The Truro canoe club where teenagers race veterans

On the start line, a 14-year-old could be sitting level with someone in their seventies, and neither of them would think it odd. That is how it works at Truro Canoe Racing Club, which has just had one of its strongest seasons in years and now wants more people, and more local businesses, to join in.

Based at Boscawen Park, the club has almost 100 members aged from 12 to 79. It has made a name for itself as one of the leading marathon kayak racing clubs in the South West, and this season it has performed strongly throughout the regional Hasler Marathon Racing League, qualifying for the National Hasler Finals on the Thames in London.

A season to remember

Chair Bill Sharpe said: “We’ve had a fantastic season, from international success through to newer paddlers making huge improvements. What makes the club special is that everyone contributes, whatever their age or ability.”

The highlights stretch well beyond Cornwall. Linda May and John Elliott won their class in the Mixed Doubles Masters title at both the European and World Surf Ski Championships.

Junior paddler Eli Cockerill has been invited to join the Olympic Development Squad. Benji Betts-Odetayo was selected for the under 18s GB surf ski squad, and secured victories at the highly competitive Hasler races at Pangbourne and Elmbridge.

📷A double kayak training session on the River Fal

Wobbly boats and shared start lines

Marathon kayak racing is a flat-water endurance sport raced in sleek, 5 metre long racing kayaks. League races cover 4, 8 or 12 miles on some of the South West’s most scenic waterways.

Paddlers joke about the “wobble factor”. Racing kayaks are rated from 10 down to 1 depending on how stable they are, and newcomers start in the steadier boats before working their way up to faster, less forgiving craft as their skills develop. The club keeps a fleet of stable racing kayaks so beginners can get going and build confidence.

What sets the sport apart is how people are grouped. Competitors race by ability rather than age or gender, so men and women of a similar standard go head to head, and teenagers can find themselves lining up alongside veterans.

Every paddler counts

The club is just as proud of the progress made by members new to racing. In the Hasler League, a beginner racing in Division 9 scores as many points for the club as a paddler competing in Division 2. So every member, whatever boat they are in, adds to the team’s total.

Taster sessions and a call for sponsors

Several members have recently qualified as Paddle Sport Leaders, and the club plans to run taster sessions next spring. These are aimed at people who have done some paddling before and have a reasonable level of fitness.

As it grows, the club is also looking for support from local businesses. Sponsorship would help it offer opportunities to new paddlers, widen access to equipment, raise awareness of the sport across Cornwall and keep developing what is already one of the county’s most successful paddlesport clubs.

“We have real momentum at the moment,” said Bill. “We’re always keen to welcome new paddlers, and we’d love to hear from local businesses who would like to support a friendly, ambitious community club.”

Anyone interested in joining, signing up for a taster session in spring 2027 or talking about sponsorship can get in touch through the Truro Canoe Racing Club website.

📷The team outside the club house at Boscawen Park