New sea kayak mission sponsored by Hydraulics

A few months ago I got an email from a couple of ambitious young guys wanting to paddle around Great Britain in their Sea Kayaks assisted with Kites. We decided that this was what we are all about and got on board! In early 2011 Open Horizons intend to circumnavigate Britain in a tandem sea Kayak, They will be relying only on natural elements to complete the challenge. Using the tides and currents as well as specially designed power kites to harness the winds power they estimate this adventure to take 90 days.

Here are a few shots of the guys training and I must say these guys are tough! Training in blizzard conditions while we sit here down in the NZ summer enjoying the sun!

Good luck guys!!

You can follow their mission HERE

-Dark and cold, breaking through the Ice - Photo via Aaron Price

- No more ice to break through - Photo via Aaron Price

-Coming into Harbor - Photo via Aaron Price

- Camp for the night in the snow!!! - Photo via Aaron Price

- Tough guys!!! - Photo Aaron Price

Tim about to leave the North Island!!!

Tim Taylor is getting it done. He has been on a water for a few weeks now and has knocked off the lower North Island on the East Coast already! Hes not sure where he will be for Christmas just yet due to weather but Im sure hes looking forward to it! Check out www.nzkayaker.com and you can track where he is and how far he has to go! Keep up the great work Tim!

"Today's goal isn't too far...Palliser Bay, about 40 to 50km away. As Tim set off, the wind was rising, and he was to experience one of the worst paddling experiences so far. By late morning he had reached White Rock & had to pull because the wind was so strong it was almost forcing the paddle out of his hands. This was where he met Mr Grumpy.....a local farmer who wasn't too keen on him being there, & encouraged him to move on to the next bay.

So...onwards into the wind & a final stop for the day at Kirikiri Bay, almost but not quite Cape Palliser. Here, Tim met with Shane Sutherland, a fellow kayaker who transported him around to Palliser Bay & a comfortable bed for the night. The tv news is full of stories about wild winds & trees breaking, so tomorrow looks like another rest day. It's anybody's bet if Tim will be in the North or South Island for Christmas day, so mum, dad & sister Steph are not sure what they will be up to at this stage.

Only 22km for the day, but Wellington is now within a day's paddle if the weather is kind."

Tim Taylor sets off around NZ

Check this link out for the TV3 News video of Tim before he sets off around NZ!

Good Luck!!!

TV3 Video

Tim Taylor set to go

Hi everyone just another update for Kayak New Zealand.

So with just over two weeks to go, things are getting pretty crazy around here. Fortunately for me, the hard work throughout the year is starting to pay off so its more of an organized craziness rather than just a disorganised mess. But I have to say that I’m loving it.

Training is going full steam ahead and I’ve had some amazing paddles over the last few weeks.

Basically I’m trying to get my body used to longer paddles with a full kayak, all without breaking anything or myself. Its quite a big balancing act with my training; to hard and I wear out, not enough and I get fat. I’m also relying on the fact that I will get fitter once I get on my trip, so as long as I have done ¾ of the work before hand I should be right.

On the organisation front things are looking solid. Nearly all of my sponsored products have arrived and are working well, so its only a few last minute ‘tweaks’ to do and everything will be 100%. I will also include a copy of my updated trip plan with this update, so I’m encouraging you to keep in contact and try and catch up with me when I’m in your part of the country.

Media is also getting hectic. I’ve recently taken on a media advisor, Grant Dyson, to help with the publicity side of things. Already he has proven to be solid gold and we have got some good exposure on radio, in magazines, and on some news websites. It looks like people are starting to pay some serious attention to this expedition and wherever I can I am pushing all of your brands. I have also been taken on by the Bay Fisher Magazine as a monthly contributor. This is a sort of sponsorship/media deal for the trip but it may extend into the future if my writing turns out to be any good. I think this will be a great opportunity to get a heap of exposure.

The other piece of new is also to do with Grant Dyson. After checking out my story and coming on board, he also expressed an interest in co-writing a book with me on my trip. We are currently just starting to piece things together and plan it out but its going to be another exciting adventure I think.

The next thing I want to let you all in on is how to contact me during my trip. I will be carrying my cell phone, my sat phone, a VHF radio, and my SPOT tracking device.

My cell will be next to useless in most places so I wouldn’t recommend that you use it unless you know I’m in a town e.g. when I get to Gisborne.

• My sat phone I will turn on daily at a few selected times, but I will not be openly giving

out this number as it will be primarily for safety communications with my support team.

However I you will be able to arrange with them a time to call me if needed. I am only doing

this because I will be limited on battery life and I won’t always be able to charge it.

• My VHF will only be good to use for line of sight communication e.g. from a boat or when

close to shore. Please contact my support crew to find out where I intend to land e.t.c.

• The SPOT is a satellite tracking device that I have kindly been sponsored by Salcom. Follow

the link on my website to check out where I am at on any given day.

• I will be answering my emails whenever I can but don’t rely on these to be immediate.

My support crews details are...

Lyn and Paul Taylor

Lyn ph) 021 151 1597

Paul ph) 021 897 893

AH ph) 07 579 1293

Work ph) 07 578 7794

email: lyn@bayblinds.co.nz or paul@bayblinds.co.nz

If you have trouble reaching either of them please contact Blair or Charlotte Anderson at Waimarino

Adventure Park on 07 576 4233.

Well thats about all I’ve got time to get down. Make sure you keep in touch and if you require

anything from me just let me know.

Paddle hard everyone.

Tim.

Tim Taylor hunts while training

- Tim picking up some fish after training

With the wind buggering off and the sunshine coming back out to play it actually feels like summer is on its way back. Unfortunately I’ve noticed a distinct drop in my fitness because of due to the lack of training opportunities over September. Anyways, I don’t care, the sun is shining and I’m loving it at the mo. One thing that the down time in September gave me was the opportunity to pad out my seat. This is now seriously paying off as I have little to no pain in my legs while I’m training, something which has been a serious problem. My basic plan at the mo is to train every second day. This is a mix of 2-4 hour paddles generally centred around the Tauranga harbour or out to Karewa Island. I also got my first big paddle in yesterday (Monday the 4th) in which I went out and around Motiti Island. A trip of some 55 kilometres, that took me about 7 hours. This time is actually means that I went very slow, being about half an hour longer than previous trips, but my shoulders have been playing up lately so I’m not willing to push them too hard just yet. I also managed to sneak in a race a couple of weekends ago. I was the kayaker in a team doing the Grinder Multisport. For the 12km paddle I did a time of 56 minutes, which I was pretty happy about and it helped us to take out the top 3man team.

As for preparation it is pretty hectic. I’ve got around 20 charts on which I’ve plotted out my route, calculated distances, and planned all my overnights. For each of these charts, I’ve gone and photocopied the relevant pieces so that I now have a couple of hundred A4 sized maps which I will laminate to use on my kayak. I’ve also put in my first food order so I’m in the next couple of days I am expecting to be swamped with boxes of freeze dried meals. And amongst all of this I’m finalizing all of the extra bits of gear that I need. Basically it all means that I have plenty of things to keep me occupied when I’m not on the water and honestly I love it!

Paddle hard everyone. Tim.

A paddle and dinner...man my life is hard.