Ceufad Summer 2019

Issue 139 June 2019 £2.50

ceufad CYLCHGRAWN CANW CYMRU JOURNAL OF CANOE WALES

kayak

TWO DAYS ON THE WEY

WELSH OPEN FREESTYLE

COMPETITION – WIN AN AQUA-BOUND PADDLE BOATER X – EXTREME SLALOM

Q&A CLIFF MELHUISH

Blast from the past: Bec Boswell styling Slot and Drop on the Durance Gorge Photo: Pete Catterall

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editorial

here are a couple of articles in this issue that have got me thinking … one of them is the interview with CW Volunteer of the Year Cliff Melhuish (p14). Cliff set up Slightly White Water Kayaking (SWWK), which is a supportive group of like-minded whitewater paddlers that currently has 2800 members. It made me think about how important your paddling squad is, whether that’s weekend whitewater or GB team training. It can make or break your paddling life. My BBF (boating best friend) was Bec Boswell, and we chased every grade 3/4 river we could find (including running the Ogwen into the night …). We encouraged and pushed each other to become better paddlers, and had a laugh doing it!

ceufad

Ceufad is the official magazine of Canoe Wales. It is produced by members & the views expressed are not necessarily those of Canoe Wales or the magazine’s editor. Ceufad is free to members of Canoe Wales.

SUBSCRIPTIONS are available to non-members for £10 for 4 issues from Canoe Wales.

ADVERTISING For advertising rates contact Vicky on: ceufad@canoe.wales SUBMISSIONS Articles are always welcomed & should be submitted There’s a similar community-vibe about Loops & Logs (p20), another as Word files, however, typed articles are also group of paddlers who meet up regularly to enjoy their local water. And accepted. Images can be prints or tiff/jpeg/RAW files with the successful launch of the Wales Youth Canoe Polo Development (preferably 300ppi). These will be returned. sessions (p34) it’s clear that team paddlesport is on the rise. In fact CONTACT pretty much every article in this issue showcases the strength and ceufad@canoe.wales – 01678 521199 importance of the paddling community, from freestyle to ocean racing. Ceufad, Canoe Wales, Bala, Gwynedd LL23 7NU Ceufad is produced quarterly in March, June, So what are you waiting for? Text/message/phone/wake up your September and December. paddling buds and go boating!

NEXT ISSUE: SEPTEMBER DEADLINE: 1ST AUGUST Vicky Barlow Ceufad welcomes all contributions but reserves the Editor right to edit & condense to fill the space available.

Ceufad Design & layout: Vicky Barlow www.victoriabarlow.co.uk @Ceufad ceufad@canoe.wales Ed Ceufad

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16 Welsh Open Freestyle

26 Fishguard Bay Ocean Race

20 Two days on the River Wey

25 Boater X – Extreme Slalom

CANOE WALES NEWS

19 COMPETITON!

Info from Canoe Wales

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YOUNG VOLUNTEERS PROGRAMME

20 LOOPS AND LOGS

Earn rewards for giving your time to paddlesport

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WATERWAYS AND ENVIRONMENT UPDATE

25 BOATER X – EXTREME SLALOM

Canoe Wales access campaign

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CANOE WALES MEMBERS SURVEY 2019

The results are in!

contents

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More Welsh success on the competition circuit

14 Q&A CLIFF MELHUISH

Selection event for the newest slalom discipline

26 FBOR’19

The latest paddlesport products and news

12 COMPETITION REPORT

Two days on the Wey

Fishguard Bay Ocean Race 2019

32 36YRS OF KAYAKING DOWN THE DRAIN

11 IN THE FLOW

Win an Aqua-Bound Whiskey fibreglass paddle

Coming back from preventable injury

34 PAS DE CALAIS INTERNATIONAL CANOE POLO TOURNAMENT

Victory for the Wales Youth Canoe Polo Development Team

Meet the Canoe Wales Volunteer of the Year

16 WELSH OPEN FREESTYLE 2019

Front cover:

Team: Wales Youth Canoe Polo Development Team aiming for a podium at the Pas De Calais International Canoe Polo Tournament

Throwing it down at CIWW

18 CEUFAD IS CHANGING

Ceufad is undergoing a bit of a transformation ...

Photo: Matt Free

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CANOE WALES SAVE THE DATE - 21/22 SEPT! Canoe Wales is excited to announce our 2019 Members Meet: this year’s event will be based at Broneirion, near Llanidloes in Mid Wales on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd September 2019.

Throughout the day on Saturday, we’ll be running a selection of courses and information sessions, plus we’ll be holding our AGM followed by a two-course Awards Dinner in the evening. Throughout the evening, we’ll be celebrating the greatest achievements in Welsh paddlesport in 2019 and honouring those who have gone above and beyond in their service to our sport.

Broneirion is a gorgeous country house with a large marquee – it offers accommodation to suit all, with shared rooms in the country house, plenty of camping pitches for tents and a few spaces for camper vehicles.

For our members who can’t stand to be indoors, we’ll also run a variety of on-the-water sessions and courses for all ages and abilities at nearby Llyn Clywedog on both Saturday and Sunday. We are hoping to confirm a dam release for white water (water levels dependent).

So make sure you save the date – more info about the schedule and how to book your place will be posted online and sent out over the coming weeks!

CANOE WALES ON THE ROAD Earlier this year Canoe Wales went on tour with a series of roadshow evenings. The aim was to provide an opportunity for members and clubs to meet with the CW team and learn about the latest developments and future plans. Presentations included: • Insight into the future of Canoe Wales – Jen Browning • Regional development and Go Paddling week – Rhys Green • North Wales slalom program – Jonathon Davies • Access update – Steve Rayner • Qualification changes – Paul Marshall The events were held at Storey Arms Outdoor Education Centre, Wide Horizons Bryntysilio Centre and University of Wales Trinity Saint David. All three events were very busy, with attendance exceeding the numbers who signed up.

Rhys Green said, “Over the course of these three events, it has been great to talk with members and club representatives regarding the future of Canoe Wales. It has enabled us to gain an insight into how we can assist more in the future. It has also been wonderful to have Canoe Wales board members in attendance for each of the events.”

Canoe Wales would like to thank all those who attended, and the staff at each location for providing a warm welcome and excellent facilities.

MEASTEG CC BABY PADDLER We are over joyed to announce the safe and healthy arrival of baby Theodore David James Evans on the 16th April 2019 at 6am weighing 8lb 15oz to the new parents, Maesteg Canoe Club’s chair Emily and Dan the clubs lead coach.

Emily talks about Theodore’s arrival, “I went in for induction on the Monday, my waters broke 1.30am Tuesday morning, baby was born at 6am on the Tuesday and all done on just gas and air! I wanted stronger pain relief but baby had other ideas!”

Dan says on being a new dad; “it’s going to take a lot of adjusting but I think I’ll get the hang of it in time, although I do like to sleep a lot so I’m not sure

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how I’m going to fit that in anymore, however Theo makes it all worthwhile.”

Mum and dad tell us, “little Theo will be a big part of the club as he grows up, he’s already been down the pool once since he’s been born. Everyone is besotted by him, if only we could find a kayak small enough for him!”

Mum, Dad and Theodore have settled at home really well and baby is already sleeping through the night.

All at Canoe Wales want to congratulate Emily and Dan on the birth of Theodore and we can’t wait to see him paddling soon.

Photo © Jeremy Bolwell (cc-by-sa/2.0)

Photo © Timevans500 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

CANOE WALES OUR NEW STRATEGIC PLAN We’re incredibly proud to share our 2019–2023 four-year strategic plan with you, the paddling community in Wales. We have set some ambitious goals that will transform Canoe Wales over the next four years into a very different organisation – with better services for our members, increased advocacy for access to waterways, more support for recreational and non-Olympic paddlers, and an ever-growing and more inclusive paddling community.

To achieve this plan, we’ll rely on your support, feedback and generosity. Ultimately, Canoe Wales is the paddlers, coaches, leaders, volunteers, staff and supporters who make it possible for people to get on the water every day, and we’re very excited to work with you all over the next four years to bring this plan to life.

Our new strategic plan launched on 1st April 2019 and can downloaded from: www.canoewales.com

Canoe Wales

Strategic Plan 2019–2023

www.canoewales.com

WELSH SURF KAYAK OPEN COMP 2019 AND AGM The Welsh Surf Kayak AGM will be held at the Duke of Edinburgh, Newgale, on Saturday 7th September 2019 at 7pm. The rerun date for the competition is 21st September – the AGM will take place on the same date as the competition.

Details for entering this competition is on www.tournr.com, deadline for entry is 2nd September, 2019, no late entries.

There will be a category included in the competition for novices, non specific surf kayaks, all abilities will be welcomed.

EVENTS SUMMER/AUTUMN 2019 21 June 25 June 29–30 June 6–8 July 6–7 July 19–21 July 14–18 Aug 7 Sept 21–22 Sept

Come Up on the Other Side, Greenland Style, St Brides Women In Sport Conference, North Wales Gemau Cymru (Bala) Gemau Cymru (Cardiff) Mawddach Paddlesport Festival Tryweryn Festival Llandysul River Festival Wales Surf Kayak Open Comp, Haverfordwest Canoe Wales Members Meet and AGM, Llanidloes

Email: upsidedown_outsidethebox@outlook.com https://www.facebook.com/events/405673276916527/ http://gemaucymru.urdd.cymru/en http://gemaucymru.urdd.cymru/en www.merionethyachtclub.co.uk www.tfest.wales www.llandysul-paddlers.org.uk https://www.facebook.com/WalesSurfKayakingpage www.canoewales.com/save-the-date

CANOE WALES – OUR TEAM Jen Browning – CEO MEMBER SERVICES TEAM Paul Marshall – Coaching Manager (Consultant) Gayle Penn – Development Officer Rhys Green – Development Officer Val Ephraim – Administrative Officer Jen Rigby – Membership Assistant Ellen Roberts – Finance Officer Steve Rayner – Waterways and Environment Officer (Consultant)

PERFORMANCE TEAM Dan Golder – Performance Manager and Talent Pathway Officer (South) Jonathan Davies – Talent Pathway Officer (North) Serena Williams – Talent Pathway Officer (South) Gareth Bryant – Talent Pathway Officer (West) Tom Power – Head Coach (Slalom) Dan Goddard – Performance Coach (Slalom)

DIRECTORS David Wakeling – Interim Chairperson Andy Booth – Finance Director Kerry Chown Elsa Davies Lowri Davies Ian Hughes Jet Moore Eryl Richards Mary Taylor Ieuan Watkins

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CANOE WALES

S R E E T N U L O V G N U O Y PROGRAMME Earns rewards and free training for giving your time to paddlesport in Wales We’re excited to launch our brand-new Young Volunteers Programme, for paddlers ages 14 to 25 years old!

Sign up and we’ll send you £5 to spend in Canoe Wales’ brand-new online shop.

Plus, the first 30 people to log 10 hours will win a weekend of free training at our 2019 Members Meet in September!

You could earn rewards of up to £70 to spend at our new online shop, where you’ll find items such as camping mugs, t-shirts and hoodies.

All you need to do is log the hours that you volunteer at your club.

The scheme will enable Volunteers to record the number of hours they have spent supporting the sport. That can be organising events, volunteering for club events and training or being part of Canoe Wales events and groups.

The programme has been designed to appreciate, encourage, recognise and reward the time, effort and skills that young individuals offer supporting paddle sport in our communities. The effort and commitment they achieve in grass-roots sport allows an impactful proposition for paddle sport participation in Wales and this shouldn’t go unnoticed.

You’ll have a mentor at your club ...

The first 30 volunteers to sign up and log 10 hours will be invited to a training weekend ... this will include two days of training with other young volunteers from across Wales, one night’s accommodation at beautiful Broneirion, and free pass to our annual awards dinner. (And don’t worry – we’ll get you on the water for part of the training weekend!)

You will log your hours using the easy-to-use VolHours app, available for download for iOS or Android phones. This app will let you, your club volunteering mentor and Canoe Wales see how many hours you have logged each week.

You’ll earn rewards to redeem in our new Canoe Wales’ online shop, once you log 10, 50 and 120 volunteer hours in paddlesport – plus you’ll get a £5 voucher just for signing up!

We’re here to help! Our Development Officer Gayle Penn is heading up this programme and you can reach her on gayle.penn@canoewales.com or 07734257417 and she’ll answer all your questions and help you get started on your volunteering journey.

This programme is due to launch very soon so keep your eyes open and please get in touch with Gayle Penn now if you don’t want to miss any information on how to sign up!

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rewards Sign up – £5 voucher code 10 hours – £15 voucher code 50 hours – £20 voucher code 120 hours – £30 voucher code & you’ll be presented with the YOUNG VOLUNTEERS GOLD AWARD at the 2020 Canoe Wales Awards Dinner

gayle.penn@canoewales.com

WATERWAYS & ENVIRONMENT UPDATE CLEAR ACCESS CLEAR WATERS WALES: OUR ACCESS CAMPAIGN Following the launch of British Canoeing’s access campaign for England in November, Canoe Wales has committed, in its new Strategic Plan, to: • Launch and lead a Clear Access, Clear Waters campaign in Wales, engaging in direct advocacy with the Welsh Government and AMs to move forward with their proposed legislation; • Support British Canoeing with their campaign for access legislation in England; • Develop a set of resources to support local advocacy with AMs and local access committees; and • Organise regular river clean-ups and other local activities to promote the health of our waterways.

In April, the Deputy Minister for Housing & Local Government announced that, instead of implementing the legislative reforms that the Welsh Government had proposed in 2017, she would instead “be asking the National Access Forum to … lay the ground work for … greater dialogue on inland waters issues” and she “encouraged stakeholders to find a practical joint solution” (although she did “not rule out future legislation on access, particularly should [she] not be satisfied of reasonable progression within 18 months”). Her civil servants have promised to explain in the summer more about what this might involve …

While this is disappointing, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t continue to campaign for longer-term change in the law – although we must also now engage constructively in any discussions that the Welsh Government leads. It is, after all, just possible that such discussions might lead to improved public access to inland waters in Wales, so it would be wrong of us to not use this opportunity (or to be seen by the Welsh Government to be uncooperative). However, our experience suggests that such discussions could still break-down around different interpretations of the law, so we intend to take a twin-track approach by: a. engaging actively in any Government-sponsored dialogue; while b. continuing to make the case that legislative change offers the best long-term hope by creating a level playing-field on which future dialogue and discussions are more likely to succeed.

At the same time, we must continue to present watersports users as responsible citizens and promote the role that we can play in protecting the environment and connecting people with it, as a key benefit of greater access to Wales’ inland waters.

WHAT OUR CAMPAIGN MIGHT INCLUDE Partnership We intend to work closely with British Canoeing, aligning the Welsh and English campaigns and sharing resources where we can. We will adopt the principles enshrined in their Access and Environment Charter and will agree with them any changes in strategy or tactics that may be needed in Wales.

We will seek support from other Welsh National Governing Bodies, the Waters of Wales campaign group and other useful bodies and organisations like Surfers Against Sewage.

We will also explore how we might use local groups to organise events (e.g. river clean-ups) and facilitate local advocacy (e.g. with AMs and local councillors), connecting them with local clubs, river managers, constituency and Local Authority areas – and will develop online and physical resources to support this.

Advocating for legislation We will continue to engage with the Welsh Government through the National Access Forum and Wales Water Management Forum; and will seek to persuade AMs to support legislative change through letters, petitions, face-to-face meetings and local action.

Protecting, preserving and enhancing the natural environment We expect the campaign to emphasise responsible behaviour by paddlers (e.g. protecting spawning beds and preventing the spread of Invasive Non-Native species) – as well as publicising and promoting river clean-ups to demonstrate the contribution that paddlers can make to protecting our environment.

Communication We intend to provide more details of the campaign – and how you can get involved – at our Members Meet in September, but in the meantime, please visit our new, dedicated website and…

Show your support by subscribing now at: http://clearaccessclearwaters.wales/ Steve Rayner, Canoe Wales Waterways & Environment Officer, waterways@canoewales.com

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CANOE WALES MEMBERS

Earlier this year Canoe Wales sent out its annual Members Survey. And the results are in! Here are some of the responses ANNUAL MEMBERS SURVEY – JAN 2019 to questions about membership, communication and Ceufad. These responsesRESULTS also guided a recent review of Ceufad and as a result we’re undergoing a bit of a transformation … full details on page 18 …

About you

ABOUT YOU & YOUR MEMBERSHIP 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)

To get affordable personal liability insurance (80) Because I’m a coach or leader and membership is required (65) I want to have a voice in advocacy efforts to improve access to waterways (64) To get a waterways licence (56) To take part in club activities (48) Because being part of the paddlesport community is an important part of my identity (45) 7) To get access to affordable boat insurance (37) 8) To get Ceufad magazine (34) 9) To get discounts and special offers (31) 10) Because I’m a competitive paddler and membership is required (16)

Which of these statements applies to you?

Communications

Communications How satisfied are you with your Canoe Wales membership?

Communications

Communications Less satisfied

Very satisfied

COMMUNICATIONS How do you feel about how often Your we email you?

membership

How important were each of the following reasons when you decided to join or renew your Canoe Wales membership?

(Graph can’t easily be reproduced, but in order here from most popular to least popular, based on respondents who stated it was important or very important.)

If we were to offer regular e-news via email, how often would you like to receive it?

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S SURVEY 2019 How important were each of the following reasons when you decided to join or renew your Canoe Wales membership?

In order of importance: 1. To get affordable personal liability insurance 2. Because I’m a coach or leader and membership is required 3. I want to have a voice in advocacy efforts to improve access to waterways 4. To get a waterways licence 5. To take part in club activities 6. Because being part of the paddlesport community is an important part of my identity 7. To get access to affordable boat insurance 8. To get Ceufad magazine 9. To get discounts and special offers 10. Because I’m a competitive paddler and membership is required

What could we do to improve your membership experience?

Most popular responses: • Improve GoMembership and/or better integrate it with BC’s website and database • Nothing/all good • Reduce fees • Expand or enhance benefits

• Take action on access to waterways • Improve the coaching system and/or expand CPD opportunities

How satisfied are you with the customer service you’ve received when joining or renewing your membership or in response to any enquiries?

Less satisfied

Very satisfied

What could we do to improve your membership experience?

Top responses (aggregated from written responses):

How important is the print version of Ceufad to you?

Improve GoMembership and/or better integrate it with BC’s website and database (11) Nothing/All good (8) Reduce fees (8) Expand or enhance benefits (6) (though should note that several people cited benefits that we already offer!)

Take action on access to waterways (5) Improve the coaching system and/or expand CPD opportunities (3) Not so important

Very important

There were a further 12 suggestions, each of which were completely unique – ranging from offer CW merchandise (t-shirts, fleeces, car stickers) to offer services in Welsh to more In considering to improveonour which of the following 1.

Lots ofchanges news and information the communications, Canoe Wales website (51.6%) support for volunteers. be most to you?via email (44.3%) E-newsimportant sent to me regularly In considering changes to improve would 2.

3. A big Canoe Wales presence on Facebook (35.2%) our communications, which of Lots of4. news and copy information thepost Canoe Wales website (51.6%) A print of Ceufadon in the (33.6%) the following would be most E-news5. sent to me regularly via on email (44.3%) Welsh language content the Canoe Wales website (12.3%) important to you?

A big Canoe Wales presence on Facebook (35.2%) 6. Welsh language articles in Ceufad (8.2%) A print copy of Ceufad in the post (33.6%) Welsh language content on the Canoe Wales website (12.3%) Welsh language articles in Ceufad (8.2%)

Personal Performance Awards

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2019 CANOE WALES MEMBERS MEET & AGM 21–22 September 2019 – Llanidloes

Photo © Timevans500 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

• Based at Broneirion, Llanidloes • On-site workshops • Sessions and courses on Llyn Clywedog • Meet the staff & directors

• On-site accommodation • Celebrate at the CW Awards Dinners • Vote at the 2019 Canoe Wales AGM • And much more!

More details will be posted closer to the date www.canoewales.com

Photo © Jeremy Bolwell (cc-by-sa/2.0)

IN THE FLOW

in the flow

COASTAL BRITAIN: ENGLAND AND WALES This is quite possibly the most comprehensive survey of the British coastline ever compiled!

It explores every stretch of the shores of England and Wales via their history, architecture, wildlife and culture.

The author, Stuart Fisher (Canoeist magazine and Canals of Britain), visits all the places of interest, from the remote island of Skomer to the busy waterway of the Thames. Along the way he explores the history and heritage, striking architecture and dramatic engineering, wildlife, wonderful flora and fauna, art and literature.

The variety of the coast is captured in dramatic colour photos, maps, book covers, stamps and local artefacts, pretty much everything you need to explore and appreciate the varied shores of Britain. With each turn of the page you’ll be carried to different location and learn something new about our beautiful and varied coastline.

This is a complete celebration of the history, heritage and wildlife of Britain’s shores and is an ideal book for anyone with an interest in the coastline of England and Wales.

Title: Coastal Britain: England and Wales RRP: £25 ISBN: 9781472958693 Available now from all good bookshops

Tickets are now available for the TFest, and they’re selling fast so don’t hang about!

The festival kicks off on Friday night with a quiz, music and party.

Saturday is competition and coaching day, with the NRS Extreme Race, King of the Wave, Raft Race, and Palm event, along with coaching workshops run by Plas y Brenin. In the evening there’s food, talks and a Retro 80s party (no perm, no entry).

Sunday is a more relaxed river day, with more coaching workshops on offer from PYB, including improvers, masterclass and freestyle.

Camping is available, and is included in the ticket price.

For more details visit https://tfest.wales/

Photo: Tom Clare

TRYWERYN FESTIVAL 19–21 JULY

SAFETY AND RESCUE ESSENTIALS – FIRST LOOK! We’ve just got our hands on a digital copy of Safety and Rescue Essentials and it’s brilliant!

Written by our regular coaching contributor, Chris Brain, this is a practical and accessible resource with stacks of colour photos that bring the content to life.

It’s a great introduction to safety and rescue but is also a really good refresher if your skills and knowledge are a bit rusty.

It’s split into 3 sections; Preparation, Paddling and Rescues, and Situations on the River, with various topics within each such as kit, live bait and working as a team.

The content is written in an engaging and informal style with a common sense approach. For instance with mechanical advantage the focus isn’t on the physics behind it but on what actually works in the environment we’re in (after all it’s a riverbank, not a science lab!).

One of the aims of the book is to get people thinking and promote a culture of responsibility and safe decision-making. And it does make you think; about what you carry, when you last used/checked it and the responsibilities you and your friends have when you’re on the water. But this isn’t a lecture, just some thought-provoking comments and observations from a very experienced coach.

Chris’ original intention was to make a freely available resource for the paddling community. And, amazingly enough, the digital version is free! However it’s obvious how much time and effort has gone into producing it, so contributions are welcome and can be made via PayPal when accessing the download. And it’s well worth supporting this resource, as it might encourage Chris to produce another one!

Available from www.chrisbraincoaching.com/safety-and-rescue-essentials

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competition

COMPETITION Welsh paddlers selected for GB Junior and U23 slalom teams Canoe Wales would like to congratulate 6 Welsh paddlers on making the GB Junior and U23 slalom teams.

After a tough selection series Etienne Chappell (K1M) and Megan Hamer-Evans (K1W) finished in the top 3 boats to gain automatic selection, whilst Lili Bryant (K1W), Gabi Ridge (K1W), William Coney (C1M) and Fin Yates-Jones (K1M) were all named as reserves for the team.

slalom

Greg Hitchen, Lead Podium Potential Coach for canoe slalom, said: “The 2019 Junior and Under 23 selection series saw three days of incredibly tight but exciting racing.

“The number of athletes making the performance standard for the team has enabled us to select a full team of athletes to represent Great Britain at the Junior and U23 World and European Championships.

Fin Yates-Jones

“We will head to the Championship races this summer with a strong team that has great potential with strength and depth in each class. The athletes and coaches will now strive to continue their hard work and commitment as we look to build on the fantastic performances from the 2018 season.”

The ECA U23 and Junior European Slalom Championships will be held in Liptovsky Mikulas, Slovakia from 4–7 July, with the ICF World U23/JUN World Championships set to be held in Krakow, Poland from 16–21 July 2019.

Good luck to all the athletes!

Elise Churchill racing for GB team again

sprint

As this goes to print Elise Churchill (Seren Dwr) will be representing GB at the Brandenberg International Regatta.

Elise is a rising star in canoe sprint; she initially started out in slalom and when Canoe Wales started a canoe sprint program she joined it and competed in both disciplines, showing real potential in both slalom and sprint. However, training in two different disciplines made it difficult to reach her full potential, so she made a tough decision and dropped slalom to focus solely on sprint.

Since then she has gone on to represent Great Britain and last year won bronze at the Piestany International Regatta in Slovakia in the K4 Junior Women 500m.

Elise Churchill

She’s been selected to represent GB at the Junior U23 ECA European Championships in the Czech Republic in July and and at ICF World Junior U23 Championships in Romania in August.

Good luck Elise - Canoe Wales will be cheering you on!

U16s and U18s first International

polo

In April the Wales Youth Canoe Polo Development Team sent a squad to compete at their first international in St Omer.

The initial plan was to send a team of U16s, however, the athletes had shown so much talent in the development sessions that a team of U18s was sent as well. So, not only was this their first international event, it was also pretty much the first time many of them had played together.

They exceeded expectations and fought hard to take a place on the podium. To find out which step they ended up on check out the full competition report on p34

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U16s and U18s on their way to a podium

competition

COMPETITION Welsh paddlers make GB freestyle squad There have been some outstanding Welsh freestyle paddlers over the years, including a number of European and World Champions, however, in recent years Lowri Davies has been the only Welsh paddler on the GB Freestyle team. She made selection again this year ... but this time she’ll be joined by 3 other Welsh paddlers!

Selection was held in April at Holme Pierrepont over two events; one on the inlet gate and one on twin waves. This gave paddlers the opportunity to show all their skills, with the results of the two events being combined. It also meant it would be a physically (and emotionally) demanding weekend.

Ben Higson

Lowri demonstrated why she is a European Champion, by posting her highest ever ICF ride score (780 points), which helped her to take the overall win in the Senior Ladies K1. The Junior events were tightly fought, and showed that there is a wave of young talent in GB freestyle. That includes the three Welsh paddlers who made it onto the squad (Junior Men’s K1).

Ben Higson took a solid 3rd and secured his place on the team.

Owen Maddox and Nirvana Kruger just missed out on team places, taking 4th and 6th respectively but made it onto the squad, with Owen being team reserve.

Lowri Davies

boater x

Nirvanva Kruger

Photo: Ian Taylor

freestyle

Team GB will be competing at the World Championships in Sort (Spain) in July (which is where Lowri made her junior GB debut in 2001). Good luck to all the paddlers!

Owen Maddox

Welsh success at GB Boater X selection British Canoeing has announced the Boater X (Extreme Slalom) squad that will compete in international events for the 2019 season, including the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup at Lee Valley White Water Centre in June. And it includes a few Welsh paddlers!

Boater X first appeared on the ICF’s World Cup programme in 2015 and is one of the fastest growing disciplines in the sport.

The selection event was held in May at Lee Valley White Water course and it was dominated by Welsh paddlers. To find out who will be representing Great Britain check out the report on page 25.

Smashing it at Boater X selection

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q&a

CLIFF MELHUISH Volunteer of the Year

Cliff Melhuish is the Canoe Wales Volunteer of the Year and with very good reason. He created Slightly White Water Kayaking (SWWK), possibly one of the fastest growing and most successful paddling groups in the UK. SWWK started life in 2016 as a Facebook group for 16 paddling friends with the aim of building a supportive group for like-minded whitewater kayakers. It worked. The group now has 2800 members and SWWK organises regular paddling events, including monthly meet-ups on the Dee and party-style weekends, which bring together paddlers, manufacturers, coaches and even the occasional British freestyle team member. As the SWWK Facebook page states: ‘If you are sociable, patient, spirited and have a great sense of humour and importantly, genuinely care about the people you paddle with, then this is the place to be!’

Ceufad spoke to the paddler behind SWWK, and also the recent recipient of the British Canoeing Volunteer and Recognition Impact Award (congrats Cliff!) to find out more …

How (and when) did you get into kayaking?

I started paddling in 2009, as a way to get a little bit fitter. Kayaking for me had two important bonuses, it helped with long term lower back problems and, perhaps more importantly, frequent anxiety issues. Once I realised how much better I was feeling I had to go boating as often as possible.

Any personal paddling highs … or lows …?

In the ten years that I have been kayaking I have quit 3 times. So my total is around 5 or 6 years. Partly because of frustration on my part with my progression. I found it nigh on impossible to get the support I needed to develop, as my lack of confidence kept holding me back. I did find some professional coaches that were very helpful/ understanding, but finances didn’t allow for many opportunities to get out. Highs…

I suppose similar to many other kayakers, running new stuff, learning new skills, seeing the countryside from a completely different viewpoint. More about ‘Highs’ coming up.

How did SWWK get started and what was the initial aim?

‘Slightly’ was brought about after a trip with two mates, Neil Winwood and Darren Powell. We had decided to go on a trip by ourselves, nothing too intimidating. So off to the Banwy, near Welshpool. Really nice grade 2. Myself and Daz had qualified as coaches through our involvement with

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Bridgnorth Canoe Club and we had both undergone safety and rescue training previously, so we had a good understanding of how to stay safe. We had an amazing trip and I personally realised that I didn’t have to wait for the next club trip or paid coaching session to enable me to go kayaking. So that evening Slightly was created. The aim was to get my friends to go kayaking more often and not having to rely club coaches to organise trips for us.

Did you expect it to grow the way it did?

Absolutely NOT! It was intended to be around 15-20 friends. Having a Facebook page helped us to keep in touch, arrange trips, share our experiences, and share

photos and videos of our exploits. It just grew by word of mouth.

What are the aims and ethos of SWWK? To support people, mainly those with particular traits such as lack of confidence, bad experiences etc., to get out kayaking with like-minded, supportive, caring people. We are careful to manage our membership by trying to accept only those that understand what we are trying to do.

We have very high standards when it comes to behaviour, so if someone is egotistical, selfish or a bully they don’t get in. You really have to care about the people you are paddling with. That is part of what is so special about our members.

If you’d have known SWWK was going to be this popular would you have done anything differently?

There was no way to know how popular SWWK would be, and I think as we grow in size, the group is evolving in a kind of natural way.

If something like SWWK had been around when you started, would it have made a difference to your paddling life?

Absolutely! To know that you can turn up to an event or trip and be surrounded by enthusiastic fellow paddlers, willing to share their experience, who will support you with your aspirations, but will never put you under pressure and will never judge you. The way we do things isn’t for everyone though.

Good job really.

You run ‘Slightly’ events around the country, how do you organise these?

We have a great team of admins and members all over the place who all want the same thing: to get out kayaking, have some fun, stay safe and be surrounded by supportive, positive people. Countywide events are something that will grow and grow.

How was Dee at the Easter Eggstravaganza – it looked like an epic weekend!

I can honestly say our events, whether it’s our regular monthly meet up at River Active in Llangollen or our party-style weekends, never fail to astound me! You have to be there to understand the kind of ‘vibe’ that is created.

Any rewarding moments from SWWK events?

Way too many to comprehend. People achieving stuff they never thought they were capable of is a biggy and happens all the time. Supporting charities or competitors, albeit, in a small way, is very rewarding for us all.

Any advice for other groups or clubs?

Make what you do FUN, safe and inclusive (by that I mean include everyone by catering for everyone’s needs. That means organisers having to put themselves out and support those that really love kayaking but find it hard to do).

How do paddlers get involved?

Visit the Facebook page, send us a request if the group description and content looks like something you would like to be part of.

Answer some easy joining questions.

Nice! Which charities and competitors do you support?

Our first Fundraiser was to help Lowri Davies to go to Argentina for the World Freestyle Championship. Our Party weekends normally have a collection and proceeds go to Wales Air Ambulance. We have a couple of members who sell stickers and merchandise and they donate to various causes out of their profits.

How did it feel being named the Canoe Wales Volunteer of the Year?

It was a complete shock. I had no idea whatsoever. The same can be said of the other awards too.

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WELSH Open Freest Article: Justin Bunn,

GB Freestyle

16 | Ceufad

The Welsh Open Freestyle took place during the annual Cardiff International White Water Paddlefest event over the May bank holiday weekend. The fun packed event features live music, a BBQ and, as well as the usual activities on offer at the centre, it also showcases a diverse array of paddlesport activities including SUP racing, Boater X (extreme slalom), and a Ducky Derby.

The weekend is supported by a host of trade stands from many of the sports leading manufacturers with the opportunity to demo their latest designs.

The event was once again held on the ‘Vicarious’ feature and was open to paddlers of all abilities. With the emphasis on having fun the competition was split into Novice, Intermediate and Elite categories, then further separated into age categories: Junior, Senior & Masters.

There were Jam sessions with coached scoring for the heats, followed by a Super Final for the top 3 placed male & female paddlers, judged in accordance with ICF scoring.

There were plenty of strong performances from local junior paddlers, demonstrating the popularity this exciting discipline offers, with Brogan Swart claiming the Women’s Intermediate and Iestyn Davies the Men’s Intermediate.

This event attracts paddlers of all abilities and by mixing up the novice, intermediate and elite paddlers within the heats, the more experienced paddlers are able to assist those new to the sport with tips and hints on how to best use the feature. This year’s overall Women’s Novice winner was Kate Bent. Taking the Men’s Novice title, in his very first freestyle competition, was Bradley Williams.

The Masters category was also hotly contested showing that it’s not just the youngsters who can pull off the tricks, and was won by GB Freestyle’s chairman Andrew ‘Jacko’ Jackson.

The Super Final format allowed the elite athletes to demonstrate their prowess, throwing down some seriously impressive routines and combinations.

Rising to the challenge were Ottilie Robinson-Shaw (Women’s) and Harry Price (Men’s) who were once again crowned Welsh Open Champions.

Building on the popularity of this Cardiff based event, and demonstrating that freestyle truly is a community, a new Facebook group – Freestyle Get Togethers & Development Days – has been set up to

tyle 2019 build a community of like-minded paddlers, and to provide a platform to share ideas and plan meet ups.

The next events is a Downriver Freestyle Jam on 8th June. Be sure to check out the Facebook group for more exciting events coming up soon!

A big thanks to all who supported the event; especially Ronnie at Canoe & Kayak store Cardiff, GB Freestyle, Palm Equipment, Sweet Protection, Surf Plugs, and to Canoe Wales for providing the medals.

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!

G IN G N A H C IS D CEUFA S

ince the first issue of Ceufad was printed back in the 1980s it’s gone through a lot of changes. From a double-sided newsletter to a black and white broadsheet to today’s full colour magazine.

And it’s about to undergo it’s next transformation.

We’ve been chewing over digitising the magazine for a year or so now, and we’ve been publishing digital copies on Issuuu for the last 3 years. However, we wanted to make sure it was the right decision so we’ve been chatting about it to members and clubs at our annual roadshows, and included it in our annual members survey (page 8). To be honest the response has been fairly split – in the annual survey the response to the question ‘how important is the print version of Ceufad to you’ was almost evenly split from ‘not important’ through to ‘very important’ (not the decisive answer we were hoping for!). So we’ve been chewing it over some more and have come to a decision: there are still going to be four issues of Ceufad each year, two of which will be printed (summer and winter issues) and all of which will be digital / e-magazines.

CEUFAD 2019/2020 Autum 2019 – digital

Spring 2020 – digital

Winter 2019 – print & digital

Summer 2020 – print & digital

We’re hoping this will keep our readers happy, and will enable us to test the response to an e-magazine without losing the printed issues completely. It will also allow us to reduce the cost and environmental impact of printing and posting. We’re not going to lie, this has also been influenced by cost; we want to make sure that Canoe Wales and it’s members are getting the best value for money from the magazine, and postage is a big chunk of the cost.

From an environmental perspective we shifted from plastic to paper envelopes, but we’re still conscious that an e-magazine will have a smaller carbon footprint than a printed one.

At Ceufad we’re pretty excited about this change; an e-magazine gives us capacity for more content as well scope for videos, interactive content, etc. However, we’ll still be able to produce two shiny print issues each year.

As part of this we’re looking for contributors and advertisers ...

CONTRIBUTORS

We’d love to feature more content, whether that’s trips, expeditions, competition, clubs, sea, river, canal or lake. If you enjoy doing it then we’ll enjoy reading about it! It’s great to showcase our readers’ paddling adventures and if you’ve ummed and ahhed about writing an article please take the plunge, put finger to keyboard and send it through to us! And send us lots of photos too (top tip for photos – the front cover needs to be in portrait orientation, so when you’re taking your shots take a few in portrait as well as landscape).

ADVERTISING AND COMPETITION PRIZES

Advertising space is available in both the print and digital magazines, starting at just £40. We can guarantee your advert will get a paddler-focused audience, and we’re hoping the e-magazine will get an even bigger reach, as it will be freely available. We’re also looking for sponsors for our competition page (see opposite), which is another great promotional opportunity. For more details on either of these drop us a line at ceufad@canoe.wales

READERS

The next issue (autumn) will be our first digital magazine, and we’ll be emailing details to all of our members so we need your email address Can you make sure we have an up-to-date email address for you on our records. Also, if you read the magazine have you thought about writing for it (see ‘Contributors’ above)?!

This is an exciting time for Ceufad, and we think this is great way to test out a digital issue, however, we won’t know if it’s working without your feedback. So please let us know what you think!

Vicky Barlow Ceufad Editor ceufad@canoe.wales

Issue 138 March 2019 £2.50

ceufad CYLCHGRAWN CANW CYMRU JOURNAL OF CANOE WALES

kayak

SURF KAYAK HOME INTERNATIONALS

RAY GOODWIN MBE

CIRCuMNAvIGATION Of Koh ChAng MAESTEg CANOE CLuB Ceufad March 2019.indd 1

18 | Ceufad

LAST MINuTE SPEY SoLo 11/03/2019 12:19

WIN AN AQUA-BOUND

WHISKEY FIBERGLASS PADDLE Aqua-Bound is giving you the chance to win a Whiskey Fiberglass paddle in Sunwave pattern, worth over £200.

All you have to do is tell us the patterns the paddle is available in.

The Whiskey Fiberglass paddle has the same beefy blades as the Whiskey Carbon paddle, making it perfect for high-angle, high-energy paddlers. Hand-crafted and compression molded with multi-laminate fiberglass resin and a lightweight foam core, it comes in three eyepopping patterns.

The Whiskey Fiberglass paddle has the same super-light and durable, 100% carbon T-700 shaft. It is available in a 100% Carbon Posi-Lok® ferrule system which clicks into position firmly and securely. The Posi-Lok® features strong, corrosion-free construction, convenient dualbutton release, and infinite feathering angles.

The Whiskey Fiberglass is also available in a bent shaft option and in lengths from 200cm to 240cm in increments of 5cm.

For more information visit www.aquabound.com

COMPETITION TO ENTER The Whiskey Fiberglass paddle is available in three patterns (we’ve already named one of them ...) – all you need to do is tell us the two other patterns (there may be a clue on the Aqua-Bound website...). To enter either: a) fill in this form & then post/return it to: Aqua-Bound Competition, Canoe Wales, National White Water Centre, Frongoch, Bala, LL23 7NU or b) email the answer (the two patterns) and your name to ceufad@canoe.wales with ‘Aqua-Bound competition’ as the subject title.

Using my powers of deduction I declare the patterns the Whiskey Fiberglass paddle is available in are:

Sunwave, ............................................................... and ..............................................................................

Name:................................................................................................................... Tel no: ......................................................................

Address:.................................................................................................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

E-mail:.....................................................................................................................................................................................................

Terms & conditions Closing date is 1st August 2019. Only one entry per person. Prize is one Whiskey Fiberglass paddle, 2-piece straight shaft, in Sunwave. The exact specification of the Whiskey Fiberglass paddle will be agreed between the winner and Aqua-Bound/CanoeWales. Prize is non-transferable. Prize is as offered – no cash alternatives. To enter; complete and return entry form to Canoe Wales (Bala), or email your name and the answer to ceufad@canoe.wales Entries received after the closing date will not be considered. No responsibility is taken for lost or delayed entries. The winner will be drawn at random from all correct entries. The editor’s decision will be final. The winner will be contacted after the closing date and will also be announced in the September issue of Ceufad. Entrants’ details will only be kept by Canoe Wales and will not be shared with any other organisation or third party.

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LOOPS & LOGS TWO DAYS ON THE WEY Faced with possibly the warmest Easter on record, combined with cloudless skies and a mere breath of wind, it would have been daft not to take to the water.

Article: Jim Kelleher

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DAY 1 – THE GENTLEST OF BIMBLES With a very loose plan arranged, Maj and I met at the Tannery in Send to paddle the Wey. Launching onto the Broadmead Cut flood relief channel meant we avoided a lock portage and we then headed northeast towards the confluence with the first natural river backwater of the day.

Turning upstream we approached the ever-popular Gresham Mill loop. Samson and Delilah, the feathered guardians of this domain, were nesting at the top of the loop so I decided to give them some space and take the upstream option. It involved a bit more paddling work but we would get to enjoy the delights of this beautiful stretch twice.

Shortly before reaching Old Woking we turned around and let the gentle flow take us back on the most idyllic stretch of water in the area. Many meanders later we arrived at the traditional lunch spot of Woking Palace. We sat on the riverbank in the sun, making the most of the tranquil surroundings, and enjoyed a spectacularly long luncheon break.

Time ceased to matter as we soaked up the sun’s warmth, munched a leisurely lunch and played a few tunes on my old guitar.

Suddenly our reverie was interrupted by the arrival of two familiar faces in green boats. Graham and Nick had arrived to join us on the next leg of our journey.

Together we drifted back down the final half-mile of the mill loop, slipping down the short stretch of

22 | Ceufad

navigation to the weir portage, which marked the start of the Newark Priory backwater. This weir is due to be renovated, but thankfully the work hadn’t yet begun.

This stunning little loop is really special, enhanced by the backdrop of the ruined Augustinian Priory and a couple of superb eddies.

A short foray up the Bourne Stream took us to Maj’s favourite place, where carpets of bluebells cover the steep banks of this quiet waterway.

All this gentle drifting in the warm sun was taking its toll on our limbs, so we took a short leg-stretching break to munch on Graham’s superb scones (these scones were actually the handiwork of Graham’s wife, to whom we were all very grateful!). Maj was considering using a rope swing to attempt a new boat exiting technique. Naturally I was ready with the camera for the inevitable soggy disaster, but at the last moment he saw the flaws in his plan and bottled out … damn!

Nick and Graham had an evening pub engagement (for which they were running rather late), so it was time to head home … and a race was on the cards.

Beyond the portage of Newark Lock there are two options for the return leg: the navigation via Papercourt Lock (portage), or the Broadmead Cut (no portage). And so a race was born; Nick and Graham took Papercourt Lock while Maj and I took Broadmead Cut … with the taste of victory on our lips. Sadly my old limbs couldn’t keep up with Maj’s frantic pace, so he arrived back first to claim victory.

Nick and Graham (aka The Sore Losers) decided that Maj had cheated by paddling faster than our usual pace, however, it was later revealed that Graham had slipstreamed a narrowboat, giving him an unfair advantage. A public enquiry will decide the outcome…

DAY 2 – THE WEY THROUGH THE TREES Saturday had a more defined plan – an attempt to clear a navigable path at the top end of the Bowers loop, followed by a spin around the Triggs loop for lunch.

We met near Bowers Lock and paddled the 200 yards to the weir at the top of the loop. This backwater is remarkable as it meanders well over a mile through meadows and woodland and yet its start and finish are less than 500 yards apart.

Most attempts of this loop begin with a river left portage over a barbed wire fence and around a large impassable blockage, which has been there for some time. Graham had previously explored a river right option and that was our route today. Dragging the boats a short 30 yards through woodland brought us to a steep, but passable put-in. The problem lay 20 yards further on, where a long, curved tree trunk lay at water level, with numerous boughs still growing vertically from it.

We carried Graham’s boat to the blockage and launched him above the tree, where he attempted to cut the trunk using a chainsaw blade attached to handles.

The problem here was the inability to plant a foot on the tree whilst sawing from a tippy boat and although some

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progress was made, it was not practicable.

Instead, with the help of a pulley system and a handsaw, Graham managed to remove a large stump by the bankside. Once assorted loose debris had been cleared it was possible to hop out and push the boat over the submerged trunk and into the eddy beyond. In higher levels it may be possible to shoot over without getting out.

Anyway after an hour of hard graft by Graham, with supporting efforts by the rest of us, it was deemed do-able.

Back at the initial launch spot Nick rigged a hand line to help us down the slope (although with care this would be possible without) and we took to our craft and negotiated the fast flowing chicane to reach the cleared route. Once through we rested and refuelled in the eddies beyond.

After our short break we set off down this stunning little backwater, encountering only one small blockage which Graham speedily trimmed.

Passing under the bridge at Burpham Court Farm we were suddenly blinded by the approach of yellow and blue tandem Silverbirch canoes. Amazingly, on the same day and at the same time, Paul, Yvonne, Helena and George had set off up this little-travelled loop from the other end.

As they continued upstream we carried on past the beautiful trees at the farm and on under the road bridge, where the very shallow water formed a faster riffle.

The rest of this loop meanders through ancient woodland, twisting and turning amongst huge, gnarly trees. The sense of back of beyond is palpable here, even with the A3 a few hundred yards away and Guildford town centre a mere 2.5 miles away. This loop hugs the border of the vast Sutton Place Estate (of Getty family fame, but now apparently the home of an oligarch), but this little

24 | Ceufad

stretch of forgotten water remains almost lost in time.

A couple of further tree encroachments exist on this stretch, but they were easily passable and added interest.

However in higher levels, they may be more hazardous.

We were in no rush and were enjoying the peaceful surroundings, so it was no surprise that the tandem teams caught up with us on their return trip. Back on the navigation we all gently paddled downstream, aware of the noisy A3 close by but not bothered by it. A couple of swimming grass snakes crossed our bows. It was so good to see them when our indigenous snakes are in decline.

Reaching Broadoak Bridge we all made the short portage to the top of the Triggs loop. Here we left Team Silverbirch, as they were lunching there, and set off for a more private lunch spot a half-mile further on.

Our second extensive lunch break of the weekend followed, with Graham providing the seasonal chocolate mini eggs to accompany biscuits and flapjack. Yet again it was no surprise when the bright yellow and blue boats overtook us once more.

Suitably relaxed, and somewhat stuffed, we set off down the remainder of this lovely stretch of water. At Triggs Lock we turned back up the navigation for the 2-mile stint back to the cars, pausing for a leg stretch at Broadoak Bridge, which caused passing interest from the Sutton Place security guards, as it is private land.

Paddling up the navigation wasn’t exactly arduous work but, after an energetic day in the unseasonably hot sun, I was pleased to reach journey’s end.

Thanks to Maj, Nick and Graham for two excellent days of paddling and for introducing me to the lovely Bowers Loop.

Until next time …

Photo courtesy of British Canoeing

BOATER X L

EXTREME SLALOM

ee Valley recently hosted the Boater X (Extreme Slalom) GB selection event, and a number of Welsh athletes were racing for a place on the squad. If successful they would be competing in international events for the 2019 season, including the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup at Lee Valley White Water Centre in June.

WHAT IS BOATER X?!

boardercross and ski cross, which have been such a great success at the Winter Olympics.

And paddlers love it too – taking on their rivals head-to-head in what is quite often ‘full-contact’ racing. It’s a world apart from a standard slalom race!

SELECTION The selection event at Lee Valley was dominated by Welsh paddlers, from the time trials all the way through to the head-to-head finals. In the Women’s final, three out of the four paddlers were Welsh, and in the Men’s final all four were Wales-based paddlers.

Congratulations to Etienne Chappell, Gabi Ridge, Emily Davies, Aaron White and Gareth Farrow for making it in to the 2019 GB Boater X team. And a big shout out to junior paddler Sennah Nader-Humphries (12yrs) who also made it into the final and gave the senior paddlers a run for their money.

The team’s first race will be at the 2019 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup London in June. We’ll be cheering you on!

Photo courtesy of British Canoeing

Boater X first appeared on the ICF’s World Cup programme in 2015 and is one of the fastest growing disciplines in the sport.

Four kayakers launch from a ramp and race head-to-head in creek boats down a slalomstyle course, with a mandatory roll thrown in.

Two paddlers qualify through to the next round.

The knockout rounds continue through to semifinals and a final where the medals are decided.

Boater X has been around in various formats for a while (it was a regular feature at the Peak UK Challenges around 20 years ago), but it’s only in recent years that it’s become an ICF recognised discipline. It’s a high-action, spectator-friendly sport … a similar concept to

Article: Jonathon Davies Photos: Jonathon Davies or as credited

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Benjamin Edom heading towards a race win Photo: Jeremy Martineau

FBOR’19

FISHGUARD BAY OCE 26 | Ceufad

Full fleet start Photo: BenPix

Stellar finish line Photo: BenPix

The Fishguard Bay Ocean Race (FBOR) is a major downwind Ocean Ski, SUP and OC race along Pembrokeshire’s wild, award winning north coast – starting at Goodwick beach and crossing 17km of open sea to finish on the wide sandy beach at Newport. In this race elite paddlers from the UK and beyond vie to show their extreme fitness, boat-handling and seamanship skills, to win this “black-belt,” noholds-barred ocean race.

The event is planned to ride the equinoctial winds that sweep along the North Pembrokeshire coast so it’s staged in May, and the expectation is for wind and waves.

FBOR is a co-conspiracy between Benjamin Edom, Jeff Rogers and Martin Barlow, who bring together years of racing, coaching and ocean experience. Race organiser and competitior Benjamin gives us a run down on this year’s eventful race ...

Words: Benjamin Edom Photos: as credited

EAN RACE

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Overall winners Richard England and Willem Prinsloo Photo: BenPix

T

Round the Calf Photo: Jeremy Martineau

he rugged North Pembrokeshire coast follows a general direction of west-south-west to eastnorth-east, with the iron cliffs of Strumble Head and Dinas Head jutting northward into the Irish Sea. For our ocean skis racing from Goodwick to Newport, the ideal wind directions are from south-west round to north-west. With a week to go the weather forecast for the race was a strong blow from due north – which would have subjected paddlers to 14km of miserable side wind. So we needed an alternative course.

A few variations came to mind so, with three days to go, I paddled straight out into the Irish Sea to test my ideas where it counts – out on the water!

This was my fourth year of initiating and organising the Fishguard Bay Ocean Race which quickly became ‘FBOR’. The first year saw a full gale from the SE that nearly cancelled the event but twenty brave paddlers fought their way around the much shortened course and a legend was born. The next two years were almost too easy with a light wind and gentle quartering sea.

With one week to go before FBOR’19 well-known local paddler and Surf Life Saving coach, Jeff Rogers, withdrew his entry and generously took on the role of Race Officer, freeing me to race myself. So as race day dawned with a building northerly blow, my partner Julia and I were up with the razorbills to set up registration, the finish line, coffee and cake for finishers, and a dozen other things in time for the first entrants to register. Julia was coordinating the timing team and her friends Hazel and Yasmin arrived soon after the first paddlers signed in.

28 | Ceufad

The surf ski community is a nomadic entity. We travel hundreds of miles to compete in races and are happy to meet, welcome, and catch up with good friends wherever we are and whatever the conditions.

Ocean ski paddlers are a friendly and inclusive crowd, ready to welcome newcomers and help in whatever way we can.

Soon the safety boats arrived, two by sea and four on trailers. They needed to be met and briefed on last minute details of our alternative course, which left me no time to change before Jeff’s safety briefing.

So, doing my dry warm-up while he talked, I sprinted to my car for a cabaret quick-change act that left me under 60 seconds before the unmistakable blast of the starting cannon.

We were off, jostling for space while quickly assessing whose wash to ride for the only flat 500m of the entire race. Almost immediately the field sorted itself by discipline, first the sprinters, then the marathon paddlers, followed by the mature surf ski specialists, settling into their powerful, energy-conserving stride, and after them the less confident people who were still courageously taking on the elements. For one of them this was his first ski race ever.

As we passed the end of the inner breakwater the pressure of wind and waves was in our faces, even sheltered as we were by the outer breakwater.

Rounding that breakwater, the shock of the headwind and raw, unfettered northerly swell showed on a few faces, particularly as the next leg was to the west, parallel to the mighty 1.2km Victorian sea wall. We

Double Ski winners Richard England and Willem Prinsloo and Master’s Karel MacLean Photo: Jeremy Martineau

Jeff and Paul providing RIB safety cover Photo: Ian Whitworth

Ruby heading out with the race Photo: Ian Whitworth The race spreads out Photo: Jeremy Martineau

were catching the waves from the right and wall’s reflections from the left. Calf Rock was white with foam, unmistakably the turn, marking the start of the headwind grind out to Pen Anglas.

Strumble Head is about 6km wide and juts out northwards into the Irish Sea for 3.5 km. Its northeastern tip is Pen Anglas – a serrated knifeedge of rock with 25-30m depth of water at its foot.

Here, as expected, the back-eddy from the flood tide was pushing into the 18-25 knot wind, creating a magnificent chop which required 100% concentration.

50m later, as the waves became more manageable, we could look for our next turning point, the classic gaff cutter Ruby whose unique profile could now be seen as little more than a speck over 2km away across the heaving water. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to gulp at the daunting prospect of that long diagonal across the wind and open water waves. It seemed much further than 2km and, as we closed on her, you could see all nine tonnes of her heavy displacement hull bobbing and pitching like a ping-pong ball on the 4-5ft swell.

One brave soul cut close so under her bowsprit I though he could have been guillotined, so I elected to give her 5m clearance and be properly on balance for the 4km downwind leg. This would be our only chance to really get up speed but the complex secondary waves across the swell made linking runners a challenge. My Garmin showed 16.3kph a few times which is useful but far from spectacular.

After a couple of minutes the boat in front of me fell in and seemed to be having difficulty remounting

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Jim King – Open Ski winner Photo: Jeremy Martineau so I stayed with them for a minute to make sure he was on his way. Only one boat slipped passed while he got in, then we were all away again, surfing the windwaves and the swell downwind to the base of the cliff under the Fishguard Bay Resort.

Right in the shadow of the cliff is a rock that no one seems to know the name of and today it was almost invisible against the dark 150ft cliff face. Some paddlers left it out and turned in about the right place but I continued, surfing right up to it and skidding hard right into the confused 10m of clear water before the solid rock wall. Tense moments with my ski being thrown this way and that – but all part of the fun!

Powering up again it was time to cut across the wind, waves, and 3 directions of reflecting chop from the dark cliff face. “Technical” – that’s a good word. It covers all sorts of challenges and adequately sums up FBOR’19 – but that leg to Thomas Rocks in particular.

From there on the waves began to moderate behind the relative shelter of the outer breakwater and it was

up to each of us to dig deep and find enough juice for the 1.5km sprint back to Goodwick beach. I managed to pick up a couple of places before stumbling up the sand to the finish line. A friend’s photo of me crossing the line bears testament to the severity of this year’s race. Only 13km yet four retirements.

Huge congratulations to all of the class winners: Open SUP: Mark Evens Open Ski: Jim King Masters Ski: Steve King (no relative!)

Veteran Ski: Benjamin Edom Double Ski: Richard England and Willem Prinsloo Richard and Willem put in a masterful performance over the longer doubles course to win the FBOR Dolphin-Wave Line-Honours trophy for the second year running.

Everyone who took part deserved a prize and great respect for all who completed the course – they deserve the paddling equivalent of a campaign medal.

Looking forward to seeing you all again next year.

FBOR For more information on FBOR see the race website at http://fishguardoceanrace.uk or contact Benjamin Edom: oceanskirace@gmail.com

Benjamin Edom – Veteran winner Photo: BenPix

30 | Ceufad

Gold medals Photo: BenPix

Live for White Water?

Coaching at NWWC 2019/20 Courses BC WHITE WATER SAFETY & RESCUE 22/23 June 2019 24/25 Aug 2019 26/27 Oct 2019 22/23 Feb 2020 25/26 April 2020

FULLY BOOKED £170 pp £170 pp £170 pp £170 pp

BC ADVANCED WHITE WATER SAFETY & RESCUE

28/29 March 2020

£170 pp

RESCUE 3 – WRT PRO 16–18 August 2019

£290 pp

RESCUE 3 – WRT ADVANCED Spring 2020

£390 pp

RESCUE 3 – WRT INSTRUCTOR Autumn 2019

Please contact us for details

OUTDOOR-SPECIFIC FIRST AID AT WORK (24HR) Spring 2020

£220 pp

BC RIVER RAFT GUIDE TRAINING 5–7 July 2019 6–8 September 2019 6–8 March 2020 1–3 May 2020

£195 pp £195 pp £195 pp £195 pp

If you can’t see a suitable date then give us a call.

OTHER COURSES

We run other courses in both Kayak and Canoe, including Moderate and Advanced Water Leader Training and Assessment. We also offer White Water and Advanced White Water Coach Training and Assessment.

PRIVATE COACHING COURSES

If you’ve got something in mind which you’d like to learn or you’d like a day’s guiding on the river, we can organise a day for you, whether on the Tryweryn or further afield.

Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

1 to 1 coaching: 1 coach to 2 participants: 1 coach to 3 participants: 1 coach to 4 participants:

£180 per person, per day £90 per person, per day £70 per person, per day £60 per person, per day

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Booking office: 01678 521083 Email: info@nationalwhitewatercentre.co.uk Website: www.nationalwhitewatercentre.co.uk/courses

36 YEARS OF

KAYAKING DOWN THE

DRAIN! Article: Iain Russell

O

n the 13th of December 2017, at almost exactly 9.15 am, my back gave out.

The muscles (either side of my spine and just below my rib cage) had been over used for years due to the lack of flexibility in the spine below them and the total immobility of the spine above them. They had effectively been doing all the work of the entire spine and it was simply a matter of time. Oddly, when it happened, there was no pain. I can only describe the sensation as like having all the air let out of my back. I didn’t feel it pop, I felt it deflate and within 10 seconds I had my hands on my knees and was utterly incapable of standing upright.

The intervening 507 days started with nothing but rest and were then increasingly filled with physiotherapy, osteopathy and yoga. What they were not filled with was kayaking. I got in a boat 3 or 4 times during 2018 and was determined to do better during 2019. So it was with more than a little disappointment that today (Star Wars Day) marked only the second time I had been on a river this year; but what a day it turned out to be.

It was a quick and gentle run down the Lower Tryweryn; just me and my son. We spent about 20 minutes on a small set of waves just surfing, playing and chatting in the sunshine. I was trying to be upbeat, but the truth was that I was struggling. I fully appreciated that I had not been paddling as much as I used to, but I thought that my basic skills should remain. I thought, well I felt entitled, to maintain some semblance of the abilities that I had spent the last 36 years amassing. Over three-quarters of my life. But try as I might, I was all over the place. I did

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not seem to be able to do anything without catching an edge or falling over; the whole experience made me feel like I was paddling on a balance ball.

It was unsettling and upsetting and it was beginning to get to me. Then in one single moment, everything changed. It was a genuine eureka moment. As if the clouds parted and the universe rained down her wisdom upon me. “Oh my god!” I suddenly realised, “This is what being flexible feels like.”

Unlike every previous year of my paddling life I now bent; and in ways and to degrees I have never previously been able to achieve.

The movement I felt was the water sending ripples into my body through the boat; a previously unheard of level of information was flowing into me and I had not had the whit to realise it, let alone decode it. Whilst still reeling from this realisation, a second thought hit me, “Damn ... I’m going to have to learn to paddle again!”

So grasping this eureka moment with both hands (like Archimedes in his bath, just with the water on the outside) I took a deep breath and tried my first teetering

steps into this new world. I pulled myself up and forward in the boat, got back on the wave, turned the boat, dropped a knee and landed flat on my face in the water. Roll-up, reset. OK, may be not quite so much this time. I spent the next 30 minutes flexing my ankles, rolling my hips, trying to spin by just rolling and turning my shoulders. All the time feeling the waves and currents nudging and massaging the boat in a way I had simply never felt before. It was a deeply moving experience, in all senses of the word.

Now I am still not the most flexible of people and am unlikely ever so to be; I also know I have a long road back to full recovery. However, I wanted to share this moment with you and to try and give some hope to anyone who has had, or has, similar injuries. To everyone else out there, and this is especially aimed at the boys, get yourself to yoga, at least once a week if not more. It would spare you the pain and heartache of this entirely avoidable type of injury.

But even if you do suffer with it, please remember, there is hope. So get out there and paddle and May the 4th be with you!

IAIN RUSSELL Iain has been throwing himself down rivers, with varying degrees of success, for over 35 years now.

He first became an ‘Instructor’ under the old BCU system in the mid 90’s and has been absentmindedly ambling his way through the paddling and coaching world, ever since.

He is now frequently to be found confusing the youth of Bala with his views on the fundamental philosophical principles underlying kayaking.

TraDe STalls PADDling COMPetiTions WhiTe WAtEr rAfTing EvEning talkS & Films onsiTE camping BAr & Food

19Th - 21St JuLy 2019 DetaiLS aT

TFEST.WALES

20TH

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PAS DE CALAIS INTERNATIONAL CANOE POLO TOURNAMENT Article: Matt Free

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| 35

F

ollowing 3 months of youth canoe polo development sessions that started on the 8th December 2018, attended by young people from across Wales, the final squad was selected! The turn out for development sessions had been impressive, leaving the selectors and the Canoe Wales Polo Committee with a dilemma.

Originally intending to select an under 16s Wales Youth Canoe Polo Development Team to compete in the 20th Pas De Calais International Canoe Polo Tournament, the decision was made to send a squad of 16 players that included an under 18s Wales Youth Canoe Polo Development Team, as well as under 16s. Each team had two coaches, in addition a team manager/welfare officer and volunteers to cover the pastoral care for the squad were appointed.

The squad was truly representative with athletes and coaches from a range of clubs across Wales.

The usual paperwork, risk assessments, insurance, entry forms and travel arrangements, made slightly more interesting and uncertain with Brexit imminently looming, were all put in place and the squad travelled to France on 26th April 2019 without issue, thanks to Brexit being delayed! The squad arrived on the Friday afternoon in Saint Omer (France) as planned, for their initial water based training session at the tournament venue. Some, as seasoned campers, had journeyed from Belgium after competing at the Helmond International Canoe Polo Tournament with their clubs and others from Cymru (taking a well-earned break after revising for their GCSE and A Levels)!

On arrival the tournament venue was a spectacle in itself. Four purpose-built outdoor canoe polo pitches (funded for Saint Omer Canoe Club by the French Government and France’s Paddlesport National Governing Body), a club house, entertainment and catering marquee, camping and showering facilities all on site. A perfect venue for the squads first trip away together.

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DAY 1, SATURDAY 27TH APRIL 2019 Everyone woke to experience the tail end of storm Hannah, which had been battering the UK the day before. This provided us with some tent repairs, periodic light rain and extremely windy conditions throughout the day. Then it was breakfast and an 8:30am start for the U18s, who were scheduled to referee and officiate the first game in their division. Both the U16s & U18s development teams were entered to play in the tournament’s open division 3. The coaches and players were anticipating they would be competing against each other but hopefully not till later in the tournament, as they were starting out in different pools of teams. Originally the U16s had entered a specific U16s league in the tournament but this had been amalgamated into division 3 due to a shortage of teams entered in that age category. However there would still be an U16s podium category so everything to play for! The competition was largely unknown to both the Welsh players and coaches, with teams arriving from throughout Belgium and France as well as from the UK. The U18s ‘kicked off’ their campaign with a convincing 7-3 win against Belgium’s TKC Jeugd, with the U16s achieving a great 3-3 draw against France’s CR Hautes-de-France shortly afterwards. The U18s would learn the hard way, as they achieved three yellow cards in their first game, what International Tournaments were about.

Both teams gained in confidence (having only trained together as a team on one previous occasion); the U16s triumphing over host team Saint-Omer III with a 4-3 win and the U18s beating Saint-Omer 15 with another convincing 7-4 win. However, both Welsh teams then suffered defeats; the U16s with an unexpected 1-3 to Meridian and the U18s to a very strong Belgium team BKS ll. This was a hard fought battle that ended 4-6 to a team who would be the eventual winners of the division. The U16s refreshed their confidence with 5-3 win against another Belgium Team, RKV lll, a strong team that would be first in their pool that day.

However day 1 was an overall success for both teams, with both going into round 2 as the second placed team in each of their respective pools. Round 2 evolved into three pools, with both Welsh teams competing in the two top pools for the next rounds for semifinal spots. That same evening the U18s played their first round 2 game with a 4-3 victory over RKV lll and the U16s were awarded a 7-0 win when their first round 2 components, BKS ll, did not turn up at the polo pitch. Everyone surmised why but nobody knew the reason. As the day ended, although there was still plenty to work on for both teams, there was a sense of optimism in the camp as the players now knew their opposition and could potentially podium … if the word dare be mentioned!

UNDER 16S WALES YOUTH POLO DEVELOPMENT TEAM 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Bode Kahar (Bridgend Canoe Club) Sam Allinson (Bridgend Canoe Club) Jessie Phillips (Bridgend Canoe Club) Macs Chapman (Dragon) Gareth Howes (Aberfan Canoe Club) Aaron McMahon (Aberfan Canoe Club) Tynan Kahar (Bridgend Canoe Club) Lewis Fenn (Aberfan Canoe Club)

COACHES

DAY 2, SUNDAY 28TH APRIL 2019 The previous night turned out to be a pleasant surprise for the squad’s pastoral staff; expectations of 16 teenagers wanting to join the party in the tournament’s event tent were unfounded. Curfews were not required as the teenage athletes were exhausted from travelling and their first day efforts, and were preparing for another planned early start. This saw everyone quiet by 10.15pm and in their tents even earlier (or was it their sporting professionalism!).

Everyone woke to slightly kinder weather and following breakfast the U16s began the day refereeing and officiating their first game at 7:30am, before competing in their remaining 2nd round pool game against hosts Saint Omer 15. Another win (4-2) guaranteed them a semi-final place against RKV lll. The U18s also secured a convincing 8-4 win against CR Hauts-de-France giving the Wales Canoe Polo Youth Development Squad two semi-final places.

The semi-finals saw the U18s defeated for a second time (3-6) by a very strong BKS ll (who turned up on day 2!), whilst the U16s competed in an exhilarating game against RKV lll, losing 2-3 in extra time by a golden goal!

Zoe Anthony (Aberfan Canoe Club) Nick Spear (Croesyceiliog Canoe Club)

UNDER 18S WALES YOUTH POLO DEVELOPMENT TEAM 9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

Harry McMahon (Aberfan Canoe Club) Zack Ferguson (Tawe Canoe Club) Joseph Lamnea (Tawe Canoe Club) Daniel Davies (Brecon Canoe Club) Joshua Davies (Brecon Canoe Club) Cameron Free (Rhondda Paddlers/Bridgend Canoe Clubs) Ryan Spear (Croesyceiliog Canoe Club) Katie Howes (Aberfan/Bridgend Canoe Clubs)

COACHES Dave Seigel (Croesyceiliog Canoe Club) Rhian Griffiths (Aberfan Canoe Club)

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| 37

This meant the inevitable had happened; the much-anticipated game between the two Welsh teams had arrived with a play off for 3rd/4th place and a podium position. Both Welsh teams gravitated to their own warmingup areas, coaches calming any nervousness that might not have been evident. The U18s took nothing for granted, having witnessed the second half of the U16s superb semi-final performance.

After a great game the U18s came out victorious, taking 3rd place. The U16s had their own podium success as 1st placed U16s team in the tournament! All in all a very successful first outing for this new development squad, who had bonded and now wanted more.

THANKS TO The Canoe Wales Polo Committee and both under 16s & 18s teams would like to say a huge thank you to their sponsors Advanced Fire Technologies for their buoyancy aids, Positive Signs @ positivesignswales for the squad t-shirts, lycras and boat printing and Reed Chillcheater for discounts on their products. To see how amazing the squad looked please visit the Canoe Wales Polo/Canw Cymru Polo Facebook page where there are lots of great photos of them at the tournament.

Finally both teams would like to thank their parents, the Canoe Wales Polo committee, their coaches and all the other volunteers for their support and making this event possible.

Further Canoe Wales Polo Development sessions are planned for 2019/20 and clubs are encouraged to send as many children and young people that might be interested. For further information individuals and clubs can contact Tony Griffiths (Canoe Wales Canoe Polo Development Officer) wales@ canoepolo.org.uk to register interest and find out about upcoming events.

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3rd & 4th August 2019 24th Welsh International Canoe Polo Challenge Entries and further information please contact:

Cwm Hedd Lakes Croesheolydd Farm Newport NP10 8RW

Dragon Canoe Club c/o John Morris 11 Heol Beca Camarthen SA31 3LS Tel 07971 166280 Email: dragoncanoepolo@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/DragonCanoePolo Privisional Date - 1st + 2nd August 2020

www.cwmhedd.co.uk

Tomasz Furmanek @tfbergen Bergen, Norway

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