The Canoe & Kayak UK Chris Wheeler Adventure Paddler of the Year Award 2011








Winner - Dave Burne

For us this is the most important award of all, because this award is dedicated to Chris Wheeler. Chris lost his life while paddling the Upper Dart, a river he loved in 2009. Here at CKUK we were lucky enough to have called Chris our friend and he had been contributing to the magazine on a regular basis from the beginning. Chris was always supportive and positive, but his feedback was frank and honest and over the years his input certainly shaped the way the magazine is today. As a kayaker Chris was a highly experienced and wise whitewater paddler who had paddled on many of the world’s greatest whitewater rivers. In later years he had also become an accomplished and skilled sea kayaker. Quietly spoken and a true gentleman Chris touched the lives and inspired many with his infectious enthusiasm and eloquent writing about the sport that he was truly passionate about. I know many of you will have read with pleasure Chris’s articles. Be it a report from a challenging expedition to a far flung river, sea kayaking in Ireland with his partner Julia, and even on one occasion his guide to ‘Marriage Guidance for Paddlers’; Chris always wrote from his heart, with candour and integrity and, of course, with his trademark dry wit. As we said in our editorial at the time, ‘Chris’s light burned brightly.’ So the recipient of this award is somebody that we feel best represents the passion, enthusiasm and drive that Chris had in spades, but also someone who shares that energy with their fellow paddlers on the water and by inspiring others by documenting and sharing the adventure in words and pictures. The Winner of the 2011 Chris Wheeler Adventure Paddler Award is Dave Burne.

As you can imagine this was an extremely difficult award to judge, but for us young Mr Burne represents many of the attributes that we feel Chris would of approved of. He’s both motivated and a motivator and is happy to instigate a trip and then work in a team to ensure that trip happens and that all involved enjoy a rewarding and challenging experience. Dave always seems to be on, or in the process of organising, an adventure to a far flung corner of the world. He’s happy to push his limits, but not at the expense of his or his companions safety and he’s willing to put the work in to produce articles and features, not for personal glory, but to simply share the sheer exhilaration of paddling and to try and inspire others to get out there and explore. Most of all, in between a demanding schedule of study (He’s currently studying to become a Dr), Dave gets just as excited by paddling his kayak with his friends on his local run as he does in some far of exotic location. We believe that Dave’s got the right motivations and attitudes behind his desire to explore and paddle and we think Chris would think so too, which is why we’ve awarded him the honour of the very first Chris Wheeler Adventure Paddler of the Year Award.

Dave will be presenting a 'How to Plan Your Own Expedition' Workshop at the River's Source Whitewater Symposium in January 2012 go HERE for details.

Check out the other award winners in this catergory Highly Commended - Justine Curgenven, Highly Commended - Simon Tapley