Tribute: Mike Devlin
& friends

Photos: Mike Devlin,
Keith Hampton &
Islay McEwan

Mike Devlin

William G. Taylor aka Bill/‘Billy’ Taylor tribute

On the 26th of March 2023, just 11 days after his 64th birthday, paddlesport lost an inspiration. While cycling the Southern Tier Coast to Coast cycle route across the USA, Bill, or Billy, as he was affectionately known, was taken from us. 

To those of us lucky enough to have spent time with or to have known and worked with him closely, Bill has been and forever will be the brightest star that guided our lives. Partner, brother, Paddler, friend, academic, adventurer, environmentalist, mentor, cyclist, dog lover, cook, fisherman, colleague, confidant, and mischief-maker – Bill was all these things and more.

Bill’s passing will be difficult to rationalise for those closest to him. Indeed, to many, Bill was so much more than the above outline. Across areas of academia, paddlesport, and sports coaching, the list of people affected by Bill’s interactions is unfathomable. Sometimes intersecting, often not, so much so that many who knew Bill as a paddler would be unaware of his academic achievements and vice versa.

stories and experiences

If all I had to say and share with you were the details of times spent in a boat (canoe or kayak), this short tribute would become a book full of adventure and achievement. Bill’s life story, however, is so much more. It is a life which, if reflected in the connections, stories and experiences of friends made across the globe, would run to several volumes. Indeed, the breadth and reach are such that it could not be captured here, so I attempt to provide a flavour of who Bill was and what Bill represented to me and leave it to others to add their perspective.

From a first encounter at Plas Menai in 1986 until his untimely death, Bill has been a rock, a constant source of support and stability. Together we have journeyed far and wide, both physically and metaphorically. Many are the adventures and experiences we have shared at home and abroad. Many are the life-enhancing experiences and life-threatening moments we have shared, moments he was thankfully able to later recount with his customary quick wit and humour, moments which translated to wilderness wisdom and have subsequently been passed down to new and future generations of paddlers and adventurers.

Following early days paddling on the River Thames, racing with Royal Canoe Club and working with PGL, Bill drifted into instructing, taking great pleasure in sharing, caring and leading others.

PGCE in outdoor education

No surprise, therefore, that Bill found himself following a path that took him into academic study, completing a PGCE in outdoor education at Moray House, Edinburgh University; a life-changing moment for Bill as not only did it provide an opportunity to be amongst the mountains, completing both summer and winter ML’s, it later led to an academic career that enabled him to combine his many interests in people and sport, education, and coaching.

Equally at home in canoe or kayak, Bill moved to Leicester, where he worked closely with and became a director of Mobile Adventure, and along with Colin Broadway and Kevin Dooher, sat at the heart of the re-emergence of open boating in the UK, focusing on making boats and equipment more readily available, as well as providing specific skills training courses and opportunities to share his great enthusiasm for rivers and the natural world.

Returning to work firstly in further education and then higher education, Bill completed a doctorate in Education while working closely with several NGBs and, in particular, British Canoeing in developing a clearer understanding of coaching and the coaching process as well as the development of coaching systems. Amongst other things, some will remember him as the Level 5 Regional Development lead.

Bill’s early years at Manchester Metropolitan University provided new insights and opportunities for a cadre of students seeking to establish themselves in teaching and coaching in the outdoors. Wednesday club, midnight runs on the Dee bore, cross country jaunts to catch the Severn, Dee and Aegir bore, all during the same moon phase.’ Cortina’ Gorge, Rikshaw racing in Kathmandu, and, dare I say, an ambitious mini-exped to Corsica are just some of the events that introduced enthusiastic ‘interns’ to adventure Bill Taylor style as well a number of his larger-than-life friends, at least one of whom would affectionately refer to Bill as the ‘intellectual pork chop’.

Spread liberally through Bill’s life were innumerable explorations, usually but not exclusively by water. Journeys and adventures, where the emphasis created a connection with the world and an understanding of himself.

In the words of James Kavanaugh (there are men too gentle to live amongst the wolves), Bill was a ‘searcher’, ‘an explorer of life, hoping to uncover its ultimate secrets. He was keen to explore himself, hoping to understand and be drawn by the natural world, its mysteries and unspeakable beauty.

As well as many trips to France, Austria, Spain, and Italy, Bill has explored Pacific coasts and rainforests, Moroccan Sahara, Himalayan mountains, Scandinavian fjords, African dawns and Arctic glaciers.

Solo descents of the Danube River by canoe and the Solomon Islands by sea kayak mark Bill out as a committed wilderness traveller, while the list below of other river/sea journeys scratches the surface of wider travels and adventures that include the Pacific crest trail and alpine peaks completed with his brother and more recently long-distance road and mountain bike rides, recently completing the Rhine cycle route with his partner Islay.

Bill Taylor’s love of the natural world and caring, sharing spirit continue to be evidenced following his recent ‘retirement’. Engaging with and supporting Equal Adventure, delivering on inclusion and ethics in expeditions, fieldwork and outdoor adventure for all, as well as signing up for seasonal work with Wilderness Scotland.

Having had the privilege of being Bill’s friend for 37 years, I consider myself to be one of the luckiest of those that knew him. Mostly a private man with a strong moral compass that some struggled to appreciate, full of vim and vigour yet compassionate, unafraid to step up to the plate, supportive and generous to a fault, always prepared to do things because it was the right thing to do and forever challenging those who knew him to go the extra mile.

Through the many hours spent together in boats, on bikes, on foot or skis, I knew more of the multi-faceted Bill Taylor than many. It is hard to believe that we will not be able to set out on the remaining adventures we were planning together. However, I know he will always be there, sitting on my shoulder, checking and challenging me to make sure all is OK and safe.

To say I will miss him is the biggest understatement of my life – oh, and yes, I almost forgot, I will also miss his propensity for a little mischief and his maxim of not letting the truth get in the way of a mate’s embarrassment!

Remembering Bill

Such a shock… then the memories started. Pakistan with Billy Boy and Fuzz, which started me on my wild kayaking adventures. The Grand Canyon, the Altai/Siberia, Seti Karnali and Sun Kosi in Nepal, numerous ‘Current Trends’ Alpine trips, and yes, those weekends in the George at Garrigill, and me getting up hungover very early Monday morning to drive back to Rotherham for work! But perhaps the one thing that will stay with me is his nickname for me.
Martin Burgoyne (Pappa Smurf)

Janice and I were driving to Florida to visit my mother when Leon and Shawna called to tell us about Bill. It was shocking and such sad news. As you know, Bill changed my life. He was a mentor and friend. Bill made me a better paddler, coach, and person. He set a standard that pushed me to meet them. I never knew why all these people went out of their way to help me (and Janice) run our little kayak business and to be such good friends. Of all of these people, Bill stood out. He befriended me the very first time I met him. He took me under his mentorship. I knew how lucky I was, as Bill didn’t do that lightly. I wish I could spend one more day with him to tell him how special he was to me, how much he changed my life, and how much I looked up to him – how I loved him.
Bill Lozano Atlantic Kayak Tours

Bill’s loss is deeply felt, and the Equal Adventure team (including the dogs) miss his generous, inquiring, glasses nose-balanced eyes-peering conversations, edits and debates that helped to hold us to high standards and move thinking into action. He only did things that he felt were important, so we were very honoured to have him as a trustee. For many of the team, the beaches, rivers and hills, the backdrop to where the important conversations and adventures with Bill happened, will feel a little too lonely as we attempt to come to terms with our loss.
Suresh Paul – Equal Adventure

The last time I saw Bill, he gave me one of his arm-encircling, pull-you-in-close, famous ‘Billy bear hugs’ and said, “If you need me to come back, just let me know, and I’ll be here.” He knew I was stretched and was going through rough times with my sister’s early death, my mother’s untimely death, and Leon’s ongoing serious medical issues. That is the kind of friend Bill was to me. He was always there even though he lived “across the pond.”

One of my many, but one of my most powerful reoccurring memories of Bill is walking beside him and his lovely dogs. We were all silent as we walked in the fresh mud of the corn fields passing magnificent mature oak trees, watching for birds and feeling the cool air of an early morning. It was a typical day, a daily ritual in his life, and I was one of the lucky ones to have been able to tag along. He was inclusive. He was in love with life. I loved him dearly. He was and always will be, my jester, my guide, and one of my rarest-and-most-human friends.
Shawna Franklin (Body Boat Blade International)

Whenever I think about Bill, I laugh out loud and feel grateful for our time together. He was a very funny man. Because of his wit, substance, and style in mentoring me as a paddlesports coach, he reached into almost every aspect of my life. Using sarcasm, he became a sage to me, as only Bill could do. He pushed me to be the best person I could be in every situation, and when I failed at that, he was there to help me understand why.

It’s so fortuitous to me that Mike chose the words of James Kavanaugh ‘There Are Men Too Gentle To Live Among Wolves’ for Bill’s remembrance, as it has been a favourite poem of mine since college.

I took it upon myself to make a small change to the poem years ago, and I think Bill would approve: “For wanderers, dreamers, and lovers, for lonely men and women who dare to ask of life everything good and beautiful. It is for those who are gentle enough to live among wolves.” Bill was a man gentle enough to live among wolves.
Leon Somme (Body Boat Blade International)

In addition to producing a considerable body of literature at both Manchester Metropolitan University and, more recently, at Leeds Beckett, his advocacy of social justice interests in education and beyond marked him as a person and scholar of considerable sincerity. Not only did he persuasively champion critical coaching scholarship, but he actively embodied it. He served as a conscience for the journal in many ways, keeping its stated purpose forever present in discussions. Being a believer in the need to ‘live your words’, Bill was also characteristically active in and passionate about, canoe/kayak coaching and coach education. He certainly walked the talk.

Bill was a popular, deeply respected figure, a critical and humanistic pedagogue, an insightful colleague, a firm friend, and a benevolent mentor to many associated with SCR, CRiC and the broader sports coaching community. His death is a profound loss at both personal and professional levels, and he’ll be sorely missed. My deepest condolences naturally extend to Islay, his family and friends at this sad time. We’ll all miss you, Bill.
Robyn L Jones
Professor of Sport and Social Theory,
Cardiff Metropolitan University

There Are Men Too Gentle to Live Among Wolves

“I am one of the searchers. There are, I believe, millions of us. We are not unhappy, but neither are we really content. We continue to explore life, hoping to uncover its ultimate secret. We continue to explore ourselves, hoping to understand. We like to walk along the beach; we are drawn by the ocean, taken by its power, its unceasing motion, its mystery and its unspeakable beauty. We like forests and mountains, deserts and hidden rivers, and the lonely cities as well. Our sadness is as much a part of our lives as is our laughter. To share our sadness with one we love is perhaps as great a joy as we can know – unless it is to share our laughter.

We searchers are ambitious only for life itself, for everything beautiful it can provide. Most of all, we love and want to be loved. We want to live in a relationship that will not impede our wandering, nor prevent our search, nor lock us in prison walls; that will take us for what little we have to give. We do not want to prove ourselves to another or compete for love.

For wanderers, dreamers, and lovers, for lonely men and women who dare to ask of life everything good and beautiful. It is for those who are too gentle to live among wolves.”
James Kavanaugh

Bill’s notable adventures

River Danube: source to sea – a solo canoe journey
Solomon Islands: solo sea kayak odyssey
Siberia: Altai River
The Shire River: Malawi
Siberia: Katun River
Pakistan: Indus River
Pakistan: Gilgit River
Grand Canyon: kayak
Nepal: Karnali River
Nepal: Sun Kosi River
Raft guiding the Kicking Horse River
Ottowa: The Ottowa and Gatineau Rivers
Corsica: Rivers
Pharoe Islands: sea kayaking
Northern Norway: sea kayaking
Central Norway: rivers
Grand Canyon: raft
The Lon Las Cymru Cycle ride
Coast to coast cycle route
The Rhine Way cycle way