I’ve just received a message, in Swedish, from Skim Kayaks stating that they’re suspending production and sales because they’re having problems making ends meet  economically.

Its sad because the boats are fantastic. I have paddled a Skim Distance around Sardinia, and will take it around Sicily in March, and I have recently bought a Skim Dex for use as a guide kayak in Venice, where its combination of speed, agility and stability makes it the perfect boat for paddling in Venice.

Here’s the message in my unauthorised  translation from Swedish:

We take a break

We started Skim Kayaks in 2002 with the ambition of building and selling sea kayaks which we found missing on the market. And which we believe other paddlers found missing too. The goal was produce boats locally and as environmentally friends as possible, boats with characteristics and details meant to make it more fun and safer to paddle in all sorts of weather, all year. Boats that we ourselves as paddles felt we could grow in.

Seven years and many Skim Kayaks later we feel happy, and a little proud, that we have reached our goal. The only goal we haven’t reached is the economic. It is hard making a living making kayaks in the way we wanted. We have therefore decided to take a break and think hard about what we can do to build the boats we want to build. In a way that doesn’t conflict with what we think is important.

From now on it will not be possible to order a Skim Kayak. While we ponder what to do with the boats we have, we will continue to sell kayak accessories that we use ourselves and that we think is good. You will find that on kayaksaker.se. See you there.

Great paddling!

Göran Pehrson och Anders Nyström

and here’s the original Swedish text:

Vi tar en paus

Vi startade Skim Kayaks 2002 med ambitionen att bygga och sälja havskajaker som vi saknade på marknaden. Och som vi trodde att några andra paddlare också saknade. Målet var att på ett så miljömässigt sätt som möjligt närproducera båtar som hade egenskaper och detaljer som skulle göra det roligare och säkrare att paddla i alla slags vatten, året om. Båtar som vi själva som paddlare kände att vi kunde utvecklas i.

Sju år och många Skimkajaker senare känner vi oss glada, och lite stolta, över att vi nått det mål vi en gång satt upp. Det enda som inte riktigt nått ända fram är det ekonomiska. Det är svårt att leva på att bygga kajaker på det sätt vi tänkte oss. Vi har därför bestämt oss för att ta en paus och fundera noga på hur vi ska göra för att kunna bygga de båtar vi vill bygga. På ett sätt som inte tummar på det som vi tycker är viktigt.

Från och med nu kommer det därför inte gå att beställa en Skimkajak. Men medan vi funderar över hur vi ska göra med de båtar vi har och de båtar vi vill ta fram, kommer vi fortsätta att erbjuda kajaktillbehör som vi själva använder och tycker är bra. Dom hittar du som vanligt på kajaksaker.se. Vi ses där!

Skön paddling!

Göran Pehrson och Anders Nyström

Kokatat will be using a photograph I took in Sardinia last year in an ad in the May issues of Paddler Magazine and Wavelength Magazine.

The photograph is taken in the morning as we were rounding the granite formations of Capo Testa.

Kokatat sponsored us with Knapsters, Storm Cags, Anoraks, life vest, Seawesters, and hydration systems.

In spite of the journey being put on hold until April or May, Skim Kayaks has generously offered to continue to sponsor me for the remainder of the journey.

Foto by Alex Solbach

I’ve paddled the Skim Distance in Sardinia for four weeks in different conditions, and it is a brilliant expedition kayak. It is stable, fast and spacious. I consider myself lucky to be able to finish my journey in such a boat.

Weather conditions in Sardinia are very changeable, and in a couple of occasions I paddled in winds up to force 6 and waves of several meters, which is more than I have tried before, but I never felt unsafe or unstable in the Skim Distance.

The speed of the Skim Distance is incredible. I’m not the racing type, and I was astonished to discover that I could get a fully loaded Skim Distance to go at 10-11 km/h, and at 7-8 km/h sustained. It would be very interesting to see what a competitive and dedicated race paddler could get out of a Skim Distance.

The Skim Distance is also a surprisingly agile boat when unloaded. I’ve paddled it for two weeks in Venice in September, and in spite of its notable length it was very easy to get around, both in the smaller channels of the city, between the other boats and outside the city, in the lagoon.

My thanks to Skim Kayaks and to Göran Pehrson for their continued trust in me.

Most of the stuff from our North American sponsors have been shipped to Wendy in Canada, so only now when Wendy has arrived here in Venice to save me from all my problems have I had the possibility to actually see the things we have received.

There was way too much in Wendy’s massive duffel bags to list it all, but here’s some of it.

The first thing we tried was simply too amusing to let rest. We had to try them on immediately. The Vibram Fivefingers are glove-like shoes with separate fingers for each toe. Initially they were a bit hard to get on, but once on they were very comfortable. I paddled with mine all day and had no problems.

Kokatat have sponsored Wendy earlier, and this time they sent us a huge parcel with jackets, short sleeve knappsters, storm cags and a new PFD for me. I used the PFD for yesterdays paddle and today the storm cags saved our morning, when we had to get up and out of the tent in pouring rain. I have no doubt the storm cag will be one of my favourite paddling garments in the future.

ODLO had sent us a parcel with technical underwear and other sports clothes to Palermo. I still haven’t tried it all, but I used the ODLO T-shirt for yesterdays paddle, and amazingly it feels cool in the sun, warm in the shade and it dries almost instantaneouly, so its the perfect shirt for a paddle on a sunny day in Venice.

Wendy bought a beautiful tent from Hilleberg, a Nammatj GT3. We slept in it tonight through pouring rain and thunderstorms, and it was just brilliant. It stands with just three identical poles and four pegs, so it mounts in an instant. We had it standing in a couple of minutes without looking at the instructions. I wish it were mine

So today I’ve spent most of the time sitting at Café Maleti on the Gran Viale of the Lido, updating blogs and doing email. Life is hard, but they do make good coffee and food, and absolutely great icecream.

Then I have to stand the pathetic view across to the lagoon to Venice each and every day on my way to the ‘office’ at Bar Maleti. I don’t know how I can stand it, but I guess when you have no choice you learn to cope.

We’ve got a few new sponsors for our journey. ODLO has sent us a package of underwear, Tec shirts and jackets. Wendy will bring it with her to Venice later. North Water has sent Wendy a large package of deck bags, tow lines and other good stuff, including a huge mesh duffel bag Wendy seems to be in love with . Last, Hilleberg, the Tentmaker, has given us a very good discount on a good size light weight tent for the journey.

Now, for the rest of the day, I think I will go back to the camping, and go paddling for the afternoon. A good paddle up Sant’Erasmo to Burano and Torcello wouldn’t be bad for a sunny afternoon on the Lido. In the evening I might go to the local trattoria for a pizza.

Here are some photos of the new Skim Distance in Venice and surroundings.

The Skim Distance parked besides a very busy inner city canal.

Paddling in front of the city just east of St. Mark’s Square.

Parked on the side of the main canal at Murano.

Paddling with Maria in the lagoon of Venice near the island of S. Erasmo.

Among the multicoloured houses of Burano there was one with exactly the same colours as my Skim Distance.

Doing a slightly illegal foray into the military area of the Arsenale.

Still transgressing on military areas with impunity

My venetian friend Marco wanted to try the Skim Distance and immediately took a liking to it. The expression on his face says it all: don’t try to take it away from me!

On our way down to Italy we passed by Varese near Milan to visit Nicola de Florio of Avatak Pagaie. Nicola had promised Wendy and me an Avatak paddle each for our journey, and he has kept his promise twice over.

Our agreement was for a Greenland style paddle each, a take apart paddle for Wendy and a single piece paddle for me. When I arrived to pick up our paddles, there were two paddles for each of us: a Greenland model as agreed, and a two piece Aleutina model.

The Aleutina is rather special. It is unshouldered, the widest point of the blade is some 15 cm from the tip, and then it has a kind of spine on one side of the blade, It is in effect one side of the shaft that continues down the blade.

As I understood Nicola’s explanation, the two sides are like two different gears. The flat side is normal and the side with the spine a higher gear.

I’ve never padded with such a thing before but I have used it a bit here in Venice and the is a clear difference between using the two sides, but as I was guiding a group in the lagoon I wasn’t free to experiment.

I’m really looking forward to playing more with these paddles once I get to Sardinia.

I had the new Skim Distance out for a short paddle today. The colours of the boat are beautiful, but the weather was a bit dark and cloudy. That’ll be better in Sicily and Sardinia

Each time I try the Distance, I’m surprised how manoeuvrable it is, in spite of its considerable length.

When I started looking for sponsors for the circumnavigation of Sardinia and Sicily with Wendy Killoran, Skim Kayaks in Sweden were the very first I contacted for support. I know their kayaks well from Kajakhotellet here in Copenhagen, where I have paddled both models, and quite a few of my friends have Skim kayaks and praise them incessantly.

Wendy and I finally met with Göran Pehrson from Skim Kayaks at the Stockenträffen in Orust, Sweden, where we agreed on a sponsorship deal. So, I’ll be paddling a Skim Distance around both islands.

Göran must have seen it coming because he had the kayak with him to Orust. Its a beautiful orange/white boat and I just can’t wait to get it on the water. We had no car with us to Orust, but Freya Hoffmeister agreed to take it to Copenhagen for me. Many thanks for that, Freya!

Skim Kayaks is (still) a small company, and I am immensely proud that Skim Kayaks have chosen to invest so much in me and in our journey. My sincere and deeply felt thanks to Skim Kayaks and to Göran Pehrson for the faith they have shown me.

The Skim Distance at Stockenträffen 2007.