Justine’s Blog

Tomorrow night – Wednesday 24th April – I’ll be showing highlights from “This is the Sea 5” at Surflines shop in Llanberis. See footage from all 8 films from around the world & hear some behind-the-scenes stories. It’s free & there will be discounted DVDs available from Surf lines afterwards. It’s from 6pm- 7.15 and we’ll all go for a pizza and a pint afterwards at the Gallt y Glyn.

This Saturday evening 27th April – I will be showing the inspirational film of ‘Sarah Outen’ at the Ladies Paddle Symposium at Glan-llyn in North Wales.

Cheri & Turner from Kayak Ways also arrive in North Wales on 27th April. We will be filming for a 2nd rolling DVD – which may also cover Greenland-style strokes. Afterwards they are touring the country (and Ireland, Germany & Italy) giving a series of rolling and paddling classes. You can see their itinerary here. They have 1 space left on Saturday 4th May in North Wales – and due to a cancellation they have 4 spaces left on Sunday 5th May. Please get in touch with them if you are interested in some of their expert & insightful coaching.

Around 10th/ 11th May, I’ll be heading to Ireland with Barry Shaw & Roger Chandler to attempt to kayak around Ireland. I’ll be giving a presentation of ‘This is the Sea 5’ in the Dublin area that weekend – probably on 11th May. Des & Sonja from Deep Blue Seakayaking will be organising it so get in touch with them for more info.

With a bit of luck, in a month’s time, I’ll be in Ireland, taking the first paddle strokes of a 1,000 mile circumnavigation of the beautiful Emerald Isle, pushing off from Dun Leary with Barry Shaw and Roger Chandler.

Roger lives 5 minutes down the road and runs ‘Coastal Spirit‘ a sea kayak guiding and coaching business. He’s a friend who Barry and I have paddled with many times – for a few hours! I’m looking forward to seeing if he’s as easy-going, polite, thorough & hard-working after 40 or 50 days paddling in challenging conditions while being tired, hungry, wet and cold! I’m sure Roger too is wondering what it will be like to paddle with a couple who have probably developed more ‘routines’ than we realise.

That’s all said with a smile & isn’t meant to be negative in any way. Trip dynamics are just one aspect of every journey that will unfold with time – and it’s all part of the adventure.

Over all, I’m excited for the journey; the wild places, the cold salty spray,  the sore muscles, the chatter of birds, stove-cooked pasta that tastes better than a 5star meal, the on-water decisions, the rattle and flap of the tent in stormy weather, the uncertainly of where to land, frothy pints of Guinness, paddling hard to make a safe landing before nightfall;  the flush of living life to the full on my face at the end of every day.

Atlantic Swells, strong winds, fast currents & many cliff sections make this a challenging paddle & we’re starting to gather information to help us do the trip safely and enjoyably. I’ll put some more updates on this blog as we go along & we’ll be posting updates from the trip itself when we get going – hopefully a month today (or as soon afterwards as the weather allows).

The folks at Canoe & Kayak UK magazine haven’t wasted any time in watching and reviewing “This is the Sea 5” & they think it ‘could be the best yet’. They enjoyed the “inspiring quality and excellent film and production values” and highlighted the fact that there are 8 films from all over the world. They aren’t the first people to tell me this is their favourite of the series & I’m really pleased it’s being well received.

You can read the CKUK whole review in the latest issue ( #146) which arrived at Cackle TV HQ yesterday. The magazine also features an article by John Willacy about how he prepared for his  UK circumnavigation last year, & a Safety at Sea guide.

You can buy “This is the Sea 5” & many other paddling DVDs at at your local paddling shop or at www.cackletv.com.

Click here for the UK/ Europe/ Australia store | Click here for the USA/ Canada/ Japan store .

Prefer downloads? No problem – look right here.