The Paddler 5 – Jan 2013
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India Sikkim By Darin McQuoid India Kashmir Issue 5 Issue By Steve Brooks Stu Morris TheInternational digital magazine for recreational paddlers . By Peter Tranter Paddlerezinecom Canada By Leslie Kolovich Dave Cornthwaite By Leslie Kolovich Lake fishing By Simon Everett Portugal By Chris Kenyon Spain By Nigel Gill Canada By Becky Mason Tanzania By Alan Feldstein First paddle By Phil Carr Testing By Terry Wright OLYMPICStu Morris interview boat DESIGNER 80-MILES SUP record distance on OKANAGAN HIGHSikkim and Kashmir expeditions in EXPECTATION Contents January 13 Photo of the month for January 2013 Derwentwater, Lake District, December 2012. By Geoff Griffiths Editor Advertising sales Front cover: No pools form on the Teesta Peter Tranter Anne Egan River. By Darin McQuoid. [email protected] Tel: (01480) 465081 Tel: (01480) 465081 [email protected] Huge thanks to: Darin McQuoid, Steve Brooks, Mob: 07411 005824 Stu Morris, Leslie Kolovich, Dave Cornthwaite, www.thepaddler.co.uk Simon Everett, Chris Kenyon, Nigel Gill, Becky https://www.facebook.com/ Mason, Alan Feldstein, Phil Carr and Terry ThePaddlercouk Wright http://www.linkedin.com By Terry Wright. /pub/peter-tranter/36/bb8/134 Not all contributors are professional writers and photographers, so don’t be put off writing because you have no experience! ThePaddler.co.uk ezine is all about paddler to paddler dialogue: a paddler’s magazine written by paddlers. Next issue is February 2013 with a deadline of submissions on January 30th.Technical Information: Contributions preferably as a Microsoft Word file with 1200-2000 words, emailed to [email protected]. Images should be hi-resolution and emailed with the Word file or if preferred, a Dropbox folder will be created for you. ThePaddler ezine encourages contributions of any nature but reserves the right to edit to the space available. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishing parent company, 2b Graphic Design. The publishing of an advertisement in ThePaddler ezine does not necessarily mean that the parent company, 2b Graphic Design, endorse the company, item or service advertised. All material in ThePaddler ezine is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved. Reproduction without prior permission from the editor is forbidden. Issue 5 India Where we’ve been… 06 6 Sikkim, India Descending from the top of the world in a kayak in Sikkim, north east of India. By Darin McQuoid 18 Kashmir, India Descending solo from the top of the world in a kayak in Kashmir, north west of India. By Steve Brooks Stu Morris 36 Stu Morris 36 Interview with an Olympic boat designer, European Champion athlete, all round good egg and now owner of VE Paddles. By Peter Tranter 42 Canada Following Bob Purdy’s ‘Paddle for the Planet’ SUP epic across Okanagan Lake in BC . By Leslie Kolovich Dave Cornthwaite 52 52 Dave Cornthwaite Tap into Leslie Kolovich’s podcast inteview with the interpid British record breaker. By Leslie Kolovich 56 Lake fishing The basics on freshwater kayak fishing from England’s Lake District. By Simon Everett Lake fishing 80 Portugal 56 Central SUP club and a four-day visit to Portugal’s ‘Capital of Waves’. By Chris Kenyon 86 Spain Ibiza - the seaside palace of Tyrant King Tourism. If you can’t beat them – join them. By Nigel Gill 94 Canada Spain The making of the instructional paddling DVD 66 called ‘Advanced Classic Solo Canoeing’. By Becky Mason 104 Tanzania Paddling and safari to complete a truly once Tanzania 104 in a lifetime experience. By Alan Feldstein Canada Regulars… 94 68 First paddle Phil Carr assesses the Pyranha Nano. 74 Testing, testing 123 Terry Wright reviews the Native Watercraft Slayer 12 plus gear from Snugpak and Lifeventure. ThePaddler 3 ThePaddler 4 Peter Tranter Huge thanks Editor Welcome to ThePaddler ezine’s fifth edition and biggest yet at 112 pages. Before you launch into our adventures and advice from across the planet – I just want to say a truly heartfelt huge thanks to all the paddling enthusiasts from all the disciplines and across the world who have contributed to ThePaddler in such an entertaining way, whether it be a feature, coaching, reviewing or just helping to spread the message. ‘A picture says a thousand words’, the images you consistantly supply to the Paddler are amazing and together with the quality of the stories continue to take our breath away, truly inspirational! It doesn’t end there because your sheer enthusiasm and willingness to help has personally kept me sane and happy during the long hours to keep the magazine up and running at the high standard you deserve. Respect! The ezine would not exist at all if it was not for our advertisers – to them – thank you so much for your faith in the project and understanding the need for a publication that is dedicated to the recreational paddler, not just here in the UK but across the world. For those of you who may be interested - the ezine is now also available on Apple’s iTunes and on Android’s Google Play in crisp high definition. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/the-paddler/id582662941?mt=8 Then press the link to the iTunes store and download the app from there. https://play.google.com/store/apps Then type ‘thepaddler’ in the search box. Meanwhile back to the subject of river access in the UK, please read on… The website invites those www. that contest the public right of navigation riveraccessforall.co.uk to challenge It was a simple enough question but one that Owen He also ignores the views of the 2011 Red Card to Red these assertions Paterson, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food & Tape Report (commissioned by the Department for Rural Affairs chose not to answer. Douglas Malpus’s Culture, Media and Sport researched and written by the and in particular Petition to the House of Commons had asserted that Sport & Recreational Alliance) which said, “DEFRA should to say which there had been a public right of navigation on all rivers introduce a statutory right of access in England and Wales between Magna Carta and the 1472 Act for Wears and for un-powered craft to inland water for recreational legislation or Fishgarthes and that as such could only be extinguished purposes. This system of rights and responsibilities should exercise of by legislation or exercise of statutory power. be based on the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.” (see page 201) and the Select. statutory Mr Paterson’s side stepping of the question confirms that authority ended there is no such legislation and, consequently, is a public No agreement either with The Select Committee of the right of navigation on all rivers in England and Wales. House of Lords on Sport and Leisure who said in 1973, the historic right “The legal question of rights of way over water must be However, the rest of his statement makes it clear that his settled. A number of different legal interpretations of this of navigation. policy is to ignore this. The policy of his Lib Dem partners right of way have been referred to in evidence and it is however is to introduce a new statute enshrining the No such time for these to be resolved.” public right of navigation as in the Land Reform (Scotland) challenge has Act, 2003 (See their manifesto commitment ‘Liberal As an advocate of resolving issues by agreement, we are been received. Democrats will: Increase the general right of access to the beginning to see how it works Mr Paterson. You tell us countryside along the lines of the model introduced by what you want, making no reference to the law or the the Liberal Democrats in Scotland’ – 2010 Liberal views of others outside anglers and landowners and Democrat Manifesto, page 81.) everyone else has to agree – just like on our rivers! ThePaddler 6 Breathless in Sikkim Four thousand All are out of breath from the metres above sea level in the northern Indian simple task of carrying their state of Sikkim, an intrepid team of kayaks down a footpath to the kayakers attempt By DarinMcQuoid By to run what is headwaters of the River Teesta. possibly the steepest flowing river on the planet! ThePaddler 7 ThePaddler 8 Crossing high above the Teesta the above high Crossing The world’s seventh largest country, India is too large to fully experience in one trip. Sikkim is a state with a rich and storied past, tucked away in the far North-east between Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan. Sharing more cultural traits with Nepal than southern India, but lacking in rampant Western tourism, Sikkim is a great place to explore off the beaten path. The team came to Sikkim for one specific river; the Teesta. Flowing off the world's third highest mountain, Kangchenjunga (8,586m), the river loses elevation in a dramatic manner, averaging an incredible 112 metres per kilometre for 100 kilometres. Heading to arguably the steepest sustained gradient in the world and minimal beta, the It looks like group doesn’t know a slice of west what to expect. It takes four long days of driving, from near sea level to over 4,000 Asian culture metres. Law dictates high up here in north Sikkim, hiring a local guide in north Sikkim and only 30 kilometres from Tibet Targain warns them that the river will be too steep to kayak. The culture has changed with the elevation gain as much as the flora and fauna. It looks like a slice of west Asian culture high up in north Sikkim, only 30 kilometres from Tibet and 1,500 kilometres from New Delhi.