Britain's oldest water sports fan still kayaks 15 miles a week aged 90 and has no plans to hang up his paddle anytime soon.
Sprightly Robin Powell has been enjoying kayaking for 80 years and still goes out on the water three times a week.
He sails along the River Severn “whatever the weather” and even teaches other kayakers who are decades younger than him.
The retired crafts teacher became hooked on water sports after his dad bought him a canoe for his 10th birthday in 1944.
Since then he never looked back and has kayaked, canoed and rowed on almost every waterway in England and Wales.
He has clocked up a staggering 70,000 miles during his life-time obsession with the water.
Robin, who lives with wife Marjory, 86, in Worcester, says he still feels as fit now as he did 20 years ago.
The couple, who have been married for 64 years and have two grown-up children and two grandchildren, often go kayaking together.
Robin said: “I have always loved the water and when my dad bought me my first canoe I just took straight to it.
“I like kayaking and I can go for miles. I still paddle two or three times a week and go about five miles each time.
“I worked out I must have done more than 70,000 miles in my lifetime. I’m not as fast as I used to be but I can still keep up with most people.”
Robin founded the Worcester Canoe Club in the 1970s which now boasts more than 50 members.
Last Thursday (29/8) the club arranged a surprise birthday party for him and presented him with his own ‘90+’ life vest.
He said: said: "My reaction was what on earth is going on when everyone shouted surprise!
"I saw all the boats and that was my initial thought.
"I am touched. They say I am inspirational, but I enjoy kayaking, and I hope everyone else does.
"Certainly, the local Worcester people have either learnt from myself or from someone I have taught."
One of the people taught by Robin was Claudia Chester, the club's membership secretary.
"He is an absolute legend at this club - everybody knows him," she said.
"He was a founding member, so he was here right from the beginning when the club was in an old shack on the other side of the river.
"He has been here the whole time, and in his youth, he was a top paddler and took part in national competitions.
"The main thing about Robin is that he wants to share it with everybody.
"His attitude to everyone is that if you want to learn kayaking, then I will help you out."
Other club members, now in their 70s, remember Robin teaching them how to kayak when they were 13.
Robin says one of his proudest memories on the water was when he and some friends saved the life of a surfer.
He said: "We were on the Severn Bore and being carried along by the large wave when we saw a surf board in the reeds.
"We paddled across and found it was attached to a person lying face down in the water.
"We quickly dragged him out and gave him CPR while an ambulance was called. He spluttered into life and thankfully survived.
"He was so grateful he sent us a donation and a thank you card and is still in touch with us today after so many years.
"It goes to show how close the boating and water sport community is and one of the reasons kayaking keeps me going."
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