Tag: Kayaks

  • Winter in Venice

    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.

  • Long time, no racks

    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 must be to make a rack for the gondola.

  • Venice about to ban kayaks in the city

    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:…

  • Early May in Venice

    Early May in Venice

    A few photos from a recent paddle through Venice.

  • Valley Pintail – the very last

    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 named Belinda, let me have a go in it in…

  • Sea Kayak Design

    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 Sicily in March, and I have recently bought a Skim…

  • 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 seems to be a middle thing between the Skim Dex…

  • Nigel Foster’s Whiskey 16

    Nigel Foster’s Whiskey 16

    Venice Kayak has taken delivery of one of the very first of Nigel Foster‘s new design, the Point 65º 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

    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 my intention to use it for the journey in Sardinia…

  • Skim in Venice

    Skim in Venice

    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 new Skim Distance

    The new Skim Distance

    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.

  • Sponsored by Skim Kayaks

    Sponsored by Skim Kayaks

    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…

  • Escape Kayak Centre, Göteborg

    Escape Kayak Centre, Göteborg

    After the Stockenträffen in Orust, Sweden, Wendy and I went to Göteborg with Sara and Johan from Escape Kayak Centre. Wendy has agreed to do her Newfoundland presentation at Escape on Tuesday evening, so we had two whole days there. Dubside who had been touring southern Sweden with Escape in the weeks up to the…

  • Stockenträffen

    Stockenträffen

    Wendy and I are just back from the annual Stockenträffen in Sweden. We went there on Thursday afternoon with Freya Hoffmeister in her huge van. The weather forecast had promised force 5-6 winds and regular showers, but fortunately we only got the former. We had arranged for kayaks from Escape Kayak Centre in Gothenborg, but…

  • Anas Acuta

    Anas Acuta

    A short while ago I had the happy fortune of stumbling over an Anas Acuta at Kajakhotellet. The Anas Acuta is a rather rare bird around here, since they’re usually sold before they even arrive in the shop. From what I hear Valley has a problem keeping production up with demand. In any case, this…

  • Toys, toys, toys …

    Toys, toys, toys …

    I’m a happy little boy right now. Tomorrow I will get a Rockpool Menai 18 on loan for a month, and today I got my motorcycle back from the workshop. The motorcycle, a Yamaha TDM 850 from 1993, has been sitting idle in the garage for over two years now. I bought it in Italy…

  • Paddling home

    Paddling home

    Today I paddled home from the beach park. Almost as usual, somebody had taken my kayak for use in a beginners course at Kajakhotellet, so I had to settle for something else. First I laid my greedy eyes on a Skim Distance which I haven’t tried yet, but then someone pretending to be a buying…