Two fine tuning tips for the sailing rig on the P&H Scorpio mk2 sea kayak.

P&H Sea Kayaks should be lauded for being the first mainstream manufacturer to supply a sea kayak complete with sailing rig, all ready to go paddle sailing: the P&H Scorpio mk2. The sail is manufactured for P&H by Flat Earth Kayak Sails in Australia.

photo Ian Johnston

It comes complete with everything you need to go on a paddle sailing adventure on your first trip.

The Scorpio mk2 fore deck has been strengthened for a mast foot, a threaded insert for the mast foot screws has been moulded into the foredeck, two RDFs have been moved forward to be opposite the mast foot to give the side stays the best attachment position on the deck, the rig comes with a separate back stay and it even comes with stainless steel snap shackles for quick attachment and removal....all excellent stuff!

However, I do not like the way the side stays have been attached to the mast as the long fixed loop coming down from the stainless steel saddle on the front of the mast does not give the side stay best mechanical advantage.

Tip 1.
I cut the existing stays off and replace them with thinner 2mm dyneema line and...

...attach them through the saddle and round the mast using a simple sliding hitch knot like this...

...one, though I am not sure what it is called. 

Edit: Many thanks to Mike B for identifying it as a double overhand sliding loop. :o)

Tip 2

I also like to have the ability to adjust the length of the side stays quickly and easily without tying knots. If you are starting off paddle sailing, I recommend Clamcleat Mini Line-Loks CL266. These work well up to F3 winds but slip in F4. They will also slip if you are unlucky enough to capsize in the shore break with your sail up. Then the Line-Lok slipping can save your deck and your mast!  

Once you are ready to paddle sail in stronger winds, an alternative is to learn how to tie the adjustable grip hitch. This will not slip under load yet is very easy to adjust when not loaded. You want to have your side stays "twang tight" when the mast is vertical and being able to tweak the tension in the stays bit by bit make setting up much easier than tying knots by trial and error.

Adjustable grip hitch 1

Adjustable grip hitch 2

Adjustable grip hitch 3, pull tight to complete.

I hope you have as much fun hoisting your P&H/Flat Earth kayak sail as I have had with mine.

I will post a full review of the P&H Scorpio MV mk2 with skudder and sail before the New Year.

PS I have just heard that P&H branded Flat earth sails will soon be made using the same Grand Prix tri-laminate material which I liked so much in the new Flat Earth Trade Wind 80 sail.

Securing a furled Flat Earth kayak sail when launching in surf.

One of the beauties of the Flat Earth Kayak Sails rig is its simplicity. Apart from the stays (the forestay act as the uphaul) and the sheet there are no other lines such as kicking strap (vang) between mast and boom or Cunningham (tack) downhaul line which are found in more complex rigs. However, this does mean that there is not a lot holding the sail and boom down on the mast. The boom gooseneck is not fixed to the mast  but slides over and is free to rotate round it.

Many people are worried that launching in surf with a furled sail on deck will result in a wave washing the sail and boom clean off the top of the mast. There are various solutions on the internet. Some advocate a large quick release cable tie round the boom just above the gooseneck. Well I tried that and there is not enough friction it just slides up.

Others have devised a number of complex ties that hold the boom down but these can get tangled up and interfere with boom rotation.

My solution is very simple.  Once the sail is furled I just tighten the sheet and cleat it. This prevents the sail from sliding up the mast. In this photo the bow is at the right and the sheet is the thick red line which is tight and leads back to the cockpit cleat on the left. Just remember to let the sheet off before launching the sail.

If the wind is off or cross off shore, there is an even better solution. Keep the sail up in the wind and out of the surf and use it to power out, great fun!

Is it worth paddle sailing up wind and up tide across the Lynn of Lorn?

It was now time to leave the north of Shuna. The flood tide had already reached the boats.

We managed to get the sails up for a short paddle across the north end of the island but...

...as soon as we turned south down the Sound of Shuna we faced a head wind and the north going tide.

The mooring for the Shuna farm work boats is on the east of Shuna.

As we progressed down the Sound of Shuna there were some bursts of sunlight and...

...to the south the Sgeir Buidhe lighthouse and Eilean Dubh stood out against the glowing sky above the Lynn of Lorn.

From the south end of Shuna it is 1.75km across the north end of the Lynn of Lorn to Eilean nan Caorach (sheep island) which lies off the NE tip of Lismore. The offshore wind was gusting quite badly so Mike and Ian decided to paddle and I stuck my sail up. Although I started on a beam reach, our route took us across a tide that was running at 2 knots. Even maintaining a high ferry angle I ended up paddle sailing close hauled.

This is on Eilean nan Caorach looking back at Shuna.  First of all, note how far down tide (to the left) Ian and Mike have been carried, we set off from the south end of Shuna which is out of picture to the right. Secondly, many people say it is not worth paddle sailing close hauled as the kayak will not plane to windward. However, I beg to differ. I paddle sailed the crossing and arrived 4 minutes and 35 seconds before Ian and Mike arrived by paddling alone.


As you can see, they were in the tide a lot longer and got carried well down tide.

This seal was so busy looking at me he did not notice Ian's approach. It disappeared with a huge splash as...

...Ian passed and finally arrived on Sheep Island. I rest my case m'lud!

Upwind paddle sailing with the P&H Aries 155 with forward fin, first test and review.

This striking pillar box red metallic with turquoise trim P&H Aries 155 is the latest addition to the seakayakphoto quiver.

Not only has it a Flat Earth kayak sail, it has an other interesting addition.. Note the central cord and cleat...

 ...which operates a large carbon fibre...

...forward fin for upwind paddle sailing.The fin is 30cm long and measures 11cm fore and aft at its mid length point. The fin is stiff but is cut from a flat plate of carbon fibre composite. It is pulled down by elastic and raised by the cord on deck. It will autoretract if you hit an obstruction. The fin box slot is 49cm long and will obviously increase turbulence.

The fin box is grp and is moulded into the forward bulkhead so it is very stiff. It does add to the weight of the kayak.

Here is the proof of the pudding. It is slack water at high tide. Wind is WNW F4 to F5. The sea is relatively flat due to being downwind of the shelter of Ringdoo Point and Garvellan rocks. I was paddle sailing upwind from Carrick Point to Ringdoo Point. I paddled four 500m tacks. The first two tacks were with both the forward fin up and the skeg up. From experiments with the Aries 155 last year, I already knew that it would point to about about 60 degrees from the wind with a tacking angle of about 60 degrees without the forward fin and this is exactly what I found on this occasion.

I  then put the forward fin fully down for the third and fourth tacks. From experiments with the bigger Cetus HV fitted with a smaller Karitek forward fin last year, I expected to paddle sail up wind with just the forward fin down and the skeg up. However, the balance point is different and as soon as I put the large forward fin down the kayak luffed up into the wind but this was easily corrected by putting the skeg fully down. I now found I was paddling 45 degrees to the wind with a 90 degrees tacking angle. This is the same as a Laser dinghy which was tacking alongside. Despite pointing 15 degrees higher into the wind my forward speed remained the same at a steady 7.8 km/hr. I also found it was easier to balance against the F4-5 wind with less strain on my core muscles.

Pros and cons:
The P&H forward fin is highly effective in improving a short kayak's upwind performance. It is very easy to deploy and retract and when fully down the sailing angle can be easily controlled by varying how much skeg is deployed at the stern. I found it easier to balance and control the sail upwind when using the forward fin. On the down side it adds cost, weight, water resistance and another control line.  You do not need a forward fin to have a lot of fun downwind paddle sailing the Aries 155. Lastly I found longer kayaks such as the Cetus MV will already paddle sail upwind at 45 degrees to the wind without a forward fin, though these kayaks are less fun down wind than the Aries 155.If you want to add a forward fin to an existing kayak then Kari-tek will be able to supply/fit a slightly smaller one which I found worked very well last year.

In conclusion, I found the P&H Aries 155 with forward fin to be the most versatile and fun sea kayak for paddle sailing which I have yet tried. Upwind performance over the standard kayak is markedly improved. Lastly the pillar box red metallic looks fantastic in the sunshine!

Assisted re-entry after a capsize with a Flat Earth kayak sail.

At the recent Flat Water Sea Kayak Symposium many of the people who did not try paddle sailing said they were put off because they feared the consequences of an accidental capsize and not being able to recover easily. Capsizes do not happen very frequently when paddle sailing and the paddle sailing groups had fewer capsizes than some of the other groups in the gusty F5 winds of the day.

I have practiced rolling with a sail (even managed some successfully!), solo re-entry and assisted re-entry and it really is not a big deal. However, practice scenarios are never that realistic so I recently took the opportunity to go for a short swim on the way back from a trip to...

...Ailsa Craig.

 A lovely little wind got up for a close reach back to the mainland, some 14km distant.

 Including circumnavigating the island, we covered a total of 33km, so we covered 19km on the way back without a break.

We made the crossing in line abreast so we could keep our eyes on each other, without turning round.

 This was the longest I had paddled since major knee surgery and my knee was absolutely killing me.

As we approached Bennane Head, about 1km off the mainland shore, the tide rate increased a little but the conditions were very benign. Certainly calm enough to get my Canon 5D mk3 out for this photo. After I put my camera away the pain in my knee was so bad I had to do something about it. I left the sail sheeted in to keep me moving, put the paddle down and put both hands behind the cockpit. I lifted my backside off the seat to stretch my sore leg. Unfortunately a little wavelet chose that moment (when I had a high centre of gravity) to come along and sploosh, I was in. I capsize frequently when surfing but this was the first time I had fallen in on a trip since 2005.

I was looking through the crystal clear green water before I could even think of where the paddle might be (at the end of a leash actually). So I bailed out. The water temperature was only 7.5C but I was wearing a drysuit with thermal protection under it. Nonetheless, it was not the ideal location to go swimming at Easter and so I started the recovery process with the kayak upside down, I let off the sail uphaul and tilted the mast back. This released the tension in the sheet (which I did not bother to uncleat). If you try to gather the boom directly to the mast, the sail fills with water like a great sea anchor. Instead I grabbed the top of the mast and started gathering the top of the leach towards it. Once I had the batten top and the mast tip in my hand I continued to gather the leach down to the boom. I then rolled the sail up and retained it with its elastic securing strap on deck.

I then rolled the kayak onto its side to prepare for a re-entry roll but I noticed the Mike (who had been paddle sailing in close formation) had dropped his sail and was preparing for an assisted re-entry. I righted the kayak then went to the stern and acted as a sea anchor so that my kayak blew away from me.

 This meant that Mike could easily approach my bow from downwind (I would not try this in surf).

Once contact was made, I swam and Mike twisted the kayaks into a T then I sank the stern to help Mike lift the bow and we both...

...twisted the kayak upside down to drain the cockpit. I have short legs and a custom bulkhead so there was not a lot of water inside anyway. If it had been rough I might not even have bothered emptying the kayak.

We now swam and twisted the kayaks parallel and bow to stern. I moved up to the cockpit and reached over with my stern hand and grabbed the nearest of Mike's cockpit lines.

I then swung my forward leg up inside the front of the cockpit and hooked my heel inside. I straightened my leg while pulling on Mike's deck line.

 This brought me out of the water and allowed me to grab Mike's deckline with the other hand.
.

I continued to roll over onto my front, lying on my back deck and keeping as low as possible while I got my other leg in.

 Now I rolled back the other way, sliding into the cockpit as I did so and...

 ...got my backside into the seat as soon as possible before...

  ...attaching the spraydeck,...

 ...grabbing the paddle and giving Mike a good push off.

 A couple of quick paddle strokes help reduce the apparent wind.

 Then I hoisted the sail and...

 ...paddle sailed the final kilometre back to...

...shore as if nothing had happened.

From falling in to getting the sail back up again was 3.5 minutes but most of that time I was in the kayak. The arrow points to the capsize. The SW going tide took us SW against the opposing SW wind.

So a capsize when paddle sailing is nothing to be bothered about. There are a number of lessons:

• It is very easy to to get separated while paddle sailing so stay close, preferably in a line abreast.
  
• Agree a working channel before the trip. We all had our VHFs on channels 16/72 dual watch and if necessary I could have called Mike or Phil on channel 72.
  
• Although it was a sunny spring day, the water in the Firth of Cl;yde is at its coldest (7.5) in April. I was wearing a Kokatat Expedition dry suit with Fourth Element Xerotherm insulation under it. I did not get cold but if I had, I carried pogies and a neoprene hood in my forward day hatch.
  
• I did not lose anything. My specs had a retaining loop and my hat had a chin strap. My 5D Mk3 camera remained bone dry in its deck mounted Ortlieb Aquacam large camera bag.
  
• When in the water, don't bother trying to release the sheet, it will loosen automatically when the uphaul is uncleated. I like cleats without a fairlead like this:
  

One tug and the line is released. If you have a cleat with a fairlead, you might find it recleats as the line runs out through the fairlead.

• When in the water don't attempt to fold the boom directly to the mast, it will catch a lot of heavy water, gather the leach gradually from the mast tip to the batten then the boom.
  
• Otherwise it is a standard T recovery apart from the person re-entering going to the stern of his/her boat and being proactive in manouvering his/her kayak. (At the recent symposium I observed a number of assisted re-entries and was surprised by the number of people who make a beeline for the "rescuer's" bow then hang on to it as if they were copulating with it. This is neither a pretty sight nor a particularly effective strategy for a rapid re-entry!)
  
• We have practiced re-entries, otherwise it may have taken longer.
  
• Anyone can do this. I am in my seventh decade and until a month ago was laid up for seven months after major knee and ankle surgery, so I am hardly an athlete.
  
• The bottom line is, do not let fear of a capsize put you off paddle sailing. With a couple of minor modifications, standard kayak re-entry methods work just fine.
  
• In practice, when paddle sailing (at least for those of you who keep a hold of your paddle), the extra speed generates a huge amount of lift from a low brace and so you are very unlikely to capsize!

Have fun :o)