“I always try to volunteer to teach during the Toronto Paddlefest. 2008 was no different, over the two day event I was going to teach some canoeing, kayaking and some theory. It was really exciting for me to hear that Justine Curgenven would be coming up to instruct some clinics and to do some filming for her latest project as well.

Several years ago now, I attended the first Paddling Film festival in Toronto, at least the first advertised one. It was amazing to see clips from “This is the Sea” for more than just the awesome cinematography. As an amateur photographer, it was also inspiring to watch, but for me, it was also great to see a rugged, go get ‘em female paddler out there doing some amazing stuff. Up until that point, I hadn’t heard of, or seen many female adventure paddlers, and I was used to being the only female student on courses and the only female instructor at the paddling centre where I teach. I was getting used to the people that would come up to me who would sound surprised to see me, a female paddler who isn’t especially athletic, able to do some of the “big boy tricks” and roll a sea kayak, or perform layback sculling or a static brace.

When I heard that Justine was coming to Toronto, I thought I would be happy just to have a chance to say hi and tell her I enjoyed her movies. Instead I had a great time taking her out in a “Canadian Canoe” – as they are referred to in Europe – and actually giving her lesson and a few tips.

First, you have to realize that Paddlefest is a fairly large event, with quite a lot of people, boats and equipment spanning a large, long sandy beach. Sometimes you can see the same person over and over again, and sometimes you’ll never find who you are looking for. I bumped into Justine by chance, as we were both preparing for our lessons. We chatted briefly, I was heading to the canoes and she was heading over to the kayaks. She mentioned that she hadn’t really done any canoeing and never had a lesson. I offered to take her out for a spin when we both had a “free period”.We were out on the water for about thirty minutes and as the wind kept changing and the weather couldn’t make up its mind what to do, we ended up paddling around in a variety of conditions. Justine was a great student and asked a lot of great questions about canoeing. She even asked the #1 question that I get… “What do you prefer, paddling a canoe or kayak?” We talked about some of the places in common where we have paddled, like Tybee Island Georgia (This is the Sea 3) and places she had been that I’d like to see and I told her about paddling in several places in Canada. She great at putting up with me asking a million questions about her videos, her waterproofing techniques and what was coming next. Later that same week she was filming some pieces for her latest release, “This is Canoeing.”

When I think about that day I can’t help but be a bit embarrassed, I must have sounded rather cheesy and star-struck while talking to her, but it was such great fun. It was that same year I found myself an underwater housing for my video camera and played around with different ideas. Just this year, in 2010, I had my own short film making the rounds with the paddling film festival and Justine’s inspiration played a big role in giving me the confidence to step up to the plate and play with the big boys.” – Melanie Buckle (winner of Justine’s DVD from Kokatat’s Facebook quiz)