AN Okehampton soldier has spent a wet weekend battling against more than 30 top class kayak paddlers at a national event held at Newquay recently.
Sergeant Scott Battishill, who serves with 7 Battalion, Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers, was competing in the Inter-service Surf Kayak and Waveski Championships.
The competition has been running since 1990 and follows the principle of riding waves towards shore, but by kayak rather than on a surfboard.
Points are awarded for style, technique and manoeuvre, together with the size of the wave ridden.
Scott's speciality is waveski, which is like a kayak without a deck.
'It doesn't matter whether you have an enclosed kayak or open waveski — you're still going to get wet!' said Scott.
'I enjoy the rough water kayaking, which I took up two years ago and I'm pleased to represent the army in these competitions.
'We are lucky in the services because sport and fitness are encouraged, we get time for training and taking part in events. Sometimes we get help with transport and funding as well,' said Scott, who was also in the white water slalom team at the championships.
His team came second in the competition, which was won by the RAF — the Navy team came third.
Scott, who is 28, is a former pupil of Okehampton College.
He joined the Army in 1993 and has a wife, Sarah, and two-year-old son, Joshua.
His parents, Martin and June, also live in Okehampton.