Eleri SPENCER (England).

In 2011, Eleri attended the OCF as a 6 year old child, completed her first Grande Descente, and fell in love with La Rivière Drôme. Before long, Département 26 had become her favourite place in the world, and her enthusiasm inspired visitors from across Europe. By the age of 9, Eleri was helping with OCF workshops, and in 2019, we welcomed her as an OCF Instructor to run workshops of her own.

Eleri’s open canoeing has taken her from expedition sailing on the ocean off the west coast of Scotland to exploring the lakes and rivers of Kärnten (Austria). Her open canoe coaching has been appreciated everywhere from Kringelfieber (Germany) to the Ardèche (France). At home in the UK, Eleri coaches everything from canoe polo to flatwater racing.

Away from the river, Eleri studies Earth Science and Physical Geography at the University of Edinburgh: a passion first developed through her visits to the Vercors plateau, the Drôme and the Ardèche. This is an enthusiasm Eleri will happily share with OCF delegates during her workshops, including in her “Introduction to the Drôme (Saturday morning) and her “Farewell to the Drôme” (Monday afternoon).