Now for a little video interlude ...

More from Warren Williamson here

Thanks for this, Taran - very useful.

My Typhoon drysuit is just coming up for 2 years of use. The only problem I've had so far was the stitching at the lower back giving way. Typhoon repaired it, no questions asked, and returned it to me within a week. If the warranty doesn't cover materials, however, that's disappointing.

As luck would have it, within a couple of days of posting the above, I discovered a splitting seam at the backside of my Typhoon Multisport (no, I haven't put on weight!). I called Typhoon, who told me to mail the suit to them and that they'd get it back to me asap. I sent it off and received it bac...

I and husband have had Typhoon Multisport drysuits for a year and 9 months now with no problems at all. Latex seals are hardier than Palm Aleutian and are holding up well. We've been pretty impressed - and it's esp nice to have the 3 year warranty, as yet (happily) untested.

Some more ... http://www.kayakacrossthewater.co.uk/images/firthoflorne1.jpg Firth of Lorne http://www.kayakacrossthewater.co.uk/images/firthoflorne2.jpg Firth of Lorne http://www.kayakacrossthewater.co.uk/images/gnk_kilcreggan.jpg Firth of Clyde http://www.kayakacrossthewater.co.uk/images/lochgoil1....

Wow! That is truly incredible. I think if I encountered a blue whale, I'd be overcome (with emotion, that is).

Jim - Good point about keeping busy - for me, that's dealing with what's in front of me and not daydreaming about worst case scenarios. And self confidence - I'm finding that, in relation to kayaking, the only way to gain that is to keep kayaking and to nudge against the boundaries of the comfort zo...

Mark - I am glad you liked the post :) Oarsome - I fully agree. Fear is never to be ignored, but is to be experienced for what is. It's perhaps a case of discerning irrational fear from survival instinct, and I have a tendency to hand over the reins to the former. I used to fear rolling a kayak in a...

Thank you for flagging this up.

Has anyone ever used the Kokatat warranty? I'm curious about how easy/difficult/slow/fast it is to send things for repair being that they're US based. Ta.

Edit: I should say has anyone ever sent stuff back to Kokatat for repair, ie even neck seals, not necessarily under warranty.

Like Janet, I have the Typhoon Ladies Multisport. I've had it for a year now for sea use. I have no complaints about mine at all, although my husband's equivalent (male version) is leaking (both sleeves and possibly one foot). The good news is that the Typhoon suits have a 3 year warranty, which was...

This BBC report says "mid-August". Not very specific, I know.

It starts its journey on Tues 16 August, so not this Tues. Unless you're planning to go see it at Govan?

There's a podcast linked at the bottom of the tracker page. Sound quality isn't great, but it would seem Mick Berwick is personally not keen on the idea of another attempt (for now at least).

For anyone interested -

Status update on Fukushima: NY Times

Impact on marine life: Japanese NHK News

The root cause - long-term power loss not foreseen in gov't n-plant guidelines: Kyodo News

How awareness unfolded in Chernobyl

We also have the coal-fired power station proposed for Hunterston to contend with. (The "carbon capture" capability is nowhere near ready btw). Aside from the emissions/pollution, the RSPB describes the area as the "best remaining inter-tidal mudflats left on the outer Clyde". Sorry, don't mean to h...

Steve - Totally agree. My own finding relates to my paddle feather (60 deg), crank, positioning, style of roll etc etc. I just wanted to point out how blade angle made such a difference to me personally, so is perhaps worth examining - imho. More a case of getting feedback on what your paddle is doi...

As this is a subject that's close to my heart, I'll chip in with my 2p worth. For me, the make-or-break for my roll has been getting blade angle right. I discovered that a simple "cranking" back of the leading wrist makes my roll robust. The blade sweeps at the perfect angle and I have time to think...

If you want to get really depressed, see this Hawaiian beach which is essentially now plastic. And then there's the poor albatross chicks here. And on and on ...

Totally agree with picking up whatever plastic junk you can when out in the kayak. If it saves just a few lives, it's worth it.

If you are considering the Canon Digital Powershot D10 at all, my hubby did a review of it here.

Pam

Hi Martin - Sorry for the delay in replying. I need to check my settings on here so that I get notified of replies to posts.

The kayak is sold now, I'm afraid. It was sold just a few days before your note.

Thanks for enquiring.

Pam

Red Nordkapp LV in excellent condition. £1450. Less than 2 years old. Only reason for sale is that I switched over to a smaller kayak (which fits me better) and am not using the Nordkapp as a result. It's a beautiful kayak which I took a lot of care with, so only has minor surface scratches on hull....

Same problem here with my Isel. Having worsened over time, it got to the point of sticking completely yesterday. Thanks for the tips - will give them a go.

Gordon - Were you wearing a drysuit, and/or a hood? I practised in Loch Fyne last month wearing a Chillcheater hood and a neoprene hood on top of it (just to be sure!), and I found the cold was bearable. I was also wearing a drysuit. Of course, if you capsize for real, you won't necessarily have a h...

I wear them over my drysuit. It's a bit of a faff getting the drysuit over them. I rinse them when I get back, then stick cardboard inside them and place them in front of a radiator and they dry out nicely.

I see it's a PFI. Nothing to worry about there then.

Thinking further about this, if Search and Rescue is run by a private business consortium (Soteria Consortium), this surely introduces/expands the notion of a profit motive. Would it be a stretch to imagine that users of the sea who might require their services could be charged in some way in the fu...

Interesting development: "The UK's search and rescue services (SAR) are all being transferred to the private sector under plans unveiled by ministers. A new service will combine the current work of the RAF, navy and coastguard. The new deal will mean there are likely to be fewer helicopters, reduced...

The really good thing about the poor wee Optio is that it never answers back! :o) Is it just me, or does any other Optio owner ever suffer from smears on the lens? Douglas In answer to that question, my hubby is now the proud owner of a Canon D10 Powershot, which he has reviewed extensively here . ...