Fishermen we spoke to along the way would tell us that we were getting closer to the packed sea ice, which we wouldn’t be able to paddle through. The conditions had been so bad this year that, unable to get their boats on the water, the fishermen had practically missed the lobster fishing season..

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Nigel Dennis, should be a man that needs no intro. Known to many for his sea kayak designs, chances are if you’re a UK paddler, you’ve probably paddled one. Nigel’s based on Anglesey, in North Wales; a venue that allows him to explore his passion for sea kayaking in the rough waters surrounding the island . Nigel talks exclusively to us about paddling, designing sea kayaks and how he came to be the man he is today.. possibly our best interview so far!

As I finished my regular local evening paddle on the Firth of Clyde, the sun slowly sank behind the distant dark pyramid of Holy Island and the hills of Arran. I watched the sunset until the high clouds turned inky black. Then I had to rush as I was due to catch the 7am ferry to Arran the next morning. We planned to paddle to Arran’s Holy Island, which has recently gained a reputation as Scotland’s “Forbidden Isle”!

Not so long ago the world of sea kayaking was represented by an image of endless horizons, placid waters and a romantic view of shapely vessels  silhouetted before a setting sun. The participating paddler’s aim was to enjoy the environment; their local bay or a stretch of familiar coastline. This is still the case for many; however an increasing number of sea kayakers are learning to enjoy the rough water environments of tidal races and surf zones.... 

Winter is here; the days are short, the air is cold and the water temperature has plummeted – well, here in Northern Europe anyway. For many sea kayakers, this will mark the end of their season, but this needn’t be the case. Dressed in appropriate clothing it’s possible to paddle throughout the winter and in a high degree of comfort. Over the next two or three issues Ocean Paddler intends to showcase some of the clothing you could use, and give you our thoughts on how well, or otherwise, they perform.

NO PUFFIN’ said the cheeky sticker on the Calmac ferry door: a warning to smokers, of course, rather than the obvious statement of ornithological absence. But for me, fresh back from a few days late summer paddling through the Inner Hebrides, during which we had seen precious few seabirds, there was a painful irony in that quirky message.

All summer long friends had been commenting on the quietness of the headlands, cliffs and remote islands. Aware that 2006 had been another disastrous year for our resident seabirds, many of us had been anxiously hoping for an up-turn in fortunes this year, but by mid season this had already begun to seem like a forlorn hope...