“The Canoe Club meets on Fridays during lunch in the pool.” Aged 11 at my school in England, seeing these words on a flyer sparked a passion for paddling that’s now 4 decades deep. Those early pool lessons included strokes and rolls, and prepared us for weekend outings to the rivers and coastlines of Wales, Scotland, and BCU courses. I moved from England to Honolulu, Hawai’i with family in my late teens, finishing high school with some surf-ski sprints and outrigger canoe races. I joined a 4’s and 8’s Crew team in college and coached in graduate school. Wherever I went, always drawn to water, I found ways to put a paddle or oar in my hands and explore the local shores, coasts, currents, and tides.
My life’s work has been in the field of global education, bringing people together across continents and cultures, building peace, leadership and local project skills in people of all ages. I’ve facilitated people from more than 175 countries and worked in more than 80 countries. The camps and programs have included lots of outdoor pursuits, and I always try to get folks on the water for canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding and problem-solving through raft building. Putting 2 young people from different sides of conflicts into a canoe for an afternoon of paddling and peacebuilding is incredibly powerful and transformative.
Peacebuilding and through canoe paddling at summer camp in southern Vermont with teenagers from Iraq and the US.
Of all paddlecraft, my favorite is a sea kayak, and I own several including my almost 30-year-old yellow Perception 17’ Sea Lion.
On my travels, I’ve had the great fortune to paddle in Alaska, Central America, the South Pacific, Europe, and other far-flung locales including Rwanda, The Kyrgyz Republic, Vietnam and Russia. Seeing a new place from the water, feeling the swell and breeze, gazing upon wildlife, trees and rocks, and experiencing the excitement of adventure in new coves, crossings and bays….ahh, that’s my happy place. I’m often asked about my favorite places to paddle: my home at Lake Tahoe is up there, along with the San Juan Islands, the Broken Group off Vancouver Island, New Zealand, and Sydney Harbor on New Year’s Eve.
Sydney Harbour, Australia is one of the best places in the world to experience New Years Eve with 2 huge fireworks displays and a boating celebration on the water after dark. Our family loves to experience it by kayak, and we decorate our boats and ourselves with colorful EL wire for visibility and fun! Going to be in Sydney on NYE? Let me know!
Island hopping and camping around the Stonington area in Maine is marvelous, and the lakes further north in Maine are the most peaceful spots I know on this planet. On the list to get to: Norway, Japan, Croatia and Patagonia!
I was first certified with the ACA in the early 2000’s, and most recently with Jesse Janicula, owner of the excellent Fidalgo Watersports in Anacortes, WA. In Tahoe I’m the senior guide with Tahoe City & South Tahoe Kayak & Paddleboard. Leading seasonal tours and lessons with visitors, I encounter many people who’ve never paddled before. Guiding people from trepidation to awestruck, from zero to hero, seeing the ‘wow’ and joy in their smiles as we paddle into the blue….it’s supremely satisfying. People often ask me why I enjoy taking people on the water? Because with abundant gratitude to that lunch club many lifetimes ago, I am a paddler.
Author Bio
Si Norton is an ACA Coastal Kayak Instructor, a Paddleboard Instructor, and a member of the ACA Board of Directors for 2026-2027. Based at Lake Tahoe, he is a senior kayak and paddleboard guide with Tahoe City & South Tahoe Kayak & Paddleboard, and his global education work has taken him to more than 80 countries, often with a paddle close at hand. His favorite place to be on the water is the islands around Stonington and Deer Isle, Maine, in a sea kayak with his Werner carbon fiber paddle.
Sunrise in Stonington, ME
This story is published as part of the 2026 ACA Story Project, a month-long collection of stories written by ACA members. Without opportunity, these stories wouldn’t exist. That’s what the ACA does. Through education, stewardship, competition, and club support, we create opportunities for paddlers of all abilities. Your gift helps write the next chapter. Help us raise $25,000 by December 1 for the next paddler, and the one after that.
Click here to read more stories in this collection.
