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David Southern
What is your job and briefly what does it involve?
Medical Consultant in Anaesthesia & Intensive Care Resuscitating sick people, getting them to survive big operations, caring for them afterwards and hopefully getting them back home
What 3 words would you use to describe yourself?
Tenacious, loyal, fair
What is your favorite & best stuff: food/music/interests/weekend/ movie?
Food – variety. Although I struggled with Japanese food in the hot, humid Tokyo summer
Music- life long fan of Led Zeppelin after seeing them as a teenager. Robert Plant still does good gigs. Wish I could play an instrument; piano perhaps
Interests – enthusiastic tennis player but only to a modest standard
Weekend – One day kayaking followed by a relaxed day with friends (and then another day kayaking for a 3 day weekend)
Favourite Movie – “Ghost”. Romance isn’t dead. My wife Sue is the light of my life. Kayaking had the potential to separate us or bring us together more. So I bought Sue a boat!
What does sea kayaking offer you?
Escape, exercise, scenery, wildlife, challenging water
What have you achieved, to date through paddling with Coastal Spirit?
Soooo much ! Recently achieved 4* leader award which for me was independent confirmation that I can consider my self a competent paddler and leader.
CS has given me the skill and confidence to take on rougher water, longer distances, overnight trips. I look forward to doing lots of these in the near future
Why Coastal Spirit?
CS is not the only coaching I have had. But it is the best. Roger is so perceptive when assessing paddlers skills, confidence and potential. He helps people achieve their own goals, rather than ones set by the coach or by British Canoeing
What are you looking forward to and where would you most like to paddle next and why?
I would most like to paddle in the Scillies but don’t think I will achieve this until 2016 because it seems logistically difficult. So I’ve settled for second choice and booked a week in Pembrokeshire with my wife Sue.
Both places have stunning scenery – and are warmer than Scotland !
In 2017 Dave has planned to take his wife Sue to Mexico, Baja and do a 4 day paddle, to see the stunning wildlife and share the experience - this was a great success and so was the whale sightings!!
Choose 3 words to sum up your time with Coastal Spirit?
Fun
Purposeful-play
Commitment
(Sorry, that’s 4 really)
We will be based at a campsite and if the weather is super settled we can decide if we do an overnight wild camp. During the last two years we've at least managed two nights wild camping.
You need to be an experienced moderate water paddler who can manage Beaufort winds f4/5 and occasionally stronger. You're also happy paddling a loaded sea kayak for 20km
We meet up on the afternoon of the 30th of April and leave on the morning of the 6th of May 2027. Zoe Robinson and Roger will be delivering the course. Both are advanced coaches and advanced sea kayak leaders.
With Lori, Zoe and Roger as your advanced leaders. We meet on the afternoon of the 6th of June and load our sea kayaks onto 'Lady of Avenel' and kit into our cabins. You need to arrive on the 4th of June. This allows for any disruption with the CalMac ferry and a rest day, after a long drive). We arrive back in Castlebay on the 12th June.
You need to book and arrange your accommodation for the night of the 4/5th June and the 12th June.
There are two hotels, a bunkhouse in Castlebay and a short drive to Wavecrest campsite, which is where Lori, Zoe and Roger will be van camping.
St Kilda here we come!!
We've just been buzzed by two bottlenose dolphins ... 
Great day with Sally working on boat handling, reading the water and its ok to feel uncomfortable.
Cemaes to Bull Bay was perfect, with wind with tide and then wind against by the afternoon so we got a few waves and a nice push along the coast.
It was nice to see Rob again too. Thanks for helping with the shutle! 
Great team and super time on our Shetland Adventure with the tall ship Lady of Avenel Sailing. Otters, Puffins, Orca and MuckleFlugga!
Thanks to Zoe Robinson and Hamish Leslie for their support and inputs.
Photos from Tracy, Zoe and Hamish.
P&H Sea Kayaks
NRS Europe "There are a number of wonderful things about Roger. He has a very light touch in his coaching, and he's always smiling and encouraging you to relax into the enjoyment of the day"
"I've just completed a two day 4* Sea kayak training course with Roger. Having been coached by Roger in the past, I choose to do this course with Roger because I knew I would get a great deal from the course. My expectations were certainly well and truly met"
"And I'm probably learning more from his mentoring now, as my paddling horizons expand, than ever before. I can't count how many questions I've asked... and he's answered. Roger has the knack of making that suggestion that radically changes your thinking and moves your paddling on in leaps and bounds."
