A Canadian is a Canoe

Open Canoe Festival, Drome River, France. Photo: Paul Villecourt.

There are many places in Europe and the UK where a canoe is called a Canadian - I can't think of a nicer compliment. This April and May Reid and I spent 5 weeks travelling and teaching canoeing overseas. It was our fourth tour and it was fantastic!

We started in the UK on the south coast where we paddled on the ocean with the Beaulieu Canoe Club. It was spectacular and we were treated like VIPs! We also had time to visit some friends and explore some areas around Sussex and I am always amazed at how history is so tangible over there.

Our class heading out on the ocean at Poole Harbour

They grow big trees over there!

Our next stop was in France at the 13th Open Canoe Festival, an annual gathering of 400 whitewater paddlers who come to learn and paddle with 25 of the best instructors from Europe and the UK. It was remarkably well organized and even though the river was in flood and not safe when we arrived we all could teach on a nearby lake for the first couple of days. It was such a friendly, relaxed event that really was a big celebration of the canoe! Canada was the theme of the festival and as the token Canadians there were some...well...embarrassing moments where we were singled out. It was a fantastic time and the French sure can do food and drink and put on a canoe party!

We are not the flag waving type, but given the current political gong show happening to the south of us it felt good to be embraced and honoured as Canadians outside of our country!

At the opening ceremony with everyone in plaid flannel!

Next stop was Austria where we were invited to teach at the Austrian Open Canoe gathering in a beautiful venue at Wolfgang See. It was a picturesque setting with perfect weather and 40+ excellent paddlers; and our hosts Wolfgang and Eva were saints!

The morning view from our tiny house, oh we were treated like royalty!

You can't beat an office like this!

And we wrapped up our tour in Germany at Kringlefieber, an annual gathering of freestyle and Canadian style paddlers from across Europe. It was an eye-opener to teach such skilled and elegant paddlers who were so eager to learn. Although new to many of them they embraced our traditional style of paddling and appreciated our teaching approach emphasizing that there's not one correct way of paddling but many different styles to be added to one's toolbox! And of course we shared and laughed and learned from our students and other instructors and had so much fun!

An evening free-form presentation

Teaching skilled paddlers is always so much fun!

On the last morning there Reid and I tried a few goofy manouevres when we thought no one was watching. 

It was an amazing tour. As a round up of our travels I have to say that every place we visited we arrived thinking we were attending a festival, quickly realized that we were actually joining a community and by the time we left it was clear that we had become part of a family. I've said it before but it bears repeating: Canoeists are the nicest, friendliest most generous people ever!

The organizers extraordinaire of the OCF in France: Julien et Paul

Annie, our host in the UK, in her element!

Jurg was our amazing host in Germany for Kringlefieber.

Eva and Wolfgang in Austria!

Thank you everyone, we had the time of our lives.