ThePaddlerezine.comInternational digital magazine for recreational paddlers

INTERVIEWwithCORRAN

Issu

e 6

MISSINGtheSILVERBACK

Two accounts of the ‘Great River’YUKON at theDOUBLE

Corran Addison interview

…or maybe not,! White Nile, Uganda

Win a Wave Sport Ethos River Cruise Kayak

ContentsMarch13

Photo of the month for March 2013Kayak surfers, Bude, CornwallBy Simon Hammond

EditorPeter Tranterpeter@thepaddler.co.ukTel: (01480) 465081Mob: 07411 005824www.thepaddler.co.ukhttps://www.facebook.com/ThePaddlercoukhttp://www.linkedin.com/pub/peter-tranter/36/bb8/134

Advertising salesAnne EganTel: (01480) 465081advertising@thepaddler.co.uk

Front cover: SUP on Lake Powell, Utah. By Ned Johnson.

Huge thanks to: Keith Day, Nick Watt, Ned Johnson, Corran Addision, Len Webster,Mark Dixon, Sabina Delcassian, Dave Burne,Sam Ward, Max Bilbow, Andrew Regan, Simon Everett, Nigel Gill, Simon Hammond, Phil Carr and Terry Wright.

Not all contributors are professional writers and photographers, so don’t be put off writing because you have no experience! ThePaddler.co.uk ezine is all about paddler to paddler dialogue: a paddler’s magazine written bypaddlers. Next issue is April 2013 with a deadline of submissions on March 10th.Technical Information: Contributions preferably as a Microsoft Word file with 1200-2000 words, emailed tosubmissions@thepaddler.co.uk. Images should be hi-resolution and emailed with the Word file or if preferred, a Dropbox folder will be created for you. ThePaddler ezine encourages contributions of any nature but reservesthe right to edit to the space available. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishing parent company, 2b Graphic Design. The publishing of an advertisement in ThePaddler ezine does notnecessarily mean that the parent company, 2b Graphic Design, endorse the company, item or service advertised. All material in ThePaddler ezine is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved. Reproduction without priorpermission from the editor is forbidden.

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Issue 6

United States12

Corran Addison36

Canada46

Uganda70

Pike fishing104

Coaching118

Sicily122

Where we’ve been…7 SUP Paddler8 Road trip to Devon

Lucky guys testing new SUP kit on Devon’sglorious coastline.By Nick Watt

12 Lake Powell, Utah and Costa RicaScouting new SUP locations from dry Utahto lush tropical Costa Rica.By Ned Johnson

26 Euro SUP events calendar

28 A brief history of SUP Looking at the origins of SUP – Hawaii,Greece, Peru or perhaps East Anglia?.By Corran Addision

36 Interview with Corran Addison By Peter Tranter

45 OC Paddler46 Yukon River, Canada

An in-depth and detailed view of the ‘Great River’.By Len Webster

56 The Yukon territoryFour Brits take on the Yukon River with anunguided expedition.By Mark Dixon

68 Kayak Paddler68 Win a Wave Sport Ethos

70 White Nile UgandaReflections on the loss of the mightySilverback Rapids after the damconstruction.By Sabina Delcassian, Dave Burne,Sam Ward and Max Bilbow

82 Uganda - all you need to knowTravel advice on how to reach this greatcountry and its people.By Andrew Regan

90 Wave Sport Ethos reviewBy Phil Carr

98 Fatyak Mahee review By Terry Wright

104 Kayak fishingAn introduction on how to catch Pike.By Simon Everett

117 Salty Paddler118 Coaching

All year round kayak surfing.By Simon Hammond

122 Sicilian IslandsExploring the seven Aeolian Islands and itsvolcanoes.By Nigel Gill

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That means, in the absence of any statute requiring it(which no-one has ever suggested), DEFRA seem toacknowledge there is no clear requirement for canoeiststo ask the permission of riparian landowners or theowners of fishing rights in order to navigate our rivers. Yettheir policy is for us to do it anyway!

Some landowners and angling groups believe they have aright of veto not only over navigation but also over anydiscussions on navigation but DEFRA now implies there isno clear justification for this.

So where does this leave DEFRA’s policy on the wayforward? Clearly in need of a full review.

The first step must be to review all the evidence of whatthey law is. DEFRA have said, “We are aware of the workof the Revd. Dr Douglas Caffyn but have not sought orreceived advice on it nor formed a legal opinion on thevalidity of his research.”

It’s time to take legal advice on the evidence revealed byRevd. Dr Caffyn’s research. If DEFRA feel his research is inany way flawed we need to be told. Douglas Caffyn’sconclusion is that, “In common law there is a public rightof navigation on all non-tidal rivers which are naturallyphysically navigable by small boats and on those riverswhich have been made physically navigable at publicexpense.”

If those that oppose this conclusion have evidence tosupport their view, they need to produce it so thatDEFRA can take this into account. But if there is noevidence to support the notion that there never was apublic right of navigation on rivers or that the historicpublic right of navigation has been ended by legislation orexercise of statutory power, DEFRAs policy and itsinterpretation of the law needs to be based on theevidence that does exist.

In the absence of a clear legal basis for their view thatthose navigating unregulated rivers require the permissionof riparian landowners, the continuation of such a policycan only be based on prejudice and inertia. That is not anacceptable basis on which to deny the public responsibleaccess to rivers and it’s time such a policy was ended.

If you would like to add your voice to those pressing forthe recognition of the public right of navigation on riversin England and Wales, register as a supporter of RiverAccess For All at:

www.riveraccessforall.co.uk/what_can_i_do.php#register

Time for a changein DEFRA policy

Peter TranterEditor

www.riveraccessforall.co.uk

The websiteinvites those

that contest thepublic right of

navigationto challenge

these assertionsand in particularto say whichlegislation orexercise ofstatutory

authority endedthe historic rightof navigation.

No suchchallenge hasbeen received.

In a recent email to River Access For All, DEFRA said:“There is no clear case law on whether a ‘common law right of navigation’exists on unregulated rivers. This is widely accepted to be an unclear andunresolved issue.”

ThePaddler To advertise email: ads@thepaddlerezine.comor call +44 (0)1480 4650816

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In early February the SUP Store in Bournemouth along with somefriends from north Devon and Cornwall all headed to Tushingham Sailsin stunning south Devon for a trip to look at the new Starboard andRed Paddle Co showroom. We went through some of the 2013 kitwhich includes surf shapes, race boards and inflatables as well as paddles.By

Nick Watt

DEVONROAD TRIP TO

After plenty of looking, it was time topaddle! Paul loaded up the Tushinghamvan with 16 boards so we had plenty to playaround on. South Devon offers a stunningvariety of paddling opportunities from themost tranquil, peaceful estuaries through tothe gnarliest open sea downwinders.

All levels of SUP rider can enjoy theirpreferred type of paddling with tree-linedestuaries providing shelter from strongwinds. Plymouth Sound and the Tamarestuary offer wide expanses of relativelysheltered waters and heading east fromPlymouth there are estuaries of the Yealm,the Erme, the Avon,

Salcombe and the Dart providing a hugevariety of flatwater possibilities. The tripsfrom Kingsbridge to Salcombe and Totnesto Dartmouth are wonderful on a sunny dayand the Erme is particularly scenic.

Whilst not boasting the regular Atlanticgroundswell of the north coast, sometimesthe surf can be excellent, particularly whena south-westerly swell is accompanied bylight northerly through to south easterlywinds. Bantham is the focal point but themain peak is always crowded when the surfis good, so not advisable for the novice SUPsurfer. However, good waves are often foundin the less crowded river mouth area and athigh tide they’re mellow and easy whichdeters the masses of shortboarders, yet thewaves remain good fun on a SUP board.There are numerous other surfingpossibilities around the coast of varyingquality which can be found with a littleexploration; a good excuse for some coastaltouring on a small day!

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Totnes and Dartmouth rowing clubs. This year’s raceis 20th April. Race it or cruise it, it’s your choice butit’s an event which is definitely not to be missed!

We had glorious sunshine, a light offshore windand a small swell, therefore it was decided that wewould hit Bigbury for some waves. The excitementon people faces on what board to pick was quitespecial, as we had the latest carbon waves shapesand well as race/distance boards. A board I had myeye on was the Red Air Surf Star 9’2 which is thelatest surf shape from Red Paddle Co which ismeant to be amazing. After everyone picked theirstick we head out just in front of the estuary whichhad an empty line up as the crowds were furtherover at Bantham where the swell was slightlybigger. It was great to see people enjoy the wavesand swapping boards around to try out all the kit.We were enjoying the race/distance boards such asthe Starboard All-Star and Sprint in the surf whichwere so much fun.

After a few hours of enjoying the swell, everyonewas pretty surfed out, so it was time to head to thecafe for some tucker. The sun was still blazing andit was a delight sitting outside watching the sun godown over Bigbury bay. What a fantastic end to agreat day of SUP’in in south Devon.

are provided with excellent downwindopportunities such as Stoke Beach to Bigbury in aWesterly/WNW or even all the way down toThurlestone for the more adventurous. In asoutherly, Hallsands to Streete Gate is a goodroute, provided the shorebreak isn’t too high!Experienced local riders have an abundance ofexposed headlands and extremely rough waters tochallenge their board handling skills.

In April one of the best SUP races in the countrytakes place for another year, which is the ‘Head ofthe Dart’. This is a race and touring event whichtakes you through nine miles of the River Dart aspart of the historic Head of the Dart race between

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Advanced paddlers

A huge thanks to Paul and Luke at Starboard fororganising the day and making us all feel welcome.

www.thesupstore.co.ukwww.thesupschool.co.uk

Join us in seeing London from anew and exciting perspective.Active360 is the only organisation dedicated to developingthe sport of SUP (Stand Up Paddleboarding) in London. Thestory is just beginning and already we have introducedmore than 1,000 people to the sport.

We offer lessons, coaching, parties and SUP trips on theThames equipment demos and extended trips to coastaland other locations.

We also stock a wide range of boards and paddles - to buyor hire at our new SUP store at Mike’s Dive Store LondonW4 5PY. Our experienced and friendly coaches are ASI(Academy of Surf Instructor) accredited and mostly from akayaking background. We provide all equipment requiredincluding wetsuits where required. We help to keep peoplepaddling at low cost by introducing them to local clubsand through our low cost board hire membership scheme.

Ever thought of gliding along theThames at night, enjoying the flow ofthe river, the wildlife and the city lights?

This year we are settingup new ASI SUP Schoolsin Brighton and MerseaIsland in Essex. We arealso establishing SUPCity - urban racing opento every level andwhitewater SUP sessions.

We are off on expeditionto the Arctic waters ofGreenland this summerand we are planning torun trips to Greenland,Iceland and a range ofother exciting locationsfrom 2014.

info@active360.co.ukT: 07761 015360

www.facebook.com/polarbearsandpaddleboards

Scout

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The

Those moments right before you slip yo anticipation of wondering if the reality wi These are a few of my favourite things! A in the United States, this is the best part o

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our craft into a new body of water, the ll match the expectations you’ve set.

As an owner of a paddleboard company of my job, scouting new paddling trips.

By Ned Johnsonm

Photos: Chuck Murlock and Greg Pflug

Each Fall as our season winds down, my partnerand I usually have one or two new tripexperiences, sometimes these develop into groupadventure tours. This past year we went to twonew locations that both were pretty special.

The first trip I went along with my friend on oneof his kayak adventure tours, I would be the solepaddleboarder on this trip. As Greg has beendoing this for decades, the format (and food!)was structured and well thought out. Thedestination was Lake Powell, Utah, a water worldversion of the Grand Canyon. With over 2000miles of shoreline, it’s one big water way. Themother ship was a 55-foot long double deckerhouseboat well equipped with all the modernfurnishings and comforts. The kayaks werestacked on the back of the boat and I kept myboard on the open 2nd deck. Since I was a tag

along, I didn’t get an inside berth, so my quarterswere out under the moon and stars… thankgoodness for perfect weather – the star showevery night was amazing. With absolutely nonearby light sources, the night sky lit up andtwinkled like I had never seen.

Once we were loaded and under way thedramatic views of giant canyon walls grew as wewent further into Lake Powell. The first night wemade our stop at a beach right off the mainchannel. As the week progressed and wecontinued to make our way, slot canyons weremarked with a white blue channel marker if theyhad camping spots. These were giant sizedalcoves where wind and time had eroded perfectstopping spots for boats such as ours. It’s fromthese beaches we would unload and paddledown the various channels of each canyonduring the day. The size and enormity of thewalls and rock formations was amazing.

With five full days of paddling under our belts, Icould really feel the miles we had put in… It’snot easy keeping up with a bunch of kayakers!This was a great trip all around. The food wasyummy and each meal freshly prepared, Greg isan awesome cook and filled our bellies. Prettyimportant when you’re paddling every day.

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Sometimes it’s a freestylekind of trip, sometimes it’s a bit more structured

my quarters were out under the moon and stars…

thank goodness for perfect weather – the star show every night was amazing

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LAKE POWELLA water world version of the Grand Canyon

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L-UTAH

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The rainy season in

COSTA

The second trip was during the rainy sea crowds make for easier getting around w more of a freestyle trip. We had some id days were set in stone.

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RICA

ason in Costa Rica. Better prices and no while scouting. This was going to be eas where we wanted to paddle but no

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NICOYAPENINA true surfer’s

paradise

After a long travel day that included plane, car, ferry,car again, we finally made it to the very tip of theNicoya peninsula, Saint Theresa/Mal Pais. No chain hotels, no chain restaurants, this was a true surfer’sparadise, a tucked away small beach town that hasn’t beenmolested by commercial over development. The preferred modeof transportation was anything but cars, with all terrain vehiclesand motorcycles the most prevalent, followed by bicycles andwalking. The local places to eat were small cantinas that servedamazing food always freshly prepared. The accommodationswere large houses or hostels. We were fortunate to stay right onthe beach with a pool and surf break in our backyard. Paddlesurfing was certainly going to be on the to-do list but we reallywanted to find some other paddling opportunities, somethingdifferent. With the help of a local friend/outfitter, we securedsome boards and directions. Turns out there are some reallyexotic rivers to explore. A bit of steel nerves helps as theoccasional crocodile spotting on these backwaters isn’tuncommon. Right along with a plethora of flora, fauna, birds andwildlife. Aside from our river and surf paddling we also hiked upan amazing (scary!) waterfall. Several times we Rode our ATVs ona cut through jungle ‘road’ called a monkey trail, complete withthree small river crossing. This route was the shortest way to getto the other side of the peninsula, where there was the very artsyand picturesque town of Montezuma. A big thanks to Greg at Adventures in Florida (www.adventuresinforida.com) and Al and Benni at Costa Rica Surf and SUP.

NSULA

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LOCATION: Officially named the Republic of Costa Rica, thiscountry is only 51,100 sq. km (19,730 sq. mi.) That’s about the sizeof the US states Vermont and New Hampshire combined. Thecapital city of San Jose with its population of 2.1 million people isless than half of the over 4.5 million living in this small nation.Located south of Nicaragua, and north of Panama, this part of theCentral American isthmus has a central spine of mountains andvolcanoes separated by two coastal plains. With mild climate in thecentral highlands to tropical and subtropical climates in the coastalareas, Costa Rica hosts a surprising diversity of terrain andmicroclimates in a small landmass.

VISAS: Citizens of other nationalities do not need a tourist visa to enterCosta Rica if they have a United States, a European Union country or aCanadian tourist visa, a visa for crew or a business visa (multiple entry).Note: Such visa must be stamped in the passport and be valid for at leastthree months. For nationalities who do not meet any of the aboverequirements, the tourist visa will depend on their nationality and theyshould apply for it at the Consulate of their jurisdiction.

GETTING THERE: Most flights to Costa Rica arrive through JuanSantamaría International Airport, which is located 10 minutes from San José inAlejuela. During the high season (December through April), the DanielOduber Quirós International Airport, located in the province of Guanacastenear Liberia, becomes a popular hub for international charter flights.

PADDLING: Offering the avid thrill-seeker a variety of Class I through ClassV runs, the Sarapiquí, the Reventazón, the Pacuare and other popular raftingrivers are accessible through professional outfitters usually located in San José.In addition, the sea kayak has become increasingly popular for, among otherreasons, its ability to move inconspicuously through the water and avoiddisturbing the terrestrial and marine fauna. Stand Up Paddling is now also arising recreational water sport. For SUP trips visit:http://www.costaricasurfandsup.com or http://www.paddleboardorlando.com

BEACHES: Renowned for its magnificent beaches, Costa Rica offerstourists a remarkable white or black sand coastline, nestled against thebackdrop of lush, emerald-green jungle. For those who do not surf, boogieboarding is the way to go. Find a shallow beach where the surf breaks early,and you can ride the powerful waves for more than 200 feet! If privacy iswhat you are looking for, discover one of the small, hidden beaches foundboth on the mainland and on the less developed islands around Costa Rica.

DIVERSITY: Due to its geographical location, Costa Rica bridges thenorthern and southern most points of the two American contents. Thismakes Costa Rica the meeting point of a variety of cultures and a density ofplant and animal species said to be unlike any other country in the world.

CURRENCY: The money in Costa Rican is called the colon.

DRIVING: As with many Central American countries, there are no streetsigns, often no street lights, no addresses, no numbering systems and withthe exception of a portion of San Jose, the streets do not runperpendicular to one another. Traffic lanes often simply end, even on highspeed highways, with less than 100 yards notice. Bridges often have noguardrails, especially after you leave San Jose. The drops can be a few feetor a few hundred feet. Be careful.

INFORMATION

https://maps.google.com/?ll=18.200653,-66.463165&spn=1.064526,1.867676&t=m&z=10

Costa Rica

www.vivacostarica

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20th April Head of the DartDartmouth, United KingdomThe Head of the Dart officially kicks off the British SUPrace season. The nine mile race has historical roots asan annual rowing race that takes place between Totnesand Dartmouth. SUP was added to the event four yearsago and is now a highly anticipated event throughoutthe UK SUP community. This race welcomes paddlers ofall abilities.

Details will be posted at: www.darttotnes.co.uk

18th May Blue Chip Battle ofthe ThamesSurbiton, United KingdomA 10k “Battle of the Thames” race on the River Thames.This event is full of energy and enthusiasm and offers areally unique take on paddling the Thames, just a fewmiles from Westminster. Last year saw a really great turnout and it is only expected to grow in 2013.

Details will be posted at: www.windsurfer.co.uk

25th May The SUP Race CupSt. Maxime, FranceThe SUP Race CUP, also known as The InternationalMediterranean Trophy, is one of the most difficultcombined races on the European calendar. With tworaces over the course of the weekend, a 7k and 15krespectively, many of Europe’s top paddlers treat theevent as a full sprint along the French coast. Last year theevent featured many top paddlers including: Eric Terrien,Gaetene Sene, Casper Steinfath and Bart de Zwart.

Details will be posted at:www.thesupracecup.com

1st June Lost Mills InternationalBrombachsee, GermanyThe Lost Mills International caused quite a stir in 2012 inbeautiful Bavaria, Germany. With $20,000 in cash andprizes, the race drew a stacked field of paddlers fromEurope and around the world. The main event is a13.75km race across two lakes, with an intense 100mrun in between each. To make matters worse, last yearthe race leader averaged an even 10kph pacethroughout the entire 13.75km distance. It is fast andnot for the faint of heart.

Details will be posted at: www.lostmills.de

15th June Bray Lake SUPFestivalBray, United KingdomNew to the British and International Race Calendar, theBray Lake SUP Festival is forming up to have all thecomponents of a great event. With an aim to attractnew paddlers and competitors, highlights will include anSUP Duathlon, featuring a 5k paddle / 5k run as well as a16 mile adventure paddle. Sprints, board demos, livemusic and an evening party will really help to celebrateall things SUP.

Details will be posted at: www.braylake.com

6th July Paddle Round the PierSUP MarathonBrighton, United KingdomWithout any debate, the Paddle Round the Pier SUPMarathon in Brighton is by far the most difficultendurance race in the British season. As with anymarathon, the endurance and stamina needed tocompete in this event is critical. Finishing times in 2012ranged between five and seven hours. No matter howyou look at it, that is a long time to stand on a boardwhilst paddling on the south coast of England.

Details will be posted at:www.paddleroundthepier.com

4-8th Sept SUP 11 City TourLeeuwarden, NetherlandsIf you can imagine paddling approximately 26 miles aday for five consecutive days in the canals of thenorthern most province of the Netherlands, you mightbegin to comprehend the commitment and mentalstrength needed to complete the 11 City Tour. Withover one hundred years of history, the tour began as anice skating race linking 11 cities in Friesland. Founded byAnne-Marie Reichman in 2009, the SUP version of 11City Tour now has a reputation for being the mostdifficult SUP race on earth as the total 220km distance isnot to be taken lightly. In 2012, warm and sunny weatherhelped the top three paddlers complete the combinedfive day distance in under 24 hours, the fastest time everlogged. Notably, Bart de Zwart remains undefeated afterfour consecutive years of competing in this epic event.

Details will be posted at:www.sup11citytour.com

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€uro SUP events

To advertise email: ads@thepaddlerezine.comor call +44 (0)1480 465081 ThePaddler 27

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A brief history of

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SUPtand p addling

Stand up paddling originated inHawaii surely? Well, maybe ormaybe not as CorranAddison looks at otheralternatives…

It’s hard to really know when modern stand uppaddling really begun. To do so you’d have todefine exactly what it is and even now we’re notreally sure. Two things seem to be constant: thatwe stand while paddling and that we use a longpaddle to propel the craft forwards.

So when Dave Kalama decided to grab a paddleto play with while shooting for Oxbow on hugelongboards just a decade ago, one wonderswhether he was thinking back to the days offishermen, thousands of years ago, or just back tothe beach boys of the Waikiki tourist trade in the1960s. Whatever he was thinking, it worked andafter making a longer paddle specifically for thestanding position, the modern sport as itspracticed today was born.

For 3,000 years Peruvian fishermen have used acraft called a ‘Caballitos de Totora’, a small craftmade of reeds that is so called because of theirinstability resulting in it being like riding a horse.They used a long bamboo shaft somewhat likean elongated kayak paddle and after a days

fishing they would surf the waves in just for fun.In fact, it’s quite possible that this is the true rootof all surfing, let alone stand up surfing.

Likewise in many African countries, warriorswould stand on a dugout type canoe called aPirogues, using their spears as paddles to propelthemselves silently into enemy positions.

Stand up paddle surfing (SUP), or in theHawaiian language Hoe he'e nalu, definitely hasits Polynesian roots. Surf instructors in Waikikilike Duke Kahanamoku, Leroy and Bobby

AhChoy, would take a paddle and stand on theirboards to get a better view of the surfers in thewater and incoming swells, and from time totime would surf the waves in themselves usingthe paddle to steer the board – and so beach boysurfing was born.

Modern rootsHowever, the modern roots of stand up paddlingdates well back before these inventive andplayful surfers from Hawaii. In Tel Aviv,lifeguards have been using a stand up boardcalled a ‘Hassakeh’ since the first decades of the20th century, an idea they borrowed fromfishermen that dates back hundreds of years.Almost five feet wide, and using a double bladedpaddle, the lifeguard can paddle quickly out to adistressed person and haul them on board, whilethe standing position gave them a full view theentire time. While not designed for this, theywere known for surfing the waves in whilepracticing rescue techniques.

Closer to home, photographer Peter HenryEmerson captured in 1886 a photo of a manstand up paddling through the marshes of EastAnglia in the UK. The photo is called ‘Quantingthe Marsh Hay.’ It is possible that this is the firstphotographic record of SUP.

But all through surfing’s post Gidgit boom of the1960s and then again in the 1980s, surfing witha paddle was all but ignored, or for that matter,unknown. Dave’s first foray with a paddle thatlazy afternoon was followed shortly by BrianKeaulana, Rick Thomas, Archie Kalepa and LairdHamilton who started SUP as an alternative wayto train while the surf was down. As the yearswent on they found themselves entering eventssuch as the Moloka’i to O’ahu Paddleboard RaceM�kaha’s Big Board Surfing Classic.

ThePaddler 30

sailed into the Hawaiianislands and became the first Europeans to witness the Hawaiian people surfing. He'e naluas it is called in the native Hawaiian tongue was done either in canoes or on special,ritually carved boards from the Koa tree. The village chief got the biggest board,sometimes as big as 5m long, while lesser village personages were content with smaller 2-3m boards. Because of its sheer size, a paddle was often used to power out and ontothe waves.

In 1778, Captain James Cook

Photographer Peter Henry Emerson captured in 1886 a photo of a man stand up paddling through the marshes of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. It is possible that this is the first photographic record of SUP.

ThePaddler 31

The photo is called ‘Quanting the Marsh Hay.’

19th century Greece

Dressing lightly

Surfski

Osmar GoncalvesShorty Bronkhorst and friend,Durban, South Africa,1950

Joao Roberto Hafers

Australia 1937

1886

eas

t Ang

lia.

Qua

ntin

g th

e M

arsh

Hay

SUP

1940

,Ba

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ThePaddler 32

With its growing popularity at Makaha Beach,Brian Keaulana decided to add ‘beach boysurfing’ to the world-recognized ‘Buffalo BigBoard Contest’ in 2003. The response wasoverwhelming, with over 49 participants enteringthe stand up division, which included many ofHawaii's elite watermen and past worldchampion surfers, using Pohaku beach boypaddles. A photo of Laird Hamilton wassnatched up by the surfing media and in a matterof months the first stand up boom had begun.

That being said, two Brazilian surfers OsmarGoncalves and Joao Roberto Hafers might wellhave been stand up surfing before theHawaiian dynamic duo had their photosplastered in surfing magazines. Riding a boardcalled a Tabua Havaiana (Hawaiian plank)shaped by Julio Putz, these two excitablesurfers were definitely unwitting pioneers.They just were not in the right place at the

Tom Blakeand Duke

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right time to get photos of their exploitspublished where an eager population dyingfor something new to surfing would see them.

Another radical surfer turned wave ski surfer,Fletcher Burton from California, could also becredited as being an early pioneer in stand upsurfing. Paddling onto waves back in the early1990s with his kayak paddle seated on the waveski, he would jump to his feet once on the waveand surf the wave the way advanced stand upsurfers do today. However, the negative stigmaattached to seated surfers (Goat Boater) meantthat no surfer was likely to take note of his styleand ability to ride different kinds of waves onceup and going. Had he been taken seriously,stand up surfing might well be 10 years ahead ofwhere it is now.

Bobby and Leroy AhChoy are possibly the firsttrue original beach boy surfers. Injured in a car

accident that restricted him from swimming,or even kneeling, Bobby would stand up,cigarettes lashed to his arm, camera about hisneck and paddle into the surf zone shoutinghints to others. His brother Leroy and fatherJohn would also stand up from time to time.They in turn introduced this quaint pastime toJohn Zapotocky.

In 1980 James Davis, a British surfer whomade a living as a travel photographer, was inHawaii taking some shots and caught this guystand up paddle surfing, with a builders haton his head, knee pads and all. The attire is alittle strange, but he was definitely stand upsurfing. With a photographic library of over100,000 shots (and these are not digital, allfilm) James needed a bit of time to find theshots, but he has come up trumps. This is oneof the only photos of John “Pops” AhChoy.

A very rare photo of John “Pops” AhChoy taken by British surfer James Davis in 1980.

Waikiki Beach with Diamond Head in the background. Oahu, Hawaii

But the credit of father of modern stand up surfinghas to go to John Zapotocky. John first went toHawaii in 1940 and instantly fell in love with theocean. He made his life there from that day on andstarted beach boy surfing in the 40s, after seeingDuke Kahanamoku and the other beach boys likethe AhChoy brothers on stand-up boards, he tookto it and has been surfing with a paddle ever since.All through those old days he was a regular athlete,including swimming, diving, paddleboard andcanoe racing. He became such an icon amongstthe beach boys that they gave him the nickname of‘Pearl Diver’.

John is the oldest SUP surfer in the world, and theoldest regular surfer in Waikiki. John still goes outstand up surfing in Waikiki a few times a week andis an icon to the modern-day surfers andwatermen. He keeps his board in one of the rackson the beach in Waikiki where he has for 60 years.With the help of younger surfers who carry hisboard down to the water, he paddles out today ashe always has, quite at home in the waves.

But despite the traditional fishing roots of SUP inSouth America, and in various Arabian countriesand their modern spin offs used for lifeguardrescue and surfing, the modern version of beachboy surfing remained a Hawaiian thing untilVietnam veteran, Rick Thomas brought one backto California in 2000. It caught on instantly. Youcould argue that from that, his SUP influence hasspread all over the world. Bob Long from MissionSurf has suggested that there are six degrees ofseparation between anyone in California who haslearned to SUP and Rick Thomas.

SUP was a much-needed breath of fresh air into anindustry that was stuck in its glory days of the1960s. Stolid, stale and elitist, surfing had becomea highly commercialized multi million dollarmachine, where everyone from Kansas toCalifornia were wearing surf clothing, speakingsurf talk, but not welcome into the surf line-up.‘Locals’ shun anyone not born within a five-mileradius of a given break from the surf, andbeginners (being as beginners are in any sport)were branded ‘kooks’, and equally driven out fromthe beaches.

Stand Up Surfing had instant appeal to all kinds ofsurfers. It allowed you to paddle to far away andlittle known breaks that were uncrowded,increased the number of waves a surfer can have ina session and the range of conditions that can besurfed. In fact, very quickly Stand Up Paddlersrealized that the ‘surf’ could be taken out of it, andrecreational and racing SUP was discovered as asport all unto itself. All across the USA, and nowEurope and Australia, landlocked people started touse Stand Up Boards as a replacement option tothe canoe or kayak.

ThePaddler 34

Stand Up Paddlers realized that the ‘surf ’ could be taken out of it, and

recreational and racing was discovered as a spo

Providing a great core workout, as well as increasedvisibility both above and into the water, stand uppaddling as a recreational craft has now etched itsplace into surfing lore, and by 2009 was the singlefastest growing area of paddlesports in NorthAmerica.

As a true indication that stand up paddling has‘arrived’, as of October 3, 2008, the US CoastGuard has classified SUPs as vessels like an canoeand kayak and as a result SUP riders are obliged towear a personal floatation device when paddlingin certain areas outside of the surf zone.

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g SUP ort all unto itself

SUP: the single fastest growing area of paddlesports in

NorthAmerica

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Interview with

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Olympian20 year competitive career

World ChampionInnovative kayak designer Owner of CorranSUP

World record holderGood captain and lousy second mate…

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here and what was your first paddle?I started kayaking in South Africa in 1975 withmy father. The very first time was on a dam calledSettlers Dam in Grahamstown in what was thenthe Cape Province. Later that same year we ranthe Fish River and the following year, the OrangeRiver in the Orange Free State. I was hookedfrom the very beginning.

What and where was your very first competition?I competed in a slalom race in 1982 – a local raceon the Bushman’s River. I remember it wellbecause I was given some significant advice thatI’ve lived by ever since. It was a timed slalom race,with hand held stopwatches and I was second by1/100 of a second. With a hand held watch thereis no way to know who really won – the other kidor me. But my friend who my father hadsomehow roped into driving me to this event saidto me, “It’s not good enough to just beat thembecause your victory will always be in question.You have to smash them and leave no doubt.”

Almost 10 years later to the day I won the SouthAfrican Olympic team trials for slalom by 22seconds (in a sport usually won by tenths of asecond), beating several international paddlerswith a comfortable margin.

What were your competition highlights?1992 Barcelona Olympic team trials and thesubsequent Games are definitely at the very top.Obviously my three-World Championshipmedals in freestyle, though they were all mired incontroversy, as I was battling with judges overaccepting and scoring moves I was doing that noone else could and thus were not judged. The1993 USA team trials won with a significantmargin stands out and then the Canadian trials,which I won with more than twice the nextpaddler’s score.

But one that really stands out was at the end ofmy most successful season where I won 11 of the14 events I competed in and took second in twoothers (ending in the Worlds where I was 6th,again with controversy). One of the events whereI came second at the end of the year resulted inEric Jackson and I being the last ones standing,where eventually he edged me out for the win. Atthe prize ceremony the event organizer said, “and

W

It’s not good enough to just beat thembecause your victory will always

be in question. You have to smash them and leave no doubt

in second place, the man who I thought couldn'tbe beaten: Corran Addison.” The loss of thecontest against (an amazing athlete like EJ) all ofa sudden was insignificant. Although I’d just lost,I suddenly realized that I was ‘that guy’ that mycompetitors thought couldn’t be beaten. I was‘that guy’ that other competitors cringed at whenthey saw me pull up at an event, and it was thenthat I realized that I’d accomplished what I’d setout to do as a competitor.

I stayed on top for anther decade – winning andlosing, but always with the knowledge that I had apsychological edge over the other competitorsbecause of this. At the very end of my career, one ofthe last events I competed in, after ‘officiallyretiring’ I finished 12th in the men’s pro category.The guy that finished 11th came up to me andannounced in front of everyone, “I don’t care if I'm11th, I just wanted to beat Corran Addison once!”Even though that was basically the end of mycompetitive career, it was a cool way to go out.

Leading on to your design career, which do you consider is your best kayak design?Best or most innovative are really two differentthings. The Fury was probably the most innovativebecause it was the most ‘uncertain’. I was shootingin the dark and trying to do a lot of things at once -cut two feet or more length off the establishednorms, develop the planing hull and thetechniques needed to paddle such a short boat

AND a planing hulled boat all at once. The boatitself wasn't a commercial success for a number ofreasons, but as an innovative design it stands outas a landmark.

The Glide and Disco are two boats that I’m reallyproud of. Both were ground breaking, andcommercial successes. The Riot days were my mostproductive from a design perspective and my R+Dbudget was almost unlimited (arguably too largegiven the companies revenues).

The Glide went through 13 prototypes in two yearsand was a highly controversial boat at the 1997World Championships as it gave the paddler sucha significant advantage over the rest that there wasa rule change made the day before the event in anattempt to level the field. At the time I wasdevastated because the title of World Championwas all but a forgone conclusion, but in hindsightit was a real compliment: I'd created a design soground breaking that the rest of the field had nochance at all of even being remotely competitive.

The Disco, whilst not as innovative as the Fury orthe Glide, is significant in that it was the first boatof the style that is still in vogue today. I'd alreadydesigned the 007 before it and there were only afew other boats of that length out there like thePinball and the Attak. However, these other boatslacked the combination of short length AND theloose planing hull of the Disco, which whencombined completely changed the way we kayak.Today all freestyle kayaks are essentially anevolution of the Disco.

Although I’d just lost, I suddenly realized that I was

‘that guy’ that my competitors thought couldn’t be beaten

Corran A

ddison

ThePaddler 39ThePaddler 39

How did you progress from ww kayaking into SUP?I didn't. After I retired from competition, I gotmore into surfing. I’d always surfed, but not alot. Surfing became my main focus and by 2005 Iwas hardly kayaking at all. I had a surf schooland a surfboard building company calledImagine and that’s what I did. I literally fell intoSUP by pure chance from surfing when I was outon a sub-zero day in New Hampshire with mybuddy Jullien Fillion (the designer who turnedthe Liquid Force brand around). He’d beentelling me about SUP and when I saw it, Ithought it was the stupidest thing I’d ever seen.

He had a 9'8" Jimmi Lewis and we went out onthis. After about an hour he was blue with coldbecause the air temp was about -7C, however,because I was in the water that was closer to 5C,so I was OK. He asked me if I’d switch for a fewminutes so he could warm up and after my firstwave I was hooked. I rushed back and shapedmyself a 7'11" that week (this was when theshortest SUP I’d ever heard of was 9').

Is there anyone in particular in the sporting world that has influenced you?Richard Fox, the multiple World slalom champion.Norbert Sattler (1972 Olympic silver medalist and1973 gold medalist) and Jerome Truran (1981silver medalist in downriver), all amazing whitewater kayakers and all of whom coached andinfluenced me significantly. Mary Lou Retton, the1982 Olympic gold medalist gymnast, and DalyThompson, the Decathlon Olympic gold medalistwere both the reason why I wanted to go to theOlympics and were people who I looked at as anexample of what an athlete should be.

What is the biggest accomplishment in your career?Does survival count as an accomplishment? Isurvived 20 years of running some of the mostextreme rivers and rapids in the world includingseveral records that stood for over a decade, and Iwalked away almost unscathed. I also had asuccessful competitive career that lasted twodecades, and at the same time had a career inkayak design that was as successful as my extremeand competitive ones. Not bad I think. Mostpeople get one or the other... who gets to be thebest in the world at three?

What would be your ultimate achievement?I think that I’ve built three very successful brands.Savage Designs, Riot, Imagine. All three wereiconic in their day and were brands by whichothers were measured. I think that’s pretty cool.

Your latest project now is Corran SUP - how's it going?It’s going well. My focus is very different from theothers I've built. The goal with the others was tobuild something big and significant and then selland make a killing. After I sold Imagine for $2million (unfortunately it wasn’t all for me) Ifound myself in an interesting position: workingfor someone else. I realized that I'm not verygood at that (I'm a good captain. I'm a lousysecond mate). So if I sell a company... then what?So with Corran it’s different. I want to buildsomething that will have a long life, and willbring in enough money so that I and all thoseinvolved can live well and keep us occupiedforever – or until we die. Which ever comes first!

Any advice for dropping over waterfalls?Don’t bite off more than you can chew.Unfortunately when you’re half way down youcan’t turn back. Start small and work up slowly.Develop the skills you need progressively so youdon’t make a mistake that will change your lifeforever.

Has SUP now been accepted by surfers?Not well at first, but it’s almost mainstream now.All successful innovations go through threestages. The first is ridicule. The second is violentopposition and lastly accepted as self-evident.We’re somewhere between two and three now.

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http://corransup.com

ThePaddler 41ThePaddler 41

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OK Corran let’s finish withsomething short and snappy…

If you could surf with anyone in the world dead or alive who would it be? Shaun Tomson. I grew up a few blocks away from him,but never surfed with him. I've met him a few times. I'dlove to share a lineup with him. Maybe Jose Angel orGreg Noll when they were in their prime. I’d have likedto be the surfer I am today in the 1970s.

What would you say to them?“Inside!”

Facebook or twitter?Twit what?

On your iPod you're listening to?Guilt Monkey. Alex Claire. Nina Simone.

What would you do with $100,000?Prove that being in your 40s does not mean that it’stoo late to be a World Champion motorbike racer.Getting to the position where you have sponsorscosts a lot of money but I know I have the ability andthe passion to do it. Another life maybe.

An ideal night out for you is?Between a redhead and a brunette with a blondserving drinks.

What one luxury item would you take with you on a desert island?A redhead, a blond and a brunette? Can I use thesame answer twice?

What do you do to let off steam?I surf or ride my bike. If my head is there then I ride(it’s very dangerous so I’m selective of my ridingdays). Surfing is always good. I never get enough of it.

What do you get really angry about?Arguing with idiots. I get angry with myself when Iget suckered in.

The one thing I’d change about SUP is?I’m changing it now. Everything we do is aboutmaking changes to this sport. I want to do the samething in SUP as I did in kayaking.

If you could be a superhero for one day, what superpower would you choose and why?Teleporting. Did you ever see Jumper? How cool isthat? You could teleport yourself out of any stupidsituation you get yourself into.

What three words would you use to describe you?Eccentric. Passionate. Fun.

http://corransup.com

Corran A

ddison

ThePaddler 43ThePaddler 43

Thanks for your time Corran

www.glenmorelodge.org.ukbespoke dates, tailored courses, off-site training, group

bookings and non residential prices all available upon request

We offer the UK’s widest range of BCU coaching, performance & safety qualifications. All delivered by the UK’s most experienced

and most qualified instructional team.

www.glenmorelodge.org.ukb

ThePaddler 45

OCPaddler

ThePaddler 46

THE Great THE Great

ThePaddler 47

There's the land. (Have you seen it?) It's the cussedest land that I know,

From the big, dizzy mountains that screen it To the deep, deathlike valleys below.

Some say God was tired when He made it,Some say it's a fine land to shun;

Maybe; but there's some as would trade itFor no land on earth - and I'm one.

Spell of the Yukon, Robert ServiceBard of the Yukon

River River By Len Webster, Lead GuideBC Yukon Adventures

ThePaddler 48

Once you begin to canoe or kayak the river, you are transported

into a world of serenity

Lunch with a moose Old trapper’s cabin

ThePaddler 49

Yukon’ comes from the Gwich’inFirst Nations word meaning ‘GreatRiver’. The Yukon River begins inMarsh Lake in the Yukon andempties into the Bering Sea, inAlaska, some 3,185 km (1,980 mi)away. Paddlers, who come from allover the world, mostly concentrateon that portion of the riverbetween Whitehorse, Yukon andDawson City, Yukon – a distance ofapproximately 750 km (450mi).

In 1896, the discovery of gold near DawsonCity significantly affected the human andeconomic history of the Yukon. The YukonRiver became the main route for gold rushers asthey floated, sailed, and paddled in an armadaof over 7,000 boats to their dreams ofadventure and wealth in the Klondikegoldfields. Over the next 50 years, towns andvillages sprang up along the Yukon River.Paddlewheelers carried people, supplies, andnatural resources up and down its waters. Whenmodern highways were introduced to theregion in the 1950s, the river becameredundant as a transportation route. Homesand entire villages moved to locations closer tothe paved roads and the Yukon River wasallowed to return to its natural state.

Once you begin to canoe or kayak the river, youare transported into a world of serenity,remoteness, and connection with geologicaltime and human history. The steep sandybanks, broad valleys, and rolling hills provide asnapshot of the erosive impact of glacialperiods and rivers on shaping the land.

Another great feature of paddling the river isthe long hours of daylight during the summermonths. It never becomes entirely dark and cantake some people time to adjust sleepingpatterns to the long hours of daylight.

The river, although not technical, requires acommand of basic fast water paddling strokes.Remoteness will require knowledge ofwilderness skills; no trace camping and safepractices in bear country. For the most part, theYukon River has few difficult or hazardoussections. Two exceptions that paddlers shouldschool themselves with, are Lake Laberge andFive Finger Rapids.

Fort Selkirk

Lake Laberge, aligned south-north, is 50 km long and has anoptimum width of 5 km and fed by glacial run-off, so the water isextremely cold. Nestled between mountains, the lake is exposed tofunneled winds that can turn its waters to dangerous and unforgivingin a moment. Large waves created by these winds can easily swamp acanoe or kayak. Once capsized into its frigid waters, there is littlehope of survival, unless one is close enough to reach shore. As windsare usually from west to east, it is recommended that paddlersremain close to the eastern shore of the lake.

Winds and capping waves on Lake Laberge are very common. Onemoment it will be calm, and in the next, it can turn formidable. Itmay be necessary to wait out the weather on shore for hours, orpotentially days, before proceeding with your paddle. Don’tunderestimate the danger of this lake when the winds arise. Get asclose to shore as possible and be prepared to put-in and wait itout!

The danger of Five Finger Rapids, on the other hand, is that producedby a fast current, funneled between four, tall rock columns in theriver. One passage, nearest the shore on river right, provides areasonably safe route. The other passages create dangerous eddy linesand cross currents that can easily swamp a boat, regardless of one’sskill level!

The current in the Yukon River averages around 10-15 kph. Withsuch a favourable speed, it makes it a realistic goal to cover thedistance between Whitehorse and Dawson City in about 16 days.For those who have less time to give, a practical alternative is topaddle as far as Carmacks, a small village that can be reached inabout eight days from Whitehorse. Some paddlers will make ittheir destination and return in a subsequent year to complete thejourney to Dawson City.

Carmacks is named for one of the co-founders of the original goldclaim that prompted the Klondike Goldrush of 1896-98. It is butone of the many historical reminders of the gold rush and humansettlement that paddlers will see during the Whitehorse toCarmacks portion of the paddle.

You can arrange with your outfitter to be picked up fromCarmacks. If continuing on to Dawson City, Carmacks is the spotto re-provision for your paddle. There is a small grocery store intown that carries almost everything, including fresh veggies, fruitsmeats, and potable refreshments.

The best historical highlight on the stretch of river betweenCarmacks and Dawson City is Fort Selkirk, an importantsettlement from the gold rush period through to the 1940s.Restored buildings stand in recognition of the community ofpeople who were the embodiment of the pioneer spirit. It standson the ancestral land of the Selkirk First Nations people, whowelcome visitors to camp and to explore the many restoredbuildings. The Selkirk are very approachable and happy to sharetheir stories with visitors. And, if you love fresh river salmon, andthe season is right, ask to purchase one. Nothing compares to awilderness meal of fresh salmon cooked over a campfire.

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Five finger rapids

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The other passages create

dangerous eddy lines and cross currents that can easily

swamp a boat, regardless of one’s skill level!

Dawson

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The same sense of accomplishment and excitement that greets one’s arrival most surely was present

in the late 1800s.

Yukon River sternwheeler Evelyn

John Firth best sums up this wilderness paddle along the YukonRiver in his excellent work, ‘River Time.’

”For a moment we find ourselves in a time warp... It is a place you can'tsee. You feel it. Here there is a wider sense of place - planted in ourintellect by people we never met or knew and by events we never

witnessed. On the Yukon River it takes hold of you as you drift aroundeach corner and discover some new remnant of time.”

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Anotherfavoured stopfor paddlers is Kirkman Creek. The onsitebuilding is the original 1916 post office.Camping, home cooked meals, pies, bread,cookies, and jams are but few of the itemsavailable there. As the creek is still activelybeing worked for gold, ask to see the goldnuggets that paddlers can purchase.

The days on the river help build the anticipationof reaching Dawson City, the centre of theKlondike Gold Rush. And, then, rounding abend in the Yukon River, Dawson City finallycomes into view. The moment transcends time.The same sense of accomplishment andexcitement that greets one’s arrival most surelywas present in the late 1800s.

Dawson City was named for Dr. George M.Dawson, the Director of the Geological Surveyof Canada during the height of the KlondikeGold Rush. The gold rush had been a magnetfor people trying to improve their lot duringdifficult economic times. Over 30,000 peoplepopulated the town at the height of the goldrush. This briefly made it the largest town northof Seattle and west of Winnipeg.

Paddlers should schedule a couple days to fullyexplore Dawson City. Dawson represents thecharacter and adventure of the world-famousKlondike Gold Rush. Restored buildings, periodentertainment and museums will easily fill yourtime and appreciation for this Yukon gem.

The effects of perma frost

ThePaddler 54

Weather: Weather conditions in northern environments rangewidely between extremes. The only fact you can bet on with theweather is that it can change instantly. On any given day you mayexperience sunny, hot, dry weather that is interrupted by periods ofrain or, on rare occasions – even snow. In general, the weather ismoderate with average temperatures of 16C (62F) in July, and 14C(56F) in August.

Mosquitoes: Mosquito populations vary according totemperature, rainfall, and wind. Be prepared with mosquito repellentand a head net if mosquitoes annoy you. Consider traveling in Augustas cooler temperatures will reduce the mosquito population.

Getting there: The most direct and convenient means of getting toWhitehorse is via air. Three air carriers provide flights from Vancouver, BritishColumbia, Calgary, Alberta, and Edmonton, Alberta. Air North: www.flyairnorth.comAir Canada: www.aircanada.caWestJet: www.westjet.com

Accommodation: The best source for accommodation iswww.touryukon.com

Canoe outfitters: Outfitters can supply you with rental canoes,kayaks, and camping equipment. They also provide drop-off and pick-upservice.Kanoe People: www.kanoepeople.comUp North Adventures: www.upnorthadvenrures.com

Yukon guidebooks: Guidebooks that provide coordinates,campsites, history, and preparatory information can be ordered online athttp://bcyukonadventures.com/yukon-river-guidebooks/

Guided trips: Sea to Sky Wilderness Adventures has been leadingcanoeing adventures in the Yukon for 25 years. www.bcyukonadventures.com

Recommended readings: River Time: John Firth The author gives us a uniquely valuable view of the remote Klondike as a livedexperience. Firth’s grandfather participated in the goldrush. He uses hisgrandfather’s lost letters to bring us closer to the period, and to those whosedreams were played out on the human stage of the time.

Klondike: Pierre Berton The generally acknowledged, definitive, and comprehensive look at theKlondike Goldrush of 1896-99. An enjoyable narrative that tells the story ofthe goldrush through the people who lived it.

The Poems of Robert Service No river trip in the Yukon is complete without sharing some of RobertService’s best northern works while drifting in your canoe or around thecampfire. Be sure to include “The Spell of the Yukon”, “Cremation of SamMcGee”, and “The Shooting of Dan McGrew”.

INFORMATION

https://maps.google.com/?ll=62.875188,-133.308105&spn=7.255288,31.640625&t=m&z=6

http://www.touryukon.com

YUKON

30,000 people17,000 bears

200,000 moose 5,000 wolves

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The YUKON

70 tril

…so we were not expecting or seeking a great social life onthis jaunt…In the summer of 2012 Mark and Jane Dixon and Steve and DebbieJohnson decided on an unguided canoe trip down the mighty Yukon Riverin northern Canada.

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and caribou

TERRITORY

lion mosquitoes!

one of the most difficult decisions to make ishow much alcohol to take; too much and a tiredand emotional state can induce death bydrowning, too little and small victories of a hard,tough day cannot be exaggerated and enjoyed.

So we opted for two litres of the finest Cubanrum and two large cartons of wine, a sufficiencyfor the four of us to enjoy over the next 16 dayspaddle down the Yukon River, heading north tothe Arctic Circle through the wilderness forestsfrom Whitehorse to Dawson City, a distance of460 miles.

Only one small town, Carmacks of 200 oddpeople would be passed, otherwise there wasnothing but forest, sand bars, open rock, a riverthat varied in width from 200 yards to two miles,Lake Labarge 30 miles long, the remains of boatsand huts from the previous centuries Klondike

gold rush, rapids, latent water temperatures thatstill allowed ice flows to cling to the river bankand an awful lot of wildlife.

Steve and Debs had brought their own canoewith them – a 17 foot Scandinavian designedcollapsible craft made from a tough red ‘plastic’skin stretched over a lightweight frame withpneumatic cells that were pumped up to givestiffness and some buoyancy, the Pakcanoe.

Mark and Jane opted to hire a canary yellow 18-foot Clipper Mackenzie in Whitehorse, a canoecapable of carrying huge loads. The outfitterswere Kanoe People, a mixed First Nations andEuropean family with huge experience of theYukon. They advised where to buy our food, howthe cooker worked, issued life jackets and sold usextra bits and pieces having expanded on themotto that any fool can travel uncomfortably.

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On any boating trip

Bear etiquetteBear etiquette was explained; black and grizzly,which creatures meant that all camp cookingshould be 100 yards from the campsite; if thiswas not possible then 10 yards and stay lucky. Noconsumables including toothpaste in the tentsand scrupulous cleaning of pots and pans, knifesand forks. No wiping hands on trousers aftercatching and gutting the odd trout, no campingin areas with bear prints, no wandering off intothe forest on your own. Canadians describe bearattacks as being like traffic accidents, they don’thave to happen but they do, particularly to thecareless. So we had a Mace bear spray canister tosquirt at them if attacked, and would sleep in the24-hour daylight with open hunting knife andunsheathed axe at the ready, being very scared ofa chum snoring and snuffling in the tent nextdoor.

River water temperatureThey also informed us that river levels were thehighest they had been in 25 years, and that thiswould result in a lot of trees being swept into theriver as banks collapsed, that these trees were bigand if you hit them or they hit you then a canoewould capsize. Floating trees caused log jams,which could suck you in against them, turn youover and drown you. Trees drifting just below thesurface unseen apart from a branch sticking outwere potentially fatal. And, as an aside, in case itwas not obvious to us tourists, the current speedhad increased to between 3 to 6 knots, whichcaused huge whirlpools. Smiling, they said don’tworry too much about a capsize, because theriver water temperature was such that one hadabout 10 minutes before the cold slowed theheart and limbs ceased to function and theamount of grit in the water would fill your bootsand pockets very quickly, dragging you under.Great company to do business with, honesty andcapitalism are not always such close bedfellows.

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pausing on the way to chat to two local FirstNation people, one of whom, a small swarthy,humorous, imp of a man danced the dance ofbear, wolf and eagle and asked these creaturesspirits to guide us, and the other, having helpedhimself liberally to our tobacco, opinioned thatthe river was too fast to paddle down and therewas no way that he would even attempt it.Always good to have local alternative viewsbefore setting out, aids the digestion and settlesthe mind for a quiet nights kip.

If it all sounds a bit gung-ho it was not. Carefullyplanned, potential accidents and capsizescenarios gone over, Steve and Debs had someexperience of kayak trips in remote places, Markand Jane three other unguided canoe wildernesstrips under the belt.

Skull and crossbonesWe found sticks and from these wedged in thesterns of our boats we flew the ensign, flutteringas we hauled out for lunch on a huge sandy delta30-miles from our start in

Whitehorse, the massive LakeLabarge stretching ahead

beyond the horizon.The lake, marked

on navigationcharts

with numerous skull and crossbones due to itshabit of frequently drowning people each year insudden, violent, mountain storms, was now bluecalm water, sunshine sky, snow on themountaintops, it all looked so inviting. But stickto the edge, do not be tempted to cross the manybays as change from flat immobility to four footwaves could arrive in minutes, potentially leavingrelatives sweating over incomprehensibleinsurance forms for days.

By the end of day two we were half way down thelake, sails had been hoisted, Steve as competitiveas ever had raced the Clipper, stealing wind andlaughing in pleasure of winning tactics. Boatswere beached, tents erected, fire lit, food eaten,mosquitoes swatted and sleep ensued. By the endof day three we were all dog tired and laying on asandy bluff where the Yukon River exits thenorthern limit of Lake Labarge.

The wind on the lake had been kind for the firstseven miles, blowing aft and allowing passage atthree to four knots, but a thunder storm brewedwith a speed and ferocity that had us running forshore, where we sat huddled in torrential rainuntil the squall passed, the sun came out, thetemperature rose from 10C to 25C and the windslewed round to head us. A gruelling, hardpaddle to the lake’s end.

But what a camp site, the remains of a tiny longabandoned village, a derelict Victorian telegraphstation and a fur trappers wooden shack snuggledin vast forest behind us, the bones of a paddlesteamer sticking through the sand, a caught 10lbArctic Char cooking on the fire, a generous tot ofrum, a cigarette to watch at midnight the sun notquite setting, a very quick skinny dip in the river.

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We walked back tothe hotel for a last

night’s sleep in a bed,

Having reached the end of Lake Labarge weall realized we were still jet lagged, differenttime zones playing havoc with our sensesand accidents happen with exhaustedminds and bodies, causing a certainunreasonable brusqueness, best dealt withby fellow travelling companions smilingsweetly between gritted teeth in theknowledge that tomorrow it could be theirturn. Time for a 24-hour rest day, chill out,a bit of mild forest walking, sketching,fishing, bird-watching and could you pleasepass another glass of that rather refreshingclaret?

The 30-mile gorge that carries crystal clearwater from the lake’s end to the confluenceof the Yukon with the TeslinRiver is a vision of Eden.Wildlife unperturbed by ourpresence; eagles watch oursmall passage, grayling jump inshallows and riffles, redsquirrels investigate cookingutensils, the odd moose turns headin bemusement as the currentcarries us along.

Fizzing lemonadeAnd then, there is the Teslin enteringthe stream to the right, doubling thesize of the river, carrying sedimentloads from the flooded basin causingan audible scratching hum likefizzing lemonade to the canoes hulland massive trees swept from thewashed out river banks are comingdown at three knots, a quantity ofprobably 50 tons of timber an hour,roots and branches intact, some 70ftlong turning in the whirlpools andcurrents.

But we are safe in a grassy clearing on theside of the river, campsite made, thepenultimate fresh meat of huge steaks sizzleon the fire. And in the forest the Evelyn,a130ft sternwheeler that almost a centuryago had been pulled ashore and left highand dry when the gold rush ended. Ruddersand boilers still in place, we climbed to thebridge and wondered at the mastery ofcaptains that managed to steer thesecolossal boats up and down the river, withall the dangers of rocks, sandbanks, rapidsand wind to contend with without aid ofradios, radar or any other electronics wenow use.

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Lake Labarge, Yukon

Canada

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Moose hoof prints as big as dinner plates,

bear paw prints that swallowed the palm

The owner of the café said he had never seen

the river so high,

the rapids so lively, so man

Watch Mark, Jane, Steve and Debbie shootin

g the Five Finger Rapids @:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=

From tomorrow we all must be more aware of the hazards, lookout for the river’s cargo, learn to anticipate and read mighty swirlsand eddy lines, realize that potential camp sites might be 30 milesor more apart and keep an eye to navigation charts to stay in themain stream as the river divides into a maze of multiple channels,each with a high probability of deadly log jams. In the event wequickly learnt that one could hear the log jams half a mile beforeseeing them; they roared in protest as water swept through, overor around them, a few fast lessons in the power of these deathtraps caused the lower bowel to clench and upper arms to thrashout a bit more power.

Biblical experienceBut over the next few days we basked in glorious sunshine,donned waterproofs for the regular afternoon thunderstorm,

had hearty two course breakfasts, threecourse lunch often taken while raftedtogether and all looked forward toSteve’s gourmet dinners followed byrum and hot chocolate. And at the endof each day’s paddle the less shy wouldstrip off for a near biblical experienceof a wash in the river, sucking inbreath as the intense cold watershrunk the vitals as oxters werecleansed and well being ensued.

We would stop on occasion for a walkin the forest or find an open grassymeadow so full of colourful wildflowers, huge butterflies, bees,

beetles, insects, that one was forced towonder what England had been like before the onslaught ofinsecticide and pesticide, those commercial offshoots ofgassing soldiers in the First World War. Moose hoof printsas big as dinner plates, bear paw prints that swallowed thepalm, vast areas of burnt forest caused by lightening strikesthat might take an hour to paddle past; this was a hugelandscape and a far cry from the gentle saltmarsh of theBlackwater.

We spent two days at Carmacks, the half way pointbetween Whitehorse and Dawson, resting up, eating in alittle café, chatting and drinking with other Arctictravellers and now on the river once more we headed forFive Finger Rapids, four hours away. The owner of thecafé said he had never seen the river so high, the rapidsso lively, so many trees in the river. We were all different

characters, some approached the rapids with glee and excitement,others with phlegm, still others with words about excrement andbricks.

A mile away from the rapids the roar of water could be heard as thefive fingers, huge, huge rocks piercing out of the river divided theflow into separate channels, narrowing the river to a third of a milewide; we must take the one on the far right, all those to the left werefatal. Get right, stay right, the current speed picked up and up, mustpaddle faster than the current or there is no steerage.

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ny trees in the river

=W8772b-6ZyY

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Onto the Downtown Hotel to drink the local tradition,

a Sourtoe cocktail

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We raft up; we all had a tot of rum then anothertot and another cigarette. Spirits are always soterribly high after such excitements.

Our journey continued for another eight daysthrough what must be amongst the mostspectacular scenery on the planet, through acontinuous wilderness forest that would stretchwest to east from London to India and north tosouth from Scotland to Algeria. We drifted pastEagles Rock, the red core of a long extinctvolcano. We had read to not utter a word fromthe time it came into view to the time it washidden by yet another meander; the consequenceof any talk was extreme winds and death bydrowning. We were animal quiet for an hour.

The weather was warm, shorts and shirts, girls inbikini tops, toenails red painted dipping in thestream, boys agog at bears seeming to cling tocliff faces. We climbed through dense trees up theside of a mountain to see wide-eyed, the massiveWhite River pour into the Yukon, the water likeliquid chalk from ancient volcanic ash deposits.In a little stream armed with frying pans andbowls, giggling we panned for gold. And on oneoccasion a thunderstorm of titanic ferocity andpower with lightening striking first one side ofthe gorge and then the other, the thunderbooming, the skies black, rain drops the size ofpebbles, a wind howling into our faces.

We had no option but to grit teeth and paddleand grunt into the tempest. It was a scene worthyof the Old Testament, and should have had asound track from the heavens played by PinkFloyd. Only it didn’t, but on the other side of thegorge was sunshine and calm, a curtain ofweather divide that should not exist. We campedone night on an island and helped with themonitoring of those strong enough and crazyenough to take part in the Yukon Challenge, a

canoe and kayak race from Whitehorse toDawson involving continuous paddling for up tothree days with only one compulsory seven-hourrest. Single, double, four man, six man vesselsthrash along this river with the top boatsfinishing the 460 miles in under 48 hours. Wehad a beer with the winning Australian team inDawson, good old boys they were too.

On the last night on the river our chosencampsite had been washed away, it was the finalclear area before Dawson and it was raining withan increasing wind. We had no choice but tohaul out on a sodden, sandy, low, flat, islandwith limited willow tree cover and pitch thetents. But the island had bear prints on, freshbear prints. Don’t tell the girls but gather all thewood we could find, use the emergencyfirelighters and consume the last dregs of wine,final dribble of rum and as flames lit us up thelast of our food was eaten watching a mooseswim past in the current.

Klondike RiverJust before Dawson City is the Klondike River, aclear shallow more gentle watercourse than itsmighty sister the Yukon. It had to be done, wemight be only a mile from our finish, but we justhad to be, as far as we knew, the first fromMersea to paddle up this legend. So we did, onlyfor a couple of hundred yards, but up theKlondike we went, turned round and drifted intothe sheltered water of the little Dawson Harbour.

And so ashore, to clean and pack our boats, binall plastic, glass and tins from our journey, carryalong timber boardwalk lined dirt streets, gearand kit to our lodgings, Klondike Kates, aconverted brothel. Onto the Downtown Hotel todrink the local tradition, a Sourtoe cocktail, to aspirit of your choice the mummified human toeof a long dead prospector is added, and while ashort poem is read so the drink is drunk as toetouches lips. Forward again to Diamond ToothedGerties, a casino and dance hall where the girlsare burlesque dressed, locals all gold miners andtrappers, men bearded and stetsoned withlumberjack shirts, to leave in the Arctic dawn in avery happy and relaxed frame of mind.

Half way through the rapids, which are about 500yards long, a side channel enters to the left and cansweep you into huge, vicious overflows, so enter farright then paddle with all your strength to the left.Five knots, ten knots, twelve knots, the roar of the

water filled the ears, the canoes bucked and crashedin the waves, spray was shooting up from the bows,crash, bang, paddle, paddle, paddle, 15 knots and the

rapid spat us out into calmer water.

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but impossible to forget!

GONEGONEbut impossible to forget!Sabina Delcassian reflects on theloss of Silverback on the White Nile.

It has been two years since the Bujagali section of theWhite Nile has been dammed leaving many sections ofexcellent white water submerged in a lake. The area hasadapted though, and boat cruises, zip lines, motor boatingand various other water based activities have all taken off.

To quote Sam Ward who owns Nilebased 'Love it Live it' and ‘Kayak theNile, with his fiance Emily Wall –

“It is a dam shame”.

The Silverback section was anexcellent section of whitewater. Butthat shouldn’t put you off! The whitewater on the Nile is still world class,and the 'day 2' section should not be

overlooked!

Uganda itself does have so muchmore to offer too. Check out this linkbelow to see what a couple of UKbased boaters are up to in an effort

to improve the reputation ofUganda, and sell the country they

love as a tourist destination.http://www.rattlemedia.co.uk/index.p

hp/entertainment/adamrelief

Here Sabina Delcassianreminisces about the Silverback

section's climax, and reason it got itsname – the Silverback rapid.

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Story: Sabina Delcassian and Dave Burne

Photos: Dave Burne and ‘Team Oestrogen’

(Amy Simcock, Niamh Stack, Lucy Huddart).

Team

Oes

trog

en

What can I say about Silverback? Perhaps the most anticipated, exciting, andexhilarating rapid on the run. Whenever you dida ‘Silverback’ run, despite there being four otherbig, heart-topping rapids before it, Silverback wasthe only one anyone would ever question youabout. “How was Silverback today?”

My first time on Silverback is probably theoverriding memory I have of paddling the WhiteNile in Uganda, and the story I tell the mostwhenever anyone questions me about my timethere. It was our first time on both sections of theNile in one day. We decided to follow the raftsdown, so paddled both day one and day twosections, with Dave Burne (whom kindly agreedto show us the lines; poor him!) leading the way.

Paddling SilverbackWe eddied out a bit before Silverback, but I couldhear the roar of the water and my heart began topound. Dave’s advice at the top eludes me now,but it must have been something along the linesof “paddle hard and just keep rolling” as that’sexactly what ensued when I attempted to tackle it.Even thinking about my experiences now, myheart is beating faster and sweat beads my palms, Iwish more than anything I were about to paddle itfor the first time again. Paddling Silverback is likenothing I have ever experienced or ever will againmost likely, now it’s sadly been lost. As you enterthe rapid the water pearls down beautifully,seemingly unhurried in its course, giving it aserene quality. This is quickly dispelled by thetruly enormous wave which rises up almostimmediately afterwards, forcing you to forget itsbeauty and concentrate on putting everything youever learned about paddling into practice.

As you crest the wave (a triumph in itself – manyare defeated by even this first wave!) you’re givenan unparalleled view of the river and magnificentsurroundings. Unfortunately this also ensuresyou’re able to see the three waves which followthe first, all of which seem menacingly close! Thenext few moments are a blur of churningwhitewater (as well as my stomach) as youstruggle against the waters desire to toss yourboat like it weighs little more than a feather in

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Ano

ther

suc

cess

ful l

ate

even

ing

run

of Silverback!

the wind. Unfortunately I lost this battle at thesecond wave, resulting in the rest of my runbeing a test of the capacity of my lungs to hold asmuch oxygen as possible!

Rolling up at the end, after I had felt the third andfourth waves crash on top of me, I glanced behindme and was truly awed by what I felt I hadaccomplished. Not being the most talented boaterit was an achievement for me to run silverbackand not swim, I was so proud I didn’t have todown any swim beers that evening!

Ultimately, what saddens me most about theloss of Silverback is the raw natural powerof the rapid (I once saw it suck a rockerhelmet off someone when they’d goneover!) which has now vanished. With thebenefits a dam can bring to acommunity, it seems selfish of me tolament the loss of one rapid, whenthousands if not more people will gainfrom its disappearance. Yet a small partof me mourns the fact that from nowon, no boater will have the trulyextraordinary experience of paddlingSilverback that I feel honoured to have

been able to be part of.

Uganda hopes tosee you soon!

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Dave Burne proves there are still rapids left to scare yourselves on!

Silverback 1, Paddler 0 - Joe Rea Dickens

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www.loveitliveit.co.ukwww.kayakthenile.com

for more information.

A Dam ReliefUganda is going to change, Africa is going to change,and the world is going to change. Sit and watch orjoin the discussion. Together we can lead that change.

Sam Ward and Max Bilbow look to the futureand what it means for this region of Uganda.

Silverback 1, Paddler 0 - Joe Rea Dickens

A sunset session at Superhole (another playhole that will remain) - Dave Burne

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Silverback, The White Nile

Uganda

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HistoryIn 2008, Sam Ward and Max Bilbow, with thecooperation of many others, produced a moviecalled ‘A Dam Shame’.

This movie was a politically neutral tribute to therapids that were to be lost after the constructionof the Bujagali/Silverback dam (watch on Vimeoor YouTube).

The film, with its positive message about the fun,love and beauty of the area, was watched bythousands of kayakers and succeeded in raisingawareness (and thus increasing business) forcompanies like Kayak The Nile, Love it Live itand rafting companies that provide services forthe film’s audience.

The problemHowever, once the dam was completed, theprevailing message that spread through magazinearticles and social media was that the White Nilewas now dead and gone; lives changed (ruined)forever.

However, anyone in Jinja knows that this issimply not the case. The river is still here andnow there is a beautiful new lake with even moreactivities popping up; not to mention the vastnumber of Ugandans that now benefit fromemployment at the dam and other new projects.

Not one safety kayaker or raft guide lost theirjob!

The missionSo Max and Sam were going to make a sequel to‘A Dam Shame’ called ‘A Dam Relief’; a film thatfocusses on the amazing whitewater, and otheractivities and opportunities, that still remain –specifically the local Ugandan heroes who haveachieved so much. But then we realized that wecouldn’t make a film that short or concise sincethere is SO MUCH STILL THERE!

So ‘A Dam Relief’ will only be the climax of anenormous co-operative media campaign that willdispel all the misinformation floating

around with regards to Uganda: kidnappings,pirates, war, hate, muggings.... we hear this in thenews, yes, though not in Uganda andDEFINITELY not at Bujagali, Jinja.

A Dam Relief will be creative media project,officially beginning in May this year andculminating in October during the Nile RiverFestival and Uganda’s 50th anniversary ofindependence.

It will be an umbrella for responsible sustainabletourism in Jinja and spreading to other parts ofUganda as well.

While the production team is in Jinja, they willmake many short videos (promotions,humorous sketches, stories, documentaries) forindividuals, companies and just for fun. This isnot a project to show off western kayakers andfilm makers – Ugandans will be and already are,heavily involved in the ideas and productions.The chief of Bujagali Village and the Jinja policeare intrigued by this project and how it canbenefit their beautiful and beloved town.

The idea is to create conversation and ‘buzz’ withthese high-quality videos on YouTube, Facebook,Twitter, etc.

All this around a central ideaUganda is alive, vibrant, growing, safe and full offun. Even if all you do here as a tourist is enjoyyourself at the bar, you are making lives better forUgandans. Sustainable tourism, dams aren’talways bad, come to Uganda!

A Dam Relief will be a megaphone for the rightideas – the good ideas – and we will all benefit.

The river is still here and now there is a

beautiful new lake with even more activities popping up

Sabina and

friends di

scuss lines

at Bujaga

li Falls Another

session at Super

hole

Team Oestrogen, with new friends

Sabina spinning cleanly

at Superhole

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How can I help?There are many things you can do but the first is simple: watch, listen and talk; spread the word. Likethe Facebook page and updates will arrive when they are ready: facebook.com/aDamRelief

The next big thing, and this is huge:

Come to Uganda! Come this summer and be a part of the legacy we’re creating. Kayak, raft, bungee jump, ride a horse, drive a quad-bike, get in a jet-boat, SUP, help build a school with Soft Power, drink, eat and love.

But basically: know that this is happening. See you there!

Planning a trip to Uganda?Everything you need to know…

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Planning a trip to Uganda?Everything you need to know…

I have been asked a few times recently abouttrips to Uganda and how to plan, so I’vedecided to share some in-depth info andtravelling advice on a trip there.

By Andrew ReganPhotos: Dan Rea Dickens

Right, you’ve made the decision to go to Uganda;first off fair play it’s a great choice! It is anindescribable place; you just have to experience itfor yourself! I’d recommend it to anybody with apretty solid roll! Water levels are prime for 365days of the year!

First stop is to the health clinic where all details forinjections for Uganda can be found here. Theseinjections are expensive but most will cover you forup to ten years. If you are planning a trip for lessthen two months I recommend getting theMalerone malaria tablets. They are more expensivebut the best, other types can mess with yourstomach and energy levels.

Next are your flights. I can only really talk forIreland but the main advice is obvious, the earlieryou book the cheaper flights are. Both times I havetravelled with Aer Lingus to Brussels and flowndirect to Entebbe from there. Brussels airlines aregreat, hassle free and very friendly. Contact Kayakthe Nile where Sam and Emily will be delighted tobook your flights through their contacts, this getsyou the cheapest option with your boat and extrabaggage included free of charge.

There are other possibly cheaper options. Emiratesfly from London to Dubai and then down toEntebbe whilst others fly with Ethiopian airlines.Do your own research and find the cheapest,reliable choice for you.

Tip Always cover your boats and paddles in somekind of bag cover, use a roof strap to make a nicehandle. It protects them and saves questions! Ifyou have bulky items like a towel or a hoodietape it to your paddles, this saves space andprovides protection!

On arrival almost every nationality will have topay 50€ Visa to enter the country. Ireland has awaiver to this and entry is free. Winning straightoff the bat!

Organize with Kayak the Nile for a shuttle from theairport. Tell them what time your flight is gettingin and they will pick you up and drive you to theriver, which is a two-hour journey. In this time youwill become slightly accustomed to the madnessthat is the roads. 120,000 shillings for small car,150,000 shillings for big car. (33€/42€).

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Always cover your boats and paddles in some

kind of bag cover, use a roof strap to make a nice handle

Accommodation You really have two choices now that the Dam hasflooded the Silverback section at Bujagali. Mostpeople opt for the Hairy Lemon, which is puretropical paradise, with monkeys, birds anddelicious food. The price for the Lemon has goneup in recent times; this is mainly down to the vastimprovement in food and the addition of flushingtoilets and showers.

It costs 55,000 Ugandan Shillings a night, which is15.50€. Not bad for three full meals and theevening meal is always two course.

If you want to live ultra cheap there is the optionof living in the local village and it seems to bepretty cool living among the locals. The downsideis preparing your own food with the lack of anyelectricity. Standard thing to do is to set up yourtent within a mud hut. This is possibly the betteroption if you plan to be in Uganda for a fewmonths or more.

The riverThe river now starts below the Bujagali Dam. Agreat run on the first day is from Kalagala down tothe Lemon! There will be somebody who you canbribe for a couple of beers to show you the linesdown the river as there are a lot of channelsto get lost on! Kalagala is a veryintimidating first rapid, where to runthe line on the right seems crazy butis good to go. If you don’t fancy ityour first day you can get on belowno problem.

There are six rapids on this sectiondown to the Lemon! All are safe as houses withginormous waves, 28 degrees water – awesome!Stay in the middle of the rapids and shoot isgenerally the aim of the game. On the sides youwill find big boils and whirlpools! Hold yourbreath and wait it out, they will let you go!

Go up higher on the river and session Superhole,a tremendous freestyle spot for all hole and wavemoves! Once you are done there you have a flatsection before the river splits into three sections.Hug the left bank and get out to inspect Kalagala.Hug the right bank and get out well beforeItanda, some spectacular views of this rapid.Down the middle is Hypoxia! Worth a scoutsomeday, it is a crazy piece of white water, butthis is done from downstream.

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On the sides you’ll find big and whirlpools!

Hold your breath and wait it out, they will let you go!

ThePaddler 86 At the top of the river now is the DeadDutchman with Overtime on river right. TheDutchman is a rapid I have yet to run, it takes90% of the water flow of the Nile and ismassive. There is an absolute must make moveat the top and the fact you can’t scout the rapidvery well did put me off. After the move it seemsa lucky dip on whether you come throughunscathed or on the verge of puking whilecoming through the huge crashers andwhirlpools. It’s one on my bucket list.

Overtime is a nice run in low water but is prettyfull on in high water.

Itanda is the most infamous rapid on the Nileprobably because of how much it is run. I havehad three white water swims since I startedkayaking and Itanda has claimed two of them!It is harder on higher water then on lower water,a minefield of massive white holes with anobvious line and three or four moves required.

Having said this no feeling in a kayak hasbettered the sensation of styling this rapid onthe occasions that I have. Looking up frombelow at what you just did is outstanding! Getsomebody reliable to follow and go for it, justmake sure somebody is filming from river right.

The Nile has numerous waves, usually Clubwave works in the morning and Nile specialworks in the evening as the power demandgoes up and the dam releases more water. Hairof the Dog waves works on very low water andMalalu works on very high water, so waveboating is guaranteed!

If you are looking to be professionally guidedon the river and get the best freestyle coachingin the world look no further then Kayak theNile owners Emily and Sam to help with alllogistics of your trip and improve your boatingno matter what level you are at. They run tripsthrough Love it, Live it!

What to bring A difficult question between what’s essential and what is handy! I’ll try to be balanced here!Bring a credit card and make sure it’s a Visa card, heard ofMasterCard’s being swallowed up like crazy! Ring Visa and yourbank before you go and tell them you are going to Uganda! MyLasercard only worked in certain bank links.

First Aid kits for cuts and make sure you have disinfectant!Almost all medications are available without a prescription overthe counter. Tip: Check out Valium for the flight home, an eight-hour flight feels like half an hour.

Bug spray, bugs aren’t too bad there but they can be annoyingat night, I’d suggest bring a pair of longer pants for evening time.

Always wear decent footwear; you don’t know what you maybe stepping on!

Everybody bring a spare paddle, it is powerful water and hasbroken many paddles.

Don’t overload with clothes, you can buy t-shirts andridiculous things at the famous Jinja market if you need extras.

Sleeping bag.

A tent if you are on a budget trip, which will keep you dry. Ifyou are lucky you will get to see some amazing tropical stormswhile you are there and the rain really pounds down!

A throw bag is handy to tie boats to a truck on the way backfrom the downstream wave Malalu, but not much else to beperfectly honest. Washing line?

Cameras and spare batteries, you will regret it if you don’t.‘The river is like something off the National Geographic channel’Moe Kelleher on his first spin down the river.

Laptop can be handy if you own one, you can get wirelessInternet about 50 minutes from where you will be staying inJinja, my favourite town in the world.

Airbags for your boat, especially if you plan to take on any ofthe bigger rapids!

Small things like cable ties and duct tape always come in handy!

No need for pillow’s or sleeping mat! Buy a mattress in Jinjaas soon as you can, they are very comfy and cheap! Just give it toone of the local children before you leave!

A rash vest is nice on the rare occasion it rains!

Bring an unlocked phone or buy one between a few of you there.The network MTN works well from the hill on the Hairy LemonIsland, you can buy credit really cheap and call home easy!

Roof strap.

Unless you have Spanish ancestors, bring sun cream; small onesthat fit in your BA are the best.

Your tent acts as a mosquito and other bugs net, do not underany circumstances leave it open.

If you go, you will get the waterborne parasite, which causesschistosomiasis. No big deal but it needs to be treated. Buy theone-day cure in any Ugandan pharmacy for a couple of Euro(costs over €100 in Ireland), it’s called praziquantel. Wait threemonths after you are home and then take the treatment, don’tforget this.

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Your main form oftransport will be bymotorbike (Boda Boda)and a dodgy lookinglocal. Forget the river orany poisonous snakes,this will the mostdangerous and often themost fun part of yourtrip. Wear your helmet.Pick a good boda bodadriver and stick withhim. Build up a rapportand you will no longerneed to haggle onprices. They will all tryto rip you off, but in agood-humoured way.My last time, a bodatried to charge me150,000 shillings for a3,000 shillings journey!Know the price thatothers pay for thingsand stick with it, don’tbe afraid to haggle.

Although it’s cool tolook at, don’t takepictures of Owen FallsDam in Jinja, it isheavily guarded andstories of guardssmashing cameras haveemerged. The policehave been known to becorrupt! My friend Joeonce got fined fordriving with sandals,luckily the guard didn’tspot the other peoplehiding in the raft on theroof.

Strengthen yourshoulders before youcome, push ups etc.Especially if you plan onsurfing Club wave andNile Special, which I amsure you do. An injuryon the first day couldspoil your trip.

Check out what elseUganda has to offer. Wewent on a Safari inMurchison Park – it wasspectacular. Cheapestway to do this is toarrange your own driverinstead of goingthrough the companies.

Travelling to Jinja fromHairy Lemon. Best wayis to get a boda boda tothe nearest town calledNazigo (3,000 ugs) andthen a Matatu (minibus) to Jinja (4,000ugs). Chargingequipment on theLemon is all-solarpowered and does notlast long, so bring yourstuff to Source café, havean Internet session andcharge your stuff.

If you are having a dayoff go to the NileResort. Five starfacilities, swimmingpool with a bar,delicious food (try theNile perch fish) and itonly costs two euro touse.

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Buy a ridiculous suit and have a night in Jinja Casino, you are playing withsmall cash for us but you feel like a high roller! Free beers accompany yourparticipation! Go mad! Barry ended up winning two million shillings over acouple of nights in Jinja casino, be warned it can be addictive it is so muchcraic! Parties are still epic in the rafting company hub in Bugagali, especiallyon weekends. Treat your hangovers to some delicious Chiapatis, (nutellaand banana one is awesome). Check out my video on Uganda if youhaven’t seen it.

I know that is a ton of information but I hope it proves useful. If you are stillconsidering Uganda as a destination, don’t think twice, do it! You won’tregret it.

Other advice

Top Tip:

To advertise email: ads@thepaddlerezine.comor call +44 (0)1480 465081 ThePaddler 89

Kayaking Holidaysfor groups in Tirol

Including:> Transfer & shuttle service> Top quality equipment> Great accommodation to

suit all budgets> For groups of 3 to 7

paddlersCome and enjoy the

amazing rivers of Tirol!

info@whitedescents.com l www.whitedescents.com l +43 650 8610959

A foot in both camps

By Phil Carr

A short creek style kayak is nothing new and Pyranha themselves developed thevery successful Microbat series a number of years ago. I owned a Pyranha Microbatfor years and always enjoyed the way it paddled, so I was keen to give the Nano a

try. Northshore Watersports kindly allowed me to loan their demo Nano.

By Phil Carr

ThePaddler 90

How about having a kayak that youcan easily tour sheltered coastalwater and lakes with a load of kitone day and then run white water

the next? If that is your thing then what you might want to consider is getting across-over kayak. This area of the market has grown a great deal overthe last couple of years with all of the major manufactures bringing out

their own versions of the cross-over platform.

ThePaddler 91

ThePaddler 92

that you can easily tour sheltered coastal water and lakes with a load of kit oneday and then run whitewater the next. If that is your thing then what you mightwant to consider is getting a cross-over kayak. This area of the market has grown agreat deal over the last couple of years with all of the major manufactures bringingout their own versions of the cross-over platform.

Wave Sport have taken this concept a little further and have designed whatthey term as a ‘River Trekking’ kayak. River trekkers are designed to carry yourkit for multiday trips and run whitewater. They have the storage and capacityof a touring kayak but have the features that you would find on many riverrunning kayaks.

At first glance the Ethos doesn’t look like a white water kayak. The lengthand shape of the kayak is reminiscent of something you would see on alake or canal but the Ethos has been designed from the ground upwith white water capability in mind.

Two outfitting specificationsThe Ethos is available in two outfitting specifications. The top endspec includes the fantastic Core WW system found in Recon andother Wave Sport WW kayaks. The Ethos I tried had the RiverCruising specification, which is still pretty good, with a pegfootrest system, ratchet back band, and various pads make it avery comfy kayak. The alternative specification includes WaveSport’s excellent Core Whiteout outfitting system that is foundwithin its creekers and playboats.

The grab loops at the bow and stern are made from acombination of webbing and molded plastic and sit proud ofthe deck to aid water shedding. This is quite a departure fromthe designs that are currently out there that utilize some sortof metal security bar. The webbing system is definitely morecomfortable to carry the boat with and work well. There is ametal security bar that sits approximately half way along thefront deck.

Drop down skegOn the water the Ethos tracks well and is very easy to get upto speed. In addition to its natural ability to hold a straight linethe Ethos has a drop down skeg that aids the Ethos to trackreally well even in strong side winds. I found this to be a reallyuseful part of the system and was very easy to engage anddisengage through the use of a pull cord/cleat located on therear deck.

The Ethos has a large water proof hatch in the stern andalthough I didn’t camp over night I did load up the Ethos witha couple of days worth of kit to see how the kayak wouldperform on the water fully loaded up. Apart from whencarrying the kayak the additional weight wasn’t noticed. TheEthos sat well on the water and remained well balanced. If youdid wish to carry a load that had some serious weight to it youmay have to move the seat forward to reset the trim.

How about having a kayak

www.wavesport.com

ThePaddler 93

River trekkers are designed to carry your kit for multiday trips and run whitewater.

This is what Wave Sportsays about the Ethos RiverCruiseThe Ethos-RC is a stable, forgiving,performance-minded crossoverplatform that offers a confidence-building introduction to paddling in upto class III white water. The hull ismanoeuvrable in rapids, yet tracks wellon flat water with the help of a dropdown skeg system. The Ethos-RC offersoutstanding comfort on long, multi-dayriver treks due to the roomy cockpit,sizeable gear-storage space and WaveSport's trusty black outfitting system.

ETHOS 9 SPECIFICATIONS:Length: 291cm (9'7")

Width: 65cm (25.75")

Volume: 303 Litres (80 gal)

Weight: 24kg (52 lbs)

Weight range: 41-91kg (90-200 lbs)

ETHOS 10 SPECIFICATIONS:Length: 312cm (10'3")

Width: 69cm (27")

Volume: 379 Litres (100 gal)

Weight: 25kg (54 lbs)

Weight range: 68-118kg (150-260 lbs)

RRP: £650

CORE WW versionRRP: £899

www.unsponsored.co.uk

ThePaddler 94

kayak can become difficult to paddle so it is best to tryand stay close the recommended load weight (inc.paddler). Between the hatch and the cockpit is a bungeecord system that allows the quick storage of kit. PersonallyI can’t see that I would use this system very often, andcertainly not on white water, but can perhaps see it maybe of use on calmer waters to store a sun hat or cag.

Agile Like many white water kayaks the Ethos has a rockerand strong edges, and as result the Ethos handles thewhite stuff really well. The Ethos certainly isn’t going tocompete with a play boat or dedicated river runner inthe white water capability stakes, but it certainly is not abarge. For a cross-over kayak the Ethos is quite agile, ittracks well and punches through stoppers with relativeease. Breaking in/out is very straight forward, as is surfingand sitting in a stopper where its rocker and progressivechine comes into play.

Wave Sport have managed to blend two differentgenres of the sport into a kayak that is highly versatileand will appeal to a wide section of the kayak market. Ifyou’re a paddler who spends a bit of time on the flat butalso likes to run whitewater and may even completemulti-day trips from time to time then the Ethos fromWave Sport is well worth checking out.

However, if over laden any

For a cross-over kayak the Ethos is quite agile, it tracks well and

punches through stoppers with relative ease

Photos: Phil Carr and Clare Harris

Main Image: © SteveBrooks.at

http://www.wwc.co.uk

http://www.wwc.co.uk

ThePaddler 98

A nice green Mahee arrived last week for review. I place orders for rod holders and seatsdirect from Fatyak. The extra hardware I needed, anchor trolley, rivets, bolts and nyloks etcwere ordered from the ever reliable Neil at H2O. Execellent service and delivery as ever.

Fatyak Mahee First look and rigging for fishing

Two seating areas with the standard moulded footrests andeach paddler has a sealed storage area.

Note an improvement from the Kaafu is a drainage channel in thefoot area to speed the flow of water to the scuppers.

In front of each storage is the mould bung with a surroundingflat area, perfect for accessories. Note the lids are secured toa screw point in the hull.

The storage lids are really tight, great for keeping them dry buthard to open. A quick spray of silicon and add a tag of stringand life is much easier.

There are loads of loops and pad-eyes for accessories and seatsthese are all good quality and bolted to 'encapsulated threadsmaking them quality fixings.

The rear seat also has a shallow recess for keeping loose bitsand bobs plus a further flat area just right for a fishfinder.

Fresh from the bag this looks and feels a very wellmade kayak but not quite a fishing kayak for me yet…

By Terry Wright (http://coarsekayakfishing.proboards.com)

ThePaddler 99

A nice green Mahee arrived last week for review. I place orders for rod holders and seatsdirect from Fatyak. The extra hardware I needed, anchor trolley, rivets, bolts and nyloks etcwere ordered from the ever reliable Neil at H2O. Execellent service and delivery as ever.

So first and easiestwas changing thebungee on the rear. As fitted it is a zig-zagthrough pad-eyes but on the Kaafu I

found it a bit awkward for me. So for the Mahee I tookthe bungee out, cut it in half and re-tied it with a hookin the middle of each length. As you will see the strapscan now be removed and pulled over items in the well.

01

I had brought a couple of Ram 324ball joint rod holders direct fromFatyaks. Four 5mm drill holes made.

Note the recessed area has come in handy already.

03

Next came the anchor trolley.

As with the Kaafu I went for the easy option and brought a set from H2O Kayaks which comeswith rope, pad-eyes, pulleys, rivets and nuts, zig zag cleat and a large plastic ring. I added the now

standard carabiner for versatility. I also added two bungee loops. Two 5mm holes either end and a blob ofsealant for the padeyes. I threaded the bungee through before pulling the rivets through. At this point Ishould say how much I like the H2O trifold rivets, they have added silicone and neoprene for better seals.Neil still recommends a blob of sealant though.

www.h2okayaks.com/engine/shop/product/rv66x/Black+Anodized+Tri+Fold+Rivets+%28Silcon+Seal+Neoprene+Gasket%29+Pack+6 See the results overleaf…

05

Four blobs of sealant, four stainlessbolts and nyloks (have a ring spannerhandy) and the ball is secure just a

wipe with a damp cloth to tidy up,

04

Next was getting access to theinside of the hull. If you have a Dremelstyle tool just fit a little metal disc

cutter and 5 minutes on each of the storage holesand you have access to the sides of the hull and theflate areas previously mentioned for accessories.

02 The Mahee: This model came withthe a pair of rod holdersbehind the rear seat andin the bows. They arefitted in moulded flatrecessed areas, the rearset are placed in thestandard place but thefront ones are a bit of areach for the fuller figurelike mine, they may suitslimmer people better.They are however idealfor carrying rods clear ofthe deck area and safefrom paddling. I wouldrecommend fitting a rodholder on the mold bungthough.

The Mahee is the bigsister to the alreadypopular and respectedKaafu – a single seater.

The Mahee is capable oftaking two adults and achild in the middle.

Specifications:Length: 3850mm (12ft 6")

Width: 830 mm

Height: 390 mm

Weight: 30kgs

Capacity: 200 kgs

The hull has adequatedrainage via 10 scuppersand those in the rearfootwell have a recess inthe bottom to suit atransducer.

There is, just like on theKaafu, shaping on the hullto give a skeg effect. If itworks as well as on theKaafu I will be pleased.

ThePaddler 100

The kayak, Ruk seats and Ram 340 rod holders from Fatyak direct:www.fatyak-kayaks.co.uk/virtuemart?page=shop.browse&category_id=17

Trolley kit, and fixings from H2O kayaks:www.h2okayaks.com/engine/shop/index.html

Fatyak Mahee Rigged and on the water…

ThePaddler 101

Whilst I have shown it as fishing kayakthe Mahee would make a great familykayak.It is very a stable and dry ride. Recently on a fishing tripwe had two on board with a total paddler weightincluding drysuits and PFDs of around 180kgs and stillthere was no water in the cockpit.

It should be said that with myself at 100kgs as a lonepaddler in the rear seat the bows lifted, as would beexpected. Even so the Mahee still paddled well, but across wind would probably affect tracking but as soonas a second paddler boarded it sat nicely in the water.

I was surprised at the turn of speed achieved when asecond paddler’s muscle was added. This was wherethe flared bow rolled the wave back nicely once againkeeping things nice and dry.

The Mahee is a very stable kayak, which would makeany parent feel confident that they could take ayoungster or nervous partner out with them withthem. There is adequate storage for a dry bag withblanket and packed lunch for a pleasant day paddle.

This is a kayak that will please families or, with theaddition of rod holders, anglers. The Mahee is aversatile vessel at a competitive price from an up andcoming British manufacturer with colours to suit eventhe most extrovert paddler. My grandkids cannot waitfor the warmer weather to get it wet.

I am sure that like the Kaafu, the Mahee will find a lotof fans. I cannot wait to see what is next in the Fatyakportfolio.

ThePaddler 102

More than justa one trick pony

FatYak KayaksTel. 01984 632026www.fatyak-kayaks.co.uk

Testimonial"First a few caveats, because it would be really hard to dislike a kayak when paddling on calm seas under blue skies around the coast of Pembrokeshire while thePollack are biting (yum!) and the wildlife is plentiful (one inquisitive grey seal and a young sunfish). Having said that, Fatyak’s new Mahee still had to do its job and itdidn’t disappoint. Apart from being exquisitely beautiful (I just adore the yellow colour!), it’s very stable, deceptively sleek (we were paddling against the tide on theway out and went a lot further than we were expecting) and very spacious. It’s also not that much heavier than the Kaafu so it’s easily light enough for two people tocarry (I even managed to load it on to the car on my own). The storage section at the rear is smaller than that of the Kaafu, but it’s still large enough for a small coolbox and the dry storage hatches provide extra storage space. You’re going to find it difficult to circumnavigate Britain with this much storage space, but for days outexploring and fishing, it’s more than enough.""Talking of fishing, the fishing rod holders at the front require a little bit of gymnastic flexibility from the forward paddler, but I’ve no idea where else they could go so I’drather they were there than not present at all. The fishing rod holders at the back are perfectly placed for the rear paddler and, combined with the Mahee’s stability,make it a fabulous platform to fish from. We didn’t catch anything for two or three hours after launching, but we only realised this in retrospect. The Mahee is such apleasant to be (bearing in mind all the caveats previously mentioned) that time just flew by and it was quite a shock to look at the clock after bagging enough Pollackfor dinner to discover just how many hours had passed.""In summary then, the Fatyak Mahee is beautiful, practical and comfortable and I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending it to anyone thinking of purchasing atwo-seater kayak, whether you want to fish from it or not."Kind regards, Charis & Matthew

The brand new Fatyak Mahee is a versatile kayak with aproven hull design ensuring the perfect balance betweenstability and manoeuvrability. The Mahee is designed to beused as a tandem kayak with the lighter paddler sitting inthe front, however due to its flexible seating design it can bepaddled solo by sitting in the centre position or used as afamily 3 seater with room for a child in the centre position.

For the fisherman amongst you the Mahee has some unique and important features. 2 forward facing rod holders for the frontman, 2 rearward facing rod mounts for the back, 2 centre mounts for scottie type rod holders, a fish finder mount and scupper holes suitable for the transducer and 2 easy access trays for knives, scissors, hooks and weights etc.

The new Fatyak Mahee 2/3 Seater Sit on Top Kayak!

All Fatyak kayaks are manufactured in accordance to BS7852 in Somerset, England.ISO 9001,14001, 18001 accredited manufacturer.

Testimonial"First a few caveats, because it would be really hard to dislike a kayak when paddling on calm seas under blue skies around the coast of Pembrokeshire while thePollack are biting (yum!) and the wildlife is plentiful (one inquisitive grey seal and a young sunfish). Having said that, Fatyak’s new Mahee still had to do its job and itdidn’t disappoint. Apart from being exquisitely beautiful (I just adore the yellow colour!), it’s very stable, deceptively sleek (we were paddling against the tide on theway out and went a lot further than we were expecting) and very spacious. It’s also not that much heavier than the Kaafu so it’s easily light enough for two people tocarry (I even managed to load it on to the car on my own). The storage section at the rear is smaller than that of the Kaafu, but it’s still large enough for a small coolbox and the dry storage hatches provide extra storage space. You’re going to find it difficult to circumnavigate Britain with this much storage space, but for days outexploring and fishing, it’s more than enough.""Talking of fishing, the fishing rod holders at the front require a little bit of gymnastic flexibility from the forward paddler, but I’ve no idea where else they could go so I’drather they were there than not present at all. The fishing rod holders at the back are perfectly placed for the rear paddler and, combined with the Mahee’s stability,make it a fabulous platform to fish from. We didn’t catch anything for two or three hours after launching, but we only realised this in retrospect. The Mahee is such apleasant to be (bearing in mind all the caveats previously mentioned) that time just flew by and it was quite a shock to look at the clock after bagging enough Pollackfor dinner to discover just how many hours had passed.""In summary then, the Fatyak Mahee is beautiful, practical and comfortable and I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending it to anyone thinking of purchasing atwo-seater kayak, whether you want to fish from it or not."Kind regards, Charis & Matthew

The brand new Fatyak Mahee is a versatile kayak with aproven hull design ensuring the perfect balance betweenstability and manoeuvrability. The Mahee is designed to beused as a tandem kayak with the lighter paddler sitting inthe front, however due to its flexible seating design it can bepaddled solo by sitting in the centre position or used as afamily 3 seater with room for a child in the centre position.

For the fisherman amongst you the Mahee has some unique and important features. 2 forward facing rod holders for the frontman, 2 rearward facing rod mounts for the back, 2 centre mounts for scottie type rod holders, a fish finder mount and scupper holes suitable for the transducer and 2 easy access trays for knives, scissors, hooks and weights etc.

The new Fatyak Mahee 2/3 Seater Sit on Top Kayak!

ThePaddler 104 Simon Everett gives us an introduction on how

TOCATCHA

ThePaddler 105

Pike thrive on neglect. From an angling point of view this means that the moreinaccessible the water the better the fishing is likely to be. Even on well-fishedwater the more difficult to access corners, or water that is out of casting range,will be much quieter and probably offer better chances of catching a really goodfish. There is one simple expedient in the secret to finding quieter water, legworkor in our case paddlework. Where a kayak comes into its own is on those largerexpanses of water where there are great distances to cover or where the watercan be whipped up by the wind into a nasty chop

FROM A KAYAK

For pike fishing, where you do not intend tocover more than a couple of miles in a day, anyof the fishing kayaks will be fine. If, like me, youintend to cover larger stretches of water, then afaster, slimmer kayak will prove to be aworthwhile investment as they are less tiring topaddle and will cope with more adverseconditions. I spent a day on loch Awe with afriend when the wind was blowing down theloch in our faces and creating standing waveswith white tops, we covered over 18 miles of theloch that day, measured by our GPS units.

We found a few fish and had a memorablepaddle on top. That is thing about kayak fishing,you must enjoy the kayaking part or it will soonbecome a bind if you only treat the kayak as afishing platform.

One of the great joys of kayak fishing for pike isthe intimacy you have with your surroundings,the elements and the fish. There is also anadvantage in fishing from a kayak. The fish donot seem to scare in the same way they do from aboat. I have had fish use the kayak as cover in theshallows! You can approach basking pike towithin a couple of yards without spooking them– a boat would have had them torpedoing for thedepths long before.

ThePaddler 106

A kayak is a versatile and seaworthy craft, a three-foot chop on an exposed Scottish loch is oflittle consequence to a kayak built to take on rough sea conditions. A kayak is far morecapable than many people think and I would rather be in a rough sea in a kayak than asmall boat. On a lake, or the open end of Loch Lomond, a kayak will handle theconditions when small boats have to run for cover. I have been caught in some serioustidal overfalls at sea, where the waves were breaking and over 10 feet high so there isnothing an inland waterway can throw up that a good fishing kayak cannot deal with.

One of the great joys of kayak fishing for pike

is the intimacy you havewith your surroundings, the elements and the fish

Coniston Water

ThePaddler 107

One of the great joys of kayak fishing for pike

is the intimacy you havewith your surroundings, the elements and the fish

Coniston Water

techniques can be used from a kayak, you can flyfish, cast plugs, spinners or lures, wobble adeadbait, ledger or drift a float. You can anchorup and sit very quietly in the shallows, driftgently covering more water or remain moreactive and cover even more water by trolling.

I like to fly fish for pike unless it is just too windyto cast, drifting gently with a purpose madefishing drogue. If there is a group of us fishingtogether then we tend to anchor to keep out ofeach other’s way, or simply fish different parts ofthe lake and then meet up later to swap notes.We tend to have a couple of get togethers onLlangorse each year, but I have to admit, it isgetting too crowded there now.

Fishing from the kayak does have its own quirks.Because you are fixed in your seat, facing thebow, you are better off anchoring from the stern.That way you can fish in front of you and awayfrom the anchor warp. It pays to use a rod that islong enough to reach around the bow of thekayak, and remember that when the rod isarched over it doesn’t have the same reach aswhen it is straight!

If a fish runs under the kayak it is very useful tobe able to simply take the line around the bow tocontinue playing it without having to play itunder the hull from the wrong side. Whenfishing on the drift I keep my drogue on thesurface with a couple of small floats on the linesand a couple of very small weights on the lower

ones, this helps to deploy the drogue faster andprevents it from sinking and catching on snags inthe water. I keep my drogue fairly close to thekayak too, not on a long line like you wouldfrom the boat. The kayak doesn’t have the samewindage as a boat and so it is easier to controlthe speed of drift.

There is no doubt; I have caught some good pikefrom the kayak that I would not have caughtotherwise. Some of the waters I have fished, Icould have used a boat, but others are simplyinaccessible and a float tube would not havebeen able to cover the distance from the put in tothe fishing area, which can be a couple of miles.Navigable rivers are certainly not the place to bein a float tube but in a kayak you can keep upwith the boat traffic and stay out of their way.

Safety No mention of kayak fishing should ignore theimportance of safety. It goes without saying thatyou should never go afloat without a buoyancyvest, not only will it keep you afloat, they alsohelp to keep you warm while sat on the kayak.The water in the winter is cold, cold enough togive anyone immersed in it for any length of timehypothermia.

In the summer you can sometimes get away withwearing light clothing, but a rule of thumb isthat if the water is too cold for you to be able toswim in it for 30 minutes unprotected, then youshould dress properly for total immersion. Thatmeans any of our pike waters in winter. I wear aproper dry suit and the degree of comfort itprovides, plus the additional safety is well worththe investment.

Before venturing out on the water on to fish froma kayak, learn how to handle it first and invest inthe basic safety requirements. Pike fishing from akayak invariably means that you will be awayfrom immediate help.

ThePaddler 108

Various fishing

Pike lures

The water in the winter is cold, cold enough to give anyone immersed in it for any length of time

hypothermia

ThePaddler 109Coniston Water

The water in the winter is cold, cold enough to give anyone immersed in it for any length of time

hypothermia

There was an incident of one fellow who, on hisvery first trip out on his kayak, was left hanging tothe side of it because he had capsized and couldnot right it and get back on. His mobile had takena dunking so he could not call for help. He waslucky, he had been in the water for over 40minutes before a lady walking her dog heard himcalling for help and came to investigate. It could soeasily have ended in tragedy.

To actually catch a pike it pays to know a bitabout the fish. They are the apex predator andmake a living preying on virtually everything elsethat swims, including voles or ducklings. Theirmain diet though is made up of silver fish, roachin the main but they will eat any fish includingperch and smaller pike, in fact one of the biggestbalancers of the pike population is the big pikein the water that is why it is so important to lookafter the big pike and not kill them. Pike serve avaluable function, they help to ensure a healthysystem by mopping up the weak and sickly, even

taking piscatorial carrion off the bottom. Thishelps to maintain clear, highly oxygenated water.

700 teethJust look at those teeth, there are 700 of them, allrazor sharp and angled backwards to preventprey escaping once trapped in those mighty gin-trap like jaws. As anglers we need to be careful ofthose teeth, especially the outer rows where thebiggest ones are, they are not just scalpel like, buthave an anticoagulant, which prevents a woundfrom healing. If one catches you, the lacerationcaused will bleed like a stuck pig for hours.Handling a pike properly will avoid thissituation, but we all get nicked from time totime, it is part of pike fishing!

The other aspect of their teeth is that they will cutthrough normal line like a guillotine through theneck of a French aristocrat. To prevent this weneed to use a bite-proof trace, fluorocarbon isnot good enough, a proprietary wire material is

ThePaddler 110

ThePaddler 111

the best answer, there areseveral on the market and I use single strand wireor Authanic braided wire for my traces. Thesingle strand wire is totally bite proof, even forsharks, but the braided Authanic material iseasier to use as it can be knotted carefully, usingany of the standard fishing knots.

Fly fishing is catching on in a big way and theformation of the Pike Fly Fishing Associationabout 10 years ago did much to further thepopularity of the method. It isn’t anything new,people were fly fishing for pike in the 1800s, andit just fell out of favour when lure fishing becamemore popular.

To gear up for pike you need strong tackle, thePFFA recommends a nine or ten weight outfitand this is sound advice as the heavier linemakes casting the big flies much easier. Thestronger rod also provides better fightingcharacteristics for when, not if, you hook that

really big pike.From the kayak I use sinking lines the most, as Itend to use the kayak to fish deeper water. As ageneral rule I will look for the edges of weedbeds or fallen trees or rocky ledges in water 6-30feet deep. The time of year and weather will finetune my approach, but this is the general rangeof water depths I fish when searching for a pike,whatever method I am using.

I tie my own flies, but they are available to buy. Iuse hooks between 2/0 and 8/0 in size with themajority of my pike flies being 5”-10” long, somedesigned to work close to or on the surface,others to mimic baitfish in the depths. Coloursare chosen according to water clarity, colour andtemperature. In cold water the green end of thespectrum seems best while the red end is good ateither end of the day. High contrast betweencolours is another good trigger to get a pike totake, so red and white is a popular combination.These colours apply to lures as well.

the old metal spoons and hard lures will still catchtheir share of pike, but modern ultra-realisticsilicone lures are superb, being so lifelike in thewater it is untrue, but the drawback is, being soft,they get chewed to pieces by the pike. As a generalrule I will go for fish imitating lures around the 6”mark or slightly bigger. Jointed lures have moreaction than single piece lures and so will work atslower speeds.

Floating plugs are useful, they have a built indiving vane that pulls the lure down in the water,the depth it dives to is controlled by the speed youpaddle or retrieve, the thickness of line used andhow far away it is from the rod tip. You have to useyour judgment as to which one to use where andhow fast to swim it. I think the Rapala jointedShad-Rap takes some beating and it will always bemy first and last lure to try. They come in a varietyof colours, my first one on is the orange-goldversion, especially in peaty water.

When you have hooked your pike, you need to bemindful of its welfare. Play the fish as fast as youcan and get control of it. A net can be used, but anet that is big enough, on the kayak, is a damnnuisance so I just hand land my pike. It is a safemethod, just slide your fingers along under the gillcover to the very front, there are no teeth here.Gently lift the pike aboard, if it is a small one youcan lift it happily by one hand, bigger fish need tobe lifted using both hands to avoid any possibilityof breaking the jaw or damaging the internalorgans. Pike are fearsome creatures, but delicateand prone to damage, so support the fish properly,as you can see in the pictures of me with a coupleof decent pike. The weight of the fish is wellsupported along its length.

To extract the hook, pair of long nosed pliers orforceps are worth taking with you. Most lure orfly caught fish will be easy to unhook, butoccasionally you will need to reach inside thattooth infested cavern and that is when the plierscome into their own. Having unhooked the fishtake a nice picture and gently release it back intothe water, you may need to support the fish for afew minutes while it gets its breath back. Holdthe root of the tail and support it under its belly,either with your other hand or your foot, that isone advantage of the kayak, you can put a footover the side as an extra hand! The fish will tellyou when it is ready to go, as you release yourgrip a little on the tail it will suddenly thrash anddisappear like a guided missile, non the worsefor wear.

Piking from the kayak is exciting and there areplenty of good pike to catch in all our big riversand most of the lakes. You must have anEnvironment Agency rod license to fish thoughand some waters require you to buy a day ticketto allow you to fish. Details of each water areeasily found, so do some research first to savegetting a fine. Fishing is what kayaks and canoeswere meant for and pike are a prehistoric fish tocatch from these traditional craft.

ThePaddler 112

For lure fishingIf you fancy getting involved withfishing from a kayak there arevarious outlets, which can supplysuitable kayaks, paddles, buoyancyaids, a trolley is useful if you can’tpark near the water and clothing.Here are just a few:

Kayak UK: www.kayakuk.com

1st Wet and Wild: www.1stwetwild.co.uk

Whitewater Consultancy: www.wwc.co.uk

Pike are fearsome creatures, but

delicate and prone to damage, so support the fish properly

Coniston W

ater

There is goldat the end ofthe rainbow –the KaskaziMarlin ARX!

The Marlin has been revised and now hasthe option of an ARX type deck. The deckcan be either fixed or detachable andallows the comfort of paddling with aspraydeck to provide protection from theelements.

The other changes are:> Longer cockpit to accommodate tallerpaddlers.

> Larger drain holes to vent water faster.> The day hatch has been moved closerto the seat to allow it to open with theARX deck in place.

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ThePaddler 117

SaltyPaddler

Gone are the days when you only ever surfed in thesummer. With current kit there is no need to stopjust because the temperature gets a little colder. Infact it's a good job that clothing and equipment hasimproved with the wet and wild summers we'vebeen having. So with improvements in the qualityand range of kit on the market you can comfortablysurf all year round.

But why would you want to? Well the simple answeris time and space. In the winter and early spring you'llavoid the crowds and have the time and space todevelop your skills. Sure the locals will still be gettingout on the good days but even then maximumnumbers are far lower than in the summer months. Asthere are less surfers in the water and more waves togo around you'll find everyone is a lot less stressedand much friendlier.

Conditions can be wild so come preparedA surf trip in the winter needs some planning. Downhere in Cornwall we've several different coastlines tochoose from so selecting the right beach for theoptimum swell and wind direction is usually possibleeven if it takes a bit of investigating and research.Maps, synoptic charts, web sites, tide tables and surfingguides will all help to pinpoint your best option. Butkeep checking the conditions as your trip approaches,as our weather is notoriously fickle and even with theMet Office's best computer predictions I wouldn't betoo confident until the night before departure.

Make sure the predicted conditions match your andyour paddling friends ability. You'll usually be able tofind a sheltered coast on those days where the northcoast is being pounded by 20-foot swell and stormforce winds but you'll also have to be able to admitdefeat if the winds are just too much. Where as a 25mph on-shore wind will keep you from making anyprogress off the beach the same strength wind off-shore could be lethal in blowing you out to sea. Keepto sensible limits. On shore winds take the sharpness

Simon, former WorldSurf Kayak Champion

owns ShorelineExtreme Sports in

Bude, North Cornwallthat specializes in surfkayak coaching andevent organization.

They run surf coachingcourses throughout theyear and together with

Bude Canoe Cluborganize the BlackRock Surf Kayak

Contest every Spring.

ThePaddler 118

For all levels

All year round kayak surfBy Simon Hammond – BCU Level 5 Surf Kayak Coach

Cold off-season day in North Cornwall

ThePaddler 119

out of a breaking wave and won't spoil the surf untilreaching 10 to 12 mph, off-shore winds are great andcan create the very best conditions but beware ofanything over 15 mph especially on exposed low tidebeaches. As for the swell size I would say the smallerthe better; one to two foot of clean peeling surf is funand safe for novices to experts, three to four foot isgreat but the novice paddlers will get the best fromriding white water waves closer to the shore. Five footplus gets powerful and depending on the way it breaksand your ability can be quite scary!

OK so the swell and weather look good now what do you need to bring? Of course there is the ideal kit for surfing but thebeauty of this sport is also how normal paddling kit andboats adapt and perform reasonably well, especiallywhen you are just starting off. I'd say to anyone surfkayaking for the first time that the best boat to surf in isthe boat you feel most comfortable in.

Once you've mastered some basic balance and sidesurfing techniques then you might want to progress toa boat with a bit of edge, most modern river boats willdo. A boat with low volume, nice sharp edges or rails, aflat bottom and not too short will give you the chanceto progress to surfing and carving across a clean waveface, just remember that length of boat equals speedso a really short play boat will have some limitations.And then when you've got the surfing bug jump into asurf kayak. There is nothing to be lost in starting with aplastic surf kayak as these boats have all the designfeatures that will give you the speed andmanoeuvrability to make the most of any wave andthen as your skills develop and progress you'll start todream of that light weight epoxy composite boat thatmight get you airborne!

As for what you wear yet again comfort is the key buttaking a swim whilst surf kayaking is more likely than inany other kayaking discipline. So even if you are one of

For all levels

All year round kayak surfBy Simon Hammond – BCU Level 5 Surf Kayak Coach

Simon Hammond surfing on a cold day on classic three-oot peeling wave

Cold off-season day in North Cornwall

Shoreline Extreme SportsOwned by: Simon and Nicola HammondOperations Manager: Dave Oxnard11a Crooklets Beach, Bude,Cornwall, EX23 8NETel 01288 354039www.shorelineactivities.co.ukinfo@shorelineactivities.co.ukLike us on Facebook:Shoreline Extreme Sports

You'll learn the rest once you get goingbut if you want a few more tips then:1. Never rush straight into the surf, give yourself some timeto read the conditions and watch what others are doing.

2. You can learn all the surfing techniques in the whitewater waves before going out too far.

3. Lifeguarded beaches only operate between May andSeptember so you'll be looking after yourselves off-season.

4. Think about your long term health, wear ear plugs toprevent surfers ear developing.

5. Avoid the High Brace - its responsible for many adislocated shoulder in the surf environment.

6. Learn your surfing etiquette if you want some respectfrom other surfers.

7. Go to a surf kayak contest or join a course to learn a fewmore skills and techniques.

8. Good luck and have a go. Get a good day off-season andyou're likely to get the best surf session of the year.

Simon Hammond is also the author of SurfKayaking The Essential Guide.For more information on surf kayaking contacthim on info@shorelineactivities.co.uk

those paddlers who hasn't taken aswim in years, always be mindful thatthis could happen out in the surf. Bigfleeces and semi-dry cags andtrousers aren't brilliant; you need towear something that you can activelyswim in. Wetsuits are a good option,with a tight fitting neoprene deckand a snug fitting buoyancy jacket. Bigand baggy is out sleek and stream-lined is in.

Definitely no need for any kit in yourboat. Usually all your extras; clothing,tools, repair kit, spare paddles will bein your car in the convenientlyplaced beach car park with hotdrinks being provided by that lovelywarm beach cafe that you've found isopen all year round (many will evenserve you in your dripping paddlinggear!). If it's a long walk to thewaters edge then there's nothing tobe lost in taking some spares, food,hot drinks and extra layers down tothe waters edge in a dry bag. I'venever had any problems with leavinga bag on the beach other than maybea suspicious dog having a quick weeover it! You could even take down asurvival shelter if its really cold - I'veused these to extend a surf sessionand give friends a chance to warmup, have a warm drink and have ashort break. All of this allows you tokeep your boat as light as possible,but remember the chance ofswimming and so best to fill everyinch of your boat with airbags andbuoyancy. Finally make sure you'vetied on some lengths of tape to yourboats handles once again just in caseyou take a swim.

ThePaddler 120

ThePaddler 121

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ThePaddler 122

Anguishin theAeolians

…the tent and all our kit wascovered by a thick layer of soddenblack dust. I was exasperated, untilI reminded myself that this was anexpedition and I really needed toharden up!

ThePaddler 123

eolians

Strombolicchio in front of Stromboli Island

Red-hot cinders careered downthe slope that we had paddled beneath earlier in the day.

It was awesome!

ThePaddler 124

Antonio, a young muscular Sicilian,pocketed the 400 euro deposit, andsaid blithely ‘If there is any damage tothe boats you will have to pay!’ Heinsisted that if the kayaks werefloated before we got in, there wouldbe no necessity to incur even ascratch. I looked at the steep, stonebeach and the heavily loadedfibreglass boats, and was doubtful.

Aeolian Islands that liejust north of where Sicily nudges the toe of Italy.Seven islands are set in a ‘Y’ shape. Each one is anold volcano, in places sporting a dash of sulphur-yellow and wafting a pong of rotten eggs. It hadbeen bit of a haul: Easyjet to Catania, bus toMilazzo, then ferry to the southern-most island,Volcano, where we hired the boats.

StormWe had timed it to avoid the crowds. But it wasmid-September, the start of the storm season, anda 30-knot storm was about to arrive. Antonio, the outfitter, was sure that we could nip down the exposed side of the island before the

Wehad made it to the

BY NIGEL GILL

bad weather came in, thencomplete the circumnavigation

on the sheltered side. The windhad already picked up and it was

obvious that his idea was nonsense. Weset off on the sheltered side of the island,

buffeted by wind and rain. At the southern tip, thestorm’s waves were refracting around from the farside and we struggled to land on a black ash beach.The following morning the tent and all our kit wascovered by a thick layer of sodden black dust. I wasexasperated, until I reminded myself that this wasan expedition and I really needed to harden up.

We returned back up to the town. The wind wasstrong and I needed to clip Eli’s boat as shecouldn’t turn it into relentless blasts coming outof the bay. Antonio being away, we stopped thenight by his storage shed. At midnight he arrivedback and woke us in the tent. He was displeasedthat we were there. He went off and then I heardthe distinctive ‘CLONK’ of a kayak beingdropped on its end. I shot out of the tent to seeAntonio walking up from where we had left theboats by the shore. He turned off his torch and

ThePaddler 125

a 30-knot storm was about to arrive. Antonio, the outfitter, was sure that we could nip down the exposed side of the island before the

disappeared into the night. He really couldn’thave – could he?

VolcanoMost of the islands are about 20 km apart, sothe easy option was to use the ferries to getbetween them, trolleying the kayaks on and off.We had paddled the narrow strait to the islandof Lipari. There was a fine, walled Old Town,but it was very touristic.

We arrived at the island of Stromboli, famousfor it’s role in Hollywood movies and it’s stillactive volcano. We paddled around it, out to animpressive offshore volcanic plug island andpast a great scree slope of ash. I was grateful thatAntonio had warned us to keep well offshore –the sea in front of it looked like it was under anartillery bombardment.

Halfway around was a delightful amphitheatre-like harbour and Ginostra village above. Thatnight provided the highlight of the trip. Wewalked 10 km to a viewpoint halfway up thevolcano and watched it spit a fiery plume of lavainto the night. Red-hot cinders careered downthe slope that we had paddled beneath earlier inthe day. It was awesome! We were well pleased.Stromboli had not been over-touristed like theprevious two islands and the paddling was ofgood quality.

Canna

Cliffs at Polara

ThePaddler 126

Cannaa volcanic rock raising fromthe sea up to 74 metres

ThePaddler 127

World classFinally we circumnavigated the three islands thatformed the left-hand arm of the ‘Y’. Salina had aremarkable horizontal strata cliff at Polara and afine arch and cave at Racina, but otherwise wasn’tvery special. Filicudi Island has charm and nodamage from tourism. The circumnavigation

took us to the (world class) Bue marinocathedral-like cave and nearby (jaw-dropping)columnar island of Canna. We ate well at theScogliera restaurant in Pecorino – good authenticfare – pasta with local capers and olive pesto. Inthe evening the sea turned big and, transfixed, wewatched a yacht that was moored in an exposedposition on the jetty. It was rolling aboutmanically, the poor crew unable to get off.Involuntarily, at least one of them ‘donated’ theirsupper to the fishes!

The furthest – Allicudi Island – has little interest,other than the fact that there are no cars, onlydonkeys. Most of the houses are owned by northEuropeans, who obviously enjoy walking up vastflights of steps and otherwise having absolutelynothing to do. I figured that the locals would all

be fit and lean, living on such steep terrainwithout transport. Not a bit of it – the men sitaround all day, chatting and remonstrating witheach other. There was no eatery open but a localman, Silvio and his wife, fed us and a few othervisitors – simple food, fish and pasta, but quitedelicious!

The circumnavigation took us to the (World class) Bue Marino cathedral-like cave

Lipari Island

Blue Marino Cave

ThePaddler 128

ConfrontationReturning to Lipari Island, we paddled aroundthe southern point and turned into a magnificentsunset and a (rare) good beach to camp on.Nearby was some fine rock architecture. The nextday we paddled back to Volcano and theoutfitters. We arrived early to sort out our kitbefore Antonio arrived back with a group, nodoubt ‘hyper’ as usual.

The undersides of the boats were a shocking sight,their red hulls covered in bright pink scratches.But Eli had an idea – she remembered thatsunblock can be used to polish-out the scratchesfrom pebbles. We hurriedly set-to on the hulls,and they looked a lot more presentable.

Eventually Antonio arrived back and wanted toinspect the boats. He couldn’t fault them forscratches, but, looking closely at the ends, hefound two gel-coat chips. He was euphoric: ’AH-HA!’ he exclaimed. This would be expensive,requiring a specialist workshop to re-laminatethe damage. I told him that it needed no morethan a drop of coloured resin, but he still took 30euros out of the deposit. I think he needed everyeuro he could get.

At the ferry pier, Antonio said ‘goodbye’,embracing me forcibly, pressing his stubblycheek to mine. Resin he might have to buy-in,but for sure, he wouldn’t be short on abrasives.

Ginostra Harbour

Lipari sunset

Volcano Island

To advertise email: ads@thepaddlerezine.comor call +44 (0)1480 465081 ThePaddler 129ThePaddler 129

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