A selection of pics of our performance sea kayaks in action. If you have one of your Valley, Tahe, Zegul, North Shore, TRAK, or Rockpool boats doing the business, please send it on in....
Stephan Meyn sent this pic in of him suspended in his Aquanaut HV high & dry on a small rock garden in Broken Bay. His intention for the day's paddle was some surf along the excellent bay bar at Box Head, but when the waves didn't turn up, he went looking along the rocks from some more adventure. Stephan is a very dedicated flat water instructor with the NSWSKC who volunteers plenty of hit time to lead trips & training for his clubmates, and believe it or not this is nowhere near his altitude record for a kayaking grounding incident! Ask him about it one day..... You can see the full sequence of photos from this little stranding HERE. Photos by Andrew Eddy.
Wendy Stephenson riding a great following sea in the Valley Avocet LV. Photo Rob Mercer.
Riding a nice little runner in the Valley Aquanaut. Photo Rob Mercer.
Running down the coast in a lumpy Nor'easterly sea. Photo Rob Mercer.
Rob Mercer & Chris James Headed out on a lively afternoon off the Sydney cliffs last week, with the swell running at over 4m & a solid 25kn+ wind howling. Rob got a couple of dramatic snaps of Chris in his Aquanaut out among the bumps.
There are definite benefits to being a sea kayak instructor, especially one who does it the way Rob Mercer does it, well & truly challenging his students to experience the sea. Click on the Vimeo link below to see the past few months through Rob's lens, in locations ranging from Bateman's Bay in southerns NSW to the Central Coast. There are even a few photos of Ginni Callahan in there demonstrating her Greenland skills, and a couple of the real engine room of EK, Sharon Betteridge.
Tasmanian paddler Nick Gust sent in a photo of him & his prize catch, a 20kg Southern Bluefin Tuna. He caught this blue-ribbon game fish while paddling his Nordkapp RM, some feat when you consider these animals have an amazing amount of power through the water. No Titanic beamed fishing SOT here folks, a proper sea kayak which many paddlers out there consider as being at the challenging end of the spectrum for stability. Nick said it took him 'for a bit of a ride', my interpretation of which is probably the same as yours. Hmm, Nordkapp, narrow beam, serious sport fish on the end of the line, cold Tasmanian water, eskimo roll while being pulled sideways through the water not really possible if I capsize, balance & core strength required to actually LAND the fish, then store the bloody thing somewhere, and so on...
					Geoff Murray Photos Sea kayak instructor & photographer Geoff Murray has sent me some beautiful photos of his flotilla of boats set against the landscapes of his native Tasmania. Geoff & his wife Lynn are sea kayakers through & through having travelled to all points of the compass seeking out a breadth of ideas on skills & techniques related to our sport. They were instrumental in getting Gini Callahan out here in March/April, something which generated a lot of ideas & teaching concepts. I'm sure you'll agree that Geoff's photos are beautifully constructed, open it in the HD Vimeo setting. If you want to see a broader range of them visit his excellent website at www.geoffmurray.com.
					Gary Slade with his new Mitchell Horizon GP . Gary Slade is one of our many customer in far North Queensland, and recently took delivery of a brand new Mitchell Paddles Horizon Greenland Paddle. Sporting his GP t-shirt, he & his mate Macca headed off down the local river & took a few shots of the trip. We think maybe we should start hand delivering these paddles to destinations like Gary's, just to make sure they arrive safe & sound, of course......
Mark Deuter in the Atlantic, Coffin Bay, SA. Mark Deuter is a South Australian paddler who sent us in this pic of him paddling his North Shore Atlantic on a 'rough day on Coffin Bay'. His wife Lyn took the snap on an overnight trip they took just after Easter. It's a far cry from Mark's test paddle in the Atlantic, where he tumbled down the back of a 4m wave just outside Sydney Heads on a day with it's fair share of 'high significant' waves. Rob remembers it as the test paddle where we might have lost our first prospective buyer, but Mark showed good form & recovered from the tumble sufficiently to decide that this was the boat for him.
					Queensland Paddlers with EK Armada We were sent this photo, taken by Graham Dredge, Queensland's first Rockpool GT owner, of a group of paddlers from the QSKC out on a paddle around Maroochydore Beach. It shows, from left to right, Paul Wilton (Nordkapp), Gary Forrest (Nordkapp), Brian McCarthy (Aquanaut), Deb McCarthy (Aquanaut), Graham Dredge (Rockpool GT), and Eddie Safarik (Nordkapp), on the beach in front of their flotilla of EK boats. Unfortunately Shane Karrazy Reeve had put his traffic yellow & grey Nordkapp LV on the roof already & missed out on the shot, but you can see him in action below! There is such a huge choice available to kayakers nowadays & it is very humbling to see such a well credentialed bunch of sea kayakers paddling our boats & hopefully enjoying themselves. We are really appreciative of the great support we get from north of the border & enjoy getting up there for the Symposium each year and also entertaining our maroon mates when they venture south. Thanks to Graham & Brian for sending this pic through, keep an eye out for these skilled & ambitious paddlers on the beautiful waterways of SE Queensland.
Shane Reeve recently took delivery of a brand new Nordkapp LV, which he has been paddling around his idyllic home on Karragarra Island. If you're wondering where this is try Googling it! Shane is typical of a lot of sea kayakers in Queensland, ambitious in his skills development & making great progress up the paddler development ladder. He has reported back a great affinity with his new craft, enjoying the super responsiveness of the boat & the unique handling of the Nordkapp genre. Keep an eye out for Shane 'Karrazy' Reeve on the waterways around the Moreton Bay Islands. Photo by Gary Forrest
Chris James getting an unplanned shower, while up close & personal with the northern Sydney cliff line. Photo by Rob Mercer					A view from the GT – Rob Mercer’s lens capturing a frozen moment around one of Sydney’s least friendly water playgrounds, Bluefish Point. Photo by Rob Mercer
		Queensland Instructor Gary Forrest in his Nordkapp, paddling in the Keppel Group in North Queensland (photo by Walkley Award winning photographer Eddie Safarik – www.eddiesafarik.com) Gary, Eddie & Paul Wilton spent a couple of weeks paddling the remote Keppel group last month, with both Eddie & Gary testing out their Nordkapps on an expedition. By all accounts it was a testing technical paddle with some big miles, interspersed with an absolute glutton-athon from the sea. If it’s back faced the sun & it lived under the water, the guys were feasting on it…
Rob & I had a great paddle with our mate & leading Queensland Instructor Gary Forrest last week. With some nice fat swell bouncing off the cliffs north of Botany Bay we managed to find dolphins, a rare Giant Petrel, a surf break at Kurnell good enough to create a bit of mayhem, & some fun cliff rebound. It's amazing how much fun you can have in 4 hours. Click the picture above to see the slideshow of the paddle.
Umina Beach Training weekend with the Hunter Kayak Klan Click the picture above to see the slideshow of the weekend. Photo’s by Rob Mercer, Mark Sundin
Scenes from a paddle in early August around the Bouddi National Park, north of Sydney. Thumping swells out to sea produced some dramatic breaking waves against the sheer cliffs, on a weekend marked by some stray whales heading north, & superb Sydney winter weather. Click the picture above to see the slideshow of the paddle. Photo’s by Rob Mercer
Gina Shannon surfing the North Shore Atlantic at Sydney's Wanda Beach. Click the image above for the slideshow. Photo’s by Rob Mercer
Some great images from Rob Mercer's camera, of a few paddles around Sydney over winter 2009. Click the picture above to see the slideshow of the paddle. Photo’s by Rob Mercer, Mark Sundin
Sea Guide Chris James test paddling the TRAK T-1600 folding kayak. Chris is an accomplished all round paddler, with an AC Sea Guide accreditation, a long history paddling surf ski's in adventure races as well as being one of the few Rapier 20 paddlers in the country, We figured he'd be a good guy to put into the T-1600 for a test paddle on a lumpy July sea offshore from Sydney Heads. Consider that the boat in the pictures is a folder which fits into a bag the size of a standard golf travel bag, and you can see why we're very excited about the potential of this design. The slideshow link is a 6mb file so it will take about a minute to load – click on the banner above to see the show. Photo’s by Rob Mercer
Chris James in his Aquanaut LV the crunch zone at Wanda Beach, Sydney. Photo’s by Rob Mercer						Chris again, making his way through the Wanda lineup. Photo’s by Rob Mercer
		Deb McCarthy paddling her Aquanaut off the Sydney cliff lines. Brian & Deb McCarthy are a committed pair of paddlers in SE Queensland, quickly acquiring skills & helping others on their frequent trips with the QSKC. One a recent trip to Sydney they headed out to sea with Rob Mercer along the spectacular cliffs south of the harbour. Photo Brian McCarthy.
Some great photos taken over the last few months around Sydney, by sea instructor Rob Mercer. It's a 5mb flash show, so please be patient with the loading time. Photo’s by Rob Mercer
Leading Queensland paddler Brian Towell recently crossed Bass Strait in his Valley Aquanaut. Paddling alongside were Silvio Testa, in a new Nordkapp, & Craig McSween in his own design, the Outasea. The guys wrote up an excellent blog of their trip which was completed in fine style, within the bounds the group set themselves as acceptable for such an exposed expedition, with plenty of good times along the way. Brian, Silvio & Craig paid this waterway plenty of respect, training extensively with fully loaded boats for months in advance. Brian sent through a photo of him paddling his Aquanaut across the strait against a dramatic seascape. Photo by Silvio Testa.
Test Paddles with EK Here are a couple of shots from a recent test paddle with Matt Prenter, a Tasmanian paddler looking to get into a skeg kayak. Matt was interested in trying out the Nordkapp LV & the Aquanaut, so we took him for a paddle from Sydney’s Camp Cove Beach, just inside the harbour, about 2km out through the heads & back. Although conditions were pretty light, it still gave us a good range of sea states in which to paddle the boats & get a feel for what they can do. From a start on the flat harbour inshore, to the breaking waves off South Head, to the rebound which always lashes the cliffs around the infamous Gap, to nice rolling ocean swell as we headed straight out to sea, to an invaluable opportunity to ride a following sea back into the harbour, this paddle allows our customers a unique opportunity to truly see what our kayaks can do. As qualified sea instructors, Rob & Mark sit alongside in the water to keep things safe, all the while encouraging our test paddlers to do just that, test themselves & their boat to get a real feel for the sea. Matt has taken a shiny new Aquanaut back to Tassie! Photos by Mark Sundin
Matt Prenter in the Aquanaut inside Sydney Heads.				Matt again, this time in the brilliant Nordkapp LV, testing it’s mettle along the cliffs of South Head & the Gap.
Mark Sundin’s head negotiating a trough just near Botany Bay heads. Photo by Rob Mercer			Lump & bump off the Congwong Beach lighthouse, Photo by Rob Mercer						Mark Sundin again, about to punch through a reef break off Bare Island. Photo by Rob Mercer
Queensland sea instructor Gary Forrest has been putting his various EK boats through it's paces on the famous Mooloolooba Bar, with dramatic effect. He's managed to turn the endo into an artform, with practiced landings & a technique which allows him to actually have fun with this most unsettling of kayak manoeuvres. Click on the HERE to see the slideshow of this awesome endo sequence. Superb stuff. Photographer Deb Browning
Gary speeding down the face.	Bow buried							Stern heading for Mars
Vertical Forrest.
The descent begins.	Hold your breath, tuck into position.							G’day Nemo……
Gary Forrest again, this time carving a radical line on a Mooloolooba 6 footer. Gary is a bit of a legend among the surfers up on the Sunshine Coast, bemusing them with his longboat surfing. Photographer Deb Browning