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It’s a hard job but someone has got to do it!

With the excellent tides and opportunity for a film crew and speed boat, we obviously jumped at the chance of a P&H and Pyranha photoshoot at the famous Bitches tiderace in Pembrokeshire.

Setting out just before sunrise meant we got to see this awesome sight, and arrived at the race as it was building, giving us plenty of time to set up the equipment and get everyone used to the features.

With a full range of the brand new play boats from P&H and a rather lovely Carbon version of the Pyranha Molan we were armed with enough toys to really get the most out of the day.

Yes that is the very first Carbon Molan, paddled by Bren Orton.

So the tide built and we moved into the middle of the race (a nice big boat really helps here) to get some shots of the Aries, the composite version of the Delphin, both designed to be quick, manoeuvrable and surf big green waves like an absolute dream.

Nigel Robinson from Sea Kayak Guides was our host for the day, setting up logistics and putting us up fir the night, chatting here to Bren about getting on the wave.

All in all a dam fine morning out, and we were back in time for breakfast!

Film coming soon!

Canada’s Mountain Equipment Co-op has been a big partner with P&H for the past several years. If you are unfamiliar with Canada, it’s a place just north of us here in the United States but is a real, live foreign country. Funny, because they look just like us and are utterly indistinguishable from their southern neighbors aside from their preternatural ability to be polite. Even crossing the boarder, it is obvious that the Canadians have a different world view when they ask, “Where are you going? Where are you from? Oh, how’s the weather down there? And is your Mom doing okay? You should call her more often! Have a nice, responsible time in our native land and don’t forget to try your french fries with gravy!” And that is precisely why a U.S. born lad like myself is so excited when June comes a’ callin’. You see, I have been going up to MEC’s Paddlefest for some years now and it is always a great time! The students that I teach are great; the instructors that I work with are top notch; The city is beautiful; and MEC knows how to put on an event!

Paddlefest is located on Lake Onterio at Sunnyside Park, June 11-12th with classes and boat demos going nonstop from start to finish. The classes are reasonably priced so that anyone can come down and have a go at a watersport but that doesn’t mean they skimp on the instructors…no, siree! They get some of the best Canada has to offer…and then they bring me up for comedic value. I personally think it’s because they find my “American” rants funny and charming like watching a small boy throw a temper tantrum in a department stop. And every year the list of phenomenal coaches gets longer and longer. It’s simply the best fun you can have in a boat in Toronto!

And this year, as an added bonus to say thank you to all of the instructors who help out, Lizz “The Raptor” Burnside will be bringing me (Kelly Blades) and Michael Pardy in the Friday before to do a private lesson.

So, if you live anywhere in the English or French speaking world you would indeed be a damned fool not to come over to paddlefest and join us all for some great paddling, stellar instruction, and bushel baskets full of laughs!

In June every year, Mountain Equipment Co-op hosts it’s annual Paddlefest Weekend at Sunnyside Park on Lake Onterio in beautiful Toronto, Onterio, Canada and P&H Kayaks will be there in full force! The event is June 11-12th and is open to the public, offering classes for any skill level and any interest within the paddlesports community and the coaches are the some of the best Canada has to offer…And a few from elsewhere.

For our part, P&H will have the likes of Michael Pardy, Eric Ograad, David Johnston, Kelly Blades and many others on the water and ready for action.

It is a great time with great people and great classes so please, do yourself a favor and join us all at MEC Paddlefest 2011!

Last week, Jimski, Sean and I completed a route we named as the Cumberland Ring. Our aim was to circumnavigate the Lake District, via the rivers Eden and Lune and the coast between Lancaster and Carlisle, a distance of 340km.

For the inland sections we paddled Pyranha Fusions, and really liked them. The paddling was varied and a lot of fun. This is Stangerthwaite weir, which has a reputation for being nasty, but not at these water levels.

Man-made caves in the sandstone of the Eden valley.

The river is getting bigger and broader.
Heading out to salt water in Lancaster, the Lune estuary.

Crossing Morecambe Bay, not a lot to aim for.

West Cumbria, Black Combe in the background.

Trolleys were essential on the long walk between campsite and sea.

The final days paddling, into a mist, just a compass course to follow.

A total of 340 km paddled in 7 days. Fantastic weather conditions, calm sea and no rain. Not bad for March!

Photo by Bob Burnett

The 3rd annual Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium was held over the weekend of February 18/19/20th. P&H were one of the main sponsors of the event and as a P&H Team member and co-director of the symposium I couldn’t be more proud of my affiliation with this company. Not only because of the financial contribution P&H made to our event but because during the weekend everywhere I looked there were P&H Team Paddlers getting people stoked on boating. There were folk in Delphins pushing their skills in the rock gardens and tide races, and even the boss Graham Mackereth showed up and demonstrated that he not only leads the finest kayak company on the planet, he is also capable of showing the way on the water as well. Watching the Boss leading his group through the flood tide past the North Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge was very, very cool. It was obvious that this Olympian knows about boats, and how to handle a kayak in a four knot current with reflected swell thrown into the mix. And then Dominick Lemarie caught this great shot of the Boss powering through the tide race at Yellow Bluff.

The Boss at Yellow Bluff. Photo by Dominick Lemarie.

I want to thank Jim Hager of Pyranha US for his support and for sending Brian Day over to teach.

Brian Day (note the tow rope!). Photo by Dominick Lemarie.

Thanks to Ben Lawry for his great technical coaching and for selling over $1400 worth of raffle tickets – all proceeds going to the Marine Mammal Center.

Ben Lawry styling it at Yellow Bluff. Photo by Dominick Lemarie.

Thanks to Dave White, Matt Nelson and especially Jamie Klein for bringing lots of new toys for everyone to play with.

Dave White, ready to do battle with the Tsunami Rangers. Photo by Dominick Lemarie

Matt Nelson enjoying the sunshine (finally). Photo by Dominick Lemarie.

Jeff Laxier of Liquid Fusion Kayaking showing how it's done in the Delphin. Photo by Dominick Lemarie

Local instructor for California Canoe & Kayak, Bill Vonnegut playing at Yellow Bluff in his Delphin. Photo by Dominick Lemarie.

Thanks to all the volunteers, instructors and of course the students – please come back for more fun next year.

We particularly welcome participants (instructors and students) from overseas so please contact us through the website www.ggsks.com if you want to know more. And for the folk in the mid west and on the east coast of the US that have been braving the blizzards this winter, this was the scene on Sunday morning of the symposium. So if you fancy some ice free paddling – come and join us next year!

Photo by Dominick Lemarie