow from a motor cruiser after running to ground earlier in the day. Tomorrow we will reach the Shannon River!

Day six and we were on the water for 0900 as that was is the time the lock switched on and shortly later we arrived at Leitrim Village which marked the end of the canal and the start of the Shannon River section of the journey for us. Leitrim was a lovely looking place, however the canal here was heavily polluted with litter and diesel floating all around. The flow on the Shannon was noticeable, at times pushing us up to an average of around 6mph and shortly later we arrived in Carrick-on-Shannon. We moored up at the toilets, we were becoming obsessed now, and a few minutes later I was on the hunt around the town for coffee and buns. What I came back with certainly wasn't the nicest, but it was hot and fresh and with caffeine and sugar now buzzing through our tired muscles we pushed on into the wind and rain.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we reached the shelter of Jamestown Canal.

Passing though the lock at the end we turned

towards Lough Boderg. Here, we caught up with the Vikings again, being blown back by a fierce headwind. Andrew being low down in his kayak managed to make reasonable progress, I however, in the open boat, was almost as helpless as the Vikings as I was blown around.

Looking at the map, I noticed what looked like a sheltered quay around half a mile away, I hunkered down, drawing on the last reserves I had and pushed on into the wind and waves. I was taking on a lot of water as the waves broke over my bows and a split-second lapse in concentration and I could be swimming!

Pushing on, it took me about an hour to reach the quay. It was a modern jetty, neglected and almost abandoned, but this will do, this had to do! We made camp and as I settled down on what was my lowest day of the journey, with only 98 miles completed, I realised that we werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to make Limerick in the four days we had left. Ahtlone was our target now.

Lock 13 (Newbrook) and theVikings had, after chasing us for two days, eventually caught up with us ThePADDLER 129

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We left Camp Boderg early, with a break in the wind urging us forward and we made good time crossing the lough and onwards into Lough Bofin and then Roosky Town. Checking my GPS at Rooky Lock, it said 104 miles. It felt great to have broken the 100mile mark.

Lough Forbes was next, a long and straight waterway where we paddled for what seemed like hours and didn’t appear to be making any progress until suddenly we found ourselves in a river section marked by concrete bollards. I jumped out on one of these bollards to stretch my legs and turning around noticed the vikings catching up with us, once again under tow from a motor cruiser.

Made it to Athlone

Onwards towards Tarmonbarry and then Lanesborough we caught up with the Vikings again who had stopped for the evening. We pushed on, in what was probably the only ‘good weather’ day we had into Lough Ree – our final giant hurdle before Athlone.

Around three miles down the Lough I’d had enough for the day, we had paddled over 23 miles and I was sore. We let the growing westerly wind blow us to shore and it was there that we made our camp for the night.

We woke up, heard the wind, felt our hammocks moving and went back to sleep.The forecast was right, the westerly winds blowing across the lough had turned it into a foaming mass of stupidity that I

wasn’t prepared to even attempt to take my boat out on, especially since we needed to be heading south which meant the wind would broadside me all day. We went back to bed.

Lunchtime now and we’re packed up, ready for the still very rough, but easing lough and headed south. Battling the winds all day, progress was slow. I found it easiest to turn away from shore and head direct into the wind for 10 minutes or so, then turn at an angle to the wind and ride the waves in a zig-zag style down the lough. It was unconventional, it was tiring, it was slow but it worked and we made progress further south.

Around 21.00 and four miles from Athlone we set up camp for the last time in a rough wooded area – part bordering a golf course. A quick phone call home to arrange pickup times and location and I drifted off, considering our achievements, simple nomadic lifestyle and thinking of home with the comforts and complexities that it brings with it too.

The last day, and after almost 150 miles solo in an open boat, we complete the last four and arrive in Athlone after a three-hour battle into the wind and rain. We had passed the Vikings yet again.

Athlone Castle was our pickup. On reaching the slipway and after negotiating an ignorant bunch of school children who were waiting for the pleasure cruise, we hauled out for the very last time, feeling stronger in our arms, backs and our souls.Then we recalled the tales of wonder to my long suffering wife on the three-hour drive back north.

No where to hide on Lough Ree

https://youtu.be/WPHAi817xtE

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Whilst a long time favourite of our rowing and canoeing brethren, it’s only when you stand up you get to appreciate the vistas that inspired the artist John Constable. While his art is famed across the planet, there’s no better way to experience ‘Constable country’ than to paddle through it.

Our two-day adventure starts on the terrace of the tranquil Maison Talbooth. Looking down across the countryside it’s hard to believe we’re in Essex, let alone a train hop from London. While our journey will take us to the furthest corner of Essex, we’re actually riding its border with Suffolk, but by the time we reach Harwich we’ll have swapped the fresh river water for a salty and tidal sea.

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In the last issue, Richard gave us his account of developing the mental toughness and confidence during training to attempt the Yukon River Quest. Now see how he got on racing the 444 miles from Whitehorse to Dawson City in one of the toughest paddling challenges on the planet.

BY RICHARD HARPHAM

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The Yukon River Quest is the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s longest annual canoe race following the historic route of the famous Klondike Gold Rush of 1898.

The YRQ is dubbed one of the hardest races in the world and is not for the faint hearted.You are racing non stop (with the exception of a seven-hour rest in Carmacks and a three-hour race in Coffee Creek).

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I described it as racing and battling against three different challenges: The clock: overall time and race conditions The competitors: your fellow racers who are of course trying to beat you The elements: winds, rain and whatever the environment throws at you Our lead up to the race included UK training with 24 hours on the Severn, exploring the Stour, daily paddles on the Great Ouse (www.canoetrail.co.uk), the Nene and the River Thames. This included competing in the 125-mile Devizes to Westminster (DW) Canoe Race. We had prepared well, trained hard and were ready for the race as we arrived in the Yukon Territories, one of the most incredible wilderness paddling locations in the world.

Despite this both Rob Campbell, my team mate and I succumbed to incredible nerves and butterflies ahead of the race which only seemed to settle when we were in the canoe.

The route

Besides the obvious turn left at the river and “Just keep paddling,” the route does have some twists and turns on the lower sections with different channels and sloughs. In particular the confluence with the Stewart River is a maze of islands. The race can literally be won or lost by selecting the best flow and avoiding obstacles including huge trees, gravel bars and wrong turns.

heart-warming to know in this world of bigger and better and reality TV, that genuine grafters and competitors still exist. Perhaps this is the magic and appeal of the Yukon that makes it appealing to my kind people.

Race team and volunteers

I was astonished at the number of incredible volunteers who gave their all to make the race safe, welcoming and efficient. One of my fondest memories was pulling in to a random checkpoint whilst struggling with sleep deprivation and being treated to cowboy coffee and five minutes of encouragement. That coffee brewed on the open fire was the best I have ever tasted and spurred us on – nuclear powered!

We were lucky enough to recruit the help of Cat Newsheller, who was following her daughter whom was part of the Aurora Collective team.

She adopted Rob and I and was an integral part of our team.

The racers

The racers and 94 teams for the race, literally came from the four corners of the planet, representing 14 different countries with ages spanning from 15 years old to 73 years young.

They ranged from novice paddlers to seasoned granite-like men and women of the paddling world. Of course the Yukon River takes no prisoners and does not respect previous form, titles or dreams.

It has been a long time since I was immersed in such a welcoming and incredible community of like-minded outdoors people, almost all without ego and big claims. It was both inspiring and

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Our race Standing at the start in Rotary Park in Whitehorse was a surreal feeling knowing we were about to immerse ourselves in 60 hours of pain over several days of canoe racing. The high octane mix of nerves, adrenalin and fear was an unusual feeling. I was longing for the familiar comforting feel of our canoe and escaping the start. This later changed when I would have been happy to simply sleep!

Rob and I lined up with several hundred other brave souls ready to test ourselves in the ultimate canoe race. We had trained hard and were ready to go. The ‘Le Mans’ style start meant running across the park down to the boats before powering away to Dawson. Well, that’s how I imagined it. Our butterflies were dispersed by the hooter sounding and we were off running for the boats.

The start

Our C2 was located out on a gravel bar which meant running through two-foot deep water just to get going. We had decided that sprinting the start was a pointless game so plenty of others were in front by the time we were settling into our ‘sit and switch’ rhythm (changing sides every 6-8 strokes). It was intoxicating seeing the huge flotilla of racers around us as we powered through the water, overtaking plenty of other craft to cheering and encouragement from spectators. It was also pretty tricky weaving through that number of boats. There were apparently a few capsizes as teams searched for the fastest water and lines. We moved up through the running order.

We stopped alongside a float plane pontoon in the fast flow and found the front seat was completely broken and detached from its rails. I felt like crying and literally felt sick as all the boats we had passed started to fly by. It was gutting. We tried to work out if we could salvage the situation. The seat had previously been temporarily repaired, albeit badly. We were pretty disappointed with the service from Kanoe People, who had hired it to us, to say the least.

Lashings of gaffer tape

Was our race over? We had cable ties, our personal kit and a roll of gaffer tape. Rob, a man of many talents set about repairing the seat under my management eye using two pieces of Canadian finest quality driftwood and lashings of gaffer tape. We then packed kit under the seat to help support it. We managed to fix it on a slight angle.

Edging the boat

Our cadence, honed over months of training was serving us well. We were now in sight of the front runners after perhaps the first 10 miles of paddling. I began to sense that Rob was edging the boat. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rob, stop edging, its pulling my backâ&#x20AC;? came my instruction. He seemed confused and protested his innocence. This problem continued for the next few miles with the edging meaning I was now leaning the other way to counter balance and quickly suffering with muscle strain and back twinges. Eventually my back began clicking and we conceded we needed to stop and investigate.

We discovered afterwards our UK support team (wives, family and friends) were puzzled by our lack of movement on the SPOT Satellite tracker (a race essential item of kit) and had began to worry. Mutual relief then when we pushed off the dock and rejoined the race having lost 35-40 minutes and began to overtake the back markers again. Talk about tortoise and the hare! It was hot and liquids were an issue. Our Jensen VA1 racing canoe proved quick but very twitchy. We reached Lake Labarge and continued our climb up the ranks. I felt rough and pretty sick from my back twinging from the seat episode. I decided to sip water often and eat some Bananas to refuel the machine and try and avoid a full melt down.

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Lake Labarge dragged on. It is a long 32-mile paddle, particularly when you can see dots of other paddlers in front of you. Safety was great with checkpoints and safety boats positioned along the shore. Given the waves that can whip up on Labarge, teams are required to paddle close to shore. Localized weather was interesting as we chased after the leaders with storms in adjacent valleys but luckily we avoided a drenching. I was feeling slightly better and we stuck to our hourly feeding regime with water and food. Reaching the shore at the far end signalled the start of 30mile river and noticeable flow as well as a checkpoint. By now other boats had experienced equipment failure and some paddlers were struggling with illness. We felt their pain.

Terry kayaker on the yukon

One of the volunteers named Lee, a giant bear of a man who couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do more to help, literally plucked our boat from the flow at the end of Labarge allowing us to change clothes ready for the night. The clock was ticking so we pushed off to keep moving as Carmacks was still many hours and miles away. The sheer magnitude of racing for 60 hours seemed too much for our brains to cope with so we had broken it down into several DW canoe races to ease the mental game.

We saw a wide range of Yukon wildlife whilst paddling with eagles, beavers and a family of moose swimming the river. We passed Little Salmon, Big Salmon and Hootalinqua maintaining a good pace. By now we had discovered the Achilles heel with our boat.

Although quick, it did not have enough room to t allow certain admin tasks such as peeing and restocking hydration packs. Our race plan and hours of practicing different manoeuvres in the boat was fruitless. We were forced to pull over, which meant losing 15-20 minutes of time once we slowed, found a suitable landing spot and rejoined the flow. It was frustrating and was compounded when the auto-bailer in the hull began filling not emptying.

Carmacks

Arriving at Carmacks for a seven-hour reprieve was a glorious feeling. We landed at the t pontoon and escaped the flow and canoe. Food, drink, sleep, choices! Which first?

We were warmly greeted by the effervescent Cat who was on hand to keep us focussed.

The canoe was parked (or abandoned), alongside many others and we stumbled off for food. Dazed but on terra-firma we ordered a mushroom cheese burger and hot chocolate before grabbing some rest in the warm Yukon sun. An alarm signalled an end to our short sleep.

We instinctively braced repeatedly, me on the left and Rob on the right as the canoe broached, pitched and rolled. My third brace was not enough and

we were going over!

Richard at Carm

Stunning sky on the Yukon River

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Five Finger Rapids

We ate again and watched the clock tick down until the departure time loomed with huge imaginary numbers in our heads. Five, 4, 3, 2, 1 go.

And we were back in the boat with the infamous Five Finger Rapids a few miles downstream. Given our ‘twitchy’ racing canoe with running repairs we were not sure how this would pan out. Having paddled the rapids on a previous trip, the wave train had not been too much of a problem but this boat was a different proposition.

We approached river right and paddled to cut the eddy line to the left of the main tongue.

The best laid plans of mice and men did not go well and the flow pushed us sideways down in the main wave train. We instinctively braced repeatedly, me on the left and Rob on the right as the canoe broached, pitched and rolled. My third brace was not enough and we were going over! Unknown to me Rob was hiked out over the side of the boat at the back and somehow we avoided a swim. Watching the Go Pro footage it looked like we were floating serenely in a paddling pool but it didn’t feel like that. We floated downstream for a few minutes aware we had narrowly avoided a capsize.

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ThePADDLER 140 The second enforced stop at Coffee Creek was shorter with just three hours and by the time we arrived there we were on autopilot.

Endurance athlete Richard Parks describes the mental challenge of these types of adventures as, “Exploring a new room in your head.” If you follow this logic we were on a guided tour of plenty of new rooms. Rob and I staggered up the bank to some larger communal shelters and I literally pulled an insect net over my head and lay down on the grass to sleep.

Warnings of hallucination

The final stretch to Dawson was simply a battle against fatigue. We were both suffering from sleep deprivation and craving shut-eye. We regularly nodded off and were forced to splash water on our faces. I could tell when Rob nodded off, as I was forced to steer from the front and wake him.

Equally he saw my head roll on a number of occasions.The race organizers warn of hallucination and faces in the rock formations guarding the river. It was like an incredible kaleidoscope of colours, Aztec looking symbols and First Nation artwork and oh so many faces. It was beautiful and ever so slightly eerie. Like so much of the Yukon it was deeply spiritual.

We shared much of our race with the lovely kayaker Terry, whom we helped during a low ebb and equally he provided great company in exchange. It seemed only fitting that we would cross the finish line together. We saw Moose Slide, a huge crater above Dawson and knew we were not far. We literally powered those final couple of miles despite feeling exhausted. We had done it. Terry tried to let us cross the line first but we were wise to his antics and I think it was a dead heat. The horn sounded and it was over. We pulled in behind the paddle steamer and were literally hauled from our boat.

Finished

So we had done it. Hard to process, after months of training. Despite over 8,500 miles of human powered adventures this was one of the most challenging things I have ever done. We had wanted to do well and given the problems and lessons with the canoe we probably did as well as we could. Rob suffered with trench foot exiting the boat and stretched the bounds of volunteering requiring people to tend to him.

The Yukon River Quest is an incredible challenge of paddling endurance and sleep deprivation. I could not have asked for a better companion or community of people to share this journey with.

Would I do it again? Yes – in a heartbeat but perhaps in a double kayak or Voyager canoe.

Endurance athlete Richard Parks describes the

mental challenge of these types of adventures as, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Exploring a new room in your head.â&#x20AC;?

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Richard Harpham is a human powered adventurer and outdoor instructor. Richard has completed over 8,000 miles of adventures including canoeing the Yukon, sea kayaking from Vancouver Island to Alaska and biking and kayaking from London to Marrakech. He runs www.canoetrail.co.uk with his wife Ashley in Bedfordshire.

Richard and Ashley are also members of Bedfordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Viking Kayak Club. You can see more of his adventures @ www.richadventure.com and www.canoetrail.co.uk

Rob Campbell is a Level 4 canoe coach with a vast experience of canoe expeditions in Sweden, Canada and Scotland. He is a seasoned canoe racer who has won the infamous Devizes to Westminster on three occasions in a solo C1 canoe and has also competed 10 times over the 125 mile course. You can see more of his work here: www.robhouston campbell.com

The Spell of the Yukon is still cast over me and I will be back. Whether you choose to race or explore the Klondike history at a more leisurely pace enjoying historic sites such as Fort Selkirk, Hootalinqua and Dawson City. The Yukon remains a very special place and you can enjoy your own unique insight into life in the Yukon during the Gold Rush through to present time.

A huge thanks to Canadian Affair and Air North who provided the flights for our Canoe Trail On Tour team and also to Up North Adventures and Yukon Tourism for their support. You can book your own trip to the Yukon via their websites www.canadianaffair.com and www.flyairnorth.com

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

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Testing, If you have ever thought of any of those things, or are using your paddling as a part of your work out routine and want to track your progress, where you paddled, how long you paddled, how fast you went and the like, your answer is now reality and is being showcased around to paddlers of every kind, and it works through an app in your smart phone! Welcome to the world of paddling Motionize!

Three ‘modules’

Motionize

www.motionizeme.com

By Scott Edwards

The first on board paddle coach.

The first thing everyone who wants to kayak or surfski needs to do is learn a basic forward stroke. As simple as it may seem, having a steady, efficient forward stroke that propels your kayak and allows you to do all that you want it to, is actually something that paddlers continuously work on.

Up until now the feedback we’ve received has either been determined by our personal feelings of our results or by a coach who critiques your technique after your session.

Neither of which gives you the feedback while you are on the water nor the opportunity to correct and start building that muscle memory that can make a proper forward stroke part of us, something we just do, without thinking about it. Wouldn’t be it be great if you knew right away when you missed a stroke, it wasn’t long enough, didn’t propel you far enough? Was it out of the range of your average, or is your average too short?

Motionize is a combination of three ‘modules’: one that attaches to the middle of your paddle shaft, one that attaches to the bow of your kayak and an app you can send to yourself via email or social media via your smart phone that attaches in front of your cockpit with a RAM X mount, that holds it in place solidly. That being said, even if the case your cellphone is in is waterproof, I highly recommend getting a small light dry case, with a tether just in case!

These are easily found and very affordable. My phone case is waterproof, but, I do like to be doubly sure everything that goes in the water, comes back out with me.

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

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Underneath all that information about your paddle strokes, is a GPS map of your route. So, not only do you know how many strokes you took and how many miles, but, exactly where you went. This is an excellent feature for those who have worked out a route for exercise and want to stick to it. You can actually have a record of all your workouts and do side by side comparisons, as the information is available to your computer as a png file via the aforementioned methods. I believe seeing your trip is not only useful for workouts and for racers, making sure they took the fastest route they could, it is also just fun for the paddler out on a day trip who wants to keep records. I know I have a file full of GPS maps of many of my paddles.

e will b nd it ed a iew rev uct od

The Motionize (I was testing the ‘Edge’ model) measures the length of every stroke on each side of the kayak, it shows you an image of the width of your stroke (how far out from the side of your kayak), your total stroke count, how many strokes you average per minute, how far you travelled and how long you paddled. Below that is something that looks not unlike an EKG chart, showing your strokes per side for the duration of your paddle, it is uncanny how one side mirrors the other, than drops off if you’re making turns or corrections.

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

All about the stroke

The Paddle r ez ine te

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ThePADDLER 146 The RAM-X mount

In looking at each piece of the system, the sensors that attach to your paddle and kayak are small and do not get in the way in the least.The batteries are rechargeable by plugging their bases into the included USB connection.They do not take long to recharge and last about five hours.Your phone is whatever your phone battery life is; I know some last longer than others, but four hours is more than the norm. Obviously the sensors are waterproof and attach by sliding them onto the base that uses an adhesive backing.The RAM mount has a disk that you attach to your kayak, and you then stick the RAM X-mount onto it, at the front of your cockpit so you can easily see it.

Although the RAM mount does firmly hold your phone, I personally like putting it in a dry bag that has a tether.

Permanent mounting

Mind you, all of this is happening real time, right before your eyes.You are able to get instantaneous feedback about the length of your stroke, how far you travel, each and every time.There is even a field for heart rate, which I have yet to use, but it will give you cardio feedback as well. All in all, Motionize gives you a lot of information in a very small, very easy to use package.The unit I have been using is called the ‘Edge’, obviously because it gives paddlers an ‘edge’ in being able to maximize every paddle stroke.

https://youtu.be/eV4rY3OY7KY

The only thing fault I can find with the Motionize system is the permanent mounting of all fixtures.

The paddle sensor and the kayak sensor are fine and only cosmetic. The RAM mount, however, for me, is a sticking point. If the disc has to mount permanently, that’s fine. But I believe some sort of clip mount is needed; so you can remove the mount, yet still have it firmly affixed to the kayak. It doesn’t interfere with rolling or any performance issue, but, it is a fairly large piece and is in the way of putting my camera on the deck facing towards me, and if I had put it on the other side, it would be too far away to see and block the camera pointing forwards. Also, it only allows you to use Motionize on one kayak.

I’m sure there has to be a way that the mount can be secure, yet still be removable and allow you to accessorize all your kayaks to see how you perform in each different one.

Conclusion

Even though I’d like to see a different mount for the phone, all in all, Motionize is a great tool that gives every kayaker, surf skier, racer and fitness paddler a lot of information and self coaching, not just to make you go faster, but, to get the most out of yourself and your paddling experience. Since most of the time we are moving forward in our kayaks, it only makes sense that we do it as well as we can, Motionize is the tool that can really be of great help, instantly, stroke by stroke.

Great Barford

Canoe & kayak hire Stand up paddle board safari

Bromham

Wild campsite located next to river Tuition, guided tours & multi day trips Canoe & kayak sales Group deals, kids parties & corporate days

The Embankment

Activity vouchers, bus bushcraft & adventure activities Other locations including the River Thames, River Ivel & River Wye

Bedfordshire Canoe Trails

Call Ashley on 07960 087235 or Richard on 07710 616520 Proathlete ltd trading as Canoe Trail

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Epic 18X sea kayak

http://www.epickayaks.com

By Jeremy Vore

Just a few short years ago, the number of true, go-fast sea kayaks could be counted on one hand. Over the last few seasons, however, plumb bow, ruddered kayaks with cockpits wide enough to allow a knees-together seating position have begun to appear in almost every manufacturer’s line.

Epic has been at the tip of this trend for a long time with its benchmark 18X – one of the first plumb bow sea kayaks to market – and the 18X Sport. Most paddlers who have Googled the 18X or 18X Sport have probably seen this video of the way it cuts through waves more efficiently than a rockered Greenland style sea kayak with an upswept bow. But, from a practical perspective, how does the 18X really paddle? Is it a boat that a dedicated sea kayaker would really want to have in his or her stable?

Getting the obvious out of the way

The Epic 18X and 18X Sport both have typical sea kayak dimensions on paper. They’re both 18 feet long and 22 inches wide, with the 18X Sport being about ¾” wider at the waterline to provide more stability. However, it’s notable that the 18X series boats both have plumb bows and sterns, offering long waterlines of about 17’ 10” in an 18’ overall length.

Both boats also have decks and cockpits designed specifically for forward paddling efficiency, yet still offering the solid contact points required for sea kayakers in rough water, rock gardens, and surf. The front deck is clean with a

flush hatch and recessed deck fittings to provide a fairly dry ride in conditions, deck cutaways just in front of the cockpit offer excellent clearance for a close, tight paddle stroke entry, and a high, wide cockpit allows the paddler to keep his knees together for optimum hip rotation and power transfer. When the going gets rough, a secure set of thigh braces is only inches away and is engaged by dropping the knees outward and into the typical sea kayak seating position.

The seat is a comfortable carbon shell that rides on a central track, allowing a paddler to easily adjust fore-aft trim in empty or loaded configurations. At the other end of the cockpit, the foot brace is a secure, full-width, adjustable footplate with rudder toe pedals. The footplate allows efficient power transfer in the kneestogether seating position, yet still provides secure and confidence inspiring engagement when using a wide-knee position in rough water or when manoeuvring.

Both boats are offered in Performance and Ultra construction at 43 and 39 pounds respectively.

The 18X that I paddled was the Performance model and has proven to be solid, durable and well built. The thought and technology that has gone into the layup schedule, as well as the skill of the builders, is obvious. As a guy with experience in aerospace composites and a small kayak repair business, I am absolutely confident in my 18X and its quality of construction.

But is it fast?

Design and construction details are great, but the number one question I get from other paddlers is, “How fast is it?”

The answer is, “Probably as fast as you are.” It’s not going to win any K1 sprint or surf ski races, but the potential of both the 18X and 18X Sport exceeds the abilities of most sea kayakers I know. Imagine being in a sea kayak where the boat doesn’t squat and hit a brick wall at X knots. Instead, it’s happy to go much faster!

The result is that you don’t have to pull a lot harder for a tiny increase in speed. Instead, you have to paddle faster and the limit is often the paddler’s inability to move the blade through the water fast enough to keep accelerating the boat.

Is it easy to paddle that fast? No. You still need to be well conditioned in strength, aerobic capacity and technical ability to take advantage of the upper levels of the boat’s potential. However, even if you’re not highly conditioned and trained, the 18X will be faster than most other sea kayaks for any given amount of effort, loaded, empty, or anywhere in between. In the hands of a trained and skilled paddler, the 18X is perfectly capable of winning the sea kayak class in any racing event.

Does it paddle well?

The truth is that most people ask about the speed expecting the answer to be, “Yeah, man. It’s fast!” After all, it’s an Epic! Fast is what they do and they do it very well!

More experienced paddlers can see that it’s fast as soon as they look at the lines. Instead, they ask a different, more valuable question, “How does it paddle?”

The assumption is usually that the 18X and 18X Sport must be one trick ponies, made for speed at the expense of everything else. Surprisingly, though, the 18X series boats actually paddle very, very well!

Many of us mistake bow and stern upsweep for rocker and think that the 18X has a very flat, unrockered hull and must be terrible at manoeuvring. However, if you put it on flat, hard ground, you’ll see that the plumb bow and stern are hiding about two inches of bow rocker and 1.5 inches of stern rocker. As a result, it’s actually quite manoeuvrable for an 18-foot long boat and it’s exceptionally manoeuvrable for a boat with nearly 18 feet of waterline.

I’ve taught many sea kayak classes with the 18X in conditions ranging from flat calm through 4-5 foot seas, 3-4 foot surf and 20 knot winds. In all cases, it was manoeuvrable both with and without the rudder. As with any sea kayak, I expect it to perform well in turns, draws, and braces, both on the move and when standing still. It delivers admirably on those expectations.

With the rudder up, the 18X and 18X Sport both weather cock noticeably in 10+ knots of wind. However, I know of very few kayaks that don’t do that. Notably, the 18X’s tendency to turn into the wind can easily be counter-acted with either the rudder or with a slight edge toward the windward side of the boat.

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When do I use the rudder versus edging? Quite simply, if I’m manoeuvring for rescues (real or practiced), rock gardening, practicing or teaching strokes, or moving through breaking surf zones, my rudder is up, my knees are under the thigh braces and I’m edging to control my boat.

As with any expedition boat, a 15-foot, highly rockered, dedicated play boat will paddle circles around you in the rocks but if that’s where you spend 90% of your paddling time, the Epic 18X isn’t the boat you want, anyway.

Get a plastic playboat and wear a helmet!

In just about every other situation, my knees are centred in the cockpit for optimum efficiency and the rudder is down for directional control.

In all seriousness, with some edging and proper manoeuvring strokes, the 18X does just fine around rocks and cliffs. It doesn’t shine, but it also won’t hold you back. It certainly won’t endanger you or let you down.

Having a boat that allows me to choose between those two options at will has a serious consequence: It makes me a spoiled paddler. When I’m in my other sea kayaks and I don’t have the option of using a centred foot and centred knee position for optimum forward paddling technique, I get grouchy.

When the water gets rough

For some reason, there’s a perception that the 18X and 18X Sport must not be good boats in rock gardens and rough water play. No, they’re not spectacular, but there’s also nothing wrong with them. They both paddle like almost any other long, expedition capable sea kayak in those situations.

The same can be said of breaking surf zones.

It’s not a boat that you’ll want to take out for a play session, but it does just fine coming in and breaking out through surf. In fact, the speed and wave piercing efficiency actually gives the 18X an advantage over many other sea kayaks when you need to get in and out of a rough water zone quickly. Having a few extra knots of speed in your bag of tricks can help you get across a particularly strong current seam or get over a large wave before it breaks.

With proper and safe stroke mechanics, the 18X and 18X Sport offer the same challenge as any long sea kayak in the surf. Hold back so

you don’t outrun the wave and get stuck in the trough, use boat position on the wave to help keep your bow and stern loose for manoeuvring, and be ready for a brace when you broach.

Having a fast hull with the seating options to take advantage of it gives an experienced paddler the ability to drive forward through wave trains, actively looking for opportunities for speed and surfability.

The downside of the plumb bow design, however, also comes out in the surf. This is not a boat that you want to routinely run up on any beach, especially rock and cobble beaches. The bow won’t slide over and bounce off of rocks the way an upswept bow does.

It’s a strange and wonderful combination of kayak stability, security, manoeuvrability, and load carrying capability with surf ski speed and open water performance.

Similarly, if you’re ever in a position where you need to rescue a loaded plumb bow boat in rough water, it can’t be easily slide up and over your cockpit during a T-rescue. Indeed, you’ll likely need to lift the boat’s bow over your coaming, or, should that prove impossible or dangerous, put the paddler back in a flooded cockpit and pump the boat dry.

When the water gets fast

Much like a surf ski, the speed and efficient paddling position of the 18X and 18X Sport really come into their own when you’re paddling in downwind, offshore conditions. On fast, low angle swells that most sea kayaks can’t catch, the 18X is able to produce long, smooth, fast runs, one after another after another.

The 18X or the 18X Sport?

On paper, the 18X and 18X Sport look nearly identical, save for the oddly noted ¾” difference in waterline width (not overall width – both are 22 inches). In reality, the 18X is faster due to lower wetted surface area, but also less stable due to the narrower waterline width.

The 18X Sport is a bit slower and more stable, but the biggest consideration in my mind is that it’s also slightly more manoeuvrable. The slightly wider hull at the waterline means that, for any given weight, it sits slightly higher in the water with less depth below the waterline. I don’t have any empirical measurements or draft comparisons between the two boats, but I can feel the difference in manoeuvrability between them, especially when unloaded or loaded for a lightly for a day paddle.

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16X and its lower wetted surface actually has less drag at average sea kayak touring speeds.

The 18X and 18X Sport don’t gain a drag advantage until you’re paddling faster than most sea kayakers care to go.

Exhibit B: it’s more manoeuvrable

A sleeper: the Epic 16X

The Epic 16X is often dismissed as an inferior, slower sibling of the 18X and 18X Sport. The reality couldn’t be further from the truth.

Exhibit A: it’s not slow

First, it’s a 16-foot long boat with a 15’ 10” waterline. That’s more water line than most 18foot sea kayaks with upswept bows and sterns.

Not only that, but the hull is an efficient design and the cockpit and seating position have all the benefits of the longer 18X and 18X Sport. The result is that the ‘short’ 16X will outrun most sea kayaks that are 2+ feet longer.

Second, when compared to the 18X, the shorter waterline of the 16X offers a lower potential hull speed, but it also has less wetted surface area. In other words, for the average paddler who isn’t going to push the upper limits of either boat, the

Remember what I said about the 18X in the surf zone and rock gardens? Chop off two feet of length and the 16X is suddenly manoeuvrable, fun, and much easier to manage. It’s still not a dedicated playboat, but it may be a great oneboat-quiver. Imagine a sea kayak that’s short enough to be fun and spunky in the surf and rock gardens, yet has the waterline and seating position to keep up with (or outrun) the 18 foot expedition boats.

Exhibit C: it’s not an expedition boat . . . but it could be!

Finally, paddlers have a fixation with ‘Expedition’ kayaks being 18 feet long.The truth is that the 16X can carry enough gear and food for a week or more and, honestly, very few of us have the time or luxury of taking off for anything longer than that.

What does all of this mean?

To sum up the mountain of information that I just threw at you, let me say this: if you’re looking for a great performing kayak that bridges the gap between surf skis, expedition kayaks, and want to push the upper limits of speed, the 18X and 18X Sport are exceptional options. If you favour speed and don’t need extra stability or manoeuvrability, the 18X is your boat; if you prefer a touch more stability or manoeuvrability at the cost of a bit more drag, the 18X Sport is for you.

If you’re looking for a single, all-purpose sea kayak that’s fast, can carry a load, is short enough to play well in the surf and rock zones, and still offers the potential for great workouts and fitness sessions, the lesser know and under-appreciated 16X may be ideal.

Sure, there’s always the argument that 98% of our sea kayak strokes are forward strokes, so it makes sense to paddle a kayak optimized for that. However, the other 2% of strokes are usually pretty important ones, either for safety or fun.

Fortunately, Epic’s line of sea kayaks will leave you happy and smiling no matter which category your stroke falls into.

Palm SetiTop

http://palmequipmenteurope.com

By Philip Carr www.unsponsored.co.uk

We’ve been using a Palm Equipment Seti top here at Unsponsored HQ for over six months. It has been put to use both on and off the water.

The Seti is designed as a lightweight insulation layer.The cut of the Seti can be described as athletic, as I am not designed that way I have gone up one size and the fit is spot on.The Seti reminds me of technical base layers from the likes of Mountain Equipment or Haglofs.

The fabric is very lightweight with a waffle structure with an almost fleecy inner texture and I have found that it is extremely breathable and does dry incredibly quickly.

The collar has a low profile that doesn't seem to interfere with latex gaskets and the chest pocket is big enough to accept a set of car keys for example.The men’s version has blue highlights in the form of the Palm logo and colour coordinated zips.The ladies version comes with a slightly different cut and is complete with pink highlights.

All of the seams are low profile and Palm have even included thumb loops, which I really like as it makes life easier when putting a dry suit or dry top on over the base layer.

Construction Strong and comfortable ActiveSeam stitching G Waffle fleece breathable fabric G

Other features G Half length front zip G Lifted collar to prevent chafing G Thumb loops

After lots of use the top still looks pretty respectable, no holes, rips or tears and all of the seams and zips are working as they should. It has held its shape and hasn’t taken on the usual kayaking type smell that many synthetic base layers acquire. On many occasions the Seti top has been used in conjunction with a pair of Seti pants, which are essentially a pair of long johns made from the same Seti fabric.

For really cold days the Seti top has been supplemented with an additional insulation layer but on cool spring days or early/late summer paddles I have found the Seti top more than warm enough.

Colour: Jet Grey Sizes: S‚ M‚ L‚ XL‚ XXL Material: Waffle fleece (91% polyester/9% elastane) Pockets: Zipped chest pocket Weight: 295 g (L) G Form fitting G No underarm seams prevent chafing G Dropped rear hem

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Peak UKTecwik

www.peakuk.com

By Philip Carr www.unsponsored.co.uk

The Peak UK Tecwik is a close fitting rash vest kind of top with a number of subtle differences. Firstly you can purchase a long or short-sleeved version with only the Peak UK printing present.

Alternatively you can have your own logo (or whatever else takes your fancy) custom printed onto the fabric. Supply Peak UK with a suitable image file or PDF and they will take care of the rest.

Secondly the Tecwik may on the surface look very much look like most other rash vests but the one technical aspect that puts this rashy ahead of the game is the fabric. On picking up the short-sleeved version of the Tecwik it was pretty obvious that it was different. It is much weightier than a rashy made out of lycra and it has a quality, well-built feel but also feels much warmer to the touch. This also translates to on the water.

Specification: G G G

G G G

Articulated cut Flatlocked seams Wicking, thermal and quick drying polyester lycra Super cool logos UV50 protection Warm when wet

I’ve been wearing the Tecwik throughout the summer for kayaking, canoeing and even a little bit of open water swimming.The fit is spot on with no bulky seems or tight spots to rub or chafe. It offers a good level of warmth without being too warm and has easily earned its place for outerwear when it has been really warm and as a thermal layer under a short-sleeved cag.

The custom printed Unsponsored logo on the front of the Tecwik is fixed into the fabric – it isn’t a screenprint and will not peel or crack over time. It stretches a great deal with the fabric but remains intact. I could have included some images of myself wearing the Tecwik to demonstrate the stretching of the logo but thought that such a sight may well be too much for some of the more sensitive readers out there – suffice to say it works really well!

So good that I have ordered a longsleeved version to go in the kit bag.

If you are an individual, club or canoe polo team looking for a versatile bit of gear then the Tecwik from Peak UK is worth a closer look.

Peak UK Bagz Shorts

By SUP Mag UK

We’ve always been keen to feature kayaking stuff that’s just as easy to combine with SUP and Peak UK certainly fits the bill.The Matlock based brand are not only well renowned throughout the recreational kayaking world but also supply the GB team’s official kayaking and canoeing clobber, the stuff of World and Olympic Champions – so that should indicate to you something straight away on the quality of the gear they manufacture.

They’re not the lightest shorts you will ever wear but they are substantial, robust and well put together with a feel that gives you the confidence these fellas will hold up to anything you may throw at them.

Warm and quick drying, they have the thickness of material with the warm fleece lining to last you well into the Autumn months and those quick drying polyester outer fabric qualities mean no need to change for those longer summer evenings on the beach or round the camp fire. Great for SUPing but also just as adaptable for cycling, climbing and many other sporty activities.

Peak UK are a serious contender in the UK watersport marketplace and who knows but if they do decide to seriously branch out into the SUP world, then their rugged materials and quality garments could be a treat worth waiting for. The Bagz Shorts have all of that in spades and wether taking a long distance SUP paddle or mooching around on the beach, these shorts could well be the ones for you Price: £59.

Info: www.peakuk.com/legwear?product

Racer ST – performance enhancing paddling equipment

The all new Racer ST is a unique and ground breaking three in one garment that combines a paddling jacket with spray deck and buoyancy aid for the ultimate streamlined performance.

This revolutionary garment was four years in development and collaboration between Derbyshire based Peak UK Kayaking Co Ltd, British Canoeing and the English Institute of Sport. It sped Joe Clarke, David Florence and Richard Hounslow down the whitewater course in Rio to Olympic gold and silver.

They’re not the lightest shorts you will ever wear but have a robust and well put together feel that gives you the confidence these fellas will hold up to anything you may throw at them.

Traditionally with a regular PFD (life jacket) athletes will have 40-50mm of buoyancy foam on the front and back of their body. The Racer ST holds around 30 percent of it’s flotation in its spraydeck, meaning now there’s less than 20mm of flotation foam on the athlete’s body. Lines can be cut closer to the poles and run times reduced. This piece of kit is truly ‘Performance Enhancing’. It does of course meet all the ISO 12402 and ICF 6.12kg PFD safety standards.

The Racer ST is available now in long and short sleeved versions attached to a Slalom C1 or K1 . It is also available with a Whitewater Composite or Keyhole deck for the ultimate in freestyle or surf kayak performance.

Key features: G G G G G G

https://youtu.be/0I6h8FPHdlQ

SS3 four way stretch, breathable and waterproof fabric with 20m hydrostatic head and 20k moisture transmission.

Gaia environmentally friendly super soft flotation foam. Only 20mm thickness on the body.

Load bearing and secure webbing body harness.

Tough faced 4mm neoprene spraydeck with added Gaia buoyancy.

EU Registered Patent Pending design.

ISO 12402-5 Certified. ICF 6.12KG Approved.

Colours: black, blue, lime or full custom designed colours.

Body sizes: XS. S. M. L. XL

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Chatham Spinnaker G2 Performance Boat Shoe www.chatham.co.uk

By Chris Stubbs

Over the last few years we have been sent so many differing types of water shoe that we’ve lost count. However, few, if any have been quite as stylish as the Chatham Spinnakers, so much so, that you’ll be wearing them in all walks of life so to speak and keep them away from watersports.

Chatham’s home grown range of shoes extends across a huge range for all types of outdoor activities but these are worthy additions to any paddler’s kit box, particularly when you’ve finished paddling and hoofing it off down the pub.

Available in brown, navy blue and grey, the finish is top-notch with neat detailing and stitching with the seams looking like they would stand up to a good old pasting.

Inside you find the Barefoot designed AQUAGO sole unit, with water drainage and breathable materials. Super lightweight, with excellent grip.

The shoe also features Chatham’s Aqua Go technology which drains water from the shoe within ten seconds, through its unique three layer drainage system. This makes the Spinnaker perfect for getting soaked if you feel the need to and just so you know – they do empty that fast!

Personally though, I think they are too stylish for that and I’ve used them just by the waterside where incidently they provide excellent grip in slippy conditions, which is why I guess they are very popular with sailors.

The Spinnaker joins the ever-popular Mist, Coasteer and Breaker styles in Chatham’s technical footwear collection. Chatham will continue to donate £1 from the sale of every pair of shoes to youth sailing charity, UKSA and they come with a two-year manufacturer’s guarantee.

If you feel the need for a stylish, grippy water shoe that wouldn’t look out of place anywhere along the waterline including the pub, then look no further – I love them.

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The midsole has strategically placed drainage holes to allow water to disperse from the interior of the shoe in under 10 seconds.

The phylon compound offers maximum flexibility and cushioning.

The outsole is made from a rubber latex for supreme traction in wet or dry conditions. two years manufacturer guarantee.

The UK’s only home grown SUP magazine

SUPMagUK SUP Mag UK’s sizzling summer issue is now alive, kicking and ready to order… http://standuppaddlemag.co.uk/subscribe/ Featuring a huge array of stories from across the planet – and the crème de la crème of UK stand up stories, it’s a must have read for anyone into the art of propelling themselves forward on a board with a paddle.

Featuring: G G G G G Words and pics: Dave White

Standing in the

Paddlers l to r: Matty Hurrell, Jake More, Abigail Rose Poulton and Emma Round

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England is a treasure chest of paddle boarding locations, though few combine such enchanting views with the ability to challenge or relax its occupants in equal measure as the River Stour.

Whilst a long time favourite of our rowing and canoeing brethren, it’s only when you stand up you get to appreciate the vistas that inspired the artist John Constable. While his art is famed across the planet, there’s no better way to experience ‘Constable country’ than to paddle through it.

Our two-day adventure starts on the terrace of the tranquil Maison Talbooth. Looking down across the countryside it’s hard to believe we’re in Essex, let alone a train hop from London. While our journey will take us to the furthest corner of Essex, we’re actually riding its border with Suffolk, but by the time we reach Harwich we’ll have swapped the fresh river water for a salty and tidal sea.

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SUP Armada - World records, SUP racing and more from Kent SUPing the River Stour by Dave White Fran Blake in the spotlight Touring the prehistoric coast by Dave Adams Lebanon - More than SUP by Sarah Hebert Georgia Wharton interview Chasewater SUP Club profile Behind the brand - John Hibbard Tati CoCo explores her homeland Ben Payne in focus talking WW SUP SUPing the Acheron Delta by Tez Plavenieks Stretching it out - SUP yoga in Salford The Seven Sisters South coast adventure Fatstick comparison Fatstick 12.6ft x 28” and 14ft x 28” Gear Shed

To subscribe to the digital copy with approx 60% savings over the print issue: https://joom.ag/1ogQ To buy a printed issue on top quality paper with varnished gloss perfect bound covers please visit: http://standuppaddlemag.co.uk/subscribe/ The printed paper copy costs £7.49 inc P&P for a single issue or £27.99 inc P&P for a subscription of four magazines.

Please contact us: 01480 465081 Email: anne@supmaguk.co.uk