Following the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of planned overseas expeditions had been put on hold due to the uncertainty around international travel. Advice from the Air Cadets was to consider UK-based expeditions for 2021, so a concept was drawn up for a UK based sea-kayaking expedition for Cadet Force Adult Volunteers.
Within the Royal Air Force Air Cadets, there are a limited number of Sea Kayak Leaders across the organisation, despite the presence of excellent sea kayaking locations in every Region. In fact, no member of the Air Cadets is further than ~70 miles from the coast. A significant number of units across the UK are located closer to the sea than to any inland paddling venue, either due to access restrictions or distance. As a result, developing a volunteer cadre of Sea Kayak leaders and Paddlesport Touring Leaders would pay dividends by providing further paddling opportunities for cadets.
The expedition was also put in place to fulfil an important role of regenerating interest in conducting adventurous training following the hibernation period of the pandemic, and inspire them to consider new and more challenging environments for both themselves and their cadets.
After all of the approvals were in, the day came to start and the expedition set off on the long drive to the Kyle of Lochalsh and the Isle of Skye. After a full day travelling on the first day, the group arrived at the accommodation, did the food shopping and settled in with a briefing about how the week was going to run and what everyone wanted to achieve from the expedition. The 12 volunteers participating were drawn from units from across the UK; from the South East to Scotland.
The first day of the week was devoted to a short journey from Plockton Harbour; this day was about developing basic boat handling skills and transferring existing skills which the participants held in other craft into the sea kayak environment. This day was all about setting people up for the trips later in the week and giving them the skills and confidence to navigate more challenging water.
Day 2 saw the expedition move onto the Isle of Skye itself, taking on a day trip from Broadford to Sconser, taking in views of the Isle of Scalpay. This day was mentally and physically challenging as the wind conditions were strong; however, this allowed the participants to get a feel for how sea kayaks handled in stronger winds and also look at how tactical decision making could be applied to safely conduct a trip in higher winds.
The weather forecast for Day 3 was very poor; as a result, this day was used as a day for additional skills coaching and in particular looking at rescuing one another should anyone take an unplanned dip! This turned out to be a really valuable day for everyone, building confidence, practicing little used skills and really focusing on the safety aspects of managing a sea kayak journey. Just to add to the weather challenge, this day also included trying to get a broken minibus recovered and fixed in time so that the expedition could get home!
The following day took on a trip to Brother’s point, and looked at another side of exploring the coast in ‘rock hopping’ – where candidates learnt to play the sea in amongst the rocks close in to the coast. The day provided some amazing views in beautiful weather – a truly inspirational trip which showed the best elements of sea kayaking in an amazing setting.
Day 5 started in Loch Scavaig at Elgol, paddling around the headland into Loch Eishort. This provided another great day in strong winds which eased throughout the day. The trip combined some rock hopping at the start followed by a visit to the amazing Spar Cave on the way round – a superb white flowstone cave which has amazing rock formations.
The final day of the expedition was an easier trip to finish the week from Shieldaig and into Loch Torridon. Despite planning to have an easier day, we were still rewarded with the sight of a majestic sea eagle on the paddle out. We also managed to re-acquire our fixed minibus just in time to complete the drive home!
The expedition provided an amazing week of quality log-book experience to move the participants on in their journey to acquire new qualifications and offer new experiences to their cadets when back at their unit. The Kyle of Lochalsh and the Isle of Skye provided an amazing, inspirational training ground where there was always something new to explore and opportunities for the participants to see sights they wouldn’t have seen in any other mode of travel – otters, seals and sea eagles as well as some imposing coastline and some amazing natural features. The expedition challenged the participants in a variety of ways – for some, the sea was a new, unexpected and dynamic environment which pushed their personal comfort zones. For others it was a new venue in which to develop and practice their leadership skills under the guidance of qualified leaders in order to help them prepare for future assessments.
Gavin, one of the participants, said:
“I gained greater confidence, personal progression and an increased support network invaluable in my aim to achieve paddle sport leader, and the touring leader in due course. These qualifications expand my ability to enthuse and provide opportunities for our cadets and hope that this brings more future paddle sport leaders as a result. As an ex-soldier, I feel it is important to keep active and give something positive to the next generations. I am grateful to the Scout leaders and volunteers who started my paddlesport experience many years ago, and the efforts and support of the RAFAC staff and volunteers now. I enjoyed my AT opportunities whilst serving and now providing this to others. The expedition was expertly organised and executed by Nick and Russell and many thanks to them for such a brilliant experience”.
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