and so 2009 comes to an end and 2010 begins

Today was the last paddle of 2009, the wind was blowing and the seas were high.

It was a day for surf kayaks but the surf was not so great. Confused seas, not a day for group outings. Mickey and I went out in seakayaks, Hadas and Israel took out surf boats.

This kind of sea makes for good photos, of course you have to have a fully charged battery in your camera. I forgot to charge mine last night and so the annoying red flashing signal appeared in the screen all the time. Nevertheless I snapped away but unfortunately most of the pictures disappeared, only a couple taken by Hadas remained.


Tomorrow I have to go to work, but then there is a party in the evening, so that`s a good way to ring in the new year.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYBODY, MAY 2010 BE A GREAT YEAR FOR KAYAKING.

lost comment

The fact is that I dont get too many comments and so everyone that I do get is very much appreciated. Today I lost a comment , I decided to moderate because of unsolicitated adverts, and every comment gets previewed before appearing on the blog. Today I saw a comment by bathmate, but after clicking publish it went missing. If Bathmate sees this, please resubmit your comment and I will be more careful when publishing it again.
Thanks.
Steve

the last paddle day..............................of 2009

Today I held the last paddle day of the year, 7, no make that 6 and a half new Greenland paddles went out into the world today. Seven kayakers made new friends today and we all had a great time working together and making new paddles.
Thanks to all who attended today and worked hard to make their paddles. It takes a lot of effort and concentration to spend a whole day carving a paddle especially when you have almost no experience working with wood, sharp tools and in a foreign language.
Now you all need to get out on the water and start using the sticks, remember it takes a bit of time and dedication before it feels natural, but once you get there the Greenland paddle is great. don`t give up and hang it on your wall as a decoration.
Heres the photos from today

kayak surfing

No doubt, surfing a kayak is one of the high points of sea kayaking. The thrill of catching that mass of water, staying on course and then gracefully exiting the wave before it tumbles you is fantastic and addictive.Of course it all depends on the anatomy of the waves, how big, how long they ride before they break and do they dump at the end. All the science of waves can be found in the many kayaking books on sale, I`m sure everyone knows their local surf beaches or reefs and has their favourite spot. Just as important as good surf is the type of kayak you choose. You can surf a sea kayak, we do it all the time and it is a lot of fun, but there is a limit to what you can do with a 5 plus meter kayak in the surf.There are the smaller play boats and the small sit on top surf kayaks too.

And then there are the long surf skis, these are long narrow kayaks, rounded bottoms, sit on top with rudders built for speed and able to catch the swell long before anything else At first glance they seem unwieldy, but they come in different widths making them user friendly for beginners
And today I got to try one out.
Eyal Abro


an ex South African from Michmoret invited me to go for a trial with him We met after my usual Wed morning with the Optimists[ and today the sea was great for surfing] and headed out from the Michmoret sailing school.


The waves were pounding the harbour entrance and I admit there were a few moments when I thought that this is madness, but we managed to time our exit well and in a few moments we were past the breakers and out at sea. We headed south to Bet Yannai beach and played in the surf for about an hour. This is a different experience for me, firstly you are on a sit on top kayak with only your feet on the pedals held in by a Velcro strap, there is a rudder too , new for me, and the whole thing is a bit tippy as well. I had no problem with balance but when I caught a great wave all the way in I tried to exit too late, broached and got thrown from the boat, managed to hold onto my paddle and had to swim all the way to the beach to retrieve my kayak. In my sea kayak this would never happen as when broaching all you need to do is brace and then you can side surf all the way.

I don't know if this is possible with a surf ski, maybe someone with more experience can tell me. All in all it was a great day and the waves were perfect.
By the way girls, Eyal is still single...........

kayaks for christmas

To all those who celebrate Christmas I would like to wish you all a very happy holiday and may your stockings be filled with kayaking paraphenalia.



Hope its not too cold and that you can get some paddle time during the holidays.

Steve

anything you can do ...................................

Its not the type of sea for a long kayak but I had to get in there anyway. This morning I just couldn`t stay away. I got to the beach at about 8 am, Israel and Ohad had already been in the water for an hour. The sea was like a washing machine , waves breaking in all directions, and a strong southerly wind. After hesitating for a while I dived in. I have just finished putting a hatch and bulkhead in my new Petrel and wanted to try it out.
No surfing for me, just getting out there and dancing on the waves, its a lot of fun, and now that my kayak is much more seaworthy I don`t have to worry about bailing out anymore.
There were a lot of spectators and photographers as well as a few sit on tops, but they quickly gave up as the surf was a bit too rough for them. Small kayaks rule.
I managed to get some medium quality video with my small Olympus and Vered gave me a few of her photos too for the blog.
There`s nothing like the sea, how I love it.

green with envy

Meet my friend and fellow kayaker Rami Gill. He is based in Tel Aviv and runs the kayak club at Beit Daniel rowing club on the Yarkon river as it flows out to the sea.
Rami has been kayaking for more than 10 years, is a great all rounder but LOVES playing in the waves. Whenever there is a storm warning he`s out there at the Hilton Beach in the thick of it. This enthusiasm is contagious and now a large part of his group are also wave freaks. This is not for long kayaks, for this type of surfing you need one of those tiny short surf kayaks which unfortunately I cannot get into for anatomical reasons. But I enjoy watching them play and am considering a short sit on top surfer like the Chaos. Here`s Rami`s video of a bunch of newbies learning the ropes after buying their first surf kayaks.
Makes me green with envy.