Solent Sea Kayaking

Sea Kayaking wise, for me the winter season of 2009-2010 was all about 2 things. Night paddling and low light/night photography. As we head towards the end of the Easter break and school starts up again the sunny weather and light evenings have begun. Tonight’s paddle will start in daylight for the first time in [...]

By now regular readers will know I spend a substantial amount of time paddling at night. Therefore I was more than intrigued to pick up some buzz about a new product to the market – the Kayalu Gear Kayalite – a removable, deck mounting kayak light system. Over the last few months I have experimented [...]

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve had a couple of great night paddles and one aborted paddle. I recently outlined my self enforced criteria for deciding when to paddle solo at night and the routes I’m prepared to paddle. Last week I set out in wonderfully calm conditions and enjoyed a great paddle along [...]

Last night was incredibly still, Bramble Bank weather station indicated max F2. The sky was cloudy and their was a constant drizzle. With it being a very high tide I decided to do a short paddle and explore the networks of channels that make up Ashlett Creek. A quick blast across Calshot Bay enjoying the [...]

I’ve had a few queries about my night paddling so thought I would share some thoughts. Regular visitors will know that I fit my paddling around a pretty hectic work and family schedule. A large proportion of my paddling has therefore been late evening or very early morning based. During the summer this provides some [...]

The South Coast has been hit by very strong winds over the past 24 hours. The BBC reported gusts of 100mph off The Needles and Southampton (my home town) was hit by 60mph winds. I had pretty much written off paddling this weekend however this evening it looked as if there was to be a [...]

I’ve been using the Yak Koast Buoyancy Aid for several months now. Designed as a low profile, touring buoyancy aid it utilises a side zip fastening allowing for a large pocket across the front of the PFD and one large rear pocket. Constructed from ‘supersoft’ foam and tough ripstop nylon, the Koast is a rugged [...]

I have received an email from a paddler enquiring about lights for night paddling. Whilst in New Zealand he used a similar set-up to this and wonders if anyone in the UK has come across anything similar. The majority of paddlers I know who paddle at night use a combination of headtorches and lightsticks however, [...]