Friday 13th

This is supposed to be an unlucky day but with the nice weather we have had today I see it as a very lucky day for kayaking.
I did my usual trip from Sunnanå yacht harbor and went north to Köpmannebro. It's about 0°C outside and about the same in the water and I push hard outside the islands and the many reefs. This is a day I practiced forward stroke and stamina. I paddle just short of 20 km in about four hours, a good speed.
Back at Sunnanå I'm rather warm and wet from perspiration but my feet are cold. They are crammed up inside my kayak and I can't really move them in my narrow Anas Acuta but my hands are warm with only the poogies from Snapdragon. A very nice trip!

The sun is gone behind some clouds

And then it peeks out again. It freezes on my deck

Nice paddle, is it not?

Anas Acuta

The old warehouse in Köpmannebro (old harbor) 

The warehouse and the old crane from the sea side.

I saw two eagles but a bit too far away for a good photo. Can you see it?

Millesvik archipelago

The last day of May and first day of June were the first real summer days this year, maybe 25°C in the air, a fresh breeze but cold water still.
Me and two friends went to a place south of Säffle (a small town 100 km from my home) where the north end of a fantastic archipelago starts. (Here is the Google Map adress for Hjälleskate ) Perfect place to start a trip in Millesvik skärgård and to kayak south to Lurö, Ekenäs or just to go around all the small islands and reefs in this almost uninhabited archipelago. We did't see any other kayakers and only one sailing boat (a bit out on the lake) and one small motor boat during the two days we were there.

We started on Tuesday noon and paddled south to Sjötungsholmarna where we stayed the night. And the sunset that evening! Marvelous! Just watch the photos below.

After a warm night we then proceeded to Ekenäs, where I was just a couple of days before coming from Lurö, and had a coffee and an ice cream. Then we had a long trip in the afternoon sun back to Hjälleskate.

An amazing place to kayak in. We saw only one person (and a few at Ekenäs) the whole trip but a lot of birds. Sea eagles, ospreys, a heron, storlomm (gavia artica) and heard the great bittern (Botaurus stellaris) and the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus). Besides those all the normal birds in the area.

The trip:

• Distance traveled 49,2 km (30 miles)
• Time traveled 9h 40 min.
• Average speed 5,1 km/h (3,3 mi/h)
• Maximum speed 9 km/h (5,1 mi/h)

My friends Helene and Björn

Fika! (Coffee break)

Dinner

Sunset

Björn

Helene

Easter

At Whit Monday me and a friend took our kayaks out for a trip on Lake Vänern. We started at Spiken on a beautiful day with no clouds but a bit of wind. Surprisingly enough the temperature was nice at about +10° C in the air despite the wind. The water temperature on the other hand was only +2°  C according to local fisherman.

Dry-suits on and away to a small island for a "fika" (Coffee break in Swedish). Very pleasant in the sun. After that onward to Naven light house where we had some lunch., Finally we arrived at our destination, a nice wooden wind-shelter close to the lake, here was also a convenient fire-pit.

After unpacking the kayaks we took an hour long walk along a nice path. A lot of moose droppings! Back at the campsite it was time to make dinner. I baked (and burnt ) some bread and with that we had some grilled chorizo. A pot on the fire for tea and coffee is standard!

The night was not so cold and in my sleeping bag from Robert's Outdoor it was even a bit too hot at times. But better that then freezing.

A clear blue sky greeted us in the morning and we made som breakfast, packed our kayaks and off again. The forecast said more wind and some rain. On the way I heard the first great bittern (rördrom) with its distictive sound. It sound as when you blow into a bottle. Then we also saw a sea eagle circling above us not so far away (tried to take a photo of it but missed).
With the wind in our back we had good speed back to Spiken. Just a "fika" break on the way. Back at Spiken I did a roll in the cold water, the first outdoors for some time, then we decided to have our lunch at the open café, Emmelies cafe. Thanks for the lunch and company Frida.

A very nice two days out kayaking and about 50 km. The sun was actually warming a bit and I can feel in my face that I have gotten a bit sun burnt. Nice feeling 

My norsaq and compass was with me

Some wind and sea. But never very exiting 

Frida in the sun

Naven light house overlooking Lake Vänern

Frida with her Skim Beaufort and my Anas Acuta

Taking the next photo (Thanks Frida for the photo)

And this is the result. My reflector oven.

The very nice shelter. Excellent place to stay the night. (Again Frida is the photographer)

And the required photo of the coffee pot. 

My GoPro and Kinnekulle in the background

Tired of cold feet

A woke up to a sunny and almost calm day. Time for a short trip in my kayak after the last few times of indoors "kayaking" practicing rolling. As the forecast said W-ly wind I decided to go to Dalborg an paddle up to Hjortens Udde.

The peninsula on the west side is Hjortens Udde.

Almost no clouds on the sky and very weak winds made for a pleasant trip at first. The sun was actually warming me a bit. Under my drysuit I only had a Palm Kaituna neoprene top and normal long-johns. I was a bit worried that it was going to be to cold but it was definitely not. I was warm enough and didn't feel cold even when I had my short lunch break.
I had bit cold fingers on and off but mostly I had cold feet the last hour. I am now very tired of having cold feet out kayaking and really look forward to spring and summer now.

 On the way i saw to eagles (sea eagle probably) circling high up in the sky and I scared another one sitting on a small reef. One small fishing boat and me were the only ones moving out on an otherwise empty lake Vänern (the small part I could see at least).
I took my lunch at the nice beach at the lighthouse keeper's house at Hjortens Udde. My "lunch" was a thermos of tea and an apple. The house belongs to Sjöfartsverket which is the organization I work for and the employees can rent that during the summer season for a week. A popular place but now very deserted. I had to break some ice to be able to reach the beach so I think it's not strange no one was there.

On my way back some clouds was making the sun less warm and a S-ly wind started. But it was only nice to have some exercise in the headwind on the way back. My forward stroke is getting to be a lot better now I think. I had some instructions from Tony at Kajakguiderna in October and since then my forward stroke has been a mess. But now, finally, I think I'm doing it right most of the time.

As the sun is up a lot longer now it was still daylight when I got back to Dalaborg which is the ruin of an old fort built 1304 and destroyed 1434. It was an important place 800 years ago.

Cold start. -2° C

Where I start at Dalaborg

View over Lake Vänern

The light house Hjorten Udde

I had to break the ice into the beach. The old lighthouse keeper's house.

November

I have been busy with work and other training besides kayaking lately. But I have been out a few times anyway.
First it was close to home with a trip from Sunnanå to Köpmannebro and back with a friend. A very nice day with calm weather most of the day. We saw a few sea eagles, a raven and some seabirds. That is always nice.

Then on the 11th I was out with two friends on a more windy, but sunny, day from Donslund (Rackeby) north of Lidköping. We went straight outside the islands to surf some nice sea for a bit before going inside to have a lee for some lunch and not to have to paddle against to much wind on the way back.
Look at the video at the end of the post from that day.

And I have a new camera! My old GoPro was not working very well and I sent it in to the shop (Dustin) for repairs or replacement. Even if it was two years old they replaced my old Hero 3 with a Hero 4 Silver. That is an amazing camera! Better battery time than my old one and and a touch screen on the backside. Unfortunately the batteries for the old camera didn't fit so I had to buy some extra. I will now make some more videos when  I'm out kayaking or hiking.

Nice sunny November day. Sunnanå in the background

Christer is paddling into the sun.

Dragonfly

Sea eagle

Lunch with Hasse and Björn.

Köpmannebro

Köpmannebro is an old small harbor at the beginning of Dalslands Kanal. It was a long time ago since it was in use but they have a few boats tying up there for the night sometimes before going in to the locks at Dalslands Kanal.

For me it's a great place to paddle to from Sunnanå which is 10 minutes away with my car and there are some nice places to put the kayak in. The distance to Köpmannebro, from Sunnanå, is about 12 km and as there are a lot of small islands and reefs to go around, I guess it will make 30 km from Sunnanå and back.

The weather was fantastic, again. And I was almost alone on the lake, only two boats out. And I saw two big sea eagles.
Strange to paddle with an Euro paddle again. But as all my Greenland paddles are now broken I had to o back to one of my carbon fiber/glass fiber paddles again. Well, I have all the wood now to make a new Greenland paddle but the weather is to nice to be indoors when I can be out kayaking instead. We will see next weekend or the week after if I will start making a new paddle.

The trees are changing colour now.

My Anas Acuta

The Primus Express Stove

Vie from the old harbor at Köpmannebro

Rose hip growing on the old shipping berth

On my way back through all the small passages. Had to do a few rolls to cool off as I had my dry suit on.

Äntligen sommar

Bo med fiskgjuse

Trots arbetsvecka och en hel del lotsningar har jag fått tid för några paddlingar. Idag blev det med ett par kompisar, Magnus och Kristina, Vi startade vid Jutevikens badplats NO om Årnäs norr om Kinnekulle. Ni som läst Arn-böckerna skulle känt igen er.

Det har varit ett fint sommarväder idag med runt 20 grader fast fortfarande lite kyligt i skuggan om vinden ligger på. Lugn paddling och vi smög mest kusterna in i de flesta vikar.

Magnus med Kinnekulle i bakgrunden.

Vårt spår

• 13,7 km 
• 2:53 paddeltid
• 4,7 km/h medelfart
• 8 km maxfart

På torsdagen paddlade jag drygt 20 km ifrån Vänersborg till Sikhall och tillbaka. Medelfarten låg på 6,5 km/h, skönt träningspass.

Strax söder om Sikhall med Hallesnipen i bakgrunden

En del motsjö på tillbakavägen