Project Nordkapp, Part 3...

After the last installment I thought long & hard about the cockpit coaming that I'd glassed onto the boat & after a few measurements & sitting in the kayak I decided to cut it off. Apart from looking Shit it was slightly off centre at the front.

It also looked a bit modern & not the retro look I'm going for.

This time I've cut the surrounding hull more level & am going to make the coaming separately & bond it to the kayak afterwards.

The mould took a lot of thinking about but in the end I went for a simple foam & wood option. I'll glass the wood & side of the foam to create my coaming which will be a simple 90 degree bend & nice & old fashioned looking. She may be a fibreglass kayak but I want her to look similar to the greenland skin on frame kayaks.

Just waiting on my next delivery of supplies...

I've chosen to fit a kayak sport skeg as its half the price of the Kari Tech cable skeg & I'll fit a 10" round hatch on the rear deck to access the skeg.

Funds are putting this part of the build on hold though (LOL)...

Project Nordkapp, Part 2...

With the crap, windy weather persisting & my expedition still on hold it seemed like a good time to make some progress on Project Nordkapp.

The cockpit was always going to be the biggest hurdle, the black area in the images to the squiggly line for my seat position is what was cut away from the old racing style cockpit.

I used a card template taken from my Nordkapp RM & used this as my guide.

I still have to finishing trimming the cockpit, there's still some wet resin in the images. Then the cockpit rim will need gel coating.

 I used to do glass work on half million pound boats a few years ago & I'm enjoying revisiting my old skills, though as you'll see from the images moulding smooth curves ain't my strongpoint (LOL). At least my skirt will cover the cockpit rim.

I've revised my ideas of the finished boat slightly & have decided to place the rear bulkhead as close to the cockpit as possible, this is to aid emptying the boat during a deep water rescue.

I've also decided to add a small rear hatch to aid the fitting & maintenance of the skeg. A bit of storage would be handy too.

The colour choice was giving me a lot of headaches till I finally settled on the black & yellow scheme below. The boat will be gel coated black with the stripe being a vinyl sticker & some additional graphics will be added too.

I've removed the gel coat joining strip between the top & bottom hull & need to decide whether keep a gel strip or try & achieve a smooth finish without one?

I'll be glad when the hatch & skeg are finished & the last few holes patched so I can put away the glasswork materials & concentrate on the hours & hours of gel coat preparation.

Tempted to take her for a sneaky paddle now :)

A couple of design ideas. I've based the graphic on the original logo but gave it a more modern twist. And yes, X is for extreme, (luv cheese)...

£220m Training Pool...

Not really a trip this but a decent three hours on the water nonetheless.

I fancied a little skills practice in the bay on Saturday but after a few calls no one was available. Turned out however that Scott & Aiden were heading to the Bay on Sunday, game on then, time to get my paddles wet :)

Rolling on my bad side...

Thanks to Scott for the Vid & Images of me...

Edging...

Rolling...

We warmed up with a leisurely paddle up the Taff, not very hardcore but a nice change seeing the city from a new angle though I did feel a bit like I was in a goldfish bowl with the spectators on the riverbank. Heading back to the bay I practiced a few rolls, in fact I spent most of my time on the river practicing edging, leaning, inside turns, cross bow rudders & forward & reverse sweeps.

To good a opportunity to turn down...

Entering the Bay & the wind as I had hoped was picking up nicely...

 Very nicely in fact...
With the strong wind & waves hitting us I decide to do another roll as I need to practice in all conditions. I manages to fluff this one though, I ain't fluffed a roll in ages but I'm glad I did as I can learn from it & be more prepared next time.
The problem it seemed is that the boat didn't go completely upside down, it felt like it laid on its side & Scott & Aiden confirmed that. May be its something that happens in rougher water? Thinking about it now I think that's what happened during my four star training when I tried to roll in a bumpy tide race. More practice to find out I think...

 Aiden giving it some into the wind...

I follow the guys back to channel View where they put in & then make my way back to Penarth, quite a pleasant few hours & I'm feeling better for having got off my arse for some solid practice...

Project Nordkapp, Part 1...

I'm pacing back & fore like mad at the mo waiting for a decent break in the weather so I can get back to my around Wales expedition.

Seemed like a good time to make a start on 'Project Nordkapp'...

She's a vintage Nordkapp Racing L model. 

Originally she came with a sliding seat & your knees would stick out of the rather large cockpit...

I took a template from my Nordkapp RM as I intend to fibreglass the cockpit into a more conventional cockpit design. As it stands I can't buy a spray skirt to fit & I ain't keen on the look anyway...

I made a bulkhead ready to bond into place, this will double as my footrest. I need to have bulkhead's as she's basically a bare shell, no hatches, no bulkheads & no seat. At least by blocking off the front & rear of the kayak will create air pockets to enable deep water rescues, kinda handy in a sea boat!

Your probably thinking 'what about storage?'. I intend to use her as a day boat as I have my other Nordkapp for extended trips. I will however set the rear bulkhead a little further back so I can stuff things behind the seat...

That brings me nicely to the new seat. I bought it & the backrest from Fyne boat kits. It's basically made from moulded foam with a cloth covering. I intend to glue it straight to the hull though I will need to make a support for the thigh pads. The seat & thigh pads are all one piece & looking like being really comfy.

Today I just mock fitted & made some marks for where I want to fit things. I needed to do this to work out the position of the front bulkhead.

Next time I'll make the rear bulkhead & hopefully get on with some glasswork...

Tyla Images Expedition Around Wales Day 3 & 4...

Nothing much happened on days 3 & 4, I mean what can you do when your sat on a beach for two days (LOL). I had forecasts of F4 to F6 & despite my frustration I decided to play it safe & sit out the weather.

I would have given it a go if I wasn't solo, but as a solo paddler I have to be a little more cautious. I know other kayakers have a higher comfort level that me but I intend to stick within my comfort zone of what I consider safe & enjoy my time on the water.

Day 3

 the weather wasn't too bad but the tide was early & I was knackered from the portage the previous night as i had dragged my boat most of the way up the beach fully loaded till a friendly local helped me carry it to the end of the sand. Won't do that again, my back was well stiff!

Day 4

Didn't sleep too well last night, I was woken by thunder & lightning about 12AM. Luckily it seemed quite distant though the flashes were still quite bright.

Woke to a stiff breeze, F4-5 predicted, it didn't look too bad but I decided to play it safe & lose another day. It was up to F6 in the evening.

Day 5

I thought today might be the day despite the forecast, (just how long can the crap weather last?), the forecast however was F6 at Mumbles :(

 I called my Mum for a 5 day forecast from the BBC weather web page & it didn't look too good so I've decided to take a break & wait for the low pressure to pass & head off again ASAP.

I'm glad at least that I've got a couple of stages done & it gives me a great opportunity to slimline my kit as I seem to have too much :)

Tyla Images Expedition Around Wales Day 2...

Having had a wonderful night camping on Sully Island, I broke camp early & headed off a 8AM. I first popped across to the mainland to dump my rubbish (I won't name-drop the pub as they gave me a parking ticket a couple of weeks ago (bastards). I then headed for Jacksons Bay to replenish my water supply...

My mate Scott was at Jacksons & took a few images of me, cheers Scott :)

I passed Barry Island & pushed on, my thoughts turing to Rhoose Pount & Nash Point wondering how rough it would be. Rhoose, as ever was a bit of a handful but Nash was surprisingly calm (Phew)...

A peaceful looking Nash Point...

With those two out of the way i wonder how far to go? The lazy option would be ogmore & camp in the sand dunes.
I decided on the longer & riskier route of heading to Kenfig. I know there to be overfalls near the Seabank Hotel & I've not paddled here before, this is virgin water for me & it's a little lumpy...

The overfalls weren't too bad but did keep my concentration as I broke into a surf a couple of times.
There was a lot of large surf passing Porthcawl so I stayed out beyond the waves. I was not looking forward to landing in surf but the thought of sitting in my tent with dry clothes on & a cup of tea spurred me on.
I picked my spot & observed the waves for a bit then went for it. I followed a wave in then looked behind, (shall we say I uttered an expletive!(LOL). There was a big wave looming down on me, quickly I back paddled & managed to ride over the wave rather than being taken for a ride.
I watched some more & slowly made my way closer in, back paddling & following waves till I made it to shore.

After a nightmare portage getting the gear & boat above the waterline I finally pop the tent up in the rain & spend ages drying all the kit bags before organising them all in the tent.

When the rain stopped I go out for a look. The waves are now huge! Think I may have set camp at Rest Bay (a surf beach(Whoops!).
There must have been about a hundred surfers along the lenth of shoreline, think I'm gonna take a beating paddling out of here?
With two nights spent on the beach I can see now that the biggest waves are during the mid flow of the tide & i will need to launch at high tide so should be ok?

Stat's

23.7 Nautical Miles (27 Statute Miles)

Max speed 6.9 knots

Average speed 4 knots

Time moving 5 hours 54 mins

Tyla Images Expedition Around Wales Day 1...

O.K. So what am I doing here doing my blog when I should be paddling around Wales?

In a word, weather or two words, low pressure!

I was camped at Rest bay for two days waiting for light winds to make the crossing to the Mumbles Then after that the big crossing from the worms head to Caldey Island. On the third day I get up to listen to the inshore waters forecast & the Mumbles is currently F5 (again). I call my Mum for a weather update for the next 5 days & it sucks so I decided to take a few days off & wait for this low pressure front to pass. I am after all trying to have fun not scare the SH*T out of myself :D

Day 1 & ready for the off, my mate Richie was kind enough to give me a lift to Chepstow & after much faffing about & leaving quite a lot of kit behind, (as it just wouldn't fit) we both had our doubts wether the boat would still float (LOL)...

 The boat did float & if anything, actually felt more stable...

I head out of the river Wye & into the Severn, aiming straight for the shoots as I'm looking for the fastest ride I can get. I manage 7.8 knots through the shoots & then ajust course straight for denny Island...

I stopped briefly at Denny Island, a quick wee & check my bearing to Lavernock Point some 16 miles away...

O.K. this aint Lavernock, its Penarth?
Well I run into (literally) a little problem near Newport, I grounded on a sandbank(LOL).
I thought I could see one in the distance, then I saw a gull land on it, then I touched bottom a few times before totally grounding out (Whoops!). You'd probably think I'd manage to avoid it but the tide was ripping & just pushed me side on to the bank. Luckily the sand was heaped like a ploughed field so I was able to find a channel out.
For about half an hour I did battle with the sand, touching bottom a few times more before I finally found a way out of the maze.
releived to be back underway I change course for Penarth as the sea is starting to pick up, still a long way though...

I stopped on St Mary's Sandbar at Laverknock to assess my progress, I decide that the tide probably wont let me reach Aberthaw so I opt for Porthkerry.
I soon change my mind though. as the tide was out I had to pass the back of Sully Island & it was quite nasty out there & especially on the West side so after a little look I chose to turn around & head for the causeway & set camp on Sully Island for the night...

Stat's

28.8 Nautical Miles (33 statute miles)

Max speed 7.8 Knots

Average speed 4.5 Knots

Time Moving 6 hours 24 mins