3rd UK Storm Gathering - Flyer

3rd UK Storm Gathering Sea Kayak Symposium - News

Photo: Rob Lloyd

Building on the success the 1st event on Mull and the 2nd on Lewis, I'm putting the wheels in motion for the 3rd UK Storm Gathering which will be held in Wales over an extended weekend of 25 - 27th October 2008

Photo: Clark Fenton

This year's festival will be based at Anglesey Outdoors, which has been host to the Anglesey Symposium for the last 25 years, making it a logical venue choice. As a consequence workshops and journeys will be able to launch from the surrounding bays and harbours with ease

Photo: Richard Jane

The aim of this symposium is to bring together like minded paddlers of all abilities with similar passions and provide a practical programme with an emphasis on preparing people for challenging conditions, commitment and open crossings

Photo: Nick Cunliffe

Water clinics will be based around the following themes: navigation, boat handling, boat repair, leadership and incident management, paddling skills and journey planning. When demand has reach appropriate numbers BCU coach courses and star awards, as well as guided trips, are planned to run from October 28th to the 31st. There will also be a number of evening lectures and various manufacturers on hand to discuss their products

Photo: Paul Williams

Updates, downloads and general information will be available from my forum page

2nd UK Storm Gathering Sea Kayak Symposium - News

October 2006 saw nearly a hundred kayakers come together for the 1st UK Storm Gathering on the Island of Mull. Organised by yours truly with the support of many great guest coaches, it provided a memorable opportunity for paddlers from all over the UK, Europe and the USA to come together and share their experiences and skills. Building on this success Stornoway Canoe Club are hosting the second event on the Isle of Lewis from 18-20 October 2007.

With its world-class sea kayaking, the Isle of Lewis is the ideal location to host the 2nd Storm Gathering. The islands have a longstanding and rich relationship with the sea and provide the chance to combine the adventures of sea kayaking with a cultural celebration. Appropriately the hub for the event will be based in Stornoway’s An Lanntair.

The Storm Gathering will run from 18 to 20 October 2007 and a total of sixty places are available for kayaking participants at a cost of £95 each. This fee includes all formal events of the gathering, including guided kayaking sessions, evening presentations and the ceilidh.

A booking form is now available and can be downloaded here

All enquiries should be directed towards Stornoway Canoe Club

Beserker by Christine Davidson

1st UK Storm Gathering Sea Kayak Symposium - Reflections

12 months ago, in a moment of enthusiasm after a party with friends, I decided to put together an event which combined a number of elements around the theme of challenging paddling for sea kayakers. The 1st UK Storm Gathering was born and was to be hosted on the Ross of Mull, Scotland. Well it happened, people came and there was a storm. I'm now in the winding down phase and am still wondering what made it so good. Perhaps I'll have some answers when I've caught up on my sleep :0) In the meantime, it would appear folk enjoyed it.

Here to the next gathering..............till then 'embrace the elements'