Author: Justine

  • The birth of “This is the Sea 5”

    While in Japan with Sarah Outen, I decided to make a “This is the Sea 5” DVD. For some reason I’ve been fighting any urges to make a 5th DVD in the series, probably because I didn’t want the format to become tired and because I felt like taking on some different challenges. Well, it’s now been 3 years since “This is the Sea 4” came out – & in that time I’ve made an open canoeing DVD and I am nearing completion of my first instructional DVD, “This is the Roll” with Cheri Perry & Turner Wilson. I’ve enjoyed these new projects but I also feel the time is right for another ‘inspirational’ seakayaking DVD. While I could try to ‘invent’ another exciting format, it struck me that “This is the Sea” is a very popular series with a good reputation & I regularly get emails asking when the next one is coming out…. so if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. With that in mind, I decided that I’ll work on a “This is the Sea 5” for release in 2012. I already have some material for the DVD – and I have plans for other segments.

    Over the last 2 days, I made the most of the fact that the very talented paddler and thoroughly nice chap, Paul Kuthe , was on my home turf for the UK Storm Gathering. I’ve admired Paul’s surfing skills in the DVDs “Pacific Horizons” and “Eastern Horizons” (available in our UK/ Europe/ Australasia store) and was keen to film him in action. Paul agreed to spent Saturday filming with me. The forecast was pretty grim – southerly winds gusting up to 40 knots, and rain. Not ideal for filming and the larger tidal races on Anglesey were out – too windy for that. In the end we headed to Cable Bay, near Rhosneigr where Paul joined some board surfers in the line up for the fat, chunky waves that were rolling in there. The waves were very wind-driven and not super clean, but a headland protected the bay from the main blasts and Paul got some great rides.

    On Sunday morning, Barry, Paul & I were up early and on the Swellies wave in the Menai Straits for a 7am surf session. Paul is tired from a week of teaching, training and finally passing his 5 star assessment (not to mention a bit of socializing) but he dragged himself out of bed not really knowing what to expect. He  jumped straight on the wave and was ripping it up! A few minutes later, he appeared back in the eddy with a big grin on his face saying, “I wish I had one of these 15 minutes from my house”.

    Also over the weekend was the first “Swellies extreme seakayaking race” organised by “Kayak Essentials“. Paul and I missed the main race because we were filming & didn’t know where the course went, but we rushed back for the ‘mass start’ race and I enjoyed trying to go as fast as possible down the fast flowing Swellies, eddy hopping and paddling around buoys. It was a lot of fun and I hope to compete in the whole event next year. Thanks to Webby from Rockpool kayaks for the photos of Barry and I on the course.

    This week I am working on “This is the Roll” which we hope to release before Christmas. The DVD has taken Cheri, Turner & I months of filming, planning & editing in 4 different countries (Sicily, Wales, Scotland and Canada). We hope it provides clear and well thought out instruction, as well as lots of examples of Cheri & Turner teaching students to roll. I’ll write more on that in the next few weeks.

  • Overconfident!

     

    Today was meant to be the day that I beat my time in the Menai Challenge, and hoped to beat the times of a couple of other people who are just ahead of me on the leader board! I was quietly confident because on my first attempt about 2 months ago, I paddled the 10.5 mile distance in about 1 hour 40 minutes in the Valley Etain. The Etain is a fast boat for a touring seakayak but it’s maximum speed can’t compete with racing boats like the Valley Rapier and the Rockpool Taran. This morning was a 9.9 metre tide – bigger than the last time I did the race. Barry lent me his Rapier. The Straits were calm. I was feeling fit. My aim was under 1 hour 35 minutes & I reckoned I could do it. So what went wrong?

    Well firstly, I think I started a bit early. I was on the water at Gallows Point (by Beaumaris) just before noon, close to HW at Liverpool. My chart of tidal speeds in the Menai Straits showed that by now a strong ebb current should be whoosing me down towards the 2 bridges. I did have current with me, but not as much as I expected. I set off at 5.5 knots in the eddy, and by the time I got into the tide I was only doing 6.2 knots. Bangor Pier didn’t exactly fly by and there was no water piled up on the pillars, which there sometimes is. My speed stayed constant until just before Menai Bridge when it shot up to 7.7knots. It had taken me 28 minutes to get there, and I think it took me 25 minutes last time I did it in the Etain (although my memory isn’t what it used to be!). Not a good start and I briefly started paddling towards the slipway at Menai Bridge, with the idea to ask Barry to drive me back to the start again….. so I could do it all again with a bit more flow. But I changed my mind and zigzagged back into the main current… I was here and I should see it through.

    The speed in the narrows between Menai & Britannia bridges was impressive. I whizzed along at between 8 and 11 knots, trying to decide where the fastest flow was and stay in that. The ‘long course’ on the Menai Challenge includes a lap of the 2 bridges, so I knew I had to turn around the pillar on Britannia Bridge & head back upstream until I reached Menai bridge for a 2nd time. Finally I needed to fight the current to get under the pillars at Menai Bridge before jumping back on the tide and heading to the finish line at the Anglesey Sea Zoo, another 5 or 6 miles downstream.

    I was nervous of trying to maneouver the Rapier across the strong eddy lines and through the standing waves that were formed there. It was only my 2nd time in the Rapier and my first time paddling it in moving water. Many people say it’s easier to paddle a kayak with a rudder – but I would now say that that’s only true if you know how to use it!

    I am used to edging my kayak to get over eddylines but now I was trying to use the rudder pedals to turn the kayak. I thought I’d lined myself up well but as I got close to Britannia Bridge pillar I realised my angle was too sharp and I was going to hit the pillar with my bow unless I put the brakes on. I did a reverse stroke and lost the speed I needed to get across the eddy line easily. I ended up  being swept 100 metres downstream of the pillar. I fought my way back upstream, looking with wide eyes at the standing waves formed on the rock just north of the pillar. In my regular seakayak, I wouldn’t have been worried but I wasn’t sure how to handle this long skinny kayak with a rudder! I needn’t have worried as the current caught my kayak and turned me towards Anglesey. I had intended to paddle back up the Straits on the mainland side but now I was going towards Anglesey, I decided to go with it. Despite struggling to fight the tide in a couple of places where it swept round corners at great speed (and swept me into the middle of the flow), I made it back up to Menai Bridge in 20 minutes, which I didn’t think was too bad considering I didn’t feel that much in control in the rough stuff.  48 minutes on the clock. I saw Barry there with a camera and smiled and shouted that I was struggling with the rudder.

     

    Nervously, I lined myself up to try to get up through the  middle gap in the pillars at Menai Bridge. Again, I thought I was well lined up but my bow went left towards the pillar and I had to loose my speed to avoid a collision. Now at a near standstill & unsure whether to try to edge or which way to turn the rudder, I had no chance  trying to paddle upstream against a 6 knot current. It swept my bow downstream and I was suddenly facing the wrong way. I struggled to get up against the tide in all 3 channels, trying both sides of the flow and up the middle. The water level was much shallower when I did this in the Etain and it was far easier to get up the gaps ( another consequence of being too early). Today, I had to try to paddle up a 40 centimetre rise and once the current swept my bow away, I couldn’t get the kayak back on track. After a few attempts, I put the rudder up as it was confusing me but I found I was still pressing on the pedals and expecting the kayak to turn (doh!). After much cursing and lots of heavy breathing, I finally made it up the middle of the flow in the gap nearest Anglesey. I glanced at my watch – 1 hour! It had taken me 12 minutes to get past Menai Bridge!

    By now, it was clear that I wasn’t going to break any records and I briefly considered stopping. But if nothing else, I don’t give up easily, so I had a word with myself, put the rudder back down and headed off downstream. I flew back down to Britannia Bridge and settled into a rhythm for the last 5 miles. I had more tide with me and was moving at 7.3 – 7.7 knots. My speed didn’t drop below 7 knots until I got to within half a mile of the sea zoo and had to come close to shore. I could see Barry waiting for me and stole another look at my GPS. I’d covered 11 miles with all my being swept off course. The final time was 1 hour 46mins and 46 seconds. That’s 6mins 28secs slower than last time…. BUT if I learn how to paddle a kayak with a rudder in moving water then I should be able to knock off some of that 12 minutes that I spent (cursing) under the pillars at Menai Bridge! So maybe next time….. I still enjoyed it, I like the Rapier and it’s good to be humbled sometimes!

  • Tea with the Queen

     

    I need to dig out a frock!

    A thick plush envelope arrived on my doormat a few days ago with a post mark that said “Buckingham Palace”. It’s my birthday soon but I’m pretty sure the Royal Household is not aware of that so I discounted the possibility of an early birthday card. 6 weeks ago, I got caught doing 47 mph in a 40 mph zone at 4am on my way to Heathrow airport and I haven’t been home to answer the police letters. Surely that oversight doesn’t require Royal intervention?… What could it be?

    With some anticipation, I opened the seal, rushing but not wanting to rip the expensive envelope! And there it was, an invitation to tea with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh for those involved in ‘Exploration and Adventure’. How exciting, and how strange all at once! I usually try to avoid the big city, preferring the wind to the traffic noise, & the hills to lots of people… but I am delighted to be invited and I shall find some suitable clothing and make my way to the Palace in time for tea & scones. Or maybe it’s champagne & canapes? Either way, thank you ma’am!

  • Rescues & St Kilda DVD with Gordon Brown

     

    Cackle TV is selling a limited number of the new DVD, “Seakayak with Gordon Brown volume 2” which has just been released.

    The DVD covers a range of different rescues performed by the charismatic Scottish Level 5 coach, both on flat water and in more challenging conditions. I saw a preview copy and was impressed with the amount of material covered and with the clear explanations of how to perform the rescues. The DVD is well structured and had a few new ideas in it which I hadn’t seen before. I first met Gordon 14 years ago when I had just started seakayaking. He was one of the instructors at the Jersey sea kayak symposium which I was attending and  remember being impressed by his skills in a kayak and his coaching. Since then he’s set up his own company Skyak Adventures, where he  coaches full time with his wife Morag.

    The other part of the DVD is a journey to the beautiful islands of St Kilda off the NW coast of Scotland. St  Kilda is right up there on the list of places that I’d like to kayak as there is something so majestic about the steep cliffs rising defiantly from the sea so far from any other landmass. The remoteness of the islands, the ancient buildings and the thousands of circling gannets add to the appeal. In the DVD, we see Gordon leading a group of paddlers on a tour of the islands with stunning scenery for a backdrop. We also learn something about the history of the island & see footage of the first kayak crossing to the islands by Hamish Gow, long before I was born!

    You can watch the instruction intercut with the journey, or chose to watch one of the other by themselves. In total, there is over 2 hours of footage. I think it’s a compliment to the film that Barry and I sat down to watch it late at night when we were tired and watched it all in one go. Overall, I’d say if you want to learn more about rescues then this is a great DVD to buy.

    In the bigger scheme of things, here at Cackle TV, we are committed to continue to produce our own quality DVDs and right now I am working on our first instructional DVD, “This is the Roll” which we aim to release before Christmas this year. Next year, there will also be a “This is the Sea 5” and an instructional DVD giving advice & tips to people who want to go on overnight seakayaking trips or longer expeditions. Over the last year or so, we’ve noticed that many people like to come to our webstore to see what DVDs are available so we’ve started to search out products that we like and to sell more of other people’s seakayaking and canoeing DVDs and books alongside our own. If this continues to be popular then we’ll continue to do it, and we may become more of a one-stop shop for people looking for kayaking DVDs for themselves of for presents. So please keep checking out the store and see what you can treat yourself, or a friend to!

    Click “add to cart” to buy ‘Seakayak with Gordon Brown’ for £19.99 with free postage worldwide.

     

     

     

    or visit our webstore to see what else we have on offer. We still have an amazing offer where you can buy any 3 DVDs for £45, or US$ 80.95