Cumbria is beautiful, but like the Tyrol, everywhere is busy with tourists. The lakes are good for 1/2 day or 1 day, but very few are connected by good canoeing rivers.
Scotland is bigger, more dramatic, more beautiful and much quieter, and the canoeing is wonderful. The long rivers, like the Spey, Tay and Royal Dee, are the best in the UK. The Lochs are legendary, with many offering a true "wilderness" experience.
The most stunning area of Scotland, for canoeing, is Assynt:
Zitat In gathering, those who have attended the Open Canoe Festival have revealed a strong, vibrant and truly international canoe-culture of independent tripping and journeying – one stretching from Denmark to Italy and from Spain to Austria, across the heart of where modern recreational canoeing began with the likes of John MacGregor journeying “A Thousand Miles in the Rob Roy Canoe on Rivers and Lakes of Europe” - back in 1866!
It's official - the Open Canoe Festival returns! We're heading back to the emerald-green waters of the River Drôme... and Paul Villecourt has confirmed the date as Easter 2015:
Friday 3rd April to Monday 6th April
In the past, this event has attracted many from Germany... and others from Switzerland, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and the UK.
Last year's instructor team included many German speakers, including Falk Bruder, Heinz Götze, Franziska "Franzi" Pokorny, Armelle Van Hauwaert and Peter Stokx.
Here is something in German about last year's OCF: Kanu Magazine.
We will be there, along with others from the British Open Canoe Association. We will almost certainly be linking in some time on other rivers in the region. That might be the Sorgue and the Gard, and/or the Orb, or across to the Allier - details to follow.
If anyone wants more details, please get in touch with myself or with the likes of Falk, Heinz, Franzi, Armelle and Peter :)
Bitte entschuldigen Sie mich für das Schreiben in Englisch, aber diese Geschichte ist zu kompliziert für mein Deutsch. Das ist mein Verständnis von der Geschichte der Keewaydin 14.
Dave Curtis of Hemlock Canoe Works was one of the original solo guys, along with Jim Henry, Mike Galt, David Yost, Pat Moore, Dave Kruger and so on. His earlier venture was "Curtis Canoes", and his "team" included Harold Deal and David Yost.
Around 1977, Dave Curtis started producing what would become the legendary Curtis Solo Tripper:
Years later, Dave Curtis built an updated SoloTripper called the Peregrine, but we can read his own version of the story...
Zitat the Peregrine concept goes back to about 1977 when Dave Yost and I set out to create a solo traveling canoe that could stay with decent tandems on lake country trips, paddling and portaging. I don't remember how many strippers we built (DY would do the hulls and I would play around with different trim setups) but there were several, some are still around. We couldn't find anyone interested in building the boats for us so we starting building ourselves. This model was originally named the Solo Tripper, first under the Canoe Specialists label and then as a Curtis canoe.
The Solo Tripper then became the Nomad in the mid 80's after lots of input from experience trippers who offered there varied suggestions relative to the performance of the boat. The shouldered sides were the main improvement which was actually Harold Deal's idea, since he had been conceptualizing the model which became the Dragonfly. After we did the Dragonfly we re-did the Solo Tripper to include the shoulders as well as some bottom changes.
Dave Curtis started producing the Peregrine much later, under the Hemlock Canoe Works name:
Zitat After the demise of Curtis Canoe, which we had sold shortly after the Nomad upgrade, the designs remained pretty much status quo for 10+ years. In the mid 90's Harold had been working on his new ideas for a solo combined boat (whitewater/flatwater) and sent me the strip plug for the boat which became the SRT, which I believe has proven to be an exceptional solo wilderness tripper.
We then incorporated some of the SRT bottom ideas into the Nomad style boat and that became the Peregrine. At that point we also layed out the stems which I personally prefer to plumb stems.
So; at this point in time the Peregrine is simply my best idea on what a solo lake county tripper should be. Fast enough so that a reasonably skilled solo paddler can keep up with a group of tandems on a trip; on the water and on the portages. Enough load capacity for at least 7-10 days, stable and maneuverable enough for whatever one might encounter and above all seaworthy enough for the toughest conditions. In my experience the Peregrine with an experienced paddler will actually lead the group of tandems.
The Solotripper was also the precursor of the (~1990) Loonworks Mistral, the (~1992) Swift Heron, grand-daddy of Bell's (~1995) Merlin II and Swift's (2011) Keewaydin 15 (reportedly "A little wider and more stable, a little more maneuverable, softened shoulders but significant, 2" side, tumblehome, and 26 lbs in the top drawer laminate" - see source): designed for average sized, male, paddlers and to respond to kneeling technique with a straight paddle and to sitting technique with a bent...
Fortunately, Dave Curtis was serious about getting boats to fit canoeists, so this wasn't the end of the story... which continues with the Curtis Vagabond - first produced ~1983:
This was a downsized Solo Tripper: narrower and shorter to fit smaller folk. Descendants include the (~1992) Swift Loon, Hemlock Kestrel and Placid Boatworks Rapidfire.
In discussing the Solo-Tripper descendants on Paddling.Net, Charlie Wilson notes: "The smaller amongst us could argue that the Vagabond was the best designed of the bunch as it had more rocker, particularly stern rocker".
THIS is the lineage of the Swift Keewayden 14... and the ONLY association with Pack canoes has come via Joe at Placid Boatworks... who worked out that these touring canoes, which had always been designed to work with a high seat, could be adapted (extremely successfully) to the "Pack Canoe" market.
Zitat von Frank MoerkeUnser 14. Canadiertreffen wird im kommenden Jahr vom 11. Bis 14. September (Donnerstag bis Sonntag) stattfinden. Weitere Infos zu Ort und Programm werden noch folgen. Infos dazu dann unter www.open-canoe-journal.de
Der Sommer ist weg und die Zeit ist reif für das Nachdenken über Jahr 2014.
Ich möchte vor allem Termine für die UK Open Canoe Association: Anlässe Begrüßung der ausländischen Kanufahrer ... sondern eine Liste aller Termine wäre schön!
As some will have noted, Gavin Millar launched his canoe from his back garden in Southampton on 6th June... and set off to see how far around Britain he could get before his scheduled return to work in September... having downsized from yachts to a 16' sailing canoe :)
That's my favourite photo to date: Gavin nonchalantly chattering away.... quite possibly moments before this :o
Zitat von GavinAs we approached Dover I radioed Dover Port Control to let them know we’d be crossing the busy harbour entrance. As we past the harbour there were no ships in sight until suddenly four ferries appeared from different directions, either heading toward or out of the harbour entrance. A couple of large course changes were needed to keep out of their way and we were glad when we left Dover behind and passed the white cliffs of South Foreland.
That passage was arguably the highlight of what would become a challenging slog (in singularly unhelpful conditions) around the south coast... but things started more brightly, with a memorable first day saying goodbye to colleagues:
Zitat von GavinI set off the next morning sailing against a NE wind for a rough upwind sail round Selsey Bill. Banks and rocks extend 4 miles offshore from the bill and cause dangerous conditions with wind against tide. I’d previously contemplated threading through the middle via a channel called the Looe but this could have been hazardous and I saw a yacht heading for the Looe make a rapid change of direction when the skipper saw an almost uninterupted line of breakers ahead.
Gavin wrote that up in Hayling Island to Newhaven... not forgetting to mention that the day ended with a night of endless rain (and for others, flooding). After another rest day, though, things did pick up... and the blog records that he then had a memorable day going past Beachy Head:
Of course, no day is uneventful... and that day ended with a desperate search for somewhere to shelter overnight: Gavin would write of long stretches of "steeply sloping shingle with fairly large breaking waves dumping on the beach"... but not for the first time, he struck lucky - spotting dinghy sailors in the distance, he set off in pursuit... and was able to arrange assistance ashore at Hastings Sailing Club :)
Zitat von GavinSt Leonards and Hastings sailing club members are Olympic class dinghy launch and recovery experts. The beach in front of their clubhouse slopes steeply down to the sea and is exposed to the South, so they have huge experience of challenging launches and landings. The method for landing is to point the boat at the beach, keep full power on, at the last second lift the centreboard and rudder and, with weight well back in the boat, simply sail up the beach on the crest of a wave to a welcoming committee of members willing to bodily haul the boat out the water. I watched the last sailing dinghy execute the manoeuvre with style and waited my turn. However, being chicken and a bit precious about Stacey’s bottom, I furled the sail before landing under paddle. Fortunately, there were enough bodies to manhandle her out the water before the next wave dumped on the beach and Stacey was none the worse for wear, apart from a few minor scratches.
The sailing club talked that evening of a "narrow channel dynamited through a reef", and suggested launching near high tide... when the tidal stream would be setting the wrong way (back towards Southampton). Aspirations to reach Folkestone were foiled as Gavin slogged his way up to Rye... meaning he'd completed ~100 nautical miles in a week - frustrating progress given that he'd aspirations for doing twice that distance most weeks!
Anyway, after being pinned in by yet more storms for a couple of days... Gavin and Ian flew past Dover, from where Gavin pottered around to Whitstable and the Isle of Sheppey - bringing to an end the first of the arbitrarily chosen "legs" of his trip.
On 2nd July, Gavin completed the second leg, which started with the Thames Crossing and ended (last night) with a challenging crossing of the Wash to Wainfleet Haven (blog to follow).
The rough weather that had pinned Gavin in Hunstanton gave him a chance to catch up with some writing... and a couple of the entries turned out to be quite notable. Shotley to Lowestoft, for instance, turned out to be way tougher than expected, with a squalls from the south and a large following seas...
Zitat von GavinGlancing behind revealed occasional breaking waves above head height rearing up towards me. This didn’t help so I gave up looking and concentrated on steering a straight course downwind and down the waves. Progressively reefing the sail down to less than half its full size helped to avoid the danger of slewing to one side and capsizing when flying down the face of a wave. The sailing was physically and mentally demanding...
Although we'd studied forecasts from a range of sources, and had been prepared for the day to be difficult, we hadn't anticipated conditions being that challenging, and Gavin's keen to avoid encountering such conditions again!
Anyway, Gavin then set of northward from Lowestoft:
The next day saw a mammoth: 38 nautical miles in a 13 hour day... with some inhospitable looking surf discouraging any approach to the shore:
That got Gavin to the one quiet stretch of the trip: A day in Wells Next the Sea and then on to Hunstanton…. That's where I last met up with him, as he settled in to see out some very strong winds last weekend... waiting for yesterday's opportunity to cross the Wash...
Over the last two days, Gavin has gone on even further: right to the top of that map!
From here, we're hoping progress will be more rapid: ideally a quick blast up to Sunderland and then on to St Andrews (if you say it quickly, that sounds easy enough), then a pootle round the corner, through the Caledonian Canal (which can, of course, be a challenge in its own right) and down to Stranraer (which currently looks an awfully long way off) before there's some prospect of Gavin heading back south of the border and homeward via St Davids, St Ives and Salcombe.
For the next week or two, the focus is very much on getting up this east coast. If you see him sailing/paddling (or paddle-sailing) up that way this next week or two, please give him a wave... and if you see he's coming past a patch you know well and would be willing to offer some local advice... please get in touch :)
Ps. The point of all of this is personal adventure... though some of us are also hoping Gavin will raise the profile of canoe sailing... but I should also mention the fundraising side of things: Gavin's close to hitting £1,000 for Hospitality Action on his Just Giving page - and his employer, Agri Energy, has committed to donating up to a further £10,000 by matching every £1 raised on the round-Britain challenge :)
The design of solo and tandem canoes should be very different...
In a tandem, the weight is carried near the bow and stern. This means the canoe goes through waves instead of over waves. The designer should add more depth and width (volume) in the bows and stern, and more depth in the centre.
The bow paddler also needs room to kneel, so the tandem needs to be wider at the front paddling station.
Also, because the tandem is controlled from the ends, the canoe may be designed to work best with a displacement of 7.5cm to 12.5cm.
Of course, a solo canoe should be able to keep up with tandems (and move OK against the current)... but has only one "engine". The waterline shape should be more efficient.
The solo canoe will rise over waves because the weight is in the middle, so we do not need so much depth. We don't need to have room for our knees near the bow, so the waterline shape can be faster. Unfortunately, we cannot control the canoe so easily as we are a long way from the ends, so our canoe shape should work best with a displacement of only 5cm-10cm.
Last but not least, a solo canoe should allow us to fit a knee into each chine, and the maximum width should allow us to paddle with a vertical strokes on the onside and off-side. Tumblehome in the centre section is not needed in a tandem, but in a solo it can make a big difference (especially when we get tired).
All canoes should be sized to fit the paddlers... but in a tandem we can move our seats forward or backwards to get this better. In a solo, the whole canoe should fit the paddler. Small adults may want ~70cm width (children might want ~50cm). Larger adults may prefer ~75cm (and the "supersized" may like ~80cm).
Ps. As no-one designs tandems for children and smaller adults, using a solo as a tandem is sometimes the best option. I do this with my daughter in our Flashfire, and have seen photos of a Wenonah Encounter set up in this way :)
Bitte entschuldigen Sie mich dies schreibe in Englisch. Vielleicht ein Freund kann diese ins Deutsche übersetzen für alle.
My friend Gavin will soon be attempting to go around MOST of mainland Britain (not all of it). He has just 3 months off work (which may not be long enough) to try and get up to Scotland, across Scotland and then back down to his home on the South Coast of England in his 16' x 40" canoe.
Here's his introduction:
Zitat von GavinMAround the 5th of June, weather permitting, I hope to set out from home, near the Solent, on an attempt to sail and paddle solo round most of mainland Britain in a sailing canoe. I say "most" of mainland Britain because in the three months I have available it will not be possible to go all the way round - but I just might be able to return to my starting point by "keeping left" for three months and crossing the Highlands of Scotland via the Caledonian Canal. This is a little over 2,000 miles (or about 1,800 nautical miles).
I expect the voyage to be challenging at times and, allowing for days ashore due to bad weather or for rest, I will need to maintain an average daily run of about 25 to 30 nautical miles. Keeping this pace up for three months will be physically and mentally demanding. Also, navigating the coastal waters of Britain in a small open boat, 16' long by 40' wide with no engine, is not without its risks. So I'll need to exercise caution at times and it's by no means certain I'll be able to get all the way round as prolonged spells of bad weather could lead to long delays. However, I am determined to try and am sure it will be a memorable experience, whatever the outcome.
There is a website, www.canoesailor.com, where there is some background information about the voyage, my boat and a blog. I hope to be able to update the blog and upload photos on the way round.
A sailing canoe, specially designed for the voyage, has been built by Solway Dory who have made several modifications to their Shearwater sailing canoe design, so as to increase suitability for long offshore passages. Some of the design features include; an extra long crowned foredeck with coaming to shed waves, additional storage in large buoyancy tanks and a cockpit shape suitable for occasionally sleeping aboard under a small boom tent. I expect to paddle when there is no wind and to "paddle sail" (paddling and sailing at the same time) in light winds.
Setting off on this solo adventure will be a bit of an act of faith - severely testing my capabilities and dependent on support from friends, acquaintances and strangers to help me out along the way by doing things like; helping me organise a bit of shopping for supplies, or offering a night under a roof now and then so I can recharge my batteries (electronic, physical and mental). A bit of company on the water sometimes would also be good. So if any experienced coastal paddlers or sailors with suitably designed and equipped boats would like to accompany me for a day of two please get in touch.
As a warm up for the expedition I recently paddled and sailed round the Isle of Wight. Paddling through a Starlit Night and off to the Races - 25th March is an account of this round the Island voyage and describes some of the challenges of coastal sailing and paddling.
I will also be raising money for a charity called Hospitality Action which offers support and vital assistance for those who work, or have worked in the Hospitality and Catering Industries. Many have been helped by Hospitality Action, including those who may have experienced life-long debilitating illnesses, poverty, bereavement, domestic violence, or have sick or disabled children. www.canoesailor.com has a link to "Just Giving" where it is possible to donate on line. I chose this charity because they do great work, the company I work for has strong links with the Catering and Hospitality industries and because I previously worked in this sector.
I've been trying to help out with the above-mentioned blog, which contains an introduction to Gavin, to his canoe, Stacey and to my rather less glamorous role.
I'm trusting some on here will find this all of interest and will enjoy tracking his progress: I certainly am. Feel free to ask questions here: I will endeavour to answer what I can and to get answers from elsewhere when I'm unsure :)
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14.02.2016 09:57
