With the much publicised fundraising and awareness for Motor Neurone Disease in recent years, more recently with Lewis Moody’s fabulous 500 mile cycle, Paul Thorburn, along with 8 friends are just over 2 months away for their own significant Challenge, the funds raised will be split 50/50 between Motor Neurone Disease Association and Prostate Cancer Charity in Wales, Prostate Cymru, in both cases, the money used for much needed research.
The Paddle, Peak and Pedal Wales Challenges involve Kayaking the Coast of Wales from Swansea to Anglesey in the North, over 8 Days, circa 25 miles a Day, then Climbing Snowdon on Day 9 and then Cycling back to Swansea; in Total, 12 days of varied terrain and, at times, gruelling intensity.
Paul said, “The motivation is simple: to raise what we can to increase the research and support to eradicate these 2 devastating diseases, so with just over 2 months to go before we depart, having raised nearly £12,000 already is wonderful.”
We’d like to thank P&H Sea Kayaks for their significant support in loaning the Scorpios we’ll use for the kayak challenge; this typifies the generosity of organisations and individuals when coming together for a cause of this magnitude.
For organisations and individuals who want to donate and join the fight against MND and Prostate Cancer, the link is below:
With so much going on with new models and different designs entering the market in the past few years, I felt the urge to write something about my personal experience with polyethylene boats and their use for surfing and playing. I remember the days when a PE boat was considered less “true sea kayak” than a composite model. These days are long, long gone!
My first steps into sea kayaking were with a DAG Midway (still our official radio callsign: Midway 1), which was a single-layer, sit-on-top sea kayak. Just five years later, I chased my dream of having a P&H Sea Kayak, and the Scorpio was exactly what I was looking for!
We all have to start somewhere…
After paddling thousands of kilometres in the Scorpio, even my first North Sea crossing, I was on the lookout for something shorter and more playful, as I really love surfing. Sylvie also wanted to switch to a closed-cockpit kayak, so we shared a Delphin (one of the early models).
After a few years, when CoreLite X entered the market, we upgraded. Anyone who knows the North Sea knows that surfing here is considered, well, demanding to say the least. The Delphin in CoreLite X was my favourite boat when it came down to taming the powerful, irregular North Sea waves with their way-too-short, 3-4 second intervals.
Dimitri in aforementioned Delphin.
We were using the Delphin 150, the smaller of the two sizes, and although we loved its neat characteristics and handling, we missed a day hatch to stow our safety equipment and found it front-heavy. The day hatch was not possible for P&H to add due to a lack of space (shorter aft deck), and the high bow was needed to prevent purling. So, we adapted!
… then P&H launched the Leo! The Leo feels like the underdog of the range, so it attracted our attention. Where a lot of paddlers moved from the Delphin to the recently launched Virgo, I wanted to try the Leo out.
Sylvie on the water in her rare Sunset Pink Virgo.
To be brief, the Leo MV replaced my trusty Delphin 150. Why? Well, I did not expect the Leo to have almost the same amount of rocker as the Delphin, so when I tried it out for the first time in the surf, I was pleasantly surprised.
The Leo doesn’t have the distinctive bow of the Delphin, but purling stayed to a minimum. It’s also a little more forgiving, as the hull is a bit more rounded when putting it on edge, and there’s no extra weight in the bow!
At the same time, my problem of not having a day hatch was immediately solved. The Leo is sold as a multi-day tourer, and it is… but we aim to surf, play, and coach, and this is where we discovered a hidden side of this underdog.
Dimitri proving the Leo is just as much fun in the surf.
To us, the Leo is more than just a touring boat. By now, it is my boat of choice when I coach or train on rescue scenarios with the Coast Guard and professional shipping (check our videos on YouTube).
The Leo is a tad slower than the Scorpio, but it is slightly faster than the Delphin. It can take a beating, one of the main advantages of PE, and by now, people know that CoreLite X closes the gap between composite and PE even more; the 3-layered plastic makes it lighter, more abrasion-resistant, and noticeably stiffer!
A bonus photo of Dimitri in another P&H PE model he loves, the Valkyrie… kayaking is fun in all weathers, although we’re not sure we’ve ever seen Dimitri without a smile!
So, I absolutely love my composite P&H Sea Kayaks, but I would never abandon PE. If storage and budget allow, we advise having 2 boats: a PE and a composite! Best of both worlds? Or is it just the smell of a new boat speaking?
