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.
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)
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.
I have now been kayaking 24 months in a row. And all these months at least one time on Lake Vänern!
Today was a fantastic day on the Lake and the warmest yet this year. +8° C in the air. Still a bit of snow and ice but it is melting away rather quickly now. I started at Sunnanå and turned back at Köpmannebro, most of the way outside the islands as there are still ice inside the islands on most places.
At the start at Sunnanå
Found a nice lagoon where I could take some coffee
The sun was very nice today
I will try to save that canoe when the ice is gone
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.
After two weeks of very cold weather and one week of storm and rain it was finally a nice day. And what a day! Last time I was out kayaking was January 1:st and the sun barley managed to get over the horizon, today it was like a beautiful spring day. The sun was warm and stayed up an hour longer, fantastic!
I had a good friend with me, Christer, and we both agreed that it was the best day yet this year.
We started at Sunnanå yacht harbor, on Lake Vänern, where we found a place without ice to get our kayaks in the water. Than we more or less followed the ice edge up to Köpmannebro where we had to break the ice in several spots to be able to reach the two bridges and the current. At that place we turned back again.
Two breaks during our trip, the first one on the sunny lee side of a small island. The sun was actually keeping us warm! I think it will be a spring and a summer also this year.
We came back to Sunnanå just as the sun was setting and it got cold very fast. The water on our kayaks was starting to freeze. As the water was rather murky at Sunnanå I didn't do any roll today. On the other hand I was invited to be a roll-instructor last Saturday in Lidköpng, indoors in a swimming pool and a bit warmer. That was fun and I was honored to have that invitation. I think they were pleased with me.
