Video – Big Boat, Little Boat – A paddle out to the Lynas Anchorage
Watching the water run across the sandbanks and shallows in the final stages of the Ribble Bore. Paddling the Rockpool Taran 16. YouTube:
Video – The Last Of The Ribble Bore
Watching the water run across the sandbanks and shallows in the final stages of the Ribble Bore. Paddling the Rockpool Taran 16. YouTube:
Video – Dicking About – Swelly Rock Wave
An easy training week coincided with spring tides and a little sunshine. A pleasant combination. This is the Swelly Rock wave in the Menai Straits, North Wales. Here the flood tide is squeezed through a narrow channel, increasing the flow speed. And as it runs over the top of the Swelly Rock a wave is …
Video – On The Ebb 360 – Training in The Swellies
by John Willacy This gives you an idea of one of my training sessions in the Swellies. Today it is a low-intensity session working the technical aspects of Taran boat handling on moving water – ferry glides, breakouts, crosses, climbs and surfing. The aim running throughout the session is accurate positioning on all of these …
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Padding the Cockpit – Rockpool Taran
The Taran was designed from the outset as a performance sea kayak for paddling on moving water. To gain the best of that performance in the moving water environment I believe you need a snug fit with good physical contact inside the boat. You want the boat to respond instantly and with accuracy to your …
Rockpool Taran Bow / Stern Guards
Here we take a look at the fitting of Bow and Stern guards to the Rockpool Taran. Before we get in to the ‘how-to’, maybe we should take a quick look at the ‘why’ too. The Taran is a long-waterline kayak (5.0m+) with a relatively low rocker. It is designed as a performance sea kayak …
GB Circumnavigation 2 – Presentation
These are the slides from the presentation of my 2nd (counter-clockwise) GB Circumnavigation. These are just the ‘bare slides’, no explanatory notes or text.
GB Circumnavigation 1 – Presentation
These are the slides from the presentation of my first (clockwise) GB Circumnavigation. These are just the ‘bare slides’, no explanatory notes or text.
Video – Midnight Climbs and Menai Illuminations
The Menai Straits: Back in July 2020, someone decided to celebrate the NHS by lighting up the Menai Straits bridges for an evening. A worthy idea for a fantastic organisation no doubt, though just after the longest day seemed a little strange scheduling. Of course this was a unique paddling opportunity for an unusual perspective. …
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GPS choice for Performance Paddling
GPS Question Recently I was asked for a suggestion for choice of GPS unit. It’s a tricky one to answer. I’m not too keen to suggest a specific model, I think it is so much down to personal preference and paddling style. In my reply I try to highlight the thoughts behind my choice. You …