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In January, I had the opportunity to sail to the Antarctic peninsula & kayak amongst icebergs, penguins, seals, whales and historic bases. The wild beauty, the camaraderie of a small team & the mixture of camping on the snow some nights and eating home cooked meals on the yacht was a winning combination. This October, I hope to return to the area for a sailing and kayaking trip to the amazing South Georgia island, which boasts even richer wildlife than Antarctica. Shaped like a curved and fractured whale bone, the 170km long wildlife sanctuary has mountains along its spine and is draped with glaciers, icecaps and snowfields. The sanctuary in the southern ocean is home to thousands of animals and birds. Would you like to come on a month long trip to this amazing island – sailing to and from the Falkland islands & exploring bays draped with seals, albatross and penguins?

More information about the yacht, the Spirit of Sydney can be found on their website or Facebook page. If you are interested in this amazing trip then please send an email to either myself or Cath Hew.

There will also be another sailing and kayaking trip to the Antarctic peninsula in February 2015. Again, please contact me or Cath.

Tofino! Just the name makes me smile. The wild seas, rolling surf, tree-clad islands and snow-topped mountains. I’ve just enjoyed a fabulous week of surf kayaking, hot tubbing, laughing, walking and  relaxing with friends.

We stay in a house right on Chestermans Beach so we can check out the surf over breakfast. Shawna & Leon from Body Boat Blade have been making the annual pilgrimage for 20 years, and even got married here 2 years ago.

It’s a varied group of paddlers who make it every year. This year, Barry and I were delighted to join in the fun & Sarah Outen came along to continue her training for the 1400 mile Aleutian islands paddle that we start in April.

Thanks to Erik Schorr for some of the photos. I hope to make it again another year!

There are more photos on Facebook. Thanks to Rob Avery and Valley Sea Kayaks for lending us the fantastic Gemini SP, which is a dream in the surf, and the Rush 3, which is also a fantastic surf kayak.

I am on my way to Antarctica with the Spirit of Sydney yacht. We left from Ushuaia yesterday, celebrated New Years  Eve in the yacht club at Puerto Williams and today head towards Cape Horn. We wont cross the Drake Passage for a few days as theres a big storm due but we will explore some of the Chilean islands that I havent been to before so that is exciting.

I dont think I will be able to blog while I am there but I will try to upload updates to facebook and twitter. There are some photos on Facebook already.

so hopefully i will be able to send some photos…. until then HAPPY NEW YEAR. Have fun, be kind and heres to 2014

Oops, it’s been a while since my last blog. I haven’t shared how much fun I had in Nova Scotia a few weeks back  which was amazing. I arrived early and spend a few days being shown around by Chris Lockyer, chief honcho at “Committed to the Core” sea kayaking. First stop was a great tidal race off the end of Brier Island at the entrance to the Bay of Fundy. There was a long line of juicy waves as the flood tide swept over a shallow reef, and dozens of seals kept popping their heads out of the water to look on.  Day 2 saw an ultimate whale watching trip. Chris’s parents-in-law took us out on their lobster fishing boat. Once we spotted 2 humbpack whales, we slid the kayaks into the water and waited for the whales to come to us. They were even curious enough to take a look at us above the water and roll on their bellies under the kayaks. It was an incredible experience.

The next 3 days saw us run the Shubie river – this muddy watercourse runs upstream when the flood tide sweeps up the drainage. As the water level rises over sand banks, it forms temporary delicious chocolately waves if you are in the right place at the right time. By day 3, I had either learnt something about the waves, or I was lucky, as I had some amazing rides.

The final afternoon in that area, Chris took us to a ‘play spot’ that he’s only recently discovered – the Walton Whoppa. This works on the ebb as water rushes back out to sea under a narrow bridge. It starts off as a nice wave and ends up as a nasty hole. It was hard to maintain control on the fast flowing wave and by the time the hole formed, it was a like a rodeo ride which made for some exciting cartwheels and pirouettes for those brave enough to venture onto it. I’ll be making a film of all these events…. the film below is made by Chris and is the first of a series of films he’s making about the tidal races in the Bay of Fundy.

My last stop was the first Bay of Fundy sea kayak symposium in the Argyle region of Nova Scotia. We stayed at the fantastic ‘Ye Olde Argyler Lodge‘ which was beautifully situated right on the water with dozens of tree-covered islands making up the view. Events ranged from surfing, tidal race paddling, rescues, paddling in style and guided trips. The 100+ participants seemed to enjoy it. If you missed it – or want some more – dates for next year are September 12-15th 2014.