The PaddlerUK magazine March 2015 issue 1 | Page 10

What more could
I have asked for:
a weekend paddling on my own, an opportunity to
improve my sea kayaking skills and a chance to test
out my new surf boat all under the guidance of some
of the best female coaches kayaking has to offer. The
icing on the cake was the price at £60. Yes, I would still
have to pay for travel and accommodation but still
cheaper than two days with a private company. Sold!

Mags Duncan, Margaret Pearson, Morag Brown,Vicki Haywood, Jutta Dimke, Kirsty Murfitt, Anne Young, Karen Duff

The Scottish Women’s Paddling Symposium Committee

ThePaddlerUK 10

When the time came for me to go along I was a wee
bit nervous as I was going on my own and I had no
idea where I was going. Findhorn was up there! The
A9 beckoned followed by some random B roads and
not a toilet in sight when I needed one.
I got registered, booked into my B&B and then spent
some time meeting with some of the women I would
be spending the weekend with.
Day one and it was time to find the waves – surfing
here we come. The group met up and jumped in the
van and set off for the short journey to Sandend. We
spent some time watching the water and doing some
beach coaching before warming up and getting on the
water.
The water was a good level for beginners with only
little waves, less than a foot high. The funny thing about
those little waves is that they look so cute and
innocent and yet lean in the wrong direction and it’s a
North Sea bath for you!

only did they sell non-alcoholic beer – it was cold. A
roomful of strangers can always be a bit daunting but
everyone was so buzzed after a great day that the
room was alive with all the chatter of everyone’s
adventures. The night was only made better with the
good food and amazing deserts. A raffle, where
everyone really was a winner concluded before we all
bade our farewells and looked forward to saying hello
to our beds.

3 Star sea skills

Day two and it was time to practice some 3 Star sea
skills. The weather was great again and the views over
the bay were sublime. Group sizes were small again
with six paddlers and two coaches. It was a good day
running over all the key strokes and using docked
boats and buoys as obstacles and also a great
opportunity to be reminded of good practice and to
have those tips whispered in your ear as to how best
refine your strokes.
After lunch we practiced our rescues. I had the
pleasure of rediscovering what has turned out to be
the impossible to patch leak in my drysuit. I did
‘women’ up though and did the lot, even throwing in a
roll to see if I could do one in a sea kayak – I can. The
day finished with me being cold but happy.
Before I knew it our day was coming to an end. It was
time to get out of our paddling gear and help
everyone get their boats on their cars. A final cuppa
and then it was time to drive back down the road.

The look on everyone else’s face said it all though.
Surfing is awesome!

It was a great weekend; a weekend to reconnect with
myself and time to connect to other women who
share my passion for paddling. It was different. I can’t
define how, it just was. Was it because it was an all
women event? Was i