Winter trials

Santa clause was good enough to bring me a new Narak 550 from Nautiraid this year.

We waited to have a good day to go and try this kayak in the Aber Conquet.

The Narak looks nice. It is very well build from quality material.

It is quite narrow and not so stable, so some kayaking practice in protected waters is necessary prior to planning a larger trip. The Aber Conquet is a small river that finishes in the Iroise Sea. There is a harbor for some +/- 20 fishing boats. The river is shallow in its upstream portion and we need high tide to go a bit further. There are many bird species, it is quite and very enjoyable on this sunny late December day.

On the downstream side of the river, the south side is the main port quay side and the north side is the cliff and there are various caves dug by many years of assertive winter waves. The granitic rock has also taken some interesting colors.

I have read a lot of comments on this kayak and I find it quite comfortable. There are a new things that needs a bit of adjustment before being comfortable for many hours crossing. But this will come soon.

Today, the kayak is back in its bags, as we travel tomorrow to Africa with it. So next promenade will be in warmer and quieter waters.

Happy new year to all!

Sea Kayak News

In the early 80's, sea kayaking was not so common along Britany coast. Cruises between Roscof and Paimpol or between Penmarch and Noirmoutier were my longest ones. I enjoyed the spirit of the navigations in groups in weather that were sometime rough. Camping on the beach, living very simply and accessing areas that only kayaks could reach were as many joyful moments, close to the nature.
Plasmor was our main kayak builder. Catchiky and Natsuk were our main boats. The build quality was not that great, but they were realy good kayaks. The Catchiky could carry the kayaker and about 50 kg of equipment and food, which was enough for days of cruise along the coast.
Thirty years later, and likely about 20 years after my last kayak trip, I decided to clean my old Catchiky and ordered a couple new kayaks from Plasmor, one Kitiwek and one K16. I also bought one Nautiraid Narak 550, as I intend to kayak wherever I travel... This blog will relate our little adventures with these great boats.