Dynamic Rockhopping – so stand es auf dem Plan. Als gestandener Tourenpaddler aus dem Süden der Republik ist für mich diese Art des Paddelns ebenso selten wie exotisch. Im Grunde ist es ein Spiel mit der Dynamik der Wellen in den Felsen der Küstenbereiche. Vermutlich alle von uns kennen diese Tage, wo an windumtosten Küsten die Gischt spritz und die Wellen gegen die Felsen klatschen. Kein Nichtpaddler käme vermutlich auf die Gedanken, sich in diesen Wellen zu tummeln!
Nicht so der ambitionierte Seakayaker Da ich wenig Gelegenheit habe, mich in sog. rockgardens rumzutreiben stand dieser Workshop ganz oben auf meiner Wunschliste und mit Steve Scherer und Matt Nelson hatte ich auch kompetente Menschen an meiner Seite.
Cape Forschu war die passende Location und der Wind der vergangenen Tage hatte für die passenden Bedingungen gesorgt. In Lee der Insel hatten wir zu Beginn noch moderate Bedingungen. Mit zunehmender Nähe zur Spitze des Kaps nahm der Swell aber deutlich zu und der Wind ebenfalls. Dort hatten wir am Ende satte Brecher mit 2 Metern Höhe. Das war dann auch die Grenze meines persönlichen Komfortbereichs!
Aber der Reihe nach: Das grundlegende Mantra des Steinehüpfens ist definitiv timing, timing und timing. Erste Übung wär demnach! sich vor einem ordentlichen Stein zu positionieren und zu warten, bist die passende Welle kam und es genügend Wasser über dem Fels gab. Eigentlich einfach! Es ging dann auch besser als gedacht, die Sorgen um mein Kevlar -Mietboot legten sich auch im Laufe der Zeit. So nahmen dann die Übungen an Komplexität zu und schneller als gedacht war es ein wirkliches Spiel mit den Wellen. Ein bisschen wie im Fahrstuhl und der Achterbahn ging es hoch und runter. das Grinsen wurde immer fetter, ich immer mutiger und am Ende hing ich doch wie ein Käfer auf dem Rücken auf einem, Gott sei Dank, mit Seetang gepolsterten Stein fest Mein Boot nahm es mir nicht krumm und die nächste große Welle mich wieder mit.
Mein persönliches Highlight des Tages kam dann zum Schluss. Ganz vorne an der Spitze des Kaps war ein etwa 15 Meter breiter Durchlass. Durch diesen presste Der Wind die inzwischen beachtlichen Wellen? Die Lücke wär wohl ordentlich tief, die Wellen brachen sich nur am Rande, entlang der Felsen? mit dem Bug voraus standen wir am Ende direkt vor dem Spalt und haben uns von den Wellen in die Höhe katapultieren lassen. Zumindest gefühlt! Ein Hammergefühl, und kaum zu beschreiben….
Ich habe zumindest ein brauchbares Bild zusammengebracht. Steve, der mitten im Gewühl seelenruhig seine Kamera ausgepackt hat, hat mir ausgeholfen.
Eigentlich stand am ersten Tag “Surfing with style” mit Nick Cunliff auf dem Programm. Leider hat uns das schöne Wetter einen dicken Strich durch die Rechnung gemacht. Es war weit und breit keine Surfwelle zu entdecken. Strahlend blauer Himmel, eine leichte Brise und kein Sturmausläufer, der uns ordentlich Swell beschert hätte. Die Kehrseite war allerdings, dass uns draußen zwischen den Inseln dicker Nebel das Leben schwer machte. Es blitzelte zwar ab und an die Sonne durch, die Sicht war trotzdem massiv eingeschränkt.
Das hier war unser Einsatzgebiet:
Nachdem uns die Surfwellen versagt blieben, haben wir und auf jede Strömung gestürzt, die uns in den Weg kam. Hier im unteren Teil der Bay of Fundy hatten wir “nur” ca. 6 Meter Tiedenhub, im oberen Teil stattliche 17 Meter. Durch den recht moderaten Wind sind die Bedingungen auch entsprechend geblieben. Es gab nur wenig Stellen, an denen sich Gezeitenströmungen aufgebaut haben. Nichtsdesdotrotz ein klasse Einstieg, ein tolles Revier und Ausicht auf schlechtes Wetter am Sonntag.
Ach ja … abands gab es nach einem opulenten Seafood-Dinner ein Bericht von Justin Curgenven über Tierra del Fuego. Abenteuer aus erster Hand.
Den Abend haben wir entspannt und mit Seafood vom Feinsten in der Ya Old Argyler Lodge verbracht.
Der Herbst ist meine persönliche Reise- und Fortbildungszeit. Auf dem Weg nach Oregon, zur National Paddelsports Conference der ACA, bin ich deshalb in Nova Scotia gelandet. Der Ruf der Bay of Fundy als exquisites Seakayak-Revier hat mich gelockt. Zudem findet hier aktuell des BOFKS statt, das Bay of Fundy Sea Kayak Symposium.
BOFSKS.com
Das who is who der Coaches ist am Start, auch Justin Curgenven hat es bis in die Bay geschafft und wird ebenfalls mit auf dem Wasser sein.
Geplant habe ich einen Workhop mit Paul Kuthe “Surfing with style”, einen Workshop “tide Race and overfalls” mit Christopher Lockyer und einen Workshop mit Sean Morley zum Thema “rough water rescues”.
Ganz besonders bin ich auf einen Vortrag am Samstag gespannt. “Mit dem Seakayak durch den Grand Canyon!”. Das steht im nächsten Juni für mich an, zwar nicht im Seakayak sondern im Open Canoe, aber immerhin
Heute steht noch nicht viel auf dem Programm. Get together mit den Coaches und den anderen Teilnehmern in Ya old Argyler Lodge, einem wunderschön gelegenen Restaurant und unse Base für das Symposium. Gestern Abend habe ich bereits die Aussicht genossen…
Untergebracht bin ich in einem herrlichen B&B direkt am Wasser und mit Meerblick. Die Gastgeber sind schwer bemüht, mich zu mästen. Vermutlich hat meine schmale Erscheinung ihnen Angst eingejagt Und so sah es gestern Abend aus…
Ich werde jetzt noch ein paar Kleinigkeiten besorgen, mich in die Sonne setzten und den Tag genießen … stay tuned!
By nine thirty in the morning a small grassy hollow had been transformed to a travelling canoeists camp and a fire pit was under construction. The scene was perfect, the sun was out, the water was clear and crystal and the Mad River canoes pulled up with tarpaulin shelters creating some shade. Jules Burnard of Voyageur coaching was ready for the days activities and all around him other Palm Team coaches prepared their equipment for the wide range of workshops they were running.
The shore line of Llyn Padarn soon became a multi-coloured mass of kayaks, canoes, sit-on-tops and inflatables as families, friends and clubs all took to the water in the demo boats from Palm. With the lads from Plas-y-Brenin on hand to give a few pointers to those who’d not been paddling before, the Big Paddle Llanberis was quickly in full swing.
Outside the Palm Store the Paddle Plugs, Canoe Wales and Llanberris Mountain Rescue teams were busy setting some times on the Ergo Challenge and then challenging others to beat them. Surprise surprise one of the raft guides from Canolfan Tryweryn took home the best time over a two hundred metre dash.
Back down by the waterside, near lunch time, paddlers were taking a rest from trying boats or coming back from sessions. Marshmallows were being roasted on the Bushcraft fire but for those wanting something a little more hearty, Tŷ Newydd Organics were cooking up a some tasty treats. The Harlequin paddler took his turn sitting in his boat raising his hands for help and trying to catch the ropes from the Throwline Challenge contestants.
The sun was now brilliant in the sky and as groups headed back out for sea kayak workshops with Olly Sanders or skills sessions with Chris Eastabrook and Lowri Davies. The strange mountain of cardboard that had been built began to move as construction began for the grand cardboard canoe race.
By mid afternoon the armada of boats were cleared from the inlet, and marker buoys were set out. A motley crew of home made kayaks and canoes lined up for the finale. With names like Undersea Voyageur, Fragility and Sea Serpent the racers lined up for a Le Mans start. Three .. Two … One … Go – off they went into the water. Sitting, kneeling and in some cases swimming straight away the home spun boats set off. Pit crews and fans cheered them on and the racing was fierce until the boats still afloat finally touched the shoreline again and winners were crowned.
And then it was over, as happy paddlers headed up to the shop to take advantage of the sale and say their goodbyes the site quietened down. The trailers of boats were loaded up and the bushcraft fire dwindled and was put out. The Big Paddle Tour stop number one was over.
Sunny spring weather, a fun whitewater course, plenty of exhibitors and exciting side activites drew around 3000 visitors to the XXL Paddelfestival last weekend, making it the biggest kayak and canoe test event in Germany so far.
Before the festival, we at Palm didn’t really know what to expect. Snow and cold winter conditions had been persistent in Germany and no one could tell whether kayakers were prepared for an early start of the season yet. Also, we have had no idea what the event area was like. The course had been built only a few years ago and is located in the, for whitewater paddlers rather remote, town of Markkleeberg just south of Leipzig (Saxony). We went anyway and were curious what would happen. With us, a large number of manufacturers came and brought their latest products along for paddlers to compare and test.
Saturday started cloudy and windy but it soon became apparent that this wouldn’t keep paddlers away. As soon as the turbines started working and the course was openend, the water basin filled up with boats of all sorts in no time. Not only whitewater enthusiasts had come all the way to Markkleeberg. We counted dozens of touring paddlers in sea kayaks, people in open canoes, inflatables and on SUPs. The scenic lake right next to the course provided the perfect testing ground for calm water experts as well as beginners.
While paddlers kept coming, the clouds finally made way for warm sunshine. Everyone was so excited about the great conditions and the large variety of products on offer, that the number of boats on the water rose to an almost worrying amount. A certain queue time to get on the conveyor belt and back to the put in had to be taken into account. This, however, could do no harm to the fun and great time that everyone had.
In the evening, spectators were spoilt with a selection of Big-O kayak movie highlights and a spectacular boater X in the darkness with floodlight illumination. Drinks and stories were shared at the bonfire party, making sure that no one went to bed early.
Sunday brought even more sunshine and, you guessed it already, more people still. In the end the organisers counted a total of 3000 visitors, making the XXL Paddelfestival the biggest canoe and kayak testival in Germany so far.
Highlight of the day was certainly the Palm Junior Trophy, where a dozen kids between 5 and 14 years competed in a fun boater X which was held in the main pool.
The contenders raced in groups of 2 to 4 and had to paddle around big red floatation bags (converted into buoyes) in order to win one of the many prizes supplied by Palm.
No one, of course, missed out and in the end there were smiling faces all-around.
A big thank you goes to the organisers, Horst Fürsattel and the KANU crew, for coming up with such a fantastic event. There will certainly be a second edition next year. So make sure you’ll mark the date in your calendar. It’s definitely worth the trip!
With so many new and updated products to show off this last week, it’s hard to choose our favourites but with a camera shoved in their face, the people behind Palm Equipment did eventually manage to pick out their favourites.
Watch the video below to see what we liked the best and meet the people who make up Palm…
For those who haven’t seen the last few updates on our Facebook Page the rest of our product videos can be seen here or in the earlier blog postings:
So let me get this right, your flying out to the far north of Canada to take part in one of the worlds toughest canoe races, paddling 450 miles, day and night, with little food or rest, with a team of Rugby coaches who aren’t paddlers, that you’ve only met once before and have never paddled together as a team?
Yep, sure am!
Your mad, tapped, insane or simply stupid!
That along with a few other niceties or rather obscenities were the usual comments I received from people when I told them the challenge I was about to embark on.
We were on our way to take part in this years Yukon River Quest, Race to the Midnight Sun which you can find out more about by reading THIS previous blog article.
The team awaiting departure
Finally we arrived in Whitehorse, Yukon after a twelve hour flight delay, a night in a hotel at Vancouver airport and plenty of eating and drinking! The view from the aircraft window on its way in was stunning, flying over snow capped mountains and as we drew closer flying along the mighty Yukon itself.
As we were now a day late in arriving we set to work quickly identifying our boat at the local outfitters, Kanoe People and making any needed alterations or repairs to it. One thing thing in particular that did take some time and effort was the construction of some sort of spray deck in case we encountered choppy conditions during the Lake Laberge crossing or more likely to prevent swamping whilst negotiating Five Finger Rapids. Quite a daunting task producing a spray deck for a 30 ft Voyageur Canoe, never the less the team addressed it and were justifiably proud of their work. Meanwhile others busied themselves about town getting last minute bits of kit we needed and of course food and drink for the race. The Super stores in Whitehorse were quite interesting with everything from shower gel and toilet roll at one end of the store to bear decoys, semi automatic rifles and ammunition at the other end! Tesco you still have some way to go to match this !!
Team busy prepping our boat
The spray deck under construction, quite a task
Chatting to one of the locals
In between all the hustle and bustle of the race prep was also the opportunity to take our boats and paddles for a test drive. This came in the form of a few little trips in the local area. During these we practiced a number of scenarios including man overboard, should I slip off the boat leaving them without a steersman. I was hoping we wouldn’t need this for real as I ended up spending quite some time floating around as the boat and crew disappeared into the distance before making some valiant efforts to regain control and steer themselves in my direction! Another drill that was rehearsed lots was that of changing paddling sides. Might sound easy but when you have a boat full of rather large rugby boys moving around in a canoe at the same time then it’s bound to end in tears unless you have a plan. On one such occasion we were lucky to see the first of many bald eagles on our trip, on its nest with its young. The novelty of numerous eagle sightings soon faded for some.
One of the many Eagles we saw
All forward...ramming speed !!
Another important task was that of sorting out our food for the journey. Some of the team visited the local stores and others set about preparing some meals. During one such occasion members from the other team had taken over the support vehicle and turned it into some form of soup kitchen. We had all opted to source our own snacks etc and I had chosen various nuts, raisons, chocolate and jelly sweets together with some fruit and energy bars, all of which were hung from a thwart in front of me in plastic tubs. These tubs were provided or rather acquired courtesy of our hotel, where they were meant to be used for ice from the ice machine. Incidentally they made great on board toilets!
One of the luxury on board toilets !
Team 1 & 2 with our boat and the Yukon behind
Team 2 A fine body of men
Time was soon upon us and it was the day before race day. Briefs had to be attended and the first of many kit checks took place. After having had our team details, entry form and insurance checked we acquired a number of ink stamps on my arm entitling us to a River Quest Race pack.
Having some of our kit checked by race officials
This contained among other things a YRQ-shirt, our race bibs with our all important team number printed on them and a couple of stickers for our boat. We were to be team 27. After we had all signed every bib on both the back and front it was off for an official team photo proudly wearing both our t-shirt and bib as requested by the officials. One half of this bib has to be returned either on completion or if you withdraw from the race as a way of accounting for everyone.
Signing the back & front of each bib
Pre-race photo wearing our signed bibs and YRQ shirts
That night it felt a bit like the last supper as we sat together as a team and ate a hearty meal. Then with race day looming the following morning it was off to bed to dream of the events to come, knowing that this would be our last chance for sleep for over 25 hours!
Race day
Our boat and our team had to be ready at the launch point for another kit check at 0730. At this point our official team mascot was added to our boat, which looked remarkably like the character Wilson from the film Castaway staring Tom Hanks.
Wilson !
Other Voyageur Canoes in our class
Teams 1 & 2 making some last minute tweaks
Once this was out of the way then it was off for some breakfast and a chill before the 1200 start.
Racers all started to converge from around 1100 at the start area. All the teams were announced and introduced, lots of good luck wishes exchanged and photos under the official start line taken. 4,3,2…1 the air horn sounded and we were off. We now had 14 hours to reach the end of the Lake, 35 hours to get to Carmacks, and 84 hours to get to Dawson. For some this truly was to become the year long day!
All teams jogged or walked their way down to their boats before launching, remembering that this was only 400m of 450 miles! The turn out by the locals was quite surprising with lots of cheers, whoops, whistles and shouts of “Yukon”and camera action.
That was it we were on our way, next stop the old Coal mine camping ground at Carmacks which would be around 210 miles later and would hopefully take us about 24 hours. Conditions were the best they had seen in years with good weather and high river levels. After a couple of hours we seemed to loose all the hustle and bustle and settled down to a steady rhythm and just the odd couple of boats around us as we entered the start of Lake Laberege and passed the first of 5 check points before Carmacks. These CP’s are all manned and act as safety to give help when needed and also to record the times of racers before sending them on via sat phones to the Comms centre were they are updated and posted on the race website.
Typical of the Yukon scenery
As well as these CP’s there are also a number of Safety Monitoring points or MP’s on route, which again are manned, they quite often have fires burning and hot drinks,for racers to warm up. There was to be 3 of these MP’s between us and Carmacks which proved very useful.
This view of the backs of my teams heads was something I was to get used to over the next 24 hours
The crossing of the lake took us around 8 hours in excellent conditions meaning we arrived at CP3 Lower Laberge at around 2215 well ahead of the cut off time of 0200. As the temperature was quickly dropping with the sun low in the sky we made the decision to change from daytime light weight clothing into thermals, topped off with our brilliant Palm Aegean cags and Viper pants. Great combination, lots of room inside with freedom of movement and easy to get on and off quickly. After a quick warm up by the fire for a couple of the team and some food it was time to get paddling again.
CP3
The temperature continued to drop as we paddled on down the section knows as The 30 Mile River. By now the light was fading but as the name says its the “Race to the midnight sun” and sure enough at midnight we were presented with a stunning sky.
The midnight sun
Our next point of interest was MP2 Lower 30 Mile which is around 40km after leaving the lake. The names of the locations we passed made me smile with such things as “Gold diggers point, Klondike Bend, Fish Eddy and Shipyard Island” The scenery by now was very much the same with little if any change from steep banks and pine trees. I was eagerly awaiting us passing the spot where the Teslin River would join us and hopefully give us a bit of a helping hand. The Teslin came and went with no apparent noticeable difference, the temperature dropped more, and we were reminded by a passing paddler “that coldest time yet to come would be around 0500”! Cosmic I thought, I cant wait for it!
Still very cold but the sun was on its way up as we paddled on
By the time we reached MP3 just down stream of where the Big Salmon River joined us, it was definitely daylight and still a tad cool. So we took the decision to stop here and spend sometime re-warming in front of the fire as a number of the crew were starting to feel the effects of cold together with a lack of food and sleep. It was here that Team 1 who were by now ahead of us had also stopped and gave first aid to a fellow racer who was suffering badly from exhaustion and hypothermia. We had been warned by officials at the race briefs that “hypothermia accounts for more than half of all crews that fail to finish, and that on cold years more than 50% of racers will suffer from hypothermia”.
A member of team 1 giving first aid to a fellow racer at MP3
We set off once again and paddled our way down the river. For what seemed like an eternity at one point we paddled through what remained of a huge forest which had been burnt to the ground, it really was mind numbing. By being at the stern of the boat and having to concentrate on steering and keeping an eye on the navigation kept me more than occupied and definitely gave me a focus helping to pass the time, prevent boredom and ultimately the potential to fall asleep. As for wild life well we didn’t really see much aside from the odd eagle, however during the journey back to Whitehorse by vehicle there were moose, wolves and bears to name but a few. Apparently they use the highways just like us to get around.
At around 0900 after having been paddling for over 21 hours and a short distance after the Little Salmon joined form the right, we eventually passed our last check point before Carmacks. From here we knew had around a further 4-6 hours of paddling until will reached the sanctuary of Carmacks where we would have a compulsory 7 hour stop. A chance for a hot shower, some food and a well earn’t sleep before tackling the remainder of our Yukon Quest.
This last couple of hours leading up to our arrival at Carmacks proved to be a real challenge. Some of the team were now really starting to suffer and hallucinations had taken over with sightings of giant beetles, knights in armor, chimpanzees and goblins all on the river bank along side. On a number of occasions crew members even nodded of whilst still paddling. I was unaware of exactly how severe the situation had become, but I did know that I had to get the canoe and its crew safely to Carmacks.
The journey seemed to take for ever, as we turned a corner only to find yet another corner loomed ahead. With an hour or so to go I got out our sat phone and made a call to our support crew at Carmacks. I made a point of letting them know we where not far and that hot food was the order of the day for all of us as soon as we arrived. However un-be-known to my team was the fact that my signal had cut out after only 20 seconds and that I had decided to keep talking pretending to have communications so as not to unsettle them any further. Another memorable occasion was when a team member stated that “I’m sure we’ve been past this before, are you sure were going the right way?” I must say for moment he even cast doubt in mind and could have caused a mutiny. I did have a moment when I feared I may have been thrown over board.
As we neared Carmacks the map and our race briefs clearly mentioned an overhead cable across the river which is approximately 2km from the campsite, and after which you are advised to keep far right so as to avoid missing the pontoon. After announcing in a very calm manner that we now had only a very short distance to the landing it again seemed to take an age. Moral was high with the thought of food and rest but to my horror as we turned yet another corner I was greeted with what I thought was another overhead cable! My heart sank as I reluctantly announced I had made a navigation error and in fact we still had 2 km to go, not a good feeling to have! But all to soon it became apparent that I was right the first time as the Old Coal mine camping ground rapidly approached. Officials were waiting our arrival and barking incoherent instructions at us. At around 1500 with a loud thud, a big wobble and after more than 27 hours of paddling we finally arrived at Carmacks.
The landing stage at Carmacks
Lots of busy people during their 7 hour stop at Carmacks
Our next problem was getting out of the boat as we were all somewhat wobbly form our adventure. As officials helped us from the boat it became apparent the toll it had taken on us. We all took some time to compose ourselves and get our thoughts whilst support crew and officials busied themselves helping those that needed it and giving us all a good check over.
A few minutes later some race officials called us together and announced that on the grounds of safety we were being “scratched”! Scratched is the YRQ term for being withdrawn. We were all deeply upset but fully understood the reasons behind their decision.
This really had felt like a year long day….
Alone and empty she had served us well but now the race for us was over
After some food and a hot shower and as we de-rigged our canoe team 1 surfaced from their slumber, had some breakfast, reloaded their boat and set off on the next phase of their adventure. Around 30 hours later they triumphantly crossed the finish line at Dawson in a time of 54 hours. A very well deserved congratulations to Team 1 for completing such a grueling event.
Team 1 leaving Carmacks on route for Dawson
The river now quiet and empty after the last boats have left
I am glad to say that we are all now back to fitness and going about life as normal. Not forgetting our overall aim of doing this challenge was to raise money for our chosen charity Help for Heroes, and I believe to date both teams together managed to meet their target and raise £100,000
Q: Did I enjoy it? A: Yes a fantastic experience
Q: Would I do it again? A: Next years race beckons to me and Im already looking at flights etc. After all I cant leave an unfinished chapter in my life. Bring on Yukon River Quest 2013!
A big thank you to my enduring companions on this trip, who were Toby Booth, Justin Bishop, Neil Hatley, Gavin Cleave and Tony Cilia and to Davis St John Claire who had the thankless task of being our support crew. Thanks also Interserve for making it happen.
Lastly a special thanks goes out to Palm Equipment, Desperate Measures, Rab and Outdoor Active for their help and support throughout.
Hasta la vista…. I’ll be back !!
See you on the water…
Jules
Bespoke Canoe Coaching, Guiding, Safety & Rescue training and BCU awards
Why sea kayaking: This trip was my very first time in a sea kayak. So why? This spring my boyfriend came up with the idea of doing a sea kayaking trip to the Ionian Sea in Greece so I simply thought: Lets give it a try!
Logistics: We took the car to Venice. Due to the fact that taking the car to Greece would have been quite expensive we decided to leave the car in Venice and went on the ferry to Igoumenitsa as Pedestrians. We were allowed to take the kayaks as bikes for free. In Igoumenitsa we started paddling. Every three days we went shopping in one of those picturesque coastal hamlets to fill up our water and food reserves. We slept wherever we found a nice place along the coast. Thirteen days and 470 km later we reached the town Patras from where we took the ferry back to Venice.
Itinerary: We started paddling in Igoumenitsa were we went southwards along the west coast. Once we reached the island Lefkas we continued paddling southwards along the west coast and from the southern tip we jumped to the next island Kefalonia. Again we paddled down south along the west coast and again from the southern tip we jumped to the Ionian island Zakinthos. From the northern tip of Zakinthos we paddled almost all around the island starting down the west coast and from the southern tip northwards along the east cost almost back to the town Zakinthos. From there we jumped to Peloponnese and continued along the coast to Patras.
Conclusion: During the trip we have seen endless empty beaches, deserted bays and crystal clear water with all colours of blue, flying fishes, a giant turtle and few of the most beautiful sunsets. But we did not only get to know the beauty of sea kayaking. We also had a few days with strong wind. On that one day we paddled southwards the west coast of Zakinthos there were quite big waves – I think, the biggest waves I have ever paddled, which was very impressive. Luckily we had the waves coming from the back and so we got pushed forward about 50 km almost without any effort – except for my nerves.
Now, after the trip, I am very happy that I tried it and I am sure I will do it again – maybe once a year – ?
Thanks to Palm Equipment for getting us the Dagger Exodus boats and Kober Paddles for the touring blades!
This morning PaddleExpo 2012 opens here in the beautiful german city of Nuremberg.
This year we have 50 items of new or updated kit to show to the world over the next 3 days!
Today was our last day of set up, so below you can catch a glimpse of some of the gear and boats we have lined up…
Throughout the exhibition we’ll be uploading videos, photos and blogs so everyone can see and find out more about what will be coming to stores near you soon.
I personally have seen quite a few new things I’ve set my eyes on
Paddeln im urbanen Umfeld finde ich persönlich ziemlich cool. Bei mir zuhause habe ich mit dem Rhein durch Basel auch eine wirkliche tolle Location. Man kommt sich dabei immer ein bisschen vor als würde man durch die Fußgängerzone paddeln
Beim letzten Hamburg-Aufenthalt war es daher das erklärte Ziel, einmal auf der Alster zu Paddeln und – Plan 2 – möglichst stressfrei und umweltschonend in die Innenstadt zu kommen.
Ich schulterte also morgens mein aufblasbares Stand Up Board und wanderte zur Bushaltestelle.
Das hat soweit auch ganz gut funktioniert. Lediglich das lange Paddel hat mich dezent behindert. Ich hatte irgendwie immer Angst eine Lampe zu treffen oder aus Versehen einen Mitreisenden umzuhauen.
Mit der S-Bahn ging es direkt zur Haltestelle Jungfernstieg an die Binnen-Alster. Den Abstecher in den Applestore habe ich mir angesichts der edlere Geräte und meines dicken Rucksacks erspart
Direkt am Ufer fand ich direkt ein nettes Plätzchen zum Ablegen. Flugs war das Board aufgepumpt, Schwimmweste und Paddelklamotten angezogen und das Gepäck auf dem Board verstaut.
Bei besten Wetter startete ich in Richtung Norden, vorbei an den schönen Seerestaurants, Ruderclubs und Parks. Ein echter Genuss! Das schöne in der Alster sind die schier unbegrenzten Möglichkeiten der Routenwahl. Unzählige Kanäle, einer schöner als der andere, machen diese Binnenrevier ideal für den kleinen Ausflug zwischendurch oder auch größere Touren.
Kurz vor Schluss kam ich an einem Café mit einer wunderschönen Terrasse vorbei, auf der die Hamburger bequem und chillig auf Liegestühlen fläzten. Stehend auf dem Brett kam ich genau auf Liegehöhe vorbei und hatte ein paar echt lustige Momente
Den Ausstieg am Jungfernstieg, direkt an der Schleuse, habe ich ganz besonders genossen. Fröhliche Menschen in der Sonne sitzend, leise Musik aus dem Hintergrund und entspannte Gesichter am und auf dem Wasser – schöner kann urban-paddling nicht sein!
Da ich wenig Gelegenheit habe, mich in sog. rockgardens rumzutreiben stand dieser Workshop ganz oben auf meiner Wunschliste und mit Steve Scherer und Matt Nelson hatte ich auch kompetente Menschen an meiner Seite. 
Und so sah es gestern Abend aus…
