Colin's Updates - this is what I've been up to:

Jun '07 - France

Just back from a great 5 weeks work in France. Based from the chalet in Chantmerle again with a super crew of Louise, Davy B, Paul McKay, Killian Kelly and Shane McGelligot. Particularly pleased with the new Youth Adventure Kayaking course run from the campsite in Vallouise - well done to the 10 young paddlers involved. Off to Africa now for a holiday.

Jan '07 - Scotland

Based in Scotland for the next wee while. Living in Edinburgh, an amazing city wedged between the creeks of the highlands and the mountain bike trails of the borders.

Nov '06 - New Zealand

Myself, Rob Murphy and Jimmy Evans are heading out to New Zealand for 7 weeks. We will be back on New Year's eve. The rough plan is to acquire a vehicle and do a paddling road trip of the North and South Islands.

I will try to keep a blog updated with stories and pictures:

NEW ZEALAND BLOG

Aug '06 - Austria / Switzerland

Repeat of last years week of adventure training with RAF Leuchars. Another great group of highly motivated Officer Cadets - a pleasure to work with. Fair play to Lee Powles for preparing the group so well for some big volume Austrian classics. Based ourselves from Haiming this time in a place called Gasthoff Stern, named after the lady who served us breakfast. Andy Turton was the man in charge again - www.andyturton.com

Unfortunately this trip ended on a sad note. After finishing a great 9 days with the RAF, myself and Andy were called to Switzerland to search for a friend of Andy's that had gone missing on the River Sitter. We searched a river full of siphons and log jams for 11 hours but only found some equipment. Gavin Winsborrow's body was retrieved from a siphon 2 days later. Our thoughts are with his family, girlfriend Rochan and countless friends, especially those from Bangor University where Gavin spent much of his time. He was 29 years old - a tragic story.

June '06 - France

Just back from a month in France running training courses for the ICU. We looked after 32 people on the river over 22 river days so it was a busy month. Ability ranged from class 2 paddlers to Level 5 training candidates. Many thanks to a great team who helped make it all happen - Louise, Davy, Paddy, Francois, Martin, Paul and Conor.

Our base in Chantemerle is the ideal location for a holiday / training experience for people keen to improve their skills and expand their horizons. The Durance valley and its tributaries serve up everything from big volume bouncy to low volume technical boating so there's something to suit all tastes and abilities. Congratulations to all who took part.

April '06 - Croatia

Short break to Croatia gave me the chance to sample some mellow sea kayaking based out of the historic town of Dubrovnik. Fantastic place to start out, or to do some sea journeying with a mixed group.
For boat and basic equipment rentals contact www.kayakcroatia.com
If you are interested in doing a trip with an Irish guide then Jim Kennedy is also offering trips - www.atlanticseakayaking.com

April '06 - Ireland

Can't believe it's Spring again. We got back from Chile 3 1/2 months ago and it's been all go.

I'm working with the ICU for 6 months. New website up at Canoe.ie - getting there.
Kipper is coaching the Irish freestyle team, and even came out of retirement to win the Cliften event. He has started a new business with Keoghser TotalExperience.ie - expect good stuff from there.
Davy is going good - check out his blog above.
Rossco is environmentally sciencing it down in Cork.
Rob Murph is slappin up houses like there's no tomorrow.

So, a quiet few months of bank balance attention, with a few Irish events to keep us ticking over.

Winter '05/'06 - South America Tour

Just back from a super 3 months in Ecuador and Chile with Rob Murphy, Noelle O'Regan, Brian Magee and Louise Lawrence...
Pristine rainforest, spectacular rivers, good humour. We had it all. Hit our blog to read the full story. Once we get things together we'll put proper river and travel info up on the Articles page.

Read our South America blog here

August '05 - Austria

It’s funny how things work out.
One moment I’m in Norway, pondering. The next moment I’m on my way to Austria for an unexpected job with the RAF. It was a last minute arrangement with Andy Turton Coaching from England and I had absolutely no idea what was in store.

Myself and Andy had been hired to run an 8 day kayaking programme for a group of pilots, ground crew and university cadets based in Scotland. The RAF spend £20m a year on adventure training and the idea is to stretch their personnel in new environments, iron out their faff and square away their shit. Basically, we were getting them to man the f**k up. Make sense?

Based in a British Army training centre in Obersdorf Germany, the team were equipped with everything that an elite fighting squadron might need – vehicles, equipment and a sun bed.

We spent a week exploring sections of the Lech and Inn and I have to say it was one of the most enjoyable bits of work I’ve done in a while. Due to their military background (and a stringent selection process for university cadets) enthusiasm for the mission was top class. Coming from school-teaching, where lethargy often seems the norm, it was refreshing to work with people who were all genuinely keen to learn, and who didn’t mind taking a few knocks along the way. Add the fact that they were all nice people and you have a recipe for success.

I was also stoked to work with Andy, who I had never even met before. Andy knows Austria like the back of his hand, spreckens the lingo and laughs everywhere he goes. He has just set up his own coaching business in Wales. See here… Not bad for a hippy with far too much hair. Bleedin’ civvy.

So, that’s that. Another chapter finished, another opened. We set the objectives, wham bam, executed our plan, click click, squared away.
If only everything in life was so clear cut… but like I say, it’s funny how things work out…

I've put some photos up here

July '05 - Norway

Well, it had been 6 long years since I had visited the great mecca of European whitewater. Just a short trip this time, but full of incident. So full in fact that my update from Norway has already mushroomed into its own article.

Norway is a place where you live like a pauper but enjoy whitewater fit for a king. Pristine rivers roll off lush hillsides. As far as I can figure out, there are no flat rivers in this country - every drainage seems to be charging. There's tonnes of gradient and tonnes of water - the perfect combination!

Click here for more....

June '05 - Hawaii-sur-Rhone, Lyon

Myself and Davey decided to take our chances with unreliable levels and hang out in Lyon for 5 days at the end of the month. The wave was fickle to say the best - not worth travelling to at that level, although when we did manage to catch it... jaysis, fast as shite off a shuvel.

Lyon is also a class city to kick back in for a few days, cruise the streets, see the sights. A word of warning though, proper dress only for Lyon niteclubs - as a swimshort clad Byrne found out to his detriment... a dilemma that resulted in us retreating to the cliche of an Irish bar and compelled Davey to purchase some tight European nut huggers the next day.

read more on Lyon in RIVER-GLOBAL

June '05 - French Alps

Glorious month in the Alps, working with Tiglin. What can I say, a full month in France, staying in a luxury villa eating beautiful food, drinking beautiful wine, paddling classic rivers every day... and getting paid for it. Life deals a good hand from time to time.

Tiglin ran 4 courses in France this year - two week-long intermediate courses and two Level 5 assessments. The crew from Clare kicked off week number one with attitude, humour and complete over use of the hot-tub. They were well backed up by Ann and Sinead from Dublin and big Tom from the Kingdom. It was a group of strengths and weaknesses - strong on the river, weak on post-niteclub navigation...

Next up, the old faithful crew from Silverbridge KC. With some Alpine veterans and a helmet camera they were keen to tear up whatever France had to offer... and that's exactly what they did. Ably assisted of course by the lovely Clare and Julie - the aircraft engineer that is responsible for everyone's renewed fear of flying.

Then straight into the assessments, back to back each lasting 2 days. Four successful candidates, 2 that fell just short. Congratulations to the boys from up North - their logbooks read like an atlas contents page and their river-skills backed it up. I'm firmly convinced that the Alps is the only way to go for these courses - as assessors we really need the length of river and consistency of grade that France can offer.

So, 23 straight days on a river for me and time for a long earned break. Kipper was head-honcho out there and ran a slick show from start to finish. Louise Lawrence acted as head chef and shuttle technician while Davey Byrne and Nat Doyle chased plastic... All in all, a superb crew and a great few weeks work.

Davey Byrne gets stuck into another rapid, while casually wondering what the heavy silt will do to his curly locks. With only 78 cent left to his name, he was running dangerously low on conditionning products...

After 3 hours in the hot-tub, Davey's hair had displayed no improvement - worrying times indeed...

Frizzy hair or not, Maguire was not to be moved...