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APRIL PADDLER SPOTLIGHT
Words by Bob Clark
FOR OUR APRIL PADDLERS SPOTLIGHT WE SPOKE TO BOB CLARK , MIDLAND CANOE CLUB ’ S DISABILITY ACCESS OFFICER .
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I came to paddling as a 68 year old with a lower left leg amputee , a replacement knee in my right leg , arthritic hips , balance issues and I thought it was a great idea .
My best friend of 60 years talked me into it . I borrowed his spare kayak and followed him to the River Witham . We unloaded the boats he showed me at length on how to launch . I couldn ’ t launch the way he showed me as I do not have enough knee bend . Being stubborn I said I would sort it , so I waded down the slip with the kayak between my legs till it was deep enough to float with me sitting on the back of it . I slid my legs in , not graceful but it worked . After 6 hours on the water on that sunny summer ’ s day , I was hooked .
So I set out to buy myself a used kayak and found two Kiwis . I love how stable they are and the big cockpit opening is awesome for anyone with mobility issues . However I discovered I cannot lay my foot flatter on my prosthetic leg and my foot was jamming in the kayak as I tried to straighten my left leg . The solution was simple in my mind , I had an old leg in my garage which I removed all the cosmetic elements off . Hey presto , a smaller foot that fits down inside the kayak and it still walks fine .
Now that I have my own kit , we explore different rivers in our area . I love the River Idle near Bawtry and the Chesterfield Canal at Drakeholes tunnel . I still struggled to get in and out of my kayak on muddy river banks though , so I bought a used canoe and mastered the J stroke . simulate what their restrictions are . The club then asked me if I wanted to look into this as an official club role , so I became their Disability Access Officer . I then set out to see where I could gain more information for disabled paddlers and found Norwich Canoe Club who train paracanoe paddlers , I contacted them and I was put in touch with Tim Scott who is their para coach . Their facilities are amazing and Tim was so helpful and suggested we went for a paddle on their stretch of water . As we did this , one of their para guys came past us in his paracanoe with an outrigger at such speed that it was fascinating to watch .
Since then we have been contacted by quite a few individuals with a variety of disabilities and with varying degrees of success we have managed to get them onto the water . To see their big grins makes it all worthwhile . I have now been gifted a seat that is for para paddlers that supports their upper body more and this year ’ s project is to see how we can adapt and fit it to a sit on top kayak , a canoe and a stand up paddle board for a paddler to sit on .
So as I head to my 71st birthday this year I hope to be back on my local rivers soon absorbing what Mother Nature provides for us all , so if you see this creaky paddler out and about please come and say hello .
I visited Midland Canoe Club at Darley Abbey to see if their coaches could help me . I booked a taster session and was shown the floating pontoon with an EZ Kayak Launch attached to it . It ’ s a dream to use if you have mobility or access issues . It was so easy to launch and I loved it on the River Derwent that night .
I joined the club a few days later and have been a member there for four years . With their support I am totally independent on the water now and I have started to help others gain their confidence too . I work out how to get disabled people into a craft and onto the water by trying my best to
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Canoe Focus Early Summer 2023