Around Ireland - Paul and Marian's expedition starts

Paul and Marian are leaving Cornjum - Friesland - the Netherlands today for their big kayak-adventure: the complete circumnavigation of Ireland.

Good Luck Paul and Marian!

Follow the expedition on www.dutchseakayakers.com

High Five Health Promotion - bye, bye ;-(

March - Step Touch - Two Step - Grapevine - Leg Curl - Chazee - V-Pas - X-pas - Travel Knee - Mambo - Mambo Chacha - Six-step - Squat - Lunge - Dribbel - Nelson Tap... Just a few moves of a Total Body Workout -session at Monday.

The last 8 years I enjoyed the luxury of an incompany fitness training-facility at work. Group fitness sessions with illustrious names like the "Total Body Workout, Body Shape, Pilates, Spinning, Bikkelen, Spin-Bikkel" and the killing "15 minutes abdominal-training" (= "het buikspierkwartiertje") have become a welcome (and beloved) addition to my outdoor-sport-activities. I am an addict - a workout a day makes me feel good!

A professional team of trainers from High Five Health Promotion was in charge for the incompany fitness. They did a great job. But in a competitive market contracts are renewed every few years and now my employer has decided to change the Fitness service. I am sad.

Simone, Frans, Edwin, Miranda, Shelley, Linda, Pieter and colleagues - thanks for the good times! I'll miss you ;-(

John Fealy - What's "Pinksterdag"? "Tweede Pinksterdag"...

I neglected this weblog a bit during the last few weeks. That's not because there has been no paddling to write about (on the contrary!), but because the huge number of Dutch holidays in this period of the year (Koninginnedag, Dodenherdenking, Bevrijdingsdag, Hemelvaart, Pinksteren). No time to blog... Listen to John Fealy and you will understand what's going on here. One can be very busy with holidays!

A cultural kayak-camping clubweekend in Friesland

Natasha and Nynke did a great job organising a paddling and camping weekend in Friesland for kayakclub Wyrda. I joined the group together with my son Jelle. The side program learned us a lot about Frisian culture and traditions.

The Church of Wiuwert with the mysterious underground burial chamber with the mummies of the family Walta and the order of the Labadisten.

The original Frisian "Oranjekoek"

More pictures in the Picasa-web-album.

Utterly useless paddling strokes

Picture: A hole in the water? A little mystery captured in a fraction of a second: what does the blade with the water?

Bernhard is the German master in fancy kayak techniques. Inspired by the "Fun with Nigel"- classes of Nigel Foster, Bernhard gave a clinic in manoeuvring skills at Spiekeroog last week. We experimented with all sorts of crazy strokes, rudders and other "utterly useless paddling techniques". What about paddling with the paddle shaft behind your back, or moving sideways with a reversed cross bow sculling stroke? Very confusing, and fun to do. But why all this mad stuff? It contributes to a better understanding of the interaction of body, boat and blade. The weird experiments help to focus on balance and confidence and lead to greater levels of boat control. And it's fun - the most important drive to learn!

A hot shower at DWD

Yesterday on Dutch TV (Holland Sport VPRO): a video-clip of Robert Bouten training at the white water track of Dutch Water Dreams. The white water at DWD is challenging, the shower in Zoetermeer is very hot ;-)

Got appetite to paddle the track yourself? The new series of NKB-training clinics at DWD start in June.

Good fun at Spiekeroog (rescue workshops)

Coaches and guides of the German seakayak association Salzwasserunion met last weekend at the German isle of Spiekeroog for workshops on Kayak Safety Tests. Govert and I joined the German coaches and added the "Dutch approach". We had a lot of fun doing all kinds of rescues.

Pictures of the weekend are uploaded in the Picasaweb album (unsorted, uncorrected). Thanks to Heike for taking (most of these) pictures with my camera.