Vlieland 2009 Picture-album

Merel has created a new Picasa-webalbum for the participants of the Vlielandweek to up- and download pictures of the sea kayak week. This NKBVlieland2009-webalbum can be opened by clicking here. Collections of Harmen, Merel and myself are already uploaded. More to come!

NKB Vlielandkamp 2009 - day by day

Despite good intentions, I didn't manage to write daily "life-reports" of the NKB-Vlielandkamp on the kayak-blog. Too busy: being in charge for the overall-organisation of the week in combination with being "last-minute stand-in" for an injured sea-kayak-instructor, there was little time left to rest (and to blog)... Beside this the netbook crashed during the week ;-) No complaints: it was a very rewarding job - I enjoyed every moment of the week.

Vlieland 2009: 45 participants, 2 ZV-groups, 2 ZVE-groups, 1 Tourgroup. The weather was excellent: warm, sunny with a moderate wind. For the first time since many years al tests could be done.

A brief impression with "a picture of the day":

Sunday, September 6 th. W 4-5 Bft.
The crossing from Harlingen to Vlieland was a bit weary: headwind over 30 km's.

Monday, September 7th. SW 4-5 Bft.
Monday the last visitors of the Into the Great Wide Open-Festival left the isle of Vlieland. After a restless night, silence returned. The kayakers had the campsite for themselves again.

Tuesday, September 8th. SW 4-5 Bft.
Circumnavigating the sandbank "de Richel" with the Zeevaardigheids(=Sea-Proficiency/BCU 3 star-sea)-group. During a break on the water the telephone rang and the coastguard was on the line - every single movement in the Waddensea-region is monitored.

Wednesday, September 9th. N 4-5
On special request the patrol vessel RV 180 of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (Military force guarding national boarders) creates waves for the kayakers.

Thursday, September 10th. N-NO 4-5 Bft.
Perfect conditions for surf-training in the second part of the week.

Friday, September 11th. N 4-5 Bft.
Kitchen work: under the inspiring leadership of star-cook Hans vd W. a dish for the çlosing party is prepared.

Saturday, September, 12th. N4-5, later 3-4 Bft.
Ready for returning home: 21 kayakers paddled back to Harlingen, this time with a following wind. A week ago the crossing took 5 hours, now they did it in 3,5 hours.

Bericht voor deelnemers NKB Vlielandkamp

Message for the Dutch participants of the NKB-Vlielandweek:
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Voor de deelnemers die aangegeven hebben morgen de oversteek Harlingen-Vlieland per kajak te willen maken:

Ik heb vanavond geen gelegenheid deze website bij te werken. Daarom een bericht op basis van de informatie zaterdagmiddag 14.30 uur. Er is nog steeds een waarschuwing W-NW 6 van kracht voor de regio Harlingen-Texel-Vlieland. Verwachting voor 6 september van 02:00 tot 04:00 uur:

Texel Harlingen
west 5-6, afnemend west tot zuidwest 4-5, kans op een bui,zicht goed, in neerslag matig

Vooralsnog ga ik er van uit dat we de oversteek Harlingen-Vlieland per kajak maken. Morgenochtend om 11.00 uur in de Harlingen valt echter pas de definitieve beslissing. Staat er dan toch nog te veel wind/golven, dan nemen we alsnog de veerboot (samen met de rest van de groep).

Verzameltijd voor de kajak-oversteek: 11.00 uur bij de trailerhelling (zie infobrief);
Verzameltijd voor de veerboot-gangers: ca.12.15 uur bij de Veerhaven.

Vanavond na 21.00 uur/morgenochtend vanaf 7.30 uur ben ik mobiel bereikbaar.
Tot morgen!
Groeten,
Hans
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When there is internet-access on the campsite, I'll update this blog during the Seakayakweek - otherwise: back next week!
An impression of last years' edition of Zeekamp Vlieland in the Picasa-Album.

Countdown for Vlieland

2 more nights... Sunday the NKB Seakayakweek starts. With 50 people participating the seakayakweek is more intimate than last years' version (over 70 participants in 2008). More people were interested but the number of available coaches is limited this time. Despite being a smaller happening - the organisation wasn't less complicated. Well, now it's done, the Vlielandweek can start...

I have been packing most of my gear today, because I am on the road tomorrow. Saturday-evening I will post an message on this weblog with latest information for the about the crossing from Harlingen to Vlieland. (Most participants do the crossing by ferry, a limited number of advanced paddlers (about 20 miles, 4 hours paddling) by kayak (when the weather is fine...).

The weather-forecast for Sunday looks OK, but there are no guarantees (at this very moment there is a warning issued for Harlingen W 8 Bft, Saturday in the morning the predicted wind is still W-NW 6-7 Bft, but in the afternoon the wind is said to be decreasing rapidly...), so please check up tomorrow for the final update!

A Scandinavian cousin for the Anas Acuta

British Anas Acuta (from Valley Sea Kayaks) on Terschelling

Björn Thomassen (Swedish designer of the fantastic Black Pearl) has designed a modern "Illorsuit" inspired seakayak for the Norwegian kayak-builder Seabird-Designs. The greenland-kayak built in 1959 by Emmanuelle Korniliussen in Illorsuit for British kayaker and geologist Kenneth Taylor was the base of the classic Anas Acuta kayak, still produced by Valley Seakayaks.

Björn takes the Illorsuit design to a higher level: still based upon the traditional Greenland design with the beauty and harmony of the traditional lines, but with a modern hull shape and hydrodynamics, using the latest knowledge of 21th. century-kayak design.

• Björns thoughts about his new design on the Thomassondesign blog.
• The article by Duncan R. Winning about the history of the Anas Acuta and the Illorsuit kayaks in Seakayaker Magazine.