Southern Waters new system of +/- real time reporting is good, although the ones I'm signed up to are into the sea. I was ill on the Tavy some years ago and logged it with the EA at the time

There still seems an element of subjectivity, rivers change character at sheet boundaries -I don't think so. The cragginess of hillsides the same, but no doubt as the digital master is updated it will become more and more uniform, Pity in a way, I like the subjectivity and even artistic contours mak...

sikaflex is messy to use and slow setting, but seems to stick anything to anything, lasts longer than evostick, but both will eventually fail as water creeps into the foam and junction. sikaflex will last quite a few years of almost constant wet

Handheld VHF can be very quirky, near the cliffs in Scotland sometimes someone 50m away in plain sight is out of range. On the other hand from the top of Butser Hill 270m you can hear the port traffic at Cherbourg 110 miles away. The handhelds have an aerial designed for all round use and not too af...

Loch Eribol might qualify as most scary with a northerly swell rolling in. Wiki has a list https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sea_lochs_of_Scotland but I suspect the minimum 1 mile will disqualify many many fine lochs and then there is the definition are we talking fjords or including bay shaped ...

Seen this several times, it doesn't seem to take much, just another compass or speaker VHF or phone. It is frightening how easy it is to reverse them back with a magnet. We always check each others and think about wind direction if in the mountains or waves on the sea.

I've paddled up from the sea near HW around the first few bends without problems, but then found it too shallow to paddle against the flow. Coming back down was easy although the 'V' down into the sea had grown a lot in the time I'd been upstream! Maybe it was just increasing flow rather than it bei...

TVP and kibbled onion are cheap, light and easy to carry, add something for flavour, stock cube, a sun dried tomato, black pepper etc and a dash of olive oil. Cooking is just adding boiling water and waiting a few minutes. If you use instant potato powder, just wait a few minutes, add the potato pow...

The old P&H vela is a really good boat for a small person and surprisingly fast for its length, might still be some around.

I paddled from Vaxholme some years ago, easy to get there by public transport, good kit, good advice, what not to like.

The brass frame seems to keep the lubber line in place, as it can rotate out of the way if you are not careful. You also don't want to restrict the bellows or you will get bubbles.

In the market for a new touring BA to replace my Palm Kaikoura, I notice the Yak Greenburg is massively on sale all over, so I suppose it failed to sell. Very few reviews on the internet. Anyone tried this?

I really like the 'bulldog' plastic clips. The force need to break one would be far above towing forces. Although I might not like to be lowered down a cliff on one I suppose

Seeing the post https://www.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=129195 on Ulva and toilets that became a discussion on access, I thought I'd resurrect this thread. We had some problems at Ulva recently, a man in a 4wd pick-up more or less told us to go home and not come back, however, ...

Any of the beaches away from the main towns just above HW -best at neaps rather than springs.....

The ocean cockpit is very practical for long journeys being seaworthy and with maps etc handy on the foredeck, but people claim they are harder to get in and out of. How about a cockpit with a sliding section to convert to keyhole for entry and exit and ocean for paddling

They winter out on the continental shelf but come back to the same sheltered inshore waters every year, it seems they may become accustomed to local kayakers and remember them from one year to the next. Once near Cuan sound we had one apparently leaving its young calf with us for safety as the adult...

As a time to time surfer in my Bullit S, my experience is that fins are like beach rudder with the paddle, initially the paddle loom is bending out shape to keep the boat in control, but after a while it all gets easier as you engage the rails and get the angles right. Take away the fins and I was s...

I'm very loose in the boat but with an ocean cockpit something always grips somewhere if needed. Repeated rolling in the pool can give me bruises, especially trying something new and snappy. However, in the real world the odd roll in surf or breaking waves is always painless. I go back to a relaxed ...

see this post viewtopic.php?f=38&t=128775

price open to discussion, please PM me if you are interested

Sale fell through so it is still available

sold by PM

We've practiced landing a 2 boat raft through surf using another boat further out to sea on a long line to control the raft. We found that if the control boat was facing the shore it was impossible to generate enough power back-paddling to brake the raft in the surf. Facing out to sea the paddler ha...

I'm selling a Nelo Inuk for a friend. Very little used and perfect apart from a few scratches from launching off shingle beaches. 'A1' construction, fibreglass/epoxy, fitted rudder, in a striking purple with black cockpit. about £750. The boat is lying near Portsmouth PM me if you are interested. ht...

Water arriving at the surface in a gentle upwelling doesn't have time to be affected by the wind so looks and is smoother, the sea is a 3 dimensional entity whereas we only work on two planes.

Is this still for sale and do you have a price in mind?

Capsized, paddle leash wrapped round him and pinned him in the boat.

a whole new subject!

re greenland paddles, it depends if you are a meat cleaver type of guy or prefer a sharp knife to carve fine slices of water. Even I resort to the cleaver if I have to shovel water to stay on that first wave in a race. Expedition touring my muscles and tendons would rather be gently cutting slices d...

I've never needed a knife in an emergency on the sea and no one in any group I've been with has ever needed one. However, I always have a 'Whitby' rescue cutter on my buoyancy aid which will saw through rope to 8mm using one hand if it is in tension -I'd feel a fool if I ever did need to release som...

Yep, Valley advised me that the upgrade would involve a whole new set up as they are not at all the same size. However, they sent me a replacement slider free of charge, excellent service for a boat at least 20 years out of warranty! The old one fell apart in my hands, all working now.