Winter in Venice
Winter light is different, even if the weather isn’t very wintery here in Venice now. These photos are from a tour on December 27th around the city.
Tag: Kayaks
Long time, no racks
Venice Kayak has now operated for eight seasons, and to celebrate that we have finally made some racks for the kayaks. For the first time ever we haven’t got any kayaks lying around on the ground. The three boats below aren’t ours 🙂 Next project […]
Venice about to ban kayaks in the city
Ever since the fatal accident in August 2013 there has been a lot of debates about what to do to make boat traffic safer in Venice.
There has been little change in the year and a half since the accident. All changes have been blocked or sabotaged by the various vested interests in the city: the taxi cooperatives, the transporters, the gondolieri and the city administration itself, through the public transport company ACTV.
In short, nobody has wanted to give any concessions to make the city’s waterways safer for everybody.
Traffic today is more chaotic than ever.
Change is on the way, it seems. Articles in local papers refer to new regulations, which has not, however, been published on the city web site.
The new rules would (it seems) prohibit the passage of kayaks, canoes, SUPs, water cycles, dragon boats, yole and even some types of traditional Venetian boats (‘sandolini’), in the Grand Canal and about a dozen of other unspecified city canals.
Already published changes include limitations of the movement of all kinds of rowing boats on the Grand Canal, including the traditional Venetian boats from the local rowing clubs.
Venice is selling its soul for short term profit.
Now, how come such draconian changes come just now?
The thing is that Venice has no elected city administration. The former mayor fell on a corruption charge, and the entire city council sent in their resignation. Without a city council, the city is governed by a state appointed official until the next local elections in May this year.
The city is therefore run by people who have no knowledge of local affairs and traditions, and it seems they just try to manage by finding compromises acceptable to the most powerful lobbies.
When changing the rules, the city administrators have heard the taxi cooperatives, the transporters and the gondolieri, but they have failed to communicate with the local rowing clubs or any other with interests in how the city traffic operates.
Venice is ruled by the lobbies now.
We all know how it’ll end when decisions are taken exclusively based on short term economic interests. This does not bode well for Venice.
Valley Pintail – the very last
In July I was on a brief visit to Canada and Michigan where I participated in the Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium. On one of the tours I was on there was a beautiful three-part almost golden Valley Pintail, and the owner, a local coach […]
Sea Kayak Design
Sea Kayak Design is an Italian kayak brand, well designed and well built. Venice Kayak has three of them, one of each of the original three models. The one on the photos is the 16ft model.
Skim Kayaks suspends production
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 […]
Skim Dipper
I just noticed that Skim Kayaks have a new model out, the Skim Dipper. They haven’t put up much information about it yet, except that it is 536cm long (17ft 7in) and 51.5cm wide (20.3in). There are some photos linked from the front page. It […]
Nigel Foster’s Whiskey 16
Venice Kayak has taken delivery of one of the very first of Nigel Foster‘s new design, the Point 65° Whiskey 16. Nigel Foster himself took it for its virgin paddle in the lagoon at Bibione.
There are more photos of the Whiskey 16 and Nigel Foster on Flickr.
The Most Beautiful Kayak in the World
Today I unwrapped the most beautiful kayak in the world. It is a Rockpool Menai 18 and Mike Webb has outdone himself. Many Rockpool kayaks are spectacular, but none is as beautiful as mine 🙂 I ordered the Menai 18 last summer, and it was […]
