Justine’s Blog

We’ve been enjoying the warm, clear, sunny weather in Wales for the last few days, getting outside for walks and paddles. Today, Barry and I went to Penrhyn Mawr with Jim, Wayne, Paul & Pete. The tidal race was slow to build up but great fun. After lunch, the flow was faster with bigger waves. Great to be out on the water!

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Last Saturday, one of Britain’s national newspapers called me one of “Britain’s top 20 Adventurers”!
While I’m not sure I’d agree with the Telegraph, I was very pleased to read that I was even considered for a place alongside well-known adventurers like Chris Bonnington, Leo Houlding, Benedict Allen & Ranulph Fiennes!

I also found out by doing a websearch that ‘South island Circumnavigation’ from “This is the Sea 4 won the best adventure film at PaddleCanada’s Waterwalker film festival
AND 2 other films from the DVD won honorable mentions in the action category – “the Queen Charlotte islands” & “Lake Superior”.

I also had a request today from the World Oceans Day Film Festival in San Francisco to show the “Rockhopping in Baja” film at their event on June 8th and 10th. That now makes 6 films from “This is the Sea 4′ which have been finalists at international film festivals – the other 2 are “Dubside” & “The Ottawa River”. That’s pretty good value for money, I reckon!! But then I am walking particularly tall today!! I’ll have my feet back on the ground tomorrow!!

I finally made it up to Skye for the seakayaking symposium organised by Gordon & Morag Brown which happens every other May. It was unfortunately a flying visit as Barry and I travelled there and back with Nick, who had to be back at work on Monday morning. We did get there a day early and enjoyed a beautiful paddle from Ord, under sunny skies on Friday. During the symposium, the rain and wind returned ( but at least it kept the midges away!). It was fun despite the weather, and good to catch up with a lot of coaches and participants who I haven’t seen for ages.

I helped out on a few paddling sessions, was a student on a fantastic skinny stick rolling class with Cheri Perry and Turner Wilson, and gave presentations about my trips around the South island of New Zealand, and around the Queen Charlotte islands. I met the mysterious “Wenley” who never puts a photo of himself on his regular kayak blog, and twice I failed to get up for 7am yoga with Cheri and Turner! I caught up with Simon Willis, who is making an instructional DVD with Gordon Brown, and chatted to Patrick Winterton and Mick Berwick about their ambitious plans to kayak 200 miles from Scotland to the Faroe islands this summer.

Now I’m back in Wales looking forward to my next chance to revisit Skye and do some more paddling on the beautiful island.