To Submit a Time
Don't be shy...let us know the details of your adventures. The aim of the PSK site is to display the challenges that people have undertaken and, to provide a little inspiration for others along the way.
Suitable Craft:
Open water paddling carries very significant risks. Performance Sea Kayak do not condone or encourage open water paddling in craft not designed specifically for such purposes, or for those who do not have the neccesary skills and experience.
Records or times will only be accepted for persons paddling suitable craft.
This means sea kayaks or ocean skis designed specifically for open ocean paddling which are designed to be unsinkable through the inclusion of water-tight dry compartments and bulkheads within the original design.
Submitting a Claim:
All Performance Times (Circumnavs, Crossings etc) need a corresponding GPS Track file (NOT a screengrab or image of a webpage). We may accept times without a GPS file, though they will either be marked as unverified or displayed without a time. Claims for Top 3 places without GPS will not be accepted. - NO GPS FILE - NO PROOF
For the GPS Track file - .gpx is the preferred format, but .kmz (Google Earth), .mmo (Memory Map) and .tcx (Garmin) files also accepted. A link to a webpage such as Garmin Connect, Strava, Endomondo etc. is not sufficient as evidence - we need the actual GPS file. You can upload this via the Contact PSK page. Background info - photos, timings, locations etc. add interest to publicity posts.
Send your time via the Contact PSK form.
Timing Crossings:
The clock starts and finishes when the kayak slides on/off a realistic and useable landing place such as a beach or slipway. This helps to standardise times, rather than using the vague assessment of passing a harbour mouths, bays, rocks, mile-long breakwaters etc.
Don't stop the clock until you can step out onto solid ground - from which you can walk away to your final destination (the 'walk-away rule'). If you can't walk away with (fairly) dry feet then you have stopped the clock in the wrong place. Your choice of launching/landing points is part of the crossing attempt.
Depending on circumstances, we may be accept crossings that do not meet the 'walk-away rule' requirements - though in this case a crossing time will not be displayed.
The distances displayed for Crossings will be 'as the crow flies' figures measured by PSK between the start and finish points of the route. These figures will be taken from Charts, OS Maps or Google Earth. Distances recorded directly by GPS will not be shown.
Timing Circumnavigations:
The clock should start/finish directly next to (within 2-3 boat lengths ) an obvious fixed landmark such as a navigation buoy, slipway, identifiable rock etc. If this is not possible then a precise transit mark will do. Passing a headland or distant landmark is not enough. The GPS Track start/end must overlap.
Multi Day Expeditions:
The clock starts on the first paddling day (this is Day 1, NOT Day 0) and continues until the final leg is completed. The elapsed time is recorded in calendar days, part paddling days are rounded up to the next full day for the total. Non-paddling days due to bad weather, work/family commitments, illness of the budgie, or any other form of time away are included in the final total.
Each leg should start from the same geographical location that the previous leg finished.
Use of any portages or any form of non-kayak transport or support craft is to be indicated.
Routing through canals or other man-made waterways should also be indicated.
Any times submitted without seconds will be rounded up to the next minute.
Newcomers
For paddlers new to PSK registering a time in the Performance Section - 2 different PSK times must be submitted before any times will be displayed on the PSK Performance pages - the 'Uniques' page excepted.
For new Time Trials - 3 timed runs of the TT must be submitted before we will create a new page for the TT.