- Details
Wow, that´s something!
I just found, at www.qajaqusa.org, pictures of Ken Taylor and Duncan Winning: The two man where the roots of the AnasAcuta started.
As I look at it, it´s those two man who, together with Derek Hutchinson, initiated the development of modern seakayaks until now; well done my boys!
Looking at the pictures, these man, being in there 60-70ths, are still looking very fit.
- Details
Bonnie made me remember some pictures where the AnasAcuta is compared with a replica of Ken Taylor's kayak.
So it seems a good idea publishing them underneath:
- Details
Introduction
As I paddle an AnasAcuta (VCP - Valley Canoe Products) for years already, I think it´s just about time to write a review on her. :wink:
The interesting fact about the AnasAcuta, being introduced in 1972 already, is that she is still in production. Which is remarkable because that gives her a history of 36 years!
A kayak with such along history is interesting because we can learn from a kayak that appeals so long to paddlers.
The reason could be that there are enough paddlers who appreciate the beautiful and original Inuit-look of this kayak. But certainly it has also something to do with the capacities of the kayak. Often heard are positive comments on her playfulness and rough water handling: it is just fun, paddling an Anas Acuta. That’s what they say. And I can only agree with that.
KLIK hier om verder te lezen en een grotere foto te bekijken
- Details
Having not paddled the Romany S rm before, the evening of 8 Oct. was an ideal occasion to collect my first paddling experiences with this kayak and to get used to her.
Conditions were very mild on the Alkmaarder-lake (NL: Alkmaardermeer): 8okt 2008, 20.00 h, wind 1-2Bft, no waves above 10cm.
Stability
When fumbling around in the dark to close the zipper of my jacket, while leaving the club, I completely forgot I was sitting in a kayak. Maybe that tells something about the stability.
Edging the kayak felt very natural and did not give you any unstable feelings. In fact the capsizing point is very far away.
- Details
As I wrote in my first post about the Umnak Icefloe Fjord, Derek designed her on request of the Norwegians. He used the Icefloe-design which he modified by taking away the integral skeg. As Willem Molengraaf understood from Derek the hull and deck of the Fjord are equal to the Icefloe.
I quoted in this first post that Derek once talled Willem that he did not like the Fjord.
Just now I found a discussion on the Sea&Surf-forum where Owen wrote something similar on the 26th april 2007:
- Details
Paddling the Fjord in the tideraces around Anglesey seemed an ideal opportunity to learn more about here capacities. We went in sept´08 with a group of 7 kayakers (mostly from Kayakclub Uitgeest) to Holy Head in Wales.
Axel Schoevers was our guide (Click for his weblog) and we had a perfect paddling-week. Axel guided us to Puffin Island, North Stack, South Stack, Skerries and Penrhyn Mawr.
To be honest, being at sea the combination of strong currents and waves was a bit intimidating at first. But as Axel slowly increased the level, the learning-curve was perfect.
- Details
In addition to the first dry impression that I wrote before, I now looked for the design-briefing which NDK followed in designing this Romany, as well as for some more technical information.
- Details
As the kayakclub bought herself a new Romany S rm, I got the opportunity to take a close look to this new kayak which is introduced by P&H (OEPS: I mean NDK of course) in march 2008.
Later I will take her along for a paddle, but first I will take a technical look underneath:
- Details
Last Wednesday I paddled the Fjord on the lake 'Alkmaardermeer' and surveyed her behaviour in wind: a SW-wind at force 4Bft. Waves approx. 20-30cm
I wrote already about this topic in the first article, but since then I tailorfitted the kayak.
I concluded earlier that the Fjord weathercocks quite remarkable.
Today I concluded that the weathercocking is still there but to a lesser degree due to the weaker wind. Again, the Fjord could be trimmed perfectly with the skeg. But that’s no news.
Next thing I did was lifting the skeg and trying to keep course with only sweepstrokes. I did this on several courses compared to the wind-direction. That was not too easy and in fact rather tiring.
Now I added edging to my sweepstrokes and shifting weight as well: and thus I recorded a big improvement. In fact I could easily keep course now while using much less paddle-energy. There was only one note to make: the timing of the weight shifting was important. To my opinion this improvement in compensating for weathercocking was the result of tailorfitting my cockpit. I got now much better grip and could transfer the paddle-energy easily to the boat's course.
A final note on weathercocking-corrections is that the course with the wind at an angle from behind is the less easiest in keeping course without the skeg.
- Details
For going out in the dark with a small boat the sea rules indicate that the minimum requirement is a normal electric flashlight (which you need to turn on early to prevent a collision).
For kayaking this isn´t so easy and a better solution, to make sure you are visible, is a light/lantern that will “show a steady light over the horizon at 360 degree”
Quite a lot of Dutch kayakers, paddling in the dark on their weekly evening-club-events are busy inventing nice solutions. Myself, I used until now a PETZL LED-headlantern whereon I clicked additional two cycle-led-lanterns on the backside of the headstrap as well, showing thus 3 white lights at different positions.
I became serious in using this after almost having been in collision with a speedboat traveling at very high speed and showing no lights at all(probably a smugler