Outdoor Retailer (OR) 2009

OR 2009 was fun as always, although not as interesting as it usually is. No new products worth mentioning (unless you are a dog) and many key players missing. Trendsetter Point 65;-) bailed out already last year and now many in the industry followed suit. Companies like Johnson Outdoor Watersports (Necky etc), Werner Paddles, BIC, Valley and many more followed Point 65's lead (joke) in missing out on Salt Lake City.

SUP at the demo day-I just don't get it... (photo by Jeroen)

At the demo day I was like a zombie, crazy jet lagged. I got lost driving there (directions were appalling) so it took me 2 hours. I only made it thanks to my iPhones maps ap. The drive through the mountains was, I must admit, incredibly beautiful.

Ones there I staggered around like a crazy person. I met some people I know but I did not recognize them (sorry guys). And my camera never left my pocket, so I have stolen one of Jeroens pictures.

Pierce SUP:ing. Maybe more fun if you live on Hawaii?

Anyway, Stand Up Paddleboards dominated the demo day on and of the water. I tried SUP a few years ago and must say it is nothing for me. Even though Pierce Brosnan is crazy about it my guess is that this thing will be over in a couple of years (as Bill Gates said about the internet:-)

With Stig Larsson, Level Six co founder. We now distributes Level Six in Sweden. Fantastic paddle apparel!

I was feeling a lot better as the actual show started and met a lot of interesting people and managed to do some business. The US paddlesport industry is in turmoil on account of Johnson Outdoor Watersports seemingly in chaos and the new paddlesport show being launched in 2010 by Jim Marsh of Canoe & Kayak Magazine and some others.

Jim Marsh, Editor of Canoe & Kayak Magazine and the North American Paddlesports Show

It is a bit of a tough situation. OR is a great show and I hope that paddlesport manufacturers will stay there for the sake of Outdoor retailers to have some choice of products while a speciality paddlesports show will be great for paddlesport retailers.

NRS, Terry and Bennet took good care of me.

As for JOW, time will tell. But the big surprise of the show was Riot. Looking very strong in a massive two story stand with tons of great looking kayaks all from their new production sources in the PRC. I was very impressed by this. Those guys must have worked 24/7 for a year to pull that of. Congratulations!

With Mark Pelland, Delphine and Jeff Rivest of Riot Kayaks on their terrace.

With Kokatats Michael Duffy.

Matt Poischbeg of Sealect Designs (formerly SeaDog)

Swedish maffia. With Bo, Renate and Petra Hilleberg (the Tentmakers)

Orust Runt; Cool 2 day marathon

Check out this really cool 2 day marathon around the incredibly beautiful Island of Orust in South Sweden. It takes place Saturday/Sunday August 22-23.

This is a highly laid back competition where all are welcome to attend! It doesn't matter what you paddle, or how fast you paddle. As long as you like to paddle, like camping and having a good time!

Around the whole Orust with overnight at Vallerö.

The paddle around Orust takes two days. All camp together at Vallerö half way around.

The campsite on Vallerö

The really cool thing about the race is that it is free of charge and completely self sustained. There are no officials, instead everyone takes responsibility for one self. Thus, there are almost no rules, and high demands for fair play and common sense for the participants.

At this time there are about 100 participants that have registered!!!

XP18 -a legend is born

Our latest model makes my juices flow. This is a seakayak -but it's fast as hell. Sort of a new concept. It's like a racing/exercise kayak but for touring. It can take a huge payload. It's stable -so no problems in the rough. It's comfy. And it looks really cool! This is the kayak I will take on my next expedition as well as when working out.Micheal working the XP18

Magnus de Brito, the designer, has some sort of computer gizmo where he can calculate the exact speed and stability of the thing. According to this it is 7% faster than the "old" XP while 15% more stable. What does it mean? Who knows and who cares.

Point 65 & Magnus De Brito

Point 65 is developing some of the most exciting and revolutionizing products in the kayak industry. Point 65 proudly presents the latest addition to our team, Magnus De Brito, one of Scandinavia´s leading designers.

Magnus De Brito at the Point 65 head office in Stockholm, Sweden

Magnus has headed design projects for industry giants such as Porsche, Scania Trucks, Intelligent Sound, Pirelli Boats and Agipi Marine. Using computer science technology, Magnus was responsible for streamlining parts of the new generation Porsche Boxter 987, Carrera 997 and Carrera GT.

If you have designed this I guess a kayak is not that big a deal...

His Pirelli boat design won the prestigious 2009 Red Dot design award, “Best of the Best.” Working for Pirelli and Agipi Marine has given Magnus engineering experience in marine design technology – experience not usually available to kayak companies.Magnus designed the Pzero 1400, winning the “Best of the Best” Red Dot Design Award

Magnus was only 18 when he developed the first commercially viable wind surfing harness. He went on to earn his Master of Science degree in Design and Product Development from the University of Linköping, Sweden.

Tomas trying the new XP18. One happy camper!

Throughout his career, his passion for water sports - and designing the best water crafts- has continued unabated. XP18 has a markedly improved stabilty, manueverabilty and speed compared to it's predecessor.

Now, at Point 65, Magnus is applying both his engineering skills and his kayaking expertise to our most challenging design projects like the new XP -series and the Tequila!

The XP18 by Magnus de Brito

The new XP series by Magnus will be available in a 18, 17 & 16 foot version. More information will follow.

Whisky 16 review, The Skook-Worthy shake down

The worlds leading kayaking magazine, US Canoe & Kayak choose four of the worlds most experience rough water sea kayakers (James Mole, Brandon Gonski, Dave Shively and Scott Waidelich) to test 5 of the most celebrated rough water seakayaks at Skookumchuck Narrows, British Columbias famed tidal beast.

This was their conclusion:
"The Point 65 Whisky 16 went down smooth as our unanimous pick as the top Skookumchuck performer."

Read the full review Canoe & Kayak Magazine March 2009:
Billed as a spirited coastal playboat from this Swedish boat manufacturer, the Whisky 16 went down smooth as our unanimous pick as the top Skookumchuck performer. With the cockpit just aft of center, increased bow volume and a hard chine into the flattest, most planing-like hull of the bunch, the Whisky handled with the smallest degree of separation from its distant whitewater playboat brethren. "it was the only bow where, when the bow and stern were in the water at the same time , you could still react -crank into turns, load up on the paddle and bring it back," one of the testers said, "With the others, you'd shoot off the far end of the wave." In building the new Whisky boat range for rock gardens and surf zones, Point 65 R&D head Nigel Foster designed the 16's hull to avoid purling and to push onto a plane more easily than other displacement -style hulls. Fosters globe trotting research has also resulted in an upgraded, "beefier" foot peg system, alleviating our testers' main gripe with the outfitting. Weather you see it as anomaly or vanguard, the Whisky 16 handled reasonably well on the flatwater tour back to Egmont (with the skeg dropped), but fits as the most highly specialized rough-water boat"

Nigel Fosters whirl wind tour of Sweden

Last week Nigel and Kristin arrived for a whirl wind tour of Sweden. They spent 11 days in Sweden (well, one of them in Denmark) teaching in 7(!) different cities.

Nigel & Kristin preparing for class.

I was the designated driver for most of the trip so I can vouch for the exhausting schedule!

Nigel being interviewed be Swedish media (see it here)

They started of in Stockholm with a happy group of paddlers. Next day they spent visiting Point 65 Kayak Centers in the city of Norrköping and Gothenburg.

Nigel showing Caroline from Germany a trick or two

Day 3 they where on the water again, teaching a class in Uddevalla at Upplevelsebolaget. Sunday was also spent in Uddevalla with their demo day but day 5 they hit the road again and spent the day on the water with a group, paddling in south Copenhagen hosted by retailer Kajakhotellet.

"If you hold your hands like this you will not be able to hold the paddle..."

Back in Stockholm day 7 for a day paddling and teaching some happy campers. Day 8 teaching a group in the city of Nynäshamn at Nynäs Kajak.

Member of the Fun With Foster group and proud builder/owner of a Thomasson design kayak. A beauty!

Day 9 on the other side of Sweden in Varberg were Nigel got extensive coverage in the local media and also inaugurated a new kayak center there. This ended in the small hours after finishing of the last drops of the inauguration champagne.

The looooong day in Varberg ended with a looong night with bubbly. All lot's of fun!

Day 10 the metropole of Gothenburg another group had the pleasure of Kristin and Nigels teaching skills. This was going parallel with the kayak exhibition "KANOT VÄST" and inauguration of yet another kayak center there.

The group in the water in down town Gothenburg if front of the opera house. Almost 100 spectators watched Nigels and Kristins paddling show later.

Day 11 we raced up to Norrköping for the last group of paddlers and inauguration of a third kayak centre there!

Pelle and Carina of Nynäs Kajak

The class of Norrköping right in the middle of town.

After this they headed of to Venice and the Bibione symposium and Vogalonga marathon. Check Nigels and Kristins blogs for updates on that.

Basque delight

Camilla and I recently visited Omei and Oscar and Mikel who probably have the best run kayak warehouse anywhere!

Mikel, Oscar and Camilla

Kayaks in perfect rows, color separated and all clean clean clean

They took us to lunch at the Patxiku Enea in San Sebastian and this was for sure one of the best meals I have ever had in Spain. Basque food is a lot like Spanish just better!

Spanish style we sat down around 3 pm and spent most of the afternoon at the table. It started of with fireworks in the form of some tapas where the Txistorra (in bask)/Chistorra (in spanish) sausages were by far the best I had ever had. And I love my sausages so this is big. Tender but still with some bite, perfectly fried. It is made of a mixture of minced pork and beef. The sausage is flavored with garlic, salt, and paprika, which gives it a bright red color. Well, you had to be there...
After some more tapas this handsome and very tasty Merluza. Mikel and Oscar asked for a part of the fish called "Cogote". Is the softer part of the fish, just close the head. Wow!


Now completely full they brought us this huge piece of meat!!! Unfortunately I could not fully appreciate this fabulous very rare beef as I was completely stuffed but I still managed to eat 3 huge slices that Mikel carved and just threw on my plate.


I forgot the name of the Spanish claret but the taste sure was memorable. As was the cider that tasted completely different from the cider I am used to from Bretagne. A lot fresher, less sweet and a much more the taste of freshly plucked apples right of the tree if you get my drift.

Our six hour drive back home was a struggle but worth every sleepy hour of it.