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The NKB (Dutch Kayak Organisation) organised this weekend a workshop with 4 sessions in which Freya Hofmeister gave instruction in "The new way of rolling": the relaxed way.
That sounded good to me as well as to 7 other clubmembers of KVU: So 8 of us subscribed together. KVU must be an enthousiastic club, for with the 8 of us, we claimed 25% of the whole workshop.
Anyhow, Freya started to explain and demonstrate what we were going to do and learn: It seemed all extremely easy and relaxed.
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During the last weeks I have been busy with collecting and studying all the notes I made while testing the Skim Distance. To compose a test-report from these, that is kind of an art.
But I like that and I see it as the ultimate challenge to write an objective report.
Once I have a first draft I like to discuss it in detail with Willem Molengraaff. Since he had to stop paddling and testing, I appreciate him acting as a kind of mentor. He has so much experience and I also like to keep him involved with the testing. We did this too long together to stop talking about kayaks all at once.
So there we are, thursday evening 25 januar in Nunspeet, discussing my first draft.
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Click on the map for an enlarged version:
With thanks to Arjen Meurs making this map.This winter already belongs to the warmest during last centuries in Holland. A pity when you would like going skating. For Seakayakkers however, winterpaddling becomes a lesser extreme sport this winter. The temperature in Holland might be alright for paddling but the wind quite often exceeds force 7. This happens more than normal and you expect those windy days more in autumn.
Even last night the SW-wind was recorded having blown at force 9. Because it was predicted to decrease in the early morning, I didn't cancel the tour for today.
As the sea might be very rough after a night like that because, as the say in Scheveningen , "the wind is in the water", we went to the IJsselmeer to start our little tour in Monnickendam with destination Marken and Volendam. Quite a safe area to paddle with the availing SW-winds.
We were with 5: Peter, Gilbert, Wieger, Ajen from Bunnik and myself. Having started the wind was not decreased yet and was still blowing at force 5 with strong gusts.
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Yesterday the winter begun. This didn't stop me to think about paddling. Also Rob and Annet liked the idea and joined me.
We had hoped for some kind and friendly weather because the predictions went that way. Although the weather was quite nice with an easterly 2 Bft wind and a temperature of 5°C, we never saw the tiniest part of the sun.
We started at the coast near Bakkum in NoordHolland and headed for Egmond aan Zee; paddling along the coast.
We paddled the gentle sea on the ripples, made by the easterly wind blowing into the sea. It is strange, Rob said, to compensate for weathercocking in the direction of the beach.
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Saterday I had a real cosy morning with Willem Molengraaff..
We met halfway the dam between Lelystad and Enkhuizen to discuss the Skim Distance, the kayak I am testing currently, in a final session of the test.
Our meeting point was ideal today because the small sandbeach was protected by the dam against the wind, blowing at about 5 Bft from SW.
Seated in a small beachtent we discussed the test so far, as well as technical details of the kayak.
As the water was nearby I had the opportunity to try the outrigger-strappings en the paddlefloat re-entry; something I forgot last week. It felt quite cold really, as I took only a long-john, a shirt and jack with me. Brrrrrr!
Also Willem wanted to paddle and tried the Distance as well.
So there we are, just finished in time for winter really starts and also just in time to return the kayak to Peter Grobbee, who needs the kayak back.
And now the writing of the testreport can start; seated next to the stove in a warm room. No more coldwater sessions!
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After being away during quite a lot of weekends lately, for testing and other activities, I decided to spend this whole weekend with Tiny. I had to send message I could not attend the meeting with the seekayakinstructors, but sometimes you have to choose and decide what is most important.
Because I have to return de testkayak in 2 weeks, time is running short for finishing the test of the SKIM Distance.
Therefor Tiny and I went on saterday together and with 2 seakayaks to a lake nearby and performed the wet-kayak-exercises together; me doing the wet-work and she shooting pictures of it.
As I had also a PFD I wanted to look at, I went for a little swimming-tour as well.
Tiny shot one particular picture I felt a little bit embarrassed about.
What do you think of this greenish watermonster??
Isn t it beautifull in all of its ugliness??
Picture: Tiny Mannak
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In testing the Distance from SKIM I did not have the opportunity yet to paddle her in a following sea.
I got the impression on earlier occasions that she could be demanding than, but to be sure I must investigate this better. So when Hans mailed me if I was happy to join in on a tour in the Voordelta I said yes, with the restriction that there should be enough wind.
Picture: Hans Heupink
About the wind I had nothing to complain about because the NW-wind did blow the whole nigth before at 8-9Bft and it was predicted to decrease, during the day, to 6Bft.
BUT: not yet when we started at the harbour Springersdiep! It was still blowing at 7-8Bft than. We worked ourselves against the wind, not making much progress ofcourse.
Just started, some dark clouds created even so much wind that I had the desire to quit because the Distance leecocked so much that I thought I could not have enough energy to endure these conditions very long.
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This week I took some days off to follow a course in clincher-building a small boat. Building a clincher-built boat was a wish being in my mind for a long time already. After discovering that there exists a boatbuildingschool very nearby, I did not think very long to subscribe for a course building a pram (NL: vlet). There are more and bigger boats you can build, but I thougth that starting with the simplest was a good idea.
So there I am: working hard, together with 5 other man on one boat. The tough target is to finish the boat in 7 days.
This is how it looks after 5 days:
Altough I am a kayakker, who is working on a rowing boat, I can not forget my kayak and I use my kayak as transport to school; paddling 9 km's forth and 9 km's back in the evening.
As I am not used to building boats, 7 days of this kind of labour asks a price in sore muscles. The kayakkilometers adding extra to that: resulting in being very lazy in the evenings.
BUT: I enjoy it very much. It is very interesting to learn how man has built boats this way fore centurys already. Doing so without all the modern tools we can use nowadays.
It is very admirable.
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Last sunday, 29 october, it was good weather again for testing the Skim Distance: a NW wind blows at 6 Bft.
Happily 6 clubmembers liked to share and to face the challenge of quite a lot of waves, sometimes reaching 1,5 meter.
Although I faced last week some surf already in the Skim Distance, I needed more information on how the kayak performs in surfconditions.
Because of the tide going down, the waves were rather steep, which was for some members an invitation to go swimming. I did not envy them as I saw how long it took sometimes for them to reach shore again.
As I do not like swimming at all, I started thinking if I could prevent the swimming part; might it happen to me bailing out in deeper waters. So why not use the re-entry? And paddle to shore with a water-filled cockpit. It must be much faster than swimming.
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Kayaktesting and circumnavigation of Noorderhaaks
on saterday 21 oktober
As I am currently busy with testing of the Distance, made bij Skim, I was very eager to go paddling with her today because the wind gave favourable test-conditions.
Wednesday-evening I found 4 other clubmembers willing to paddle saterday. In the discussion following, we decided not to travel to the "Voordelta" in the south of Holland. Although that area is my favorite for testing because I know the area very well and because it is also a safe area where quit a lot of escapes are possible. Also most of the sea-conditions you can think of, can be found there.
However I sensed that evening the wish to stay closer by and to go the "Noorderhaaks": a small, uninhibited island near Den Helder. An area not very well known to myself, but Rob has been there on quit a lot of occasions. So that is what I thougth: This is the opportunity to learn more about this interesting area and become more familiar with it. Besides that: It is much closer by, meaning less traveling.
By the way: the Noorderhaak is is also one of the infamous areas known in Holland´s nautic history. There are more of these places, but On Noorderhaaks quite a lot of ships wrecked on the solid sandbanks, due to the high and pondering surf in combination with strong 2,5 sm/h-currents.