Just some photos of some trips

The last weeks I was quite busy with kayaking. I joined an excercise weekend in Zeeland to fine tune some rescue techniques. It proved to be quite useful.

Exercise weekend in Zeeland

North Sea beach

During the weekend I was confronted with some failing rolls and I was pointed out that I used a wrong grip on the elongated Greenland paddle. So time for some rolling sessions at home to regain technique and confidence. The most useful video for me was this one:

Happily, with the correct grip and body rotation as is demonstrated in the video I was able to roll quite easy. So never stop practising rolling.

With Aquavite we canceled a trip to Ameland but made a trip to Edam:

Marken lighthouse

Campsite Edam

I have used the Nigel Foster Shadow for all these trips as this is my best sea kayak and a good expedition boat also.

Circumnavigation of Flevoland in three days

This circumnavigation of Flevoland has been planned for next Saturday, Sunday and Monday. With about 50 kms a day this will be a though trip. We will paddle clockwise around the isle with some Aquavite club members.

Flevoland

My plan is to use the Zegul 550 as this is a fast boat with sufficient storage for a few days. I will take my large GP but want to use the Lendal Kinetic Wing most of the time.

Update: Unfortunately the Zegul had a leaking hatch rim. Repair did not work out well before the trip. After some deliberation I decided to take the Shadow for the circumnavigation. At least the Shadow has enough storage space and it seats comfortable. The Inua would have been a good candidate too when the bulkhead is moved.

Floating rest at Pampus haven

We started with five men from Almere Haven. At our first rest on land at De Blocq van Kuffeler two members decided to return via the inland route. They couldn't keep up with the high speed, and they were right as we paddled around 8 km/h. It was no problem for me probably because of the Kinetic Wing paddle that seems to give extra power. So we continued to Lelystad with three men.

Bataviawerf at Lelystad

First campsite near Lelystad

After camping at a nice beach with good weather we continued the second day to the Ketelmeer. Unfortunately the forcasted tailwind appeared to be a headwind, making the leg to the Ketelbrug long and boring.

Passed the Ketelbrug

The Ketelmeer didn't give us any excitement and without any waves we entered the Randmeren. It had become quite warm and windless making it a though and long day. That day we paddled a distance of 55 km and we were all tired. Happily our camping site on Pierland isle was a nice place to stay.

Second campsite at dawn

The third day we started early and we paddled quiet on a quiet lake. After two breaks we arrived soon at Almere Haven, our starting point.

Break at Nuldernauw

During the trip the Lendal Kinetic Wing has proved to be a powerful paddle. When I switched back to the Greenland paddle I had more problems to maintain the high speed. The only thing is that the shaft is a bit too thin. I am thinking of methods to increase the shaft diameter in a nice way.

The Nigel Foster Shadow has proved to be fast enough to keep up with the high speeds. However these kind of expeditions would be very interesting to make with the Zegul 550 or Inua.

Starting again

After a long hibernation I made a small trip this weekend. From IJburg to Pampus Island and back:

The first part was almost full against a firm Bft 4 wind. It took some effort and time to arrive at Pampus Island.

The isle is not open due to the Covid lockdown. Fortunately kayaks are allowed on the little beach.

After a rest enjoying the sun I went back. This was a lot easier and I took a surf so now and then.

IJmeer wanderings

Last weekend I made some wanderings around IJburg and the lake IJmeer. I used the app from the KNRM www.knrmhelpt.nl (rescue organization) to be able to make a quick call in case of emergency. The app also tracks the route following my location with a time interval:

route tracked by the KNRM app

There was a lot of wind (5 Bft) blowing from the NW. The first part we paddled against the wind to campsite Zeeburg going through the protected waters of IJburg. I was never been there and nice to see some spots I've only had seen by car before. We took some coffee on the camping beach in a fresh sun.

at Zeeburg camping

After the break I splitted from the group because I wanted to feel the waves on the open water of the IJmeer in this wind. First I headed to Lighthouse Island and followed the coastline to the north. Then I crossed the IJmeer to Pampus Island, the wind has changed to the West and seemed to have decreased a bit.

large coffee

On Pampus Island I took a break for a large coffee. Stormy clouds were gathering and soon it started to rain. The last leg back to IJburg was almost fully against the increasing Western wind.

stormy clouds

The leakage of the cockpit rim of the Shadow is starting to become annoying. Especially now the water is getting colder I want that to be fixed soon. Apparently the filling with gelcoat didn't last a long time. A quick and safe solution may be made with a marine kit that stays flexible. Removing and re-glueing the entire cockpit rim seems quite riskful to me.

A trip from Enkhuizen

I had registred for a trip on the lake IJsselmeer last Sunday. The starting point was Enkhuizen. The planned destination was Laaxum, a small place near Stavoren on the opposite site of the IJsselmeer. Due to the strong wind in the morning the destination was changed to Wijdenes. So we didn't have to work against the strong wind. The wind would diminish during the day so this was a better route. 

Start at Enkhuizen

The first leg of the trip was the most spectacular with some nice waves. Soon we rounded Enkhuizen and went through the locks from the IJsselmeer to the Markermeer. To Wijdenes we could surf a little but the wind was already diminishing. We took a rest at a little beach at Wijdenes.

beach at Wijdenes

view to the South

view to the East

The way back was against the wind but as it was diminished it was no problem anymore. We went through the locks again and entered short the historic harbour of Enkhuizen. After rounding the coast we returned at our starting beach.
The other group members were all very seasoned paddlers that uses a variety of good sea kayaks. So there was someone with a Dawn Treader Odin, some Explorers, a Nordkapp etc. My Shadow did get some attention too. Also nice to see two other paddlers using a Greenland paddle.

A trip to Uitdam

Last Saturday I went with some KOIJ club members from IJburg to Pampus Island. Again for a coffee break on the island, it is starting to become a tradition! Despite the forecast the weather was nice.

Coffee on Pampus Island

After the break I decided to continue to Uitdam on my own. The wind was a mild 2 to 3 Bft from the North East and I was in for some lonely paddling. After some time I arrived at Uitdam and explored the coastline to find a suitable beach to land on. There was a little harbour that seems new to me but I paddles further to the North East and found a little beach at the start of the dyke to Marken. I believe this is the beach that is used for starting trips around the Marken Island. 

rest at the beach

view on the lake IJmeer

The way back I headed straight to IJburg. However I had to get around some working areas and watching the shipping lane to Amsterdam. After all it was a nice trip and that evening I felt tired.

route back to IJburg

A trip from IJburg to Pampus Island

Last weekend I visited another kayak club at IJburg: www.kanoopijburg.nl. I am considering to become a member there because it is situated directly at the lake IJmeer. And the travel time from home is about the same as to my kayak club at Almere Haven: www.aquavite.nl.

Originally I would do a trip to Terschelling Island but that had been canceled because the risk of too much wind (6 Bft). So I hoped for a strong wind on the IJmeer. We made a trip to Pampus Island. Starting from IJburg this is not that far, about 5 km. As I had hoped for a strong wind the 3 Bft was a bit disappointing. It was an easy and short trip with a long break. On the way back I could surf a bit, but the waves weren't very impressive.  

Landed on the tiny beach

Nice weather and view

Vlieland training week

Last week I was on Vlieland isle for a sea kayak training camp with www.zeekajak.nl. As planned I took the Shadow with both Greenland paddles.

Shadow with both Greenland paddles on deck

The Shadow convinced me this week that it is a good sea kayak. It was comfortable in all kind of waves, and very controllable, also in a surf. The day hatch kept dry but the cockpit rim did leak a drop or so. Another member owned a Silhouette (the smallest version in the Silhouette - Legend - Shadow range). She told me she had completely removed the cockpit rim because it was only fixed on three spots with polyester, the remaining rim was filled with kit... Could be the same as with my Shadow. May be I should do such a drastic repair too.

Rest at high water on the Wadden Sea

I received many comments on my pair of Greenland paddles, mostly positive. For me they did a good job during the week, never missed a Euro paddle. They proved to be large enough for making strong low and high braces in the surf, a situation I couldn't test on my home waters. The only remark is that it is more difficult to paddle in very shallow water as you have to paddle at a very low angle to prevent the blades touching the bottom.

In front of the coast of Terschelling isle

It was a nice week with varying activities. We made a few longer trips, played in tidal races and surfs and did a lot of exercises like rescueing, reentry and roll and all kind of techniques.

Wide views

With the Shadow to Pampus isle

Today we made a trip to Pampus isle of about 24 km with a wind 3 to 4 Bft. Very nice weather.

rest at Pampus isle

We also did some rolling and rescue excercises. The day compartment stayed completely dry now as I had fixed the leakage with some epoxy and fibers last week. Happily as I want to take the Shadow to Vlieland isle next saturday.

The Shadow in full wind

My first plan today was to make a trip with the Skarabee to try the sail with more wind. But as the wind appeared a hefty 5 - 6 Bft I thought it was safer to postpone my sailing ambitions for a while. So I took the Shadow for a classic, bouncy trip.

The trip to isle Hooft took long while working against the wind. I used my power blade greenland paddle the whole trip and had the smaller one as a backup on deck. I felt no need to change paddles against the wind. During the trip I realized I had become quite familiar now with the Shadow. It is very comfortable due to it's new seat and I can lay back on the aft deck because of the better backrest. The problem I first had with the initial stability has dissappeared totally, partly because of the lower seat. The Shadow is now my number one sea kayak and would be my choice to take to Vlieland in the summer.

There were a few moments now that I found the boat was leecocking. Especially in a quartering incoming wind there were manual corrections necessary that you wouldn't expect with a well trimmed boat. In comparison: with the Baidarka I would even put the skeg a little down in this wind as it still wants to weathercock a little.

Rest at isle Hooft

Also on the way back the trim could be better. As earlier stated I have the idea the skeg is too small. Even with the skeg fully down, the boat luffs to a quartering course before the wind. When surfing the waves today it needed many corrections to prevent broaching. Well, these were steep and short waves, on sea they would be longer and probably easier. But despite of all this, it was a quick and nice ride again. It still amazes me how fast the Shadow can ride down the waves.

Some weeks ago after doing some wet exercises there was a lot of water in the day hatch. Today I filled the day hatch with the fire hose to check for leaks. These appeared to be in the upper left and right corners of the bulkhead. Happily not the places I have adapted with the removal of the backrest bulb. But very unconvenient of course. Just as the leaks in the cockpit rim this make me doubt about the build quality. Made in Middelburg, The Netherlands, I can't be very proud on this product made in my own country. When the Legend is ready I can work on the Shadow again...

With the Shadow around Pampus isle

Today we originally planned a trip to the Marker Wadden but because of the wind we changed plans to a more safe trip to Pampus isle. Wind was a 4 Bft from the west. No sun today, but some rain. We went with a group of six.

I took the Shadow with both greenland paddles. A few days ago I had fixed the leak in the cockpit rim by filling it with polyester topcoat. This proved to be a good repair as I didn't feel any drops of water on my left leg today.

The first part of the trip was fully and partly against the wind. I used both paddles and both worked well to beat against the wind. Good to notice that I was able to make a lot of speed, also with the smaller paddle. Quite faster than most other paddlers in the group. As this was the first time I used the Shadow in a group it is another indication for me that it is quite faster than e.g. the Skarabee.

The Shadow did pound often on the steep incoming waves. I already had noticed this during other trips but compared today to the other boats it became quite obvious. The hull shape with it's rounded bottom between hard chines has apparently not the smooth entry lines as e.g a Baidarka. Besides the noise it is not really a problem. Even in this situation the Shadow has a dry ride.

Pampus isle, an old fortress

We took a short rest at Hooft isle as we couldn't land on Pampus isle because it is still locked down. Then we headed to Pampus into a quartering head wind and rounded the isle. On the way back we surfed a lot and again the Shadow proved to be rather fast compared to the other boats.

It was a really nice trip and I enjoyed the Shadow and both greenland paddles.

Paddling the reseated Shadow

As promished yesterday I made a trip today with the renewed Shadow. It was a nice sunny day with a 3 Bft wind. Ideal circumstances for a longer trip and to pick some waves on the lake Markermeer. This resulted in a paddled distance of about 34 km with tracks against the wind, with the wind and in between.

Trip of today to Pampushaven and Isle Drost

The main question is how the initial stability has changed by the new seat. Well, the difference is not that big actually but the boat seems indeed a bit less nervous. I think the primary stability is now about the same as the Legend but certainly not more. It is still easy to edge the boat from left to right before the secundary stability comes in. Probably the primary stability will increase by adding load but today I didn't feel the need for that. As the secundary stability is very assuring edging feels more secure than with the Legend.

Rest on isle Drost

The Shadow has a rectractable skeg but I didn't use it all the time. Compared with the Legend the Shadow seems a bit less sensitive to weathercocking or at least easier to correct with edging and corrective strokes. When correcting with the skeg it still seems a bit too small to cover the whole range of wind directions. When fully down the course corresponds with a quartering following sea and there is no reserve to leecock anymore. Despite this I surfed a long way downwind without a single broach. So, it may be not a real problem. Also nice is that correcting by edging still works with the skeg down.

A leak under the cockpit rim

During the trip I felt sometimes water dropping on my knee. It could be coming from the sprayskirt but I feared it would be more structural. When back I tested the cockpit rim and indeed there is a leak in the connection of the rim to the deck. There is some silicon kit under the rim and that is always suspicous. The leak is probably on the transition of the deck into the thigh brace.

Today the Shadow proved to be a nice boat to paddle. It is more responsive than the Legend and feels a bit safer by it's higher secundary stability. It may be a bit slower but a better candidate to go to sea with.

A new seat for the Shadow, part 5

I am glad to say the Shadow is ready for paddling again! It took some time to make the new seat. Of course it took more time than expected. As mentioned before I used plywood and epoxy to add the sidewalls and flanges to the new old seat.

The plywood extensions glued to the seat

Then the outside and inside were covered with carbon sheet using epoxy. I used the normal carbon woven cloth that is quite stiff and not so flexible to follow all curves. Well, I managed it with acceptable result but actually the curves of the seat were quite a challenge, especially the inside.

The carbon sheeting on the bottom side

After the sheeting was complete I added the slot for the backrest. I have been thinking on different ways to fasten the backrest but this is the most simple and most elegant way.

I also have been thinking a lot about how to fix the seat in the kayak. Finally I decided to glue it on the bottom like the original seat. This guarantees it is as low as possible and this was one of the reasons to replace the seat. Besides, there were reinforcement strips laminated on the bottom to support the original seat, so I am not afraid of excessive load on the hull. The top flanges are now fixed by two bolts that reuse the existing holes beside the cockpit rim. These holes were once made to fix the old backrest to.

Result after rough sanding

Also for the fastening of the backstrap aft straps I have choosen the most simple way: two loops of cord fixed with polyester under the cockpit rim. I didn't want heavy bolts through the bulkhead.

Simple cord loop for the backstrap

Besides the main work to the seat and bulkhead, I also fitted new deck lines including a greenland paddle brace. And as I didn't quite trust the front bulkhead I mounted a plate to it to support the pressure of my feet. Of course there are still some jobs to do. For example the seat may be sanded somewhat smoother and may be covered with DD lacquer. But I like the matt finish for now and I plan to take the Shadow to the water tomorrow. I am curious how the Shadow behaves with the lower and smaller seat. And would it still needs more weight?

A new seat for the Shadow, part 4

In the meantime the work on the Shadow goes on. The hole in the bulkhead is closed with five layers of glass. Two chopped strand mats embedded between three woven cloths. I have to do some finishing work yet.

bulkhead under construction

My idea's about the seat have changed a few times last week. I often have this problem... On this moment I want to use woodcore, plywood sheeted with carbon fiber. This will be lightweight and the carbon will give it a hi-tech look. I hope so at least. I started to glue extensions to the seat to form sidewalls.

seat under construction

A new seat for the Shadow, part 3

Still thinking of all different ways to fix a seat in the Shadow I examined the seat of the Skarabee. It is bolted to the flanks. A good idea to make seats interchangable. When someone wants a larger seat again then it can be arranged without doing polyester or epoxy work.

The seat in the Skarabee is bolted

Of course the seat will be supported by foam. And there is still an option to place back the original seat and glue it to the hull but not to the side walls. The side walls are necessary for bolting the seat to it and for fixing the backstrap.

I have received a few tips on my suggestion to place the seat as low as possible: Care must be taken that the seat can not touch the bottom or split can come under the seat as this can cause leaks after a time.

A new seat for the Shadow, part 2

From the kayak shop where I bought the Shadow I could get a kayak for free to obtain a new seat. Well, not new, actually quite old, but I do fit better in it.

The seat removed from it's donor wreck

First I removed the bulge from the bulkhead with a disc cutter.

The bulkhead with the bulge removed

The bulkhead has gelcoat on it. It would be difficult to match colors with the new inset. And I don't like a coloured bulkhead, so I decided to remove all gelcoat from it. Quite a tedious job...

The bulkhead without gelcoat (almost)

There are still some pieces gelcoat to be removed but I need some other tool for that. The new seat is a lot smaller than the original one. On both sides there is more than one inch space to fit to the wide cockpit coaming. I am still thinking how to solve this in a functional but also beautiful way.

The seat smoothly transitions into the bulkhead

To be continued...

A new seat for the Shadow, part 1

I have decided to give the Shadow a fair chance. The primary stability issue has probably something to do with a lack of load. When the chines are deeper in the water the stability will probably improve. Besides this, a seat that is too wide does not help also. And as the seat is quite uncomfortable for me, I actually want to make a complete new seat in it... Quite ambitious indeed and I have to say I am inspired by the new owner of my old Orion who is also making a new seat. See his blog on: https://www.zeekajaksite.nl/blog/r_weblog.php. The new seat should be placed as low as possible in the hull as every single centimeter will help for initial stability.

Old seat

So I started to remove the seat. It was quite well fixed with polyester resin but with some force the seat finally got loose. I also removed the backrest and all it's fixing bolts. The seat may be original but the backrest certainly is not.

Seat and backrest removed

After removal of the seat the hull appeared to be undamaged happily. The next step will be to remove the bulge in the bulkhead. This bulge, padded with foam, forms the original backrest. Also a Nigel Foster idea, simple but not very comfortable. My plans are for an ordinary backstrap.

An empty cockpit

To be continued...