Telling about the past, living for tomorrow

On november 1st, we had the opportunity to tell about the trip to 25 danish sea kayak instructors, who were gathered in Hanstholm for a weekend seminar on the subject of surf and waves. Jesper gave two more presentations, to a group of local scouts in Hanstholm, and to the people in his hometown, Ræhr, just south of Hanstholm. We have received good response from the talks given so far, which motivates us to keep going, and tell the story about a fantastic kayaking trip!

Two more talks are coming up in the near future, and more are in the pipeline. One is at Crandals Gallery in Langholt, 17. november 2008. On tuesday 18. november, we'll be at Brødrene Vestergaard's shop in Thisted. Feel free to contact us if you want to host a talk, or if you plan to visit one of the talks - there may be an available seat still!

Telling about the past isn't all we're doing, though. Whenever possible, we're enjoying the kayak surf action on the danish west coast. Fall has arrived, bringing better and more consistent surf conditions. The water is getting chilly to the point where it's similar to the Faroe Islands (8-10 degress C), so it is nice to stay warm in the drysuits. Getting some time on the water and having fun, that's what it's all about, afterall!

First talk, and surf seminar

It seems like a week ago already, after two intense days of surf kayaking on the west coast, but friday evening we gave the first talk about the Faroe Islands circumnavigation. PureKayaking hosted a seminar for their customers and instructors, and we were invited to tell about our trip.

I think we made it in about two-and-a-half hours, which was somewhat longer than expected - but responses were good, and you guys seemed to have a good time. Thanks for listening and asking questions. I hope that this has sparked your interest in going on longer kayaking trips. It was a joy to visit you!

Friday night we drove the long way to Klitmøller, and spent the rest of the weekend on a national kayak surf seminar. What a rush to see 30 kayakers in the waves (saturday was pretty crowded, with maybe 30 windsurfers, 30 kites and 50 paddle surfers as well - sunday was less crowded and conditions were better than saturday).

Talks in preparation

During the next months, we'll be giving talks to our sponsors, and if we can get it coordinated, to the danish sea kayaking scene in general. Notes are being prepared, photos selected and edited, and all in all, it is a nice way of going over all the experiences from the Faroe Islands once again, letting them sink in! We're looking forward to seeing our sponsors (and their customers), friends and other kayakers, and tell a good story about a great trip!

What have we learned?

After finishing the trip yesterday afternoon, we're slowly getting back to normal life. Today we teamed up with Johan and Thomas, two kayakers from Torshavn, and had a nice three-hour paddle from Kvivik in Vestmannasund. We explored two quite large caves, and wrapped the trip up with a good rolling session in the chilly, salty water. Thanks for letting us join, guys!

We have spent quite many hours talking and thinking about what made the circumnavigation possible. It has been a long and challenging paddle, both mentally and physically, so now is a good time to try and wrap up the experiences.

The trip started as an idea between the two of us in august 2007, on a weekend kayaking trip. We both started thinking about whether it would be possible, and what it would take to be ready for the challenge. During the fall, we talked further about the idea, and around christmas-time we decided that we would give it a try. After aligning our expectations for the adventure, we made a lot of detailed planning during the winter. We quickly realized that we needed all the experience we could get on paddling big seas, so we trained in the surf on the danish west coast throughout the winter.

The training in surf, and many discussions on equipment and how to manage the logistics of the trip, mentally prepared us for the challenge. Around two months before departure, we started getting all the details right - maps, equipment, food, transportation, sponsors and local contacts.

As we set out from Torshavn last sunday, we were excited about what was to come, but felt ready to meet the challenge. Looking back, we've learned a lot, during the 420 km of paddling the Atlantic sea. The change from the friendly danish sand beaches, to vertical, non-accessible rock shore with no or few landing spots, demands long, committed and well-planned day trips. Accepting that we were 100% committed to reach the goal we had set for the day, has been the most important development for us as kayakers.

Good teamwork, trust and honestness, both when we're afloat and on land has been a key to success. Often, we had to take quick decisions on for example route planning or landing strategies. In these situations, it was important to discuss our opinions and feelings about the situation without fear of being misunderstood or frowned upon.

We sometimes paddled on a tight schedule, with only little time for sleep and restitution. Here, the hours spent in the surf on the danish west coast paid off, allowing us to paddle with confidence in the conditions that we met. Many years of outdoor living gave us the most benefit from the time spent on land.

Getting in touch with local people has been an important part of both planning the daily route, and experiencing the Faroe Islands. As one of the first things after landing, we often tracked down local fishermen or sailors, and asked for highly valuable local information on tide currents, landings, weather and choice of routes. This was important information to extend the basic maps and tide charts (Almanakki) that we had.

We have been met with genuine hospitality and friendlyness everywhere we landed, and we feel that we've got a small insight in the life of a people who've learned to live life in the middle of the atlantic ocean, with the mentality of doing things "all-in", or not doing them at all.

When all this is said, don't forget to keep smiling, laugh and have fun along the way.

That's how we learned to paddle the Sea of Flames.