Derek has circumnavigated Ireland by sea kayak

Derek Hairon

Director. British Canoe Union Sea level 5 coach (sea). A trained teacher who has taught outdoor pursuits in the UK. He worked with young people with special needs and challenging behaviour. Derek has a wilderness first aid certificate, Mencap and Autism training. A Wildlife Safe (WiSe) accredited guide.

Over 40 years sea kayaking experience. Expeditions to circumnavigate Ireland by kayak, Outer Hebrides, Aland Islands, Faeroe Islands and Alaska. White water-kayaking expeditions in Nepal to paddle the Tamur and Marsyandi Rivers.

Derek wrote Sit-on-top Kayak. A Beginner’s Manual (Pesda Press), when he discovered that this area of paddle-sport was ignored by traditional kayaking. It is now in its second reprint and is also translated into French. He was influential in getting the British Canoe Union to change the personal performance awards (star tests) to include sit-on-top kayakers.

Derek regularly presents training/safety clinics to enable people to enjoy the coastline of Jersey in greater safety.

Apart from kayaking he has completed long distance mountain walks such as the famous GR20 in Corsica. He loves skiing and speaks some French.

Gary Kemp

Director. BCU level 3 sea kayak coach with over 30 years experience.

Extensive sea kayaking experience in the Channel Islands and in France. He has kayaked in Pembrokeshire, Cyprus, S.E. Spain and Italy. Gary completed the first unsupported 30 mile paddle to the Roches Douvres Light House with John Richardson, via Les Minquiers Reef. He paddled the Devizes to Westminster 125 mile canoe marathon.

White Water kayaking expeditions to the French and Italian Alps, Pyrenees, and Tamur River in Nepal. His kayak surfing experience includes Morocco, Maldives, Portugal, France and Devon. In 2001 Gary was a member of the Jersey Surf Kayak team, which won the world championship at Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz, California.

Other interests include Snowboarding, Motorbike Track days and Enduro riding, mountain biking. He is also a director of Creepy Valley Activity Centre.

Gary has a wilderness first aid certificate. A WiSe accredited guide.

Mick

BCU level 3 coach who has worked in the outdoor pursuit industry since 2000. He kayaked in the Argentinian Terra del Fuego, the southern tip of South America. An experienced rock climbing instructor, Mick now spends most of his time kayaking. He was instrumental in introducing coasteering to Jersey and pioneered some of the classic routes.

A WiSe accredited guide. Mick speaks French.

Krista

One of the first new BCU/UKCC level 1 kayak coaches and a trainee level 2 coach. She has been kayaking for 5 years and has undertaken multi day kayak camping trips around Ile de Brehat. She often assists on the children’s courses. In 2006 she spent 6 weeks on expedition in the White Mountains of Peru with the British Schools Exploring Society (the youth organisation of the Royal Geographical Society). In 2008 she spent three months studying global warming in Spitsbergen.

A WiSe accredited guide.

Kevin

BCU level 3 coach who has been paddling from an early age, building his own canvas and wood canoe as a CSE project at the age of 15. In the seventies he was Head of Outdoor Pursuits at Horndean in Hampshire and worked part time at Calshot Activities Centre. He has taught hundreds of pupils of all ages to paddle on waters ranging from the tranquillity of lake Windermere, the Surf of Bude, and upper reaches of the Wye to the Tidal races of the Solent. Kevin holds the Mountain Leaders Certificate and teaches Rock Climbing. In 1983 he represented Great Britain as a member of the British Skydiving Team and before retiring was a British Parachute Association Advanced Instructor and parachute pilot. He enjoys diving, holds the Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver Certificates. He is a keen cyclist and triathlete.

To pay for all his expensive hobbies he works as a teacher.

Mark

BCU level 1 coach who started paddling sit-on-tops with us in 2005. Previously he had been unsure about taking up kayaking because of the design of sit in kayaks. The Sit-on-top kayak enabled Mark to progress . In 2007 he qualified as a level 1 coach. He now paddles both sit in and sit-on-top kayaks. He has circumnavigated Jersey twice and kayaked to les Ecrehous. When not looking after a young family Mark assists on our level 1 and 2 kayak courses and on our offshore trips.

David

BCU level 3 coach with more than 10 years kayaking experience. Dave has paddled rivers in the UK and in Europe and Africa, including the mighty Zambezi. He has extensive experience of surf kayaking, rock hopping and sea kayaking around the island. He has undertaken long distance offshore paddles to Les Ecrehous, Sark and circumnavigations of Jersey. In 2008 paddled the Devizes to Westminster canoe marathon (non stop 125 miles) with John Richardson. Having trained so hard for this race he thought it foolish to waste all the training and went on to compete in the gruelling Yukon kayak challenge.

When not kayaking he enjoys running, rock climbing and hiking and travelling to far-flung places. This includes a solo overland expedition in his Land Rover Defender from Jersey to South Africa and back. On the way he trekked to the summit of Kilimanjaro. He recently trekked to Everest base camp.

About British Canoe Union coaching standards

The BCU certifies kayak coaches/instructors in a grading scheme running from level 1 (basic) to level 5.

BCU level 1 or 2 coaches can only operate in very restricted areas, in Jersey this means within very sheltered bays.

BCU coach levels 3, 4 and 5 require extensive training and experience. All coaches must undertake regular updates.