Expedition: Rounding Tassie
Interview: Jeff Allen
Preparation: Expedition Planning
Destination: Croatia
Capture: Photographic Inspiration
Preparation: Incident Management
Trip: In Search of the Queen of Inch's Glass Covered Coffin
Review: P&H Cetus Sea Kayak
Technique: Sea kayaking photography
Stern words: Brian Wilson - Paddle Loudly!

and, much, much more..

• All the latest news from manufacturers and expeditions;
• Reviews of Aquabound Paddles, Palm & Yak touring spraydecks, waterproof iPod case and speakers;
• Rich gets up close and personal with a self heating (or was that self-exploding) curry; and
• Competition to win Northwater goodies!

Rounding Tassie, Justine Curvengen

“We’re not going anywhere!” Trys shouted into the wind. “This is pointless…”

My heart sank - i didn’t want to stop. Ahead of us, tantalizingly close, lay a headland that would offer us some protection from the wind. If only we could reach it, we could go ashore and camp beneath the trees. Trys was right, though - we’d been paddling for two hours and had barely made a mile. The sea and wind were stinging our eyes as we battled, head-down, into the full force of a gale. Again.

Kevin Mansell helps your dreams become reality in expedition planning, looking at an expedition planning framework, finances, food, equipment, training medical requirements, encountering wildlife and fund raising. Bob Campbell, of P & H Sea Kayaks, gives useful advice on how to raise sponsorship. Finally, Jeff Allen & Justine Curvengen add some words of wisdom.

Looking for somewhere new to paddle, somewhere overseas a novice or intermediate paddler could safely paddle, somewhere that’s perfect for non-paddling partners to paddle, a place that has history, culture, offers the opportunity to ‘siesta,’ and to relax late into the night, next to seas so clear they can be vertiginous? We have just the Place… Croatia’s Elafiti Islands…

Incident Management, Pt 1

If you speak to many instructors about incident management The first thing they often say is ‘prevention’s better than cure’. And this is certainly true. If you’ve ever been involved in an incident and have carried out a post event analysis you will often be able to trace faults back to a time well before the Incident actually developed. Poorly maintained or forgotten equipment, inexperience, or not getting an accurate weather Forecast before setting off, are just some of the reasons why an incident may occur...

In Part 1 of a series, Jeff Allen shares some thoughts and ideas on incident management, and training for incidents - possibly something none of us do enough of.
 

The skull rolled to a stop at his feet, the empty gaze of its dark eye sockets seemed to follow him accusingly as he staggered back in surprise and horror. The tractor man had violated a sleeping queen’s sanctity. His plough had upturned her stone burial cist, which had lain in peace for over 4,000 years. Would the disturbance of her tomb release a curse on the island of Inchmarnock, in the Firth of Clyde? 

P & H let us loose with their new fast cruising load carrier, the Cetus. On a cold, wet & decidely miserable winter's day in June(?) we put the Cetus through its paces.

Good photographs can capture the elements of an experience and convey them to the viewer in a way that inspires him or her to seek a similar experience. Sea kayaking is a very photogenic activity and many take a camera with them on a trip. Afterwards some are disappointed with the results. The camera has recorded a very different picture to that which the eye remembered. Often there are small dots in the middle of a photo, paddling downhill on a sloping grey sea with an equally grey sky above and the really annoying thing is the photo is blurred!  

And Finally..

Brian Wilson kicks off our regular tail-ender, hence 'Stern' words (get it??). Stern Words, we hope, will become an opportunity for people to speak out about something they are passionate about, or to speak passionately to change our actions, perceptions, beliefs etc.

In Brian's first article, Brian speaks passionately about the role all of us who love sea kayaking can play in becoming valued custodians of the wilderness we all actively seek out and enjoy. As Brian says, "PADDLE LOUDLY and be a voice for the sea and its wildlife".

A 'must-read' conclusion to our first magazine!