Interview:
Peter Tranter

Photos:
Ray Goodwin,
David Bain,
Axel Schoevers,
Jack Lowe &
Ray Mears

A chat with… Ray Goodwin MBE

We first interviewed Ray over six years ago, in issue 48 (https://paddlerezine.com/an-interview-with-ray-goodwin-mbe/), shortly after he received his MBE for services to canoeing. Before and since that interview, Ray has been a prolific contributor to the Paddler magazine with invaluable coaching advice and accounts of where he has been canoeing across the globe. With those contributions, Ray has helped to inspire so many other paddlers through his books, coaching, talks, and YouTube videos. So, once again, please take it away Ray…  

Please remind us, and for those who will not know, how you started in a very successful paddling career.
I first worked as an instructor back in ‘72 and then later became a teacher. Then, I took a year off to travel and climb. Back in the UK, I experienced real failure and the dashing of a dream. I was very much a climber and had applied to join the British Antarctic Survey. It was a two-and-a-half-year contract. I got an interview but failed to get the post. All of a sudden, I needed a job. I had contacts with an outdoor centre in North Wales (Plas yr Antur), and the boss offered me work as an instructor. Even then, I saw myself as a climber, but most of my colleagues were sea and WW kayakers as well as mountain folk.

They got fed up with me taking them out on wet climbs on rainy days: I had been choosing climbs for wet days that had a reputation for being damp, so a bit of rain made no difference in my mind. Anyway, I soon got dragged into kayaking on the sea and rivers. I had a big reputation for swimming down rapids, and it took a while before I started staying in my boat. Eventually, I paddled in the Alps and even made a Grand Canyon trip.

We’ve seen your WW kayaking photos; when and why the change to open canoeing?
I am currently wading through piles of slides, so some sea kayaking ones will also turn up.  I loved sea kayaking as I could just put the boat on the roof of the car and set off on amazing solo adventures: some bloody sneaky ones at that. The centre where I worked had a canoe, and we were all keen to play with it. Loel Collins was a decent canoeist and an exceptional kayaker and gave me my first actual instruction and a lot of fun. We were running a lot of class 5 in a kayak then, and I reasoned anything I would take a canoe down would be far safer, and I could always swim to the side (in the middle of the Irish Sea, this thought seemed very naive. There were a couple of brilliant outings with Loel, and some of the upsets were so funny. I remember laughing so much; it hurt. At the same time, I started reading as much as possible about canoes, including Bill Mason’s books on technique. It was very much like climbing, which had literature and history, and that inspired me. 

Of all your travels – which have you enjoyed the most?
Do you have a favourite child? Thank goodness I have only one, so that is easy to answer.  Now, trips are a different thing.  Fresh in my mind is the Porcupine River in Saskatchewan. It was challenging and remote, and I knew it would be the last of that type I would paddle and portage. But I loved Algonquin with Maya (my daughter). To share the wilderness with her was amazing.  I have fond memories of travelling in Western Sudan and climbing a remote mountain there:  the people were amazing, and oddly enough, I really like desert-like landscapes. Hence, I loved the Big Bend of the Rio Grande. I can’t forget the wonderful River Spey. I have done it so many times and loved it so much. 

How do canoeing and exploration give you satisfaction?
I love the dance in the canoe. There is a beauty and satisfaction in the movement. Exploration: well, the bigger, the better. What is around the next bend? What is over the horizon? I think the need to explore is hard-wired into our DNA. Our ancestors spread out from one spot in Africa to fill the world (for good or bad). An expedition has a purpose, which is often simple in concept and a real contrast to our everyday lives. There is an oddity, and I warn the client about this on our Canadian trips; having travelled with purpose, the endpoint can be an anticlimax and filtering back into the modern world can be harsh, even depressing. 

Do you have any overseas canoeing journeys lined up?
Sadly no. I can still travel to Canada as long as there are no real portages. Insurance is now a problem with age and heart issues.

What canoe and equipment are you currently using?
Paddles by Freebird. Love their stuff. NRS has been so good with drysuits and more.  Then into canoes:  I still love my Venture Afon, the big blue beast.  It is excellent as a tandem boat and will take a battering. However, my favourite is the Silverbirch Broadland in Kevlar. I can pick it up from the ground, throw it on my shoulders, and believe I am 20 years younger.  It moves beautifully and is light. That is transformational.

What is the most significant accomplishment in your career?
Two things I would list. First, the circumnavigation of Wales by canoe back in 1992. It changed people’s perception of what a canoe could do, all down to Robert Egelstaff’s original concept of the circumnavigation of Wales. Once we started discussing the idea, with a liberal helping of wine and whisky, we changed from doing the coast in sea kayak to doing the whole thing in canoe. That was some trip. I think it helped change people’s perception of what a canoe was capable of in skilled hands. Strangely, we managed to get on with fishermen on our ascent of the Afon Dyfrdwy (River Dee), and with one exception, kayakers either openly mocked us for being in a canoe or were dismissive. Canoes were seen as something used by people who couldn’t kayak.

The second is helping to inspire so many other people through my book, coaching, talks, and videos.

You run a very successful YouTube channel on your canoeing exploits – how did that come about?
I have always enjoyed talking and writing about technique and my trips, so moving to video was obvious. Covid helped as I had masses of spare time and a small reservoir 350 metres from our isolated house. I could take the time to learn how to use Final Cut Pro and start the process. Don’t get the idea that I am a tech genius, I struggled to learn this stuff. I have often described myself as a stubborn bastard learner. If I have an objective I truly want, I will work hard for it. I have had a lot of highly supportive comments and conversations. It makes no sense financially as the returns are so low, but some help via buymeacoffe.com. It gives me a sense of purpose.

When canoeing as a duo, what attributes do you look for in a fellow paddler?
Someone who shares my objectives on a trip. The style, the speed, the ethics. Having that shared purpose gets rid of a lot of rub points.  The objective can be as simple as sharing a gentle trip to crossing Scotland in a single day. 

Which gives you the most pleasure – WW canoeing or flat water?
Depends on the day. It is hard to beat the mirror calm of a lake in the early morning light. There is also a great joy in making moves down a rapid, interacting with the changes in current. It is a dance. 

You’re no spring chicken, and you have publicised your health conditions on knees and heart; how are you trying to improve your physical condition? Does having a teenage daughter help?
In my seventies, age has finally caught up with me. In response to one of my questions, my doctor said, “Are you surprised?” It still makes me smile. This body is not going to have a good second-hand value.

I am going to the gym twice a week for a workout. I’m trying to do some walking, but my knees and heart make it harder. Having Maya, if anything, makes it harder as I wanted to do trips with her to the mountains and the like. Not possible now. Paddling is fine if I don’t have big portages, but I still can do distance. Maya says she encourages me out on walks. Mind once we are out, she talks at/to me the whole time, and I am too slow to get away (which she likes).

Do you prefer solo or tandem canoeing?
Tandem but only with my daughter (Maya made me type this). I love both and wouldn’t choose between them. With a good bow paddler, it is wonderful and becomes a dance, and you can really push distance.  I love the quiet times when I am solo, as well as the movement.

Do you have an eco-message for fellow paddlers?
Not really because so much has changed in our understanding in recent years. Having had all those years where air travel and the like were not a spoken-of issue, things are different now, and folk will have to deal with the philosophy of what they are doing environmentally.  

And where in the world would that favourite place be?
In a kayak, the Grand Canyon of Colorado. In a canoe, anywhere in Canada’s Boreal Forest. 

If you could capture just one ‘feel good’ moment in your time paddling – which would it be and why?
Paddling in Algonquin with my daughter and wife. I already knew, as should we all, that time is limited when we can do these things. I’m so glad I did that trip with Maya. 

What’s the best way to improve paddling skills?
Doing it. Doing it with purpose. Doing it well all the time. If you aspire to always paddle well, then when you are tired, under pressure, or frightened, you will continue to paddle well because your body knows no other way. That is fundamental to my approach to paddling. 

Of the many canoeing/bushcraft expeditions you’ve undertaken, which has been the toughest and why?
The circumnavigation of Wales in a canoe was relentless, and we averaged some 32 miles per day for 18 days. We had some brutal days, with the crossing from Tywyn to Tudwal Island standing out because the wind forecast was out. I have a picture of me in total exhaustion, physically and mentally, slumped on the Tudwals.

What’s the one favourite piece of camping kit you couldn’t do without?
A good tarp. A lightweight one for my personal space around my tent.  A larger one (Aiguille) for group use and improvised sailing.

You look a very happy and contented man – what’s the secret to your good feeling?
Looks can be deceiving. I do have a habit, though, of putting things behind me and accepting them. I look forward to what I am going to do. I love where I live and love my family.

What’s it like being a new owner of kittens?
I am not the owner; Maya is. After an initial reluctance, I have enjoyed having them around the house. Maya’s being away for a few days has allowed the kittens and me to bond. 

What would be your ultimate achievement?
That I have inspired other people.  

What’s next for you?
More videos, several Scottish trips, one of which really excites me.

What’s your favourite UK location for paddling?
Any of the islands on the west coast of Scotland. I was so privileged to sea kayak guide there for many years. But then, I can still imagine paddling the Spey for many years to come.

Quickfire questions:

If your canoe had a name, what would it be?
The canoe must decide on its name. 

What’s The strangest thing you’ve been floating in the water?
Not the strangest, but the most surprising. Off a Scottish island, in a sea kayak, I spotted two fins flopping about in the water. I paddled across to have a look. I looked down to see the biggest, open mouth I had ever seen. I was very quickly elsewhere. Then I stopped and called myself a stupid… It was my first encounter with a basking shark. Ever since, I have relished these encounters, but that first one was a complete shock.  

If you could only paddle to the beat of one song, what song do you choose?
Lose Yourself by Eminem – the chorus rather than the song as a whole. Maybe not the beat but the idea of seizing the moment, and maybe it is the one chance. 

What essential gear do you always bring?
A spare paddle. It’s so easy to drop one, and the spare saves the embarrassment. 

If your canoe could talk, what would it say about your paddling skills?
“Mind the bloody stern!” on ledgy rivers canoes have a habit of smacking the stern down on the lip with a loud crack. Other than that, I think the canoe is happy with me. 

If you could only bring three items on a canoe trip – what would they be?
If it were paddling kit, it would be one of my wooden paddles from Freebird, a buoyancy aid because I am such a crap swimmer, and my GoPro to tell the story.  For the shore, it would be a tarp (I can’t live comfortably without one), a good sleeping bag and, most importantly, dry socks. Life still has pleasures if you can have warm, dry feet. 

What’s the oddest snack you’ve ever eaten while paddling?
Deep-fried, rehydrated vegetables! For a thirteen-day trip, a Canadian outfitter provided us with a poor selection of food, but we had a mass of batter mix and fat for frying fish. We were terrible at catching fish and desperate for anything different to eat, so we tried battering and deep frying cereal bars and then, in desperation, rehydrated veg. It was not particularly successful. 

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever tried to transport in a canoe?
Various rocks and bits of timber for the house and garden. Paddling a canoe, I have often volunteered to transport ‘treasures’.

What’s your most unusual canoeing ritual or superstition?
Scouter starts on the river! Boat pointed up into the current or up eddy.  Then, with one foot in the canoe, shove off quickly and hard to get the speed and angle for the first move.  If I know I have an audience, I avoid picking up the paddle until the arc is well underway. Mind, I will do this even if no one else is around. It makes me smile and even giggle with a particularly good one. PS I don’t do this when I am frightened.

What’s the ultimate canoeing superpower you wish you had?
Ankles and legs that still worked after hours in the boat.

If you could only speak in canoe-related puns for a day, what would be your best one?
No canoe puns, but did you hear about the Greenland kayaker who suffered from cold feet? He took to paddling with a blubber candle between his feet. One day, the candle toppled over in a storm, burning a hole in the kayak. The kayaker drowned, which gave rise to that well-known saying, “You can’t have your kayak and heat it.” 

Finally, any shoutouts?
To all of those I have paddled with over the years, to Venture and now Silverbirch for their support over the last years. I love my Freebird Paddles and, of course, NRS. And a big thank you to my so supportive and long suffering wife, Lina.