The first high pressure system of the season settled over Ireland during the last week and as most people were recovering from St. Patricks day celebrations or a late night watching the Aurora Borealis, myself and Helen Fairbairn were gearing up for a trip to one of Irelands most exposed headlands.Taking full advantage of the wind and swell conditions we headed out West to the Mullet Peninsula. 

Kokatat's repair service is like their drysuits legendary! If you have a Gore-Tex drysuit you can send it back to be serviced more or less indefinitely. They will go to work on it and magically return it to dry or near dry condition. I have used the service in the past, before I was Kokatat ambassador.  My suit was leaking but there was no obvious hole or cuts. They tested it and found hundreds of tiny pinholes caused by briars and gorse bushes while out scouting rivers. Unbelievably they sent it back to me with all the holes painstakingly patched and the suit nearly 100% dry, all for the nominal fee of $20. Kokatat suits may demand a high price but you are getting more than just a drysuit. You are getting the best customer and repair service in the industry.

Before this year you had to send your drysuit to their American factory. But luckily now they have a new service centre in the UK which will make the turn around much faster for E.U. customers.


Check out this little video about the service HERE

Or if you fancy fixing your suit up yourself take a look at these handy how to videos.

Wrist gasket replacement: HERE

Neck gasket replacement: HERE

The second week of January as snow began to fall here in Ireland I boarded a plane for Malta and some winter sunshine paddling.

The Shuna is Werners best selling high angle sea paddle and it is no wonder. The blade size is not to big but still has some bite. Built quality is as usual excellent from Werner and the paddles feel very robust but are still very light. In the water the catch is firm and the pull through the stroke is smooth with no flutter.

The shaft is split with Werners unique smart view system, which is very neat and effective but does limit you to one length and set feather angles. On some other spit systems you can have any feather and 10 cm of length adjustment which makes your paddles more versatile. 

I am currently using a set of Werner Shuna paddles for sea kayaking. So far I am really impressed with these paddles. 

My paddle stats:

Length: 215cm
Blades: Glass
Shaft: Carbon, Neutral bent, Split

During a recent Level 3 Sea Kayak Instructor training course I got the opportunity to visit Valentia Marine Radio Rescue Station. For sea goers Valentia is well known, as it is one of only three coast guard communication stations in Ireland and it is a referenced location used during weather forecasts for the south and west coast of Ireland.  For those unfamiliar, it is a small island off Co.Kerry on the south,west coast of Ireland.

The visit was a very informative experience and a great opportunity to learn first hand about the work the staff do and how we can interact with the coast guard as sea kayakers. Below is some useful advice they had for us.