Posted in Challenges, Kit, Paddle trips, tagged Britain, Circumnavigation, Extreme Challenge, Kayakathon, sea kayak on April 1, 2012| 2 Comments »
Just four weeks to go before we head off and the last bits of kit have arrived. Yesterday I spent the day stuffing all the gear into dry bags and figuring out the best way to pack the kayak. It reminded me of trying to complete one of those puzzles you sometimes get in Christmas crackers – where you have a plastic frame with 14 numbers that can slide around but only one space free.
"My shoes wouldn't even fit in here!"
Posted in Challenges, Kit, Paddle trips, tagged Britain, Circumnavigation, sea kayak on March 29, 2012| 3 Comments »
Geoff and I recently had our NDK Explorer kayaks smartened up by Andy Willcocks of ASW Boatbuilders.
Our kayaks are around three years old and whilst still in great structural condition, the gel coat was beginning to show the signs of wear and tear – hundreds of launches and landings on sand and rocks and more than a few misjudged ‘rock hopping’ manoeuvres. We wanted to make sure that the kayaks are in great condition before we set off.
Repairing the gelcoat
Posted in Challenges, Kit, Paddle trips, tagged Britain, Circumnavigation, Extreme Challenge, Sabbatical, sea kayak on March 10, 2012| Leave a Comment »
One the GB360 Team gets married this afternoon. Mike and Caroline are finally tying the knot at St Mawes Castle. As Tanya hunted through her wardrobe this morning trying on several outfits asking for my expert advice on each, I made a clumsy remark about never finding a man struggling with what colour to wear or what shoes to go for. Tanya gently reminded me just how many hours I spent looking at the Kokatat catalogue and just how many phone calls and emails there were between me, Mike and Geoff before we could finally settle on our expedition kit. Ok, good point. I may not worry so much about my shore clothes but when it comes to looking the part on the water and feeling safe and warm – well that’s another matter altogether.
Our yummy Kokatat gear has arrived and this week Geoff and I got together for a couple of days paddling to get some miles in and test the new gear.
Midlifekayak 