Coaching Team 2023
Meet The Coaches
Alice McInnes
Alice’s home patch is Edinburgh and her local paddling is around the Forth of Forth and the east coast of Scotland including the iconic bridges of the Firth of Forth and the Bass Rock. She regularly paddles on the West Coast of Scotland, and her particular favourite places include Skye, islands of the Clyde, and also loves the grandeur of Shetland, Orkney and the North Coast of Scotland. Alice loves packing her kayak for an extended trip and getting to wild, remote camping spots. She’s a BC Advanced Sea Kayak Leader and Coach and a founder of the Women’s Scottish Sea Kayak Festival, and runs seakayakalice.co.uk.
Ann Merryweather
Ann is a Sea Leader and a level 2 coach from Norfolk. She recently gave up her proper job and is trying to decide what she wants to do when she’s grown up. She mostly paddles the sleepy rivers of Norfolk, but regularly makes UK excursions, usually to the West coast of Scotland, but also other destinations from the Scillies to Shetland! She has been lucky enough to paddle in Lanzarote, Norway, Sardinia, Greece, Turkey, New Zealand and Canada. The destination wish list grows almost daily! Ann is almost as likely to be found on top of her kayak as in it, and enjoys using balancing challenges as part of her coaching. She is particularly excited to be returning to this festival for the third time, but for the first time as a coach.
Eila runs her own sea kayaking coaching and expedition centre in Holyhead, Anglesey. Offering all manner of sea kayak courses, bespoke and British Canoeing and welcoming all paddlers from beginner to advanced levels. As a Sea Kayaking U.K. approved expedition centre Eila is also now offering an additional element of quality convenience to participants with the option of a new fully outfitted expedition service. Eila has been professionally coaching for over 10 years. She is qualified and endorsed as: UKCC Advanced water coach, British Canoeing National Trainer (SKL/ CNTP), Advanced Sea Kayak Leader Assessor, Coastal Navigation & Tidal Planning Provider (also online ), PPA provider for sea kayak, coastal & advanced awards. Eila is approved British Canoeing Delivery Partner.
In 2021 Eila opened a brand new Epic Surf ski centre in Holyhead. She completed circumnavigations of the Outer Hebrides, Ireland and many first time expeditions in the Bahamas. She also holds some speed circumnavs of Anglesey and IoM.
Eila Wilkinson
Eila Wilkinson
Sue Couling
I have been passionate about paddling for years and paddle most things that float. I particularly love being out on the sea and helping others build their confidence to enjoy dynamic environments. I am also fascinated by the coaching process and coach development.
I have been paddling for over thirty years in most types of boats and have had lots of adventures exploring many parts of the world by boat.
More recently I have developed my passion for sea kayaking and I am now an Advanced Water Sea Leader and Performance Coach, and advance water coach.
I have worked on a number of women only sea kayak events and enjoy the atmosphere and dynamics of these events. I particularly like helping people to develop their confidence in the sea environment.
Rachel Kehoe
My biggest passion is greenland rolling. For me, greenland rolling is a great joy in itself, both as a relaxation as well as a challenge. However, I also love that it enables me to play in dynamic water conditions, safe in the knowledge that I will be able to come up again! It will be great to work with you at the festival, and I’m looking forward to introducing you to the techniques to develop a roll of your own!
Rachel coaches at various events, and runs her own greenland rolling focused events through https://howwerollkayaking.co.uk/.
Zoe migrated into the world of sea kayaking from a love of the outdoors and backpacking, realising that sea kayaking allows longer expeditions and more wine to be carried. Zoe spends most of her paddling time on the waters of Anglesey in North Wales, but also heads to Scotland at any opportunity (for sea or mountains). Zoe has also expedition-ed in Sweden and Norway, including a trip around Nordkapp, supposedly the most northern point of mainland Europe.
In 2019 Zoe completed a circumnavigation of Ireland in an all-woman team.
Zoe has a day job as a Professor of Sustainability Education and her passion for education extends into sea kayaking and coaching paddlers on the wonders of the salty world. She's a 5* sea kayak leader, with the Advanced Water Endorsement for coaching in advanced waters, and a Performance Sea Kayak Coach and Advance water coach.
Zoe Robinson
Natalie Maderova
Natalie works as a teacher and has kayaking as one of her hobbies, although currently she spends more time paddling than doing anything else.
Natalie lives in London and considers The Tideway to be one of the most exciting paddling environments in Britain, she would know as she circumnavigated Britain in 2012.
Apart from journeys and long crossings Natalie enjoys most coaching others. She is a UKCC L3 coach with Moderate Water Endorsement, Advance Water Sea Kayak Coach, and Advance Water Leader. She is a provider for several different peronal awards, sea kayak and SUP, CNTP and Paddlesport leader provider.
More on https://www.sixknots.net/.
Anita Daimond
Anita Daimond enjoys being outdoors, she particularly delights in spending time with wildlife but is generally interested in everything about the places she visits. She has 25 years of experience working with people in various outdoor environments promoting connection with nature, landscape and heritage. Anita is also interested in how we learn, this led her to do an MA in Education and influences her approaches to coaching kayaking.
She offers guided sea kayak trips and coaching through her company Sea Môr Kayaking based in North Wales www.seamorkayaking.wales and has worked on a number of women only events. She likes the supportive atmosphere and enjoys helping other women to grow in confidence.
She is an Advanced Sea Kayak Leader and Advanced Sea Kayak coach. She regularly kayaks in the tidal seas around Anglesey and the Llŷn Peninsula and has undertaken expeditions in Scotland, Norway, Iceland and Sweden.
Claire Eatock
Claire is a qualified teacher and outdoor instructor with a particular passion for communicating her love of the sea to all audiences and has spent over 20 years as a lecturer for a number of Universities in a range of countries. She is an active watery person – either on, in or under the water and has been on expeditions diving, kayaking and coasteering around the world. Her latest hobby of surf kayaking has taken her to the World Championships in 2022 and she is always keen to try new things – if it involves water……
As an aside - Claire is interested in exploring the effects on human health and wellbeing of a range of marine activities through environmental and occupational exposures using a range of public engagement methods. She has over 20 years’ experience of working at the interface of research and industry in an effort to make academic outputs applicable to our wider society.
Julie Perren
Julie discovered sea kayaking after moving to Devon 15 years ago. She enjoys the freedom to explore the diverse coastlines that the UK has to offer. Further afield she has enjoyed exploring Jersey, France, Norway and Western Greenland always with a sketchbook to hand to record the journey.
Julie recenlty relocated from South Devon to Cornwall.
She can often be found leading groups and coaching at sea kayaking events but also enjoys white water kayaking, canoeing and has recently discovered surf skiing.
Julie is a BC Performance Coach, Advanced Sea Kayak Leader, Level 2 coach, a Sea Kayak Award Provider, and Sea Kayak Coach Discipline specific trainer.
Julie was BC ⌗ShePaddles Ambassador encouraging women paddlers on the water.
Jackie Jones
Jackie is a Level 2 coach and Sea Kayak Leader she has been sea kayaking since 2006 and loves the ocean, being in it or on it as much as possible.
Jackie lives, paddles and works in West Cornwall having previously called the Dorset and North Devon coasts home. She enjoys multiday sea kayak camping adventures far and wide as well as fun days of swelly rockhopping on her doorstep.
Jackie has led on other women only paddling events and enjoys the freedom that these events give the participants, so is excited to be joining the Womens Sea Kayak festival team for their 5th year.
I've been inspired by many great paddlers, especially women. But it was my mum who encouraged me to start and I've tried to keep up ever since. I now feel that sea Kayaking is a lifestyle as much as anything. It makes me feel whole and happy and I love to share that with other people.
I'm an Advanced Sea Kayak Leader and a level 3 coach. I've worked for Sea Kayak Oban, Sea Kayak Devon and most recently Mayberry Kayaking in Pembrokeshire. Last year I paddled 74km with Mike Mayberry to the Smalls Lighthouse and around Grasholm, the first people to circumnavigate both islands, and the first woman to kayak out to the Lighthouse.
I also love the West Coast of Scotland, Jura in particular. I don't think I'll ever run out if UK coast line to explore, I haven't even started on Ireland yet.