Well I shot up to North Wales Friday evening and it was dark when I got there, I had booked into a Youth Hostel and seriously guys for cheap good accommodation it cannot be beaten. Great atmosphere, drying rooms and comfy beds, beats sleeping in vans – certainly at this time of the year anyway. I awoke to an amazing view of the Snowdonian Mountains. Breathtaking….

Read More

http://www.whitbyseaanglers.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=14489.0

“The Show was the first opportunity for many visitors to see our latest water craft for 2010 and the new Prowler Ultra 4.7 was very well received by kayak fishermen who came along specifically to see it,” commented Andrew Dron. “It is a very exciting new design – not the sort of boat that people buy on spec and many people who came to see it bought it.”

The Prowler Ultra 4.7 is packed with features including a multi-functional hatch cover to house electronics and innovative areas for storing bait, kit and rods. The outstanding hull design gives great stability and exceptional tracking and offers a much drier ride than other models. It is a sit-on-top sure to be a hit this season but of course on the stand at the Show there were many sit-on-tops, canoes and kayaks catering for paddlers of all age ranges and abilities.

There was even the opportunity to try out the fun new Nalu paddleboard from Ocean Kayak which was being demonstrated on the indoor pool close to the stand. The Nalu can be used as a sit-on-top surf kayak or stand up paddleboard. Paddleboarding is easy to do and is also a great way to exercise. When paddling standing up your body core, legs and arms all get a workout and it helps your balance. Also on display with the paddleboard was the special dual purpose paddle from Carlisle known as the Taboo hybrid. It is can be adjusted to suit the user’s height or converted to a traditional kayak blade.

“Our recreational sit-on-tops are always a big attraction at this event and we saw many new converts to kayaking while we were there,” concluded Andrew Dron. “Our water craft are ideally suited to those who enjoy the outdoors and for many campers and caravanners they are the perfect thing to take away if you’re going to have a holiday by the water.”

And now, following the success of the 2009 YAKKAir, Bic have released two more inflatable kayaks for 2010 – the YAKKAir LITES.

Developed directly from the successful YAKKAir HP, the YAKKAir Lite is aimed specifically at coastal paddling close to the beach, for rivers and for other inland waters. Suitable for all skill levels, stable, strong and lightweight, the YAKKAir Lite is the ideal way to get out on the water on your holidays.

As far as construction is concerned, the same multi-material format as used on the YAKKAir HP has been adopted. It incorporates Polyurethane bladders encased in Dacron sleeves, and a multi-tube bottom with a coated fabric outer skin which ensures durability and performance. The rigid stiffeners at the front and rear tips help to pre-form the hull, sharpening the cutting edge and further improving the already excellent glide.

The new YAKKAir Lite is stable, fast, lightweight and comfortable and comes with a seat/backrest, safety grab lines, abrasion protector, bow protector, carry handles, stowing mesh front & rear for accessories, paddle attachment, carry bag, pump and repair kit, all as standard.

It is available as a one man (RRP £539) or two man (RRP £629), and is easily folded down into a carry bag, making it simple to carry on foot or popped in the boot of your car. Getting started is just as easy and it is fully inflated for use in minutes using the high pressure pump that comes with it.

With the success of their inflatable kayak last year, Bic are sure that the new YAKKAir Lite is going to be equally in demand. So make sure you get your hands on one soon, as these babies aren’t going to be round for long!

For more information on Bic kayaks please goto our kayak fishing reviews section or visit the bic kayaks website.

Make a coffee, sit back, and enjoy this excellent and exciting video.

Quote From – www.kayakfishingnz.com

Read about the new Ocean Kayak Prowler Ultra 4.7 Here

Discuss the new OK Prowler Ultra4.7 in our fishing forum

Of course this has been widely advertised-and every boat owner with a GPS on board has seen it advertised in local press, marinas, boat yards, tackle shops and chandlers, If you haven’t, and I doubt you have, you had better take note that the area off Tynemouth the jamming will take place is in a box with corners 55º 09′. 00N 001º 08′. 52W, 55º 00′.00N 001º 00′.48W, 54º 58′.02N 001º 10′.02W, 55º 01′.02N 001º 13′.02W, 55º 07′.98N 001º 13′.02W.

Between 10am to 4pm in 1 hour slots two hours apart, from a ship seven miles off shore. Obviously these trails are meant to be for commercial vessels, however if somebody is jamming GPS signals on purpose or by accident it will affect small boat owners as well.

Previous study results can be seen at http://www.gpsworld.com/transportation/news/maritime-jamming-trial-shows-gps-vulnerabilities-6878 which amazingly shows quite a few deficiencies, -funny how they have just cropped up now- in the GPS system, but two points I have noted are the comparison that has been made between the GPS system and the new European system eLoran which shows that eLoran has advantages

* Loran’s positions were recorded onboard the vessel and consistently maintained the vessel’s during GPS jamming. The position accuracy of Loran was assessed prior to the start of the jamming exercises and it was found to be on the order of 8 m (95%) in the area of Flamborough Head.

* Loran was demonstrated to the audience and showed that the vessel’s position on an electronic chart was perfectly usable for coastal phase navigation during periods of GPS outage-but will it help anglers find wrecks?

Information – Courtesy Of Alan Charlton

A prize of a Humminbird 383 colour GPS fishfinder went to the winner of the kayak fishing competition, Steve Sowersby of Bridlington. He caught the heaviest fish, a cod weighing 7lb 12oz and the prize was presented at the Scarborough Anglers’ Club on Saturday night. During the day while the competitors were after the biggest catch, other anglers and members of the public were also able to try out a range of Ocean Kayak fishing kayaks from Johnson Outdoors UK.

This is the second year that kayak fishing has featured in the Scarborough Angling Festival and forty three kayak anglers from across the UK came to take part. “It went really well and we had people coming from Hampshire, Scotland and North Wales,” said Dave Adamson who organised the kayak fishing competition in conjunction with the Festival committee. Many camped nearby at Filey on the Saturday night and on the Sunday they were able to enjoy some social fishing in Filey Bay where there was also a demonstration of kayak safety techniques. “Once again the feedback from all those who took part in the weekend was very positive and there has been a lot of discussion about the competition on fishing forums such as whitbyseaanglers.co.uk,” added Dave. “I feel this is going to become a regular event which can only get better and better.”

As well as lots of interest in the fish, Aaron Emms of Robin Hood Watersports said much attention was paid to the Ocean Kayak models on display which included the Prowler Trident 13, the Prowler Trident 15, the Prowler Big Game Angler and the Scupper Pro TW. “Our staff didn’t stop talking to people all day and it was a great opportunity for general members of the public to get afloat and try the kayaks out,” he commented. He added that the interest in the craft on display at the Festival reflects the soaring popularity of kayak fishing generally. “It really is our fastest growing area and in the three years since we’ve been selling fishing kayaks we’ve seen business increase ten fold.”

A wide range of affordable water craft and marine electronics made for a busy stand for Johnson Outdoors UK at this year’s PSP Southampton Boat Show. “People came specifically looking for us and they were there to buy,” commented Andrew Dron of Johnson Outdoors UK. “Our range of sit-on-top kayaks always does particularly well at Southampton. We also had a great deal of interest in the new products such as the Nalu paddleboard and the Torque Angler powered kayak.”

The popularity of kayak fishing has seen tremendous growth in recent years. Visitors to the stand had the chance to meet members of the Ocean Kayak Fishing Team and experts from AnglersAfloat who were able to swap tips with experienced anglers and advise those new to the sport how to get afloat. The family canoes and recreational and touring kayaks were also a major attraction.

“In addition to the water craft there was tremendous interest in the side imaging sonar and products from Geonav in the marine electronics section,” added Andrew. Visitors commented on the fact that they had seen the exclusive Humminbird side imaging sonar from Johnson Outdoors UK featured on the BBC’s Countryfile programme. This was broadcast at 7pm on the Sunday of the first weekend of the Show. The programme showed marine archaeological research taking place in the Western Solent and highlighted the ability of side imaging sonar to show picture like images of wide areas of the seabed which makes it ideally suited to this type of work.

Andrew commented that the pre-Show publicity generated by National Boat Shows had a significant impact in holding up visitor numbers and he commented on the fact that the new layout worked well generating a consistent flow of visitors throughout each day. He concluded: “Despite the economic forecasts we are pleased to say we have had a very strong season this year and an equally successful Show.”

Read More

Date: 22/03/2009

Author: Dave Cocks, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer

Reference: Redcar 007 2009

RNLI lifeboats from Redcar were called out this afternoon (Sunday 22 March 2009) at 2.20pm to assist a kayaker after his craft capsized in strong winds near the mouth of the River Tees.

The 31 year-old man from Berwick Hills, Middlesbrough, was on his first venture out to sea in a kayak. When the craft capsized, he managed to make his way to a second kayak nearby. When the Redcar inshore lifeboat Jacky Hunsley’arrived, they found the man still in the water, clinging to the second kayak.

The man in that craft was attempted to paddle to the shore, but was making poor progress against strong westerly winds. The lifeboat crew pulled the man from the sea and returned him to the shore at an area known locally as German Charlie’s on the seaward side of the South Gare near Redcar.

Meanwhile the Redcar lifeboat Leicester Challenge 2 retrieved the capsized kayak, which contained the man’s personal possessions and car keys, and took it back to the shore.

Andy Beevis, Redcar RNLI volunteer crewmember said, ‘When we got there, the man in the water told us he was tired and hardly able to hang on to the kayak, so we immediately pulled him aboard the lifeboat. The man who was paddling also told us he was tiring because he was having to paddle into the strong wind.”

Tony Jamieson, Redcar RNLI Sea Safety Officer said, ‘This incident demonstrates the importance of going to sea properly equipped. The kayaker had good protective clothing and was wearing a buoyancy aid. There’s plenty good advice from the RNLI on their website about the correct types of flares, VHF radio and lifejackets which should be used so that people can enjoy the sea safely and raise the alarm if they get into difficulties. We also do free Safety Equipment and Advice – SEA – checks for boat owners. These can be arranged through the lifeboat station or the RNLI website.’

For more information visit www.rnli.org.uk and click on ‘Sea and beach safety’.