John Ramwell

Born in Cape Town, S Africa in 1941, John Ramwell has been able to build his life on three pillars, viz:

1. Family

2. Occupation in the Prison Service

3. A keen interest in canoeing

John is a British paddler who took up kayaking in 1962 when he entered the Devizes to Westminster (DW) canoe race for the first time. He went on to enter this annual race thirteen times, finishing nine. For 15 yrs he went on to compete in K1 & K2 racing events before devoting his time to ocean kayaking. A member of the British Canoe union for over 50 years, he holds the highest coaching awards in both sea and inland canoeing as well as the BCU Level 3 Racing Coach Award.

In 1981 he was awarded the BCU award of merit for services to canoeing. He also holds honorary coaching award from the Netherlands, Canada and Australia in recognition of his work in these countries. John became involved with a group of paddlers in the north-east of England in the late 1960s when he recognised their major part in the development of ocean paddling following Chris Hares’ visit to Greenland where he paddled with the local Inuit. It was here he worked with the likes of Derek Hutchinson, Alan Byde, Tom Caskey, Martin Meling, Chris Jowsey, et al, as they began to develop sea kayaking which was soon to take off to become a global phenomenon. At this time John was the BCU Regional coaching officer for the East of England, living then in Cambridge. He used this experience to found the Huntingdon Canoe Club on the banks of the river Ouse and the Gaynes Hall Borstal C.C. which flourished until this establishment closed down some years later.

In 1972 he staged the first ‘National Sea Kayaking Symposium’ at Birmingham University and went on to manage four further such events in the UK. These have remained the models for similar events, all bearing the title ‘Symposium’ which have become the currently established format around the world.

He went on to undertake several kayaking expeditions, from paddling across the English Channel (in the days before mobile phones and GPS) to leading expeditions around the world for peer groups and for youth organisations. He was also to publish the first book which he entitled, ‘Sea Touring, An informative book for sea ocean kayakers.’ This went into five re-issues before becoming free on demand via th’internet.

In 1973 John went on to found the ‘International Sea Kayaking Association’ which attracted a world wide readership. For over 45 years he published a newsletter which was circulated to each member every two months until he allowed others to use it as the foundation of the future glossy magazines that today support this aspect of our canoe sport. The newsletters are today made available here and on canoeingresults.com where they’ll remain as a source of historical information and data for the foreseeable future. It was during this time that he met and worked with the likes of such inspirational figures as Duncan Winning, Nigel Dennis, Peter Midwood, Ray Rowe and others too numerous to mention here; all who today appear on a List of those who played a contributing role in the development of sea kayaking. Apart from publishing bi-monthly newsletters, the ISKA also managed an Exhibition Stand every year at the annual BCU Canoe Exhibition which acted as the shop window for this specialised kayaking activity.

The Association, still known as the ‘International Sea Kayaking Association’ continues to flourish as a Facebook Group Site and it is on this site you can find the List just referred to. In 1973 the BCU determined to establish a specific committee to oversee and support ocean kayakers to work alongside the other specialists committees that formed the working structure of the BCU. And so was formed the BCU Sea Touring Committee which John chaired for thirteen years. It is hoped that the minutes from these early embryonic meetings may also become available on both this website and canoeingresults.com.

Over the succeeding years John became a Fellow of the RoyalGeographical Society, a member of the Royal Institute of Navigation, of the National Association of Outdoor Education, the British Institute of Sports Coaches and a Churchill Fellow.

In 1983 he was asked to lead the sea kayaking phase on the British School’s Exploring Society, now the British Exploring Society, expedition to East Greenland. This was their first trial run of coastal kayaking and was successful enough to be included as part of their normal curriculum. John went on to lead these kayaking phases until being appointed as the overall leader of the BES Expeditions to Alaska, Greenland, Russia, Norway and Svalbard. He also led the kayaking phases of two expeditions to Southern Chile for Raleigh International in 2000 and 2002.

John has led several of his own independent sea kayaking expeditions to places like Nunivak Island in the Bering Sea and Prince William Sound, Alaska. He was also a participant in the first six man North Sea crossing as led by Derek Hutchinson back in the late 1900s. This trip failed, necessitating a rescue. He joined forces with Peter Midwood and made a second attempt the following year.

John has contributed as both coach and presenter to several sea kayaking meets in places like Australia, Canada, America and Europe.

Married to Jenny with two children, Chris and Sarah, who’ve blessed them with four grandchildren, he retired from Government Service back in 1997 to live out his remaining time in the NW of England.

Finally... John is the first to acknowledge that he got so much more out of managing the ASKC and ISKA in so many ways. For example, in terms of the invites he had to attend coaching sessions, seminars and other meets around the world.

He is the first to claim that his family (and his employer) were important, nay vital, in that the support and freedom they allowed him to enjoy gave the best of all worlds. They not only permitted his efforts but became continually involved and was often too ‘head down and arse up’ to appreciate this commitment and realises now just how much he took for granted.