Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Paddling the Cappuccino in Shanghai

Today I took the Cappuccino out for a spin in Shanghai. And what a joy it was. It was so easy to carry and get in and out of.

I had to drop it down a 1,5 meter high wall and and then climb in. No problems.


It tracks well and speed was not bad at all.
Now turning this little fellow was an experience. A little bit of edge and it spun around in the narrow canal. I am going for another lunch paddle tomorrow and on Saturday I will go for a long one with my son Axel and Simon Takashina of Haish sports with his wife and 1,5 year old kid!

12 comments:

China Chuck said...

Hey Richard, I was hoping to make my way up to Hangzhou next weekend but looks like I can't find anyone to cover my class Saturday afternoon. I'm still hopeful that I'll get up there and demo a boat.

Do you know how the police feel about allowing us to carry boats strapped to the top of a car on the expressway? On the backroads and in the city it has never been an issue but my girl friend feels sure they won't let us get on the expressway with a kayak on the roof. Backroading it from northern Zhejiang back to the south would be a long scenic ride. At least spring is a good time for it and we'd pass some fine paddling spots. :)

Richard at Point 65 said...

Hi Chuck. So far I have been lucky. Regulations are sketchy and vary from province to province. If you drive and have the proper paperwork you should be ok. If you have a local driver he might get in trouble. Good luck!

China Chuck said...

Great news, I found a teacher to cover my class on Saturday. My girl friend and I are planning our trip up. I broke my phone a little while back and seem to have lost your contact info. Mind getting in touch with me again? Cell: 137-3636-9718 or my e-mail Senamar at Hotmail.

Josephine Wyatt said...

Hi there.My name is Josephine and I am considering relocating to Shanghai with my boyfriend who has just got a job there. We are going out there together to reccie the city in a few weeks time. We are both keen kayakers, having lived on River Thames in London and kayaked several times a week- mostly experience of racing kayaks but have sea-kayaked also elsewhere. I would love to know if there are any formal/informal kayak clubs or groups in Shanghai as this would be one of the things I would miss most about leaving home. Any info. would be great or ways to make contact with other kayakers !

Josephine Wyatt said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Richard at Point 65 said...

Hi Josephine.
I'm not aware of any. There are several nice lakes to paddle on and then the river which is.... interesting. But you need your own kayaks. Let me know if you need some assistance. Cheers Richard

Josephine Wyatt said...

Hi Richard- coming out to Shanghai at end of March for 2 weeks. Is there anywhere at all we can hire kayaks? if not in the longterm where to purchase a sea-kayak?

Richard at Point 65 said...

Hi Josephine.
No outfitter that I'm aware of. You can contact me if you want to buy a kayak : richard (@)point65.se
Cheers

Richard

Josephine Wyatt said...

Hi Richard. Was considering shipping my racing K2 out to Shanghai. I have only had one person comment upon my query about kayaking on Shanghais' canals- saying they are far too polluted to be safe. Any comment on this? There is not much to be lost in taking the boat with us along with some v- bars . If not the canals,can u suggest anywhere less dirty and more picturesque to paddle ??!!!

Richard at Point 65 said...

Hi Joseph.
What is to dirty for some to paddle in is acceptable drinking water for somebody else:-) There are a couple of nice lakes near Shanghai with clean water.
Cheers

Richard

peter k said...

Hi Richard

I am relocating from denmark to shanghai and am interested in both buying a kayak and advice on how to paddle it in the waterways inside the city preferably close to where i will be working / living. can you help me out?

Richard at Point 65 said...

Hi Peter. I can arrange for you to buy a kayak at our factory. Just let me know which one. Check our trange at www.point65.com.
Regarding kayaking there are the rivers (check on google earth) but the best place is the Dianshan Lake, about 40 minutes by bus from Shanghai. Best is to go out there first and check where you could store the kayak. Start here:
http://www.shanghaibyc.org/

and here:
Shanghai Saimeng Water Sports Club (上海赛艋船艇运动俱乐部)
289 Yingzhu Lu, near Gangzhou Lu
盈朱路289号, 近港周路
+86 21 5923 3916
www.saimengclub.com