Yesterday Barry and I enjoyed a lively paddle around ‘the Stacks’ – one of my favourite all-time paddles. There was a pleasant amount of swell, making darting between rocks & through channels fun & interesting, without having your heart-in-your-mouth. Barry took some nice photos of me in North Stack although my photos of him in South Stack were pretty rubbish!
A month or so ago, I was asked by Canoe & Kayak magazine in the US to nominate people for their annual awards competition. I was 1 of about 30 paddlers, film makers & writers they asked to provide names for paddler of the year, expedition of the year and film of the year. From those names they selected their shortlist which the public can vote on.
I would like to point out that I didn’t nominate myself or “This is the Roll“, but some other people did put me forward on account of paddling around Tierra del Fuego with Barry & paddling from England to France, & Russia to Japan with Sarah Outen. So I’m honoured to have been shortlisted for ‘Female Paddler of the Year‘. It’s very flattering to be nominated, but also quite strange to be in a ‘competition’, especially one that I didn’t enter! I’m up against Freya Hoffmeister, Emily Jackson & Adriene Levknecht – all very worthy recipients. You can read more about what everyone has done in the last year on the website.
If you have got good eyesight you might be able to read the female nominations here but if you want to vote for any of the categories then check out the CK Awards website here. I’ll be making sure my mum sees the link!
Kevin Callan is one of North America’s best known canoeists, authors & personalities. I had the pleasure of meeting Kevin while filming for “This is Canoeing” DVD & he’s incredibly funny, kind & genuine. He also loves wilderness & is passionate about sharing that love with as many people as possible. His DVD, “Wilderness Quest” sets out to inspire people with beautiful shots to get out into that wilderness; both to enjoy it and to help protect it. It’s set in one of Canada’s largest & most famous provincial parks, Quetico with plenty of breath-taking views.
There is a beautiful sequence of Kevin paddling at night under a full moon to the haunting sound of loons calling which made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up! The DVD is full of information about the Park with snippets of advice from Kevin on things like removing ticks. But mostly it’s a celebration of wilderness, with Kevin’s take on it as well as interviews from dozens of visitors about what being self-sufficient in a wild and beautiful place means to them. And of course, no Kevin Callan production would be complete without lots of gags & misadventures. You will be giggling your way through a lot of it. A recommended buy for canoeists & people interested in wilderness travel or visiting Quetico Park. Buy it in our store for £15.99.
I’m excited to have got my hands on some fabulous ‘Axel-packs’ – which in my opinion are the BEST map cases for seakayaking ever made!
I’ve used one exclusively on trips for about 8 years – ever since they were invented. I’ve even been known to keep my passport in there because I trusted it’s waterproof-ness so much. Designed by Axel Schoevers, the map cases are usually snapped up as quickly as Axel can make them. We managed to prise a few off him last time he was in Wales & have a limited supply in the shop.
Made from a sturdy plastic and sealed by a removable slide-off tube at one end, you can roll the plastic around the tube before sealing it, to make the map case your desired size – depending on the size of your maps or charts. Clips on both ends of the map case allow you to attach it to your decklines.
The map cases are £29.95 each plus shipping at cost price (£2.20 in the UK). Say goodbye to soggy maps! See them in the new shop!
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