Record attempt in pitching a tent

Guus' new toy is the pop up tent. Pitching it is incredible fast! Guus gives a non stop demonstration that makes me envious. It's a pity the Pop-Up-tents don't fit through the Valley-hatches of a seakayak!

Top-heavy

Picture in NRC-Next, 4 February 2008 by Walter Herfst.

It's old news, but as I was clearing away last weeks newspapers, I was once more struck by the fascinating image of the grounded Chines freighter "Zhen Hua 10". It's hard to believe that a vessel loaded like this can stay upright at all. It made all the way from China to it's destination in Rotterdam, and stranded in sight of the harbour last Saturday (location = near the beach where the Hinderplaat-paddle-trip in November started).

Several attempts to bring the vessel afloat failed. A third tug-boat came over from Hamburg to help. After three days the tug-boats finally succeeded to free the vessel at high tide. The story ended up with an old-style "proud Dutch seaman"-news-item on Television. In the interview the employee of the Dutch towing company declared this job to be a "business as usual, nothing special". The Chinese captain however, a humble person - visible impressed by what happened, declared that sailing a vessel loaded like this was no pleasure at all - it could hardly make speed against the wind, his story sounded more like "once, but never again".

I don't like big deck-loads on my kayak either...

Muiden-Marken vice-versa

Muiden-Marken is a open crossing of the Markermeer of about 15 km's. Along the route you find some great Dutch Cultural Heritage sites (nrs. 1-4).

Early this morning I had a date with René to paddle Muiden-Marken v.v. on the Markermeer. The weather forecast for "Netherlands coastal waters and adjacent lakes and estuaries" issued yesterday evening, valid from 0.00 to 12.00 UTC, said: W-SW 7-8, decreasing 5-6. A good opportunity to experience my new Anas Acuta kayak in windy conditions - how does it keep track? does it weathercock? how does it react to the skeg? - 30 km's paddling on open water should show. We decided to see what's manageable. Great to have kayak friends you can ask for a such a paddle in winter! René was enthusiast and said he would bring his Anas Acuta too - so we had a similar base to compare and discuss our experiences. Click this link for René's report of the trip.
Site nr 1: Pampus is a shallow area in the former inland sea the Zuiderzee. At low tide it used to block the access of seagoing ships to the Amsterdam port. It was quite a handicap for the VOC, the Dutch East Indian Trading Company. Late in the 19th century an island fort was built at the site as one of the ring of 42 fortifications surrounding Amsterdam. The fort was abandoned in 1933 when the Zuiderzee was closed off from the North Sea by a dam and became the lake IJsselmeer. On Dutch television there is a program running called: Slag om Pampus a reality TV production - a clone of the Expedition Robinson-format in which 12 couples do a test to become finally warden of the isle - must everything become a multimedia-event? I won't be to negative: the program gives great shots of Pampus and some interesting background-information.

In bed last night I heard the wind howling around the house: windows rambling, doors rattling. On the road to Muiden snow showers passed by. On the car-radio was a news item of a rescue operation for a Chinese Freighter that grounded on the Maasvlakte. As daylight slowly came, I was impressed by dramatic dark skies at the horizon. It was a magnificent view through the windscreen of the car. I turned the heater up and prepared myself mentally for a fierce paddle.
To my surprise the flag on Muiden Fortress was hanging down and there was hardly any wind, as I met René at the agreed starting-point at the Markermeer. Above the Markermeer sky was open and blue. Rain showers were hanging above land at the horizon. But at the point where we were: it was friendly. According to René in kayak-English this situation is called a "Weather Window": some Scottish paddlers are said to have patent on this meteorological phenomena.
So our paddle started calm: a moderate wind of perhaps 3 Bft SW. Near Pampus short confusing waves made paddling a bit lively, but we were still relaxed paddling at about 7 km/h when we crossed the shipping lane near buoy P2. As we got closer to Marken wind was a bit increasing, our speed effortless got up to 9 km/h. But in our opinion the wind was still far from the 5-6 Bft. at the same moment measured by the Weather station at Lelystad, according to the Coastguard on the VHF-radio. Lelystad is about 30 km's from where we paddled.

Site nr. 2: Scotland has the Stevensons' Lighthouses, Holland "het Paard van Marken" designed by Martime Engineer J. Valk (1839)

The little green shed near the lighthouse offered a sheltered place for a break. Fleece, rain suit and ponchos made it a bit more comfortable, and prevented us from cooling down. As we got back to the kayaks white caps were all over the place, wind had severely increased. Finally we got what we came for. It was just a bit a pity that it was only on our way back: SW winds meant 15 km's to go against 5-6 Bft... Short steep waves made it a wet ride. Speed slowed down to about 5 km/h. But we had no hurry and enjoyed the ride!

Site nr. 3: het Muiderslot is the ultimate Dutch medieval castle, rich of history. The castle was built in 1280 by count Floris V. His objective was to take control of the trade route to Utrecht. From then on all traders using this trade route were forced to pay tolls at the Muiderslot castle. In 1296 he was imprisoned in his own castle by Gearart van Velsen, because Floris V had ordered the execution of Van Velsen's brother on false charges. Floris V managed to escape from the castle but was killed while fleeing.

Between Pampus and Muiden wind had turned to west and gave nice long waves from the side. We couldn't resist and turned our bows eastwards to get a few good surf-rides. It was short but exhilarating: riding down the waves, the bow of the Anas Acuta dived up to the cockpit-rim under water.

This was the first real "Groot water"-session for me with the Anas Acuta kayak. It performed well (as expected): the AA is no fast kayak, but it tracks well, is lively and manoeuvrable, and very reassuring! A delight to paddle! Site nr. 4: The Westbatterij Muiden is the eldest fortress of the Stelling van Amsterdam - the Defense Line of Amsterdam. This defencee line was built between 1883 and 1920 to guard the capital Amsterdam. It is the example of a fortification based on the control of water. The protection of the centre of the country was ensured by the network of 42 forts and their artillery acting in concert with temporary flooding from polders and an intricate system of canals and locks.
Please note: there is good access to the water near the Fortress, individual paddlers can comfortably load and unload their car here, space for parking is limited and restricted -> Advise: park the car elsewhere and don't use this place as a a starting point for groups of paddlers!

Statistics:
Total distance 31 km, wind 4-6 Bft SW-W, water temp 5 degr. Celsius, air temp 3-4 degr. Celsius.

Waterproof?

Camping, cycling, climbing, hiking, riding a motorbike and kayaking: protecting valuable paper maps, and sensitive optical or electronic gear against water has always been an issue. After a low-cost start in the 70's - when I used plastic garbage-bags to wrap the camera, the dry clothes and the sleeping bag in - a huge number of waterproof cases and pouches has passed by in my outdoor life. Manufacturers claimed their products to be waterproof: some were, most were not. I have had a lot of bad bargains, after natural selection the better designs survived. The cases on the picture belong to the better ones, but the perfect waterproof case is still to be found.

Seakayaking puts a waterproof case to the ultimate test. Cases that never leaked using them while hiking or on the bike (and even on the motorbike - speeding down the German Highways in non-stop rain on "naked bike" is an exposed session for a map case) don't guarantee the needed protection to the elements on the deck of the seakayak or in the pocket of the PFD.


Roll closure systems with Velcro are spray-waterproof and do out-stand a lot of rain, but don't offer protection against submersion -useless on a kayak deck. Roll closure systems with a buckle perform better, depending on the stiffness of the fabric - and are a good solution for dry bags. The problem with smaller pieces like map cases and little pouches is that there isn't enough room and resistance to close them properly.


The simple principle of squeezing the plastic fabric of the pouches together, proved to be best way to create a hermetic seal. The clip of Aquapac does a good job (of course it's important is to keep it clean of any sand!). Very annoying with the Aquaclip system is it's tendency to get separated from the pouch - especially with the small opening of the waterproof case for the VHF-Radio this often happens. The critical point of all waterproof cases are the edges - when they tear in (as shown on this picture) it's over with waterproofness.

Another proven system is the Zölzer-system - shown above is the recent edition where you don't need to disassemble the complete rail to open the case: you can slide the case in and out. I do prefer however the simple old system, where the rails is bolted through the fabric of the case. This takes more work to open and close the bag - but the edges of the case in the new system are (to) fragile for the sliding operation. Although the new case was always used with care: within a year the edges split up. The old case of Zölzer is more robust: the edges of the case are still intact after 8 years of intensive use. Minor points of the Zölzer-design are the unwieldy character of the aluminium rail and the little pieces - I have dropped several screws in the water...

The best waterproof case? Home made cases like Elko, Axel, Paul and Reinout make... So satisfying that "Do it yourself " performs better than money can buy! ;-)

High Tech Kayak Helmet System

The collage is a first experiment with the trail-version of Corels PaintShop ProX2. This software offers an impressive amount photo-fixing and editing tools. According to Corel it's "an easy and fast way to make professional looking photos", said so, I can't call myself easy nor fast. Making the collage has taken me hours! And the kayakers in the surf in the background are not even manipulated, they are real. I do need a lot of practice before I manage to create a real natural looking composition "easy and fast"....

In the discussion after the incident with a (almost) lost seakayak in the surf zone at Vlieland last year, communication (in and between the groups) was a big issue. A conclusion was that -with all its limitations - in situations like this a VHF radio is indispensable. One of the people involved lamented she had her hands full with keeping in position, reassuring and navigating her group out of the surf zone and that it would be a hard job under such circumstances to get a VHF radio out of the pocket of the PFD and pushing buttons to communicate. The lady in question is of the innovative kind, so she suggested an integrated solution with communication- and navigation-devices integrated in the kayak helmet. A perfect idea!

Nothing is new in this world. I was reminded of this idea as I saw Dutch soldiers on a mission on TV. The Military industry is a hot spot for technical innovations. Soldiers are equipped with helmets with day and night-vision glasses, GPS-devises, ear plugs and microphones for the Radio. And because, just like a paddler should have his hands free to hold a paddle, a soldier must have his hands free to hold a gun-> most of these Military devices are designed to be used hands free. It should be little effort to make these military devices salt-waterproof for kayak use? A little design job will make them look a bit more sexy. For some inspiration I did a little Photoshop-job on the Felin-Helmet and made it a bit more colourful. With digital lipp-gloss and sun-tan I tried to make the soldier face look more happy, in this aspect my makeover is not quit successful.

I could have spared the effort: a new, stylish kayak helmet with integrated radio and microphones is announced to come at the market within a few weeks: the Voz Multy-link system and it offers promising specifications:

Electronics Features:
· Voice-activated, wireless two-way radio communication via 14 FRS channels with 38 privacy codes
· Waterproof (IPX7 rating -30 minute submersion at 1 meter depth)
· Bluetooth® Wireless Technology (Version 1.2) with profiles for stereo music, mobile phone headset
· NOAA weather receiver
· Voice prompted menu for user configurable settings
· Directional microphone with noise cancellation
· Waterproof, protective high-fidelity stereo ear speakers
· Patent pending antenna design increases range over standard FRS walkie talkies
· AA battery operation for easy field replacement

Helmet Features:
· Multi-sport design: snow, skate, bicycle and non-motorized water
· Includes summer and winter washable liners
· Lightweight high impact ABS shell with soft touch finish
· Multiple-impact 100% low density EPP liner
· Skull Clamp™ dial adjusted fit system
· Anti-Bucketing design
· Internal soft adjustable fit system
· Removable, protective ear covers
· Includes a head shape fit kit

Courtesy helmet pictures by Felin-industries and VOZ-Sports equipment.

Against the wind...

It's a stormy day. At the coast wind is blowing up to 9 Bft WSW, and here in the inland it's also quit windy with 6-7 Bft. Fortunately the region around Woerden offers a lot of sheltered paddling possibilities. I had a appointment with Guus for a relaxed Sunday morning paddle. With this wind the route Woerden-Oudewater-Montfoort-Woerden is an attractive one: the Lange Linschoten and the Montfoortse Wetering are sheltered, paddling with the wind in the back on the Hollandse IJssel. Oudewater and Montfoort are cute little Dutch towns with a historic centre. A part of this kayak route is an official kayak route presented by the ANWB as a touristic day-trip, for locals it's a nice Sunday-morning exercise.
The surprise of the morning was that the passage of the Hollandse IJssel in Oudewater turned out to be blocked - due to Restoration work on the old lift-bridge.
As we didn't like to carry the kayaks a long way, we decided to change route and to paddle westwards on the Hollandse IJssel, to return to Woerden along the Dubbele Wiericke and the Oude Rijn. This meant a paddle full against the wind on the Hollandse IJssel and a fight against strong side-winds on the Wiericke. A perfect Sunday morning workout!

The Sunday-evening wasn't to bad either: coaching at the pool-session of Kayakclub Natsec in the pool in Maassluis. Perfect organisation by Patrick! Pictures of the pool session: click here.

The Wadden - no World Heritage site...

Video courtesy of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality

UNESCO: Reflecting the natural and cultural wealth that belongs to all of humanity, World Heritage sites and monuments constitute crucial landmarks for our world. They symbolise the consciousness of States and peoples of the significance of these places and reflect their attachment to collective ownership and to the transmission of this heritage to future generations.

After many years of preparation in working groups, NGO's, governments and parliaments the Wadden-region almost made it to the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site. I say "almost" because today the government of the German city of Hamburg finally declared to be against the proposal. And because all parties should agree: it's all over now.

Is this good or bad news? What does it mean for seakayakers? The Wadden region is such a fantastic seakayaking site because of it's outstanding natural beauty, landscape and wildlife. We do have a serious interest in adequate preservation measures. The inscription of a site on the World Heritage List brings an increase in public awareness of the site and of its outstanding values, thus also increasing the tourist activities at the site. When these are well planned for and organised respecting sustainable tourism principles, they can bring important funds to the site and to the local economy.
I am convinced seakayakers respect sustainable tourism principles and as an optimist by nature: I believe we would have profited of the UNESCO status in the long term .
But will it chance much? Is the Wadden Region lost and unprotected without the UNESCO status? Don't worry: the protected status comes anyway for a big deal from National and European rules, and not from the UNESCO. It won't make much difference.

The sad thing about this news: despite all good words policy makers and governments are still thinking in opposites between economical interests and ecological principles. There is a long way to go for a more sustainable future.

Update 30-1-2008:
The 'first conclusion that the "No" of Hamburg's parliament would stop the complete process of nomination for the Wadden Region was premature: Dutch and German National government decided to proceed with the nomination for the rest of the Wadden region - see this document with the recent letter of Minister Verburg for the Dutch Parliament - the meaning of the UNESCO nomination and the relation with is clearly explained in this letter.

Kouwe Klouwentocht KV Wyrda

Kayakclub Wyrda had the New Year Reception with Glühwein and Champagne and "lekkere hapjes" (= Good Snacks) this afternoon . The club offered a paddle as a starter: the "Kouwe Klouwentocht"(Cold Hands-tour). 7 tough members showed up for the paddle-tour. At a temperature of 8 degrees Celsius you can hardly speak of "kouwe klouwen" - this is no winter, this is almost spring? It was the wind that made it at least a bit chilling during the break.

I paddled with the traditional Greenland paddle for the first time on a distance - this relaxed paddle on 10 km was a good occasion to give it a try: in the beginning the feeling was strange and uncomfortable: the narrow positions of the hands, the elbows near the corps, the movement low above the deck of the kayak, new muscles to use. But at the end it started to feel more natural. "New Years resolution" with Guus: we are going both to practice with the Greenland Stick, starting Next Tuesday.

I was a bit disappointed that I was the only one for a New Years Club Rolling Session ;-) As a result of the limited enthusiasm only a small number of (but highly exclusive) public was left to watch my show. But perhaps this was better. According to Greenland Rolling Experts "you should see water as your friend" for successful rolling - this afternoon my friend was very cold and my performance lacked a bit the usual finesse ;-) Fun was it anyway..

Btw: "Cold" is a bad excuse:
..."Greenland rolls were developed out of necessity. The water is lethally cold, and hunters were sewn into their kayaks, so exiting the boat was not an option. Learning these rolls prepared hunters for these dangerous conditions."...

Playing in the pool

It was a joyful pool-session this evening with René, Axel and Patrick. Of course I did try out the new Anas Acuta with the greenland stick: a dream to roll! And thanks to a tip from Axel I finally found the clue on palluussineq (chest sculling). Almost ready for the Greenland Rolling Championships? ;-)

Patrick will soon be famous for the perfect headstand.
René for the same move with head up.
And Axel brings the balance-brace to perfection

Double fun with the Anas Acuta!

Kayak Revolution

The timing was perfect: when I sent out invitations for the Presentations on Greenlandstyle kayaking in Alphen, Stef and Monique returned a mail about the "Kayaks to Schools" project. A fantastic opportunity to give something in return to the people that invented seakayaking. You can support this project by making a donation on the Kayak Revolution.

In the Kayaks to Schools project, kayaks are delivered to as many village schools as possible in remote areas of Greenland. The first aim is to support schools in Appilatoq (Cape Farewell) and Isertoq (East Coast), total about 50 children.
The hunting villages in Greenland are the poorest areas of the country. Poverty leads to cultural erosion and kayaking as a living part of our culture is coming to an end. This project brings traditional equipment and training to some of the worst off villages, in the hope that cultural appreciation fosters self esteem in the young. Help to give a little back to the people of the kayak!
Each school receives 4 youth sized and one adult size Learning Curve Kayak, together with necessary gear and teacher training, to BCU standards. The qajaqs are built in Greenland in the workshop of Baldvin Kristjansson. Of course all equipment is supplied at raw cost.

Do I need to say more?

Greenland fans

Watze and Tom: Experts talk!

The public was great at the presentations, yesterday in Alphen. People were very interested, debates were lively and experts on seakayaking, kayak building and even on Inuit culture were present to comment and to add to our presentations. A big part of the group stayed for an extensive aftertalk. It was (too) late when I arrived home. I was so exited of the evening that, despite the late hour, I could hardly get asleep. Getting up in time was a hard job this morning!

Some people asked for more information - here are the promised weblinks:

• Harvey Golden's book: Kayaks of Greenland - the standard work on Greenland Qajaqs;
• don't hurry: the exposition "Als het ijs smelt" in het Museum Volkenkunde Leidens runs until the 24. th of August:
• information on Dutch activities related to the traditional qajaq on qajaq.nl;
• a huge collection of links to resources on traditional paddling can be found on the Belgian qajaq-site: qajaq.be.
• greenland rolling experts: Freya Hoffmeister, Cheri Perry and Turner Wilson, Dubside;
• one of my favorite kayak-bloggers: Andrew Elzinga - obvious a talented greenland paddler and boat builder.

Presentation: Paddling activities in Greenlandstyle

It's about a year ago we organized a weekend of rolling clinics with Freya Hoffmeister in Alphen a.d. Rijn. The local kayakclub AKV de Kromme Aar invites to a presentation about Greenlandstyle kayaking on Wednesday-evening, 9th. January. Tom, Dick and I will give a talk about the activities of the NKB Commissie Zeekajakvaren and Qajaq.nl.
If you want to visit the presentation (btw: Dutch spoken!)- you're welcome! - please contact me or the AKV (Herman van Huis).

A Saturdaymorning on the river: de Lek

Old and new bridge of the Highway A2 crossing the Lek, near Vianen, ZH.

One of my favorite winter paddles in the Woerden-region is a daytrip on the river Lek. It's only a short ride by car (about 20 km's from Woerden to get to the Lek) and it offers the feel of paddling on a serious stretch of water. When I want to paddle on more lively "big water" (Kajaksport op groot water ;-) but can't spent the whole day on paddling, it's a perfect alternative.
And more attractive points: (1) the scenery of the Lek from Vianen to Schoonhoven is one of the most exciting river-landscapes of Holland. (2) Birdlife along the river in winter is fantastic.

The Lek is regulated by a complex of weirs (Amerongen, Driel, Hagestein). Hagestein is the most seaward weir and locker site. And although it's about 60 km's to the Northsea: tides have up to the weir of Hagestein noticeable influence on level and current of the Lek. The actual effect is rather complicated - it doesn't only depend on the tides out at sea, but also on the amount of water coming down the Rhine and whether the weirs are closed or open). For a daypaddle on the Lek I don't bother about tides and stream - I just paddle some time upstream and when I have got enough I turn and paddle downstream. When the current is (to) strong, it's possible to go eddy hopping ("kribbetjes varen").

Even a familiar place sometimes has its surprises: "recreatiegebied" Salmsteke is a good point to start - parking place direct near the water, sandy beach to set in. I mostly start here. But this stupid barrier is new for me. It's just a few centimeters, but the car with the kajaks on the roof didn't pass through under the 2 meter bar -> little inconveniences...

The second surprise came after the halfway break. During the morning wind was roaming and increasing. The last 10 km got tough: paddling against a steady breeze of 5 Bft. combined with a surprising strong upriver current meant hard work - not quit what paddlers expected from paddling down a river! But we enjoyed it - a good work-out!



Data: Salmsteke - stuw Hagestein - Salmsteke: 29 km, temp. 6,5 gr. Celsius, wind Z-ZW, 3-4 later 5-6 Bft. -> My maiden trip with the Anas Acuta!

The Reindeers of Woerden plunge gracefully into the New Year

After 7 editions it's a traditional party: the "Woerdense Nieuwjaarsduik" sponsored by Café de Pompier. Very brave.
I was just spectator - no participant... I stick to New Years Kayakrolling - in drysuit - with fleece underwear (and I am fully aware this shows a severe lack of courage ;-).

Happy New Year!!

The very best wishes for you and yours in 2008!
Hans

West Greenland Kayak Design

During the last visit at the Ethnological Museum in Leiden I learnt something new about traditional kayak design. I thought the upswept bow and stern had to do with the rougher waters the West Greenland hunters paddled in - but that proved to be a common misunderstanding. In the Museum the following text was displayed along with some traditional kayaks:

"...Kayaks are different from region to region. Kayaks from West Greenland have bows and sterns that curl up. The kayak from East Greenland is the flattest. That was first attributed to environmental factors, but a researcher recently discovered that the protruding points disappeared everywhere when weapons arrived. With guns, hunters sometimes shot through the point of their kayak and went down. Spears and harpoons are thrown overhead, high over the bow. When guns came into general use, the West Greenland Kayak was already less in use, so it was less influenced by that.
When hunting for narwhals, mostly in Northern Greenland, kayaks now take precedence and traditional harpoons are still used. In East-Greenland people still live from hunting plentiful seals of various species - using guns and motorboats."
Museum Volkenkunde, Leiden , 2007 -"ALS HET IJS SMELT".

Valley says the Pintail is based on the classical lines of the Igdlorssuit Kayaks, but with rounded bilge hull sections. Igdlorssuit is the old name for Illorsuit - a place in West Greenland). In fact the relationship between the Greenland Design and the Pintail is more indirect. First was the Valley Anas Acuta (a hard chined kayak - more close to the original skin boat) and later Valley rounded off the chines and added a bit of beam - the Pintail was born. In an interesting interview in Ocean Paddler nr. 5 Nigel Dennis explains how he was involved in this evolution - somehow the NDK Romany is also related.

Since this last day of the year I am the very proud owner of an Anas Acuta - the white kayak next to the faithful Kajakwoerden Pintail. I am sure I am going to have a lot of fun with this new toy in 2008!

More history of the Anas Acuta and the Pintail kayak:
Memory Lane - blog item by Douglas Wilcox
Bryan Hansel on Nessmuking.com

A perfect december paddling day

The last days of the year are calm: the office is closed - no chance to work (even if I would have liked to...). We spent the Christmas days with family and friends in Holland and Germany - very nice and "Gemütlich" - but now that I am home again - I can't sit still anymore - I want to get out! Yesterday I took a break on the racing bike (it was hard work with a westerly wind up to 5-6 Bft.) and today a winter paddle on the Grecht with Guus.
The ice has disappeared quickly. The picture below is taken behind our home in Woerden a week ago. According to Guus, big parts of the Grecht were still frozen just two days ago. Today there was no ice left. Let's enjoy a few paddling days! Severe frost is predicted (ice skating time?!) for the second part of the week.

Testing touring paddles

There is a strange thing between seakayakers and paddles. As a lot of kayakers experiment with different boat-designs and change kayaks during their kayaking career, most stick to their (first) paddle. The type of paddle you are using however, can have serious effect on paddling-pleasure and efficiency. Strange that most seakayakers don't experiment more with paddles.

One of the reasons for this might be that good occasions to try out different paddles are rare. Most people will give you a go in their kayak, but do hesitate to lent their paddle. Dutch kayak-gear suppliers (and as a matter of fact there is only one Dutch kayak-dealer that has a wider range of touring paddles in store...) don't offer test paddles. If you are seriously interested, and the chef has a good day, he might give you the chance to try out a paddle a few minutes on the lake before his store, but that's all. When you are about to invest 300 euro's or more in a new paddle there should be a better occasion to get a good impression of its qualities!

So I was lucky when I had this year the opportunity to try out a series of elite class touring paddles over a longer period. The tested paddles represent the top of the range of Lendal, Werner and Epic:
- Lendal Kinetic Wing - Paddlock system;
- Lendal Kinetic Touring - Varilock system;
- Werner Ikelos;
- Werner Cyprus;
- Epic Mid Wing Full Carbon Stiff (Blue) Shaft Length-Lock™.
Common on these paddles is that it are full carbon breakdown-versions, retail prices vary from around 350 to almost 600 euro's (the low exchange-course of the Dollar hasn't worked out in the price tags in the European kayak-stores). I used the paddles on canals and lakes around Woerden, at sea in surf and swell, on short paddles and multiple day tours, under circumstances varying from flat water to the rough stuff. Enough for a good impression. It won’t be long before there is a successor for my good old Lendal Nordkapp.

I am not going to do a review of the tested paddles, nor to do any advise on which one to choose. What’s perfect for me, doesn’t necessarily fit you. Choosing a paddle is personal: What’s the intended use, what’s the paddle style? Physical constitution, condition, power of the kayaker and type and size of the kayak - are just some of the factors that have influence on the performance of a paddle design and size. With this in mind, I like to share some of mine observations.

Wing blade vs. conventional blade:
A real advantage of the wing design is the very powerful catch and the lift it generates when it’s pulled through the water. The wing design forces to paddle in a efficient high angle style. I do love it – and see obvious advantages - also for touring use. I suppose most wing blades are designed for use in a fast racing kayak. The combination of a seakayak with a racing wing (my Brasca I) doesn’t suit me: to heavy – I lack power! I found the smaller blades of the Epic Mid Wing a perfect match with the bigger resistance of a seakayak. The Epic paddles give also a more robust impression for daily use than the ultra-light but fragile construction of the racing wing. That, despite the advantages in efficiency, the wing paddle won’t be my first choice for seakayaking has to do with the handling: forwards paddling, sweep strokes, bracing and rolling are no problem, but with the more playful moves like draw strokes, bow and stern rudders the wing blade sometimes has naughty surprises for me: sometimes it suddenly catched the water and took me of balance – the blade shape is non-forgiving. This is where the semi-wing design of the Lendal Kinetic Wing shows his advantages: it still needs some attention with the special moves, but it’s far more forgiving than a real Wing. With some practice it’s possible to perform most of the more playful moves with this paddle. But it is a compromise: the semi-wing design doesn’t offer a similar catch and lift as a real wing. It doesn’t force you in the high angle wing style like a wing does: it requires more concentration on your paddling technique to really benefit from it’s design.

Blade size: size really matters!
From the first minute I loved the refreshing light action of the small blades of the Werner Cyprus. The lighter action gives a dynamic impression and invites to accelerate continuously. But how do the smaller blades work out on efficiency? I find it very difficult to draw a conclusion on this aspect. I had no problem keeping up with faster groups with the smaller blade. But solo paddling and extensively measuring speed with the GPS I measured a drop of touring speed of about 10% when using the smaller blades. I suppose I do compensate this with paddling in a slightly higher rev when paddling in a group. And that brings it to the point - what is more fatiguing on a long distance: paddling in a slightly higher rev, or applying a bit more power on every stroke? My conclusion is that - as I still feel fit after paddling 40 km’s with the rather big Lendal Nordkapps – slightly larger blades fit me better. Length of the paddle is relevant too: I prefer a shorter paddle because of it’s handling – for the more playful moves and because it invites to a high angle style. ( I still notice much touring kayakers using long paddles of 2.20 cm or even longer, doing more low action sweep strokes than high angle power strokes).


Foam core blades:
The Werner and the Lendal Kinetic Wing blades offer, due to their foam core, noticeable more flotation than I was used to. It feels a bit different on the first moves but it’s great: planting in the blade feels very secure and pulling the blade out the water goes swiftly and effortless. The added buoyancy was also welcome with rolling and with the balance brace.

Cranked shaft/straight shaft:
I always paddled a straight shaft and never had any complaints about the ergonomics, but I was very curious about the handling of the modern ergonomic designs. The Werner cranked shaft felt very natural with forward paddling, bracing, rolling, rudders and draw strokes from the very first moment. I didn’t need any time to get used to it. But did it really feel “better” than a traditional shaft? Hard to say, for me handling was very similar and the only thing I can say about performance is that I didn’t notice much of a difference. Strangely enough the similar cranked shaft of the Lendal paddles took some time for me to get used to. I really needed two or three days to get used to it and to relax my grip on the paddle. But as I got used to it – the Lendal Paddle gave with forward paddling a feeling of higher efficiency - due to the increased leverage? I don’t know what the subtle differences are between the Lendal and the Werner crank shaft. Perhaps it’s all between the ears?

Ferrule systems:
All the tested paddles offer advanced systems to split the paddles. On high priced paddles like these it's almost a must -> to stow it safely away from eagerly eyes in your car or the cockpit of the kayak! All systems have proven to be reliable after long and extensive use. With the Lendal Varilock system you can not only vary the feather of the paddle but also the length. A minor disadvantage of the Lendal system is that an extra tool is needed to secure it – risking that at the moment that you need it – it won’t be there. But for private use that’s not a big issue – once you have found your ideal feather and length you won’t change it a lot anyhow.

Weight….
The carbon blades make the paddles considerably lighter than I am used to. The difference with my Glass-Nylon Lendal Nordkapp is up to 350 grams... So after paddling one of these ultra light paddles my own paddle felt dramtically heavy. But luckily only for the first 10 minutes - and than I was used again to the extra weight. (But the light feelinhg won't be forgotten ;-).

"Conclusions":
1. It sure is worth experimenting with different paddle designs. Even minor details like the diameter and texture of the shaft, the way it's ovalized have effect. When I started comparing the different designs I wanted to make my choices as objective as possible. I did try to measure speed, stroke frequency, effect on heart rate etc. But going on I found out that something as subjective as "the feel" became the most significant criterion for me. I am no competition paddler - I want paddle that gives me the most fun: of course it should be effective in forward paddling, but it should also give a good feel and feedback with the so called special manoeuvres. 2. Are these "top of the range paddles" worth the extra money, compared with their middle range equivalents? - Yes they do - especially in the handling and feel they offer advantages. Ok, you can also look upon it in another way: compared to a decent standard paddle: the 10% extra fun will cost you 100% extra money... Make up your mind yourself, try it out...
3. "Don't blame your paddle" - sure there are (more or less subtle) differences in performance between the paddles - but no paddle will make a slow paddler a fast one (or a bad roller a good roller) - technique, power and condition are far more crucial!

With special thanks to Axel, Bernhard and Freya for letting me use the tested paddles over a long period!!

A bit frost - consequences...

A bit frost is enough to to cover the cold sheltered waterways around Woerden with a (for kayakers) nasty layer of ice. I planned to do some paddle testing later this week, but because of the expected frost during the next few days I did the speed-tests today. This afternoon I could still paddle about 2 km's "icefree" from the boathouse of KV Wyrda. One more cold night and it's over.
I paddled the 2 km-course vice versa with two different paddles and checked the speed-differences with a GPS. The boathouse is in the center of Woerden: it must have been an odd sight: this solitary kayaker paddling alternating slow and fast along the "ice-fields", returning every 10 minutes at the pier, running to the boathouse, changing paddles, and paddling again. The neighbors don't wonder anymore: they have gotten used to me.

The big thaw - consequences for residents of the North Pole

I am fond of the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden. Due to the extensive ethnological research work on the hunting communities in the arctic by the famous previous Dutch curators Nico Tinbergen and Gert Nooter the museum has an impressive collection of the arctic region - amongst which interesting kayaks and umyaqs. In his standard work on Greenland kayaks Harvey Golden has also described some of the kayaks in Leiden.

The big Thaw is a now running temporary exposition in the Dutch National Museum of Ethnology- Leiden: Our climate is changing. The ice is melting. The cause and effect is a topic discussed in the news every day. How will the world be in 50 years? The Museum of Ethnology is not making any predictions but is looking at and listening to those who are directly involved. Greenland, Canada, Alaska, Lapland and Siberia. The residents of these polar areas speak at length in interviews conducted specially for this exhibition. They talk about their country and culture, the present and the past. The Netherlands will also be affected by the melting ice. That is why the exhibition is also about the Netherlands. What does the possible rise in sea level mean for us?

This morning I visited "The big Thaw" with Lieke. The timing was perfect: last week some new scientific reports about the increasing speed of melting ice on the North Pole, yesterday the climate conference in Bali closed with a surprising positive deal, today the first ice on the water in Holland and the weekend started with my own broken "arctic" kayak trip.



This short wide kayak is from East-Siberia, a very manoeuvrable hunting boat to navigate between floating ice, used in combination with a sledge

Fascinating is the ease in which the Inuit people seem to adapt new technology and combine it with their traditional lifestyle. Adaptation is in the genes of these people: their culture has survived dramatic changes, we can learn a lesson from them!

Little surprises...

Sometimes things turn out a bit different than expected. So did the little wintry kayak expedition in the German Bight.

The first surprise was on the radio on Thursday when I was driving north, heading to Horumersiel. I thought Astrid was the "Glücksfee", but the meteorologists on German radio were speaking about the "Bernhilde-high pressure zone". What's in a name? It didn't make a big difference though, the weather was perfect.

The second surprise had a bigger impact. I was invited to this kayak trip that was announced as a "challenging seakayaktrip": winter conditions, open bivouacs on remote places, night paddling, long distances. The organizer had clearly stated this trip was meant for well prepared, advanced paddlers with a good physical and mental condition. It surprised me highly that, ready for departure late Thursday-evening in the darkness, one of the participants told this was his first paddle out on sea ever. He paddled a traditional skin-on-frame low volume Greenland qayaq, in which he couldn't pack a decent winter outfit -no cooker and tent for instance... The organizer decided nevertheless to depart with the complete group: (1) the novice could use some equipment of the 3 other paddlers, (2) tide was coming in so we had to hurry to get away and (3) it was only a short distance under sheltered conditions till the first stop. We paddled two hours out, made camp as planned at midnight. Because everyone used tiny 1 person-shelters, the novice sea kayaker could only sleep under my tarp. That's better than nothing, but not comfortable in winter! We got up at half past four in the morning - time to get ready for the big crossing of over 25 nautical miles. At six in the morning, after breaking down the camp and stowing the gear in the kayaks, the organizer made the only reasonable decision: to paddle back to the harbour in order to bring the novice back. Because we had to wait some hours until tide was running in, this gave us enough time to make a walk and to explore the island in darkness. Sun came up after 8 o'clock. Back in the harbour I felt no desire anymore to paddle. Strange, that rarely happens to me! I decided the trip was over for me.

This may sound as if I am very disappointed and didn't have a good time. That's not the case. I had two wonderful days in company of good friends which formed a strong team together. The night-paddle on Thursday-evening was spectacular, I enjoyed sliding down the mud in the harbour (we left near low tide), paddling under a starry sky, a fun midnight picnic under open sky, exploring one of the hidden treasures of the German Wadden-region in the early morning and midwinter rolling exercises out at sea and many more nice moments. Of course I am a bit disappointed I didn't paddle along the promised historic lighthouses in the German Bight (the Lighthouse "Roter Sand" is a absolute highlight). But: "things happen". I'll be back soon, and I picked up some new ideas for future paddles.

Everyone had his own lessons from this experiences. The organizer realized it was a mistake to accept a new unknown paddler on a trip like this. The novice seakayaker learned that good skills and condition are not enough - good practice and equipment are also essential. (Our novice seakayaker isn't a novice in kayaking: he is an advanced white-water paddler and an expert in greenland style rolling, but new to seakayaking. He had dramatically underestimated winter-paddling and wasn't familiar the habits and (safety- and group-) procedures of of seakayaking).
Driving back to the Netherlands I had plenty of time to reflect on the reason behind my feeling the trip was over for me at the moment we returned in the harbour. Was I tired, was it the temptation of the warm comfortable car, were it all the duties waiting for me at home or... ? This may all have contributed a bit, but what affected me most was the feeling I lost control...

PS: given English is not my native language, I found it hard to put my refections on this trip into the right words: it's difficult to bring in the nuances. I sure don't intend to make anyone black! Being smart afterwards is always to easy...

Welcome Astrid!

Weatherforecast: http://www.knmi.nl/waarschuwingen_en_verwachtingen/weerkaarten.php

A short message just before packing the car to leave to Horumersiel. In the evening starts a winter kayak trip with German friends. This time we miss the good company of Freya and her Feuerzangenbowle. Freya is paddling down under and enjoys the "Vorweihnachtszeit" in New-Zealand summer conditions. Read her blog about her New Zealand Circumnavigation. She is making great progress.
"Astrid" is the new and only female company this time. In Germany High Pressure zones are named since around 1950. In the beginning High Pressure Zones were female and Low Pressure Zones male. But in the last years the Germans decided to change this every year. Background is some kind of political correctness: no discrimination - in one year a man brings us good weather, in the other year a woman. I am happy with "Astrid", she came just in time - the last weeks weather was bad around here. We are covering some large distances the next few days, so calm weather is welcome.

A new addition to the kayak-library

Pesda Press just missed Sinterklaas, but it also makes a perfect Christmas-gift: the second edition of Franco Ferrero's book "Sea kayak navigation - a practical manual" has been released this week.

My kayak library slowly outgrows the bookshelf. So why bother with a new book regarding navigation skills? What does Franco's new book add to the comprehensive work on Coastal Navigation of Rietveld en van Groeningen or the excellent Kayak Navigation of David Burch?
The first book is the official Dutch learning guide for Coastal Navigation for sailing- and motorboats. The basics skills of navigation don't depend on the type of craft your using, but the book of Rietveld and van Groeningen covers a lot of stuff less relevant for kayaking. David Burch's book is dedicated to sea kayaking and offers a lot of practical little hints for figuring out where you are while keeping both hands on the paddle...
What I like about the new book of Franco Ferrero is (1) it's being compact and focusing on the essentials and (2) the wonderful illustrations. The explanation is very visual and directly chart related with only simple calculations. I am quit good at maths (supposed to be uncommon for a jurist?) and tend to think in formulas and more complex vector-diagrams. Sometimes I suppose everyone does... So for teaching others Franco's book is a welcome help. And beyond that, it's just a pleasure reading such a good book written by an enthusiast and very competent paddler and author.
The BCU recommends Franco Ferrero's book as supporting material for the courses for the 4 and 5 star awards. I can assure you it's also good for the NKB Zeevaardigheid and Zeevaardigheid-Extra-courses!

To get the book in time as a Christmas-Gift you can order a copy with Pesda-Press. I have no commercial interests here, but have experienced that these guys are really swift workers. Orders in before Sunday 16th December are likely to be delivered in time (in UK - outside UK, you should rush now).

Picture of the Day

Picture by Gerard Tel

Gerard drew attention to this picture posted on the website of the Marex Offshore Review. The photo was taken on the way back home to Groningen from the NKB Zeekamp Vlieland in September. The kayaker is Patrick in his Q-boat built by Valley, Nottingham, England. The supply Vessel is the Shelf Express built by Damen Shipyards, Gorinchem, Netherlands.