Words and photos:
Ollie Taylor-Wood

Bio

Lieutenant Ollie Taylor-Wood currently serves on HMS Queen Elizabeth. He is a Royal Navy Paddlesport Association committee member and is the Group Scout Leader of 4th New Forest Solent Hythe Sea Scouts. He holds various provider roles with British Canoeing across freestyle and whitewater.

Ollie Taylor-Wood

The RN Paddlepsorts team is supported by the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity: https://www.rnrmc.org.uk

Remaining paddle active

I’m not that old; I’m also still relatively fit, healthy and fortunate enough to have a job that sometimes pays me to go paddling (recruitment plug in early). I haven’t been very paddle active over the last few years like almost everyone. Sure, I’ve thrown a boat in a lake or had the odd fleeting hour on a river, but between family, friends, work, pandemics, and for me, an eight-month deployment, I’ve never got into a decent paddling rhythm.

Those long-ago teenage years of paddling three or four times a week have all too quickly changed into weekly, then monthly, and with lockdowns getting on the water came dangerously close to becoming an annual event. This article is my experience of keeping paddle active against my ‘odds’. Everyone will have different ‘odds’; for some, it may be an injury, for many of my military colleagues, its deployments; after the impact of COVID, I think everyone will relate to something in this text.

Most people who write this kind of article are paddle athletes or leading coaches: the innovators of our sport. I am amazed at how resilient the elite end of our sport has been over the last two years; in particular, the resilience of coaches, many of whom have been unable to work, is particularly impressive. I am not, however, one of them; I am an enthusiast, developing coach, Naval Officer, Scout Leader and someone who, up until now, has never really had to think about going paddling.

If you’re shredding down 100ft waterfalls, doing open sea passages or competing at a world cup event, you’ve probably got everything I’m about to say covered. But if, like me, you have suddenly found yourself at risk of doing more reading or watching than actual paddling, then maybe you will find the following five ideas useful. If nothing else, it might be nice to know that many others are in the same boat (pun intended)!

Take every opportunity

This is easy to say, sometimes it just won’t happen, but the adage of ‘failing to prepare is preparing to fail’ is very accurate. On hearing I was deploying for eight months last year, my heart truly sunk, don’t get me wrong, I love my job, but leaving family and friends is never easy. I deployed on HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH for her first operational deployment to the Mediterranean, Middle East and South-East Asia.

This should have been the deployment of a lifetime, but globally the likelihood of getting ashore was low, and Asia’s COVID regulations, in particular, were super tight at the time. Despite this, I thought I’d plan for success, so I dutifully embarked a freestyle kayak and a SUP, much to the amusement of the rest of the crew. Luckily for me, there are loads of spaces on an aircraft carrier to hide a small kayak if you know where to look and come prepared with a pack of biscuits for the owner of the compartment. I also contacted some sponsored paddlers in Japan and Korea, thinking a hook up might be possible.

Well, I tried, but it wasn’t to be; almost everywhere, the doors were shut. Having a boat on board did, however, give me an opportunity for what I believe to be a world-first. I’m not sure Guinness World Records will be reaching out, but doing a bow stall on an aircraft carrier with F-35B jets in the background did make for a great photo. I’d also like to add that if you value the watertight integrity of your 10ft swimming pool, then trying freestyle moves in it, especially flat-water loops for the first time in a year, is a truly terrible idea.

To maximise opportunities, it’s also worth considering the type of paddling you do. It’s likely the opportunity to do a grade 4 river trip or weekend expedition are few and far between, but getting out on a lake, river, canal or the sea for an hour with family and friends is relatively simple. It might not be as high octane, but it will be fun and have the added benefit of keeping joints and muscles in good shape when more exciting opportunities arise. Also, the aspiring coach in me knows you can find a challenge in any environment; for me, a more serene paddle is often made more challenging when I’ve got 20 Scouts in tow; the enjoyment can be just as rewarding as nailing a line on Euthanasia Falls or throwing a mega air loop.

I’ve also started taking the newest addition to my family with me; alas, I’m averaging about two hours prep for a 20-minute paddle, but he loves it, so I’m more than happy to oblige. There’s loads of kit coming out at the moment for younger paddlers, so this also makes this an exciting new avenue to explore my growing gear obsession. 

Don’t be stubborn; learn something new

This can be a forced scenario. In 2020 during a break in restrictions, I turned up to a coaching provider event and tried to bluff my way through some SUP drills, my post-course feedback wrote itself. Having only ever seen SUP during Royal Navy Adventurous Training, I had many misconceptions. To address the lack of skill I’d shown at the provider event, I went and bought a reasonably priced board to explore the discipline. I found SUP seriously accessible; it opens up loads of different trips and adds another opportunity to get out on the water. I am also amazed at how yet another seemingly simplistic disciple can have so much to learn, improve and develop. While my kickback turns are still improving, I have already committed to SUP life and invested in eight of them for my scout group.

Your something new doesn’t have to be paddlesport; many friends of mine ski, climb or mountain bike when the rivers aren’t flowing. This keeps them fit and active and allows them to enjoy the same camaraderie they get in paddlesport. Doing something new also removes the risk of failure as your performance expectations aren’t necessarily there. This is important if you haven’t paddled regularly for a long time.

For me, enjoyment in what you do is far more important than performance. Maybe changing craft or just shaking up your routine means you’re not trying to compare yourself to previous success. The utility of a beginners mindset, no matter where you are in your paddlesport journey, is a tool that just keeps giving.

Go with friends and take it slow when you get back to it

Having not paddled properly for almost a year, I admit I was a little apprehensive when my phone screen lit up with the message, “The Dart is running; who’s free?” Luckily a strong group was interested, and one of my Royal Navy paddling buddies was willing to take the lead while I concentrated on remembering how to paddle. I would typically rate myself as a confident grade 4 paddler. As the Dart was on a nice medium level, we’d have been straight at the put-in for the upper section on any typical day.

It’s a testament to the group that the upper was never considered or mentioned for our first run. We had a great time paddling the Dart Loop, built some confidence, got comfortable with our edging, and made sure the roll still worked. In the afternoon, we hit the Upper full of conviction in our abilities and were ready to make the most of a great rapid. There were no incidents, some smooth lines, and everyone left the river buzzing.

It’s crucial to ensure that the environment you return to is right, ensuring you have the right people and conditions. It is far too easy to over commit to something you’re not ready for; for me, I have to be careful not to blindly follow the gung-ho military attitude of throwing yourself at a task. 

Get planning

Some of my favourite time’s kayaking are spent, not kayaking. They are spent in a pub, coffee shop, or on a riverbank with like-minded friends dreaming of the next big adventure. Nothing enthuses me more to get paddling than planning; researching possibilities and destinations is always fun. It also reminds me of what’s fantastic about our sport: we’re a collective, love the outdoors, and love adventure.

This is probably also why I’m still involved in scouting, an organisation with the same ethos. If the conditions aren’t perfect, why not meet with your paddling buddies anyway? For river and sea paddlers, this can sometimes present an excellent opportunity to walk the rapids or coastline, look for get-out points, and plan safety.

Planning trips is also the best way to spend an evening off the water; amongst my small group of Royal Navy paddling buddies, we have a loose rule that we never leave a trip without some idea of when we are going next. Ambition is never my failing! I’ve already got plans for Uganda, Chile, The Grand Canyon, Plattling and the Verdun Gorge to fit into the three weeks of holiday I have remaining. It might take me ten years to visit all of them – I might never achieve it – but you know what, it is fun to dream!

Read a book, do an online course, write an article

I know this goes directly against my first point on taking every opportunity to get on the water, but maybe we should also embrace some off water learning. Our sport has developed over the last ten years, especially in the coaching and leadership space. The requirement to understand concepts and theories has grown, and the accessibility of publications and viewpoints has cultivated a plethora of books, articles and online courses. At 15, I would have flat rejected any learning that wasn’t fully practical based – a book wasn’t going to make me a better freestyler, right? I still prefer learning through doing, but when you physically can’t practice every day, maybe it’s time to think about getting the most out of the time when you’re not paddling. 

I could recommend loads of fantastic books and inspiring people to follow, maybe (should paddler magazine invite me back) this could be article 2? What I will say now is that I took Coaching Adventure Sports by Paul Smith and Dan Wilkinson with me on deployment and found it a fantastic and engaging read. I would highly recommend it as essential reading for anyone who wants to improve their coaching. It also includes articles and exerts from lots of experienced coaches across Paddlesport and Climbing, nearly all of whom have their own books, articles and channels for you to explore. British Canoeing is also leading the way for online courses, resources and communication, which make learning interactive even when not practical based. I have done a few online courses and found the key speakers really engaging and the information well thought out and valuable.