Expeditions

Sea Kayaking UK sea kayaks, designed by Nigel Dennis, have proven themselves over the years on many sea kayak expeditions around the world. Below is an overview of planned, current and past Sea Kayaking UK sponsored expeditions.

	Newfoundland June 2008 Greg Stamer undertook an unsupported (solo) sea kayak circumnavigation of Newfoundland. Known as "the Rock", Canada's easternmost province, the expedition started from St. John's in June. More than 2,700 km around one of the most windswept locations in North America.

Svalbard Archipelago Expedition June 2008 Alon Ohad and Tim Starr attempted the first ever circumnavigation of the Svalbard archipelago. This group of islands consists of three main islands Spitsbergen, Nordaustlandet, Edgeøya and a number of smaller ones. The Islands are some of the closest landmasses to the North Pole and are home to some of Europe's largest and most spectacular glaciers. Enclosed by ice they had to call-in the rescue services and abandon their kayaks...

	Around Great Britain April 2008 In 2008 Rowland Woollven and Cath Tanner tried to fulfil a long-held dream - the circumnavigation of mainland Great Britain by sea kayak.

	Sea Kayak Scandinavia March 2008 In March 2008, Geoff Allen set off on an attempt to circumnavigate Scandinavia. Starting in Gotenburg, Sweden. Together with Mark Schoon they kayaked northwards, in an attempt to reach the distant town of Kirkenes, a small Norwegian port which lies close to the Russian border.

New Zealand South Island January- March 2008 Justine Curgenven teamed up with Barry Shaw for a circumnavigation of the South Island of New Zealand. The journey took them along one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world and is also one of the most committing and challenging circumnavigations that can be undertaken in a sea kayak. They started on 26 January and finished on 31 March and paddled 2.400 km. Read Justine's Blog for updates.

	Solo Circumnavigaton of New Zealand South Island October 2007 - January 2008 In October 2007, Freya Hoffmeister set out for a solo circumnavigaion of New Zealand South Island. She used a Sea Kayaking UK three-piece Explorer sea kayak. She completed her circumnavigation on 2 January 2008.

	Kayak Madagascar November - December 2007 In November 2007 Simon Osborne and Philip Clegg started on an explorative expedition of the Madagascar coast. They used Sea Kayaking UK three-piece Explorer sea kayaks.

Kayak Around Haida Gwaii July & August 2007 In July and August 2007, Justine Curgenven, Shawna Franklin & Leon Sommé paddled 800 km around Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands); a remote and beautiful island chain in British Columbia, encountering dozens of whales, hot springs, standing totem poles, 3 metre swells and long stretches of remote uninhabited coastline. See footage of this expedition in an upcoming DVD.

Sea Kayak Challenge 2007 June & August 2007 Steven Hobert and Bart Pauwels will be attempting a double challenge crossing (in two parts): The longest open sea crossing that will be travelled non-stop in a sea kayak. The first is of the Adriatic Sea from Rimini (Italy) to Zadar (Croatia) non-stop. Then an attempt to cross from Great Yarmouth to Heist in Belgium non-stop. They will be using a Sea Kayaking UK Triton double sea kayak.

	Vancouver Island Solo July 2007 On July 1st 2007, Joe O'Blenis started his Solo circumnavigation of Vancouver Island from Nanaimo in British Columbia, Canada. He padded a Sea Kayaking UK GreenlanderRace sea kayak. He started a second non-stop attempt on July 19th. He completed his circumnavigation on August 15th setting a new solo record of 28 days.

Iceland Circumnavigation June & July 2007 Starting on June 9th, Freya Hoffmeister and Greg Stamer completed their circumnavigation on July 12th. 33 days, 25 paddling days, 8 weather days, 1.620 km, 65 km average, 10000 pictures, 100 lighthouses, 100 headlands, 10000000 birds, huge cliffs, black desert sand, plenty of water and overall a great time! Some educative experiences on the edge, but no serious incidents, thank goodness. Toughest part of the trip? Waiting more than one day for appropriate paddling weather...

	Ireland Circumnavigation Fundraiser June & July 2007 Raising money for the Irish Lifeboat Institution, Marcus Demuth started on June 8th on his solo circumnavigation of Ireland. He completed his trip on July 19th.

	Solo circumnavigation of Ireland June - August 2007 Sam Crowley started his solo circumnavigation of Ireland on June 2nd and finished on August 20th.

World Championships Adventure Racing May & June 2007 Team Helly Hansen was the first UK team (12th place overall) to finish in The Wilderness ARC World Championships Adventure Racing that was held in Scotland from 26 May until 2 June 2007. They, and New Zealand Team Balance Vector placing 6th, used Sea Kayaking UK Triton (double) sea kayaks with the new revolutionary Kari-Tek HydroSkegRudderSystem.

	Newfoundland circumnavigation May - July 2007 Hadas Feldman and Tomer Sabag have circumnavigated Newfoundland; a distance of approximately 2.700 km. They started on May 25th from the town of Corner Brook and they finished on July 27th.

	Vancouver Island May 2007 Keirron Tastagh and Jeff Norville set out on May 10 for their record attempt to circumnavigate Vancouver Island using a Sea Kayaking UK Triton double sea kayak. On 29 May, having paddled 1200 km in only 19 and a half days, they successfully completed their record attempt. The previously (known) record was 28 days in a single sea kayak.

	UK Mainland circumnavigation 2007 May - October 2007 On May 5th 2007, Noel Webb started his circumnavigation of the UK mainland. Paddling a total distance of 3583 km, he completed the circumnavigation on 27 October, Raising nearly 6000 pounds in support of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

	Greenland East Coast July & August 2006 Martin Rickard, Phil Clegg and Pete Jones attempted to paddle from Scoresby to Ammassalik. Thick ice forced them to return at the halfway point.

	Solo Iceland Circumnavigation June & July 2006 Starting out from Stykkishólmur, Rotem Ron completed the first solo circumnavigation of Iceland; a very impressive achievement. She paddled clockwise, more than 2000 km, over 53 days, 39 days on the water.

	South Georgia November & December 2005 Pete Bray, Nigel Dennis, Hadas Feldman and Geoff Allen set out from the old whaling port of Grytviken on November 17th to paddle around South Georgia. They successfully completed the 675 km circumnavigation on December 1st. The island of 5600 square kilometers lies 1300 km south-east of the Falkland Islands. Listen to an interview of Jeff Allen by Simon Willis.
	Circumnavigation of Great Britain May 2005 Barry Shaw, Phil Clegg and Harry Whelan started their clockwise circumnavigation of Great Britain on 11 May 2005 from Cemaes Bay on Anglesey. Their expedition links in with the ExpedSchools initiative. On July 29th they completed their circumnavigation. It took them 80 days; a new record! Listen to an interview of Barry Shaw by Simon Willis. An article by Philip Clegg was published in the February 2007 (#165) issue of BCU Canoe Focus.
	Circumnavigation of Tasmania November 2004 Gemma Rawlings, Justine Curgenven and Trys Morris swapped wintry Wales for summer sun and circumnavigated Tasmania, a distance of approximately 1500 km. They started on November 7th at Pirates Bay and finished on December 13th. The expedition also appeared on the BBC website. An article was published in the December 2006 issue of Sea-Kayaker magazine.
	Circumnavigation of Japan February & August 2004 More than 2000 isles strung out of the tropical island of Kyushu in the south, to the freezing island of Hokkaido, in the north. A country where it is said "you can travel a thousand years in a day". Hadas Feldman and Geoff Allen completed the second part of their circumnavigation of Japan on November 3rd 2004.
	Circumnavigation of Ireland June 2004 Simon Osborne continued his 'Kayaking for Cancer' project, fundraising for the Leukaemia Research Fund. He started on June 20th by crossing the Irish Sea from Holyhead. Simon finished on August 6th.
	Circumnavigation of Great Britain and Ireland April 2004 Fiona Whitehead started her 4300 km trip from Portsmouth on April 9th. The trip took-in five nations, two crossings of the Irish Sea, paddling past the tallest cliffs in Europe and paddling some of the world's strongest tides. After 140 days, she finished in Portsmouth on August 26th.
	Around the Netherlands by sea kayak August 2003 Axel Schoevers and Nico Middelkoop paddled a sea kayak along the North Sea coast and borders of the Netherlands with Belgium and Germany, on the sea and on inland waterways. This trip of 1241 km distance took 28 days to complete. An article appeared in the 2003/4 issue of "NKB Kanosport".
	Volcanic Coast Kamchatka June 2003 Justine Curgenven and Hadas Feldman where in virtually unexplored territory. They started on June 16th from Petropavlovsk. Their destination: Ust Kamchatsk, 480 km to the north where they arrived on July 4th. Filmed for National Geographic and published in the February 2005 issue of Sea-Kayaker Magazine.
	Circumnavigation of Newfoundland May 2003 The 9500 km of coastline of the Canadian island of Newfoundland affords stunning scenery with sparkling fjords, majestic mountains and towering cliffs. Pete Bray had to paddle an average of 48 km a day for three months to complete the challenge. He started in Quidi Vidi on May 26th and returned on September 2nd.
	Circumnavigation of Iceland May 2003 Chris Duff, Shawna Franklin and Leon Sommé left May 19th from Neskaupstadur (near Seydisfjörd) on the East Coast in an attempt to circumnavigate the entire nation in less than four month. On August 8th they were all the way around and back with friends in Nekaupstatdur.
	Iceland West Fjords August 2002 The northwest corner of Iceland, with its striking coastline of sheer, jagged cliffs, offered Justine Curgenven a challenging opportunity for adventure and self-discovery. She wrote an article about this one woman's expedition in the June 2003 issue of Sea-Kayaker magazine.
	Kayaking for Cancer May 2002 On 11th May 2002, Simon Osborne set off on his mission to kayak around the coastline of Great Britain. In memory of his brother Mark, who died of leukaemia, he raised a lot of money for the Leukaemia Research Fund. He completed his epic voyage on August 31st.
	Circumnavigation of Wales July 2001 Justine Curgenven and Fiona Whitehead had just three weeks, starting on July 16th, to power themselves around the 950 km circuit. Justine published an article about this adventure.
	North Atlantic Kayak Challenge June 2001 On his first attempt in June 2000, disaster struck. On June 22nd, Pete Bray set out from St. John's harbour and finished this record-breaking crossing on September 5th. An article appeared in the February 2002 issue of Sea-Kayaker magazine. Peter's achievement against formidable odds is published in the book "Kayak across the Atlantic".
	Antarctica 2000 An expedition by Stan Chladek, Tom Bergh and Nigel Dennis around Nelson Island located in the South Shetland Islands. This archipelago lies 960 km miles south of Cape Horn and about 45 km west of the north end of the Antarctic peninsula.
	Greenland July 2000 Martin Rickard and Pete Jones set out on July 25th to kayak from Ammassaliq travelling approximately 190 km north along the coast to the site where Arctic explorer Gino Watkins established his second base in 1932.
	New Zealand South Island December 1999 The Millennial Expedition started on December 5th 1999 from the town of Picton in Cook Strait. After 120 days of solo paddling more than 2700 km, Chris Duff arrived back to Picton on April 16th 2001. He wrote about this adventure in his book 'Southern Exposure'.
	Easter Island 1999 Stan Chladek and Nigel Dennis took their three-piece Explorers on the airplane and paddled around the exposed coastline of Easter Island. An article about this expedition was published in the June 2000 issue of Sea-Kayaker magazine.
	Trans Global sea kayak expedition 1999 Trys Morris and Bob Timms set out to paddle from Great Britain to Australia. 2400 km into the journey and eight months later they made it to Greece.
	Circumnavigation of Ireland June 1996 On June 1st Chris Duff sets out on his three month solo expedition. He wrote about his one man's journey around Ireland by sea kayak in his award winning book 'On Celtic Tides'.
	Cape Horn January 1992 Rebecca Ridgway wrote about her adventures leading up to and about rounding 'the Horn' in her book 'Something Amazing'. She now runs Cape Adventure International
	Circumnavigation of Britain May 1980 Nigel Dennis and Paul Caffyn where the first people to paddle around Great Britain in a sea kayak. Their 3600 km journey took them 65 paddling days (85 days in all) to complete.