Lecture
Notes
Daytime or Evening Lectures on a set fee plus travel
expenses basis, are offered on the following topics that draw
on 25 years of adventures, mishaps and triumphs.
With a wealth of experience talking to groups, each lecture is
tailored in content and length
to suit the interest level of the audience with anecdotes that
give a flavour of the factual
but often amusing nature of the situations
A Kayaking journey through The Grand Canyon - Slide and
Video supported
226 miles through the awe inspiring Canyon punctuated with legendary
cataracts some producing waves in excess of 5 metres, capable
of capsizing even the most skilled kayaker. A feast of ‘big
white water’ with tales of a nerve jangling adventure, where
mistakes are not an option for a small self-sufficient group.
British Columbia Kayak Expedition - Slide and Video supported
Four weeks of intensive activity, paddling some of the wildest
rivers in Canada, building up to a first attempt on the committing
Grand Canyon of the Stikine River involving heavy and intimidating
hydraulic rapids each needing careful inspection from the river
bank.
Subsequently the Expedition attempts a self-sufficient first descent
of the Iskut River through difficult rapids in heavily laden Kayaks.
A miss-judgement towards the end of a tiring day sweeps the leading
three kayaks into an underwater siphon where they become trapped.
The journey concludes with a 4 day portage around an impassable
gorge in a highly populated
grizzly bear area where back country survival techniques provide
the team with much needed water. The portage is rounded off with
a desperately fashioned abseil to rejoin the river and a 60-mile
dash to catch the weekly ferry in Wrangell Alaska.
Kayaking and Climbing Adventures in Mainland Europe -
Slide supported
A journey down through the years taking in crystal clear rivers
and mountain scenery to wet the appetite of any would be aspiring
adventure seeker. The lecture takes you from the little documented
rivers of Scandinavia to the river gems and mountains of the European
Alps.
A photographic appreciation of a varied and stunningly beautiful
continent with commentary on a number of associated adventures.
The River Fraser Kayak Expedition - Winner of the BBC
Mick Burke Award for Expedition Films - Slides and Video supported
800 miles of river from source to mouth with a canyon section
100 times the volume of the River Thames at Westminster are a
backdrop to the dangerously powerful rapids encountered on this
first complete descent. An 8m waterfall, legendary whirlpools,
historic goldmines and experiences with the local bears and wildlife
make this a riveting story culminating in a Best Expedition Film
Award.
Icelandic Kayak Expedition - Slides and Video supported
Glacial fed rivers, thermal springs, erupting geysers, remote
landscapes and fault lines creating spectacular falls and rapids,
give the backdrop to a complete descent of the Hvita River from
its source high up on the Hofsjokull Glacier down to the Atlantic
Ocean. The Expedition also finds the best sections on a number
of nearby tributaries to both warm-up and test their skills. This
is the story of a young unfolding landscape with outstandingly
impressive natural features, difficult, remote and unpredictable
sections of river with a heart stopping abseil and launch into
the base of the thundering 100m Gullfoss Waterfall.
British Columbia Revisited - Slides and Video supported
A return to the kayaking delights of the Canadian West Coast brings
a mixed range of experiences for our team, ranging from delightful
new rivers and awe inspiring scenery to sea kayaking in and around
the Vancouver islands. The team become involved in a rescue and
recovery operation when they inadvertently discover the aftermath
of a multi-fatal rafting accident, where acting quickly but decisively
ensures the safety of the kayaking team but also the rescue of
the surviving rafters.
Gang on the ‘Ganga’ - Slides and Video supported
A journey from the high Himalayas on the River Ganges, Sacred
River of India, down through the foothills to the Indian plains.
This is a tale of stunning scenery, simple lifestyles, devoutly
religious people, water burials and unexplained happenings all
apart from the thrilling white water sections of this beautiful
river.
New Zealand South Island a Kayaking Paradise - Slide supported
With classic rivers and a playground for adventure this is a memorable
snapshot of a country overflowing with amazing variety and breathtaking
natural beauty.
The heavy rains of the El Nino effect and the unpredictable weather
patterns form an adventurous environment where the next situation
is far from certain. Helicopter drops into remote mountain rivers
offer an unforgettable experience in contrast to a truly idyllic
and tranquil sea journey with an abundance of wildlife in close
attendance.
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