Kayaking trip to Rivö

July 31, 2010

I have spent too many days indoors this year but last week my friend Patric suggested that we just should do a short trip to Rivö in Goteborg Archipelago. It’s about one hour kayaking trip from the harbor to Rivö. Rivö has a population of 35 sheep, 4 horses and some Ravens.

We had really nice weather and a really good time.

We spotted two caribous today! Built in Marstrand.

The view from Rivö is excellent. A nice spot for dinner!

Geveskär  in the inlet to Goteborg.

The wild raspberries at Rivö was delicious! The Public Access in Sweden is great.

Day trips

July 18, 2010

I have been kayaking the last couple of days and mostly day trips in Goteborg. Not very long or advanced paddling but still very nice and relaxing.

Gabriella is taking her first strokes ever!

Lunchbreak at Eskilsholmen in the Goteborg Archipelago.

Tomas is his Rumour in Goteborg Archipelago

Kayak survey – most popular kayak

July 13, 2010

During the spring I have  asked a question about what brand do your paddle. I listed 14 different common kayak brand (including build your own kayak and different brand). The result is not scientific but 117 did answer. The number one answer was different brand (26%) followed by Valley (15%) and Rockpool (10%). I was surprised by that high number of different brand. Well, my Silhouette from Foster Rowe is included in that number. So I can imagine there is many different brands. Click here for the complete list of the kayak survey.

By the way, Valley have a quite new design of their website. Pretty good actually.

The Clapotis Kayak is proberly one of the kayak brand that is not included in the list. It is very popular here in Goteborg.

Annual kayaking trip to Valö

July 5, 2010

First day of my vacation and kayaking. The weekend could not start in a better way. Well, I prefer tailwind so the the gale from south wasn’t that nice for a start. Otherwise it was great. Every year in the beginning of July the Gothenburg Canoe Club is having an open paddling trip to Valö. It is getting more and more popular. This year it was about 60 attendants from a lot of places in the south of Sweden. It is a relaxed atmosphere and lot of fun. There wasn’t any special program this year except the mandatory barbecue on saturday night. This year the wind trigged our  playfulness.

I’m having a break behind a small light house, to avoid the headwind for a while, on my way to Valö.

Some of the kayaks at Valö.

A group of paddlers are heading out to the waves.

Some islets south of Valö was the playground this time.

Tomas is getting out through the break in his Rumour.

followed by Andreas in his Clapotis.

Johan and Tomas is having fun.

Tomas posing in front of the camera.

Johan is the designer and builder of Clapotis and Clapotis 2.0.

High brace

Anders bought a hull from Johan and designed the Clapotis lowrider. Great work! I want one!

On the leeward of Valö some practiced sculling and eskimo rolling.

Some was just having a good time.

Saturday night and the barbeque

It was really calm conditions on our way back to Goteborg

A video from Valöträffen

Kayaking in Stockholm City

June 29, 2010

Yesterday I went kayaking in Stockholm City with my friend Åsa. I have been working in Stockholm for a few days and we took the afternoon of and rented some kayaks at kajakkompaniet on the island of Kungsholms west side. Paddling in Stockhomm was really nice weather and the there were many kayakers and boats on the water. The cost was 225 SEK for 4 hours. They had about 12 kayaks of good rental standard.

We took the most paddled trip in Sweden, according to Fredrik at Kajakkompaniet, and circumnavigated Kungsholmen. It is fun to see the city from water level. You see lots of people, beautiful houseboats, nice buildnings including the Stockholm City Hall where the Nobel Prize Banquet is held. Here is more information about kayaking in Stockholm.

Åsa is paddling with the Stockholm City Hall in the background.

Karlbergs Palace

Kayaking trip

May 23, 2010

This weekend I went kayaking with my friends Patric and Martin. This was the first kayaking trip for Martin in seven years and he just did a trial trip then. At Hinsholmen we ran into Babs Lindman who has circumnavigated the south island of New Zeeland and also the coastline of Norway. Her company kajaktiv was having a demonstration day. I have met Babs a couple of times before when I did some courses in white water paddling and I have also joined kajaktiv to a white water trip in Norway two years ago. I can really recommend the courses and trips. The instructors are among the best white water kayakers in Sweden.  Babs is full of life and I really admire her strength, guts and sense of humor.

Babs jumped into my kayak and discovered that the silhoutte is low…

Patric is leaving Rivö in his fairly new Corsa.

After having a chat with Babs we started to paddle and went out to some islands west of the city. Patric stayed until afternoon and then headed back home. Martin and me continued for another 30 minutes.

Tent spot at Galterö

The conditions were perfect. Hardly no wind and really warm. We have had a really long winter that has affected the spring badly but now, just in a few days, it feels like summer. Even the night was warm.

Martin enjoyed the trip.

Some sheep is still sleeping in the early morning!

We stayed at the island of Galterö. Galterö has a nice fauna with heaps of different birds and also quite a few sheep . When we headed back home we had a nice tailwind helping us coming back home quickly. I think Martin ejoyed the trip. He fell in love with the kayak, the Clapotis, we borrowed from a friend. I wish there was a lower version of the Clapotis. That would be a real nice kayak.

Dreaming of waves

April 20, 2010

It’s still cold in Sweden than it usually is. Maybe it is the long winter or the ash from the Icelandic vulcano that are affecting our climate. I’m dreaming of the summer and some nice white water. Hopefully there will be some paddling in Stockholm Archipelago next weekend. But I don’t expect any white water there.

Magnus is side surfing at Härmanö huvud outside of Orust

It is hard to launch the kayak

January 6, 2010

It is quite cold in Sweden at the moment (about -10 C / 14 F) and it is getting harder to find good spots to launch and land the kayak. The sea hardly freeze at the Swedish west coast. Hopefully it will become warmer but the forecast is predicting even colder weather next week.

The Archipelago north of Gothenburg is covered with thick ice. Good for ice skaters!

Paddling in Gothenburg Archipelago

October 18, 2009

I have had a nice weekend of paddling in Gothenburg Archipelago with two good friends. It is getting colder at night so we spent the night at Valo Lighthouse. During this period of the season it is hardly any boats sailing or cruising and the silence in the archipelago is remarkable. The sun is still warm during daytime, if you get protection from the wind, and we stayed outdoors in the sun reading books for a couple of hours.

Fredrik and Patric are having some sun ritual

Morning walk around the island of Valö with the light house of Tistlarna in the distance.

Valö lighthouse

Gothenburg Canoe Association (GKF) has the privilage to tenant the Valo lighthouse. There is no electricity and we also need get fresh water from a well. A primitive but really nice way of living (for a few days).

The berries from rowan has a beautiful color.

Windy paddling to Valö

September 13, 2009

I haven´t been to Valö for almost two months so it felt really nice heading south. The wind was coming from west on our way to Valö and didn’t give us any problems but on the sunday the direction had changed and the wind had increased to 13-14 m/s (25 knots). We tried to paddle against the wind but after just one hour we changed tactic. Instead of aiming ashore we went out to the major islands to get wind protection. It turned out to be a great idea when we later got an invitation to some friends at Styrsö. We joined them for some crayfish and later on in the evening the wind decreased again.

Valö light house in the morning

Patric in his new kayak “Corsa” design and built by our friend Ulf Johansson.

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