3 years

I have now been kayaking every month since April 2014. That is every month for three years! And I think that I have been on the Lake Vänern every month as well.

This day me and my friend Christer had snow, rain, wind with us, wind against, calm and sun. Spring weather! We started at the Yttre Bodane nature reserve and at the jetty a bit from the parking lot. Some ice at first but then open water and with a good pace we went mostly outside the islands upp to Vingens hamn and around Gåsön. 

As it then started to rain (mixed with some snow) we went ashore and into the trees to have our lunch. After a bit it stopped raining and the sun was back.

At the trip back we had some head winds and with my Gemini I had to paddle hard to keep up with Christer.
We saw the first ospreys for the season, probably getting their nest ready. 

All in all a very nice day and good training for a long trip we will have in Norway this summer. (More about that in a later blog post).

Some statistics from the day:

Distance = 22,1 km

Time = 5:17 

Travel time = 3:33

Average speed (whole day) = 4.1 km/h

Average speed (paddling) = 6.1 km/h

Max. speed = 8 km/h

Christer is getting ready to go out in the ice.

I put the GoPro on Christers kayak. Here we got some small surf.

Not yet summer!

Christer at our "fika" break

On our way back

Christer in his Arrow play

It's not possible to paddle into the quarry at Trollön  with this low water level.

My Gemini

Nice!

New kayak

I have now bought a new kayak. It's a Valley Gemini SP that I will use mostly for surfing and rock hopping as it's a durable plastic kayak. I got the kayak from Kajakguiderna where I also bought the Nordkapp and Anas Acuta.

Length=4,52 m (14'10")
Width= 0,56 m (22")
Weight= 26,5 kg (58,5 lbs)

After testing it a few weeks back I decided to by this model. As it's not possible to get one in black I took a red one, that will fit nicely with the rest of my gear.

I was out today with my friends Christer and Johnny and we started at the beginning of Göta älv (Göta River) where there is a current and no ice. It has been a very beautiful day with about -6° Centigrade at the start and about 0° when we came back. Partly a lot of ice and som nice places to cruise around in the ice fields. And breaking ice in some places.

The review of the kayak so far:

Easy to maneuver but not as easy as my Anas Acuta, but better than the Nordkapp. You could lean a lot with this one without tipping over. Slower than the Anas Acuta and a lot slower than the Nordkapp, it's a much shorter kayak. Great cockpit and seat as on all Valleys kayaks.
We didn't have much sea on this trip but the small waves that I found was enough to have some short surf. That I would not have on my other two kayaks from Valley. This will be a superb kayak for surfing.
I did one roll in the cold water, was working ok. Very good knee braces that makes a back sweep roll easy but the Anas Acuta is of course a much better kayak for rolling. You just have to be more thorough when making the roll in a Gemini.

It's going to be a great kayak and I can't wait to take it out in rough weather!

My new Gemini with my Anas Acuta behind it.

On the way into the water for the first time

Freezing on deck

We found a nice reef for a "fika" break.

Johnny and Christer

Nice kayak

The sun was very nice this late February day.

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

Testing a Reed Chillcheater tuiliq

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.

Anders in his Rebel kayak

Anders again 

Anders and Kajsa

Me in my new tuiliq

The sun is on the way down, it's 4 pm (16:00)

Kajsa

The start of  Dalslands Kanal

Reed Chillcheater tuiliq

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?

A new year

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)

Photos from January 8

Winter. -8°C when leaving home. Here about -2°C

Freezing on deck as the rest are preparing

One of the leaders, Anette.

Lining up for a photoshoot 

Congestion (efter this a made two rolls)

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.