Pool Session

Practise session at the Pool. Most of the time spent sculling, high brace and sculling turns. At the end of the night I did half an hour of sprints and reverse sprints and reverse turns at speed. I'm finding more and more that I'm reaching for my shorty greenland paddle first. I spent some time sculling with my high angle 'euro' to keep my form. I find that while it's much more powerful than the 'gp', and definitely gives more immediate results, it can be a bear when trying sudden stops and reversals as well as when trying to make sudden and extreme direction changes. I'm still not convinced that either is ideal but the 'gp' feels more fluid and combined with a smooth sliding stroke gives a very nice feel.

Pushed my turns as hard as I could until I edged past my point of balance and started capsizing, I'm sure I could have braced up and out of it.

Worked on my cowboy re-entry, wobbly first few times as I haven't been OTW in a few weeks. After a few shaky starts they came easy. I'm learning to use my paddle for stability while sliding up and dropping into cockpit. I can get up and place me feet and lower legs in while leaning on the sculling for support. I can't figure out how to free-up a hand to ease myself down into the kayak though as I'm using both on the paddle. I'm now increasing the leverage on my support sculling by sitting on the rear deck with my feet in the kayak and leaning it over. This raises my center of gravity to the point of extreme tippiness, and forces me to use the paddle only (no cheating by using my thighs this way).

Upside down re-entry is smooth and comfortable but I can't get my paddle sweeping across the surface of the water to roll up yet. Being upside down with the surface above me is disorienting. Hard to train my muscles to move opposite to instinct.

Balance brace is really close, once I learned to push my bow facing shoulder to the surface I discovered my body floating up and my face coming out of the water. My arms keep wanting to sink and pull me back under though... not sure whether this is due to lack of flotation in my paddle/arms or not getting the kayak balanced properly on edge. I think that once I get my kayak properly fitted with closed-cell foam it'll be a night and day improvement as I won't be sliding around in the cockpit.

Sliding stroke is very comfortable and smooth now, and I'm finding I can do a fast sliding switch of sides for a quick instinctive brace as well. Very handy. Storm Stroke is excellent.

The following two videos demonstrate sculling and the sliding stroke. In the second notice how the paddler's hands move on the paddle.

http://www.qajaqusa.org/common_images/gp_roll_sidescull.mpg

http://www.qajaqusa.org/common_images/gp_slidestroke.mpg

Time on water - 2 hours

Okay it's December the 27th and I haven't paddled in over two weeks... and I'm going nuts... I'm signed up for a pool session this coming Sunday, planning to spend the time working on my sculling and bracing. If I get some quiet time at the end of the session when everyone leaves the pool to sit in the hot-tub or head off early I'll try some rolls. I hate practising my rolls in front of other paddlers, not sure why but I do.

These are the Links to the Greenland and Baidarka videos that were posted recently.

http://www.vsocial.com/ups/75d14eca9b3782cedd05955ee08faf9e
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http://www.vsocial.com/ups/d0b96e8fb3fc281fdf70870606742438
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http://www.vsocial.com/ups/e1cc1027b7c64e2fe3f381cb21a2a10a
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http://www.vsocial.com/ups/e72198574e0b93429c65b7dd5cf052af
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I grabbed this list of Robin's from West Coast Paddler's site.
"So, in no particular order, an extended solo trip gear list for gear packed inside (only myself in the cockpit) and with all of those drybags typically looks like:
*kayak cart
*2 white fuel/unleaded gas stoves..in the past Whisperlites but now Coleman Featherlite 420s
*4 ~1L canisters of white gas shoved to each end of the boatpump water filter
*Pristine binary water purification as a third backup
*frying pan
*1 1.5 L pot
*1L kettle
*2 10L dromedaries
*4 flint/magnesium fire starters -- 1 tied to each stove, food bag, etc.
*4-5 lengths of at least 12m 4mm line
*2 man tent with a ground sheet
*2.9 x 3.9m silicone impregnated nylon tarp
*peak hammock*an MEC Oassis sleeping bag for the summer or an old (overkill) -20 MEC primaloft bag for the winter
*Big Agnes Primaloft Insulated Air Core...used to stick with an old thermarest style but cobble beaches get sore..a much thicker but still compact air mattress is nice
*...no more bulky fleece for me, with a now disco'd MEC Primaloft top for chills
*expedition weight (Malden Mills® Power Dry) long johns
*poncho
*two pairs of tops and bottom mareno wool long underwear
*rubber boots
*short neoprene booties
*cheap rubber thongs for easy footwear
*cheap rain pants
*two thermoguard type paddling tops to always have one to dry
*a shorty paddling spray top for those warmer but windier days
*spare adjustable spray deck
*farmer john wet suit for those in between temperature days
*dry suit for below 13-14 degrees, rainy, or very windy, or exposed coast
*foldable chair (wimping out now...and found that I have the space)
Yeah.....I think that's my main list of the typical kit that I now fully pack inside."

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Merry Christmas...

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This is what a world-class kayaker's body looks like under full exertion.

WOOHOO!!! This is what happens when an inexperienced Russian Soldier is assigned to paddle Kamchatka with two seriously dedicated expedition paddlers. Lady paddler's no less.

Haven't been able to get the kayak out with the crazy snow we've been having lately...

I've been spending my time buried deep in books such as 'Kayak Craft' by Ted Moores, and 'Canoe Paddles' by Graham Warren and David Gidmark. It'll soon be time to repair 'Tassie' for this coming years adventures as well as get started on my two new projects. The 'Hindeloopen' and the 'Nanortalik' replicas. I'm loathe to pull her out for maintenance when I've now the option to don my drysuit, lotsa polar fleece, and expedition-weight underwear. Paddling doesn't have to stop!

After an attempt at a Midnight Madness paddle by the full moon on the Gorge, I chose to peddle over to View Royal, launch and paddle out to Esquimalt Lagoon. Was a gorgeous night/morn for a paddle after all.

There were a few spectators at the Craigflower Bridge waiting to see us out on the water, hated to disappoint them but the weather was a bit 'touch and go' to risk a WCP group paddle.


Time on water - 3 hours

Did I mention how much I love my Dry-suit???

Midnight Paddle - Gorge and Portage Inlet

Moon-gazing :O)

Time on water - 4 hours.

Parson's Bridge to Albert Head

I decided to change my night paddling location and put in at one of the View Royal Pocket Beaches I've been scouting out. Had to toss the kayak off the rocks and jump in after it, cowboy re-entry and off I went! Good solid bench to lock my Trike and trailer at this location.

Water was calm with a light breeze, chill left the air after midnight and it became downright balmy by 0400. I LOVE my new Dry-suit, wore my peddling gear under my paddling gear. Sure simplifies the whole process. Did I mention that I LOVE my dry-suit????

Time on water - 4 hours.

Crystal Pool

Play and Practise.

Time on water - 2 hours.

I've been out paddling in the wee hours again. I get up extra early so that I can get a couple or four hours in before the paper routes.



I've been finding some great launch and pull-out spots in View Royal that give me access to Esquimalt Lagoon and more open coasts.



So far Beach accesses at the bottom of Beaumont Avenue, Stewart Avenue, and Limekiln Bay at Helmecken Road will all work. There are a few others in this area that show promise as well. Still need to take another look at Portage Park/Thetis Cove which would be very convenient if I can find a portage across the Old Island Highway from Portage Inlet at Shoreline School.

Time on water - 4 hours.

The First Drysuit

I finally made the decision to purchase a drysuit. A very big purchase for a guy on a budget. I ordered the bare-bones Kokatat GFER, with relief zipper, and Gore-tex body and booties. I'm getting it custom fitted and in all red for visibility. This model doesn't have an integrated spray skirt tunnel but I hope to be able to wear it underneath a Tuilik eventually.


(edit: December 8th) Whoops... Strike that... I got the Expedition in Red off the rack instead. Couldn't stomach the current exchange rate - and I got a reasonable deal on it..

Midnight Paddle - Gorge & Portage Inlet

Time on water - 4 hours.