Yukon Ho!

The fantastic weather has brought about an unexpected turn of events (and led to some suprise purchases. Walking into Cotswolds over the weekend we tried to think through some of the more detailed logistical points around the race, and how we’re going to pack kit. I think it struck Toons and I that we might have a major issue with sunburn. We will, as a result, likely spend most of our race looking remarkably like a foreign-legion wannabe; we’ve bought the world’s most ridiculous looking sun hats. Click to read more …

Training in our boats is proving a bit of a grind, so I thought I’d share one of the key bits of hope that we’re holding out and try to work out whether this is realistic. We’re both really praying that the boat we’ve rented in Canada will be significantly faster than that we’ve got to train with in the UK. The stats (for those of you playing Tandem Kayak Top Trumps) are below:

Necky Amaruk (UK boat, bought second hand off the organisers of the world adventure race championships):

I’d just like to point out that you can feel every single one of those 91lbs…

Canadian boat (rented for just the race period):

Riot Delta Tandem:

A superior tandem, the Delta is spacious and designed for extended coastal cruises. Its shallow V hull provides tracking and predictability, while its tumblehome hull shape allows it to be paddled fully loaded, even in the roughest seas. The large hatch situated between the cockpits allows a child to come along for the ride.

Features:
• Ultralight composite contoured seats
• Padded double strapped back bands
• Adjustable footbraces
• Flush deck, neoprene sealed, front, center & rear hatches
• Fore, center, & aft composite sealed bulkheads
• Lifeline, bow, center & stern shockcord storage
• Optional child seat
• Pilot Rudder™ System
• Color shown: Carbon

Specs:
Stern hatch: 21″ x 12″ / 53 x 31 cm
Bow volume : 25 US gal / 95 L
Rec. max. cap.: 700 lbs / 318 kg
Bow hatch: 16″ x 9″ / 41 x 23 cm
Stern volume: 39 US gal / 148 L

So the headlines are:

1) Only marginally lighter - goodness!!!!

2) Around 4′ longer

3) Around 3cm thinner

So we’ll be doing a better stroke in a more hydrodynamic boat, but lugging the same ammount of weight, which is a real downer. Looking at the lines, I think it should be a lot faster, and once we get it going the weight shouldn’t altogether be an issue. WHy do I think so? See the maths below

Hull speed is frequently defined as:

Hull speed (knots) = 1.34 times the square root of the waterline length (in feet)

Hulls mostly cruise at around 70-90% of hull speed so this should mean our new boat is faster than the one we have been training  with.

No sharp turns or manouvres allowed (obviously a tall order with me on the rudder….)

One of the outcomes from our Marsports training was a recommendation on the kind of paddles we should be using for the race. We’ve both ordered some new carbon blades, which will be tailored to our exact heights and be the right paddle size for such a long race. I’m really looking forward to getting the blades, which when we trialled them in Reading had a really silky smooth catch and a constant pull all the way through the stroke (and, unlike the pretty fluttery blades we’re borrowing at the moment, will be long enough to stroke properly).

These blades are being made up as we speak and I’m going to pick them up next weekend - £200+ per pair! So expect some pictures of shiny new kit next week; just about enough to keep a kit addict like me happy, at least for now.

So far we have acquired/borrowed/rented:

• 1 x Necky Amaruk K2 touring boat
• 2 x Rat Race branded Buff’s
• 2 x Sense of Humour Click to read more …