Hi, Snap Dragon, thanks a lot for the best wishes. My first kayak goes in the Queenscliff Maritime Museum besides Paul Caffyn’s, outfitted with the last a bit worn out and “holy” spraydeck of yours, plus a faded nylon cockpit cover and your backrest and stickers. Immortal now…looks like it had some history!

Your decks held up great and are the best! I actually used only in two those eleven months of heat, sun and salt exposure, popping the perfect snapping deck more than 20 times per day. The velcro top tube is perfect ventilation for the various warm or hot conditions, and for big seas the velcro goes tighter. It almost crossed over some weeks, when I didn’t feel like eating enough…I’d just prefer to have the breathable fabric one day in all black, too…

I replaced the original epic backrest against yours – best deal!

The nylon cockpit covers were in use every day, plus on the spare boat all the time which travelled on the van the last two months. They are a bit faded and repaired with tape on two spots. 

Thanks!

 Freya

www.qajaqunderground.com

Completes Circumnavigation of Australia

Freya Hoffmeister finished her circumnavigation of Australia around noon, Tuesday, December 15, 2009. She landed at the Queenscliff beach at the mouth of Melbourne Harbor 332 days after departing from that same spot on January 18th.  She covered approximately 8,470 miles (13,800 km) in 245 days of paddling, averaging nearly 35 miles (65 km) per day. In spite of numerous attempts, the circumnavigation of Australia has been completed only once previously, in 1982 by Paul Caffyn in 361 days. Freya saved time and distance by taking a bold “short-cut” across the Gulf of Carpentaria, a 350- mile (575-km) open-water passage that took eight days and seven nights on the water.

Sea Kayaker is proud to have been a sponsor of Freya’s remarkable adventure and we congratulate her on the successful completion of her history-making voyage. We’ve published regular interviews with Freya during the course of her expedition, starting with our February 2009 issue. We’ll conclude our series in the April 2010 issue. See photos of Freya at the finish at www.seakayakermag.com.

Jackson Kayaks new Fun Series is out, take a peak at some video featuring Nick, Emily, Dane and Clay on the Russell Fork.

Paddler: Danielle Katz Photo: Brian Coggan

“After 102 days and 2,300 miles Team Blue successfully completed their kayak trip down the length of the Mississippi River.  From the source in Northern Minnesota at Lake Itasca, they watched the river transform from a shallow brook often narrower than the length of their paddles into a freeway of barges and ships at the river’s mouth in the Gulf of Mexico. Read the rest of this entry »