The sun shone as paddlers descended on the Braid country park in the Northumberland town of Amble. The race is a five mile route down the river, out through the harbour and round Coquet Island.

 Here paddlers are assembling before the start. I’m the one in the dark boat in the far background. Conditions are about perfect and the seals and terns are ready and waiting to ambush us in the vicinity of the island.

 This is where we went.

 I couldn’t take pictures during the event, but this is the prizegiving afterwards. I won the women’s prize paddling my lovely lightweight carbon kevlar Cetus LV but I think I’m going to have to do a bit more training before next time as there wasn’t much gap between first and second.