By Peter Tranter

‘Looking fowards’

Covid-19, coronavirus, contact tracing, super-spreader, social distancing, self-quarantine, self-isolate, contactless, unprecedented times, PPE, herd immunity, WFH, second wave, etc, etc. This is the first and last time you’ll read those words on this page. Instead I’m going to try and look forward and say a big thank you to those who have contributed here and made this issue happen and printed.

The current crisis seems to have provided just as larger a divider of public opinion as Brexit ever did – yes Brexit, remember that word? However, as paddlers, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how we have put our sport aside for nearly two months and resisted the temptations to go out on the water. That reflects well upon us and for important reasons such as being treated seriously on access to the water here in the UK. If paddlers had ignored the restrictions, then future negotiations would undoubtedly have been harder.

As a regular reader of the Paddler, you would have noticed there is always a large proportion devoted to expeditions and trips to the four corners of the planet. For the next year that is going to change for obvious reasons, so it may be a good time to ask you the paddler, what you would like to see in the next 12 months – email me suggestions on peter@thepaddlerezine.com.

Having a magazine printed means bringing a large number of people together. The unpredictability that reigns at the moment has to be overcome and a plan formulated. So big thanks to British Canoeing and the media team of Robert Knott, Jennifer Gibbon, Steph Roberts, Sam Rankin, Gareth May, Wendy Hockenhull, Kate Bradley, Jenny Spencer and CEO David Joy for their support and guidance through this crisis.

The impact of the virus on watersport businesses has been as hard as anywhere else, so I want to paticularly thank those who have come on board for this printed issue, your support is invaluable. We do realise cashflow is perilous at best for the moment, plus some companies are closed and therefore despite best intentions, some haven’t been able to commit. We haven’t forgotten them though – they have supported us the past few years and so we have included their ads free of charge in the digital editions. The sport must survive and therefore we need to look after each other.

Huge thanks also to the printers and mailing house, who are working under guideline conditions and last but nowhere near least, the contributors and subscribers, all the cogs working together – thank you to you all – onwards and upwards let’s hope.

Under the circumstances, I really think we have an exceptional issue headed no less than the ‘Great Dane’ himself: Dane Jackson. We carry an in-depth interview with possibly the best known kayaker on the planet and instead of being bored rigid by my questions, I invited three well known UK paddlers to put their own questions to him – take a look to see whom and a special thanks again to those paddlers.

There’s also a double up from the ever popular Chris Brain for this issue as he asks, “What is freestyle,” for the Paddler, whilst giving an interview in Canoe Focus on planning your progression back into paddling. There’s also a paddler on paddler interview from Sarah Thornely to David Walker on the merits of Paddle Logger, something that should gain even more significance during these times of paddling alone.

Corran Addison can always be depended upon to bring debate to the table and it’s no different in this issue as he questions the merits of fashion vs function where playboats are concerned – we love him!

Whitewater is wrapped up by Bartosz Czauderna and his expedition to the magnificent and challenging Slave River in Canada, a river we’ve never featured before.

On the canoe front, we are so happy to have Ray Goodwin onboard with a new set of coaching features – so neat to have one of the very best in the business adding his expertise, here with the J-stroke. In addition to Ray’s coaching, we also have a valuable contribution from the U.S. with a canoeing freestyle article on how to perform a heeling manoeuvre with Marc Ornstein and the other guys at the American FreeStyle Canoeing Committee.

Whilst we’re on America and canoeing, we feature one of the world’s best known expedition canoeists, Martin Trahan, and his tremendous challenge of crossing the U.S. by canoe – a truly magnificent effort. It was also interesting to read about his post-expedition blues.

We have not forgotten the virus and therefore include Richard Jane’s bringing the dreams together for an NHS worker, Lyn Jackson by guiding her crossing to the Skerries and Thomas Mogenson and his take on what you need for paddling alone.
Whilst in Costa Rica last October, I was fortunate to meet American motivational speaker, Ken Streater. He’s very kindly started off a selection of articles on watersports by giving an insight into how and why expedition guides need to focus and respect the nature around them.

In the digital edition we have extra features from coach Lynne-Marie Daleon on the charity, Black Dog Outdoors, and The Shift breathing tool by by Jaden Hunter plus what a huge array of paddlers from across the planet list as the place the would paddle if they could.

British Canoeing’s Canoe Focus carries something of personal interest to me and their recent success of renegotiating access to the River Cam through central Cambridge. I love this stretch of water and in the busy times of the year, you will come across nearly every nationality on the planet. I expect this year to be much quieter but who knows? Thank you to you all and enjoy this issue of the Paddler.