Q&A with Caz Dawson of SUP Lass Adventures

Ever keen to pass on her knowledge of both cooking and paddling, Caz set up SUP Lass Adventures a few years back.

Interview: SUPM
Pics: Caz Dawson, Paul O’Garra & Hari Corp
Interview from August 2023

Caroline Dawson (Caz to those that know) is a multi-skilled SUP instructor and culinary wizard. SUPM caught up with the SUP Lass to find out more.

Tell us where your watersports journey began?
Always been a water baby – a competent swimmer who got a full house of swimming and survival badges. Rafted down the Zambezi in 2009 whilst on a young farmer exchange trip – grade 4/5, which was scary after three swims! My family sailed – so I spent many of my teenage holidays in and around the north Wales coast absorbing charts and listening to channel 16. 

My hobby was horse riding; I rode all my life competitively until four years ago and had my fair share of falling into the water. SUP filled that gap when my horse passed away; SUP was cheaper than owning a horse….well it was to start with! Having a strong core and a good natural balance has helped me with my paddling. 

I have always been outdoorsy, growing up on the edge of the Clwydian Range AONB and still live and operate my business from there today. 

And when did you first hop aboard a SUP? 
I am always a little nervous answering this question as I feel people will judge ‘the new girl on the block’. I’ve worked incredibly hard on perfecting skills, conversing with experienced paddlers and submerging myself in books and online resources.

I bought my first board in 2019, after a couple of dabbles in 2018. My first board was a Fanatic Diamond Air Touring, which is still going strong today and is owned by one of my regular clients. I learnt to paddle with legend Ant Ing – Stand Up Paddle UK – he pushed me hard in the early days and got me paddling my first white water race within six weeks of joining him. I now work with Ant as a freelance instructor. 

It’s important never to stop learning and developing as a paddler, and I still find paddling as fascinating now as I did in the early days. All my training to date has been through WSA, and I must call out Dave Brown from Acwaterra for all of his input into me. 

What does SUP boarding do for you personally? Why do you love it?
For me, it is about being in the now, being present and throwing away electronic devices. It provides me with an empty head (when paddling alone!!) and a connection with the outdoors and water – particularly when I was working a screen-heavy job, it provided me with an escape. 

SUP is made up of so many disciplines and is much much more than going around in circles. My business model is based around SUP + More, my goal is to broaden the horizons of the paddlers I meet and inspire them to explore new areas within the sport, with safety always at the core. 

I am a huge lover of my local river, the River Dee. From its summer lows to its winter highs, the Dee always delivers a varied paddling environment. River topography has always fascinated me, particularly how it changes after big water events.  

I have recently been appointed a Trustee of the Welsh Dee Trust – the first female in their history.  I am involved with supporting their work on improving water quality and biodiversity on the river, including supporting water litter picks. 

What area of SUP did you naturally gravitate towards, and why?
I’d describe myself as a ‘Jack of all trades’ when it comes to paddle boarding – it’s the appeal. I’ve tried most things from white water through to SUP polo; I have raced too (I am just a bit competitive and wish to take this opportunity to apologise to anyone who has raced against me or ever been on my team!) Enjoying so many SUP disciplines means I have accumulated quite a collection of boards and kit.

My favourite area of SUP is longer expedition and adventure-style trips – river or coast. I have the ability and endurance to keep going and enjoy the more challenging wind and water conditions. 

Now SUP’s your business. But when did you decide to make it so?
SUP Lass Paddle Adventures was born in January 2021, a few months after I qualified as a WSA Adventure Guide. I ran the business along with full-time employment in the agri-food industry for the first 12 months. 

CV19 made many of us think differently about what is important to us. I, for one, had had enough of being stuck in a baby pink home office for 10+ hours a day, talking to grey people in grey suits – it was miserable, and my company back then had made it quite clear they weren’t returning to office working. I love people and really missed the human contact. So in December 2021, I stepped off the employed ladder, after 20 years of working for others, to go self-employed with ‘SUP Lass Paddle Adventures’ and my food and drink consultancy business ‘Fodder Lass Consulting’. It was pretty scary and a bold move, but I have been incredibly fortunate to be busy with both so far, and the blend of the two businesses has been working well. So, if I am not out guiding or instructing, I am probably giving talks to farmers, making industrial quantities of ice cream or attending a trade show. 
 
Does running a SUP company detract from personal enjoyment? If so, why?
Nope, not at all. I get immense pleasure from supporting and watching my clients succeed, and I still get excited every time I step on my board. Adapting sessions or overcoming barriers is what I love to do. I am a natural leader and get great joy from inspiring and coaching others; I try and play to my strengths on the water. 

My heart is in creating an accessible adventure for everyone – whether it be ability, cost, location, etc. – and for some people, a 1-hour trip down the lower stretches of the Dee is a massively adventurous trip. I’ve been told on several occasions my passion and love for SUP shines through – I always try my best to be genuine and supportive with my clients. 

Tell us a bit about your local paddle grounds and what it offers.
My playground is the River Dee in Wales (there are four in the UK and one in Ireland) – the Dee has it all – from white water to lazy meanders, plus its own tidal bore. I’m super fortunate to have access to most types of water within 20 minutes of my doorstep. As a child, I used to fish on the Dee and play on one of its tributaries – so I know the river and its users well. It has a wealth of Welsh and English history due to its border location – quite often, you find yourself paddling on the borderline, which clients love. 

I also regularly paddle on the north Wales coast – my favourite places are the Llyn Peninsula and the Great Orme; both never fail to disappoint when the conditions allow and have plenty of wildlife on offer. Three of my favourite north Wales paddles feature in Jo Moseley’s new book ‘Stand Up Paddling Great Britain’. 
 
Anywhere specific you still want to tick off your SUP bucket list, home or away?
I will shortly be heading to the east coast of Sweden for a two-week self-guided exped around Saint Anna and Gryt Archipelago with my partner Jonathan. I am in the process of researching and pulling the trip together as we speak.

I have blocked out 10 days in my diary to travel in September too – all suggestions welcome!
 
What about personal SUP goals? Got anything still to nail down?
2022 has been about delivery for me and less so on obtaining qualifications – I have been working hard behind the scenes to develop the overall SUP Lass brand, growing my industry experience, and collaborating with other providers. 

The only qualification I would love to nail down this year is my WSA Exped Guide qualification. I have been working on my logbook, completing prerequisites, and building my experience through shadowing and planning my own adventures. 

Give us some background about your cooking and SUP shenanigans? 
I have always worked in the food and agriculture industry and run my award-winning outdoor event kitchen, which involved sell-out pop-up restaurants in various environments, including mountain tops, forests and castles. My other passion besides SUP is supporting small, independent food producers that supply top-quality local and seasonal products. I am also a longstanding judge for the Great Taste awards. 

Since I started paddling, my dream has always been to combine the two – SUP + COOK. I have always enjoyed outdoor cooking and literally have enough kit to sink a SUP. I am forever researching different cooking systems and methods, plus reading cookbooks – one of my favourites is ‘Campfire Cooking’ by Tim Gent. I am naturally creative and always have more ideas than the ability to deliver… there is a little (!) food-related paddle challenge up my sleeve for 2023 – it’s a bit quirky, to say the least. 

It always surprises me how much you can fit on a board (12’8 McConks has oodles of carrying capacity) to create gourmet river dining experiences – a few weeks back, I managed to rustle up a four-course lunch for two people. My van always contains a barrel of wood and an axe for an impromptu brew or cook-up – two of my favourite bits of kit are my Kelly Kettle and my Robens firewood stove. 

As we understand, you’ve incorporated your culinary skills into your SUP biz? How’s that panned out so far (no pun intended)?
Yep sure, have, and it’s ‘panning’ out well. I am never without my Kelly Kettle and always have the means to make a brew for clients. And yes, some instructors take the mickey out of me for it! But I truly love it. I was using my Dad’s 30-year-old kettle, but my clients were getting fed up with the ‘bits’, so I thought it would be best to upgrade to a newer one. 

Last month we held our first SUP + COOK experience on the River Dee, which was a great experience and valuable for obtaining feedback for future sessions. We will hold further sessions throughout the summer – visit our website for details. 

I was recently joined on the Dee by adventure photographer Hari Corp; we spent 10 hours on the water cooking, eating and filming. Quite simply the best day ever; she helped me turn my vision into a reality and create some fantastic content. 

I have also run workshops to upskill other SUP instructors on adventure cooking – particularly around food safety and hygiene. I have also been approached to run a SUP + Cook experience in collaboration with other paddle providers in other parts of the UK.

What’s on the agenda for the rest of the 2022 season as far as SUP Lass Adventures goes?
In September, we will be offering our first SUP Lass’ Adventure SUP Camp’ at Llyn Tegid – the weekend will be jam-packed with SUP adventure skills, including cooking. 

The rest of summer will include assistant guiding work on the River Wye, the Trent 100, an expedition to Sweden, delivering SUP Lass sessions – including our weekly SUP Club and working freelance for other local SUP providers.    
 
Shouts and thanks?
It’s hard to thank everyone as the community has been so supportive of the SUP Lass Paddle Adventures journey so far… and in no particular order: 

• My partner Jonathan helps me a huge amount with my business and deserves a medal for putting up with me. 
• McConks – boards, advice, safety and promoting us. Andy, you’re a star! 
• Ant Ing – for being part of my paddle journey and for the ongoing inspiration. 
• Mustang Survival, who have recently adopted me as part of their crew. 
• Dave Brown – for your support and wealth of outdoor knowledge.
• Jo Moseley for being a great champion for the women in the industry. 
• Kingswood Colomendy – for access to the bijou lake and the home of SUP Club. 
• Water Skills Academy – for enabling me to transform a hobby into a business.
• Fellow SUP instructors (North Wales, Shropshire and beyond – you all know who you are, and you are awesome).
• Hari Corp, my amazing adventure photographer. 

links to follow SUP LASS adventures: 
Website: www.suplass.com 
Email: suplassadventures@gmail.com 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/suplassadventures 
Instagram: @sup_lass