Archive for the ‘kayaking’ Category

The sun is shining in Chicago – I like to think I brought it with me from the West coast 😉

I’m 3 weeks in to a North American tour with the “Kayaking the Aleutians”. Time has flown by with visits to the Toronto Outdoor Show, Deep Cove Outdoor’s in Vancouver, Ocean River Sports in Victoria & The Mountaineers in Seattle. My hair was authentically wet and salty for a presentation at San Francisco’s Bay Centre after  I got the chance to paddle from Rodeo Beach to Point Bonita with Sean & Gina Morley and friends. Sean had allowed time to paddle and eat, but not to shower – good priorities I think!

I was treated like a princess with a house overlooking Trinidad harbour on one side and Trinidad’s surf beach on the other side at the first US Storm Gathering organised by Greenland or Bust. The hot tub with the same view and the delicious fresh & local organic food set the tone for a great 3 day event where I was able to paddle with happy paddlers including Nigel Foster, Bryant Burkhardt, Jeff Laxier, Roger Schuman & Bill Vonnegut. Bryant has written about the event here. And Paul Kuthe wrote a blog for Kokatat here. There was a flare shoot off organised by the coast guard, a helicopter rescue demonstration, free beer from Kokatat & Thule which may have helped my presentation about my Aleutians adventure go down well! I also got the chance to look around the Kokatat factory and was impressed by how many people are employed there making the kit that I trust and love.

The Clinton Theatre’s claim to fame is that it’s been showing “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” since 1978. Last week the Portland venue also hosted ‘Kayaking the Aleutians’. I’ve seen one of my films up in lights a few times before and it’s always really exciting. Thanks to Seth for driving us from Trinidad to Portland and then up to Orcas island where I enjoyed a day catching up with great friends at Body Boat Blade. 

Shawna & Leon’s kitten join us for a cook out!

The world’s largest paddlesports show, Canoecopia lived up to it’s name last weekend with 3 busy days with thousands of paddlers heading to Wisconsin to get excited about the ice melting and upcoming paddling adventures.

I’m on a road trip with James & Dympna from Ontario Sea Kayak Centre for the next week, showing ‘Kayaking the Aleutians’ and James’ film about going to Greenland to compete in the Greenland Kayak Championships and learn about the culture. Both films have won 3 awards now so it’s sure to be a great night of entertainment and fun.

Check out the tour schedule here.

We’ve seen lots of great reviews of “Kayaking the Aleutians” on the internet and magazines. Do a search or look out for a later blog listing the ones we have found.

I’m delighted that “Kayaking the Aleutians” won “Best Film” at the 2015 German Kayak Film Festival last night. 

About 300 people watched the selection of films, including the world premiere of our Alaskan adventure. Afterwards the organiser, Olaf Obsommer, called me to the stage for a short interview. Next the judges stood up to talk about the films and announce the winner. They were talking in German of course so I couldn’t understand what they were saying. It was only when there was a pause (perhaps when I should have been coming back to the stage) and Olaf beckoned to me that I realised I had won.

It was a fantastic 4 month adventure in such a beautiful part of the world with a tough, funny woman, generous locals, amazing wildlife and more than our fair share of challenges. I knew I had the ingredients of a great film, so I’m glad I didn’t mess it & I’m grateful for all the help from people on the trip, and friends back home who watched the developing film with me and suggested changes.

All DVD orders are now shipping and the downloads are  being downloaded!

The first reviews have all been really positive. Simon Willis said “Quite simply, it is the best yet from Justine Curgenven….  There’s nothing false about the jeopardy here….This film has content.  In bucketfuls” – read his full review here.

Meanwhile, a tour is shaping up nicely for “Kayaking the Aleutians” in America & Canada visiting Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal, Seattle, San Francisco, Portland,  Chicago, Detroit, Kitchener, Rochester (NY), Maine, Connecticut, New York, San Diego, Canoecopia, Jersey Paddler, the U.S Storm Gathering in Trinidad, California & the Bajakayak fest. Click here for more details.

As I write this, I’m taking the rough with the smooth! I’m spending the day in Munich airport after a flight mix up! But on the positive side, they have free wi-fi and I’ve just seen people walking past with a delicious looking ice-cream which I think merits further investigation!

Quick! Order your last minute gifts for the paddler in your life. We’re shipping right up until Christmas. If you order before 10am on Saturday 20th December, we’ll get it into the last Christmas post. We’ll even wrap it up for you in our unique orca-print wrapping paper.

We are now stocking Tara Mulvany’s epic book about her winter circumnavigation of the South island of New Zealand, the only mapcase that has ever kept my maps dry are back in stock -the highly sought after Axel-packs. If you want to be seen in the dark, we have reflective tape and reflective stickers.

And we have some amazing deals on DVD – for example buy ‘This is the Sea 3 & 4’ for just £9.99 – and shipping is free in the UK. We’ve got a great deal on ‘This is the Sea 5’ DVDs – buy one, get one free until the end of the year. Put 2 DVDs in the cart and use the code hohoho at check out.

Limited Edition Sea kayaking Calendar

Our unique 2015 sea kayaking calendar has been really popular but we still have a few left.

So what are you waiting for. You can sort out all of your last minute shopping in one go!

If you’re from elsewhere in this merry world then your orders will still be posted quickly. US orders may still get there in time for Christmas. The ‘hohoho’ code works in the US store as well for buy one, get one free on “This is the Sea 5”.

We don’t think there is a 100 % sea kayaking calendar out there at the moment to give a daily fix to sea paddlers, so we’ve made one. At Cackle TV, we’re excited to announce a calendar packed full of 14 fantastic sea kayaking images. The 2015 calendar captures the beauty of wilderness destinations, the excitement of dynamic water and the magic of wildlife encounters. Destinations include Antarctica, Alaska, Patagonia, Wales and Kamchatka, with guest photos from wildlife photographers Daniel Fox and Ben Porter. Enjoy a different photo every month, and keep your favourite pictures.

The calendars are a booklet with a photo on one page and the calendar on the other page. They are A3 size when opened up & A4 size when closed. We have a limited number of calendars for sale and have already sold one third of them.

Click here, or on a photo to go to the store for more information. We also have some amazing deals on DVDs this Christmas – from just £4.98 each if you are in the UK / Europe / Australasia, or from $4.95 each if you are in the US/ Canada.