T H E   G R E E N L A K E   P A D D L E R TWO GREENLAND STYLE KAYAKS ON A BIG DUTCH LAKE

HomeFirst runSecond runBottoms upThird runMeanwhile THIRD RUN NO WIND WHATSOEVER, TIME TO THINK IT OVER Unlike in the photograph, where a force 9+ squall, spitting out a lot of hail blows past, there was no wind at all today. The image was shot from the third cape on the map seen below. While sitting in my nicely heated car ! This was November 2011 approx wave height over 2 meters, knocked back by hailstorm and rain No go area. Lake IJsselmeer grows pretty chaotic when wind turns into storm The color of the water becomes gray opaque, caused by whirled up sediment. Depth on average is about 4 meters only SEVEN o'clock in the morning, a nice day to go for a spin on the lake, the water was like an oily mirror. I decided to go for a one way paddle to Schardam, a small village on the other side of  '' the bay ". The way back was by car, I was not fit enough for a return paddle as well. No speeding today,  just a lazy relaxed trip in the rythm of Eric Satie's Gymnopédie No 1.  So, pretty slow was the going. Yet again I was amazed by the fact, how light this kayak glides along Heading for Schardam, 20 km on a dead calm lake While I was gliding along I realised it´s a pity that Tahe omitted on installing Greenland style decklines as Seabird did ( photo ) and went for bungees instead. Lines are handy for entering the boat or having lunch afloat. As a workaround I rearranged the bungees on the Tahe. Doubled, and knotted like this they have a firm grasp on the blade and prevent the paddle from swinging front to back and up and down. This is an improvement on the original setup but still lines and sliders are better. Maybe two extra deck fittings would do great as well. UPO AHEAD The few sailors I passed all greeted me friendly, they where on their way to the waterlocks ( top righthand side of the picture ) to enter the north part of the lake for a day's sailing. I was stealthy gliding by in the opposite direction, keeping notice if they where taking me for a buoy or not. Several times I have noticed that sailors can mistake me for being a buoy, as this route towards the locks is partially marked out. This miss sighting can happen if I am the first spottable vertical mark they are looking for, combined with a sunny glare and back-lighted the mistake is easily made it seems. A sudden change in course is mostly enough to wake 'm up to ''tell'' them I am an UPO, an Unindentified Paddling Object. Tahe Greenland overtaking a Galway Hooker, leaving the skipper in amazement HIDEOUT The zigzag course in the middle of the bay had noting to do with the above but was a result of curiosity. Because of the temperature  ( 22 degrees )  and the relative clearness of the water, waterplant growth has exploded in this area.  Reaching lenghts of ten meters or more, as there where no waves today it was an excel lent occasion to take a closer look at this phenomena. Some areas where pretty densely packed with these green cables, not funny for a sailor in a boat with a '' fishing '' keel. Tricky for rolling as well. Good for small fish to laze around in and not being eaten by birds, who are always alert. About eating fish TG and two BP's.  The BP likes to nose underwater more often than the TG SYMBIOSIS The BP eased along with great finesse, soundless, unobtrusive, almost part of the lake itself. I was totally happy with this kayak and the Greenland paddle because it is so silent as was the world around. Lucky me. On entering the harbour of Schardam a couple having breakfast on their yacht made a compliment on my smoothly running past. Thanks! WHICH ONE IS BEST ? Two super rollers. For me the BP wins on speed, free water contact and agility, The TG is a winner in the rolling department and probably the better kayak in rough conditions  HAVE FUN ! AND SO TIME WAS PASSING BY But hey, what's he carrying? All of a sudden, this Idea popped up HomeFirst runSecond runBottoms upThird runMeanwhile BPTMG rev 2021 A A R D  V A N  H O L L A N D . C O M