The sea kayak festival on Anglesey was again well attended this year with paddlers from all over Europe attending
The weather was too say the least challenging with stormy weather href=”http://79.170.40.166/palmequipmenteurope.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/image1.jpg”>
her for most of the festival.
The coaches were having to work hard to find the right locations to suit courses and clients and it got busy in the straits
However some Danish clients stayed on and after dodging weather again we were rewarded with a lovely day around Puffin Island
A trip out to Rost ,the southern most chain of islands in Lofoten , i had been here once before on an open crossing of 6 hours ,but never had a chance to explore.A magical place full of peace and wildlife and very different from the other islands and rarely visited by kayakers
Well worth a visit
baja
Had a chance to test Palms new rash vest in Baja . Not quite warm enough over here !
Also my partner lissie had one of the new Halo B.A.She thought fit was good allowing freedom of movement and front pocket large enough for essentials . A rehydration would be useful as its on the male versions particularly as it was pretty hot.
The rash vest was comfertable and sizing seemed right.I often wear a rash vest under a neoprene top as its easier to get the neoprene vest on and off .
Looking forward to trying the new Kaituna short sleeve vest, its something i suggested on one of the Gear development meetings,so its good it has been included in the range
You can see why Baja is on one of the 12 best seakayaking destinations , Warm waters , amazing scenary and wildlife, we saw Sperm Whales, Orcas ,Pelicans Frigate birds and Tarantulas!
Just ran a course for Danish canoe union for the new EPP L5 Sea roughly equivalent to BCU 5 star Lots of good conditions and a 5 day course allowed us to play in a lot of races ,A good rescue and tows day at Point Lynas , the new Palm Ocean tow was up against a variety of North water tows and performed well in pretty windy and challenging conditions and a good day at skerries
The swellie wave seems to be working again . A very high tide meant an early start . Its also been known as the 5 oclock wave because when the tide is right its roughly 5am or 5pm, This was about 7.30 am about an hour and a half after Low water and its was just starting to work , plus nobody else was there except Rodger chandler and myself on a lovely morning
Always awkward to get hands on coaching for this skill . Luckily this venue a good drysuit and a keen student meant we could progress quickly . The only distraction was the usual fantastic Scenary of the Lofoten Island in Norway
We’ve just managed to make what we think is the first linked crossing of Vaeroy and Rost in the artic islands of Lofoten in Norway.
The two crossings are about 35 km each and the first involves crossing the infamous maelstrom of Moskennes island.
Myself and Jann Engsted, a local guide who has been guiding on the Islands for 30 years, made the two crossings an ambition he has been trying to do for a long time.
We had ocean swell moderate winds and a fair deal of fog on the first crossing , but otherwise a great few days.
The new Palm Oceana gear performed well and kept me cosy and dry.
Olly Sanders
Early season paddle at North stack. A 9m tide and a Northerly wind .It was big enough to stop us getting the eddy and having to change our plans and go all the way to Port Dafarch.
A new association to represent L5 coaches who are also active paddlers in their discipline has been formed.
Please check out www.apcpaddlerscoaches.co.uk for details. Many Palm paddlers are already on the list.
Who are the A.P.C?
The A.P.C is a collaboration of Level 5 coaches across disciplines that provide the highest level of coaching and the training and assessment of NGB awards. These coaches are also active paddlers having their own adventures in their spare time, be it in the UK, Europe or on expedition. Membership is open to any L5 coach be it a freelancer or in full time employment, who is an active coach working at a range of levels and who is an active paddler in their free time.
The L5 coach is the highest coaching award in the UK and at the moment there is no independent organisation to promote their services. The aim of the logo and the website is to provide a simple way of identifying the highest levels of coaching from active paddlers passionate about their sport. Our members are chosen by their peers and the criteria ensures that not only are they L5 coaches, but they are active in their chosen discipline.They provide evidence of this which has to be updated every 2 years to retain membership. This ensures you get the highest quality coaching from active passionate paddlers.
Nige Robinson, Olly Sanders and Sid Sinfield have just returned from a successful trip in Greenland. The trio circumnavigated the large island of Nutarmiut, a distance of almost 300 km and also put up 3 new mountain climbs. The climbing, camping gear and food was squeezed into the boats for the 3 week unsupported trip. The Aleutian drysuits and other Palm gear was great.
Look for a full report in the paddling press soon.
