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Q. How’d you start out? Was it all fun & games? A. My first experience was at school, I found it terrifying as I could not swim!! I soon grew to love it though, not by learning to swim but by learning not to fall out!! - I still can’t swim very well!? It started on the rivers for me, down in Devon and then in the Lake District. With the British weather being so variable it was the perfect sport to accompany climbing! Moving to Scotland in 1990 so more inclement weather and therefore even more paddling - also with the west coast of Scotland to explore I moved on to the sea as well as the rivers. Since then have never looked back. Q. You’ve done some coaching in the past haven’t you? What advice would you give to someone starting out in the paddling world? A. Get a boat that you are comfortable in, choose an environment that you are not intimidated by, and then have fun. The learning will happen natuarlly if you are relaxed and having fun. If you can get help from friends, a club or a coach it will just speed up the learning process, as well as hopefully making it safer – but don’t forget the fun! Q. Any paddling memory you’d like to share with the Go-Kayaking community. Maybe a favourite trip, a place or river everyone should try and get to paddle etc? A. A perfect West Coast of Scotland sunny day, kayaking around the skerries out from Arisaig would have to be my answer. Surrounded by wildlife so close you could touch it, white sandy beaches and the islands of Eigg and Rum as the backdrop – I could want no more. Q. Favourite boat? Why? A. At the moment it is the Quest LV. Fast enough and performency enough to be fun, big enough for week long trips, small enough to paddle empty for the day, stable enough not to be too scarey! However there are a lot of boats out there and if it is sunny and I had good company I would be happy in any of them Q. Piece of kit you can’t live without? A. My Sponge!! – I hate sitting on a wet seat or in a boat with water in it. Without my sponge you just can’t keep a seat dry enough!! Q. Best Ever Campsite? A. This has to be in Greenland, on an expedition paddling around the southern tip, Cape Farewell. We had an unbelievable campsite looking out to the cape, huge icebergs, big mountains and a vast expanse of unforgiving ocean. The next day we paddled around the Cape. Q. Best Wildlife Experience? A. Watching a group of 4 Basking sharks off the coast of Mingulay in the Outer Hebrides. When one of them turned, came straight at me and skimmed the bottom of my kayak as it went beneath me. Q. Best Expedition Campfood? A. It has to be a freshly caught fish, caught by your own hand at camp, and then cooked in foil on the campfire – I can taste it now! Q. Famous last words? A. The sea will always give you the answer before it give you the lesson – never forget it! |
© Go-Kayaking 2009.