Europe's Premier Canoe Rendezvous.
Powered by :
Sporty by nature, Anaïs turned to outdoor sports as a teenager. She discovered canoeing on the Tarn and Allier rivers. After graduating with a degree in sports science, she turned to teaching and pedagogy. She returned to the Allier, a river close to her heart, to work and teach canoeing and kayaking. She became head of canoeing trips at UCPA before returning to her first passion: instructing.
Andy is a British Canoeing Coach Educator (Instructor Trainer) with a passion for multi-day canoe trips. He has supported and assessed many young people on expeditions. He also organizes a 100 mile "Canoe Test" for youth groups, event which has been existing for more than 50 years now. After participating many times to the OCF, Andy is now one of the "big masters" of our instructor staff with various technique workshops. He will also run a trip to introduce British Canoeing's approaches to Leadership.
Armelle and Peter honor us by coming from Belgium to participate in the Festival and lead several “canoe technique” workshops. They have been running and managing the canoe school Canad.be for over 25 years. These two trilingual canoeists are passionate professionals who have turned their love for canoeing into their profession. Along with their team, they teach and mentor over 300 canoeists each year. They are certified instructors with the American Canoe Association (ACA) and have also trained in Quebec.
After leading trips and expeditions in Norway for more than 20 years, they decided to focus more locally and now specialize in training. They offer canoeing courses for all levels: both on flat water and whitewater, in Belgium (Ardennes) and abroad, with a focus either on sport or on travel and exploration.
Competition is not the driving force behind their work. Those who learn to paddle with them are introduced to the trapper's way of life: respect for nature and the team, camp life, and safety. They also provide tailored coaching for teams preparing for expeditions to Canada, Scandinavia, and beyond, with an emphasis on technique, safety, teamwork, and environmental awareness.
Their website: Canad.be
Aurélien Rateau fell into rivers as a child, first for fishing, then for canoe-bivouacking, and finally for biodiversity. His favorite playgrounds are French rivers, as well as those of the Balkans and Lapland, where he leads summer canoe trips. His motto "everything's good in canoeing" reflects his interest in both contemplative itineraries on calm rivers and adventure expeditions on the tumultuous rivers of the North, as well as afternoons devoted to learning technical skills. Pro river guide, he shares these experiences within the "Destination Rivières" association.
His website : www.destination-rivieres.org
Visiting from Canada, Becky and Reid are a superb coaching team who are accredited flat-water and moving-water Paddle Canada instructors and passionate canoeists. They are thrilled to be at the OCF to share their canoeing skills and offer fun workshops on both lake and river. The daughter of Canadian canoeing legend Bill Mason, Becky continues the family canoeing tradition through her courses, videos, writing, and advocacy work.
Originally from England, Caroline has lived in the Gard (close to the Ardèche river) since 2005 and is a French-qualified canoe guide. She studied sport science and psychology and worked as a personal trainer and coach, before falling in love with open canoeing. She has been guiding and teaching canoeing in France for over 15 years, and as the mother of 5 daughters, particularly wants to inspire more women and girls to take part in the sport.
French river guide, Richard will propose a workshop for complete beginners (in French) : basic techniques and safety tips. Christine, his wife, will propose an outdoor cooking workshop.
Their blog : spiritofkayaking.com
Since childhood, between canoeing and scouting, Florent has developed a love for bivouacs in the great outdoors. Naturally, he turned to training as a whitewater instructor to share his passion. Today, he teaches on the Allier river in the Haute Loire region, mainly in canoe. A river on which he and his partner, Anaïs Combaz, will soon be offering itinerant canoeing trips.
Fred has been passionate about canoeing for over 40 years. After having travelled a good number of rivers in a kayak, he switched to a sea kayak with which he has travelled the Adriatic, Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. For the past ten years, he has also been practicing canoeing. As a professional guide, he organises expeditions on the lakes and rivers of France and Switzerland. Passionate about edible wild plants, he will offer workshops on cooking with wild plants, whether on expeditions or at home.
Greg has been canoeing since the 1970s, and instructing since the 1980s. He is an ACA instructor and a BCU coach, as well as being UK representative of the ACA, Acting Chairman of the British "Open Canoe Association" and a specialist in canoe sailing. He will again offer courses in river canoeing and canoe touring. www.singleblade.co.uk
River guide for more than 30 years, Jeff is based in the French Alps. Added to his own kayaking and rafting activities, he is also a respected river guide instructor. He joins the 2015 OCF staff with a new "leadership" workshop (in french) about group management and preventive safety.
A nature guide in the National Nature Reserve of the Ramières du Val de Drôme, Jérémy likes to accompany the public in their discoveries of nature. Curious and interested in the abundant life around us, he will speak with passion about what he has learned to know and recognize.
John is a passionate outdoor enthusiast and paddler, with a lifelong connection to water. From a young age, he spent much of his time exploring lakes and rivers with a rubber dinghy, and later turned canoeing into his profession. Since 2013, John has been a certified ACA Instructor for Open Canoe Level III River (Solo & Tandem). He is dedicated to helping both beginners and advanced paddlers improve their skills and reach the next level.
John continuously broadens his expertise through a variety of team-building activities, training courses, paddling events, and meetings across Europe, solidifying his reputation as the go-to professional for outdoor events and open canoe paddling.
In 2022, he completed a year-long training program as a systemic experiential educator, and in 2023, he became a certified coach and trainer specializing in goal setting and change processes. Additionally, John is a certified Wilderness First Aid Responder.
For more information, visit his website:
www.jonlebon.de
Professional river guide, Joris is an accomplished canoe expeditionist, specializing in solo paddling trips. He shares his passion for paddling sports with his company, Destination H2O, offering canoe bivouac trips on the famous Loire valley. He is also a emergency first aider and coach at the French Canoe Kayak Federation.
A professional adventurer, expedition guide, bushcraft and survival trainer, hiking guide, and adventure film maker… Julien Abbate wears many hats. Passionate about adventure since childhood, he has naturally turned it into his career.
He has been guiding canoe expeditions in the Yukon, Canada, and packraft trips in Finnish Lapland for several years. He also offers bushcraft and micro-adventure courses in France, in the Ain department.
Website: www.kaio-experiences.com
I fell in love 10 years ago when I discovered canoe-camping on the dark waters of Quebec! Over there, canoeing is eaten in the morning, at noon and in the evening, solo, or in a expedition duo, over several weeks or even several months… It is a big family that has welcomed me. After 14 years of experience in this corner of North America, I came back to France with my two solo "canots" (as we call them in Québec ; in France we call them OC1 for Open Canoe 1 place) and still this crazy desire to discover magnificent rivers. Since then I have two dreams:
1) that French no longer say OC1 but "canot"!
2) see more and more "canots" on the beautiful French rivers.
Here too, white water is a beautiful and large family that knows how to welcome back the impatriate that I am!
Originally from the Netherlands and now living for 9 years in Bristol, Great Britain with his wife and two young children. He bought his first “expedition” kayak when he was 17 and paddled through the canals of Amsterdam. Soon did bigger trips on the IJselmeer, Waden- and Northsea and became a Seakayak coach. He soon developed a passion for the “open” canoe and started in early 1998 the first European Canoe Symposium which he ran for over 10 years. He became the first British Canoeing level 4 open canoe coach in the Netherlands and also gained qualifications of the A.C.A. (Instructor) and Canada.
He is active as member of the Open Canoe Association and organised special event for families, youth and children. One of his highlights was paddling with Andy Oughton and Noddy the Bliss canoe trail; trip of 824 miles through/round England.
Six years ago he visited the OCF as a participant but now he is here to “help” anyone who wants to improve or just wants some Encouragement or just to say; “yes that's it! Go for it!” From beginner to improver, solo and tandem and also Family’s and children. Shame life is too short!
Mathieu is passionned canoe a sea kayaking professionnal guide based in the South of France. Outdoor addict, he loves to share bivouac techniques (no trace camping, fire and knots) and he is also specializing in outdoor sports programs for disabled persons.
With Aurélien Rateau (also instructor at the OCF) he runs the association "Destination Rivières" taking people to Europe's most beautiful rivers.
Matt has been paddling for more years than he remembers, but only came to see the light in 1997 when he was working for Outward Bound in the USA. Returning to the UK, Matt pursued the qualifications that would extend and diversify his paddling experiences. He is currently a BCU Level 4 Open Canoe coach. Matt likes to share his canoeing passion through enabling people to believe that they too can have the adventures he does.
Wilderness Canoe is Matt's small company, based on the west coast of Scotland in a village only accessible by boat or on foot. Matt runs trips throughout the UK and further afield when possible in between he guides on the water and mountains of his local area.
Raphael has been a certified American Canoe Association instructor since 2002 and is now one of only a handful of Instructor Trainer Educators worldwide in Open Canoe. With extensive experience as both an instructor and guide, his knowledge is vast, his instructor toolkit is overflowing, and his passion for the water and teaching is nearly legendary.
As a sea kayaker, packrafter, sailor, and whitewater rescuer, Raphael brings a wealth of expertise about his favorite element — water — to all of his courses and training sessions.
If you're interested in becoming an instructor yourself, a course will be offered on-site just before the festival.
Infos : https://freiluftmensch.bookinglayer.com/de/product/river-canoe-instructor/guests
Having discovered the benefits of packraft while travelling the world, Rob swapped physics for manufacturing and development at Mekong, where he is co-manager. As a white water lover, you'll probably find him in the workshop or on an alpine river.
Sébastien works at the "Parc Naturel des Landes de Gascogne". Mountain and river guide, excellent photographer, he's also a great adventurer with many trips done in Africa or Canada. He loves to share his passion for nature and paddling trips.
His website : sebastiencarlier.fr
Paddling trips : itinerairespartages.org
Tony (a.k.a “Blue”) is a Canoe “Guru” who has teached and trained hundreds of river guides for the British Canoe Union. Native from England but based in France South East, he is leading canoe trips on Europe’s most beautiful rivers.
Yann is one the french open canoe pioneers in France. Former member of the association "the river runners / coureurs de rivières" which was a big inspiration to create the Open Canoe Festival, he's been paddling canoes and sea kayaks for more than 20 years. Big fan of french and canadian rivers, his profile does not only deal with canoe. Former military in special forces for rescue missions, he's now often assigned as a diver / rescuer for the national sea safety society. A real adventurer with a strong outdoor and safety culture.
His first paddle strokes were in 1991, and nearly 30 years ago, he decided to turn his passion into his profession. A river guide, he navigates in rafting, kayaking, canoeing, packrafting, Bike & Canoe on exceptional routes in Lyon, the Rhône-Alpes region, and beyond. His favorite playground is the wild Upper Rhône, but Sweden, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, and more recently Greenland have become his second home. He is also a trainer for future professionals in the field of outdoor sports. You’ll spot him on the water with his Nikon camera around his neck, even at times when he probably shouldn’t be taking photos. It’s this experience that he wants to share with as many people as possible, showing that adventure is right at our doorstep.
His website: www.randovive.com and ideas for routes on www.LyonUrbanKayak.com
The OCF is possible thanks to the Gontard family and their lovely camping site by the river. Always present for logistics and moral support, always smiling and welcoming. Nothing would be possible without Catherine and Jeff.
Creator and organiser of the Open Canoe Festival, Paul works as an outdoor reporter and photographer. Author of the book “Guide du canoë en France” (Canoeing in France), his reports led him to paddle the world four corners and are regularly published in press magazines. His website : www.villecourt.com
In 2017, with Philippe Bouvat, he paddled France from east to west during a 2 months and 1570 km trip between Geneva and Saint Nazaire. www.lagrandetraversee.fr
In 2021, with Christian Barbier, he has developed a new way to travel by canoe + bike. www.canovelo.com
Julien is part of the OCF organisation since the age of 16 when he was in charge of the volunteers. Raised in a famous local outdoor sports school, he soon became a specialist in outdoor marketing, video, photo and social medias. Today, he works for prestigious companies like Millet, Rossignol and big public relations agencies. No surprise to see him taking the position of co-organiser since the 2022 OCF. He knows the Festival by heart : already workshop manager, he's also in charge of the marketing development. He's a Gontard : Dual Core processor, able to manage 5 things at the same time. Only 25 and already entrepreneur : the essential positive energy to boost the Open Canoe Festival.
Lucas is responsible for welcoming participants to the festival, and will be there to help you register for the workshops with his brother Julien. Passionate about nature, holding a Master 1 in English language, and having grown up at the Gontard campsite, Lucas joined the Open Canoe Festival adventure in 2018 and will be there this year for its third edition by your side.
The Open Canoe Festival is also its legendary bar, managed by Guillaume, Christelle and Raph.
Big thanks to our numerous volunteers helping to organize the OCF !
