It was a good day!

Heh, I was smiling huge smiles on the inside!!

Hi Paul, we (10-15 of us) still did an epic downwind today on wakitipu. 16kms, gusting 35-40+ knots. So much video footage to sift through now!

12.5km avg speed. Fastest ever km for me was 4.08mins.

thanks Alan! Hope to one day join you for a paddle in Scottish waters 🙂

Thanks for watching Michael and great to hear the video was helpful. Been 2 years since I made the video and I very rarely take an unplanned swim these days.

Thanks for watching! I really do like the feeling when we are both in sync as the ski just surges ahead. It was a fun day out!

Thanks for watching 🙂! I wear a Garmin Instinct watch which syncs all the details to the Garmin Connect App. Additionally I use a Vaaka cadence sensor on my paddle to track my paddling stroke rate. If also syncs as a sensor to my watch and Garmin app.

@@DavidMorrison Thanks for all the information! Is your Carbonology Sport Boost LV the X version? Are you still happy with it? Would love to try one as there aren't many low volume skis but CS is rare in Auckland.

Hiya, yup really happy with Boost LV. It is the X version. I used to have older model fibre glass layup for about 6 months then moved to the X in full carbon. I find it really stable in all conditions. I am at the upper end of the weight limit (85kg+). Ping me if you are ever in Wellington and we can tee up a go on the boost. Not sure if I will make it to King and Queen of the Harbour, but if I am will let you know!

@@DavidMorrison Thanks again! I registered to King and Queen of the Harbour but I will be away abroad soon and be back just a week before the race... Not much time to be prepared!! If you come here and want to try the Epic V10L or the tiny Fenn Bonito, just ask! I have never been to Wellington but my wife is from there. She loves it!

Heya and thanks for watching. WIth each step up in craft you will lose a bit of stability. I have not paddled the Cruze but when I first started on the Boost I found it quite forgiving. I did have a few swims in my first few downwinds. I now find the boost really stable in all conditions. Best advice would be to try one and see how it feels!

Thanks for watching. Practice those remounts and you can feel a lot more confident out there. Enjoy!

Thanks for watching 😊

Heh, yeah I plowed into a couple of swells 😅. Awesome fun

Thanks for watching! Yeah I often like to slow the video down to analyse when things are going well or otherwise. You see so much more!

Thanks for watching. I sure will be heading to Queenstown. Planning a road trip to do that and then Nelson the following weekend. See you there?

You are welcome, it is great to see races from NZ. I was going to do it but I had a calendar conflict. That said, that race looked a bit too much for me! It is very likely I will do the Queen and King of the Bay and then Bhutty Moore. Can't tell yet if I will have enough time for Queenstown. Hopefully!

Yeah it was a good race. Two rescues, one with a dislocated shoulder. Well organised race with great safety planning allowing some great conditions to be racing in

Thanks!

Haha - True...

Hi Brandyn, I don't carry either but for most of my paddles the SafeTrx app on my iPhone is sufficient for live tracking by famiy/friends. With VHF radio and Locator beacon I probably have enough for now; but I am interested in the InReach at some stage. Thanks for watching!

To my understanding, SafeTRX is a cell-only option that requires you be in range of a cell tower. Garmin inReach and SPOT are satellite-based location tracking, messaging and beacon services that work outside cell range. Where I kayak in Lake Michigan, for example, I’m frequently out of cell range so a satellite system is advisable. I also carry ResQLink 400 PLB (also satellite-based) in case of real trouble, just as David suggests here. (I assume his PLB is a satellite beacon.) I could be wrong about any of this, but it pays to know exactly how these devices work. Cell and VHF are line-of-sight and typically pretty weak; i.e., short-range. Satellite coverage is global and the only problem with them is if you’re in wooded canopy, not a problem on open water!

You are most welcome Tom! Thanks for watching.

Thanks Steven, I enjoy the events but don’t have the pace of the young guns!

@@DavidMorrison I mean in a good way ;)

Hi Christopher, thanks for watching :-D. I use a Mocke wrist leash. Good for the really windy days. Needed to adjust paddle position when remounting but I do find it provides a little more peace of mind. mockepaddling.com/product/wrist-paddle-leash/

@@DavidMorrison Awesome, thanks!

@@DavidMorrison may I ask how does “ adjust paddle position” work? If you need to remount from left side, seems you have to takeoff the leash first?

Thanks for watching! Most of my paddles are in Wellington, New Zealand, one the windiest cities in the world. We have a prevailing NW wind which allows for downwind paddles over a 10km track most weeks.

Yup. Front paddler does the steering

@@DavidMorrison Thanks for the information. It is the same for the V8 double I tried. I am looking for a double we can steer from the back and so far it seems it is only Nordic kayak who does it (both front and back). If I am at the front my daughter rests at the back ;-)

Thanks for watching! Yeah there some quick boats off the mark. My Carbonology Boost takes a little more effort to fly along in the flat!

Ultimately the v7 will allow you more progression as your skills improve while still providing a stable platform, also have a look at the NK breeze v5, both are similar boats.

Thanks for watching! This was on my older fibreglass model, now rocking a carbon Boost. Love it. I sadly won’t be at Poor Knights this year but hope to be several of the Darcy Price races

@@DavidMorrison Thanks for your message. I will try to be at Poor Knights and also the Windy City Downwind which sounds a bit scary! Watching your videos helps to know what to expect!

Wellington Harbour can be a fun place for downwinds. They won’t run the race in massive conditions so it should make for a great race. Fingers crossed we have a decent breeze…

Definitely. I am 172 and roughly 85kg

@@DavidMorrison Thank you David, much appreciated

Thank you! Cheers!

Yeah - would def be keen for a paddle in Sydney sometime! May be a while yet before I get back across the ditch.

Hi Jeff, I don't have the experience of the swordy to answer but two folks do: 1. Robin Mosley compares the Swordy and Zest here: www.surfski.info/forum/19-boats/20241-carbonology-zest-x.html#39058 2. And from my paddling buddy Ross here in NZ "Having owned all three... they are different boats, and it depends on what the person that asked the question is looking for, and why they are looking to change. If they find the swordy too unstable, then the zest most likely isn't for them. If they are happy paddling a swordy, but find the seat uncomfortable, then both boats would be suitable, with the boost more suited to the bigger conditions. If they are a big paddler, then the Zest, as long as they are an intermediate paddler. If they are looking for a faster boat, then I suggest neither is what they are looking for, caveated that you will always paddle a slower boat faster if you can put full power into each stroke over a fast boat that the paddler is struggling to keep upright. The swordy was my most regretful sale. Best advice. Get a boat you can sit in comfortably for 2+ hours and balance in. Having a too unstable boat will wreck any technique you have built up in a more stable boat, and most likely wreck your shoulders in the process."

@@DavidMorrison thanks so much. Comfortable in the Swordy, but looking for stability in bigger rough conditions. Will test a Boost. Thanks for your help.. Keep the vids coming. Regards Jeff

Hi Peter, thanks for watching. I am wearing Top - Vaikobi VCold HydroFlex, Legs - Vaikobi VCold Flex Leggings, PFD - Vaikobi V3 Ocean Racing PFD. Hope that helps

Thanks for watching! We don’t get too many sharks around our region, more dolphins and orca!

Thanks for watching! It was a fun paddle :-D

This started at a spot called Burden's Gate near the entrance to Wellington Harbour. We tracked south into the weather to start with and to push out a bit into the swell and then turned to paddle about 10kms to the Petone foreshore.

Hi Peter, thanks for watching. I am wearing Top - Vaikobi VCold HydroFlex, Legs - Vaikobi VCold Flex Leggings, PFD - Vaikobi V3 Ocean Racing PFD. Hope that helps

Hi Gordon thanks for watching! To monitor my cadence I use a Vaaka paddle sensor synced to my Garmin instinct watch. The Vaaka website allows you to upload a data extract from my watch. It also pulls through into the Garmin Connect app (but you need to track as a bike ride) www.vaakacadence.com/

Hi Mark, I stopped using the harness and now just clip it (using the belt clip on the VHF)to my left shoulder using the loop on the left front of my Vaikobi PFD. I do also have tethered and clipped to PFD so I can unhook it if needed and not lose it. You can see the setup here kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKSxl5hrmNOir5I And here I am using it mid paddle. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2nQlmOGe5aCn68 Being close to my ear it is easier for me to hear me being called.

@@DavidMorrison thanks David! Your technique in slow mo looks great btw. !

@@markb2396 thank you! It is a work in progress

Thanks Dan for watching! Happy New Year to you too :-). Next video hopefully will feature surf from Foxton Beach

@@DavidMorrison hey are you going to do bhutty moorememorial race in February

@@danwikaira3949 not the Bhutto, but will be at Nelson race end of Feb

Hi Paul, I was keen for a bit of a New Zealand vibe with the music today! The animation is a Relive video - created in the free version and then exported to iMovie to chop up. And best wishes to you too for 2022.

Hi Paul, heh I was in a local music vibe this day. I am just using the free version of Relive and then saving the video to my pc before editing in.

Hi Scott, I am in a carbon Boost LV (low volume). Thanks for watching :-)

Thanks Alastair! Been almost a year since that video and the progression has continued. I really enjoy focussing on technique improvement...

All great tips Alastair! Thanks for watching :-)

And certainly agree about committing. Once I changed my mindset to really drive hard to catch waves my downwind enjoyment increased significantly. Been nearly a year since I have fallen out unexpectedly…