Kevin Williams
Kevin has been kayaking for over 30 years, first on the river, then on the sea. He is a Level 4 (old system) river coach and a Level 3 (new system) sea kayak coach, which is now called Performance Coach. He is also an Advanced Sea Kayak Leader, formerly known as 5* Leader. Basically, he can deal with anything. Kevin is proud to have been trained by Gordon Brown of Skyak Adventures, and Doug Cooper at Glenmore Lodge, where he occasionally works as part of the team.
He has been kayaking all over the world including Austria, Nepal, India, Greece, USA, New Zealand and of course all over Scotland. He is well known for his excellent camping cuisine made from scratch with fresh ingredients.
Janni Williams
Janni has been sea kayaking for 7 years mainly around Skye and Lochalsh but has dipped her paddle into the sea in Greece and New Zealand as well as on the occasional river. She is an Advanced Sea Kayak Leader, aka 5* Leader, and UKCC Level 2 Sea Kayak Coach. Janni is also a qualified PE teacher, mountain leader and climbing wall instructor.
Being a Gaelic speaker, she loves interpreting the names of skerries, islands and other places we see when we’re out. She can coach in Gaelic and German as well as English.
Gillian Parker
Gillian is a BCU level 3 coach (old system). She has been kayaking mainly around the West coast of Scotland for the last 15 years although first took up kayaking while at university a few years previously. She splits her time between working as a mountaineering instructor and kayak coach and also works with school groups in outdoor centres. In winter Gillian works as a ski instructor as well as some work for the Scottish Avalanche Information Service.
Angus (Mòr) Murray
Angus is a Gaelic speaking islander who hails from the Isle of Benbecula, taking up kayaking with Uist Canoe Club as a youngster. He then really fell for the sport on moving to the Isle of Lewis 7 years ago and joining Stornoway Canoe Club. He spends his spare time paddling to and camping on uninhabited islands and in remote places whenever possible.
Angus has another job as Programme Manager of the Skye Ecomuseum. This makes him a bit of a specialist in the history and diverse environment of the area. Angus started with SSSK in 2020 and has really enjoyed sharing the sport he loves with clients of all ages and experience (and sampling beers from The Misty Bottle after).
Erin Winkelmann
Erin started as a trainee instructor and youngest team member in June 2022 to explore what it’s like to be a kayak leader and coach. She has now qualified as a Sea Kayak Leader and we are very proud to have her in our team.
Erin is passionate about the sea and having grown up in the remotest part of the local area, she is an expert in local affairs and has an extraordinary ability to handle the toughest weather conditions.
Rebecca Crawford
Reb initially joined the team as a trainee, and then completed her Sea Kayak Leader Award last year. She studied at The University of Cumbria on the Outdoor Adventure and Environment degree, graduating in 2018. Since then, she has been a keen outdoor enthusiast, working in various sectors of the industry. She has been an enthusiastic paddler for the last 6 years and has an avid interest in the ecology and geology of the coastal environment, and how we can access that through kayaking. Reb is also a Summer Mountain Leader and enjoys mountain biking.