This is only the second time he has been out in a kayak….. it looks like he is a natural…

Our few hours on a local lake turned out to be a bit of an attraction as William balanced on the back deck, kissed the boats nose, and did loads of self rescues, tourists in the many canoes clapped & took pictures

The ‘Play-boat” used was the Cetus LV, rather big for a boy of ten, but a good 15 liters of water secured in the day hatch helped to press the hull into the water.

Next week we will be heading to Sweden with some friends on a kayak trip with inbuilt games, popcorn & marshmellows roasted over a bonfire….. is there a better way to spend time together ?

Here we are using Easky 15 boats as well as an Easky 15LV, these boats are really great for getting people to relax on the water, even after a few short minutes, they are so stable and yet really easy to turn through 360 degrees, I am glad that the Scorpio is as agile as it is, otherwise it could be a bit of a challenge to weave in and out of the trainees…..
It has been great fun teaching safety to people that daily are working in risk management, getting them to see the relationship between good maneuvering skills and rescue drills

And no……. this was not part of the rescue session, it was a part of the morning session designed to get paddlers to get to know each other & work together

More images can be seen here

I will write more on my site later in the week

all the best from Denmark

MikeD

There’s nothing quite like waking up to a cup of well-brewed coffee while on expedition.  For me, it’s not a luxury, but a necessity for jump-starting my morning.  As with all my menu choices for sea kayaking trips, I try to strike a balance between ease of preparation, weight savings, minimal clean-up, and taste.

Since I’m a stickler for a good cup ‘o joe, I’ve tried just about every imaginable method for brewing coffee in the backcountry.   Here’s a quick run down on how to get the best possible caffeine fix on your next multi-day trip.

Click here to read how…

The European paddle pass systaem, has been adopted here in Denmark as in many other mainland european countries. After passing the L2 seakayak instructor exam last year, I have been waiting to find out how the coach training here in Denmark would be compared to coach training under the new BCU system. Well I arrived Friday evening to find five other trainees and three coaches, so from the very start it was an intensive process with such a high trainer to trainee ratio. Denmark has more than its fair share of top instructors with a diverse background. Over the course of the weekend we worked on:

• The 5 B’s
• VAK
• Coaching
• Levels (What seperates a level 2 paddler from a level 3 paddler etc.)
• Assessment
• Feedback

During Sunday morning the 6 trainees delivered a 20 minute session that we had prepared before arriving on the course, it was great fun and really exciting, it is not that often that you get to teach 5 other coaches & 3 top trainers.

It was great to see two other trainees in matching Bahiyas (The Bahiya boys….. .)

I will post more about the weekend and the VAKs, Bs and other starnge sounding subjects on my own site as time allows.

The LV is very much a LOW Volume version of the Scorpio, looking at them side by side the LV is much lower volume, the back deck is a whole 7cm lower, the front deck 3cm lower, 2cm narrower…. and 7cm shorter. After testing the Scorpio, I really have been looking forward to this LV version.

The conditions I tested in were around force 5 building to a light 6, with confused waves of between 1 – 1.5m of coldish 9c water….. winter is on the way !

Well, the LV is rather a different beast than the standard Scorpio in my opinion. You are still getting a reletivly high initial stability, although as soon as you start to edge the LV you can really feel the difference that the 2cm reduction in width, it is not unstable, just rather more lively. Edging still produces carved turns, it only requires a few sweep strokes to turn a full 360. If anything bow rudders are more effective than the already great Scorpio, cross-bow rudders are extremely quick and aggressive, you just have to be a bit more careful to allow for the little livlier attributes of the narrower hull. Low brace turns are very quick whilst it is possible to lean the boat more or less completly on its side, this produces a radical turn of well over 90 without feeling unduly unstable. In the waves it is very easy to manouver into any position with ease. In short steep waves the bow has a more relaxed feel to it than in the full size boat, a considerable amount of volume has been taken out of the bow area. Windage has been greatly reduced, but then again, so has space to load up for extended trips… After extensive play with the skeg up, I lowered the blade into the sea, not because it was necesary, just to see how the LV would react. it seemed to bring a calming influence to the whole experience, I could now without much discomfort stow the paddle & eat a bannana whilst just watching the horizon disapear only to show-up again a few seconds later.
The only area that did suprise me was that it did not seem any quicker at catching waves, to be fair, trying to surf short steep waves is not easy so….. I will be looking forward to a surf session in the next few weeks.

Well I never did get out for the surf session, and the forecast is for light winds over the next few days, so I will be experimenting with the boats edging & turning performance…… and finally enjoying a little spring sunshine

Mike

Coming in January 2009! The Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium.

January 9th, 10th & 11th will mark the first Symposium of it’s kind on the west coast. With a quiver full of Professional Coaches and a format of the finest instruction possible, this event will rock the US Sea Kayaking Community with professional education and enthusiasm everyone has been waiting for.

Don’t miss this one of a kind event, in a one of a kind location!

See you there, Captain Penguin

Come join Ben Lawry and Garth Schmeck for a dynamic educational clinic on the Sacramento River.

Ben and the Captain will hold a “dry land clinic” and slide show presentation Thursday Night – May 3rd – 6:PM at the Penguin Paddlers Store in Redding CA.

Paddle with the Pro’s Friday Morning – May 4th – 7:AM to 11:AM on the Sacramento River starting at the Park Marina put-in. This will be an aggressive hands on clinic for the experienced Sea Kayaker wanting to hone their skills in Tidal Races and Rough Water. This paddle will be followed by a complete individual skills review and a fun brunch/BS session at a local hang-out.

All paddlers must provide all of their own equipment and pay for any personal expenses. Helmets are required and cold-water gear is recommended.

Clinic Sessions are free to all paddlers who pre-register with Penguin Paddlers at: (530) 244-3355

Sometimes all we need is a little awareness on what is going on downstairs. The most common mistake I see in moving water (tidal races, rips, eddylines, etc.) is a lack of bow control. I see paddlers stick their nose into a wave at an angle or cross an eddyline with the kayak pointed the wrong way and flat to the water. Splash, down they go without knowing what happened. I’m talking mainly about the importance of bow orientation and hull orientation at the same time.

This is vital to whitewater kayakers and rodeo boaters. If you watch a kayaker playing on a wave in the river, you will see all the elements of good body, boat and paddle control in one session. The rodeo boater thinks and paddles on a three dimentional axis with the kayak and uses the four main parts of the body independantly.

Lets break down the importance of the terms:
1. The axis – The position of the kayak in space. It is joined to the unified body parts of feet-legs-hips. This is the main part of the body. In a sea kayak, think of your feet as sensors, your legs as suspension/shocks and your hips as control.

2. The torso – Second part of the body – From the lower back to the neck. Think of your torso as your counter weight/balance, and as a huge spring to store and release energy.

3. The arms – Third part of the body – One complete loop from your shoulders, down your arms, and through the hands to the paddle shaft. Think of your arms as a unified rudder and propeller blade that you can both steer and drive with at the same time.

4. The head – Fourth part of the body – This is the control center/brain. Everything initiates here.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about bow control and what role the four parts play:
1. Kayak/Lower body – Your feet should be feeling the direction/orientation of the bow and sending this message to the brain. The legs should receive directions from the brain to push in the direction you want the bow to go. The hips should control the edging of your kayak and keep the bottom of the hull presented to the fastest flow of current.

2. Torso – This should be shifting forward and backward to weight and un-weight the bow and stern. It should also twist and drive hard to provide propulsion and power for braces and rudders. (This is the weakest and quietest part of new paddlers. I see most newbies sit stiff as a board.)

3. Arms – Use them to pull, push, steer, brace and rudder. (Quick and strong arms are always an asset to the rough water paddler but they must always live within their boundaries “The Box” to prevent shoulder injury)

4. Head – What are you looking at? The brain is getting millions of signals a second while your sight is only traveling at the speed of light. Your inner ear (which is your balancing function) is the slowest of the three. The head usually follows the eyes, so if you are looking down at the bow, paddles, or water, your head will be down, your balance will be off, and your timing will be delayed. (Watch professional motorcycle racers and see how they hold their head. Notice where they are looking… far ahead.) Your head should be up and looking where you want to go. The brain will figure everything else out.

So how do we train paddlers to have excellent bow control? We teach and apply the above information. I like to take Intermediate Sea Kayakers out to a big safe river (yes river) with a flow between 7 to 10 knots. I make them paddle, ferry, edge, brace, rudder and get aggressive with crossing eddylines. (Break-in/out exercises) The results have been astounding and I have watched so-so paddlers become strong and confident in a very short period of time.

Below is a video (not very good quality) of me showing some students how to make the kayak go where “you want it to” without becoming a victim to current. I lean forward several times to bury the entire kayak in wave of fast current and even fight back when the river tries to grab the bow, just to prove the point that bow control comes from the controller.

Another great example of what I’m talking about can be seen in Justine’s latest release of “This is the Sea 3″. Check out Aled and Nick playing in the “Falls of Lora”.

Enjoy and happy paddling,
Captain Penguin

Bow Control Video