A paddling film set along the south west shores of Anglesey taking in the ancient history and geology of this wild coast by Jim Krawieck.
The latest trip inspiration from Jim Krawiecki – Paddling from Cemlyn Bay around Carmel Head and on to Church Bay on the north west coast of Anglesey.
- Photo of Christopher Lockyer Taken by: Clif Pratt
Liscombe Lodge http://www.liscombelodge.ca/ is hidden gem located outside a small village about two and a half hours away from Halifax. It is one of only three resorts owned and operated by the Province of Nova Scotia.
On May 11 of this year 75 paddlers traveled from as far away as England and Seattle to gather for the 5th Annual Atlantic Paddle Symposium. www.atlanticpaddlesymposium.com . Light winds, warm dry weather, and easy swell made for three extremely pleasant days on the water.
The Atlantic Paddle Symposium is our region’s premier paddling event. The Atlantic Canada paddling community meets for a 4-day event focusing on skill development, outdoor, leadership, education and paddling safety. The Symposium facilitates relationship building, both within our regional paddling community and allows us to forge relationships with some of the best known paddlers and instructors in the world.
The schedule, as it has been in previous years, was packed with a variety of skills sessions for all levels, covering each of the four paddling styles supported by Paddle Canada paddling programs. Stand Up Paddling sessions were added (and enthusiastically received) to our roster of sessions for canoe, sea kayak and white water kayak.
The venue offered us great locations and a variery of conditions. Sean Morley, Christopher Lockyer and Mat Nelson ran rock hopping, sea kayak surfing, and Incident management sessions.
Highlights from this year’s event were:
- Zac Crouse’s opened the event with a presentation on the Paddle to the Ocean project mixing skillful muscianship with his story telling to keep the group engaged. Big thanks to Zac and Ian for the great music.!
- Andrew Westwood is a true ambassador of the sport of canoeing. His presentation on keeping instruction relevant, current, engaging and fun was inspiring, timely, and well received.
- Sean Morley’s presentation about paddling around Great Britain, Vancouver Island as well as some of the coast of California.
- We were blessed with sun shine, light winds and a bit of swell for the event.
Photo by: Ryan Brake
Without the support from our sponsor this year we would not have been able to make the event so accessible and also would not have been able to have such a talented group of coaches.
Special Thanks to Sean Morley and Matt Nelson for making the trip to Nova Scotia. Hope to see you both back next year.
Picture gallery can be found at:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150905072819706.430161.269008074705&type=3&l=f9877313a5
Sponsor a Coach:
Lendal Paddle (Christopher Lockyer), P&H sea kayaks (Matt Nelson)
Submitted by Christopher Lockyer www.committed2thecore.com
Found myself with some time off of work and a great forecast so jumped in the car and headed for the Isle of Skye on the west coast of Scotland.
Load the Cetus MV with 3 days food and camping equipment and headed out from Elgol. We launched at about 8pm and headed to the foot of the Black Cullin Mountains for our first camp. Over the next 3 days we had some stunning scenery as our backdrop, met a Basking Shark, saw otters, sea eagles, Puffins and more.
The paddling was great lots of sea stacks, caves and natural arches combined with 250m+ cliffs. Truely a trip to remember. I hope you like the photos. Which are all courtesy of Karl Midlane my paddling partner for the trip.
Cheers Sid
View from Elgol
The paddle to camp 1
The Black Cullin as the sun sets
Idyllic paddling at the foot of the mountains
An evening paddle to cherish
Basking shark of Wiay island as we approach camp 2
He didn't seem bothered by us. We sat still and he would return as he filtered the sea
About to land for camp 2
Macleod's Maidens at about 8am
The light house at Neist point
Sea Cliffs beyond Neist point
Early morning view of Fladda-ChuainAnother tough day at the office!
Another tough day at the office!
- The distant hills of Harris act as a back drop to Fladda-Chuain
Approaching Eilean Trodday
Sea Stacks off of Eilean Trodday
About to turn the last corner and make the final crossing to end our quick hit.
The trusty steed at rest after a great trip!
Having neither tartan blood nor living north of the wall, I was very pleased to have been invited once again to coach at the Scottish Women’s paddle Symposium. The event was based around the Royal Findhorn Yacht Club making good use of the sheltered water of Findhorn bay and more exposed rocky coastline between Burghead and Lossiemouth.
The event caters for sea kayakers, canoeists, surf and white water paddlers. Check out the Pyranha paddlers blog for Fran’s account of the white water side of things.
As well as coaching, I took a selection of P&H demo boats for participants to try out, the most popular being the Cetus LV and MV. These were liked by all who tried them.
We are really excited to welcome Mark to the P&H family, Mark is a professional explorer and adventurer whose human powered expeditions have led him through the Omo Valley in Ethiopia and walking alone across the Islamic Republic of Iran to paddling in Southern Africa, Australia and South America. His expedition background is diverse.
Now his multi-year 7 rivers 7 continents project sees him paddling the longest river on each continent from source to sea. A combined distance of some 22 000 miles.
Amazon River (South America) – 6937 km (4300 miles) – completed 2007/2008
Nile River (Africa) – 6650 km (4132 miles)
Yangtze River (Asia) – 6300 km (3916 miles)
Missouri – Mississippi River (North America) – 6275 km (3912 miles)
Volga River (Europe) – 3645 km (2266 miles)
Murray-Darling River (Australia) – 3370 km (2904 miles)
Onyx River (Antarctica) – 40 km (25 miles)
In 2008 he completed a successful descent of the entire Amazon River from it’s source high in the Andes of Peru to the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil. A journey lasting 153 days and covering a distance of 4300 miles.
In 2012 Mark paddles the longest river in North America alone, the Missouri-Mississippi. The 4th longest river system in the world and some 4000 miles long.
More than successful descents alone, his aim is for the 7 rivers 7 continents project to provide a unique insight into the life that rivers have built and sustain. The project will highlight the global struggle to protect rivers and the rights of communities that depend on them.
Jimski and friends paddling from Porth Dafarch to Soldiers Point around South and North Stack on the weekend of the Anglesey Sea Symposium 2012.
A sea kayaking day trip along the Yorkshire coast between the seaside town of Filey and South Landing at Flamborough Head from Jim Krewiecki.
More guides can be found in Northern England and the Isle of Man Guide Book
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- Matt Nelson Photo by: Don Urquhart
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- Christopher Lockyer photo by: Sarah Onichino APS 2011
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- Sean Morley Photo: by Christopher Lockyer
Well we are about 5 weeks out from the start
of the 2012 Atlantic Paddle Symposium. This will be the official kick start to the 2012 season on the North East Coast.
The Atlantic Paddle Symposium is the premier paddling event in Atlantic Canada. It brings together the Atlantic Canada paddling community for a 4-day event focused on skill development, outdoor, leadership, education and paddling safety. The Symposium facilitates relationship building within the Atlantic Canada paddling community as well as among top paddling leaders within the sport.
For all the details on the event please visit the website Symposium Webpage
P&H Team members that will be at this years event:
Sean Morley
Originating from the UK and now a resident of Marin Co, CA, Sean began kayaking at the age of ten with the Boy Scouts and often paddled alone, exploring the relatively sheltered waters on the south coast of Cornwall, England. He took part in his first kayak race in 1978 and has competed in many disciplines of paddle sport since then including white water slalom and downriver racing, maratho
n, sprint, wave ski, surf life saving and surf kayaking with success at national and international level. He began expedition sea kayaking in 1996 and in 1998 set a record for the fastest crossing of the Irish Sea. In 2004 he achieved his childhood dream by completing the first solo circumnavigation of the UK and Ireland by sea kayak; the first ever to include all of the inhabited islands. The 4500 mile expedition to
ok 183 days and is the longest kayak journey ever undertaken in British waters. His achievement was featured in the DVD ‘This is the Sea 2’ by Justine Curgenven (Cackle TV). Sean is an ACA Level 5 Coastal Kayak Instructor and Level 3 Surf Kayak Instructor.
Matthew Nelson
Matt met Shawna and Leon at Body Boat Blade in 2004 and within a year began coaching for Body Boat Blade, progressing as a coach and paddler, fuelled by the passion for blending knowledge of the marine environment with the enthusiasm for a very physical, and engaging way to interact with the water. Since then, he has delved into whitewater, surf kayaking, rock gardening and expeditions. In 2008, he and his wife Djuna circumnavigated the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, while raising funds for an environmental no
n-profit. Matt appeared in Bryan Smith’s “Pacific Horizons”, and has been involved with other kayaking films focusing on technique. Matt is a coach level 3 and holds the five-star award for sea kayak. Matt is also a P&H team paddler, and teaches at symposiums in North America. Matt is featured in Pacific Horizons and in This is the Sea film series.
Christopher Lockyer
Christopher has been paddling since 1994 in locations as far away as the UK, New Zealand, Iceland, Norway as well as countless places in North America. A graduate of Acadia University with a degree in Recreation Management, Chris is currently the owner and driving force behind Committed to the Core Sea Kayak Coaching. www.committed2tecore.com He holds certifications with the British Canoe Union and Paddle Canada, is a former Outward Bound Instructor, and is KANAWA /Rapid Media magazine’s “Ask a Pro” Columnist
I hope to see you there
Christopher Lockyer – Executive director 2012 Atlantic Paddle Symposium
This is a DVD produced by two sea kayaking experts who have organized countless pioneering expeditions worldwide. The cover boasts nearly 4 hours viewing time, which at first sounds a little overwhelming. However, the viewing is broken down into 7 chapters and the DVD’s format and clear layout make it quick and easy to access the content.
· Intro – What Expeditioning Means to Me
· Planning
· Expedition Kit
· Food, Fuel, Fluids
· Looking After Yourself
· Safety and Communications
· Appendices
Each of the chapters contain a series of bite-sized articles fronted by Nige Robinson, Olly Sanders along with a whole host of other sea kayak expedition experts that make guest appearances throughout. As well as simple but detailed advice, there are excellent anecdotes and inspiring footage from recent forays to far-flung corners of the world.
The sections on kit and planning are excellent but less obvious issues such as psychology, morale and team selection (which are often forgotten) are dealt with particularly well.
It could be said that some of the filming for this DVD could have benefited form a higher level of production. However, it is important to remember that much of this was filmed ‘on the hoof’ during recent expeditions. In any case, top tips and information crucial to planning your next expedition come across well.
Watching DVDs can never replace going on a training course or attending a symposium seminar or workshop, but this DVD brings valuable knowledge hard-won by extensive experience, into the comfort of your living room.
Copies of the Expedition Skills DVD can be bought direct from ‘Rock and Sea Productions’ or your local canoe and kayak store.