Ocean Paddler Magazine

Ocean Paddler - the sea kayaking magazine - the future

2008-06-09T18:51:00.002Z

Graham 'Bertie' Beckram

2008-06-05T18:31:00.003Z

For a variety of personal reasons, and after a bit of soul searching, I have decided to leave Masik Publishing and Richard Parkin has today taken over as the sole owner of Masik Publishing.

For me, it's been an exciting time forming Masik Publishing and launching Ocean Paddler and I wish Richard the very best in the future.

I will still be contributing articles and reviews as and when I can, and behind the scenes I will be offering Richard any support that I can help out with.

Over the coming days and weeks, there will some changes going on, and I'm sure Richard will keep you all updated.

Graham 'Bertie' Beckram

A Close Encounter of the Seal Kind

2008-04-13T19:48:00.004Z

Launching from Dartmouth over the weekend, Bertie and a few friends encountered a friendly young seal.

Sheltering behind a rock as a squall came through, we noticed this seal watching us. As the squall kept us there for some time, the seal became more and more inquisitive. Firstly, the seal started to sniff our boats, trying to get at the toggles. Then deciding we were friendly, the young seal decided to get more friendly, eventually trying to get on to our kayaks.

You can watch this encounter below..

Issue 009 - now available!

2008-04-01T16:26:00.002Z

Issue 009 should be arriving on people's doorsteps from today onwards, following a slight technical hitch. I can't say I truly understand the mechanics of it, but there was a slight delay in the binding of the magazine, and when combined with the Easter holidays this led to a delay in getting the magazine out.

However, subscriber copies have now all been mailed, except recent new orders which will be going tomorrow. Shop copies are heading out as well.

Half Price Back Issues!

2008-03-20T16:07:00.004Z

We've halved the cost of some of our back issues, Issues 3, 4, 5 & 6, in an effort to clear some storage space from our 'Corporate Storage Facility', aka my back bedroom... We don't have many of each, so hurry if you want to get your hands on them.

More info on back issues here.

Issue 009 - April 2008: A sneak preview

2008-03-20T15:48:00.002Z

In the next day or so Issue 009 will leave the printers and head to our mailing company, so I thought I'd whet your appetites with a sneak preview of what will be heading your way if you're a subscriber.

To take a sneak preview, have a look here..

I don't always get too involved with the design stage, for various reasons (not least is my lack of design ability!) so sometimes putting this together is the first opportunity I've really had to see how the magazine really looks. I reckon this month's is going to look really great, and even my appetite has been whetted; I'm looking forward to getting my copy to flick through!

Don't forget, as ever, feel free to let friends, paddling partners, clubs etc know about Issue 9, and if you do, remind them that we're currently running a promotion allowing new subscribers to get onboard for half-price (click here for more info..).

I hope you all will be making the most of the forthcoming Easter break and getting out paddling..

50% off Subscription to Ocean Paddler Magazine!

2008-03-17T13:49:00.008Z

Simply enter the code 'OP50' in the promotional code box to get a subscription to Ocean Paddler Magazine for only £22.50*.

Limited to the first 1,000 users so don't hesitate, subscribe today at http://www.oceanpaddlermagazine.com/subscribe.htm

*additional postage charges apply for overseas subscribers.

Issue One - now sold out!

2008-02-06T12:58:00.000Z

We have now completely sold out of back issues of Issue One!

It's possible that some of our stockists may still have some issues left.

January 31st: Last chance to subscribe and get all the back issues - including the sold-out Issue 2!!

2008-01-30T18:23:00.000Z

January 31st is the last day of our special offer for UK subscribers - subscribe before the end of January and receive all the back issues free of charge!

We've had a garage clearance, and found half a box of Issue 2's, which we didn't realise we had. We're not putting them up for general sale, instead we're holding them back for anyone who wants to subscribe and get the complete set!

So, if you want to get your hands on the complete set; subscribe before midnight on January 31st - the clock is ticking!!

To subscribe, go to here

Issue 002 Sold out

2008-01-23T18:05:00.000Z

Issue 2 has now sold out, and we're also down to the last box of issues 1 and 4, so if you want to take advantage of our back issues deal, subscribing before end of January to get all back issues (except issue 2), then you'd better hurry!

2008 Publication Dates

2008-01-22T20:38:00.000Z

Unlike many other magazines, we label our magazine issues with the month in which they're published, rather than the following month. To us, this seems more sensible, though there's probably a very good reason why they do it, after all, they can't all be marching out of step!

The downside to our approach is that we regularly recieve emails enquiring when the next issue is coming out. So, to ensure that all our readers are aware of when our issues are coming out, we've published our 2008 Publication dates here.

Issue 007 - Jan/Feb 2008

2008-01-21T15:23:00.000Z

Issue 007 - January/February 2008 is now with the printers, and we're hoping it will be dispatched to you either late this week, or monday of next week at the very latest.

As ever, if you're a subscriber and we have your email we'll be sending you a sneak preview later this week, to wet your appetite further.

New Telephone Number

2008-01-21T09:23:00.000Z

Please note, that with immediate effect, we have a new phone number. We've implemented a new phone system so that from one number you'll be able to talk to all relevant people within Ocean Paddler magazine.

The new number is:

0844 445 7998 (UK)
+44 207 112 6742 (if calling from overseas)

Subscriber T-Shirt Posting

2007-12-11T16:54:00.000Z

Just a quick note for recent subscribers, who haven't yet received your free t-shirts. As most of you know, we'd ran out of t-shirts and they had to be reordered. We've now recieved the t-shirt order and have spent the day clearing the backlog. If you're awaiting a t-shirt, then hopefully it will be with you in the near future.

Gordon Brown @ Rheged, Penrith, sponsored by Ocean Paddler magazine

2007-11-23T17:16:00.000Z

This is just a quick reminder that Gordon Brown is talking at Rheged tomorrow night, Saturday 24th November 2007 at 7.30pm. It promises to be a great night, so if you can get there do so!

Bertie will be there, and you'll be able to catch up with him, subscribe to the magazine and get the latest copy of the magazine.

Richard Cree joins 'Ocean Paddler - the sea kayaking magazine'

2007-11-14T18:00:00.000Z

'Ocean Paddler - the sea kayaking magazine' is delighted to announce that Richard Cree has agreed to run our advertising sales department.

Richard, who'll be known to many of you, is an 'Aspirant' Level 5 Sea Kayak Coach and was part of the 'Arctic Voice' expedition earlier this year.

Please direct all advertising enquiries to:

Richard Cree
07900 992819
richard.cree@oceanpaddlermagazine.com

Please direct all editorial and general enquiries to:

Richard Parkin
01202 733661
richard.parkin@oceanpaddlermagazine.com

Graham 'Bertie' Beckram
0845 159 8787
graham.beckram@oceanpaddlermagazine.com

Another day in the office..

2007-11-13T17:53:00.000Z

I've just spent the afternoon out paddling between Kimmeridge Bay and St Alban's Head, with James Best, a local sea kayaker and long-time friend, and a set of Lendal Kinetik Sea Wings, that we're currently reviewing (You'll have to watch out in future issues of Ocean Paddler for whether we liked it or not!).

The race at St Alban's was kicking up a bit; 4 knots of tide with F4-5 against it - all great fun and we spent a good half an hour under the watchful eye of the St Albans Coastwatch people and a few walkers along the coast path.

Unfortunately, the winds kicked up a bit whilst we were there, and the journey back was a slog; straight into a strong headwind. Still, we were rewarded with a great sunset, as you can see.

Email Problems

2007-11-08T08:25:00.001Z

We've been experiencing problems with our email service over the last two days. Our supplier assures us that the problems are now resolved, however any email sent to us over the last couple of days is still in a large queue awaiting delivery to us. Hopefully, we should get the emails over the next few hours.

As email is the primary source we use to recieve details of orders placed, and to communicate with a number of people (as with many other businesses), this has obviously caused us a few problems, for example delaying the dispatch of any new orders, or responding to your queries.

Hopefully, all is getting better now! If you've sent an email in the last few days and were expecting a quick response, we apologise.

Latest Update

2007-10-26T07:30:00.001Z

Issue 4 is now out, and we think it's our best effort so far. The front cover is a simply fantastic image from one of contributors (as you can see from the image to the left).

It's been a busy few weeks lately, and all of us connected with Ocean Paddler have been working hard; we've been dunking ourselves in and out of cold water in an effort to test drysuits, dry cags, buoyancy aids and much more - all to come over the next few months.

This coming weekend (which is only tomorrow!) Richard will be attending the SCA Show at Perth, so feel free to pop over and say 'hi' if you're at the show. Richard will be ably assisted by Ollie Bray at some points throughout the show.

Bertie is heading over the the BCU Skills week at Sea Kayak Georgia, USA. Again, if you're around feel free to pop over and say 'hi'.

Issue 5 is nearly all done, and we're currently working on Issue 6; so if we look or sound like we've forgotten what month of the year it is, please forgive us!

Royal Mail Industrial Action - update

2007-10-10T08:19:00.000Z

The latest 48hr strike by Royal Mail staff ended this morning, and we've just posted out several large sackfuls of mail. Unfortunately, there is a backlog of mail in the Royal Mail system to clear so all usual delivery timescales are not being met.

The bad news is that the Royal Mail staff have called a series of rolling strikes for the whole of next week, which is going to cause chaos in the mail system. For more information read the Royal Mail update here..

http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/content1?catId=1000002&mediaId=51600692

This will definitely affect mailing of Issue 4 of Ocean Paddler, and we apologise for any delay, but it's out of our control. There's a lot of talk in the UK media about small businesses switching to other mail providers as a result of the strike, and I think it's something that we need to start looking into.

Ongoing strike action

2007-10-08T08:01:00.000Z

Royal Mail workers have again staged a 48hr walk-out strike. Unfortunately, we're building up a backlog of post that needs to go out, but we're hoping that on Wednesday we'll be able to get the post to the Post Office, but they tell us to anticipate further delays.

There is a possibility that our mailing of Issue 4 will be delayed as a result. We'll try and keep you posted on what's going on.

More Royal Mail industrial action

2007-10-05T14:25:00.000Z

Staff at the Royal Mail have started a series of strikes, which will affect us throughout October. As we use the Royal Mail for the majority of our mailings to individuals this might mean considerable delay to any new orders and to the next magazine mailing.

We'll keep a close eye on things, but more info can be found at http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/content1?catId=1000002&mediaId=51600692

T-Shirts

2007-09-17T18:12:00.000Z

We've now cleared the backlog caused by the printing problems we experienced with our first batch of t-shirts.

The Post Office are coming first thing tomorrow morning to collect all the packaged t-shirts, so hopefully they won't be much longer in getting to you.

Kanumesse 2007, Germany

2007-09-17T16:47:00.001Z

We've just come back from spending a brief two night stop in Germany at Kanumesse, the European trade show, held in Nurenburg.

Much of our time there was catching up with current and potential advertisers, however we did have time to have a look at some of the new sea kayaking products available to UK paddlers from various manufacturers, as well as look at lots of stuff we can't get in the UK.

Amongst those with new sea kayaks are Perception, RTM, Valley and Robson.

We also managed to catch up with Freya, who was busy zipping around the centre on a Segway thing, hence the slightly blurred shot, wearing a complete suit made from Reed's chillcheater material (naturally, all in black).

Pyranha Theft

2007-08-18T16:23:00.000Z

Message from Pyranha:

Some of you might have heard on the grapevine that Pyranha has suffered a
robbery. Over the weekend of the 4-5th Aug the yard at Rivington Road was broken into and a number of boats were stolen: Acro 270 Blue/White and Yellow/Jaffa
Acro 275 Yellow/Jaffa Ina Zone 232 Blue/White G3 Blue /White Recoil S Rapid +
Yellow/Jaffa Recoil M Rapid + Blue/White Recoil L Rapid + Blue/White,
Yellow/Jaffa, Burn L Blue/White Red/Grey, Yellow/Jaffa Burn M Blue/Grey
Jaffa/White Blue/White Ammo M Lime/Grey, Lime/White, Blue/White, Jaffa/Grey, Jaffa/White Ammo L Yellow/Grey, Red/Grey, Blue White, Yellow Jaffa lMaster TG
Yellow/Jaffa
As ever with any boat purchase please make sure there is a serial
number on the boat (normally on the rear deck) virtually no kayaks are sold from
any manufacture without a serial number being present. Some of the boats are
also in new 2008 colours and so will stand out even more. If you are suspicious
of any new Pyranha boat you have been offerd(especially those from the back of a
van!) please note the registration No of the vehicle and get as much detail off
the seller as possible and contact Pyranha with the information and/or serial No
if possible and we will be able to verify that a boat is genuine or otherwise.
Office: 01928 778 888 E mail: bobcampbell@pyranha.com
There is a £1000 reward for anyone who passes on information that leads to a successful prosecution.
Please keep your eye and ears open.Thanks for your assistance. Bob Campbell
Marketing Director