Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge may not be top of the list for surfing destinations in the UK but it is now home to two of England’s most successful female surf kayakers.
Burnham and Highbridge Sea Cadets Unit members CPO (SCC) Jo Sidwell and Leading Cadet Philippa competed individually and for Team England at the World Surf Kayak Championships, which were held for the first time in Bude last week.
Philippa, competing against some of the best Junior Women on the planet finished in an impressive fourth place, and narrowly missed out on a podium place in the finals of both High Performance and International (Long Boat) classes.
Jo was knocked out of the Ladies Masters High Performance class in the repechage stage, finishing that event in 10th position overall.
Jo has been surf kayaking for around seven years whilst Philippa came to the sport just in the last year and has made an instant impression. In the Team event, Philippa represented Team England in the Junior Long Boat class helping the team win second place overall.
An exceptionally strong Basque Country team took the Team event Gold medal despite having a bit of a wobble on the second day of Team events due to the conditions being decidedly gnarly.
LC Philippa said after competing: “I can’t believe I’ve done the Worlds! This has been an amazing 10 days paddling with some amazing surf kayakers. Its been a great atmosphere and everyone’s been so welcoming.”
“I really want to thank my mum for her support in getting me here, both for the competition and the training weekends!”
CPO Sidwell, who introduced Philippa to the sport and is Secretary to the England Surf Kayak committee, adds: “It’s wonderful to think that this sport has such a healthy future. We need more women at all levels being represented in the surf kayaking community.”
During the week most of the Team England paddlers, including Jo and LC Philippa took part in a rescue of a Scottish competitor – pictured above – who had come out of his boat and had a head injury near Cross Rocks near Summerleaze Beach.
Burnham and Highbridge Sea Cadets Commanding Officer, Lt (SCC) Dom Gregory RNR, adds: “I’ve been watching these World Championships from the beach for the last ten days supporting Joe and LC Philippa. I’m really struggling to find the words to express just how proud I am of both Jo and Philippa, in making the most of the opportunities that have been made available both within Sea Cadets and by our partners in England Surf Kayaking.”
“This is quite a niche sport that doesn’t have the same level of recognition as other paddlesports disciplines but demands the highest level of attention to detail, knowledge and observation of the environment,” he continued.
“England has always had a great surf kayak community at the forefront of performance and boat design, and it takes elite athletes like Jo and Philippa to make the most of them. It may not be a win this time round but at this rate of improvement the next Worlds could be anyone’s for the taking.”
This year’s World Championships has been noted as one of the friendliest, most inclusive and environmentally sensitive events to date. The 2024 World Surf Kayak Championships will be held in Argentina.
