Why canoes don’t need motors

Rich    kayakingholidays     Canoe, canoeing, Kayak, Kayaking, kayaking holidays

My girlfriend Amber and I spent a Sunday a couple of weekends ago on the river Dart in Devon, with a friend (and customer) and his cheating brother…

Amber, and man with a motor

We set out from Dittisham near Dartmouth, with its reasonable parking and easy access to the water (when the tide is right – and even when it’s not, it’s  a 200m walk at the most) and I introduced Paul and his wife Coleen to their new boat. As this was straight from production and Paul’s first time in a canoe, I took it for a little spin with him so that he could get used to it.

Well, the test went swimmingly (thankfully,with no swimming). And after Paul’s brother Stephen turned up and unloaded his canoe (with a motor ,WTF?!?!) it was time for Coleen to join Paul on the water for her first trip in the canoe.  Sadly, just three meters after pushing off from the shore they turned it over, giving them both a good soaking and covering them in mud!

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Kayaking: Why throwing yourself in at the deep end works

Jonathan Tait    ash, kayakingholidays     Adventure Sports, canoeing, Kayaking, river kayaking, watersports

I can’t breathe. My leg is trapped, bent back on itself into my kayak. My kayak is in no better state than myself, stuck, almost upright, between a rock and a tree. I rip my leg out and fall forwards into the water, my leg now caught in the drowning tree. I push and kick outwards, water crashing over my head at unimaginable speed.

This is the very first bend in the river and I’m already underwater, attempting to rip myself free from the various obstacles that hindered my oxygen supply. Eventually I struggle loose and I float through the now calm waters.

Don't expect your first trip to be so easy! Image: Library of Congress

This isn’t to scare you. This is my first attempt at kayaking, in Tena, Ecuador and I’m on a Class 3 rapid. Rated from 1 – 6, a class 3 is certainly strong enough for a beginner. Having only been in the kayak a few minutes I haven’t adjusted to the feeling of wobbling on the water, and I get sucked in to the wrong side of the rapid.

Once the trip resumes, it is a very enjoyable experience. Generally calming into a Class 2 ride, the river weaves its way through the unspoilt Amazon fringe, passing kingfishers and goldpanners.

Boasting the highest density of rivers anywhere in the world, Tena is the perfect spot to hop into the water. Not being a water baby my nerves were shredded. But my point is, when travelling, when trying adventure sports, throwing yourself in at the deep end is the best way to maximise the experience. I am buzzing with adrenaline and it is a vitalising moment.

How to Build a Kayak

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts, kayakingholidays     Adventure Sports, building a kayak, Kayak, Kayaking, making a kayak, river kayaking, sea kayaking

Kayaking holidays are one of only a few trips you can take where you need no technology. Take your phone for safety, maybe even a GPS if your map reading is ropey, but forget the high-tec: this is traditional adventuring.

Even so, when it comes to the boats, these are still specialist machines.  The long-distance adventurers and world travellers out there don’t dare venture out with any old gear. Kayaks and canoes have been around for 4,000 years and many are still made with traditional materials.

Here’s how boat builder Richie Bracey of Ram-Leisure makes his kayaks: This kayak is a hybrid, and uses two different types of construction method: firstly the hull is built with stitch and glue, and then the deck is built using a strip-built method.

Marine plywood

Step 1: Sheets of marine plywood need to be cut down to the appropriate widths and then joined together with a joint known as a scarf joint, this then makes up the lengths required for the different parts of the kayak.

After the lengths are joined he then takes the offsets and plots positions on the ply, these marks are then joined using a flexible baton or something similar so that you get the shape that needs cutting out.

Step 2: Before stitching the pieces together he glues the sheer clamps to the side (this creates a firm joint between the deck and the hull) and glues the support rails in for the adjustable foot rest. read more

Top 10 Ontario Adventures

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts, Top 10s     Canada, canoeing, canopy walk, Competition, helicopter flight, Hiking, ice climbing, Kayaking, mountain biking, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Ontario Tourist Board, Scuba Diving, snowmobiling, trekking, whitewater rafting

By having real temperature shifts and heavy snowfalls in winter, and strong sunrays blaze through its clean skies during summer, Ontario is ready and waiting all year round. read more

Adventures in Canada: Win a £5,000 holiday in Ontario

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     Adventure Travel, Algonquin Provincial Park, Canada, canoeing, Competition, Kayaking, Lake Rousseau, mountain biking, Muskoka Lakes, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Ontario Tourist Board, Toronto

Where in the world has nine million hectares of prime natural wilderness to discover, 330 parks to explore, and a list of adventure sports opportunities as long as its crystal-clear rivers?

It’s Ontario, Canada! And if you enter Ontario Tourism’s competition, you’ve the chance to enjoy the very best of this wonderland for free!

If you win, they’ll fly you, and a mate, premium economy class to Toronto where you’ll begin a 12-night adventure provided by tour experts Tailor Made Travel.

Canoe in Toronto

To enter, read through to the end of this piece then visit the  Ontario Tourism website and answer one question (you’ll find the information you need below) – before you know it, you could be canoeing, hiking, and mountain-biking among Canada’s most impressive natural wildernesses. read more

Mr Lightfoot: How Andrew Skurka trekked Alaska

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts, trekkingholidays     Adventure Travel, Alaska, canoeing, Kayaking, National Geographic, Skiing, trekking, Trekking in Alaska, winter sports

When choosing a rucksack one observation will serve you well: ‘Buy a bigger rucksack and you’ll only take more gear’, something Andrew Skurka knows well.

Andrew is one of a generation of trekkers who travel on foot, travel light, and travel fast. So when it came to planning his epic circumnavigation of Alaska, every gram counted.

Alaska, for all its state parks and picnic places, is a testing place: tundra-carpeted plateaus, massive mountain ranges, and waterways and rivers flowing full with glacial water. And it’s cold, real cold. Temperatures tumble and islets freeze – as do fingertips…

Photo: Michael Christopher Brown/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Leaving Kotezebue, his aim was to be the first person to trek around Alaska, self propelled. The first section was on skis, and he unclipped to walk or canoe where the terrain demanded.

The distances he covered are vast, but still shorter than on earlier exploits – previous wanderings saw him complete 7,778 miles from the US Atlantic to Pacific coast!

Choosing to travel alone rarely leaves you alone – eventually, there’s always someone around to share the trials and trails. Still, on foot Alaska can seem boundless, so part of the test for Andrew was to remain motivated, focused and determined to see his journey through.

He prepared well –always vital no matter what adventure you are planning – taking first place in the 2009 Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic adventure race must have helped him, but clearly he wasn’t prepared for the emotional impact…

In one moment he ignored his map, preferring to follow caribou along a route they’d proved for hundreds of years, and it was here, tears flowing, that he found his place…

Andrew’s trekking around Alaska is covered in more detail in a National Geographic piece by Dan Koeppel.

For more images of this incredible journey, please look at the National Geographic photo gallery or look in the March 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine, on newsstands February 22.

New Watersports Holidays & Courses!

Lianne    New Adventure Travel Ideas     Africa, Kayaking, kitesurfing, Sailing, Surfing, Windsurfing

Kitesurfing Course

We have some new adventures listed on the site and it’s all water related! Whether you would like to try something new or improve on your skills, we have a lot of courses & holidays on the site…

If watersports tickles your fancy, check out the latest adventures for this week below:

Surf Guiding in Morocco

IKO Kiteboarder Course in Egypt

RYA 2 Day Skipper Practical

Windsurf Course in Corralejo

Kayaking in Iceland