Ceufad Winter 2022

JOURNAL OF CANOE WALES

CYLCHGRAWN CANŴ CYMRU

golygyddol

Mae gennym ni Bencampwr Byd Cymru! Bethan Moore gipiodd y teitl ym Mhencampwriaethau’r Byd Syrffio Caiac yng Nghernyw ym mis Tachwedd. Llongyfarchiadau enfawr i Bethan a gweddill Tîm Cymru (edrychwch ar dudalen 17 am adroddiad y gystadleuaeth).

Mae wedi bod yn flwyddyn dda i chwaraeon padlo yng Nghymru, o ran cystadlu a hamdden, gyda chynnydd parhaus mewn cyfranogiad a llawer o badlwyr yn mynd i’r afonydd, llynnoedd, camlesi a dyfroedd arfordirol anhygoel.

Ac nid ein dyfroedd lleol yn unig sy’n bwysig, mae padlwyr o Gymru wedi bod yn chwifio’r faner dramor, gan gynnwys ar afonydd dŵr gwyn Borneo (tudalen 24). Roedd eu taith yn edrych yn anhygoel, ddim mor siŵr am y ‘beer tab’ chwaith!

Gobeithio fod 2023 yn flwyddyn wych arall ar gyfer chwaraeon padlo, gydag amodau a lefelau da, digon o deithiau padlo a lleoedd ar y podiwm.

Vicky Barlow Golygydd

Ceufad yw cylchgrawn swyddogol Canŵ Cymru ac mae’n rhad ac am ddim i’w aelodau. Cynhyrchir y cynnwys gan Canŵ Cymru, ei aelodau a chyfranwyr eraill, felly nid yw’r safbwyntiau a fynegir o reidrwydd yn rhai Canŵ Cymru na golygydd y cylchgrawn. Cynhyrchir Ceufad bob chwarter yn y Gwanwyn (Mawrth), Haf (Mehefin), Hydref (Medi) a'r Gaeaf (Rhagfyr) RHIFYN NESAF: GWANWYN DYDDIAD CAU: 10 CHWEFROR I gael gwybodaeth am DANYSGRIFIADAU, HYSBYSEBION a CHYFLWYNIADAU: www.canoewales.com/ceufad ceufad@canoewales.com

We have a Welsh World Champion! Bethan Moore took the title at the Surf Kayak World Champs in Cornwall in November. A huge congratulations to Bethan and the rest of the Welsh Team (check out page 17 for the competition report). It’s been a good year for Welsh paddlesport, both in competition and recreationally, with a continued increase in participation and lots of paddlers taking to our amazing rivers, lakes, canals and coastal waters.

And it’s not just about our local waters, Welsh paddlers have been flying the flag overseas, including on the whitewater rivers of Borneo (page 24). Their trip looked amazing, not so sure about the ‘beer tab’ though LOL!

Hopefully 2023 is another great year for paddlesport, with good conditions and levels, plenty of paddling trips and podium places.

Vicky Barlow Editor

Ceufad

BETHAN MOORE – PENCAMPWR BYD SYRFFIO CAIAC

PENCAMPWRIAETHAU BYD SYRFFIO CAIAC, CERNYW LLUN TRWY GAREDIGRWYDD BETHAN MOORE

BETHAN MOORE – SURF KAYAK WORLD CHAMPION SURF KAYAK WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, CORNWALL

PHOTO COURTESY OF BETHAN MOORE

CYNNWYS

CANŴ CYMRU — EIN TÎM

TÎM GWASANAETHAU AELODAU

Andy Turton Rheolwr Hyfforddi Dros Dro

Val Ephraim Swyddog Gweinyddol

Suzanne Parkin Cynorthwyydd Llywodraethu ac Aelodaeth

Bonnie Armstrong Arweinydd Cyfathrebu a Marchnata

Paula McKenna Cydlynydd Cyfathrebu a Marchnata

Ellen Roberts Swyddog Cyllid

Phil Stone Rheolwr Lleoedd i Badlo

Mike Raine Arweinydd Amgylchedd a Chynaliadwyedd

Cath Sykes Swyddog Arweiniol Diogelu a Chydraddoldeb

Lydia Wilford Swyddog Datblygu

TÎM PERFFORMIAD

Nick Fowler-Rimell Rheolwr Perfformiad

Jonathan Davies Swyddog Llwybr Talent (Gogledd)

Gareth Bryant Swyddog Llwybr Talent (Gorllewin)

James Pigdon Swyddog Llwybr Talent (De)

Serena Williams Hyfforddwr Sbrint

Giacomo Leighton Hyfforddwr Talent Slalom

Andrew Kettlewell Hyfforddwr Perfformiad Slalom

CYFARWYDDWYR

Kerry Chown Cadeirydd

Jet Moore Is-gadeirydd

Andy Booth Cyfarwyddwr Cyllid

Elsa Davies

Lowri Davies

Rhys Green

Alun Davies

Allan Binstead

Ruth Hall

Tanya Neilson

Dave Kohn-Hollins

David Eade

CYSYLLTWCH Â CANŴ CYMRU

www.canoewales.com admin@canoewales.com 01678 521 199

Canolfan Dŵr Gwyn Genedlaethol, Frongoch, Bala, Gwynedd, LL23 7NU

@canoewales

CYFLWYNO’R COD PADLWYR NEWYDD

MAE’R COD PADLWYR YN GANLLAW NEWYDD CYFFROUS AR GYFER CANŴ-WYR, CAIACWYR A PHADLFYRDDWYR

SY’N SEFYLL

Yn dilyn y twf anferth mewn chwaraeon padlo a gyda miliynau o bobl yn cymryd i’r dŵr bob blwyddyn, mae British Canoeing wedi cynhyrchu’r Cod Padlwyr i rannu arweiniad ar sut i fwynhau ein dyfrffyrdd yn gyfrifol.

Datblygwyd y Cod gyda Natural England ac mae’n adlewyrchu eu gwaith gyda’r Countryside Code. Mae hefyd wedi’i ysgrifennu mewn partneriaeth â rhwyfwyr ac ystod eang o randdeiliaid y gobeithir y byddant yn mabwysiadu’r cod eu hunain.

Yn yr un modd â’r Cod Cefn Gwlad mae’r Cod Padlwyr yn dangos sut y gall padlwyr ddiogelu bywyd gwyllt orau a sylwi ar lygredd gyda chyngor arall.

Mae’r cod yn cynnwys cyngor i badlwyr gadw meintiau grwpiau’n fach ac yn gynnil, osgoi difrodi ffensys a waliau wrth godi cychod drostynt a bod yn gyffredinol barchus i’r rhai rydych chi’n cwrdd â nhw ar y dŵr.

Er mwyn gwarchod natur, gofynnir i badlwyr osgoi llusgo cychod ar lannau afonydd ac osgoi gwelyau graean, a all fod yn fannau silio pwysig i bysgod.

Hefyd mae’r canllaw yn atgoffa padlwyr i wirio, glanhau a sychu eu cit ar ôl pob taith. Mae hyn yn allweddol i helpu i atal lledaeniad rhywogaethau ymledol, anfrodorol.

Mae’r cod hefyd yn cynnwys cyngor diogelwch, gan gynnwys gwisgo cymorth hynofedd a chael y dennyn priodol ar gyfer yr amgylchedd os ydych yn padlo yn sefyll i fyny (SUP). Gellir dod o hyd i’r cod ar ei wefan newydd: www.paddlerscode.info

CYFARFOD CYFFREDINOL BLYNYDDOL

YN FYW AC AR-LEIN!

CANŴ CYMRU

Cynhaliwyd CCB Canŵ Cymru ar 14 Tachwedd trwy Zoom ac roedd yn gymysgedd gwych o ddiweddariadau gan Canŵ Cymru, cyflwyniadau a sesiwn Holi ac Ateb. Mae’r CCB wedi mynd trwy wahanol drawsnewidiadau dros y blynyddoedd, fodd bynnag, mae’n ymddangos mai’r fersiwn ar-lein yw’r fformat a ffafrir, gan roi cyfle i fwyafrif yr aelodau fynychu a chymryd rhan.

Mae’r fformat hefyd yn caniatáu amrywiaeth o gyflwyniadau, a chychwynnwyd y CCB eleni gan Mike Raine, ein Harweinydd Amgylchedd a chynaliadwyedd newydd, a roddodd gyflwyniad difyr ac addysgiadol ar werthfawrogi’r amgylchedd padlo.

Wedi hynny cafwyd adroddiadau blynyddol gan Kerry Chown (Cadeirydd), Alistair Dickson (Prif Swyddog Gweithredol) ac Andy Booth (Cyfarwyddwr Cyllid). Roedd y rhain yn rhoi trosolwg gwych o’r cynnydd y mae Canŵ Cymru wedi’i wneud dros y flwyddyn ddiwethaf, o ran aelodaeth, cyfathrebu, cystadleuaeth, cyllid, ac ychwanegiadau newydd i’r tîm staff.

Rhoddwyd cyflwyniad olaf y noson gan Marc Owen o Glwb Canŵio Llangollen. Roedd yn sgwrs wych ar sut mae’r clwb wedi bod yn datblygu eu gweithgareddau i ymgysylltu ymhellach â grwpiau heb gynrychiolaeth ddigonol.

Daeth sesiwn holi ac ateb â’r noson i ben a rhoddwyd cyfle i unrhyw un oedd â chwestiynau i dîm Canŵ Cymru eu gofyn. I’r rhai na allent ddod i’r digwyddiad cyfan recordiwyd: www.canoewales.com

AELODAU NEWYDD BWRDD CANŴ CYMRU

CROESO I 3 AELOD NEWYDD O’R BWRDD

Wedi ymddeoliad David Wakeling ac Eryl Richards roedd dau le yn agored ar y Bwrdd, a derbyniodd Canŵ Cymru 3 enwebiad cryf iawn i’w llenwi.

Yn dilyn adolygiad o’r enwebiadau, adolygodd y Bwrdd yr Erthyglau a chydnabod y cyfle i gymryd y tri aelod. Cynhaliwyd pleidlais ym mis tachwedd a oedd o blaid cymryd y tri.

Felly, croeso mawr i Tanya Neilson, Dave Kohn-Hollins, a David Eade, ein haelodau bwrdd newydd. Rydym hyd yn oed wedi llwyddo i wasgu cyfweliad gyda Tanya ar dudalen 38!

Alistair Dickson Prif Weithredwr

INTRODUCING THE NEW PADDLERS’ CODE

PADDLERS’

BOARDERS

Following the huge growth in paddlesports and with millions of people taking to the water every year, British Canoeing has produced the Paddlers’ Code to share guidance on how to enjoy our beautiful waterways responsibly.

The Code has been developed with Natural England and reflects their work with the Countryside Code. It has also been written in partnership with paddlers and a wide range of stakeholders who it is hoped will adopt the code themselves.

Like the Countryside Code, the Paddlers’ Code shows how paddlers can best protect wildlife and spot pollution with other pieces of advice.

The code includes advice for paddlers to keep group sizes small and discreet, avoid damaging fences and walls when lifting crafts over them and generally being respectful to those you meet along the water. To protect nature, paddlers are asked to avoid dragging boats on river banks and to avoid gravel beds, which can be important spawning grounds for fish.

Also, the guide reminds paddlers to check, clean and dry their kit after each trip. This is key to helping stop the spread of invasive, non-native species.

The code also includes safety advice, including wearing a buoyancy aid and having the appropriate leash for the environment if paddling SUP. The code can be found at its new website: www.paddlerscode.info

CANOE WALES AGM

LIVE AND ONLINE!

The CW AGM was held on 14 November via Zoom and was a great mix of updates from CW, presentations and Q&A. The AGM has gone through various transformations over the years, however, the online version seems to be the preferred format, giving the majority of members the opportunity to attend and be involved.

The format also allows for a variety of presentations, and this year’s AGM was kicked off by Mike Raine, our new Environment & Sustainability Lead, who gave an entertaining and informative presentation on appreciating the paddling environment.

After that there were annual reports from Kerry Chown (Chair), Alistair Dickson (CEO) and Andy Booth (Finance Director). These provided a great overview of the progress CW has made over the last year, in terms of membership, communication, competition, finances, and new additions to the staff team.

The final presentation of the evening was given by Marc Owen from Llangollen Canoe Club. It was a great talk on how the club has been developing their activities to further engage underrepresented groups.

A Q&A session finished off the event and gave anyone who had questions for the CW team the opportunity to ask them. For those who couldn’t attend the entire event was recorded: www.canoewales.com

CANOE WALES

BOARD

WELCOME TO 3 NEW BOARD MEMBERS

After the retirement of David Wakeling and Eryl Richards two places were open on the Board, and CW received 3 very strong nominations to fill them.

Following a review of the nominations, the Board reviewed the Articles and recognised the opportunity to take all three members. They held a vote in November which was in favour of taking all three.

So, a big welcome to Tanya Neilson, Dave Kohn-Hollins, and David Eade, our new board members. We’ve even managed to squeeze in an interview with Tanya on page 38!

CANOE WALES – OUR TEAM

Alistair Dickson CEO

MEMBER SERVICES TEAM

Andy Turton Interim Coaching Manager

Val Ephraim Administrative Officer

Suzanne Parkin Governance & Membership Assistant

Bonnie Armstrong Comms & Marketing Lead

Paula McKenna Comms & Marketing Coordinator

Ellen Roberts Finance Officer

Phil Stone Places to Paddle Manager

Mike Raine Environment & Sustainability Lead

Cath Sykes Lead Safeguarding and Equality Officer

Lydia Wilford Development Officer

PERFORMANCE TEAM

Nick Fowler-Rimell Performance Manager

Jonathan Davies Talent Pathway Officer (North)

Gareth Bryant Talent Pathway Officer (West)

James Pigdon Talent Pathway Officer (South)

Serena Williams Sprint Coach

Giacomo Leighton Slalom Talent Coach

Andrew Kettlewell Slalom Performance Coach

DIRECTORS

Kerry Chown Chair

Jet Moore Vice Chair

Andy Booth Finance Director

Elsa Davies

Lowri Davies

Rhys Green

Alun Davies

Allan Binstead

Ruth Hall

Tanya Neilson

Dave Kohn-Hollins

David Eade

CONTACT CANOE WALES

www.canoewales.com admin@canoewales.com 01678 521 199 Canolfan Dŵr Gwyn Genedlaethol, Frongoch, Bala, Gwynedd, LL23 7NU

@canoewales

THE

CODE IS AN EXCITING NEW GUIDE FOR CANOEISTS, KAYAKERS AND STAND-UP PADDLE

Environment & Sustainability Lead

Mike Raine

Mike is the CW Environment and Sustainability Lead – this is a new role that will help to ensure paddlesport and CW is as green and eco-friendly as possible! Based in North Wales Mike has spent much of his career working in the outdoors, as a mountaineering instructor and coach. He spends most of his spare time either on the sea (kayaking) or in the mountains (biking and walking). He is passionate about the environment he works and plays in, running environmental training courses and sharing his knowledge through his book; ‘Nature of Snowdonia’. Ceufad caught up with him between sea trips and bike rides to find out more …

How did you get into the outdoors and instructing? I was introduced to the outdoors through scouting and school. I do have memories of helping to make a fibre glass kayak in a Scout group that actually had a canvas kayak. It was in the 70’s. I was immediately drawn to the Pennine moors which surrounded where we lived and was soon solo hiking and began climbing in sixth form after a course at Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre in Nidderdale. The solitary activities of walking suited me better as a teenager and even when climbing it would be on my own or in a small group. I did do some kayaking and can remember using an Olymp 5 fibreglass boat and then moving onto a Perception (Mirage I think). I really wasn’t any good at paddling though, I bumped down the middle of a few rivers with a Pawlata roll in reserve and the sea, well, it just seemed too deep to be safe!

You’re clearly passionate about nature and the environment, where did this come from? I’ve always noticed and appreciated it, but to be fair it is only in later years when I’ve really got to grips with it. When I lived in urban West Yorkshire we’d spend most of our time in the surrounding countryside. We enjoyed watching sheep being herded, were familiar with the calls of curlew in the Yorkshire Dales and loved it when we spotted a fox. I know I enjoyed native woodland in those days, it’s only now I realise that that is the most natural thing in the world and is a place where humans feel at home.

“WHEN I LIVED IN URBAN WEST YORKSHIRE WE’D SPEND MOST OF OUR TIME IN THE SURROUNDING COUNTRYSIDE. WE ENJOYED WATCHING SHEEP BEING HERDED, WERE FAMILIAR WITH THE CALLS OF CURLEW IN THE YORKSHIRE DALES AND LOVED IT WHEN WE SPOTTED A FOX.”

What prompted you to join the CW team?

I was intrigued to be honest, and a little selfish. My work with Mountain Leaders and Mountaineering Instructors takes place in the uplands. The uplands are typically quite degraded. In trying to get leaders to imagine what the uplands could look like with some tweaks to their management, I would invoke the image of a native woodland clinging onto steep river valley sides. To spend more time in the woodlands is why I wanted to be involved. The native woodlands of our river valleys, along with the shoreline between high and low tide, are really our only remaining environments that are anything like approaching true wilderness.

What does your job involve?

At the moment I’m intending to drip feed members with content about the Celtic rainforests, how special they are and what they contain. I’ll do this through social media and with the odd piece in Ceufad of course. What I really want to do is to get out with paddlers and explore the places we paddle and help people to see what is there. I’m hoping to run workshops for clubs and work with coaches and leaders to give them stories to tell (please contact me if you are reading this and are interested!).

What do you hope to achieve in your new role?

The aim is to nudge paddlers to more sustainable practices and towards existing good initiatives, and to help those already knowledgeable to spread the word. If we could all just take a moment to look around whilst in the eddies I think our days out will be richer.

If you could change one behaviour/attitude of people who work, play and visit the great outdoors, what would it be? Take ten. That is take time out. We are constantly in a rush. Walk away from your friends, leave your car behind, dump your boat and go and sit in the woods or on the beach. Listen, smell, look and feel. We live and paddle in a very special place. I hope to inspire more people to look after it better.

What message would you like to get out to CW members, clubs and coaches?

No great words of wisdom just yet. I need to spend time with paddlers, help them to look at our paddling environments and see how we can, together, do even better than we do now.

FIND

OUT MORE

about how you or your club can get involved contact: mike.raine@canoewales.com

“THE AIM IS TO NUDGE PADDLERS TO MORE SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES AND TOWARDS EXISTING GOOD INITIATIVES, AND TO HELP THOSE ALREADY KNOWLEDGEABLE TO SPREAD THE WORD. IF WE COULD ALL JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO LOOK AROUND WHILST IN THE EDDIES I THINK OUR DAYS OUT WILL BE RICHER.”

OF THE PLACES WE PADDLE …

ARTICLE : MIKE RAINE, CW ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY LEAD

We thought it was a humpback whale, we’re pretty sure it was a humped back whale. They don’t come close and this one didn’t breach high enough for a good look. It did create a splash like we’ve seen in the videos, it did arch through the water like on the videos. We saw a humpback whale, definitely. We love to be out sea kayaking, we love watching otters fishing, seals watching and gannets diving. We like the sound of storm petrels in the night, we listen out for the scream of a peregrine, we’re happy coasting along from wren territory to wren territory. The joy of sea kayaking for us is the joy of a water born ramble. This is a special place to be. Kayaking takes place in very special places, not just on the coast, but in the woods, in some of the most natural places upon our islands.

I actually spend a lot of my time in the hills, walking or mountain biking. I love multi-day journeys across the hills and mountains of Wales on my bike, it’s become known as bike packing. I also run environmental training courses for mountain leaders and mountaineering instructors.

We grumble. The hills are not alive with the sounds of birdsong, the tracks of mammals or flush with flowers. Our hills and our mountains are largely bereft of any nature. I spend a lot of time trying to get students to imagine native woodland spreading up the slopes of our Cambrian Mountains. To picture the saplings that can take hold in bracken, gorse and heather as future full-grown trees. Thin woods of birch would stretch close to our summits. Our hills could be dotted with rowan, holly and hawthorn. Where bracken grows the soil is deep enough for oak to take hold, Welsh oak (sessile oak) of course. And where trees grow, birds can thrive.

So where do we go to build the picture? We go to the rivers of course. Our ravines, gorges and gullies across Wales are the last refuge of our natural vegetation. I know a tree down across a river is a concern for paddlers, I know we’d perhaps like a little more sun from time to time, but do appreciate that when paddling down a heavily wooded landscape you are in one of the very few natural landscapes that occur in the British Isles.

Kayaking takes place in very special places, not just on the coast, but in the woods, in some of the most natural places upon our islands.

You may have heard of the temperate or Celtic. These are our Welsh woods. They are woods of our mild wet climate influenced by the Gulf Stream. They sit at the junction of maritime air masses pushing in from the Atlantic Ocean. Precipitation is high and microclimates are wet. Lichens and mosses thrive in these places, epiphytic ferns are prominent, some are known in few other places. Mammals and birds can feed and hide, insects can thrive and there is a functional ecosystem which is absent from most of the rest of our islands. Yes, these woods do need some thinning out from time to time as large herbivores would have done in times long gone by, but they are very special places.

The Afon Croesor, the Afon Nantmor and the Afon Glaslyn sneak through the Celtic rainforest fringe of the Moelwynion locked in their own fairy tale lands.

The Afon Taff is hidden in woods below the urban fringe of Merthyr Tydfil.

Oaks take a natural form in the Celtic rainforests, often stunted and gnarled, but home to hundreds of other species.

It might be a little over-romantic to place these woods as pristine and untouched. Few of them are ancient, and ancient ones only need to be more than 400 years old to be classified as such. Many of these woods have been cleared in the past and many are little more than 100 years old with some being even younger. Many of them do need some management and many of them are suffering from sheep ingress and a lack of youthful replacement trees developing under the canopy.

We

clean rivers,

need clean air, we need to reduce global warming and, for us, this is about maintaining the special places in which we paddle.

But the point is this is our playground. Paddlers are privileged to be familiar with and to spend time in the native woodlands of Wales. I think it behoves us to know a little about them, to care as best we can for them and stand up and fight for them when they’re threatened. The nature deficiency which has been observed in Wales will only lessen if these woods are allowed to thrive and to spread or be linked to other patches of woodlands. A Wales with corridors of native woodland linked by hedges containing native species could thrive hand-in-hand with productive agriculture.

We need clean rivers, we need clean air, we need to reduce global warming and, for us, this is about maintaining the special places in which we paddle. Paddlers need to care about places and need to take vicarious ownership of places. We need to ensure we do no damage, leave no trace and seek to improve. Now, I’m probably preaching to the converted, I know. We do do litter picks, we do follow the Check, Clean, Dry protocols and the Paddlers Code is common sense, to us. We do whatever we can within the limitations of still having a good time. I can’t give you an alternative to plastic kayaks and diesel vans, but I can help you get to know the places we are playing in and help you as you seek to reduce your impact.

The Tryweryn showing woodland protecting the riverbanks and protected by being on the riverbanks.

Epiphytes such as mosses lichens and ferns are indicators of the clean air to be found in our Celtic rainforests.

The wooded banks of the Neath Canal give nature a chance in one of the more built up parts of Wales.

need

we

25th Welsh Open Canoe Symposium

ARTICLE : KEVIN CALLAN – THEHAPPYCAMPER

Once again this humbled Canadian canoeist, and author, was honoured to be the key note speaker at the Welsh Open Canoe Symposium. This was my third time attending, and I hope it’s not my last. This is one awesome event.

Apart from evening presentations, the symposium is made of various paddling workshops. You can learn how to pole a canoe through shallow water, sail it across a windy lake, manoeuvre it through technical whitewater, push it quickly along with a bent-shaft paddle, or take it for a solo ride. Each activity has an experienced coach and the possibilities throughout the three-day event are endless.

The Open Canoe Symposium rotates annually between Wales, England and Scotland in a three-year cycle. Ireland has a smaller paddling group, so they just visit all the shows and cause a fun ruckus. Its aim has always been to bring together people of all levels of experience and ability, in a sharing of enthusiasm for and knowledge of all aspects of open canoeing.

Nothing really compares to it in my province of Ontario, Canada. Sure, there’s plenty of outdoor shows to attend, but they’re generally made up of companies showing off their gear in an indoor space, and presenters standing on stage entertaining and enlightening other campers.

What I love about the Welsh event is that it’s mostly hands-on, out in the sun and rain (mostly rain); and most people attending are taking workshops on skills they are lacking, rather than ones they know they are proficient in.

The paddlers themselves also differ greatly. They are serious about their skill set, and continually practice their techniques. Canadians generally don’t. They come out of the womb with a hockey stick in one hand and a paddle in the other, ready to go with both historical conventions.

It’s common for Canadian canoeists to spend most of their time navigating through remote wilderness areas with only the specific skills they need for each desired canoe trip. Western province paddlers use stream-lined asymmetrical canoes propelled across big open lakes by bent-shaft paddles. Eastern province paddlers pole their wooden cedar-canvas canoes up and down shallow rivers and streams. And central Canadian paddlers – meaning canoeists – who trip in known wild places like Ontario’s Temagami and Algonquin Parks – equip themselves with prospector-style canoes, balance tumps on their foreheads, and store their dehydrated food in waterproof barrels. Rarely will you see any of them wearing wet suits and helmets. They all portage their canoes over their heads, along a mosquito infested rock-strewn portage, rather than roll it along on a wheeled cart. And they defend themselves against bears rather than those mystic Scottish haggis creatures.

With all that said, Canadians do have something in common with UK paddlers. We enjoy being part of a band of people who all dream of exploring endless waterways with a non-motorized vessel. Canoe culture is still alive and thriving on both sides of the pond.

MORE INFO Kevin is an adventurer, paddler and prolific guidebook writer. Check out his video series of the Symposium: www.youtube.com/c/KCHappyCamper

The Open Canoe Symposium rotates annually between Wales, England and Scotland. Details of the 2023 Symposium will be released soon!

Ray Goodwin's

The Open Canoe Symposium was launched 25 years ago by Ray Goodwin, renowned open boater, coach and raconteur. Ray is a bit of a paddling national treasure, and this November celebrated his 70th birthday.

70th

Ray has been working on the water since the 70’s. After finishing his teacher training in 1974 he started out instructing at an outdoor centre, taking time out to go on adventures in Kenya, the Sudan and Morocco. Returning to the UK he started to make the most of the wet winters on the river and was introduced to the joy of canoes by Loel Collins.

In 1992 he completed a circumnavigation of Wales with Robert Egelstaff, which he described as relentless; physically and mentally hard day after day. They nearly got caught out on a 21-mile open crossing at the top of Cardigan Bay, when a force 5 headwind sprang up out of nowhere. They were down to a mile an hour and taking on water even with a full spraydeck. They made it to the Tudwal Isles but were busted. The next day they only did five miles due to conditions. Fortunately the winds dropped after that for the final part of the trip. Circumnavigation of Wales – done!

Since then he’s completed many trips in the UK and overseas, including a few multiday trips on the Bloodvein in Canada, one of his favourite rivers. This was also the scene of one of his worst swims when paddling tandem with his wife Lina. An over-optimistic line into an eddy ended up with a swim and being pulled down into a massive boil and fold. Swimming upwards through the darkness for all he was worth, his only thought was of buying a bigger buoyancy aid!

His favourite Welsh river is the Afon Dyfrdwy (River Dee) (his local river), because of its many hidden corner and gems. Whether bouncing down the Glyndyfrdwy section in big water with clients or with his daughter, Maya, in the bow seat. And a very memorable occasion when he and Chris Charlton paddled from Llyn Tegid (Bala) to Chester weir in a single day.

He has enjoyed many canoe adventures with his family and one of his highlights was finishing a nine-day wilderness trip with a 7-yearold Maya in Algonquin, her first big expedition. He says, ‘Getting older I am determined not to put things off but to get on and do them. There will come a day when I can’t do it, not here yet, but I am not waiting around.’ Since then they’ve paddled together on many other trips, including the Ardeche, so he wasn’t joking!

It's not just family and clients he shares his boat with; he has fourlegged canoe-companions too! Dillie Dog, who was a great boating dog, and now Billy Boy Bonkers, who is just crazy.

In 2019 his contribution to paddlesport was recognised when he was awarded an MBE and travelled to Buckingham Palace with Lina and Maya to receive his award from Princess Anne. The next day he was shopping in Aldi in Llangollen. In his words, ‘Such are the rich contrasts of life.’

Over the years Ray has had an enormous, positive impact on paddlesport, introducing so many people to the sport, helping them to develop and progress. And, most importantly, teaching them the importance of keeping your guide well-fed and hydrated expedition! Looking forward to celebrating your 80th, Ray!

RAY GOODWIN

is a coach and guide offering open canoe courses and trips for individuals, groups and families. Check out his website and YouTube channel for more info: www.RayGoodwin.com www.youtube.com/c/RayGoodwinCanoe

DIOGELWCH AC ACHUB DŴR GWYN YOUTH+

Ym mis Medi cynhaliodd ein dau glwb Gwrs Diogelwch ac Achub Dŵr Gwyn British Canoeing (BC WWSRT) …dyma’r cwrs y dylai pawb sy’n padlo dŵr gwyn ei wneud – mae’n eich dysgu sut i gadw’n ddiogel, a sut i gadw’ch ffrindiau’n ddiogel – yn yr amgylchedd dŵr gwyn. Rhywbeth y dylai pob padlwr dŵr gwyn fod yn angerddol amdano! Mae De Cymru yn ddigon ffodus i fod yn gartref i badlwyr ieuenctid gwych. Mae rhai yn cystadlu ar y lefel uchaf mewn slalom neu ddull rhydd, mae eraill yn padlo'n rheolaidd yn ein hafonydd lleol ar raddau 2-4. Mae nifer yn gweithio tuag at gymwysterau hyfforddi. Mae llawer yn treulio amser yn Dŵr Gwyn Rhyngwladol Caerdydd (CIWW) lle mae Academi’r Plant yn gyfle gwych iddynt. Mae Seren Dŵr yn glwb slalom yn CIWW ac mae gennym ni gydran ieuenctid gref. Ond nid oedd yr un o'n haelodau ieuenctid wedi gallu dod o hyd i gwrs WWSRT y gallent ei wneud fel rhai dan 18 oed. Felly, fe benderfynon ni redeg cwrs iddyn nhw yn unig…

Darparodd y Bartneriaeth Awyr Agored a Haf o Hwyl Llywodraeth Cymru gyllid ar gyfer 12 lle (diolch!) a alluogodd ni i gynnwys padlwyr ifanc o Cardiff Canoe Club.

Ymgymerodd Jamie Greenhalgh o Paddle365 a Lowri Davies o Flowfree yn frwdfrydig (dewr!) â’r her i gynnal y cwrs BC WWSRT ar gyfer 9 padlwr ifanc o’n dau glwb – yn amrywio o 11 i 17 mewn oed–ynghyd â 3 oedolyn. Bu Jamie a Lowri yn astudio’r cwrs cyfan BC WWSRT dros ddau ddiwrnod ar ac yn y dŵr, a llwyddodd pob padlwr i gwblhau’r cwrs. Rydyn ni'n meddwl mai dyma'r tro cyntaf i gwrs WWSRT gael ei redeg sy'n canolbwyntio ar badlwyr ifanc! Roedd yn ddeuddydd cyffrous a llwyddiannus – ac yn hyfryd gweld

ieuenctid o’r ddau glwb yn cydweithio ac yn gwneud ffrindiau newydd ac yn dysgu am yr hyn y mae’r ddau glwb yn ei wneud.

Yn llythrennol, ymdaflodd y padlwyr ifanc i bob agwedd o’r cwrs –gan fwynhau’r baetio byw a holl agweddau nofio’r cwrs yn arbennig! Daeth y ddau ddiwrnod i ben gyda nofio afon a neidio clogwyni yn ychwanegol!

Ar ôl y cwrs dywedodd Riley, 11 oed, aelod o’r ddau glwb: “Fe wnes i fwynhau’r lletraws tyniant (zip line) a dysgais sut i helpu fy hun ac eraill ar y dŵr”.

Diolch yn fawr i Jamie, Lowri, a’r Bartneriaeth Awyr Agored yn ogystal â Gareth ac Alix Bryant yn Llandysul Paddlers – roedd y Teifi yn lleoliad perffaith ar gyfer ein cwrs.

y padlwyr

ERTHYGL : TAVI MURRAY

Seren Dŵr Slalom a Cardiff Canoe Club yn rhedeg cwrs hyfforddi ar y cyd ar gyfer eu padlwyr iau

RHAGOR O WYBODAETH Mae Seren Dŵr yn glwb slalom wedi’i leoli yn CIWW ar nos Fawrth ac ar benwythnosau. Cysylltwch os hoffech chi ymuno â ni! serendwrslalom@gmail.com Mae Cardiff Canoe Club wedi'i leoli ym Mhwll Rhyngwladol Caerdydd a Pharc Gwledig Llynnoedd Cosmeston ar nos Fawrth ac ar benwythnosau. Mae croeso i chi gysylltu â nhw hefyd os hoffech chi roi cynnig arni: www.cardiffcanoeclub.com

YOUTH+ WHITE WATER SAFETY AND RESCUE COURSE

Seren Dŵr Slalom and Cardiff Canoe Club run joint training course for their younger paddlers

In September our two clubs ran a British Canoeing White Water Safety and Rescue Course (BC WWSRT) … this is the course that everyone who paddles white water should do – it teaches you how to keep safe, and how to keep your friends safe – in the white water environment. Something every white water paddler should be passionate about!

South Wales is lucky enough to be home to some fantastic youth paddlers. Some compete at top level in slalom or freestyle, others are regularly paddling our local rivers at grades 2–4. Several are working towards coaching qualifications. Many spend time at Cardiff International White Water (CIWW) where the Kids Academy is a great opportunity for them. Seren Dŵr is a slalom club based at CIWW and we have a strong youth component. But none of our youth members had been able to find a WWSRT course that they could do as under 18s. So, we decided to run a course just for them …

The Outdoor Partnership and the Welsh Government Summer of Fun provided funding for 12 places (thank you!) which enabled us to include youth paddlers from Cardiff Canoe Club.

Jamie Greenhalgh of Paddle365 and Lowri Davies of Flowfree enthusiastically (bravely!) undertook the challenge to run the BC WWSRT course for 9 youth paddlers from our two clubs – ranging in age from 11 to 17 – along with 3 adults. Jamie and Lowri covered the whole BC WWSRT course over two days on and in the water, and all paddlers successfully completed the course. We think this is the first time a WWSRT course has been run that concentrates on youth paddlers! It was an exciting and successful two days – and wonderful

serendwrslalom@gmail.com

Cardiff Canoe Club are based in Cardiff International Pool and Cosmeston Lakes Country Park on Tuesday evenings and weekends. Feel free to contact them too if you’d like to try it out: enquiries@cardiffcanoeclub.com

to see the youth paddlers from both clubs working together and making new friends and learning about what both clubs do.

The youth paddlers literally threw themselves into all aspects of the course – with especial enjoyment of live baiting and all the swimming aspects of the course! Both days ended with extra river swimming and tombstone jumps!

After the course Riley, age 11 a member of both clubs said: “I enjoyed the tension diagonal (zip line) and learnt how to help myself and others on the water”.

Huge thanks to Jamie, Lowri, and The Outdoor Partnership as well as Gareth and Alix Bryant at Llandysul Paddlers – the Teifi provided the perfect location for our course.

ARTICLE : TAVI MURRAY

MORE INFO

Seren Dŵr is a slalom club based at CIWW on Tuesday evenings and weekends. Get in touch if you’d like to join us!

Q&A

Mark Abbott Volunteer of the Year 2021

Mark Abbott is the ‘backbone to canoe slalom events in Wales’. He’s responsible for the technical running of a slalom race; installing cabling, setting up laptops, managing live results pages and ensuring race days run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. He’s done this for several years now, with the 2021 racing season being particularly challenging with extra restrictions and limited people able to help him. It’s no surprise then, that he was named Canoe Wales Volunteer of the Year! Ceufad caught up with him between races to find out more …

How did you get into paddling?

As a youngster I started paddling with my Dad having lessons at the local canoe club in Maryport, Cumbria where the instructor was my junior school headmaster. With living in the Lake District many days in the summer were spent at the side of Bassenthwaite Lake, paddling around the lake. My teenage years were spent windsurfing at Nichol End Marine on Lake Derwent water, something that I enjoyed doing with my Dad for many years.

How did you get involved with Mold Canoe Club and slalom?

We started with Mold CC in 2003 when we were looking for an interest for our oldest son Jonathan. After a short period of time, and with some encouragement from the coaches in the club, I started paddling in the pool and completing my various star awards on the river Dee in Chester. Over time I started helping and getting more involved with the club and, along with other parents, started down the coaching pathway qualifying as an inland and slalom coach. I’m still active within the club, working with other members to develop the club and helping both adults and juniors to gain invaluable skills.

We always encouraged our boys where possible to try different aspects of paddlesport within the club before focusing on one area. After some time we started in slalom a discipline that has been a large part of our lives now for over 16 years. Both boys (Jonathan and Thomas) achieved a high level in slalom both representing Great Britain. The sport has been a large part of our lives for many years, travelling around the country and the world supporting them.

“I'VE BEEN VOLUNTEERING IN SLALOM FOR MANY YEARS, FIRST QUALIFYING AS A JUDGE AND THEN HELPING AT VARIOUS RACES. OVER A PERIOD OF TIME MY ROLE HAS EVOLVED FROM HELPING SETUP THE COURSE TO ORGANISING RACES TO DOING THE TECHNICAL SIDE OF THE RACES.”

How long have you been volunteering for slalom?

I’ve been volunteering in slalom for many years, first qualifying as a judge and then helping at various races. Over a period of time my role has evolved from helping setup the course to organising races to doing the technical side of the races. This has developed into not only domestic races, but now doing international slalom races where I setup the VAR/video judging systems.

What’s your role within slalom in Wales and what does your ‘average’ race day involve?

Within slalom in Wales I take the lead with the systems we use for timing the races, communications between the race control and the officials out on the course and finally publishing the results.

The work starts the day before the race setting up the communications cabling from the race control to the start/finish and the main judging positions. Once the cabling is installed and tested the work in the control starts with the building of the control area, setting up of the laptops we use for running the race and configuring the main laptop with the data for the race.

Race day usually starts around 3 hours before the start where all the timing devices are synchronised/setup, communications tested on the course and the start and finish electronic beams aligned and tested. There is nothing better than starting a race on time, but nothing

worse than someone turning up to race at the start line and they aren’t on the system for some unknown reason.

Setting up for a race must be pretty hectic and demanding. What’s the biggest challenge you usually face?

Setting up for a race can be quite complicated, depending on the venue where the event is being held. One of the mains tasks (and probably the one that takes the most time) is setting up and testing the communications cabling which needs to run from the control to various locations on the course. On some courses we could be installing up to 400m of cabling.

It's happened a couple of times where everything was tested and working the night before, but when we come to do the tests on the day nothing is working or one of the headset lines is noisy.

Has the technology you use changed over the years? What impact has this had?

The technology we use at the races has adapted to the use of technology and the internet.

Previously we would display results on screens and display printouts of results. These days we publish results live on the internet and on social media platforms, allowing competitors and spectators to see the results instantly. Some venues we still have to go ‘old school’ as the phone coverage or WiFi is non-existent.

“ONE OF THE MAINS TASKS (AND PROBABLY THE ONE THAT TAKES THE MOST TIME) IS SETTING UP AND TESTING THE COMMUNICATIONS CABLING WHICH NEEDS TO RUN FROM THE CONTROL TO VARIOUS LOCATIONS ON THE COURSE. ON SOME COURSES WE COULD BE INSTALLING UP TO 400M OF CABLING.”

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

It was completely out of the blue and unexpected. Like many people who volunteer in the sport we do it because we want to see the sport develop and prosper, and also to feed back into the sport. Many of us who volunteer in sport do it because we enjoy it.

You were nominated for Volunteer of the Year because you are the ‘…backbone of canoe slalom events in Wales and the face behind the technical running of a race ... canoe slalom races in Wales could not run without him’ What motivates you to dedicate so much time and energy to slalom?

I’m quite taken back by the kind words. I do it because I enjoy it, the challenges it brings and the satisfaction of doing a race where with the team working with you, you have timed over 200 competitors during the day, the race finishes on time and everyone has a result.

What are the challenges of volunteering your time within paddlesport?

Like many volunteers who put a lot of time into sport it’s finding the balance between the activity you enjoy doing and the life at home. It’s a balance which is difficult.I have activities at home which take a lot of time and with working away doing the day job 2-3 days a week at the minute weekends are quite valuable.

I also get a lot of pleasure from coaching slalom and it’s something over the winter I would like to get back into with the North Wales slalomists.

Like many sports we are struggling for volunteers and I would rather put the time/assist in getting an event to run rather than see an event not run.

What advice would you give other volunteers?

Within Wales I co-ordinate/organise several slalom races and the biggest problem we have (and it’s not just in Wales) is volunteers to assist in running the events. Many people these days are hesitant about getting involved and I’m sure some turn the other way when they see me heading towards them. All sports rely on volunteers to make them run. Without volunteers we won’t have a sport. For many parents it’s also the social side – catching up with other parents they haven’t seen for a while when the kids are all together somewhere on the riverbank. We don’t ask for a lot of time, but if everyone at a race gave up an hour’s time to assist in some way it would make the events run even smoother. All races have jobs you can do – even if it’s just taking a cup of tea to the judges on the riverbank on a cold day. For many jobs you don’t need training or an in-depth knowledge of the sport to be able to help, but if you need some mentoring we have people willing to provide that knowledge to you. The more people we have helping in the sport will make it easier for the other volunteers.

I have to finish by thanking the volunteers that have given up their time (and continue to do so) at the races to assist me and other organisers. You all know who you are and how the time you give to help events run smoothly is appreciated.

“I DO IT BECAUSE I ENJOY IT, THE CHALLENGES IT BRINGS AND THE SATISFACTION OF DOING A RACE WHERE WITH THE TEAM WORKING WITH YOU, YOU HAVE TIMED OVER 200 COMPETITORS DURING THE DAY, THE RACE FINISHES ON TIME AND EVERYONE HAS A RESULT.”

SURF KAYAK WORLD CHAMPS

WELSH WORLD CHAMPION!

In September the Surf Kayak World Championships landed in Bude, Cornwall – the first time the event had been held in England. Over 200 of the world’s best surf kayakers were ready to compete in two competitions; individual and team, with Wales fielding a team of 12 athletes.

The competition was run across 8 days, with short boat (high performance class) and long boat (international class) categories in both the team and individual competitions. Surf kayakers were judged in a 19-minute heat, with their best 2 waves counting.

Although Bude is known as the UK’s ‘surf city’ conditions were mixed, and some competition time was lost due to poor conditions with heats being cut to 14 minutes. However, there were some lovely sunny days with good surf.

The team competition was one of the first to be decided, and with only 4 out of the 12 Welsh team members having competed at this level, it was a challenging event. However, they put in a solid performance, narrowly missing out on a podium place, taking 4th overall.

The individual events were next, with Welsh athletes putting in some great runs. Chris Watson and Frances Bateman both made it to the semi-finals of their classes (Master Open Long Boat and Master Women Short Boat respectively). Iwan Brew (Junior Open Long Boat) and Noel Dummett (Masters Open Long Boat), both made it into the finals, but both missed out on podium places, taking 4th place. Bethan Moore made it into the finals of both her classes and put in some impressive runs to take Silver in the Master Women Long Boat and Gold in the Master Women Short Boat. A Welsh World Champion!

Beth said: “When I went to pick up my first surf kayak I was chatting with Tim Thomas, the owner of Ride Surf Kayaks, and he asked me what my goals were. Given that I had my first competition in a few days I replied that I’d like to be Welsh champion. Knowing that I’ve exceeded that goal is just amazing, especially given that I started paddling in my late forties. What’s even better is that I used that first surf boat in my final in the Worlds.” Congratulations to all of the Welsh athletes – hope to be cheering you on at the 2024 Worlds in Argentina.

PHOTOS COURTSEY OF BETHAN MOORE

Paddling Saved My Life?

ARTICLE : DANI ABRAM

"I work in TV animation and I have relocated so many times there’s never time or chance to find a hobby or a friend circle. Certainly nobody I could call in that moment. I didn’t have Zoom quizzes with family. I didn’t know my neighbours. Without the studio, my life was incredibly empty. And I panicked."

Iwant to write ‘paddling saved my life,’ because it probably did. ‘Probably’ in the same way Carlsberg claim that they’re probably the best lager in the world – not by a long way, but bless them. Obviously, there’s a lot more to the story. However, after the darkest morning of my life that ended up in hospital all alone, far away from home in Northern Ireland, followed by 5 days of home visits in Crisis Care, the seed was definitely planted. A lovely Crisis Care worker, trying to coax out of me a reason to live, asked ‘There must be something you have always wanted to try?’

‘Kayaking,’ was my answer.

For context, this was 2020 – probably the worst year of a lot of our lives. Finding myself in a global crisis, after relocating for a dream job, suddenly felt like the silliest decision in the world. I’d concentrated solely on my career and isolated myself in the meantime. I work in TV animation and I have relocated so many times there’s never time or chance to find a hobby or a friend circle. Certainly nobody I could call in that moment. I didn’t have Zoom quizzes with family. I didn’t know my neighbours. Without the studio, my life was incredibly empty. And I panicked.

For cheers sake, I’ll fast forward to now to 2022, and throwing myself around Cardiff International White Water centre with club mates. I can hardly believe how brave I feel and how different I am. I can’t believe I am the kind of person that goes kayaking down a river on a weekly basis. I can hardly believe I am the kind of person that loves seeing bruises on my legs and recounting which swim they came from. I can’t believe I am now the kind of person who drove across the whole of Wales to attend the #ShePaddles Festival ALL ALONE! I can’t stop laughing at the thought that, after a lifetime of being the quiet, nerdy art kid, scared of their own shadow – I could potentially be referred to as a sports person. Hilarious.

I’ve always been anxious – a quiet worrying kid and a quiet worrying adult. I’ve struggled with Generalised Anxiety Disorder for far longer than when I was officially diagnosed in 2009. It’s

affected every facet of my life in a negative way. My least favourite symptom is anxiety driven IBS. Oh lord, do I have some stories. Kayaking hasn’t completely cured me of course – but it has certainly helped me more than anything else I have ever tried. I have never felt so completely in my body than I have when I am kayaking. It’s a total Inner Body Experience for me. In fact, the most enlightening moment for me came on a #ShePaddles event. A weekend of so many firsts – my first river, my first time using a spray deck, my first swim! I attended an ‘Introduction to White Water’ at TNR in Llangollen, organised by Lisa Dickinson. My first capsize came on the River Llugwy, and I immediately panicked. Although, to my amazement, I still had thoughts. Super slow, slow-motion thoughts, but thoughts! I remembered Lisa taking me through what to think first when you go upside down – ‘DECK!’ I attempted some feeble flailing towards wherever I guessed my deck was. Wrong. I had that horrible ‘my head wants to go for air but my body is still in the boat,’ instinct, so I just started kicking until I was free and my head got what it wanted. I remember panicked doggy paddling to the riverbank and slowly pulling myself out of the water with every ounce of strength I could possibly muster, thinking ‘surely now I am out to sea. I must have lost the whole team.’ When I turned around and saw where everyone was, I could have died laughing if I had the strength. Then, after a moment of coached slow breathing from Robson, a wave of euphoria like nothing I have ever had in my entire life. This body, this amazing human

body, was no longer a desk body. It was a forever changed body. It was an amazing human brain, in an amazing human machine. Nothing – not anxiety, not IBS, not depression – would ever win over that feeling. It was bigger than my entire being.

Dramatic?! Yes. Absolutely. I have to make this moment as vivid and as alive as my amateur writing skills will allow. Because it changed me forever.

It feels like fate that when I started to try kayaking, I discovered #ShePaddles. Through the writing of their ambassadors (most notably Lisa Dickinson, Clare Rutter and Del Read,) and the events they ran, including the brilliant festival, I felt guided into a new sport with new friends. At the end of the Introduction weekend with Lisa, she asked us all to think about what we would go on to do next. The brilliant ladies in attendance all had different goals, mine was to ‘join a club.’ My nearest club is Monmouth Canoe Club, and I went down for a pool session with them as soon as I dared. The guys at the club had me go upside down in my boat and chill out. It has given me so much confidence, now that I know exactly what to do to get out of my boat. I really hope I can start learning to roll when we’re back in the pool over the winter. I’ve been out with the Monmouth club all summer, on the Wye and at Symonds Yat, a perfect place to learn all the cool river words and techniques. They’ve been the perfect club for me, still very much a beginner. The Wye has been a brilliant and forgiving place to practice and learn. I’m having so

much fun there. I’ve also joined Cardiff Canoe Club, because once a week is apparently not enough!! Once again I find myself with the perfect group of people, toeing the line of my comfort zone and feeling so encouraged and supported.

My new favourite feeling is that special ‘full body knackered-ness’ on a Sunday night, after a day or weekend of paddling. I’ve noticed that my body and brain are so fulfilled and spent that I hardly have any strength to panic or give in to my anxiety. It is helping in so many different areas of my life – even my career! I am calmer and less bothered by the competitive nature of my industry. I think it’s put so much of what is important into perspective. I have clearer thoughts and find decisions easier. And, crucially, it’s given me something to live for. Like I said, it’s probably saved my life.

“I've been out with the

club all summer, on the Wye and at Symonds Yat, a perfect place to learn all the cool river words and techniques. They’ve been the perfect club for me, still very much a beginner. The Wye has been a brilliant and forgiving place to practice and learn. I’m having so much fun there.”

SUL 1 LLUN 2 BH 1 BH MAWRTH 3 2 MERCHER 4 1 1 3 IAU 5 2 2 4 1 GWENER 6 3 3 5 2 SADWRN 7 4 4 1 6 3 SUL 8 5 5 2 7 4 LLUN 9 6 6 3 8 BH 5 MAWRTH 10 7 7 4 9 6 MERCHER 11 8 8 5 10 7 IAU 12 9 9 6 11 8 GWENER 13 10 10 7 BH 12 9 SADWRN 14 11 11 8 13 10 SUL 15 12 12 9 14 11 LLUN 16 13 13 10 BH 15 12 MAWRTH 17 14 14 11 16 13 MERCHER 18 15 15 12 17 14 IAU 19 16 16 13 18 15 GWENER 20 17 17 14 19 16 SADWRN 21 18 18 15 20 17 SUL 22 19 19 16 21 18 LLUN 23 20 20 17 22 19 MAWRTH 24 21 21 18 23 20 MERCHER 25 22 22 19 24 21 IAU 26 23 23 20 25 22 GWENER 27 24 24 21 26 23 SADWRN 28 25 25 22 27 24 SUL 29 26 26 23 28 25 LLUN 30 27 27 24 29 BH 26 MAWRTH 31 28 28 25 30 27 MERCHER 29 26 31 28 IAU 30 27 29 GWENER 31 28 30 SADWRN 29 SUL 30 LLUN

MEET THE TEAM Performance Manager

Nick Fowler-Rimell

Nick Fowler-Rimell is our new Performance Manager, a role that involves managing the CW coaching team and helping them get the best out of themselves and the athletes they work with. He’s represented Team GB in sprint; racing at the European and World Cups, and the World Champs. And he has a pretty impressive coaching CV; coaching the English Talent programme, the World Class Programme and ultimately becoming the Lead GB Junior coach. Time to meet our new Performance Manager!

How and when did you start paddling?

I started paddling at Fladbury CC, which is a club situated on the banks of the River Avon, in the Vale of Evesham, Worcestershire. We had moved into the village when I was about 10 years old. We happened to move next door to the founder of the club and once he took me and my sister out onto the river, I haven't looked back.

What led you to competition?

Fladbury Canoe Club specialises in flatwater racing, both sprint and marathon. From an early age we were encouraged to race at local events like the Hasler marathon series or look forward to the 5 national sprint regattas held at Holme Pierrepont in Nottingham. Several of the older paddlers at the club were in British teams and it just seemed to follow that one day I too would be a GB paddler. My first club memory was attending the 'Fladbury Weekend' which was a day of sprinting on the Saturday, camping out overnight and then the marathon race on the Sunday. This event was full of fun and enjoyment with a huge variety of events suitable for everyone at any level of the sport. It really hooked me into racing.

What led you to coaching?

After I had finished racing, I took some time away from the sport. It’s a lot to process, not achieving what you had dreamt about for so long. During this time, I qualified as a P.E. Teacher and had so much fun sharing and inspiring the next generation to see physical activity as something to celebrate as opposed to endure! When I took my first job as a teacher back in Worcestershire, I knew that the local club had a small group of junior paddlers. I offered to help and coach some forward paddling technique; this led me to volunteering and over

time I devoted more and more time at the club. It was then my childhood coach, Russ Jones, called me and asked if I was interested in working for Canoe England as a part time community coach. Ultimately, whether you are lucky enough to draw an income from coaching or not (let's face it no paddlesports coach is going to live the life of a Premiere League Manager!) you coach because you love the sport and want as many people as possible to enjoy being out on the water. That’s something that I didn’t really appreciate as a young paddler chasing my dreams; that there is always someone there giving up their time to help and support you. For me, people like Trevor Hunter, who coached every day of the week but would also be working on building sites as a carpenter, are the absolute best of us because they have devoted so much to other people and you can see that they truly care about people and the sport. We as a sport, in any discipline, are so lucky that these people are involved in paddlesport, so make sure you thank the coaches at your club when you see them next, even when they are setting gruelling lung busting sessions that hurt!

“ULTIMATELY, WHETHER YOU ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO DRAW AN INCOME FROM COACHING OR NOT (LET'S FACE IT NO PADDLESPORTS COACH IS GOING TO LIVE THE LIFE OF A PREMIERE LEAGUE MANAGER!) YOU COACH BECAUSE YOU LOVE THE SPORT AND WANT AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO ENJOY BEING OUT ON THE WATER.”

You’ve coached at different levels and various squads; what’s your journey been to a national Performance Manager?

I started off volunteering at Worcester CC, I then took a part time role for Canoe England, this became full time when I became the Regional Coach for the English Talent programme. From here I joined the World Class Programme as an U23 coach. I then took a secondment opportunity to become the Lead GB Junior coach, and this became permanent in Oct 2019. Since the COVID pandemic, the England Pathway chose to go in a different direction and that involved not needing a lead coach for the juniors or a programme to support the brightest and best young paddlers in the country. So, I used my QTS for a term and did supply until I saw the role advertised …

Why did you take the role of CW Performance Manager?

I saw the role as an opportunity to help create a more joined-up approach to paddling and competition. I knew that the slalom program was in a very good place and has been contributing athletes to the World Class Programme (WCP) for many years and I am enjoying learning about this discipline. I want to help the coaching team to continue to develop and learn all the time. There is never ‘one way’ to achieve a goal and so I am looking forward to collaborating with the many different disciplines out there to see how we can learn from each other and ultimately make Welsh paddling as successful as it is fun.

What does it involve?

It means the management of our coaching staff, providing the right amounts of support and challenge to get the best out of themselves and therefore the athletes they work with. I’m doing things such as co-planning trips and booking hotels, to helping coaches to breakdown training blocks and periodise their yearly plans. To date I have focused on seeing where the coaching team deliver their sessions and I have been really impressed with the range of facilities and improvisation that I have seen. Canoe Wales is in quite a healthy place to push on and inspire so many paddlers to further their journeys, wherever that takes them.

What do you hope to achieve?

My aim will be to be able to sit with athletes in the future (over a pint or a coffee) and for them to tell the coaching team that they had such a great time on the programme. That they learnt a lot from them, not just about paddling but about how they contributed to so many fond memories that they now want to start their own coaching journey … just like my coaches did for me.

What are the challenges?

There is so much to distract young people away from what can sometimes be the monotony of training, so it's about helping to inspire our paddlers by creating supportive environments where they feel safe and supported. At the same time, we must create sessions and plans that challenge them to be better, improve and accept that they won't get it right the first time, but it's about how they can try again and again until they do succeed, without fear of judgement or criticism.

You’ve been coached by and worked with some of the best coaches; how has this shaped you as a coach?

I think that some of the athletes I have worked with have given me more opportunities to learn. From the juniors at Worcester who went on to be Directors of the club or Olympians, to the ones on the England Pathway and the WCP that taught me how to manage my time and to land a plane, they have all had such an impact it's impossible to gauge the importance of learning that I had.

I see now that all the coaches that I have worked with all had a different set of skills that were just right for me and the age and stage I was at the time. From Jenny and Mary at Fladbury who were sympathetic and patient, to Neil Mendham who was dedicated and gave so much time to drive us around the country to all the races. From Russ Jones who supported my decisions to stay in other sport until the point that it was right to choose World Championships over rugby. To Trev and Eric who held up the mirror and told me that I could do more; I wasn’t as tired as I thought! From Nandor who showed me what being ruthless in elite sport was all about and Doug who supplied the jam donuts after training sessions, best recovery food ever! Don’t print that! The dream team of Kristina, Ian and Brendon who helped me to see that Performance isn't a dirty word!

Most of all these coaches and athletes have helped to me to see that the person in front of you is different to the others in the group and therefore needs a different way of coaching.

If you could only give one piece of advice to a young athlete what would it be?

Stay curious and ask questions, it’s up to the coach to provide the answers and sessions that stimulate your development and progress. The biggest thing you can do as a paddler is to throw yourself in full gas! Just go for it and have fun!

“I WANT TO HELP THE COACHING TEAM TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND LEARN ALL THE TIME. THERE IS NEVER ‘ONE WAY’ TO ACHIEVE A GOAL AND SO I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO COLLABORATING WITH THE MANY DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES OUT THERE TO SEE HOW WE CAN LEARN FROM EACH OTHER AND ULTIMATELY MAKE WELSH PADDLING AS SUCCESSFUL AS IT IS FUN.”

BORNEO

THE LAND OF A THOUSAND RAPIDS

ARTICLE : AARON WHITE

Aaron on the perfect 20fter

Six students set off to the island of Borneo in July and August this year in the hope of finding unrun rivers in the heart of the jungle. With more species of snake than anywhere in the world, none of us speaking the local language nor ever being on an expedition before we were all in for a full-on time.

The team of 6 included 2 Welsh paddlers, Aaron White (Llanberis) and Bara Liddy (Llandrillo, Corwen).

This expedition was part of the British University Kayak Expedition (BUKE) series that happens every 2 years. Any UK student kayaker can put in an application and if successful are invited to a long weekend of doing what kayaking students do best, kayaking and partying. The weekend is held in North Wales and is helped run by previous members of BUKE. Levels weren’t ideal for paddling but the partying was next level. I think I got around 6hrs sleep over the 3 nights. At the end of the weekend all those present chose a team of 6 they would like to go on expedition with and the final team was selected from those who got the most votes.

The BUKE 2022 team consisted of Jonah Morgan (University of Dundee), Piers Oliphant (Cardiff University), Pretam Gurung (University of Strathclyde), Matt Stephenson (Nottingham University), Barra Liddy (University of Surrey) and Aaron White (University of Dundee).

WHY BORNEO?

At the selection weekend every paddler researches a location they would like to go. I had researched Borneo as it sounded like one of the toughest places you could go. Big thick jungle where everything wanted to eat you along with unpredictable weather and somewhere I knew there would be good paddling. Borneo has a large mountain range running along its centre, splitting the island in two, Indonesia to the south and Malaysia and Brunei to the north. I had researched an area called ‘Seribu riam’ (the land of a thousand rapids) in Central Kalimantan in Indonesia. With a name like that there must be good paddling to be done. Once the team had been selected we decided between locations and Borneo came out on top.

GETTING READY TO GO

We went about organising everything we could before we arrived on the island itself. Half the team set about mapping rivers while the other half organised sponsors for the trip. We didn’t want to do rivers that were going to scare us and make us run away, nor ones that were going to be flat. There were 3 longer rivers we set our sights on, along with many other small tributaries

First night in the jungle

Barra ready to get the shots

Barra and Jonah on the crux rapid on the Busang

"I HAD RESEARCHED AN AREA CALLED ‘SERIBU RIAM’ (THE LAND OF A THOUSAND RAPIDS) IN CENTRAL KALIMANTAN IN INDONESIA. WITH A NAME LIKE THAT THERE MUST BE GOOD PADDLING TO BE DONE."

to these. It was then all about finding someone who knew the area and could help get us to these rivers. We were very fortunate that we got many amazing sponsors to help us out with the trip, including NRS, Radical Rider, Pyranha Kayaks, Dewerstone, The National White Water Centre, The RDC Adventure fund, DD Hammocks plus many others.

BORNEO ITSELF

Looking back at the expedition now there are a few things that have stuck in my mind.

Getting woken up by Barra sounding the alarm that the camp was getting flash flooded at 3am and then the 2hr battle with the jungle to move camp in the dark and pouring rain. The jungle during the day is savage enough but when you can’t see what’s trying to eat you it gets that bit more exciting. Leeches and fire ants were our worst enemies. During the moving of the tarps and hammocks you would hear the occasional scream as another one of us had fallen to the bite of a fire ant.

One of the rivers we had set our sights on was called the Babaut. It was the deepest and probably the steepest river we planned on doing. With 100m-long slides and a couple of waterfalls

it looked like a kayaking paradise. We had based ourselves out of a town called Muara Joloi, and had travelled for a day up to another town before another day of travel, which would take us to the put in of the Babaut. We had brought fuel with us for the remaining part of the journey but the locals of the town we were staying in decided they would like it to steal it. As annoying as this was (it meant we wouldn’t be able to do the Babaut), it did mean we got to paddle the section named the ‘thousand rapid section’ of the Barito river all the way back to Muara Joloi. As plan Bs go this was pretty amazing.

The valley of the Busang river was something that could easily have fitted into the set of Avatar. The mountains around were a large plateau, with huge vertical cliffs that waterfalls ran down into the valley below. The thick untouched jungle all around and the occasional hornbill flying overhead made us all appreciate how amazing Borneo is. In the last few kilometres the Busang dropped into a gorge we named ‘paradise gorge’ simply because it was. This gorge was around 20m wide and 100m deep with vertical walls. With the gorge being so small and the humidity of the jungle being so high it caused our cameras to fog up preventing us from capturing this stunning location.

The second gorge on the Banana

“LEECHES AND FIRE ANTS WERE OUR WORST ENEMIES. DURING THE MOVING OF THE TARPS AND HAMMOCKS YOU WOULD HEAR THE OCCASIONAL SCREAM AS ANOTHER ONE OF US HAD FALLEN TO THE BITE OF A FIRE ANT. ”

THE KAYAKING

All the rivers we had looked at on satellites were as good as we had hoped them to be. Myself, Barra and Pretam had arrived a week before the others so were able to sort out most of the logistics and get permits, making life easier for the others when they arrived. Who knew Indonesia had the best Pick n Mix selection in the world, and you could buy machetes for a couple of pounds. We were some happy lads. To get into the jungle we had to get a 24hr beat ride up the Mahacan river, a 16hr drive to the last big town (Puruk Cahu), before another 3hr drive to Muara Joloi where we based ourselves for the main part of the trip.

The 3 of us who had come out early had planned on paddling the Sibilk rapid section of the Joloi river. It had 5 Zambezi-size rapids on it, with rapids 4 and 5 being the largest by far. We stayed the night by the side of one of the tributaries that joined and scouted that in the hope of finding some other rapids. We came across a 50ft waterfall, which unfortunately landed on rocks. Having walked up through the jungle to see the waterfall we all agreed that we want to avoid portaging at all costs.

When the others arrived we headed up to paddle the Busang river. We planned on completing this over 3 days but after the flash flood on the first night decided to just finish it in 2. This river was nearly perfect expedition kayaking. With warm water, lots of read and run grade 4 and then one grade 5 to keep us on our toes. The grade 5 was around 100m with lots of laterals and 2 big holes to avoid. We ran it in pairs so the rest could set safety and get the photos of any of us beatering in the holes. Luckily for the paddlers but unlucky for those watching we all made it through without any problems. We made camp just round the corner from this rapid. Hammocks were set around 3m above the river level, which we later found out was not enough. With the level being so high the next day it meant we could paddle on the tributaries we passed by. It had this perfect 20ft waterfall on it that we all fired up, which made up for the rough night we had all had.

In total we completed 2 descents of the Sibilik rapids (the second time was with the whole team and at much higher flows, rapid 4 got really big and was probably the biggest rapid lots of us had paddled), 2 descents of the Busang (the second time was much lower so lots of the smaller rapids were more present), the Barito, the Sibinuk and the Banana river.

Spending time in Muara Joloi meant we could chat to the locals and see what rivers they suggested. The word I used the most the whole trip was ‘riam’ which is rapid. Using this word got us pointed in the direction of the Banana river which has 2 stunning boxed-in gorges. The Sibinuk was a total accidental find; as the river was too high to drive over we decided to paddle it. The locals told us it was flat so we were surprised when we dropped into a 2km long, grade 5 gorge with rapids similar to that on the Fairy Glen back home in North Wales.

River boat riding

Piers, Matt and Jonah on the crux rapid of the Busang

Barra teaching the locals to paddle

Sibilik Number 4

OTHER MEMORIES

Our guide had realised that we were students and like to drink alcohol so would often organise a crate of beer to be sitting there waiting for us when we arrived back from one of the rivers. Sounds lovely right!? We had also thought this was included in the money we were paying him to organise our transport. When a £400 bill for this alcohol arrived we realised we had been mistaken but who doesn’t love a beer at the end of a multiday??

When we were in Muara Joloi they had their Independence Day celebrations. These consisted of lots of games including volleyball, tug of war and pole climbing. Even with being on average a good foot taller than most of the locals we still got thrashed at volleyball but redeemed ourselves in the tug of war and pole climbing. In the evening there was a party, being students we found the word for their local alcohol and showed the whole town how to party.

WANT TO GIVE BUKE A GO?

If you’re a young kayaker or one at university then get ready to put your application in for BUKE 2024 which will have its selection weekend next November.

MEDIA FROM THE TRIP

The team are in the process of bringing out two films. One short one and then a longer cinematic one, so keep your eyes out for them. If you have questions about the trip then feel free to message them: www.facebook.com/uniyaker www.instagram.com/buke_uniyaker

Jonah enjoying the view

Sibilik Number 5

Llandysul Paddlers Club of the Year 2021

Llandysul Paddlers was founded in 1984 as a slalom team based at the local swimming pool. Since then they have developed into multi-discipline club, with a 35-bed canoe centre, camping field, lake and over 200 enthusiastic members. The club is embedded within the local community, with members joining as youngsters, gaining qualifications then going on to work within the outdoor industry, in Wales and overseas. They have a busy calendar with slalom races, club trips, the Teifi Tour and the incredibly popular River Festival, which attracts up to 300 people each year. Ceufad caught up with Gareth Bryant, their Centre Manage, between races, trips and events to find out a little more about the club …

The club started as a slalom team in 1984 and 10 years later was managing Project 94 – a grantfunded project to buy and develop 2 derelict houses next to the river. What was the driving force behind this and what did the project achieve? Project 94 came about as a result of the members and club committee at the time looking to have a place to get changed, store boats and have a shower after a paddle. We had spent the first few years just getting changed next to the river so when the two houses came up for sale we knew we had to try and get hold of them. With support from the Foundation of Sports and Arts we managed to purchase the properties and then developed them into the current bunkhouse, changing rooms, classrooms and showers. The funding for this came from Carmarthenshire County Council and European funding.

Since Project 94 the club has undergone further development over the years: bunkhouse, lake, camping field, minibuses etc. Which one of those has made the biggest difference to the club and to the members?

All the developments have been a great help to us as a club; the purchase of the land above the bridge opened up extra access points and gave additional parking. But I would say the creation of the lake has made the biggest difference. For years we had to travel miles to find a flat-water venue to bring on new paddlers. In the summer months it was not too bad as we could take them straight onto the river but during the winter months we had to cancel so many sessions due to high water. Now we have the lake we can train no matter what the river height is. It is also an ideal place to introduce new paddlers to the sport.

The canoe centre has around 20’000 visitors a year and generates enough funds to pay the running costs as well develop the site and club further. What have these funds enabled you to do? To generate funds to keep the centre open we set up a not-for-profit arm of the club, this was called Llandysul Paddlers Canoe Centre Ltd. The commercial arm of the club still runs as it was originally set up, and we work with schools, youth clubs, universities, other canoe clubs etc. The funds have enabled us to match fund additional grants and we have managed to purchase all the land at the egress point on the site, which includes the meadow down to the bypass bridge. Historically this had access issues but now it is open for everyone to use. We have also purchased vehicles to transport our paddlers to events all over the UK and to training camps in France and Austria. We have also built additional boat sheds and car parking, and in 2020 we opened the new classroom, office and additional changing rooms and showers.

“WE HAD SPENT THE FIRST FEW YEARS JUST GETTING CHANGED NEXT TO THE RIVER ... WITH SUPPORT FROM THE FOUNDATION OF SPORTS AND ARTS WE MANAGED TO PURCHASE THE PROPERTIES AND THEN DEVELOPED THEM INTO THE CURRENT BUNKHOUSE, CHANGING ROOMS, CLASSROOMS AND SHOWERS.”

You run a lot of events across the year (around 10 div 4 slaloms + other divisions, the 4-day River Festival), plus the usual coaching sessions and paddling trips. This must need an army of staff, coaches and volunteers. How do you manage this? We are lucky to have a great team of volunteers at the club and whenever we put on events and put the shout out for help we seem to have great support from the current paddlers as well as parents. We can also use some of the funds generated by the commercial side of the club to pay for four full-time members of staff as well as freelance coaches.

The club seems to have a big focus on family and young paddlers – why is this and what do you do to make it family-friendly and attract young paddlers? We try and enable youngsters to start paddling from a young age and our Young Guns programme is open for 3yrs and older. The Young Guns have been a great success but I think the main aim for the club has always been to be as inclusive as

possible and to provide as many opportunities as possible for people to get started in the sport. In the club we have lots of parent paddlers and try and do as many club trips as possible to keep the whole family entertained.

A lot of your members seem to join as youngsters, gain experience and qualifications and then go on to work in the outdoor industry. Is this something the club actively encourages and if so, how do you accomplish this?

The set-up of the club and the centre works really well to encourage paddlers to look at gaining qualifications from an early age. When we have larger groups at the centre we can offer employment to many of the youngsters and this gives them a taste of working in the outdoors. Some of our early members headed out to Austria and started working for places like Area 47 and Feelfree, and we have sent a steady flow of youngsters over the years to Austria, France, New Zealand etc looking for work and adventure.

“WE ARE LUCKY TO HAVE A GREAT TEAM OF VOLUNTEERS AT THE CLUB AND WHENEVER WE PUT ON EVENTS AND PUT THE SHOUT OUT FOR HELP WE SEEM TO HAVE GREAT SUPPORT FROM THE CURRENT PADDLERS AS WELL AS PARENTS.”

The club has produced some exceptional coaches and paddlers – have there been any standout moments/achievements?

The club was started as a slalom club and this is still our main discipline. Each year we have some stand out performances but for me some of the highlights over the years have been the camps. The training camp in Wadi Adventure Al Ain, the training camps to France etc are always amazing. With individual paddlers it is always great to see paddlers you have worked with for a number of years make the Welsh Team, but the ultimate goal is to see them make the GB Teams and watch them race all over the world. My daughter Lili had a great paddling career and represented GB in the Youth Olympics in Barcelona, winning the head-to-head flat water slalom event. It is also great to see club paddlers moving into coaching and it was a great moment for us when Thomas Power was made the CW Performance Coach and Giacomo Leighton the CW Talent Coach. Andy Kettlewell is now the current Performance Coach and he has been part of our club for a number of years. Watching so many of the paddlers moving onto the more extreme rivers is another highlight, with some of our paddlers setting up Pistyll Productions – capturing some amazing kayaking shots from all over the world.

What would make the biggest difference to the club?

As a club we are in a great position with a club house, kit, coaches etc but moving forward we know we will always need more coaches and volunteers, and we would love to do further improvements to the site so this will need additional funding

How did it feel being named CW Club of the Year? It was an amazing feeling being named Club of the Year, with so many great clubs in Wales it was a great honour to receive the award.

Future plans for the club?

The aim moving forward is to keep supporting the slalom paddlers and look at new initiatives to support the recreational paddlers and the growing number of SUP paddlers that are joining.

LLANDYSUL PADDLERS

meet all year round and run a variety of sessions (pool, lake and river) as well as club trips. They also offer a range of different membership options that will enable you to fully immerse yourself in the world of Llandysul Paddlers. www.llandysul-paddlers.org.uk www.facebook.com/llandysulpaddlers

“IT WAS AN AMAZING FEELING BEING NAMED CLUB OF THE YEAR, WITH SO MANY GREAT CLUBS IN WALES IT WAS A GREAT HONOUR TO RECEIVE THE AWARD.”

Clwb Canŵio

Amlwch

Rydym wedi cael blwyddyn eithriadol, wedi ei helpu’n aruthrol gan y tywydd poeth yn temtio aelodau i ddod i badlo ac ymarfer y sesiynau gwlyb yna sy’n dod yn gyffredinol gyda’r sylw “mi wnâi wythnos nesaf”.

Yng ngwanwyn 2022 cynigiwyd cyllid o £500 yn hael gan Canŵ Cymru (CW) ar gyfer Datblygiad Padlwyr, felly cyn i’r inc sychu ar yr e-bost a dderbyniwyd, gwnes gais am y grant ac aros yn bryderus.

Buom yn lwcus, ac oherwydd nad oedd pob clwb wedi gwneud cais am y grant, cododd CW y grant o £50 i fod yn £550. Daeth gydag amod bod yn rhaid ei wario erbyn Tachwedd 2022. Tasg hawdd, felly meddyliais.

Gyda chytundeb y Pwyllgor roedd yr arian yn mynd i gael ei wario ar ddatblygu rhai o’n padlwyr mwy profiadol i’w ‘cyfeirio’ a’u sgiliau tuag at Sea Kayak Leader (SKL), sydd ei hangen yn ddirfawr ar gyfer clwb sy’n tyfu!

Cyfarfûm ag Eila Wilkinson a gytunodd i ymgymryd â’r dasg, fodd bynnag, roedd hi’n hedfan ar hyd y lle ac yn rhedeg alldeithiau caiac yn yr Alban.

Cyfarfu’r 5 padlwr targededig, minnau ac Eila mewn tafarn leol yn Amlwch (fy math i o badlo ydy hyn!), lle buom yn trafod anghenion a dyheadau unigol. Cytunwyd ar ddyddiadau ar gyfer rhywfaint o hyfforddiant yn ddiweddarach yr haf hwnnw, yn y cyfamser roedd Clwb Canŵio Amlwch yn mynd i wneud eu rhan gyda sesiynau achub a sgiliau ac ati. Roedd y grant yn mynd i dalu am 4 diwrnod o badlo, gydag Eila yn cyflwyno rhai sesiynau technegol sych bonws.

Gydag Eila bellach yn gadarn yn ôl ar Ynys Môn fe allai’r hyfforddiant ddechrau. Yr hyn nad oeddwn wedi’i ddweud wrth y grŵp oedd y byddai hi’n mynd â nhw i’r ymyl a thu hwnt gyda’r hyn roedden nhw’n meddwl byddai eu galluoedd, ac i mewn i’r ‘Parth Hyll’.

Roedd eu sesiwn gyntaf yn un gymharol dyner; gydag Eila yn barnu eu galluoedd a ble roedd angen iddynt weithio. O’r dechrau roedd y criw yn gwybod nad oedd dau ohonyn nhw’n barod am SKL, un ddim yn rhy bell i ffwrdd a’r ddau arall bron yno!

Gyda’r sesiwn badlo gyntaf allan o’r ffordd fe dawelodd y nerfau, roedd Eila wedi annog, hyfforddi, a thawelu’r grŵp, gan gynnwys cwpl o wirfoddolwyr oedd wedi cytuno i gael eu harwain gan y darpar SKLiau.

O hyn ymlaen symudodd dilyniant padlo i feysydd uwchlaw gofynion SKL, a’r rhesymeg oedd pe gallent drin sefyllfaoedd o dan amodau mwy heriol, yna gallai’r SKL yn sicr weithredu’n dda o fewn eu cylch gorchwyl a’u rôl.

Padlo, cynllunio teithiau, llywio, gwybodaeth dechnegol; i gyd yn rhan o hyfforddiant Eila. Un o’u padlau gorau oedd o Borth Darfach trwy Benrhyn Mawr, Ynys Lawd, rownd Mynydd Twr i Ynys Lawd, mynd heibio Soldiers Point ac i borth Felin. Roedd hyn er mwyn sicrhau bod y grŵp yn defnyddio eu VHF ym Mhorthladd Caergybi.

Dilynodd mwy o sesiynau; yn fwy lleol i’r padlwyr oedd Cemaes, ar gyfer strociau llywio a rheoli, glaniadau creigiog, mwy o achubiadau, hunan-achubiadau ... y rhediad eang o sgiliau.

Wrth i’r tymor gau a’r hydref ddod i ben gyda LLONG-CANŴ-RCHIADAU i Andy Lockwood a ymgymerodd â’i Asesiad SKL a phasio. Gobeithio'r gwanwyn nesaf y gwelwn SKL arall yn cael ei ychwanegu at ein rhestr o arweinwyr fel y dywedwyd wrth Pete ‘Cer amdani’!

Y Flwyddyn nesaf? Yn 2023 byddwn yn parhau i ddatblygu ein harweinwyr, hefyd yn cynnwys y padlwyr sydd wedi cefnogi’r clwb drwy gydol 2022, a byddwn yn eu datblygu a gobeithio yn edrych ar y gyfran newydd o Wobrau Sea Kayak (hen 3*).

Beth arall wnaethom ni ei gyflawni eleni? Yn debyg i lawer o glybiau eraill, fe wnaethom

ERTHYGL : PHIL EDWARDS – HYFFORDDWR L3

had an except tempting ose wet sessions that generally come with comment

2022 Canoe Wales generously off ered funding of £500 for Paddler evelopment applied for the grant iuosly waited.

lucky and du to the fact that not all clubs had applied for the gr ant CW grant by £50 to £550. with a condition that it had to be spent by November 2022 easy task so I

agreement of the Committee the money was going to spent on developing more experienced paddlers i n signposting them and their skills towards Leader which we desperately need for a growing club!

Achub dŵr dwfn/ail-fynediad oddi ar Drwyn Lynus

Padl gyntaf; disgwyliad nerfus o’r hyn sydd i ddod!

groesawu’r fenter Glanhau Traethau. Daeth y cit i feddiant Gwynfor (ein Cadeirydd), ac Eithne Hughes oedd pennaeth y Grŵp Glanhau Traethau. Buom yn casglu sbwriel yn ystod ein padlo ac Eithne hefyd yn ei gasglu wrth gerdded ar y traethau. Er i’r fenter redeg dros un wythnos eto, fel y rhan fwyaf o Glybiau eraill, rydyn ni’n codi sbwriel am 52 wythnos y flwyddyn, pan rydyn ni’n padlo hynny yw.

Ym mis Hydref fe wnaethon ni sleifio oddi ar yr ynys a rhedeg gyda’r afon Ddyfrdwy o Garrog i lawr i Raeadr y Bedol, gyda rhediadau afon eraill ar y gweill y gaeaf hwn. Fodd bynnag, gyda’r bont grog ar gau tan y flwyddyn nesaf a’r oedi dros bont Britannia, a fyddwn ni’n meiddio croesi draw i’r tir mawr?

Mae gennym rai padlau gaeaf wedi’u cynllunio, wrth i mi ysgrifennu hwn (Tachwedd), mae’r gwynt yn hyrddio ar 57 milltir yr awr. Ac wrth gwrs, mae gennym ni sesiynau pwll wedi’u cynllunio. Mae Amlwch yn parhau i dyfu!

DIOLCH Mae Clwb Canŵ Amlwch eisiau diolch i Canŵ Cymru am ein cynorthwyo gyda’r grant, hebddo fe ni fyddwn wedi symud ymlaen cymaint ag y gwnaethom. Y olaf diolch MAWR i Eila, a roddodd gymaint o’i hamser ac ychydig yn ychwanegol i ni na’r grant a dalwyd amdano.

Pete yn ei gwch newydd o dan Ynys Lawd

Andy’n delio gyda phadlwr anymwybodol

Senario cymorth cyntaf

Clwb Canŵio

Amlwch

We have had an exceptional year, helped immensely by the heatwave tempting members to come and paddle and practice those wet sessions that generally come with the comment “I’ll do it next week”.

In spring 2022 Canoe Wales (CW) generously offered funding of £500 for Paddler Development, so before the ink was dry on the received email, I applied for the grant and anxiously waited.

We were lucky, and due to the fact that not all clubs had applied for the grant, CW upped the grant by £50 to £550.

It came with a condition that it had to be spent by November 2022. Easy task, so I thought.

With the agreement of the Committee the money was going to be spent on developing some of our more experienced paddlers in ‘signposting’ them and their skills towards Sea Kayak Leader (SKL), which we desperately need for a growing club!

I met with Eila Wilkinson who agreed to take on the task, however, she was jetting off all over the place and running kayak expeditions in Scotland.

The targeted 5 paddlers, myself and Eila initially met in a local pub in Amlwch (my sort of paddling this!), where we discussed individual needs and aspirations. We agreed dates for some training later that summer, in the meantime Amlwch CC were going to do their bit with sessions on rescues and skills etc. The grant was going to pay for 4 days paddling, with Eila throwing in some bonus dry technical sessions.

With Eila now firmly back on Anglesey the training could begin. What I hadn’t told the group was that she would be taking them to the edge and beyond with what they thought their capabilities would be, and into ‘The Ugly Zone’.

Their first session was a relatively gentle one; Eila judging their capabilities and where they

needed to work. From the beginning the group knew that two of them were not ready for SKL, one was not too far off and the other two were almost there!

With the first paddle out of the way the nerves calmed, Eila had coaxed, coached, and calmed the group, including a couple of volunteers who had agreed to be led by the would-be SKLs.

From here on the progression of paddling moved into areas above the requirements of SKL, the rationale being that if they could handle situations in more challenging conditions then the SKL could certainly operate well within their remit and role.

Paddling, trip planning, navigation, technical knowledge; all part of Eila’s coaching. One of their best paddles was from Porth Darfach through Penrhyn Mawr, South Stack, rounding Holyhead Mountain to North Stack, passing Soldiers Point and to Porth Felin. This was to ensure that the group used their VHF in Holyhead Port.

More sessions followed; more local to the paddlers was Cemaes, for steering and control strokes, rocky landings, more rescues, selfrescues … the whole gambit of skills.

As the season closed and the autumn crept in, it culminated in a CANOEULATIONS to Andy Lockwood who undertook his SKL Assessment and passed. Hopefully next spring we will see another SKL added to our list of leaders as Pete was told ‘Go for it’!

Next year? In 2023 we will continue to develop our leaders, also included are the paddlers who have supported the club throughout 2022, and we will develop them and hopefully look at the new tranche of Sea Kayak Awards (old 3*).

What else did we achieve this year? Similar to many other clubs we embraced the Beach Clean initiative. Gwynfor (our Chair) acquired the kit,

ARTICLE : PHIL EDWARDS – L3 COACH

an except tempting ose wet sessions that generally come with comment 2022 Canoe Wales generously off ered funding of £500 for Paddler evelopment applied for the grant

agreement of the Committee the money was going to spent on developing more experienced paddlers i n signposting them and their skills towards Leader which we desperately need for a growing club!

Deep water rescue/re-entry off Point Lynus

and Eithne Hughes was Chief of the Beach Clean Group. We collected rubbish during our paddles and Eithne also collected it when walking on the beaches. Although the initiative ran over a single week again, like most other Clubs, we do pick up rubbish 52 weeks of the year, when we’re paddling that is.

In October we snuck off the island and ran the Dee from Carrog down to Horseshoe Falls, with other river runs planned this winter. However, with the suspension bridge being closed until next year and the delays over Britannia Bridge, do we dare cross over to the mainland??

We do have some winter paddles planned, though as I write this (November), the wind is gusting at 57 mph. And of course, we do have pool sessions planned. Amlwch continues to grow!

Pete in his new boat under South Stack

Andy dealing with an unconscious paddler

First aid scenario

Q&A Tanya Neilson

Tanya is the Chair and Team Manager for GB Freestyle Kayaking and is also on the Talent and Performance Subcommittee for Canoe Wales. She’s also just been elected to the Canoe Wales Board (congratulations!). She lives in Conwy with her husband, Andy, and has six children, four grandchildren, and three dogs. She’s doubly retired – firstly from the Royal Air Force, and secondly from being a college lecturer in Health Studies. She is disabled, having Fibromyalgia (chronic pain and chronic fatigue syndrome), and a number of lower spinal issues. We wanted to find out more about her paddlesport journey, living and paddling with Fibromyalgia and her new role with CW …

“AS IT IS A CHRONIC PAIN AND CHRONIC FATIGUE CONDITION, I JUST DON’T HAVE LOADS OF ENERGY.

I OFTEN SIMPLY RUN OUT OF ENERGY AND HAVE TO GET OUT OF THE BOAT AND STOP FOR THE DAY.

I HAVE, A COUPLE OF TIMES, BLACKED OUT AND CAPSIZED – WHICH IS A BIT SCARY!”

Give us 5 words that best describe you, Tanya! Pink, organised, colourful, creative, bossy!

What type of paddling do you enjoy most and how often do you do it?

Whitewater, but I prefer Class 2 with a bit of easy Class 3 – I like to chill on the river, enjoying paddling with my husband and friends, and don’t like scaring myself! Outside of the winter, I paddle most weeks. In winter, I don’t paddle.

How does your condition affects your paddling?

As it is a chronic pain and chronic fatigue condition, I just don’t have loads of energy. I often simply run out of energy and have to get out of the boat and stop for the day. I have, a couple of times, blacked out and capsized – which is a bit scary! As mentioned above, I don’t paddle in the winter, as the cold and changeable weather really badly affects me, giving me a lot of flare-ups, exhaustion and pain, and making paddling a really unpleasant experience.

When did you find out about Fibromyalgia, did it change your life, not just paddling?

I was diagnosed about 8 or 9 years ago, and it just made everything sort of make sense! It gave a reason to how I was feeling. I didn’t take up paddling again until 3 or 4 years after that diagnosis (I paddled as a teenager into my early

twenties – slalom and instructing – but stopped as I got more into sailing), so it’s never actually changed my paddling as such. However, my condition has got gradually worse over the last few years, so each year I am able to do less physical activity. I have had to stop work due to Fibromyalgia, but this allows me to save my energy for the things I want to do, not waste it on the horrible things in life, like work! It also means I have the time to volunteer – I am the Chair and Team Manager for GB Freestyle Kayaking, and am also on the Talent and Performance Subcommittee for Canoe Wales. These roles are really important to me as they allow me to feel I am still productive in my life, even if I can’t formally work.

You’ve also just been elected onto the CW Board –why did you put yourself forward for this role?

As with most sports/hobbies/activities, paddlesports are massively reliant on volunteers to keep things running and make everything happen. I am, and always have been, a firm believer in volunteering in some capacity – there’s always something you can do, whether it’s helping with a one-off event or giving more of your time and skills. With volunteering to be a Canoe Wales director, I felt that my knowledge, skills and abilities would enable me to be effective in the role, and I also have the time to dedicate to it.

I sit in two camps in terms of my paddling –personally, I am a purely recreational 'mildwater' paddler, but I am heavily involved with the competitive side through my roles with GB Freestyle Kayaking. From the latter, I work very closely with British Canoeing, and I believe this will be advantageous in my CW Director role.

I was born and raised in Conwy, North Wales, and live back there now, and have been an active member of the kayaking community up here for a few years now. I really think that Canoe Wales is a valuable organisation, which has capacity to do even more for its members, and I look forward to being a part of that growth and development.

What do you hope to achieve?

I am a female, disabled paddler, so a double minority! I therefore aim to give a voice to underrepresented members within Canoe Wales. I hope to help CW to continue to grow, and to maintain its recent improvement in member communications. I would obviously also like to see less of a narrow focus on slalom and sprint, and for CW to more fully embrace the other competitive disciplines and to develop more grassroots opportunities for people to participate in them. At the very least, I hope to be able to look back in a few years time and feel that I have made a positive difference to paddlesports in Wales.

How easy is it to work around your disability?

What kind of things help/make it less painful? In general terms, as long as I save my energy, I can manage most things. So if I know I’m doing something in the following days, I take it really easy in the run up, and then need to schedule in recovery time afterwards. This applies for paddling, too. I have to plan ahead and know that I cannot paddle for two days in a row. With my Team Manager role, in the run up to a competition, I ensure I have plenty of rest, pace myself during the competition (early nights, etc), and then have sufficient recovery time afterwards. While paddling, I enlist help to carry my boat around so I can use my limited energy on the water and do as much paddling as I am able. I also make sure I tell the people with whom I am paddling about my condition and how it affects me, so they understand that when I say I’m done, I really am done! A quick rest or a bite to eat doesn’t help, unfortunately. My husband is super-good at recognising when I’m crashing, and I mainly paddle with my best mate, who also has Fibro, and so not only recognises the symptoms, but also fully understands the problems.

Do you find other paddlers treat you any differently, if so, how?

No!! Everyone is really helpful and understanding, but that may be because I am pretty open with the situation, recognise my limitations and don’t make a big fuss about it.

Do you have any advice to other paddlers that have found they also suffer with this condition or one similar?

Figure out what works for you. It may be getting people to help you carry your boat, etc. It may be using lighter weight equipment. It might be cutting back on how much you do, or what level of paddling you do. It might be getting more coaching so you improve technique, which reduces the amount of physical effort you put in. And make sure you are entirely open and honest with both the people with whom you paddle, and yourself.

Are there any things that you can no longer do that you wish you could? Or is it possible to find the strength to power through the pain?

I’m not sure if that’s Fibro or just getting older!! I’d like to be able to paddle a bit more, but I think I’m doing pretty well with my life. Unfortunately, mind over matter doesn’t work – when I’m done, I’m done, and no wishing will create any more energy or get rid of the pain.

What are your top 3 things you would like to achieve in the next year?

Help the GB Freestyle Team have a successful World Championships in Columbus, Georgia, USA next October.

See the Northern Lights, preferably in Iceland or Finland.

Improve at knitting and learn to crochet!

Do you think your condition has changed who you are, or has it made you stronger and more resilient as a result?

It has changed me, as I have to take things easier and not take on as much as I used to (even though I am still involved in lots of things ..!). But I really appreciate being able to have the time to do the things I love, and to be able to give of my time to help others and make things happen, especially in the kayaking world.

“I REALLY THINK THAT CANOE WALES IS A VALUABLE ORGANISATION, WHICH HAS CAPACITY TO DO EVEN MORE FOR ITS MEMBERS, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING A PART OF THAT GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT.”

SHOT OLAF

PARTING SHOT

Hyfforddiant diogelwch ac achub dŵr gwyn

Tavi Murray

White water safety and rescue training

Tavi Murray