Nigel Foster (born 17 October 1952) is an English

sea kayak A sea kayak or touring kayak is a kayak used for the sport of Watercraft paddling, paddling on open waters of lakes, bays, and oceans. Sea kayaks are seaworthy small boats with a covered deck and the ability to incorporate a spray deck. They t ...

er,

kayak ] A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...

designer, instructor and author. He is the first and youngest paddler to circle

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

by kayak. Foster started paddling in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, England when he was 15 in a skin-on-frame kayak. At Burwash Place Outdoor Activity Centre,

Burwash Burwash, archaically known as Burghersh, is a rural village and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, England. Situated in the High Weald of Sussex some inland from the port of Hastings, it is located south-west of Hurst Gre ...

, Sussex, England, Foster learned to handle

whitewater Whitewater forms in the context of rapids, in particular, when a river's Stream gradient, gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that foam, froths, making t ...

ing and

surf kayaking Surf kayaking is the sport, technique, and equipment, used in surfing ocean waves with kayaks. Surf kayaking has many similarities to surf board surfing, but with boats designed for use in surf zones, and with a paddle. A number of kayak designs ...

. From 1971 to 1972, he was employed there as a "trainee instructor". He enjoyed the mix of Outdoor Activity instruction and Environmental Studies education and decided to pursue this as a career. He attended a three-year teachers training course at Redland College, Bristol, and gained classroom experience with two years teaching at a school in Buckinghamshire. In 1977, after his Iceland circumnavigation, Foster was employed by

East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...

County Council to teach as "instructor/teacher" at Burwash Place. Later in 1977, he was promoted to deputy warden. At the same time he continued his explorations with trips that included the Atlantic coast of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

and a voyage from the English Channel through France down to the Mediterranean. In 1981, when the center was closed as part of regional cutbacks to education spending, he was redeployed as a schoolteacher, but resigned in summer 1981 to attempt a major kayak expedition – a solo trip from

Iqaluit Iqaluit is the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. It is the territory's largest community and its only city, and the northernmost city in Canada. It was known as Frobisher Bay from 1942 to 1987, after the large bay on the coast on ...

at the SE end of

Baffin Island Baffin Island (formerly Baffin Land), in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, is the largest island in Canada, the second-largest island in the Americas (behind Greenland), and the fifth-largest island in the world. Its area is (slightly smal ...

along

Frobisher Bay Frobisher Bay is an inlet of the Davis Strait in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located in the southeastern corner of Baffin Island. Its length is about and its width varies from about at its outlet into the Davis Strait ...

to Resolution Island . He had to cross the of open water in the

Hudson Strait Hudson Strait () in Nunavut links the Atlantic Ocean and the Labrador Sea to Hudson Bay in Canada. This strait lies between Baffin Island and Nunavik, with its eastern entrance marked by Cape Chidley in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nunavut ...

to reach Lacy Island , northernmost of the

Button Islands A button is a fastener that joins two pieces of fabric together by slipping through a loop or by sliding through a buttonhole. In modern clothing and fashion design, buttons are commonly made of plastic but also may be made of metal, wood, or ...

and part of the Northern Coast of

Labrador Labrador () is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its populatio ...

. The tidal range in this area may exceed while tidal streams may run at more than seven knots. After fighting the tidal streams in the dark near the Button Islands, suffering frostbitten fingers and loss of gear, Foster eventually gave up on this expedition. He was able to catch a ride on an oil tanker that happened to have taken shelter behind

Killiniq Island Killiniq Island (English: ''ice floes'') is a remote island in southeastern Nunavut and northern Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Located at the extreme northern tip of Labrador between Ungava Bay and the Labrador Sea, it is notable in that it ...

. The trip was described by the editor of the ''BCU Canoeing Handbook'' in 1989 as "arguably the most impressive of any sea kayak adventure in the world." After his return to England – from 1982 to 1985 – he worked as an instructor at the Plas Menai, National Water Sports Centre, North Wales, primarily instructing kayaking, canoeing, boardsailing, mountaineering, with a little water-skiing, and sailing, gaining the following

British Canoe Union British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...

(BCU) national qualifications in these fields. * BCU Level 5 Coach Sea Kayak * BCU Level 5 Coach Surf Kayak * BCU Level 3 Coach Inland Kayak (also 5 Star Award Inland Kayak) * BCU Level 3 Coach Open Canoe (also 5 Star Award Open Canoe) He also served for many years on the BCU Sea Touring Committee, and the BCU Expeditions Sub-Committee. In 1985, he left for Iceland for six weeks where he helped an expedition group from Cambridge with logistics and by leading the kayaking component. He returned to start his own kayaking business. He taught local groups in Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Canada and the United States. The design label "Foster Rowe" emerged for a while as a collaboration with two other top kayak coaches, (Andy Middleton & Ray Rowe) with products such as paddling jackets, personal flotation devices (PFDs) and tow-systems designed for leading edge performance. Subsequently working alone, the "Nigel Foster" signature paddle blade was released b
Nimbus
in Canada, and Foster worked in a design/consultant capacity with companies includin
LiquidlogicBending Branches
an
Extrasport
in USA. (e.g.
ExtraSport Tow-system
. Late in the summer of 2004, accompanied by Kristin Nelson, he finally completed Baffin Island to Labrador expedition by paddling from

Kuujjuaq Kuujjuaq (; or ), formerly known as (ᓲᐃᕙᐅᖃᔾ) and by #Names, other names, is a former Hudson's Bay Company outpost at the mouth of the Koksoak River on Ungava Bay that has become the largest northern village (Quebec), northern vil ...

Ungava Bay Ungava Bay (; , ; /) is a bay in Nunavut, Canada separating Nunavik (far northern Quebec) from Baffin Island. Although not geographically apparent, it is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. The bay is roughly oval-shaped, about at its widest p ...

to Nain – a distance of over of uninhabited coastline – in which there were numerous encounters with

polar bear The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can Hybrid (biology), interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear ...

s. In 2008, at the 6th Annual Induction Ceremony, Foster was inducted into th
International Halls of Fame: Bicycling, Rowing, Canoeing, Kayaking
as a Kayaker. Since 2007, Foster has been the head of research and development a
Point65
In addition to designing products for Point65, he also acts as a spokesperson and assists the company with PR, marketing and special events. Foster presently lives in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, WA with his wife Kristin Nelson.

References

Published works

* Storry, T, Ed. (1986) ''Snowdonia White Water Sea and Surf'' Appendix 1, 'The Sea Birds of North Wales, by Nigel Foster', pp 146–151, Milnthorpe Cumbria: Cicerone Press, * Storry, T., Baillie, M. and Foster, N. (1989). ''Raging Rivers, Stormy Seas''. Dobbs Ferry: Sheridan House Inc, * Rowe, R, British Canoe Union et al. (1989) ''British Canoe Union Canoeing Handbook''. second edition, Nottingham : British Canoe Union, * Foster, N. (1990) ''Canoeing: A Beginner's Guide to the Kayak''. Arundel: Fernhurst Books, * Foster, N. (1997) ''Nigel Foster's Sea Kayaking''. 2nd ed. West Sussex, England: Globe Pequot, * Foster, N. (1998). ''Nigel Foster's Surf Kayaking''. Guilford: The Globe Pequot Press, * Foster, N. (1999) ''Guide to Sea Kayaking in Southern Florida''. Guilford: Globe Pequot, * Foster, N. (2003) ''Open Canoe Technique: a Complete Guide to Paddling the Open Canoe''. Guilford: Globe Pequot, * Foster, N. (2006) ''Kayaking: a Beginner's Guide''. Arundel: Wiley, * Foster, N. (2009) ''Stepping Stones: of Ungava and Labrador''. Parker CO: Outskirts Press, * Foster, N. (2012) ''Encounters from a Kayak: Native People, Sacred Places and Hungry Polar Bears''. Falcon Guides, * Foster, N. (2016) ''On Polar Tides:'' ''Paddling and surviving the coast of Northern Labrador''. Falcon, * Foster, N. (2017) ''Paddling Southern Florida: A guide to the area's greatest paddling adventures''. Falcon Guides, * Foster, N. (2017) ''The Art of Kayaking: Everything you need to know about paddling''. Falcon. *Foster, N (2021) ''Heart of Toba: Batak Life beside the World's Largest Caldera Lake.'' Nigel Kayaks. * Foster, N. (2021) ''Kayak across France: A canal and River Adventure Unlocked.'' Nigel Kayaks. * Foster, N. (2023) ''Iceland by Kayak: The First Circumnavigation of Iceland by Kayak''. Nigel Kayaks. , * Foster, N. (2025) ''Just One More:Guitar, Kayak, Coffee'' Nigel Kayaks * Foster, N
'Winging It', ''Sea Kayaker'', June 1996
* Foster, N

* Foster, N

* see also ttps://nigelkayaks.com/magazine-articles/ http://nigelkayaks.com Magazine Articles

Filmography

''Nigel Foster Sea Kayaking Series'' six instructional sea kayaking DVDs produced b
Starling Productions, Inc.
# Getting Started # Essential Strokes # Directional Control # Rescues # Forward Paddling # Rolling and Bracing * * * * * *

Kayak Designs

– Foster first design in 1977 – an expedition kayak produced in association with Keith Robinson
Rumour
– Touring kayak built b
Current Designs
The "Legend Series" produced b
Seaward Kayaks
are three expedition-capable sea kayaks designed for easy and fast cruising.
Legend

Silhouette
sized for the smaller paddler
Shadow
sized for the larger paddler The "Whisky Series" produced b
Point65

Whisky18
a longer version of the Whisky16 – no longer in production
Whisky16
a rough-water playboat Also built by Point 65
Cappucino
a day boat – no longer in production
DoubleShot
a tandem sea kayak

Sources

''Connecticut Sea Kayakers'': Newsletter, June 1997

''Connecticut Sea Kayakers'': Newsletter, May 2005

* ttp://web.me.com/simon.willis/SeaKayakRoutes/Podcasts/Podcasts.html ''Sea Kayak Podcasts'': 'Nigel Foster – the coach all sea kayak coaches respect. Another great personal tale.'
''Sweetwaterkayaks'': 'Nigel Foster'

''Point65'': 'Nigel Foster joins Point65!'

''Point65'': 'Introducing the Whisky 16 and DoubleShot'

External links

* http://www.nigelkayaks.com/ * http://www.nigelfosterdesigns.com/ * http://www.nigelfosterkayaks.com/ – source for data on the DVD * http://nigel-kayak.blogspot.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Nigel 1952 births Boat and ship designers English male canoeists Kayakers Living people Sportspeople from Seattle Whitewater sports people Writers from Seattle Sportspeople from St Albans