West coast paddlers flat water symposium.

Today it was a real pleasure to take part in in the West Coast Paddlers flat water symposium at Lochwinnoch.Registration took place in the club's bell tent (complete with wood burning stove)

I arrived early as the stands and demo fleets were being set up. This was the RNLI stand and next door was...

 ...Stuart Wagstaff's fleet from Sea Kayak Oban and...

 ...Roddy McDowell from Kayak Bute was just across the road. Geoff and Ann Turner from Karitek were
just behind but I put my camera away before they set up.If I had had the time I would have loved to try some of the huge collection of kayaks in this amazing demo fleet. However, I was taking the two kayak paddle sailing sessions and so I had to pass by.

Richard Cree the organiser talks to one of the coaches Roland Woolven prior to the morning  briefing. There were over 120 people signed up for the various sessions. I doubt whether Lochwinnoch has ever seen anything like it before!

 We even had a piper playing to see us off!

The forecast was for an easterly breeze which...

 ...funnelled down the loch. Ideal conditions for...

 ...kayak paddle sailing.

 I only took a few shots at the beginning of the session as I was soon paddling backwards and forwards helping people get going. One of the morning participants, Dave Marquis, had his first experience of paddle sailing. Dave and I first sailed together in his Firefly dinghy in 1971! It seemed just like yesterday and it was really good to catch up.

Both the paddle sailing sessions were fully booked so it was hard but enjoyable work and I was ably assisted by my regular paddling buddies (David and Phil) and Iain from Westcoast Paddlers. In the morning session everyone managed to sail on run, reach and beat and there were no capsizes.

The wind got up in the afternoon (no photos) to the extent that the local windsurfers were planing on short boards and this made things more challenging for the tyro paddle sailors. Everyone got some great runs but the wind began to increase and there were two capsizes. However, such was the keenness to continue that in the afternoon (as in the morning) the paddle sailors were the last group to leave the water. Well done everyone.

I was amazed to discover I had paddled almost 19km in such a small loch! It is a great testament to the P&H Delphin the Flat Earth sail (P&H branded) and the Karitek gear that novice paddle sailors (most had done no sailing of any sort before) had such success with paddle sailing in the challenging conditions.

A great deal of thanks must go to Richard Cree and his team from Westcoast Paddlers for all their hard work in organising the Flatwater Symposium. As I was packing up I could not help but notice the many happy faces of people ranging from their teens to their eighth decade.Clearly a flatwater symposium has fulfilled an unmet need.I would not have dreamt of taking novice groups of 8 and 9 people on the open sea in the wind we experienced. The coaches were very well looked after in the club's bell tent with woodburning stove and I particularly enjoyed the expertly cooked beef burgers with all the trimmings at the evening barbeque. A collection was made for the RNLI at the barbeque.

Tomorrow's sessions include Lochwinnoch, the Little Cumbrae and the Great Cumbrae.

Thanks again Richard and the Westcoast Paddlers! :o)

Desktop kayak paddle sailing.

I was delighted to spend yesterday evening with Richard Cree and the crew from West Coast Paddlers. As a club, they have decided to take up kayak paddle sailing. It was a busy night and teenagers Greg and Thomas really got stuck in with drills, screwdrivers and spanners and knot tying. They can now tie fisherman's knot, bowline and adjustable grip hitch! They had ten of the new P&H sea kayaks  branded Flat Earth Code Zero sails to fit to members and club boats. These will be available for the Flatwater Symposium to be held on the last weekend in March. I will be delivering two kayak sailing sessions assisted by my regular paddle sailing friend Phil.

As I was the first person to import a Flat Earth sail into the Northern Hemisphere it gives me very great pleasure to see a kayak club take it up so enthusiastically. I was originally delighted that accessory maestros Kari-Tek had become European distributors for Flat Earth sails but is wonderful to see that P&H, a mainstream kayak manufacturer, has now  got behind paddle sailing. The P&H sail comes with a Kari-Tek supplied mast and modified fitting kit. P&H sea kayaks now come with fore decks reinforced for mast bases.If you are thinking of fitting a Flat Earth sail to your kayak you can find some fitting tips here.

 What better way to finish the night off than with some desktop paddle sailing!

West coast Paddlers Flat Water Symposium

I would like to draw attention to the forthcoming West Coast Paddlers Flat Water Symposium which will be held at Castle Semple Loch  and the various locations on the Firth of Clyde on 29th and 30th March 2014.

The organisers are particularly keen to attract those paddlers of all grades who are not affiliated to any club. All the Saturday sessions will be held on inland Castle Semple Loch where one of the biggest demo kayak fleets ever assembled in Scotland will be available to test. Unlike exposed coastal venues, coaching sessions of all levels will run and the demo fleet will be available to all, despite the weather.

The Sunday sessions will suit all grades of paddler. Weather dependent, there will be trips that involve open water crossings of 15 km in the Outer Firth of Clyde to more sheltered locations in the inner Firth of Clyde.The more exposed of these trips may be anything but flat!

Saturday sessions include:

Forward paddling for sea kayakers

Turning strokes for sea kayakers

Balance games leading to self rescues

Greenland paddle stuff

Buying a Sea kayak, help with demoing

Kayak Sailing,

In these sessions (Sat AM and PM)  I will be showing how to both rig and paddle sail your sea kayak. For those who don't have their own kayak sailing rig there will be loan kayaks to try. I also hope that a fleet of the new P&H Aries kayaks with forward skegs and the new P&H sailing rigs by Flat Earth sails will be there. I will be bringing my own P&H Aries/Flat Earth sail, which is one of the best sea kayaks for sailing.

Stroke blending, ie rock hopping skills

Canoe skills for sea kayakers

Guided trip around Castle Semple

Sunday destinations may include:

An open crossing and circumnavigation of Ailsa Craig.

A circumnavigation of Little Cumbrae.

A visit to Great Cumbrae.

I am looking forward to it already!

Paddle Orkney 09

Photo by Johnny, OSKA

Mary Saunders, from those friendly folk at the Orkney Sea Kayaking Association, has just been in touch with details about their Paddle Orkney 09 weekend on 14th to 16th August.

I would love to go to Orkney but with my bust knee, it will need to be next year. If you fancy going, get in touch with Mary quickly as numbers are limited to 30. You can download an application form here.

I hope it is a great event.

The lonely sea and the Skye

On Saturday which was the first day of the 9th Scottish Sea Kayaking Symposium on Skye, Jim Weir and I took of group of really nice folk out onto Loch Eishort on the north west of Skye's Sleat peninsula. At first the wind was a gusty force 4 southerly but the arrival of torrential rain soon killed the wind. The outline of Bla Bheinn, an outlier of the Cuillin ridge, can just be seen behind Nigel.


We launched at Ord and made our way east up the loch...


...past the delightful coral sands of Eilean Gaineamhach an Arda.


We were lucky enough to spot a pair of white tailed sea eagles. One of them had at least one faded orange or red wing tag.


The hills were running with torrents of water...


which poured over the beaches and into the loch.


I don't think anywhere does rain as well as Skye!

23/05/2009

9th Scottish Sea Kayak Symposium.

Organised by Gordon and Morag Brown, Duncan Winning and Ken Nichol and a myriad of supporters, the 9th Scottish Symposium was a great success. The range of activities was incredible and went ahead despite some pretty windy and wet weather. The event was also well supported by the trade, with a variety of stands and a huge demo fleet. Geoff and Anne from Kari-tek had even brought along a mobile shop!

The opportunity to test boats back to back is a great reason to visit a symposium. I spent an afternoon with my Nordkapp LV against the Sea Kayaking UK Pilgrim (Romany LV), Rockpool GT, P&H Cetus and Cetus LV. I edged them to the point of no return and did about 50 rolls. The wind was a gusty 5 to 6 offshore with flat water. I am 5'8" and 200lbs.

Sea Kayaking UK Pilgrim (Romany LV)
This is a small version of the classic Romany. It is designed for paddlers up to about 150lbs so I had to squeeze inh and I am really too big for it but I liked it straight away, it was so manoeuvrable. It had a nice low rear deck and the only sea kayak I have tried that was as easy to roll is the Anas Acuta. With my weight it did seem to have a limited top speed but it accelerated up to that very quickly. The finish on this boat was superb but I have to say that a demo Greenlander, one of my friends borrowed earlier this year, was not well finished round the cockpit and one of the compartments leaked. Despite much rolling, this one was dry as a bone. Smaller paddlers should definitely try a Pilgrim!

Rockpool GT
The finish on this boat was stunning, the work of a master craftsman. It is a bigger hull than the Alaw/Alaw Bach but not so large as the Menai 18. The usual Rockpool cockpit ergonomics were superb. As you might expect, it felt faster than the Alaws but slower than the Menai 18. It edged superbly but it didn't feel quite as responsive to turning as my daughter's Alaw Bach. However, as a boat to do it all, including having decent space for camping trips, it is pretty much unbeatable and a welcome addition to the Rockpool fleet.

P&H Cetus
Amazingly, I had not yet tried one! I like my trusty Quest too much! This is a big boat and the wide point is behind the paddler. However, it has a low foredeck and I was surprised how snug it was on the thighs, despite its size. The cockpit feels much smaller than the Quest LV but for most people that would just mean less padding. The stability on flat water was amazing, I think it will make a great platform for photography. You can hold it right on edge with none of the feeling of instability you get from a Quest at that angle. The Menai 18, which is also a big boat is equally stable on edge, so I was not too surprised about this. However, what did surprise me was how much the Cetus turned when on edge. Even in windy conditions I was nearly doing 360's with a sweep and single bow rudder. It is more manoeuvrable than the Quest and considerably more so than the Menai 18. Although the Cetus is very stable on edge, once you push it to the point of no return it goes very quickly. It rolls pretty well for a big boat but in comparison with the SKUK Pilgrim, it was a bit sluggish. In an afternoon of 50 or so rolls it was the only boat that I failed a roll in. Mind you I was getting tired and cold by that time!

I would need more time in controlled conditions to be sure, but I think its maximum sprint speed is faster than the Quest but slower than the Menai 18. In the strong wind it tracked very well and responsively to adjusting the skeg at various paddling angles to the wind. I am not sure if I like the new locking ratchet skeg adjuster. In the gusts I do not think it was as directionally stable as the Menai 18. The only waves were the ferry's wash but the v bottom of the Cetus did not seem to slam as much as the flat bottom of the Menai 18. The construction and finish on the Cetus was impeccable.

I was not expecting to like the Cetus as much as I did but it was so manoeuvrable that I wonder if it might make both a camping boat and a day boat. P&H have very kindly offered me a loan of one for a long term test and I look forward very much to that.

P&H Cetus LV
Everything I have said about the Cetus applies to the Cetus LV except that the LV is much smaller. I could hardly squeeze in. Despite its smaller size, I didn’t find the Cetus LV any more manoeuvrable than the Cetus. I think the Cetus LV is really for smaller paddlers who want a decent fit, rather than for big paddlers wanting more manoeuvrability. I noticed a very small paddler having a great time in this boat and he did not seem undully affected by the strong wind.