When paddling a canoe on moving water, you must make use of eddies. To do this you have to be able to make eddy turns, breaking into eddies and breaking out of eddies. This article, and accompanying embedded video, shows you how…
Geoff and Valerie Welch, experienced paddlers now in their seventies, decided to join us on one of our 2024 River Spey canoe trips. Valerie made a video diary of the trip. In this post are Val’s daily videos as well as her commentary as text entries.
Struggling to spot those hidden rocks beneath the river’s surface? In this article (with embedded video), renowned canoe instructor Ray Goodwin shares his expert tips for reading the river like a pro. Learn how to identify the subtle signs of submerged obstacles and master the art of navigating through tricky waters. These insights will help you avoid those pesky rocks and make your river trips smoother and safer. Click to learn more and sharpen your river-reading skills…
In the summer of 2023, Ray Goodwin and I had the privilege of leading a truly memorable expedition down the Porcupine River in the far north of Saskatchewan, Canada. This trip was not just a journey into the wilderness, but an extra special one…
During these unusual times, limited in our activities and movements by coronavirus restrictions, many of us are keeping in touch online, in lieu of catching up in person, more than ever. It’s a great means of maintaining the connections we have, as well as reminiscing about adventures we have had together. Ray Goodwin, one of the UK’s foremost canoe coaches gets together with The Happy Camper, Kevin Callan, for a virtual fireside chat (and a whisky)…
Even in easy conditions, whether we are paddling a canoe solo, or paddling tandem, we are going to have to do some form of steering. There’s a whole variety of strokes that you can use. What we are also interested in is travelling forwards. So, for efficiency, we are interested in power strokes that also incorporate some steering. In this post, which includes a very clear instructional video, Ray Goodwin first looks at the difference between two main families of paddle strokes that we may use for forward propulsion combined with a steering element, before going on to focus on the J-stroke and the ways it can be applied, in different situations and with different types of paddles…
Mike Pullen from TA Outdoors and I have made a number of video collaborations. In our various conversations around the campfire while filming these videos, Mike had stated to me his desire to add the skills to expedition by canoe to his outdoor repertoire. It made sense to me. Mike loves the woods. He’s a fisherman. He likes to travel. So the Expedition Canoeing Skills Course with Ray Goodwin and me seemed perfectly suited to what Mike wanted to get under his belt. Mike has made a video blog of his experiences on the course and gives some indication of what he aims to use these skills for… Find out more here on the Frontier Bushcraft blog…
Ray Goodwin brings together his many strands of experience of introducing people – young and old – to canoeing to share some tips and insights on the dangers facing inexperienced paddlers as well as the joy and fun of it all….
Kevin Callan and Justine Curgenven join Paul Kirtley and Ray Goodwin on a different type of canoe adventure down Scotland’s River Spey…
“I loved it on both white water and in the wind. It was turning into my favourite white-water paddle of all time.” Ray Goodwin is impressed by the craftsmanship and performance of Downcreek paddles’ beautiful new white-water paddle design; The Big Dipper.