Stockholm, known as the Venice of the North, a great capital to kayak in. How many times have I commuted over Årstaviken (WGS84: N 59º 18.360' E 018º 03.140' ) wondering what it would be to kayak around Årsta Holmar (WGS84: N 59º 18.448' E 018º 02.751' ). Rumor it has that there is a beaver hut somewhere on the island.
After finally buying a folding kayak, this is the story of the maiden tour with some comments on the initial impressions of the new kayak.
My maiden tour with my new kayak had to start in Årstaviken (WGS84: N 59º 18.235' E 018º 02.768' ), and so I finally took a trolley with my kayak and went to the shore. It was about 7pm, about 15 degrees warm and a little bit windy.
I first tried to paddle the kayak, a FolBot Yukon without spray skirt and it worked surprisingly well. Having said that, I can't see any serious use for a Yukon without the spray skirt.
After having paddled round half of Årsta Holmar (WGS84: N 59º 18.448' E 018º 02.751' )I headed for Liljeholmsbron (WGS84: N 59º 18.816' E 018º 01.930' ). It was quite windy so I decided to go to Pålsundet (WGS84: N 59º 19.176' E 018º 01.810' ). First impression of the Yukon in windy conditions is that (without rudder which I haven't tried out yet) it tracks surprisingly well and behaves very well balanced. I think the main issue in the future will be the fact that folding kayaks usually have bigger area exposed to wind compared to rigid kayaks. We'll see.
After reaching Pålsundet I paddled round Långholmen (WGS84: N 59º 19.312' E 018º 01.700' ) and took a coffee break in the last light of the falling sun. Simply amazing. It reminded me of Chris in 'Into the Wild' screaming I'm Supertramp .
Having a coffee break on water while waves are coming in and at the same time mounting the spray skirt of the Yukon showed some things I like about the Yukon - it appears to be really well behaved in 'tricky' waves. With that I mean, when you are closed to rocks and waves are reflected back, the sum of waves becomes a little unpredictable, this is when the flexibility of the hull of folding kayaks makes a nice difference.
The main reason I opted for the Yukon design is that I wanted something I could carry and something I could sit comfortably in having a coffee break watching birds and photographing. So far, the Yukon seems a good choice. I will get back later this year with more comments on this kayak when I have used it more. My first impression in general is that it is a great design (probably a classic) but construction quality isn't exactly Klättermusen if you know what I mean.
Finally, my I headed home with wind in the back and It went pretty quickly. I took some photos outside Årsta holmar before I headed for the shore and disassembly of the kayak.
Exhausted and happy.
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