WORDS:
ELAINE FARQUHARSON
DORSET SUP COACHING AND GUIDING
PHOTOS:
ELAINE FARQUHARSON
Ylva Hatlebrekke-Brady
Dominic Burr
Titus Kodzoman
Siriwan Fern Champorn
Michelle Evans
Ollie Walker
Juli Ilina
Elaine’s Bio
Elaine owns and runs Dorset Sports Physio, based in Weymouth community college sports centre. She offers sports physiotherapy, biomechanics and coaching to the Dorset communities. Elaine’s specialist interest is tri sports and SUP, not only as a competitor but also through her work as a coach and physio. Elaine’s specialist work with the lower quadrant has helped her achieve advanced practice recognition in hip and pelvis and works closely alongside Dorset’s expert hip surgeons and lower limb specialists. Elaine’s facilities offer a large private treatment room, three sports halls, a fully equipped gym, sports pitches, and also racquet courts across the two sites. Elaine also has a hydrotherapy pool and Pilates studio off campus. @dorsetsportsphysio
A chat with… Kev Brady
Imagine sitting under a star-filled Norwegian sky, wild camping on the banks of the fjords. The crackle and warmth of the camp fire surround you as you sit snuggled with your team recounting stories and tales of adventures. That’s how I first met Kev as his assistant SUP expedition guide with SUPNorway.
In a modern world filled with social media influencers, it was refreshing to meet someone authentic. He lives and breathes the lifestyle of an adventure paddler and has pushed the boundaries of the sport early on in its development. Kev is skilled in white water and has achieved multi-day self-supported expeditions with his wife from source to sea on some truly inspiring rivers. I want to share some of the conversations we all enjoyed and hopefully inspire you to push your boundaries one day.
What got you started as a SUP paddler?
In 2015 I swam the River Severn from source to sea, taking me 31 days. During the planning phase, I sought advice from people who had done some expedition swims, and I had a helpful chat with adventurer Dave Cornthwaite (check out his Expedition 1000 project). As well as giving me some golden advice on how to avoid ear infections with alcohol and vinegar, he advised me to put my support team on SUPs. Reason being that not only could all our camping kit fit on them, but they’d also be more practical rescuing me if needed than a canoe or kayak. Red Paddle Co sponsored me with four boards of their old Explorer range, but only two people were on my support team.
So these two spare boards came on the river when people wanted to join for a day. As we got closer and closer to my hometown of Gloucester, more and more people wanted to join in. So with every breath in between strokes for a month, I watched people paddle and beginners fall in; it looked like great fun. Once I’d finished the swim at the end of October, I became a bit obsessed, paddling almost every day right through the winter on the Gloucester Sharpness Canal, Severn and Wye. I fell in love with the sport, and it made canoeing obsolete for me. Eighteen months later, I was an ASI instructor and founded SUP Gloucester.
What are you most proud of accomplishing in SUP?
It would have to be when I first travelled to Sri Lanka in 2016 and completed the first source-to-sea descent of the Mahaweli, Sri Lanka’s longest river, solo and unsupported. It’s only 335km long but it took me a whole month. Information online was limited, such as the exact location of the source, water levels, access, re-supply opportunities etc., and regarding any white water sections or drops.
Once I found its source in the central highlands, it took four days of hiking to keep track of a jungle-covered stream before the water became deep enough to paddle. Then there were long, dry sections with tricky portages and some white water sections I had no business running with my level of experience. The wildlife got very interesting during the final ten days in the country’s northeast. I regularly saw large crocodiles, camping in places with elephant tracks and heard about leopards and bears from locals. The wildest adventure I’ve ever been on.
Tell me about your experience in WW SUP.
I’d had a little experience on the Mahaweli and Symonds Yat, but in 2017 I booked a day of coaching with Ant Ing (Standup paddle UK) in Llangollen on the River Dee. How he taught and demonstrated white water SUP techniques blew my mind, I had no idea SUP was being taken to this level. That run from Horseshoe Falls to Mile End Mill was some of the most fun I’ve ever had on a SUP. I’ll never forget my heart pumping running Serpent’s Tail on my knees. Then seeing Ant run it on his feet with a stylish brace was deeply impressive.
Since then, I’ve tried to learn and play as much as possible. In 2018 I started leading multi-day hammock camping adventures down the Gin River in Sri Lanka with some excellent little class IIs and testing myself out there on the Kitulgala, taking some beatings on solid class III. In early 2020, me and my wife Ylva moved to Voss in western Norway as it is close to the fjords where I guide in the summers with SUP Norway. I quickly learned that Voss is a mecca for kayakers. The rivers there are world-class! Most of the sections are too heavy for me on my Tambo, but I’ve found three sections I love depending on the levels: Bjorke, Upper Stranda and the Vosso – mostly class I to lower end of III.
The Norwegian class III is a helluva lot scarier than the UK’s! I ran Lower Stranda once, a ‘class III’ section, and swam most of it, took a few bruises and received a lot of downtime on a rapid named Cora. I haven’t been back since. One day though. In 2021, I completed white water safety and rescue and WW SUP coach courses with Ant Ing and Phil Hadley – both courses are extremely worthwhile.
What tips would you recommend to anyone wanting to get into White water SUP?
First of all, get a lesson! Moving water needs a lot of respect, and there is so much to learn, especially about scouting, reading water and assessing risk. I look back at some of the things I’ve done on the river and cringe at how badly it could have gone and how easily it could have been avoided with a little knowledge. Once you’re up on equipment, safety and some basic techniques, find your local WW SUP group and play! Don’t go alone, and be very careful letting your ego make you run a rapid; it usually hurts.
Do you have a favourite place to paddle, and why?
Hard to say. During the winter, we live in Ahangama on Sri Lanka’s south coast and our local river, the Goviapana, is stunning at sunset. Flat and glassy as mangroves protect it, loads of water monitors and beautiful birds, then just after the sun goes down, the sky fills with about a thousand fruit bats. Gets me every time. When I’m in Norway, I would say Naeroyfjord during the spring. Snow-capped mountains, pumping waterfalls and fairytale-like camp spots. It’s pretty dreamy. Oh, and Upper Stranda for some white water fun. It’s a lovely run with loads of eddies to hop around in, a couple of sections you don’t want to fall to get the blood pumping a bit, a continuous section to challenge your line, and then an easy 20-minute walk back to the start to have another crack.
I know you’ve completed some amazing SUP expeditions. What’s your longest trip, and how did you achieve it?
In 2021, Ylva and myself paddled Scandinavia’s longest river system source to sea on a 15’ Red Paddle Tandem Voyager – 770 km. As far as I know, we’re the first to do this. It took us 46 days and was amazingly varied, with five distinct stages. Firstly we were in Femundsmarka National Park, Sweden, at 1000m altitude, paddling a system of lakes connected by fast, shallow rivers. There were some brutal portages on the wet, slippy rough trail, especially as we needed to carry seven days’ worth of food. Secondly, 70km of Lake Femunden, and then we entered a river over 400km long comprised of Trysilelva and the Klaralven. The first 100km was a continuous class I with a few class II and IIIs thrown in. We covered so much ground so quickly, it was phenomenal.
I was also amazed at how well a fully loaded tandem could handle white water. We removed the fin, Ylva was the power at the front, I was the rudder at the back, and we negotiated some quite technical little runs. The weight of the board also helped punch through little waves and holes.
The fourth section was tough – Lake Vanern, the largest lake in Europe (outside of Russia). Exposed to the wind and big waves. We spent nine days skirting around its banks, only risking one crossing of 10km, during which we experienced some 3-5ft wind swell. There were long, hard grafting days of paddling in headwinds to get off that lake.
Lastly, the cruisy 100km of the Gota Alv took us into Gothenburg. The trip was made extra special as I proposed to Ylva on day three. Luckily she said yes, or she would have had difficulty finding her way home.
You live an idyllic lifestyle Kev, working as a paddling guide and coach in Norway and Sri Lanka – two very different locations. Please tell me more about the types of trips/holidays you offer paddlers out there.
In Sri Lanka, with SUP Escapes (www.supescapes.com), we offer week-long retreat-style SUP holidays. We paddle on the Goviapana I mentioned earlier during sunrise and sunset, two ocean paddles to different beaches – Mirissa and Unawatuna, then two SUP surf sessions – a beautiful way to see the country and improve some skills. We stay in lush accommodation with a pool and great local food. Ylva also gives daily yoga classes, including fire-lit SUP yoga on the river. Bloody magical! With SUP Norway, we offer two expeditions: a five-day in Naeroyfjord and Aurlandsfjord, an eight-dayer including Geirangerfjiord, Lovatnet Lake and a climb up a via ferrata in Loen. All are self-supported with camping, and some spots are wild and remote. Truly spectacular!
Do you have any dream trips that you are burning to complete?
In October 2022, Ylva and myself spent a week tandem paddling and wild camping down the Vjosa River in Albania. I would love to start leading multi-day white water expeditions down there. It’s stunning, surrounded by mountains and incredibly blue water. It is still undammed and dubbed ‘The last wild river of Europe’. The wild camping opportunities are beautiful, with endless amounts of twisted driftwood to burn. The people are super friendly and hospitable, and the food there is also awesome. Hearty stews and Greek Tsatziki! I love the tandem SUP wild camping exploration trips with Ylva on whitewater. Maybe the Soca next? That is one beautiful river! I must time that one well with water levels and portage the Class V bits!
Finally, what’s your vision for the future of SUP?
It’s been amazing to see the sport develop over these past seven years. The industry is changing – demand for beginner’s lessons has decreased as people now want more. More development, more exciting environments, more challenge. This is where adventure SUP holidays are perfect. I want to keep developing these in different parts of the world. As regards the white water scene, videos keep popping up on my feed of people running crazier and crazier waters. We will see some exceptional SUP athletes with wizard-like skills when this finally enters the Olympics. I can’t wait.
I want to finish by thanking Kev for his time. He works in two amazing locations if you want to be coached or guided by him. SUPNorway through the summer season www.supnorway.com or SUP Escapes in Sri Lanka through the winter season www.supescapes.com
