River paddling - the Lek on Sunday-morning

A cold start after a frosty night (the last one of this winter?) - temperature minus 4 degrees Celsius, visibility no more than perhaps 100 meter.

Buoys were hard to see! We better stayed clear from the shipping lane.

Even onSunday morning: there is always a lot of traffic on this part of the river. After an hour the fog disappeared and temperatures rose. Due to the wind it stayed chilly.

Paddling a bulk-carrier!

Wintersports?

I've been in the denial-stage for years, but this winter has definitely taught me: "kayaking on flat water is not a wintersports". Last weeks fun paddling again near Woerden didn't last long. A new ice age has come: two days after my short dip in the local canals, all open water is covered with ice again.
Is mountain-biking wintersports? Well, Alex and I had good fun biking the MTB-track Zuid-Oost Veluwe today. But it was tricky: snow on ice made some parts of the track very slippery. Biking was an advanced balance act. Edging, leaning and surfing - it's almost like kayaking.
The encounter with the cutest cow of the Veluwe...
Oeps, ice...

Minus 3 degr. Celsius, 4 Bft, 45 km.

Carnival in Llanca next Sunday

Thanks to the people of Club Pagaia for the invitation to join the Carnival Parade! I regret I can't come to Llanca next Sunday, but I love to share some of last years picures with you (pictures by Lady Kayak)

Roulades d'Été: Père et fils

Pyre-Yves pointed me out to a new rolling video of Pierre-Dominique. Last video was an awesome rolling video in winter-atmosphere. This time Pierre-Dominique is rolling with his son Lois in summer. A teaser. I am looking forward for warm water and to play around with Jelle (who did his first roll last year).

It's blue. It's a Norsaq.

GreenlandPaddle.com: "Traditionally the Norsaq (=throwing board) was used by the Inuit to add power to the throw when harpooning prey. A throwing board is well suited to train Greenland rolls and a great passing stage to learn hand rolling. Looks great on the fore deck."

Awaiting a traditional design wooden Norsaq, this little blue instrument does a surprising good job in training the Norsaq-rolls.

Rare (very) old Scotch whiskey found...

An expedition to the Antarctic ice shelf to restore explorer Ernest Shackleton’s century old expedition site has turned up five crates of whiskey and brandy that have been preserved in the ice for more than 100 years. Read more on the RedOrbitNetwork

The Shackleton expedition was cut short in 1909 as their supplies drew close to an end. Their long ski trek to reach the South Pole from the northern Antarctic coast was never completed as they turned back 100 miles short of the goal. No lives were lost in the expedition, but Shackleton lost his bid to be the first to reach the South Pole in 1909.
The Shackleton crew sailed from Cape Royds quickly in 1909 as winter ice began to form on the sea. They left equipment and supplies behind, including the whiskey and brandy.

"Their supplies drew close to an end"?

Circumnavigating Ireland, Iceland...

It's a coincidence: at the same evening I visited the kayakclub in Alphen to listen to Paul and Marian's report of their expedition around Ireland last year, Greg Stamer published his article about his trip with Freya around Iceland (back in 2007) online. They are very different (it's more than just one character!), and yet these expeditions have more in common than just the idea of 2 people paddling around an (huge) island. Expeditions like these are fascinating adventures and serious undertakings.

What I like about both presentations is their unpolished and personal character. These stories are not just technical reports nor a bare report of touristic highlights, but personal stories about mindset, motivation and (physical and mental) impact. It's a story about life. Highly recommended!

Paddling again: ice is gone!

Cold shock? Brrr.... This is how a frisky cow must feel when she's running out in the meadow for the first time, after spending a long dark winter in the cowshed. Now the ice has gone Hans can paddle again (after a break of 7 weeks).

Sometimes Hans gets a bit tired of himself ;-)