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):
After much thinking a bought a tuiliq from Reed Chillcheater in the UK. I ordered it from them with my measures and two weeks later it arrived in my mailbox. I have the standard keayhole design without the fleece lining. I was thinking it was better to have more layers under and be able to use it almost year around instead of having one that will be to hot most of the year. I think I did the right decision!
With two friend, Anders and Kajsa, we went out on the Lake Vänern a very beautiful January 21:st. It was about 5°C when we started and close to 0°C when we were back in Sunnanå yacht harbor. The temperature in the water is just above freezing!
We went up to Köpmannebro and had som fika (coffee break) on the way. One of the most beautiful kayak trips I have taken on the Lake Vänern.
The tuiliq is great! I have a merino wool top and bottom and a neoprene sweater on. And a pair of old dry pants. (I also got new socks and for the first time this winter I didn't get cold feet when kayaking.)
It was cold at the start but as soon as we started paddling it got a bit warm. When taking a break I didn't need to put a jacket on and when we got back at Sunnanå I had just the perfect temperature. I did a roll in the cold water and that was cold! The tuiliq worked perfect but as I had no insulation on my head except the hood of the tuiliq my head got rather cold. But as you can see in the video I was ok.
For my first test I'm very pleased with the tuiliq. It gives me more freedom of movement than with a dry-suit and spray-skirt and it's better ventilated as it's open to the cockpit. I do get some water in at the sides of my face as I wear glasses, but it's tight around the neck and head so not much water will enter. My cockpit stayed dry except some water that came in with my boots. I'm looking forward to test it more.
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?
Then its 2017 and the kayaking year has started. My first trip was on January 3 as I was working the first two days of the year. This was a short trip at Sunnanå, close to home. Watch the video from that trip.
Then a few days later I joined Friluftsfrämjandet on a trip with 10 other kayakers. This was at Lysekil on the Swedish west coast and it was cold, windy and very nice! I did my first two rolls of the year and we had a hot sauna waiting for us after the trip! Very, very nice as we were a bit cold by then.
Photos from January 3
Not too cold, but freezing
No ice?
Sunnanå yacht harbor
40 shades of gray (and some red) Very sexy 😜
Me breaking ice (from my GoPro)
More grey scale and some red. (Thank you Photoshop)
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.
Saturday at December 10. A foggy but calm day on the Lake Vänern. The water level on the lake is rather low so there are a lot of new shoals and grunds coming up above the water and new places to run aground. A lot of new scratches on the underside and I have to do some repairs of the gelcoat this spring. Well, the kayaks are supposed to be used.
I did some training with my paddling technique around the small shoals and rocks.
My YouTube channel is getting popular. About 50,000 views now and one clip is over 13,000! That is the one from the calving glacier and ensuing tsunami.
The Tsunami video
New video "New Scratches"
Entering Sunnanå yacht harbor
Ghost like!
Looks almost like a water color painting. No filter!
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.
