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B. Stortford Regatta (11 September 2022)

11/9/2022

The club was delighted to welcome paddlers from Chelmsford CC, Cambridge CC, Leighton Buzzard CC, Hemel Hempstead CC and Le Valley Paddlesports to our Regatta - not only because it was the first local regatta since 2019, but also because we were using the occasion to celebrate the club's 50th anniversary.

The 49 paddlers spent the morning taking part in a series of races across 500m, 1000m and 200m, in sets of four. After a lunch break, the organiser Rich made up teams for fun relays.

After the prizegiving, everyone was invited to share a glass of bubbly and a a slice of celebration cake.

Results for Stortford paddlers:
u10 Girls - Emile Klumpler (silver)
u10 Boys - Rupert Kirkland (silver)
u12 Girls - Libby Gaulton (silver)
u12 Boys - Jasper Kirtland (4th), Nadim Shawky (7th)
u14 Girls - Zuzanna Madeja (bronze)
u14 Boys - Eddie Kirtland (gold), Oliver Klumpler (5th)
u16 Girls - Eilidh White (gold),
u16 Boys - Jack Gaulton (gold), Euan Gowing (silver), Arthur Catmur (bronze)
u18 Boys - Tom Holloway (bronze)
u23 Ladies - Kayleigh Gaulton (gold)
u23 Men - Euan Caton (silver)
Senior Ladies - Catherine Robinson (gold)
Veteran Ladies - Christine Meula (gold), Tamzin Catmur (bronze)
C1 - Petr Luksan (bronze)

The full results of the Stortford Regatta can be found on the Sprint Results page of the FRA website.

Many thanks are due to all the Stortford volunteers who helped with the event and/or contributed cakes: Rich, Harry & Jamie Winstanley, Kevin Short, Sue Commercial, Katherine Ahara, Guy & Sharon Barton, Adam Beaumont, Alasdair Bruce, Olive Carter, Dene Caton, Tamzin & John Catmur, Dave Cayford, Ken Duncan, Joe Fitzpatrick, Simon Forey, Lee & Kayleigh Gaulton, Andrew & Charlotte Gurney, Ruth Kirtland, Flora & Jay Klumpler, Christine Meula, Kerstin Queeney, Ben & Hannah Tubby, Ann & Andy White, and Angela Aldam. Apologies to anyone missed out!

Photos can be found on Angela's Flickr album and on the BSCC FaceBook page.

Many thanks to Kerstin and another contributor for the use of some of their photos!

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Nottingham Sprints (3-4 Sep 2022)

4/9/2022

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This September, for the first time in a few years, Bishops Stortford Canoe Club took a team to a national sprint regatta at Holme Pierrepont in Nottingham.

The races take place on a 2km long, purpose-built regatta lake. There are three race distances to choose from: 200m, 500m and 1000m, and there are races for singles (K1), doubles (K2), and fours (K4). The club took a small team of five paddlers to Nottingham for a weekend of camping and competition.

Libby Gaulton raced K1 500m in the under 12’s Lightning A class, going through to the final, and finishing 7th overall. An excellent result for her first regatta.
Tom Barton came 5th in his K1 200m heat in Boys D, qualifying him for the B final where he finished 9th. He also took part in the K1 500m, just missing out on qualifying for a final.
Tom Holloway finished 2nd in his K1 500m heat in Boys D, qualifying him for the B final where he finished 7th.

Chris Sze, racing in Masters D, qualified for the final for both the K1 200m and the K1 500m. He finished 9th in his final in the 200m, and 6th in the 500m.
Rich Winstanley competed in the Masters B class (combined with Mens C). He qualified for the B final in each of the K1 1000m, 200m and 500m and finished 2nd, 1st and 1st respectively in his finals.

Tom Barton and Tom Holloway teamed up for the K2 500m on the Sunday where they qualified 7th fastest for the final, but with an outstanding performance in their final, they achieved a very respectable 4th place. This was their first national regatta, and the first time they had paddled K2 together.
Rich and Chris teamed up with another pair from Pangbourne Canoe Club to form a K4 in the Masters B/Mens C 500m event where they placed 4th.
Rich also teamed up with Matt Westall from Pangbourne for the K2 500m. They qualified for the final where they finished in 5th place.

The September regatta is also the national club championships, and points are awarded for the results of each club’s paddlers throughout the weekend, the club with the most points being awarded the MacGregor Paddle. Bishops Stortford Canoe Club came in 23rd place out of 40 clubs. Quite respectable given the small team that they took to the regatta.

The full results from the event can be found on the National Regatta website.

Photos courtesy of Chris Sze

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Nationals (27-28 Aug 2022)

28/8/2022

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Well done to Kerstin Queeney, who came second in the over 44 Ladies K2 race partnered by Catherine Ayling of Maidstone CC at the National Marathon Championships at Worcester. Their time was 1:07:25 over a 13 km course.

In singles over the same distance Kerstin was 5th in over 49 Ladies K1 with a time of 1:14:12.

Catherine also partnered Chris Sze in the Mixed K2 on the 13km course. This class had a massive turnout of 62 entries ad the pair were 45th in 1:05:01

Kerstin and Catherine receiving their medals (photo: Chris Sze)

On the 6.5 km course Chris was 13th in over 59 Mens K1 in 33:41, and 19th partnered by Ant Wright (Worcester CC) in over 54 Mens K2 in 39:31.

Eddie Kirtland came 19th in u14 Boys K1, completing the 6.5 km course in 34:22.

The entire results are on the Marathon Canoe website here: https://entries.gbcanoemarathon.co.uk/results/races/2022/national-canoe-marathon-championships-2022

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Chris and Gordon's epic Danube trip

19/8/2022

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Earlier this year, our very own Chris Sze teamed up with Gordon Bullock (of Barking & Dagenham Canoe Club and former BSCC member) and impressed us all when they set a new Guinness World Record for kayaking the 125-miles of the Thames (link). What was not apparent at the time was that this was just the warm-up for their real goal – a 1,500 mile journey down the length of the Danube, from Germany to the Black Sea.

Before they left, they checked in with a personal trainer who made sure they were fit for the journey and who would see what effect the experience had on them physically.

They had no bank support crew – everything they needed would have to be carried with them in the boat – camping & cooking gear, basic rations and clothing. Also (no surprise this, to those who know Chris) a fair quantity of tech – phones, GPS watches, two GoPro cameras, and a solar panel for charging.

Travelling light

Loaded up and ready to go

They used a Kirton Inuk Duo kayak to which they fitted a pair of robust wheels for the inevitable portages en route. It was also adorned with a Union Jack and a photo of their friend and inspiration the late Steve Truglia.

The adventure began with the drive through France and into Germany, dealing along the way with baffling motorway toll systems, internet connection problems, card payment issues and all the other issues that can bedevil any international trip. More seriously, the boat came loose from the roof-rack on the motorway - but was saved in time from flying off, which would have brought a very early end to the expedition! At last they arrived at Ulm in Germany, where they were to launch.

Spectacular scenery in Germany, Day 3

Glamping in Austria

Mostly the pair stayed at riverside campsites overnight, frequently associated with Canoe Clubs, but where these were not available they had to find a nearby hotel.

Once they passed into Austria they mainly found themselves “Glamping”, and this accommodation was particularly welcome as the weather became stormy.

In the early stages of their trip, the biggest frustration was the many locks they had to operate, as they all seemed to work differently and the pair could not read the instructions written (unsurprisingly) in German.

Throughout the German/Austrian stretch there were many dams. In some cases there was a water chute for canoeists which was great fun! Most however involved a walk around. Simply finding the correct place to get off the water and in again proved to be an ongoing headache. They even encountered several dams which were not shown on the maps at all.

Wild camping by the river

Inside a big lock

Both before and throughout their journey the paddlers were in constant communication with a network of well-wishers across the world who followed on GPS tracking and gave them tips about where to find the most convenient camping, hotels, restaurants and shops – a network which grew throughout the weeks as those they met along the way joined the ranks of their followers. Chris’s photos and blog on their FaceBook page were accompanied by a daily chat to camera from Gordon which made compelling viewing.

Sap (Slovakia)

A group of Romanian cyclists encountered in Austria

As the river passed along the Slovakia/Hungary border the pair had to deal with a strong head-wind and high temperatures by day.

Places beside the river to eat and sleep were fewer so they were more dependent on wild camping, and the mosquitos became a real problem.

Whenever they did find a restaurant, though, the pair always took full advantage of it.

Passing through Budapest (Hungary)

Sunrise at Mohacs (Hungary)

Crossing borders by river also created issues when it came to getting passports stamped out of each country and into the next. Going from Hungary to Serbia, they simply could not find a Serbian border post to stamp them in within the permitted time interval. When they did finally reach one, Gordon somehow managed to convey their apologies with signs and gestures and they were allowed to continue on their way.

A bit of local culture - dropping into the archaeological museum in Vinca (Serbia)

Power nap

Chris and Gordon were received very warmly by everyone they met throughout their travels. They found the Croatians particularly hospitable – stopping at a place which they mistook for a restaurant Chris and Gordon were given food only to discover that they had inadvertently gate-crashed a private party! Their charming hosts not only fed them but helped them find a suitable camping spot.

When they reached Iron Gate Gorge, the pair found themselves battling crosswinds which made paddling exhausting, and the waves from the large number of tourist sightseeing boats caused their kayak to be thrown all over the place.

Inside Iron Gate Lock I

The next challenge was to get through the two sets of massive locks which allow ships to traverse the hydroelectric dams. The water was so choppy in the approach to the Iron Gate I lock that they were nearly capsized, but eventually they followed a barge into the lock and exited to land in Romania.

Here, Gordon was again called upon to use his body language skills to explain to the border officers how the strong wind had prevented them from landing in Serbia to get stamped out.

Proceeding to Iron Gate lock II, the roaring wind was now so intense that it was not safe to continue, so for two days they camped in a rather unpleasant spot while they waited for it to die down.

When it was a little calmer they decided to paddle up to the dam and portage around it rather than waiting out on the open water in the hope of going into the lock with the next ship.

Finally they had made it past the Iron Gates, but exhaustion was setting in and morale was low. Continued headwinds made it difficult to make any forward progress.

However they found some comfortable hotels to stay in so at least they were well rested at night, and little by little they approached their final hurdle – the Cernavoda Canal which leads to the Black Sea.

Cafe in Ruse, Bulgaria

Chris and Gordon were not sure of the best way around the dam on this canal, so decided to walk down there from their hotel to have a look around and take some photos of the layout. As the area also includes Romania’s nuclear power plant, armed police soon arrived. Fortunately the officers spoke English, and as soon as Chris and Gordon had convinced them that they were not a security threat, the police very kindly drove them round to show them the best portage points before dropping them back at their hotel.

At long last, 40 days after they had set off from Ulm, the two intrepid paddlers reached the Black Sea. They had averaged 60km a day, paddled 12 times the length of the DW and probably made something like 500,000 paddle stokes. Despite all the difficulties they encountered, they only fell out with each-other once – but perhaps most importantly they made even more friends wherever they went.

Day 40 - Black Sea!

See the full story of their journey on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Danube-Trip-of-Gordon-Chris-2022-103137982407340

Gordon and Chris encouraged their supporters to give to the Big Paddle Challenge which is fundraising for Beyond Words. Beyond Words is a small charity which produces a range of life-skills storybooks based on pictures rather than words for the benefit of those with learning disabilities - find out more at https://bigpaddlechallenge.co.uk/ and https://www.gofundme.com/f/beyond-words-big-paddle-2022

Photos courtesy Chris & Gordon

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B. Stortford Hasler (10 July 2022)

10/7/2022

After the interruption of Covid it was good to finally be able to hold the Hasler at the club again - the 5th time it has been held on the Stort. The total number of 168 competitors was not too far below pre-Covid levels, and larger than most races in our circuit this season, which is extremely encouraging. There was a particularly good turnout of 20 Geoff Sanders (u14s) entries.

Many thanks are due to all the members and their families who gave their time to make this event happen - as starters, marshals, safety boats, car park marshals, or serving the refreshments; also not forgetting the bakers who donated delicious cakes and those who cleaned up both before and afterwards. The intense heat made the day an especially demanding one for everyone involved, perhaps especially those who were doubling up by acting both as volunteers and competitors.

The racing was conducted in two halves. In the morning, the Div 7/8/9s raced down to Sawbridgeworth and back (11.5km and 6 locks), while the Geoff Sanders classses went in the opposite direction to the town centre and back (2.5km). In the afternoon the Div 1/2/3s went down to Sawbridgeworth but with an extra loop to make a course of 19km and 8 portages. The were followed by the Div/7/8/9s who turned at Spellbrook to create a course of 6.5km with 2 portages.

There was a welcome return to the club for Tony Brett who, despite an absence from the sport of ten years partnered Ella to victory in Div 6 doubles, beating not only the other Div 6 boat but also all the boats in Div 5. BSCC continued to dominate the Division 6 races, with Ben K and Tom H taking gold and silver in the singles class.

Finlay Sandall was the club's star paddler in the Geoff Sanders races, winning gold in class B, and promoted to class A.

Stortford Mayor Dave Anderson kindly attended the event, and the Geoff Sanders prizegiving was brought forwards so that he could make the presentations before he had to leave.

In the afternoon there were gold and silver medals in Div 7 singles for Tom B and Ben T respectively. In doubles, Jacque & Dave took silver in Div 8 and Libby & Kayleigh took bronze in Div 9.

Ben K, Tom H, Tony and Ella have all been promoted to Div 5, while Tom B and Ben T will take their places in Div 6.

DOUBLES -
11.5km, 6 portages
Div 5: Kerstin Queeney & Catherine Ayling [MAI] 4th (1:09:36)
Div 6: Ella Beatty & Tony Brett 1st (1:06:36)
6.5km, 2 portages
Div 8: David Cayford & Jacqueline Cayford 2nd (37:27)
Div 9: Kayleigh Gaulton & Libby Gaulton 3rd (39:17)

SINGLES -
11.5km, 6 portages
Div 4: Eddie Kirtland 11th (1:18:01), Mark Adams (rtd)
Div 6: Ben Kelly 1st (1:12:22), Tom Holloway 2nd (1:13:04)
6.5km, 2 portages
Div 7: Tom Barton 1st (34:30), Ben Tubby 2nd (35:03), Jaroslav Klumpler 4th (36:39), Jack Gaulton (rtd)
Div 9: Arthur Catmur 4th (41:10), John Catmur 5th (42:17), Eilidh White 8th (43:25), Karen Bradley 10th (44:49), Ewan Gowing 11th (45:37), Christine Meula 13th (46:05), Daniel Baines 14th (46:21), Tamzin Catmur 16th (57:21)

Under 14s (Geoff Sanders)
2.5km
Div A: Zuzanna Madeja 4th (18:32), Ananya Bhusari 5th (21:42)
Div B: Finlay Sandall 1st (17:43), Jasper Kirtland 4th (19:41), Rupert Kirtland =7th (21:23), Oliver Klumpler =7th (21:23)
Div C: Emilie Klumpler 4th (25:42)

BSCC achieved 4th position at this race with a total score of 587 points - just one point behind Norwich CC. Leighton Buzzard CC were 2nd (594 points), narrowly beaten by Chelmsford CC (595). This was the last regional Hasler in the Eastern Region for the current season.

As Bishops Stortford have ended the season in 4th position in the Eastern Region, we should have secured our place at the prestigious National Hasler Final to be held at Runnymede on the Thames (hosted by Wey CC) on 25 September. Those who wish to compete in Hasler divisions at the finals must have taken part in three Hasler races during the season (which started at Chelmsford last year), whether in our region or elsewhere.

See also

Leighton Buzzard Hasler (19 Jun 2022)

19/6/2022

Twenty-three paddlers from Stortford took part in the Leighton Buzzard race with largely excellent results. The warm weather had brought out all the recreational paddlers and narrowboats on the Grand Union Canal, causing a significant extra challenge, especially at the second turn, where there were a particularly large number of narrrowboats.

Joe and Eddie won Division 4 doubles race with ease.

Most of our team were racing on the 4.5 mile course. Libby and Kayleigh paddled together in the Division 9 doubles race and won silver. A good start kept them in the lead to the first turn and although a minor mishap here saw them finish in second, they were very happy with their performance as they had never crewed a boat together before!

Ewan & Arthur entered the Division 8 doubles race (paddling up) where they came in hard on the heels of Jacque & Dave, who won bronze.

The best singles result of the day came from Tom B, who won the Div 7 race in a close finish.

The new members of the team - John, Tamzin and Miller, all successfully finished the race. John did especially well, sprinting across the line in a dramatic photo finish with a Chelmsford paddler to take joint 5th place.

DOUBLES -
8 miles, 2 portages
Div 4: Joe Fitzpatrick & Eddie Kirtland 1st (1:05:22), Mark Adams & Kerstin Queeney 5th (1:08:58)
4.5 miles
Div 8: David Cayford & Jacqueline Cayford 3rd (42:18), Ewan Gowing & Arthur Catmur 4th (42:27)
Div 9: Kayleigh Gaulton & Libby Gaulton 2nd (42:59), Jasper Kirtland & Finlay Sandall 4th (48:57)

SINGLES -
4.5 miles
Div 7: Tom Barton 1st (40:32), Jack Gaulton 6th (42:44), Jaroslav Klumpler 7th (42:51)
Div 8: Petr Luksan 11th (45:53)
Div 9: John Catmur 5th (46:55), Karen Bradley 7th (47:53), Miller Kitchener 13th (53:28), Tamzin Catmur 14th (54:20)

Under 14s (Geoff Sanders)
2 miles
Div B: Rupert Kirtland 6th (22:52), Oliver Klumpler 7th (24:41)
Div C: Emilie Klumpler 6th (28:13)

Bishops Stortford CC were fourth overall at this race, behind Leighton Buzzard CC (1st) and Norwich CC and Chelmsford CC who tied for second place. This left Leighton Buzzard and Norwich in equal top position in the Eastern Region league - the winner of the Eastern Region trophy will be resolved at the final race of the season at Bishops Stortford. The final positions after the Stortford race will also determine which four clubs from the region will qualify to go to the National Finals in September.

See also

Norwich Hasler (22 May 2022)

22/5/2022

The race at Norwich was the best attended of the series so far. The home team turned out in force and comprised almost exactly half of the 141 competitors taking part. Norwich CC clocked up their third win of the four races so far, with a maximum score of 600.

Although Stortford's Hasler team was much more modest in size (19 in the Hasler divisions), they were distributed across the singles and doubles divisions to give the maximum opportunity for points scoring, bringing the club its best overall result since 2018 - Stortford finished second with 587 points, ahead of both Leighton Buzzard CC (581) and Chelmsford CC (568).

Joe and Mark formed a very effective crew to take second place in Div 4 doubles in a photo-finish, one second ahead of the third-placed crew and just 30s behind the winners.

Tom H and Jamie G led Division 7 doubles from the start and refused to be overtaken, making them the fastest boat on the 6.5km course despite some serious competition. Both have been promoted to Div 6.

In singles, there was another photo finish in Div 7. Jack broke free quickly leaving Ben T in the melee of the start line. However, Ben was able to catch up and take the lead to become the eventual winner. The next three places were closely contested right up to the line, with Jack missing out on the silver spot by a single second. Ben and Jack have both been promoted.

Despite being an under-14, Libby paddled in the Div 9 race. She executed an impressive start and achieved an extremely creditable finish time in her longest race to date, and as a result has been permanently promoted to Div 9.

The day's most notable racing début was the appearance of club chairman Kevin Short partnered by Mick Hussey in an open canoe in Division 9 doubles.

Although still fourth in the Eastern Region League behind Norwich CC, Leighton Buzzard CC and Chelsmford CC, there is now a much wider gap between BSCC and the rest of the clubs.

In the under-14s races, Nadim did exceptionally well, taking second place in Div C in only his first Geoff Sanders race.

DOUBLES -
13km, 2 portages
Div 4: Joe Fitzpatrick & Mark Adams 2nd (1:03:39), Chris Sze & Eddie Kirtland 7th (1:09:27)
Div 5: Kerstin Queeney & Catherine Ayling [MAI] 7th (1:12:19)
6.5km
Div 7: Tom Holloway & Jamie Gaulton 1st (33:26)
Div 8: David Cayford & Jacqueline Cayford 5th (37:04)
Div 9: Ewan Gowing & Arthur Catmur 1st (41:25), Mick Hussey & Kevin Short 2nd (57:40)

SINGLES -
6.5km
Div 7: Tom Barton 4th (37:03), Jaroslav Klumpler 5th (37:29)
Div 8: Ben Tubby 1st (36:34), Jack Gaulton 3rd (37:23), Petr Luksan 9th (38:49)
Div 9: Libby Gaulton 6th (41:22)

Under 14s (Geoff Sanders)
3.5km
Div A: Oliver Klumpler 4th (26:02)
Div B: Rupert Kirtland 5th (25:31)
Div C: Nadim Shawky 2nd (25:34), Emilie Klumpler 6th (30:00)

See also

Bedford Hasler (1 May 2022)

6/5/2022

As usual at Bedford, the high man-made banks caused choppy water in places, and this combined on the day with a stiff breeze along the wide river to create demanding conditions for the club's youngest paddles.

Despite this there were excellent results from our seven under-14s competitors. Five of them made a clean sweep of the gold medals in the Geoff Sanders Divisions on the 2.5km course. Libby, Jasper and Rupert won Div A, B and C respectively. Rupert's time was especially good, and he now joins his brother in Div B.

Zuzanna and Emilie gained Silver in A and C. In the afternoon Libby and Jasper went on to crew a doubles boat in the under-14s K2 race over the same course, and won two more gold medals.

Under 14s (Geoff Sanders)
2.5km
Div A: Libby Gaulton 1st (29:31), Zuzanna Madeja 3rd (33:08)
Div B: Jasper Kirtland 1st (23:13)
Div C: Rupert Kirtland 1st (22:30), Emilie Klumpler 3rd (27:05)
GS K2: Libby Gaulton & Jasper Kirtland 1st (18:55)

Oliver and Finlay, also both u14s, entered the Hasler Div 9 doubles race and were rewarded for undertaking this challenge with Silver medals.

The rest of the Stortford team also brought home a good haul of medals, particularly in the doubles races. Jacqueline and Dave were competing in Division 8 doubles on the 2-lap 7km course. After getting a good start and taking an initial lead, they were overtaken by a Norwich CC boat as they approached the first turn. However, they were able to see off the challenge and regain their position for the rest of the race to win, 49s ahead of their rivals.

BSCC had two doubles boats on the 3-lap 13km course, both taking part in the Division 5 race. This course included two "false portages" where paddlers have to disembark and run with their boats. Mark partnered Kirsten to second place. Their time of 1:08:45 being faster than all the competitors in the Division 4 doubles race, it is not surprising that they have both now been promoted to Div 4.

Also paddling in Div 5 doubles were Eddie (Div 7) with Chris (Div 4). They finished only fractionally behind Mark and Kerstin, so Eddie too has been promoted to Div 4.

DOUBLES -
13km, 2 portages
Div 5: Mark Adams & Kerstin Queeney 2nd (1:08:45), Chris Sze & Eddie Kirtland 3rd (1:09:19)
7km
Div 8: David Cayford & Jacqueline Cayford 1st (44:51)
Div 9: Oliver Klumpler & Finlay Sandal 2nd (1:02:32)

Most of the singles competitors from BSCC were on the 7km course. Division 8 included two Stortford entrants: Jaroslav (Jay) and Ben. Ben took the lead from the start while Jay, though initially forced to drop back by the press of boats, was soon able to catch up and the pair were in first and second place as they went around the first turn. However, Ben took a swim at the second turn, and although he was able to finish the race and make up a lot of the lost time had to settle for 6th place. Jay was overtaken by two other boats, so finished third - however, his excellent time sees him promoted to Division 7.

Stortford's highest-placed singles paddler was Eilidh, who won silver in Div 9. Also in this race, Arthur put in an impressive performance to finish 4th in his first Hasler.

SINGLES -
13km, 2 portages
Div 4: Joe Fitzpatrick 4th (1:12:43)
7km
Div 7: Tom Barton 7th (43:38), Jack Gaulton 10th (45:31)
Div 8: Jaroslav Klumpler 3rd (44:10), Ben Tubby 6th (45:40)
Div 9: Eilidh White 2nd (47:39), Arthur Catmur 4th (48:24), Karen Bradley 7th (52:32)

The Stortford team came fourth out of the nine Eastern region clubs represented, with a score of 583 points, tantalisingly close to 3rd-placed Chelmsford CC's total of 588. Leighton Buzzard CC and Norwich were joint winners with 595 each. Bishops Stortford CC now sit fourth in the Eastern Region League.

See also

James Smythe

22/4/2022

It is with great sadness that the Club announces the passing of James Smythe on Monday 18th April 2022 after a short second battle with cancer.

James started his paddling career in the mid 1980’s at Wey Kayak Club, finishing his first Devizes to Westminster 125 Mile Canoe Race (DW) with them in junior K2 in 1987. He then went to university and raced for Royal Lemington Spa before moving to Nottingham. By this time he was a Men’s A sprinter, Div 1 marathon paddler, and represented Great Britain at two World Cups in Hungary in 1994 and South Africa in 1995, as well as competing for GB at other races on the international circuit. In 1995 he also took the bronze at the National Marathon Championships in Senior K1.

He then took a break and moved to France before returning and joining Leaside in 2001 and latterly Bishops Stortford in 2016. In his very first race in a Bishops Stortford vest he took silver in Veteran 35-44 K2 at the National Marathon Championships before winning the Bill Sparks trophy for the fastest veteran K2 at the Hasler Finals later that same year.

Waterside D – Full kit rehearsal ahead of DW in 2016 [photo: Chris Worrall]

First race in a Stortford vest at the National Marathon Championships 2016

Start line of Hasler Finals 2016

On his return to paddling he started to drive the minibus and trailer to international events and later became Team Manager for the GB Marathon Team. He became secretary of the Marathon Racing Committee and has had a big influence on what happens in the sport today. Although not necessarily a regular attendee at the Club, he proudly raced in his Stortford vest and volunteered at many of the Club’s races.

Leighton Buzzard Hasler 2017 [photo: Chris Worrall]

In late 2019 James first discovered he had cancer. In April 2020 he had an operation to remove his kidney and other areas with tumours in his abdomen and had a further operation in December 2020 to remove a lump behind his lung. Probably his most impressive achievement was to come back from this to win the Veteran 45-54 K2 at the National Marathon Championships in 2021.

As well as marathon racing James very much enjoyed surfski paddling and spent lots of time paddling out of Southend and other places in recent years and raced surfski a few times too.

Surfski in Devon in 2020

In December 2021 James found out some lumps were detected on his routine scan and in February he was told these were inoperable. James leaves behind his wife Catherine and son Ollie.

Summary of achievements:

Bronze – Senior K1 – National Marathon Championships
6 x Veteran – National Marathon Championships medalist, 4 of them Gold
1st Veteran K2 at Hasler Finals
Waterside Series Veteran K2 winner and A & C course record holder (with the C record still standing today)
3 x DW finisher including 2nd overall and 1st Veteran K2
GB Marathon Team member for several years

Waterside A (20 Feb 2022)

22/2/2022

Three members of BSCC took part in the 13.5 mile Waterside A race with 21 portages, from Great Bedwyn to Newbury.

Chris Sze and Gordon Bullock (paddling for BAD) were 18th in K2 Vets in 2:31:38.

However, the star of the day was Kerstin Queeney who again crewed up with Maidstone's Catherine Ayling. The pair completed the race in 2:21:20 to take 3rd position in Ladies K2.

Provisional results of the race on online.

Photo courtesy Chris Sze

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