Testing my new tuiliq, day 2

After a beautiful day yesterday I was out again this Sunday with my daughter, Paula. She got a new PFD (flytväst), paddle pants and paddle boots. She wanted to test those things together with her other gear and see if its working for winter kayaking. So, this was actually her first kayak trip in the winter.

Myself I tested my new tuiliq from Reed Chillcheater again. I changed what I was wearing under a little bit from yesterday, and today it was perfect!

Here is what I used (and I was not cold or too warm at any time today):

Top

Reed Chillcheater tuiliq
Devold Expedition merino wool base layer.
Pinewood Outdoors Collection fleece jacket

Bottom

Devold Expedition merino wool base layer. 

Immersion Research Zephyr pants 

Hands

Snapdragon Hyper hands poogies

Feet

Coolmax socks and Bola "raggsocka"

Palm Nova boots

Extra when on shore

Fjällräven Luukha cape

Edvardson vadmals mittens (felt)

Paula using my Anas Acuta

Me in my Nordkapp

Daughter and father ready for cold water kayaking

Paula is trying to break some ice

2016 was a good kayaking year

Then 2016 is at its end. This has been a good kayaking year for me. Here are some of the statistics and highlights of the year.

• 1500 km in my kayak (1541 km to be exact 😅)
• 33 months in row kayaking on Lake Vänern
• Second "Harry" year (all 12 months during the same year)
• I have been kayaking 45 out of 52 weeks this year
• About 60 nights outdoors in my hammock, tent or tarp.
• I have done a norsaq roll and have learned the "storm roll". Not perfect yet but it's working
• Four weeks in Alaska kayaking, hiking, and sightseeing. Fantastic!
• I have invested in a new paddle (Gearlabpaddles) and a new GPS (Garmin Oregon 600)
• My yearly trip "Dalslandspaddling" was a success with 16 kayakers.
• I have started a new tradition with an October trip in the smaller lakes in Dalsland
• My YouTube channel has improved a lot and one video has now 120.000 views!
• My surfing and big waves skills has improved a lot.
• I have been to Stockenträffen (Stocken Kayak Meet) for the second year.
• Koster islands has also become a tradition to go to every year.

And what about 2017?

• I plan to buy a new kayak. A PE one for surf and rock hopping.
• The longer trip this year will be to the Arctic circle at Helgeland, Norway
• Hopefully I will go a course to become a kayak leader in Friluftsfrämjandet.
• I have to re-certify my WFR certificate.
• Then I hope to paddle more weeks in 2017 and do more kilometers
• Work on my storm roll so that it's 100% even outdoors in a surf
• Have a lot of fun! With old and new kayaking friends.

The last trip 2016 was close to my home December 30, a windy day but not very cold.

Happy New Year all my kayaking friends

No ice and snow! A very warm December.

Do I take this color matching too far?

The SnapDragon poogies are great. No gloves required when I use those.
I will make a video about what to wear in the winter when kayaking in a few weeks.

40 shades of grey? And a bit of black & red.

The winter is here

I have been busy and not had time to update on my blog lately. But here I am with a post from the Swedish winter.

First I was out on a very stormy day for some kayak surfing. This was while waiting at the pilot station for a ship to come. The canal was closed due to strong winds as they could't open the bridges.
A lot of fun! I shared the beach with two surfers. It was 24 m/s winds (about 50 knots) and that was a new record for me. It was very hard to get out to surf back and a bit more then an hour and I was too tired to continue. Watch the short video clip from my surfing session. And I didn't tip over one single time! This surf training is very good.

Then after a few days of snowing I took a trip from Sunnanå to Köpmannebro and back. Snow, ice and very beautiful. It was about -2° centigrade in the air and the only thing I was freezing were my feet. I have to get something better to wear in my kayaking boots. Thicker wool socks? I have new poogies, Snap Dragon "Hyper Hands", the best I've had for protecting my hands against the cold.
There is a video from that trip as well. That was the first time I edited a film with Premiere Elements and on my new computer. I am very pleased with this computer, the programs are not crashing for me now.

A one minute film made on my iPad for Instagram.

Wonderful!

I am not alone in the waves

Snow!

It can hardly be more beautiful

My hot Anas Acuta is cooling off.