Expedition: Antarctica - No Rules
Destination: South West Ireland, with Jim Kennedy
Destination: Sark, Channel Islands, with Kevin Mansell
Classic UK Destination: The Lizard, Cornwall
Capture: Photographic Inspiration
Preparation: Incident Management II - Towing, with Jeff Allen
Trip: The raised beaches, skulls, white tailed sea eagles and whirlpools of Jura
Review: SKUK Explorer HV
Group Test: Portage Trolleys
Stern words: Gordon Brown - Get Stuck In!

and, much, much more..

• All the latest news from manufacturers and expeditions;
• Reviews of the new guide 'The Northern Islands - Orkney & Shetland Sea Kayaking', the instructional book 'Sea Kayaking' by Nigel Robinson and Alun Richardson, and the Jetboil cooking system;
• Competition to win Palm goodies; and
• a free sticker and competition to win a 6MP waterproof digital camera

The West Cork/Atlantic Sea Kayaking Experience

Warmed by the Gulf Stream, Ireland’s West Cork coastline is dotted with deserted is lands, ancient castles, sea caves, hidden coves. With the apparent lifting of my travel curse and offered the chance to explore this uniquely wild and colourful landscape, there was only one answer… more..

In 1647 the Macleans' and the Campbells' fought two bloody battles on Jura, the wildest island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. After defeat at the battle of Barnhill, the Campbell ’s of Craignish had nursed their revenge. Then, they gathered a large force and descended, like banshees, on the unsuspecting Macleans' in Glengarrisdale. Their revenge was as sweet as the blood they spilled on Jura’s soil and afterwards the Macleans' were buried where their broken bodies lay in the fields.

Years later the farmer at Glengarrisdale ploughed up a skull (with a sword cut) and two femurs. He placed them on a rock overlooking the bay and here they remained for over a hundred years. I cannot resist such tales and so our next sea kayaking expedition was to be a hunt for the MacLean’s skull of Jura, via West Loch Tarbert and home via the Corryvreckan maelstrom! more..
 

On a clear day the outline of Sark, to the north, is clearly visible from the parish of St Ouen in Jersey. It has enticed several generations of sea kayakers who have crossed the intervening 13 miles in search of so me memorable paddling in a unique environment. Once ashore it is like stepping back in time, to an age before cars. During the summer months there is a daily invasion of tourists but once the last boat has left, the island soon regains its peaceful charm. The crossing from Guernsey, to the west is only half the distance of that from Jersey but involves navigating two major tidal streams, which reach speeds well in excess of 5.5 knots. more..

Antarctica - No Rules, Lawrence Geoghagan

“I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die” – these were the words I was yelling, convincing myself to stay alive in the 60-70 knot, Katabatic wind that attacked us on our first days paddle along the Antarctic peninsula in early 2006.

Myself, together with Stuart Trueman and Andrew McAuley were attempting to paddle, unsupported, along the entire length of the Antarctic Peninsula. We were honouring an early Australian Antarctic explorer, John Rymill, who is credited with charting the Peninsula between 1934 and 1937. more..
 

In Part II of our Incident Management Series, Jeff Allen takes a close look at the art of towing.

"The towline is one of the most important pieces of equipment you will have with you whilst kayaking in a group or even paddling solo and I believe everyone should carry one when setting out to sea. Even when I am paddling solo I will take mine with me and have used it to pull not only other kayakers, but also wind surfers and dinghy sailors out of trouble and it has many other uses besides towing; for instance swimming a kayak ashore when making rough water landings, swim tows and even hanging your wet socks up to dry." more..
 

Sea Kayaking UK let us loose with their Explorer HV sea kayak; a derivative of their hugely successful Explorer sea kayak.

We put it through its paces and let you know what we think of it. more..

Want to buy a trolley, but not sure which to buy? Ocean Paddler test a number of them, so you don't have to. We'll tell you the good and bad points and tell you which were trolley was the best of all the ones we tested. more..

And Finally..

Gordon Brown,  Level 5 sea kayak coach of some repute and author of the hugely successful book 'Sea Kayak', picks up the reins in this month's issue, and remind us all that no matter how much we read about sea kayaking, in books, magazines or websites, we'll only improve as paddlers if we get out there, and challenge ourselves by getting stuck in! more..