Photo: strong-wind-warning sailing

The week-end was shaping to be wasted: heavy rain and a strong wind warning kept me off the water on Saturday but I was still optimistic for Sunday.
Being outside at least one day of the week is my priority and I really regret it if I miss it.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a strong wind warning but the wind chart website promised lighter winds on the western side of the bay.
We decided to head out anyway and make a call at the launch site.
I was hoping for some exhilarating sea kayak sailing but it was incredibly calm and sunny when we set off: disappointing.

I was dressed for a colder and wetter scenario and welcomed the breeze once half way across to my favorite destination island only a short distance paddle.
Eventually the wind did pick up to a healthy 15-20 knots but dropped off again a few hours later.

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GEAR: Flat Earth Sail Code ZERO

Flat Earth Kayak Sails has provided me with a new sail for testing.
I have been very satisfied with the design and quality of Mick's sails in the past and I now use them exclusively on all of my kayaks.
I believe the design is superior to the ones I designed and they are easier to use.
While Mick can supply a complete sail set (sail, mast, deck fittings and sheet) I use my own rig that is slightly different to his standard approach.
I was keen to try his high mounted sails with the stays below the boom for this new sail but I realized I would have to modify some deck anchors so I decide to simply slip the new sail on my existing mast and stays; there has been no modifications to the rigging.
The new sail uses Code Zero sail cloth: a very thin but very dimensionally stable material that has reinforcement filaments laminated into the surface.
The material does not stretch and does not wet out as much as conventional sail cloth keeping the sail light and maintaining its shape when dunked in the water.
I still remember the difference a wet or dry sail made when I used to windsurf: after a water start the sail seemed sluggish and slow to gradually become more taught as the sail would dry out. Once fully dry the fabric would shrink and the sail was “fast” again. I am not sure if the surface area of a kayak sail is affected as much as a windsurfing one but having a dry fabric seems an advantage to me.

FEKS Code ZERO 1 meter, fully deployed
The sail is shaped differently than my other two FEKS: the shape is fuller and closer to the mast that flattens out towards the rear. There are more panels sewn into this sail to create the efficient shape. Mick’s sails seem to be less susceptible to wind change directions and they don't need constant trimming to get the maximum power from them, if compared to my own designed sails. In other words they are more forgiving. What makes them even more user friendly is the shock absorption built into the main sheet. When the sail is hit by a gust of wind the bungee cord stretches and spills some of the wind to possibly prevent a capsize of the kayak.
My new sail is rather large: 1.0 m². For a sea kayak sail that large surface can become a handful in higher winds (let’s say above 20knots).
When on a kayak sailing outing on a few occasions I had to lower my sail and stow it away when the wind picked up beyond what I could comfortably handle in my kayak; the sail was just too big for the stiff breeze.
Mick has engineered a simple solution to reduce the sail area (reef) and make it still usable in higher winds.

reefing points with simple Dyneema loops
I have used a very thin Dyneema line to create simple loops that can tie around the mast and hold back a section of the sail . The reduced area (0.5 m²) is much more manageable when the wind really blows. Unfortunately I have not come up with a solution on how to reef the sail by myself when seated in the cockpit; I need somebody’s help to do so.

sail reefed to reduce the surface area
My first outing with the Code Zero consisted of a short trip to a small island and back across a tidal flow channel. Initially the breeze was very gentle (just a few knots) to suddenly change to a solid 10-15 knots with several higher gusts.
The sail performed very well in those breezes but I had no opportunity to try it in something more challenging to the point to have to reef it and observe its performance when the surface of the sail is reduced.

in this configuration the sail can be used in higher winds without overpowering


The Code ZERO sails will be available in a limited edition in early 2012.

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VIDEO: Feeling good in Moreton Bay

It ain't always gnarly paddling with MEI.
Relaxed Sunday outings in Moreton Bay offer plenty of opportunities to just kick back, enjoy a fun paddle and do some rolling.
Queensland summer heat can be oppressive, especially when there is little wind. We often prefer rainy days which also happen to be when most motorized crafts don't go out. Rain doesn't bother us and getting wet is a given. We regard kayaking a wet sport.

The softer side of G-Dawg

Photo: Sailing fun in Moreton Bay

Kayak: SeaBird Designs North Sea
Sail: Flat Earth Sails
Paddle: Aleut Vanstix

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Sailing instead of paddling

The paddling conditions this season have been rather windy.
Week-end forecasts have regularly been 15 knots or more which most seem to consider an unpleasant environment to paddle in.
Slogging into a wind of 20 knots for hours on end is not exactly great fun.
Not wanting to spend precious days of my free time off the water I plan my paddles around the direction of the wind instead.
I try to pick a launching location that, with the wind blowing on the beam of my kayak, would give an island destination in Moreton Bay. And then I pack a sail.
What could be a slog suddenly becomes great fun. Sailing my sea kayak is not strictly paddling but I don't mind mixing it up a bit.

sailing with Flat Earth Kayak Sails
The best part of windy day on the water is that it's usually deserted.
No stinkboats to destroy the mood. Just a few yachts that usually are friendly enough to give me a wave seeing that we share the same medium.

Kayak rolling with Aleut paddles

Following the recent flood of the Brisbane River, parts of  Moreton Bay are now very brown laden with silt and debris.
Sea kayak rolling is currently not that inviting with reports of some paddlers suffering from mild discomfort to ears and eyes after immersion.
At the moment, the water in the southern part of the bay is better than the west and north but they are still not as clear as they used to be.

End of Year surfing

I wanted to end the year 2010 with a bit of wet fun.
Despite the forecasted 20 knots wind I picked up my kayak and headed for a gentle break that promised some good runs.

The water was extremely dirty from all the recent flooding but the surf was still good.
This year has been exceptionally exciting for my sea kayaking and 2011 is promising to be even better.

VIDEO: the little stick that could

select 360p if you have slow internet connection
The locals keep on telling me that my stick ain't no good for much else than show.
I should listen to them.

SHOP: modifying the stern of a sea kayak

SeaBird Designs NorthSea: stern modified
Of the modification I have done to my kayaks, this one certainly was the most daunting one: modify the hull!
In my early days of paddling I quickly understood that the shape of a hull in a kayak is detrimental to its handling.
While kayak designers often spend years perfecting the hull shape I don't always find their designs perfect.
I have very little knowledge in naval engineering (read: about zero) but I can feel when a kayak is not performing the way I desire.
My first attempt to fix a kayak that was in my opinion "too loose" was simple: I added a little fin (fixed skeg) to the stern. The kayak improved dramatically.
Apparently modelled on a Nordkapp hull (probably an early version) the stern on the Arctic Raider seems to be cut away more than the current hulls on the VCP Nordkapps.
The Arctic Raider is designed to be paddled with a rudder.There is less keel on the stern.
The Arctic Raider weathercocks really strongly when the rudder is not deployed (like when surfing).

Arctic Raider
Adding the fin helped to the stern from laterally drifting when windy stabilizing the stern.
On my Seabird Designs NorthSea carbon/Kevlar core sea kayak I had the opposite problem: the boat leecocks.

SeaBird Designs NorthSea before the mods
Originally designed to be used with a rudder I removed it and installed a skeg.
The NoprthSea paddled very neutral in low winds but became a bit of a handful in high winds.
Above 20 knots the bow will turn downwind and it was hard to maneuvre.
However the kayak will surf very well: no broaching there.
I moved the seat forward and that changed the trim a bit and made it OK to paddle.
Maneuverability however was still slow: edging the kayak would not release the deep keel line in the stern.
I finally decided to modify the hull.
How much should I modify my stern?.... hard to say/quantify.
I worked out a rough estimate (modelling it on the design of my other kayaks) and marked the stern with tape.

Once I was confident that the cut line would be appropriate I fired up my Dremel tool and took the plunge: hacked into the hull.

It took only a few minutes to cut away the section from the stern.

I made sure that both sides were symmetrical and cut even.

I then cleaned all the dust and any possible salt residues from the surface inside the hull to make sure my epoxy glue would stick to the existing surface.
I mixed up some West System 105 resin/207 UV stabilized hardener mix, tinted it to match the hull color and added microfibre to the consistency of peanut butter.
I generously filled the gap that I created by cutting of the stern with this epoxy mix.
I used tape to reduce the gap: squeezed the hull sides by hand and applied tape to hold the new shape. Surprisingly there was not a lot of tension on the tape.

Once the epoxy glue cured (overnight) I removed the tape and filled the remaining gaps (left by the tape area) with more epoxy mix.
Shaping the final fine keel line was relatively easy with some sand paper.
A smooth finished was achieved with a last coat of clear 105/207 mix.
PIC to come
I tested the new stern shape of my SeaBird kayak over the weekend.
The wind was ideal (up to) 20 knots and the kayak was lightly loaded.
I could definitely feel the stern being more loose now.
In beam winds it finally would weathercock slightly.
I paddled along a Norkapp LV and about the same amount of skeg was needed to correct weathercocking.
While I had no chance yet to test the kayak fully unloaded (I had about 20 Kg of gear with me over the weekend) it appears now to be handling much more like my other British style kayaks.

Technique: low deck rolling

Finally I am moving forward with my technique.
I am not sure why my kayaking skills learning is rather slow: is it that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" or is it that my coordination is not that great (I still laugh at myself when I tried to dance, once :-).
Recently I have progressed from my basic sweep roll to a Greenland roll.
While I get the idea of that roll, I would not exactly call it performed flawlessly.
I watch Greg Schwarz dance in his Nordkapp LV; such grace.
I also know that Greg does a fair bit of yoga, something that I stay away from.
He is much more "bendy" that I am and it shows in his balanced brace.
While Adventuretess does not do much yoga she still rolls much nicer than me, any day.
Am I destined to be a klutz roller for the rest of my paddling life?
Maybe, but there could be a reason that Greg and Adventuretess can pull off some rolls with such finesse.

Greg performing an "elbow crook roll"
I can not lay on the back of my kayaks!
Since my legs are rather chunky I tend to fit production kayaks with higher decks.
Higher in the front for my legs and feet usually translates higher in the back.
Greg and Adventuretess mainly paddle lower rear deck kayaks: a Nordkapp LV.
While Adventuretess has so far rolled any kayak that she has sat in (including some real barges out there) she definitely prefers rolling her low volume Nordkapp.
I have recently removed the factory seat from her kayak and replaced it with a custom made one.
Yesterday, I tried her kayak again: I now can almost fit in it.
My legs can jam under the thigh braces very snugly.
While I would not want that fit for hours on end I thought I would try some rolls in her kayak.
Hello Dubside!
What a difference! No longer am I hitting my back square in the middle while trying to lay lower on the deck ( I still can't get out of the seat and totally lay low on the deck though).
My rolls were easy. Compared to my NorthSea, the Nordkapp LV just seems to roll by itself.
So while I was at it I wanted to try the elusive butterfly roll.
And after a few tries I understood the paddle position needed for that roll and pulled off a couple of decent ones (I know: more grunt than style, but hey, gotta start somewhere :-).

I am now looking for a low rear deck kayak.
I was hoping to fit in the Tahe Marine T but the importer assures me that it is smalled than other kayaks that I don't fit.
Would a custom skin on frame be my only solution?

Warming up to my "Mockpool"

All that vast "plain" deck needs some "bling"...

I was looking at my new (to me) Seabird Designs NorthSea kayak.

This unique kayak (unique as different than any other and unique as the-only-one in Australia) is a prototype that I purchased used after the importer assessed it.
It had a few scratches and it needed a bit of work but it was a kayak that I could fit.
My legs don't have to be splayed wide or flattened to the floor in this kayak.
I can have my legs slightly bent and my knees closer together, a position favouring a fast paddling technique (surfski style).

North Sea's cockpit compared to Tahe Greenland

What I did not like (initially) was the narrower beam and the round hull.

It felt tippy like a log when I first took it for a paddle.

Noticeably faster than my Impex Assateague (most narrower kayaks are) it has much less initial stability.

I was actually rather disenchanted at first and almost put it on eBay after a particularly frustrating first session in the surf with it.

I am glad that I listened to Mark Sundin when he told me to persevere and spend some time in it: I would eventually get the hang of it and probably love it.

A few months later I have to say that he was right.

While I will probably never have the same confidence to just bob around without my paddle in hand and trying to chase images in rough waters like I can do in the Assateague, the kayak is warming up to me.

I love how it needs so little effort to surf small wind waves.

The bay where I often paddle produces those conditions.

The waves are not big or steep enough to push my Impex but sufficient for the SeaBird.

All I often need is a couple of powerful strokes at the moment my hull is lifted by the following wave and I can usually surf along having fun.

It seems that the round hull of the SeaBird offers less friction (wetted surface) and a higher hull speed.
Looking at surfskis' bottoms there seems to be some similarity in the shape of the hull of my North Sea.

One thing I disliked about the SeaBird was the rudder.

Flimsy and very badly executed hardware prompted me to remove it and install a skeg.

If my preferred paddling would be racing or trying to leave my paddling buddies behind I probably would have left the rudder on, but for my style of just enjoying sea kayaking for the sake of it, a skeg suits me better.

So back to that big "plain" deck.

I am not a cool (?) "all white" kayak kind of guy.

While the hull on the North Sea is carbon/Kevlar weave with clear coat (admittedly very sexy) the deck begged for some "bling"
I like the look of SKUK (Nigel Dennis) custom deck designs and Rockpool's decoration.

Rockpool kayaks have not been available in Australia until recently.

Adding glitter to the finished kayak would be rather difficult, so I just settled for the "starfish"

A made-in-China kayak that is trying to impersonate a British boat?

Not wanting to pretend that it is a Rockpool I named my North Sea: MOCKPOOL, complete with the Chinese flag instead of the Union Jack.

Some might think that I ripped off Rockpool's design but certainly they are not the first to use starfish as decor on a kayak; they just made them famous.

If I can only work out on how to add glitter now... :-)

GEAR: compass for sea kayak

I often wondered what that recess in front of my bow hatch was.
Well, I have been told it was not designed for the snow dome that I mounted there :-)

OK, jokes apart I want to talk about sea kayak compasses.

I am not a big fan of GPS and while I know that are great in featureless coastal areas to pinpoint your position or when visibility is really low I prefer the old deck mounted compass.

I use a few different styles on my kayaks.

My Impex Currituck came with a Silva 70P mounted in the recess.

(For mounting instructions click here)

I think that compass is great: always there when needed and relatively out of the way.

I heard some kayakers with poor eyesight lament visibility issues since it's too far away from the cockpit.

In my case the Silva 70P is occasionally covered when I stow my sail on deck.

The mast base (red, in the above picture) is positioned in front of the compass and the folded sail covers the compass dial.

I have therefore started to use a different compass: the Suunto Pioneer.

While the rose is smaller and the cardinal points are not as bold, the casing allows me to mount the Suunto in alternative spots on the deck.

Suunto mounted on VCP hatch cover

The Suunto Orca comes with bungee cord style attachment, the Pioneer with a plastic base that can be hard mounted on the deck while allowing the compass to be removable.

I don't like the bungee style but I also don't like drilling any unnecessary holes in my deck.

On one kayak, the preferred position for the Suunto is the hatch cover.

Drilling holes in a rubber hatch cover could compromise waterproofness.

I therefore created a fibreglass base for the Suunto that would give me a flat surface for my mounting hardware.

using the existing holes in the rubber casing I threaded some cord to keep the Suunto in place on the fibreglass base plate

On the base I stuck some industrial strength touch tape (aka Velcro).

The self adhesive pads are water resistant and will stick to most surfaces like the proverbial sh*t to a blanket.

The Scotch branded touch tape is extremely tenacious and won't "fuzz up" after a while loosing it's holding power.

Scotch brand touch tape uses little interlocking "mushrooms" for its holding power even when wet

And while I like the holding power of the this touch tape I am not totally confident that a good knock won't dislodge the compass.

I tethered it with a small cord to one of the deck lines.

I also use a 3rd type of compass: the Silva 70UNE.

Basically the same as the 70P this compass is not designed for a recess in the deck (not all my kayaks have one).

Silva 70UNE on my SeaBird's deck, the "black tubes" are paddle parks

This Silva kayak is unique since it has a small light inside the rear handle that can be turned on for night navigation.

If you have ever tried to navigate in the dark you will understand that shining a flash light onto the compass to check your course is not the way to do it: you will loose your night vision.

The Silva 70UNE light is just strong enough to illuminate the compass' dial but not overpowering to kill your night vision.

On the other hand the Suunto can be adapted to night illumination by slipping a very small chemical light stick between the compass' base and its rose.

I purchase my light sticks from a fishing shop: they are designed to be used in conjunction with a fishing lure for night fishing.

prying the base open to slip in a mini light stick

And last but not least this little gem.

A "budget" compass that I picked up on a road trip to China.

To this day I still can't figure out to where it is pointing....

I guess the saying it's true: cheap, good: pick one :-)

WTF?

SHOP: DIY sea kayak foot brace

A paddling acquaintance of mine announced that he wanted to sell his beloved carbon/Kevlar sea kayak.
His reasoning was that the factory foot pedals collapsed on him once and the replacement ones did not look any better. He was not confident with the outfit of his otherwise great kayak.
While jokingly I promptly offered him a ridiculous sum to buy his kayak I added that if the foot pedals were his only problem it would be unwise to sell a kayak that he loved.
After making a few suggestions, with a simple solution on how to remove the existing plastic pedals and fabricate an aluminum bar as replacement, he no longer wished to part with his kayak.
On the next paddle he proudly showed me the modification. Admittedly he did a decent job.
His feet were resting on a bar that was spanning across the width of the hull offering more than one foot position.
His replacement foot bar prompted me to finally address my own foot pedal set- up in my prototype SeaBird Designs Northsea.
The kayak I have is a preproduction one where the outfit was not fully finalized and the foot pegs rails were not positioned correctly. A factory retrofit was done to ship the kayak in time but the job was below my standard.
As they say: "You don't buy a house because of its furniture"; I decided that the flexible factory foot pegs had to go.

Factory set up in pre-production Northsea. These foot pegs were for a rudder (that I removed and replaced with a skeg)
I wanted a secure wide bar to push my feet against.
I removed the rails and the foot pegs and fabricated a new rail from anodized aluminum "L" section.
I used the existing threaded studs to mount the rails.

replacement aluminum rails: "L" section anodized profile
The cross brace where my feet will rest against had to be rather wide and curved a bit.
I could have used the aluminum profile that I have used in my other kayaks but the adjustment in the SeaBird was different: the pegs and rail have been removed.
I set out to fabricate a cross bar made from foam and composite fiberglass and carbon.
I cut a wide section of foam core and heating it up with a heat gun I shaped it into a shallow channel.
I cut a slot in the end to create a tab for anchoring it on the aluminum "L" rail.

heat shaped foam core
The foam core was layered by double bias glass cloth and West System epoxy (105/206).

double bias covered by 4oz glass
Once cured I trimmed the excess cloth off from the edges.
Subsequent sessions did cover the front side with carbon cloth.
Carbon added a lot of strength and made the brace stiff.
Unfortunately carbon is not very abrasion resistant and an area that would see constant rubbing of shoes and sand had to be protected with a final layer of 2oz glass cloth.

2oz glass cloth covering carbon cloth
The foot brace once cured had the anchor tabs drilled and a last coat of epoxy was done for durability and looks.
Installing the cross brace meant careful alignment on the aluminum rails and a row of holes for adjustment (different leg lengths).
I used a 1/4" stainless steel bolt and a wing nut (rubber washer) for securing the foot brace.

Replacement foot brace installed (not shown with wing nuts but nylocks)