Saturday, February 28, 2009

in the eye of the storm, almost


Friday morning just before the stormy weather broke we were on the water. We could see the approaching clouds, see the whirlwinds dropping form the clouds and the occasional lightening flashes. You could feel the power and the energy of the storm system approaching. When the rain and lightening got too close we went inside for a hot shower and coffee. Heres a video of us just being out on the changing water.

Friday, February 27, 2009

just before the storm

Today the weather was scheduled to change, were in for a stormy weekend with rain, snow on the Hermon and floods in low lying areas. The sea is going to be very rough . At 7 this morning we could still go out and play in the changing water. We played and watched as the clouds gathered, saw the waterspouts falling from the black clouds and only left the water when the lightening became dangerous. It was a magical morning

Friday, February 20, 2009

as time goes by


It seems to me that time is speeding up these days, the weekend is here one minute and then its here again. I cant seem to catch the days as they go by so fast Is it something to do with age?
At last the new kayaks arrived at the club, and what a great event it was. They are all in fantastic colours, have great shapes and from the rave reviews of those that have had the privilege of paddling them, seem to be a big hit.
http://www.optimist.co.il/shop/tahemarine.htm
I loved the way they were wrapped in their boxes.


Now they are hanging from the roof for all to see.

On the home front, I have been busy getting the blanks ready for the next Greenland Paddle carving day, scheduled for the 28th of Feb.

Hope the weather helps. I just couldn't keep my hands off one and began to carve . I will not finish it just yet, and can use it as a demo to show the different stages in the process.
I have also began the stripping of the hull of my new Petrel.

I also managed to paddle on Wednesday and go to work for a few days too.
Even if its too rough to go out, its great to visit the club, have a cup of coffee and chatter away about kayaks and life in general.

There is always something interesting going on down at the waters edge.
No wonder time seems to go by so fast.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

big tuesday at sdot yam



Last Tuesday the sea was rough and wild and there was a very strong wind . Nevertheless we went out to play in the waves and this is the resultant video.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

how to make a hole in your friends kayak





Being a naive blogger, and not knowing the difference between a pure lesson learnt by bad judgement and making someone look less than their best sometimes puts me in a difficult position. I think that lessons should be shared and if mistakes are made they should be acknowledged, analysed and lessons taken.
Now sometimes the people involved are high up in the hierarchy of the sport and talking or blogging about their mistakes may make some people think less of them. This definitely not my view of things, but nevertheless it is not my intention to put anybody down and make them look less than perfect. I will not describe anybodies failures without their permission, and if in the past I have offended anybody now is the time to apologise .On the other hand most of us regular paddlers don't mind being used as an example and our mistakes are regarded as important rungs on the ladder of experience, leading to better judgment and making us better kayakers in the long run.
So now I can tell you how Arele`s new kayak ended up looking like this.


Well maybe I won`t, I`ll just say that it was a stormy sea, strong winds and currents and a lot of adrenalin.

Hadas and I were watching and filming when R got himself pushed onto the rocks by a strong shore breaker.
From his point of view all was well, he edged the kayak correctly and positioned the boat between himself and the rocks. The sea was pretty strong and he ended up on the rocks, luckily not too far over as then the backwash would have bashed his head and face on the stones. So all ended well with only a bruised ego and and a holed kayak .
Now for the lessons learnt.
1. D`ont lend your kayak to your friends if the sea is rough.
2.If you borrow your friends kayak make arrangements for compensation in case of damage
3.Stay out of the danger zone when the sea is rough
4.If you do do something silly try do it when no one is watching or photographing.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

how to take a group photo at sea

Challenge of the day, get a group photo while out at sea with a bunch of uncontrollable seakayakers who are all facing the wrong way.

Friday, February 6, 2009

and then hadas and barak went out too


Last weekend as captured by Zohar , Hadas and Barak went out to play in the surf. Dodging all the kite surfers made for an interesting afternoon.
I on the other hand was busy starting my new kayak

and getting the paddle blanks ready for the next Greenland Paddle carving day.

I have found that the strongest way is to laminate two pieces of Cedar onto a central piece of pine, this makes a nice light weight paddle and gives strength as the pine forms a very strong central core. I found that when I only used Cedar my paddle snapped in half. Maybe its because we don`t have that good a selection of wood to choose from.
Zohar, I was not sleeping as you can now see, I just don't feel the need to blog every day, but here`s you this morning silhouetted against the clouds and sun .