Scandinavian Circumnavigation
20th February 2008
We are proud to announce that we have sponsored an adventure by Jeff Allen around Scandinavia. Below is more details of his journey, for more information you can also visit www.seakayakingcornwall.com.
'It's a pretty big and remote region. More than 60% of Norway's coastline lies above the Arctic Circle and much of the outer coastline is open to all of the fetch of the North Atlantic but with many islands offering some shelter along its fjord lined coast.
We hope to see much wild life including both Orca's and Sea Eagle's, we may even experience the 'Northern Lights' or 'Aurora Borealis' and meet the original descendants of this great seafaring and adventurous nation, the Vikings. In the North of Scandinavia is an area known as Lapland, home to the Sámi people, the last nomadic tribe of Europe. It is with these nomadic people we hope to meet up with in the far North.
I haven't placed a definitive start and end date to this journey because I want it to be a journey governed by the experience and not a pre-determined goal set in either time or place, so if the whole project is spread over 1, 2 or even 3 years, so be it. I also wanted to learn a new skill, hence the overland section. This part of the journey will be conducted, hopefully by Ski, if not then another form of traditional Nordic travel. It will be another learning curve for me and one that I look forward to.
We are at present set to depart from Escape Kajak Centre just outside of Gothenburg in early March and shall be paddling North, trying to get as far as possible before the beginning of May and then we will have to return home. Both Mark and I have a busy summer teaching and guiding for that year, at home in Cornwall and Maine.
In the spring of 2009 we will return and pick up the journey where we left off, hopefully accompanied by Ronnie Kemp from Sea Kayak Georgia. We will then start heading south, back down towards the Gulf Of Bothnia and out through the Baltic Sea making our way back towards our start point, or maybe somewhere else who knows, because the truth is the journey never ends!'
Canoe Expo - Coventry
11th February 2008
We will be attending the Canoe Expo in Coventry this weekend 16th-17th February. So if you are in the area please stop in for a chat and checkout our products. We look forward to seeing you.
Proud Supplier
30th October 2007
We have just become the proud supplier to Sir Richard Branson's Necker Island. The island has the capacity to offer a never ending list of watersports and our products are being used so that safety is respected and endless amounts of fun can be had.
On the hunt for Dealers
30th October 2007
We are now looking for shops and dealers to stock our products in the lead up to spring and summer of 2008. Please feel free to look through our product list and contact us through the email with any interest or feedback. We look forward to welcoming you Aboard.
Calls for more Boat Safety Gear
28th August 2007
Rescuers want vessels to have proper safety equipment on board
It follows the rescue of four people from a drifting boat that did not have a VHF radio or flares onboard. The 21-foot (6.5 metre) boat broke down.
Lifeboat crews have been called out on numerous occasions and found that boats do not have radios and it called for people to be more safety conscious when they take to the water.
Necessary equipment:
Incidents have occured where the anchor chain also broke and the boat drifted towards rocks.
The people on board raised the alarm by using a mobile phone because there was no radio on the boat. There were no flares and only two lifejackets.
On this occasion, luckily, the four people were rescued from the boat and brought back ashore uninjured.
With this in mind, people are advised that all persons that take to sea insure that their vessels are equipped with all the necessary equipment.
Keeping Safe on Boats
28th August 2007
# Plan your trip carefully - remember to leave your trip details with friends or family ashore. If you're then overdue there is someone to alert the Coastguard!
# Triple check the weather, safety equipment and your boat before you set sail - make sure you have a correct lifejacket on board for each person and that each person wears the life jacket at all times.
# Always carry spare fuel or a paddle, water and food - just in case you are caught short.
# Sail within your limits and ability.
# Make sure everyone on board knows how to use the boat's safety equipment.
# Ensure you have an appropriate means of communication should the worst happen and you find you need to contact the Coastguard.
Design and Manufacture
22nd August 2007
Waterproof bags need to be effective, and with this in mind our bags have been through a tireless process of design and manufacture to make sure that they can achieve what they are stated to do.
When it comes to waterproof bags the levels of their effectiveness can be measured. First and foremost they should be able to cope with general spray, secondly they should also be able to deal with a quick submergence in the water, as long as the surrounding water pressure does not exert a force greater than that of the roll down seal. Finally, in the worst case scenario, if the bag is continually coming in and out of the water, although with this there can be a minimal amount of seepage. Therefore it is always important to make sure the bags have been sealed correctly, in that they are rolled down at least three times and then clipped.
Good design alone does not make a good dry bag, it is a combination of materials, manufacturing and design. When it comes to material, we have opted for durability over performance. For example where polyester comes in a clear 2nd to nylon in terms of abrasion resistance, puncture strength and stout tear strength, the polyester does not degrade anywhere nearly as quickly as the nylon under UV rays. This issue had to be resolved, and has been done so by using a double coated 420D nylon, so that its longevity is greatly enhanced when it is exposed to UV rays, and it now also incorporates the three main factors in the manufacture of the bag.
So with this being said and done the bags now have the best of both fibres, nylon and polyester, making the bags the perfect choice when it comes to carrying all your gear.
Our New Website!
21st August 2007
Welcome to our new website.
Have a look around and enjoy your visit...