ThePADDLER 80
Next came May , and
one of my favourite trips , from Coleraine to Castlerock on the Lower Bann through the Barmouth to land on the beach . I landed first , which allowed me to get some comedy shots of my fellow paddlers making their way through the surf . If it ’ s not caught on camera , it didn ’ t happen !
We had several visits to Lough Neagh that month , including skills sessions at Toome , a trip to Shane ’ s Castle from Antrim , and an epic sailing trip in Force 4 winds and exhilarating fetch from Toome to Cranfield . In contrast , a few days later was a relaxed sunny Sunday afternoon trip with great company from Toome to Lough Beg and back . Spring was in the air !
In my ‘ spare ’ time , I also started sea kayaking in May ! Definitely one of my favourite paddling months of 2022 .
JUNE
At the beginning of June , I completed my paddlesport leader assessment with my sister , Emily . Yet more paddling in the wind followed , with a breezy coaching session on Lough Beg . Next , a well-attended CANI recreational paddle ran from Portglenone . Still no sign of the summer , we had a very stormy sailing race at Portrush Yacht club , ably won by Gareth Mahood . Finally , as the weather improved , a group enjoyed a beautiful still evening paddle on Lough Neagh . And we managed to squeeze in a sneaky wee whitewater tandem paddle towards the end of the month . Four seasons in as many weeks !
We had a birthday trip to the Barrow River in County Kilkenny in July . It appeared to be a lovely area , but it passed me by in a blur . I can ’ t recall how many kilometres we covered , but it is safe to say next time Mahood mentions a challenge I am making myself scarce !
A family day at Movanagher on the River Bann was a great success , attended by over 50 people in fantastic weather . There was a club trip to the Shannon , and skills sessions continued , including Castlewellan lakes and tandem skills at Coleraine and Dundrum .
Next came another round of the Ulster Canoe Challenges- a navigation challenge on Lough Beg . This time I was prepared and brought my engine with me in the form of my 12-year-old son , Thomas .
Geoff at Strangford
Evening on the Barrow