About your coaches at Skyak Adventures
We are a family run business, Gordon and Morag have well over fifty years sea kayaking experience between them and our other coaches add many more decades to this total.
All the team here on the Isle of Skye are very experienced, qualified and friendly. Each have their own special skills which as you can see below contribute to making us one of the best training facilities in the country
Gordon Brown
Gordon is one of only three doubly qualified level 5 coaches (Sea &
Inland kayak) in Scotland. This is the highest coach award achievable in
the UK. He is Scotland's only ACA (American Canoe Association) Advanced
Open Water Instructor. He has a lifetime's experience on rivers and the
sea. He has trained, tutored and assessed many of the kayaking staff at
Glenmore Lodge including the head of the paddlesports department. He has
guided on rivers in Nepal where he ran the first river safety course for
kayakers supporting commercial rafting. He has trained both British and
American Special Forces. He is the Chairman of the Scottish Canoe Association
Coaching Committee as well as the Scottish representitive on the BCU level
5 development team, and has written the chapter on sea kayaking for the
latest edition of the BCU Handbook. Gordon produced a sea kayak rescue video
"Over... and Out" in 1993. Organiser of the Scottish Sea Kayak
Symposium and contributor at sea symposia throughout the world.
Morag
Brown
Morag is a BCU Level 5 Aspirant (sea) and is also a GP currently on an extended
career break. It is her voice on the end of the phone and also her fingers
talking on the emails. She has trained in sports, expedition and high altitude
medicine. She is an experienced paddler and mountaineer having climbed all
284 Munros and paddled most of the Scottish coastline.
Les Kirkpatrick (image and profile coming soon)
Jas Hepburn (image and profile coming soon)
Ken Nicol (image and profile coming soon)