10 December 2013

VIDEO: Surfing Vixen

.
My new kayak is tippy, with me on board.
A narrow beam and a deep V hull give me less initial stability but allow slightly higher speeds.
I have used the Johan Wirsen designed XP on the bay a few times; in milder conditions I chased the little short wind waves with ease as I can glide where usually I can’t with my other kayaks.
In steeper waves however the longer and less rockered kayak becomes more difficult to keep straight on the short waves. The bow seems to get caught in the wave in front of me while the stern is still getting pushed by the following wave, broaching the kayak.
Then every so often I get a decent longer wave and linking the one in front I get a free ride.



Conditions were rather windy with recordings of winds in excess of 25 knots all around the bay. The tidal flow was opposing the wind and the waves were starting to get blown over, flattening them. After an hour of surfing I no longer could paddle out against the wind as it increased beyond my skills: I had to call it quits. I pulled the kayak back to my launching spot and battled the wind trying to keep it in my hands once out of the water. I was tired, a bit frightened but happy to have overcome the initial tippines that I felt in the XP.

.

6 comments:

  1. Love your videos. I am looking for a camera mount for my kayak - may I ask what you are using?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. most of my camera mounts are custom made jobs specific for that kayak and camera angle. Some mounts can be recycled for other shots but some are specific just for that footage. Most commercially available mounts work well in calm conditions but rarely in dynamic waters. I tinker with fibreglass and carbon-fibre to create the mounts for the angles I want.

      Delete
  2. Thanks for the info Gnarlydog

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a gorgeous, sleek kayak and GP combo. Cool video. You did not look frightened. Maybe the convenient water spot hid your fear. I only saw smiles. My favourite part is the end when you get out and walk with it. Beautiful. Cheers from freezing, freezing cold Canada!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tired and a bit frightened... Love it... I've only been paddling for a year or so, but find myself often checking weather reports to find those awesome spots where the wind opposes the tide. Gilligan's island off bribie with an ebbing tide and 15 knot north easterly wind is about my limit so far... But gotta keep pushing the limits!! Thank you for such a fantastic blog Gnarly. Hope I bump into you on the bay sometime.
    Rick

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rick, if you want to catch up, send me a private email at gnarlydognews{at} gmail.com

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Because of spam received from unwanted manufacturers/retailers all comments are now moderated. Allow a few days for your comment to appear when the operators of GnarlyDog News are on safari.