tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199514432012-01-31T00:33:35.682+01:00Hans Heupink's blog about seakayakingHans Heupinknoreply@blogger.comBlogger6241100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-9775562390755943902012-01-29T22:03:00.002+01:002012-01-31T00:33:35.689+01:00

Until now the winter of 2011-2012 was exceptionally warm. The crocuses are popping out of the soil (in January!). The conditions for ice skating are bad (I only skated this winter on artificial ice rinks) and the conditions for paddling are perfect (and yet I have hardly been on the water with my kayak this winter). But finally winter is coming: for the next week a period of frost is announced

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-80511614654653478752012-01-22T17:25:00.002+01:002012-01-22T17:47:14.702+01:00

This morning 5 paddlers of kayakclub Wyrda took part in the fund-raising action of Marian for Skate4AIR. It was a quit a windy happening. Alas the conditions were too rough for the rowing boats to go out on the river. In last minute the rowers changed the plan and did an indoor-rowing competition on the ergometer). The kayakers enjoyed a nice challenge. It was a "gezellige" and successful

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-80960291189612351302011-12-24T12:15:00.002+01:002011-12-29T18:03:20.672+01:00

In the Netherlands the days in December are short, and mostly grey, cold and wet. Not my favourite time of the year. I escaped to the sun and spent last week on a Canarian Isle. Lanzarote was warm, dry and sunny and the days were also (a bit) longer. It's a special sensation for a Dutchman to bike in shorts and to swim in open water only a few days before Christmas!Of course, on Lanzarote it was

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-22217200727845883482011-12-02T23:53:00.004+01:002011-12-03T18:42:53.234+01:00

"Rondje Kamerik" is one of the shortest kayak routes near Woerden. It's just over 10 kms long and perfectly suited for an evening paddle tour. I regularly paddle this route with local kayak club Wyrda on Tuesday-evening (= the club-evening), but in the last few weeks I was often busy on Tuesday-evening and missed most of the club-paddles. The more I was happy to be on the water again with Paul

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-61249050583833936762011-11-12T19:04:00.005+01:002011-11-12T19:29:23.607+01:00

NKB Seakayak Instructor waving goodbye to SinterklaasToday the Dutch seakayak coaches gathered at rowing/kayak club Michiel de Ruyter in Uithoorn for the anual NKB instructors meeting. Over the years it has become a tradition to wave Sinterklaas goodbye before the meeting starts. Sinterklaas visited Michiel the Ruiter early in the morning to embark the vessel "Gousekop" for the last stage of

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-88310851501391409232011-11-11T18:30:00.002+01:002011-11-11T18:49:45.446+01:00

In the post about the Sand Motor I wrote that, due to this new peninsula along the Dutch coast, locally the sea currents have increased. The result is more lively water. But you still shouldn't expect too spectacular tide races near the Sand Motor. My colleagues at work asked me what I meant with a tide race. This National Geograohic video (with Paul Kuthe by Brian Smith) makes that very clear.

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-7391899405455462592011-11-04T17:36:00.004+01:002011-11-11T18:51:48.770+01:00

The Sand Motor is a large amount of sand (about 21 million m3) which is recently deposited in front of the Dutch coastline, roughly situated between Rotterdam and the Hague, in the shape of a peninsula of about 100 hectares. Wind, waves and sea currents will spread the sand around, creating new land for nature and recreation. This is called "building with nature". Working for the province of

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-44946097285754908982011-10-14T21:20:00.002+02:002011-10-14T21:32:12.545+02:00

I am happy when paddle in 1 hour from Woerden to Oudewater. That's 8 km+. Paul Wycherley paddled in 2 and a half hours from Britain to France. That's incredible!Video and article on BBC Sports.The English Channel was exceptionally calm on the record day - almost as flat as the channel from Woerden to Oudewater!

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-2674407168127407712011-10-09T15:30:00.003+02:002011-10-09T15:44:22.442+02:00

Yesterday kayakclub Wyrda celebrated its 20th anniversary. Club members and their partners were invited for a program covering the full day. In the morning it started with a guided sight seeing tour in Oudewater. After the lunch we paddled from Oudewater to Woerden with a "apple pie break" at a farm halfway. We finished with a great BBQ at the boathouse.Thanks to the party committee - Natasha,

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-57227377079675490852011-10-07T23:37:00.007+02:002011-10-09T15:30:35.232+02:00

Today I toured on the river Lek with René. René paddled the Epic 18X Sport kayak with a Epic Mid Wing paddle. I paddled the Tahe Greenland kayak with a Superior carbon fibre Greenland stick. Seakayak equipment can hardly be more different. It was an unfair "battle" ;-): no way for me to keep up with Rene when he paddled full swing. While I paddled at a decent pace, René was dipping the wing

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-52989035743315363842011-09-07T23:30:00.001+02:002011-09-11T22:26:51.468+02:00

Picture of the BCU Canoe and Kayak Handbook, Pesda Press- Wales, 3rd edition.-> Excellent learning guide - a must have for every paddler!Earlier this evening I hosted a kayak training on capsize drills for KV Wyrda. It was on special request of several members of the club after an incident on a club paddle a week before. At that club paddle one of the paddlers capsized (on the calm flat water

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-77461721395512296072011-09-06T22:34:00.000+02:002011-09-11T23:23:51.513+02:00

Freya Hoffmeister introduced me in the world of Greenland Style kayak-rolling on Spiekeroog in May 2006. After Freya's introduction I learned the several variations of the layback and forward ending Greenland Competition rolls from Dubside's DVD "Greenland Rolling with Dubside - Volume 1". It's a simple and straightforward DVD, but Dubside's instructions and hints are brilliant. With this

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-64155388425088736232011-08-21T21:32:00.007+02:002011-09-11T20:10:51.707+02:00

The National Park De Biesbosch is one of the largest remaining freshwater tide areas in NW-Europe. It consists of a network of rivers and smaller and larger creeks with islands (with 3 large fresh water basins in the middle). The Biesbosch is an attractive place to paddle on a short distance from home (half an hour by car), but it has been more than a year ago I paddled there for the last time.

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-16512277096723541762011-08-14T21:58:00.004+02:002011-08-14T22:39:55.124+02:00

View on the skyline of Den Helder over the Marsdiep, seen from the SW-tip of Texel. Den Helder looks close, but the distance is almost 2 nautical miles. The Marsdiep is the gap between Den Helder (on the mainland of Holland) and Texel (the largest Dutch Wadden Island). The Marsdiep connects the Northsea with the Waddensea. Four times a day the water squeezes itself through the narrow gap. The

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-2273190442520131802011-07-20T22:57:00.003+02:002011-09-11T21:26:20.709+02:00

The Xcite is designed as a fast yet manoeuvrable coastal touring kayak. According to its designers the kayak is "at home playing in rough water, equally comfortable carving turns through rock gardens, the Xcite has ample storage for week long trips. Its high stability and quick turning response make this boat a joy for those paddlers looking to improve their skills and take on advanced conditions

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-75395797176287244232011-07-20T22:47:00.005+02:002011-09-11T21:29:55.973+02:00

The Pilgrim is designed by SKUK (Nigel Dennis kayaks) with the smaller or slimmer paddler in mind. Viewed from a distance the kayak looks like a shrunken Romany or Explorer. It shares much of the characteristics of these larger brothers in the SKUK kayak-range. The hull shape, the shape of the deck, the lay-out of the decklines, the key-hole cockpit, the sloping bulkhead, the position of the

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-4139046100629827002011-07-20T21:21:00.001+02:002011-07-20T21:24:41.388+02:00

Lieke and I were “travelling light” on our recent kayak-holiday in Catalonia. We didn’t bring along our own gear, but we rented kayaks and equipment at the local seakayak-centre. Pau and Marc from SK Kayak in Llanca provided us with excellent gear. We paddled 2 kayaks of the demo-fleet: a SKUK Pilgrim for Lieke (the yellow kayak on the picture) and a Tiderace Xcite Classic for me. Paddling

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-31157329912038405742011-07-15T23:59:00.000+02:002011-07-16T01:01:20.735+02:00

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-2689865793932022432011-07-11T22:23:00.002+02:002011-07-11T23:30:10.541+02:00

Originally I planned to go paddling in Scandinavia with Lieke, my 15-year old daughter. But the weather-situation two weeks ago, changed the plan: the Mediterranean Sun looked more appealing for a relaxed holiday than the unsettled weather in Northern Europe. In the last minute we booked a flight to Barcelona, rented a car and went paddling in the North Costa Brava. We camped at the campsite of

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-19034307892499078672011-06-22T00:56:00.002+02:002011-06-22T01:04:48.406+02:00

You can't have it all;-( I missed a unique event this weekend. Freek, Andre and Kanocentrum Arjan Bloem organised the Greenland rolling clinic with Helen Wilson. Here is a video from the local news. Axel Schoevers published an impression with nice pictures on the Travels with Paddles-weblog.

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-22994832513770640542011-06-22T00:04:00.001+02:002011-06-22T00:04:28.855+02:00

Jaap and Edwin did a performance this evening: synchro paddling. (test: first Blogger post with mobile phone)

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-16907187936580143472011-06-16T01:30:00.002+02:002011-06-16T01:49:55.923+02:00

On Whit Monday the local triathlon takes place in the city centre of Woerden. Again it was a festive event. Kayakers from kv Wyrda escorted the athletes in the water-segment. Janine took part in the Sprint (1/8)-distance. I missed the party because I was paddling around the Aardappelenbult. You can't have it all ;-).

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-75989695521225045552011-06-13T23:53:00.000+02:002011-06-16T01:29:21.531+02:00

Home- and work-situation leave little room for kayaking at sea lately. I still do paddle regularly, but mostly on the placid inland waters around Woerden. So I gladly took the opportunity for a paddle with Govert in the Voordelta on Whit Monday. Circumnavigating the Aardappelenbult (a large sandbank a.k.a. "de Bollen van de Ooster") with 5-6 Bft SW brought the salt-water feeling back.We rounded

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-86951895735922135712011-05-22T16:10:00.005+02:002011-05-22T17:43:01.691+02:00

The participants were enthusiast about the Greenland-style rolling clinic yesterday at the Kajakfestival. The organizers also: we had a great afternoon working with motivated people. We expected to get more people taking part. But due to the limited number of participants in the clinic, all got a lot of personal coaching and attention, resulting in successful balance braces, paddle-rolls and

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-66398119396345851252011-05-16T20:31:00.003+02:002011-05-16T20:58:37.086+02:00

In the Netherlands seals are not hunted but rescued. Seals have names in the Netherlands. This is Tomke. Tomke got lost in the canals of the Province Zuid-Holland. A watchful lock-keeper closed the doors of the lock as Tomke swam by. A team of the local fire department with the people of the EHBZ (= Eerste Hulp bij Zeehonden - First Aid for Seals -SSRC) took the seal out of the water. Tomke is

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-83947875873192926862011-05-06T22:54:00.005+02:002011-05-06T23:20:26.895+02:00

From the 20 to 22 May the third edition of the NKB Kajakfestival takes place on and around the white water track of Dutch Water Dreams in Zoetermeer, Netherlands. International guests are very welcome of course, but I suppose the 2 seakayak-related clinics at the festival will be particularly interesting for Dutch and Belgian public. That's the reason that (by exception) I've simply copy-pasted

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-64351552425896113032011-05-01T18:55:00.002+02:002011-05-01T19:47:58.037+02:00

With the "Wedding of the century" on Friday and "Koninginnedag" on Saturday it was hard to avoid the royals this weekend. I missed the live coverage of Kate and Williams' wedding because I was biking. But in the days before even the Dutch papers were loaded with articles about the Wedding. Amazingly there was quit a lot of attention to the Isle of Anglesey as the residence of Kate and

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-12258666925978982011-04-29T18:11:00.000+02:002011-05-01T18:39:01.169+02:00

Lars made this nice video of the rolling demo at the Pagaia Symposium in Llanca, 2 weeks ago. The demo was a very international happening: Speaker was Doug van Doren from the States, the rollers were Lars and Bernhard from Germany, Marc from Catalonia, Manolo from Galicia and Hans from the Netherlands. It was fun to do. I had some slight reserves about doing a demo for public with a borrowed

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-28916118094240751552011-04-22T19:38:00.001+02:002011-04-22T19:38:26.387+02:00

There is no paddling planned this weekend. The Easter weekend is reserved for a city visit with partner and kids. But we did discover a kayak in the centre of Bruxelles: in the Army Museum, a double kayak of the Belgian Special Forces unit. The black wetsuits are cute.

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-46126929178579280412011-04-18T21:04:00.001+02:002011-04-20T01:37:00.819+02:00

It's so decadent: today I returned from a weekend in Spain, where I attended the Pagaia Seakayak Symposium. It was great fun to paddle along the Catalonian coast, to meet the Mediterranean paddlers and to give workshops with an international team of Sea Kayak Instructors. I enjoyed the company of my good friend Bernhard. Most of all it's the relaxed and friendly atmosphere that makes this event

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-82181426198292902352011-04-03T18:45:00.003+02:002011-04-03T19:08:31.278+02:00

In 11 days I catch a flight to Spain for the IV edition of the Catalonian Sea kayak Symposium. The program of the workshops and course is now published on the website of the symposium. Kayakclub Pagaia has invited an international team of coaches. I am scheduled to give workshops on Incident management, Assisted- and self-rescues and Greenland style rolling. I am looking forward for a fantastic

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-32822530327098591932011-03-27T17:57:00.000+02:002011-04-03T18:44:05.302+02:00

Yesterday I competed (just for fun ;-) in the "Open Alphense Eskimoteer Kampioenschappen". Winner is who does most rolls in 60 seconds. Any rolling technique is allowed. The use of a paddle is compulsory (no hand-rolls allowed). I finished at a (shared) third place with 18 rolls, Govert tricked me out with 1 extra roll, Aschwin was the overall-winner with 21 rolls - congratulations, a very good

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-69437905717685967362011-02-15T22:58:00.001+01:002011-02-28T00:53:52.054+01:00

Last weekend I received my paper copy of Ocean Paddler (OP) magazine. That was almost 2 weeks after Richard Parkin sent a message that delivery of issue 24 had started; overseas delivery takes a bit longer than UK-delivery.To make waiting bearable (?) Richard included 2 weblinks in his mail for the digital versions of the magazine. The first is an "online/page turning" version which can be

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-45933795217979341772011-02-12T18:31:00.002+01:002011-02-12T18:55:18.379+01:00

After 24 years the local kayakclub Wyrda had to leave the site in the center of the city Woerden. Wyrda was almost homeless, but found (just in the last minute) a temporary solution. The club now rents an old shed along one of the exit roads. It's not 100% perfect (it's pricey, not all the boats fit in, it's quit a walk to the water) but for the time being it's a good solution. The club now has

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-83364168466962586202011-02-06T22:07:00.009+01:002011-02-09T21:39:57.522+01:00

Scoop rescue - optimized: swimmer facing the stern of his kayak, embracing the kayak with both arms.Last week I gave a rescue-workshop with a focus on the different methods to get a swimmer back into his seakayak. The standard method which is usually practised in the teaching-programs of the NKB is the "conventional X-rescue with lie back re-entry between the kayaks". It's important to have a

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-60079395390836397672011-01-31T21:03:00.004+01:002011-01-31T22:24:33.845+01:00

From Friday the 20th till Sunday the 22th of May the Dutch kayak Association NKB organizes the third edition of the Kajakfestival. Just like the previous editions the festival takes place at the site of the Dutch Water Dreams: the artificial white water track in Zoetermeer (NL). During the festival the Dutch (open) Championships Slalom, Freestyle, Downriver racing and BoaterX are held. Alongside

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-46227025913511136962011-01-28T18:21:00.004+01:002011-01-29T10:51:46.291+01:00

For a while it seemed as if winter was over, but low temperatures are back in Woerden. This morning Jaap and I got stuck in the ice. Paddling opportunities around Woerden are limited again: only the canals in the direction of Oudewater (= Jaap Bijzer Wetering, Lange Linschoten) are still icefree, the passage to the Oude Rijn is already blocked by a solid stretch of ice. One more cold night and

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-25536518629430301042011-01-24T19:24:00.002+01:002011-01-24T20:57:18.752+01:00

Back in the kayak on the ditches and canals around Woerden, after a break of 8 weeks due to the ice, I was surprised by the number of dead fish floating on the surface of the water. Obviously this year's long (and early) ice-period has had big impact on the underwater-life. Usually a layer of ice is no problem for the fish. In the cold water under the ice there is often even more oxygen dissolved

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-32559914160733075602011-01-18T17:21:00.001+01:002011-01-18T17:21:00.369+01:00

I am a sloppy guy. The last 2 pool-sessions in Alphen reminded me of this annoying characteristic again. I missed a sprayskirt at the end of the each session. After a little quest I could retrieve them - they got mixed up between the sprayskirts of the club. My fault: I should keep my gear better together. No drama, sometimes I just get a bit tired of myself. This weekend (just before the next

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-20165078359079888502011-01-17T18:03:00.001+01:002011-01-17T18:03:00.056+01:00

Video by de Stentor-TV: Encouraged by a large audience a group kayakers attempts to cross a flooded road in the city of Deventer.For some people the high water in the Dutch delta is annoying, but overall the high water isn’t causing big problems this year. Today's main news about the floodwater along the river de IJssel is that it was the number one touristic attraction of the weekend. Thousands

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-85208133569739439862011-01-15T23:06:00.002+01:002011-01-15T23:09:25.020+01:00

Video by Lieke.

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-6469640675741246452011-01-15T00:01:00.001+01:002011-01-15T00:05:25.314+01:00

Details about this seakayaking incident last weekend in Cornwall on Wenleys blog.

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-85339805304454602192011-01-14T23:09:00.003+01:002011-01-14T23:39:12.977+01:00

In a kayak with an ocean-cockpit some flexibility is welcome to adjust the footrests...The 2004 Valley Pintail Seakayak is outfitted with the aluminium Yakima Footrests: solid and durable, but inconvenient to adjust. More recent footrest systems are often more user-friendly.Today we could finally paddle again on the waterways around Woerden. The "ice-break" lasted 8 weeks this year - a record! We

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-51027867468480927582011-01-07T00:04:00.005+01:002011-01-11T10:12:37.576+01:00

In the last week of 2010 the Dutch Secretary of Infrastructure mr. Atsma presented a X-mas-surprise for the seagoing community: the decision that the lighthouses of Terschelling, Schiermonnikoog stay "manned" in the new year.This sounds like a drastic change of policy. In recent years the consequent policy of the Dutch Infrastructure Department has always been a hard line of "economization and

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-82820995592448646002011-01-04T23:31:00.002+01:002011-01-05T11:41:54.953+01:00

Today it's exactly 14 years ago since the last edition of the "Tocht der Tochten: de Elfstedentocht" took place. Winners in 1997 were Henk Angenent (in the male category) and Klasina Sienstra(women).The Elfstedentocht is an epic speed skating competition and leisure skating tour, almost 200 km in length on frozen canals, rivers and lakes between 11 historic Frisian cities. It's held irregularly,

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-49588362218319557112011-01-01T18:00:00.002+01:002011-01-01T18:43:40.329+01:00

This was a very promising start of the new year! This afternoon I joined the New Years' party of Vloed Kanosport and enjoyed a refreshing dip in the North sea. Blue sky, sun shining and good surf, the conditions were fantastic. It was my first time in the kayak after a break of several weeks (forced by snow and ice) and it felt so good to be out on the water again! I paddled the Tahe Greenland

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-18587327753803955222010-12-31T23:59:00.000+01:002010-12-31T23:59:02.591+01:00

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-76426943360791159972010-12-31T17:16:00.001+01:002010-12-31T17:35:19.512+01:00

For the last post of the year I picked 12 pictures as a little paddling-year-in-review exercise. Not a selection of the "best/most beautiful" photos, nor a complete report, but just a random selection of typical moments for "my 2010". I often feel that I paddle not enough - and this year that feeling was at times particularly strong, because I had to cancel several kayaking-activities (due to

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-1548297307107016592010-12-25T23:25:00.007+01:002010-12-25T23:25:00.138+01:00

Blowing the dust off the (more than 20 year) old set of Cross-country skis some days ago, I remembered a blogpost about "innovation" I started to write 2 years ago. For some reason, I never finished and published that post. The intention was to write a few words about the internal struggle in dealing with the fascination for "new" ideas - especially when it is "gear/equipment-related". On the one

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-12696134745465926322010-12-25T23:01:00.002+01:002010-12-25T23:08:32.721+01:00

Hard times for the local kayakclub Wyrda: the town of Woerden has ordered the club to leave the boathouse before the end of the year (this year - 2010!). A quit dramatic development...More details on the Dutch version of this blog or on the website of KV Wyrda.

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-74243570605236735942010-12-22T23:37:00.002+01:002010-12-22T23:50:16.164+01:00

"Rondje Kamerik" is one of my favourite kayak routes around Woerden: 10 km with 2 portages, just right for a nice evening paddle or a quick workout in the K1 . Today Linda and I did this route on XC-skis. It was good fun. Btw: paddling is faster!

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-19544080530488781212010-12-21T23:10:00.002+01:002010-12-23T01:06:39.465+01:00

The shortest day of the year would looked like the perfect moment to visit the Polar Night-event in Groningen. Alex and I bought 2 daytickets of the NS (Dutch Rail) and headed to the most Northern capital of the Netherlands. Travelling long distances by train in winter can be some challenge with Dutch Railways. We did meet several delays and a blocked route, but we managed to arrive in Groningen

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-41090432999999688502010-12-21T00:19:00.004+01:002010-12-21T02:19:26.062+01:00

Dec. 2005 - the first blog post: a report of an early morning winter-paddle with Alex and Guus on the Nieuwkoopse Plassen in a very calm state. It's social media, and yet I almost missed this anniversary: Five years (and some days ago) I typed up the very first blog-post on Kajakwoerden.blogspot.com. To be exact it was the second start of Kajakwoerden: I started my seakayaking related blog in

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-82360015345578164902010-12-07T23:11:00.002+01:002010-12-07T23:22:39.548+01:00

Watch the full episode. See more Reel NW.Paddle to Seattle is an entertaining film about two friends as they build their own kayaks and paddle together for 97 days through the wilderness on a journey from Alaska to Seattle. It's available on DVD (or buy it in Europe from Justine), but now for a limited time also streaming live until January, 25th. 2011 on PBS. Enjoy it, have a good time with

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-54677482035818913852010-12-05T14:27:00.006+01:002010-12-07T00:48:28.646+01:00

ANP-news December, 6th: This weekend it was colder in the Netherlands than in Canada and West-Greenland. Quit unusual. These days ice makes paddling impossible on the channels and lakes around Woerden. And I noticed that the cold weather keeps more (otherwise winter-proof-) paddlers inside. Ice-skating is no alternative, the ice conditions are poor due tot the wind and the snow. Followers of my

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-48817195574213127572010-11-29T23:28:00.006+01:002010-12-06T23:20:20.958+01:00

How to survive the cold? Learn about it in "the Polar Night of Groningen". This winter the city of Groningen is a polar city. During a lively festival you can visit several exhibitions, attend public lectures, meet polar scientists, experience the polar night, win a trip to Spitsbergen and see lots of polar movies!The festival is organized to bring the Polar Regions, and all it’s aspects, closer

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-28065564246202256362010-11-29T23:13:00.004+01:002010-11-30T00:10:39.794+01:00

This evening the small village of Noordlaren (located in the northern part of the Netherlands, in Groningen) had this year's première of a speed skating race on natural ice. A few nights of frost is all the Dutch need to get completely mad about speed skating. To be fair I am no exception, although I am also a bit disappointed that my Tuesday-evening kayak routine stops this early this

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-40081966648836262572010-11-20T22:03:00.002+01:002010-11-20T22:55:45.103+01:00

My daughter Lieke made the first rolls this evening in the swimming pool of the Alphense Kanovereniging the Kromme Aar. At the first session a few weeks ago I worked with Lieke on the balace brace, and we finished with a "lightly assisted" butterfly roll. Today, at the second session, Lieke progressed from the buttterfly roll to the standard Greenland roll. The technique needs some finetuning,

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-27316286623469315952010-11-17T23:28:00.002+01:002010-11-17T23:53:15.871+01:00

Groningen was to become one of the first cities in the world with free wireless internet throughout the city. But the implementation of the wireless network was (too) complex, got delayed and now the project is finally cancelled. And just today (to be even more specific: this afternoon at half past two) 22 years ago, the Netherlands were connected to the Internet as the second country in the

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-67153382868970055202010-11-14T22:26:00.003+01:002010-11-15T23:33:02.667+01:00

Every paddler with a little bit of experience knows that low head dams (weirs) are dangerous, potentially lethal. Though you won't find serious white water in the flat Netherlands (the one exception is DWD), the canals in the country are full with hydraulic engineering installations, such as artificial weirs, pumping stations, inlets et cetera, creating potentially dangerous situations. And

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-43565857500233009842010-10-31T10:55:00.003+01:002010-10-31T11:23:19.740+01:00

Video by Wieger, kayakers in the clip: Wieger, Anoushka, Chris (no Hans... ;-()Anoushka is regularly sending invitations to join the surf sessions in Bakkum. Alas it's a relative long drive from Woerden to Bakkum and in the weekend there are too often too many obligations/excuses not to go paddling - so it's a long time ago I surfed in Bakkum. The last time I did was quit memorable..This week

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-75034132890196618162010-10-29T23:26:00.000+02:002010-10-29T23:26:43.226+02:00

Kayakclub Ossa: 2 weeks ago Freek, Andre and I were invited to do a rolling clinic - Greenland-style - in Heerhugowaard. We enjoyed working with enthusiast and talented participants. Thanks to Ria for the organisation! More pictures and videos in the Picasaweb Album of KV Ossa.

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-64683235427807924382010-10-25T21:44:00.004+02:002010-10-26T00:56:28.027+02:00

David Fincher's film, about the founder(s) of the social-networking website Facebook, makes its début in the Dutch theatres this week, on October, 28th. I expect to welcome my 200st friend on Facebook before the end of the week...It took some time for me to discover and understand the idea, the benefits and the fun of Facebook, but during the last months I started to appreciate the possibilities

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-84500709028137675462010-10-24T17:08:00.005+02:002010-10-24T17:48:35.047+02:00

One of the "lessons learnt" in the Dutch seakayaking-incident last June regards trip-preparation: the importance of a proper orientation on to be expected conditions of weather, wind and waves. It may sound all very obvious, but it proves to be neglected easily... Standing on the beach, sheltered by the dunes conditions may look harmless, but what can you expect some miles out, a few hours later?

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-66536081945620714892010-10-15T15:06:00.003+02:002010-10-15T16:10:05.891+02:00

As I put on my drysuit last Tuesday-evening, the neck gasket tore. First I was a bit disappointed because I was so excited to do a rolling session with a new kayak that I am reviewing at the moment. The vulnerability of the latex-seals of a drysuit is an issue, but don't dramatize it: unless your planning a long swim- or diving party, even with a broken neck gasket a drysuit offers quit a lot of

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-42839663231349635752010-10-10T20:56:00.000+02:002010-10-10T23:32:25.777+02:00

The Youtube Channel of the Kanumesse lists a number of video-reports of this years show. I've uploaded a picture-report with comments of my encounters on the Playak website.Trends I noticed on seakayaking:the increasing availability of seakayaks in multiple sizes (to fit a wide range of paddlers). After the introduction of low-, medium- and large volume versions in the (more expensive elite)

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-57866191963115892602010-10-07T15:37:00.002+02:002010-10-07T15:42:13.154+02:00

Hans is in Germany - Nürnberg - meeting friends and checking what's new at the Kanumesse.

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-68589273790132635142010-09-19T21:54:00.002+02:002010-09-19T22:15:58.005+02:00

September is party-time in Woerden. Today is Janine's birthday. Our birthday parties are some kind of special: last week in Cologne, today in Zeeland. Janine planned a training with with 5 of her running-friends in Zeeland. They are preparing for the Zeeland-marathon - perhaps the heaviest marathon held in the Netherlands. I volunteered as driver for the running-team and took this opportunity for

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-49462662590779643892010-09-12T21:51:00.004+02:002010-09-12T22:01:29.236+02:00

...is it quit busy with traffic along the Pollendam. This picture is made by Klaas as we returned to Harlingen after the rescue-training with the KNRM last week.

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-444513316660006342010-09-12T21:20:00.002+02:002010-09-12T21:39:46.328+02:00

Bernhard invited friends and family for a party in Cologne at Blackfoot Beach. It was a sunny and relaxed weekend: chatting, eating, drinking and dancing, playing at the water (and celebrating my own birthday ;-). We had a great time! Thanks Bernhard!Blackfoot offered demo-kayaks and Stand-Up-Paddle-boards. Hakola, Bernhard and Hans opened the party with a Greenland-style rolling demonstration.

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-31246794626739430372010-09-05T20:45:00.003+02:002010-09-06T01:07:05.202+02:00

.. is some kind of special. KNRM lifeboat-station Terschelling invited NKB zeevaren for a training with kayaks and the Arie Visser (=the largest and most powerfull lifeboat of the KNRM). This afternoon Joris, Govert, Axel and I joined the lifeboat crew in their training at the Waddensee. Conditions were calm, perfect to try out several different methods to bring an injured kayaker and his kayak

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-27830465888850734152010-08-23T00:00:00.005+02:002010-08-23T09:51:03.418+02:00

Bringing a salute to the tall ships of Sail on the Saturday morning has become a tradition, organised by the 3 kayakclubs of Amsterdam on every edition of Sail Amsterdam. This morning a group of 380 kayaks and canoes paddled along the imperessive Sail-fleet in the IJ harbour in Amsterdam, under escort of the water-police.I got up early to meet Natasha, Hanny, Nynke, Paul and Jan at 6 AM at the

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-899505233543777242010-08-14T19:01:00.004+02:002010-08-14T19:48:06.460+02:00

Woerdy: the mascot of the local youth summer-activitiesBack home from hiking, biking and climbing in the Alps. After 4 weeks of abstinence I felt the urgent need to go for a paddle and to check if it still works: the paddling thing. Well, I am not disappointed: I could keep up with Guus ;-), a little training for the longer distances would be fine though (next Saturday 65 paddling-kms on

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-47009990297352924292010-07-19T23:47:00.002+02:002010-07-19T23:56:31.255+02:00

Slideshow of the trip 9 days ago, on a very hot saturday. Thanks to Stef and Monique for the hospitality!

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-72793528065119948522010-07-19T22:38:00.003+02:002010-10-24T17:55:45.311+02:00

Update:- The incident report is now also available in an English version: click here;- Axel posted 2 posts about the incident on his weblog: The incident, The incident revisited.5 weeks ago an incident with a group of seakayakers was "breaking news" in Dutch media (radio, TV, web and newspapers). I can't remember this happened ever before in the past 15 years (= the period I am involved in Dutch

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-86245676983700611752010-07-14T21:51:00.008+02:002010-07-19T22:34:34.598+02:00

Never before it has been quiet on kajakwoerden.blogspot.com for such a long time. Just like earlier periods of silence it's (partly) because I was busy with other things. Actually these were "nice things" mostly: I enjoyed working for the Dutch provinces (which is quit busy lately, but also fun in a period of an uncertain constellation in national politics), supplemented with a lot of diversion

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-62039629731925993242010-06-04T19:48:00.005+02:002010-06-04T20:36:12.621+02:00

A quick glance through Mont Purgatoire. from Habbekrats on Vimeo....cycling up the steepest mountains. Photographer Adriaan van der Ploeg zooms in on the faces of the nameless peloton of aged men. At first glance his work looks like classical sports-photography, but on a closer look it reveils this aren't cycling idols, but anti-heroes looking for their individual experience. The exposition of

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-5828990076791554862010-06-03T23:47:00.004+02:002010-06-04T01:07:07.080+02:00

Last week I was invited for the official inauguration of the new information panels in the Voordelta. On 80 different locations in the Voordelta brand new information panels now offer the visitor information about the characteristics of this unique natural habitat and about the regulations. The maps look good and the text is clear. They are no substitute for a nautical map (to navigate), but the

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-29175868292540423772010-05-28T20:39:00.003+02:002010-05-31T12:17:04.858+02:00

I neglected blogging a bit lately. This is partly because my current focus is a more on biking than on kayaking. In just over a week I'll go the French Alps for a road-bike-holiday with a group of sportive colleagues. I am looking forward to the little break in the busy days. It's a relaxed idea to have some days of. On the other hand, I do feel some tension: although this biking-event is purely

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-72372527195303431552010-05-26T23:13:00.003+02:002010-05-26T23:40:41.756+02:00

"Woerden bruist" - the next party in Kajakwoerden's hometown is Jazzin Woerden - the Music Festival. Top-act of the festival is Caro Emerald, successful in the Dutch music charts and outside our borders perhaps known from the latest Martini Moments-campaign: Caro Emerald is the new kid on the block, but boy does she sound like she's been around! A voice so seductive and sultry it's hard to

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-85301722099695988622010-05-25T23:31:00.003+02:002010-05-25T23:39:31.976+02:00

The Triathlon is every year one big party in Woerden. Volunteers from KV Wyrda escort the athletes in the water-segment.

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-24644355611323246722010-05-09T21:27:00.004+02:002010-05-09T21:42:35.557+02:00

SAU BC treffen spiekeroog 2010Click on the icon above for a slideshow of the pictures of this weekend. It was amazing cold and chilly in Northern Germany (need to wear gloves, scarf and and a warm cap at this time of the year?!) - but a great weekend nevertheless! The theme of the training this year was seakayak-communication with VHF radios. Some interesting results. More on that later.

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-50816304236307489432010-05-06T23:33:00.003+02:002010-05-06T23:40:35.077+02:00

I've seldom seen such a beautiful linear pressure graphic on my watch: alas it's going down ;-)Better pack the rain-wear for this weekend!

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-84939902356716224012010-05-06T23:05:00.004+02:002010-05-06T23:31:53.876+02:00

It's a short break in Woerden: Yesterday I returned from the Anglesey Seakayak Symposium, tomorrow I'll leave again to join the meeting of the kayak-guides and instructors of the Salzwasserunion at the German Wadden-Isle Spiekeroog.On Anglesey it was camping the luxe. At Spiekeroog it will be "back to the basics": everything must fit in the kayak, because we'll paddle to Spiekeroog. And packing

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-90535145486097812282010-05-05T23:57:00.001+02:002010-05-05T23:59:34.891+02:00

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-85242711417414805492010-05-03T23:26:00.000+02:002010-05-03T23:28:06.009+02:00

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-53252222452185433642010-05-03T22:56:00.004+02:002010-05-03T23:26:37.341+02:00

The third day of the symposium offers no open workshops: the first BCU-courses start on Monday. Guests that don't take part in one of the BCU-courses are invited for half- and whole-day paddles. The paddle to the Skerries was announced for hard core paddlers looking for a struggle: an increasing Northerly wind force 4 Bft. would guarantee 12 km paddling against the wind on the way to the skerries

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-20782856752523642912010-05-02T22:23:00.002+02:002010-05-02T22:24:35.546+02:00

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-16346757928023808112010-05-02T22:10:00.003+02:002010-05-02T22:17:32.871+02:00

Fiona and Axel did a workshop on foundation skills on movinbg water: reading the water, ferry gliding, breaking in and out of the eddy-line, feel for the boat: edging and sweep strokes. The Menai-street was an excellent playspot for this workshop.

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-62373180244741712742010-05-02T00:15:00.004+02:002010-05-02T22:22:46.768+02:00

The Crash and Dash-workshop is about kayak repair on and off the water - but first a kayak has to be crashed. Which turned out to be a hard job. Graham did the first attempt and then Carin threw herself dauntlessly on the rocks - cool lady this Carin ;-)

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-59233761797324398312010-05-01T23:56:00.001+02:002010-05-02T22:09:53.285+02:00

Full days at the symposium - in the evening presentations are held. On Saturday-evening Freya Hoffmeister talks about here record breaking "Race around Australia". Shark bytes, the discomforts of sleeping in a kayak at the ocean, motivational and relational issues, magical rudder blades - no detail is forgotten. It was late before the bus drove back to Anglesey Outdoors centre. There an Irish

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-52954506720349859012010-04-30T19:21:00.003+02:002010-04-30T19:41:00.185+02:00

Actually a rest-day/non paddling day was planned before the start of the Anglesey Seakayak Symposium tomorrow. But then Nico asked us to help. Nico is Dutch distributor of Rockpool kayaks and wanted to try out the Rockpools' latest design: the new GT - a high volume seakayak, fast and yet said to be easy manoeuvrable. This was too perfect an excuse to neglect, so we paddled today once more in the

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-64880624965859919392010-04-29T23:29:00.000+02:002010-04-30T11:34:05.586+02:00

The key to a successful circumnavigation of Holy Island is the passage of Stanley Embankment and Four Miles Bridge: two passages where the tide presses the sea through a ridiculous narrow gap: creating a standing wave and a big stopper in the tunnels. For playboaters it’s a popular playspot. Timing is the trick for a safe passage: cross the inland sea between Stanley embankment and Four Miles

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-88853519693335021152010-04-29T00:27:00.003+02:002010-04-29T00:42:32.721+02:00

At 1.00 A.M. we would meet Walter at Soldiers Point (next to Holyhead Harbour) to paddle and play a bit along the Stacks. As we we were heading from the campsite to this meeting point, suddenly a Dutch car loaded with kayaks drove behind us. It was Nico, who just arrived from Holland at Anglesey. Nico spontaneously decided to join us on our paddle trip: 4 Dutchmen on the water.With the tide

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-86226233086704801662010-04-27T23:11:00.002+02:002010-04-27T23:18:44.180+02:00

The day started drizzling and cold. However: I soon regretted the extra layer of fleece I put under my drysuit. A few minutes after we left the beach for today’s paddle the sun started shining. This afternoon we paddled from Rhosneigr to Llandwyn Point and back. Again a different scenery: in this part of Anglesey the coast is characterized by wide sandy beaches and sand-dunes – quit familiar to

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-15045256481778710532010-04-26T23:47:00.005+02:002010-04-27T00:05:15.552+02:00

Guests of the Anglesey seakayak symposium are arriving day by day on the campsite. Today Walter from the Netherlands joined us on a paddle trip from Moelfre to Bull Bay and back: three Dutchmen in a kayak ;-)This stretch of Anglesey's coastline is perhaps a bit less rough than the Westcoast, but the scenery is great with a fantastic view on the mountains of Wales (even with some patches of snow

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-158724038229889152010-04-25T21:48:00.002+02:002010-04-25T21:56:48.325+02:00

A quick impression of our first paddle at Angelsey. Temperature has dropped from 18 degrees Celsius on Saturday to 10 degrees Celsius on Sunday. And over night wind returned. Perfect conditions for a nice trip on lively water!Port Dafarch-Rhoscolyn-Cymyran Street v.v, S-SW 4-5 Bft, Seastate moderate, visibility Poor, HW Liverpool 8.12 GMT.

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-42436985552847218782010-04-24T20:21:00.002+02:002010-04-24T20:31:29.930+02:00

This afternoon we arrived at the campsite of Anglesey-outdoors (near Holyhead). Next weekend there will be a lot of kayakers hanging around here because of the Anglesey Seakayak Symposium. But now it's peaceful, calm and quiet. We have the campsite almost exclusive for ourselves.Because it's our basecamp for the next 10 days and we decided to camp in style with a big tent and comfortable

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-35878348816212669722010-04-17T16:30:00.000+02:002010-04-17T16:32:17.179+02:00

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19951443.post-44585330422981788292010-04-15T21:32:00.006+02:002010-04-15T22:08:32.109+02:00

Meeting interesting people on Facebook: Helen Wilson is a talented kayak roller from Arcata, California. Today Helen published a preview of the DVD "Symplifying the roll" - covering the fundamentals of traditional Greenland style rolling. Pre-orders of the DVD on www.greenlandorbust.com Btw: in the video Helen uses a Tahe Marine Greenland-kayak - my new favourite ;-)

Hans Heupinknoreply@blogger.com0