Posted on by Fiona

Halloween, and some spooky fatyaking locations

Being an island, and one with a lot of history at that, we’re blessed with our share of natural phenomena and some unexplained mysteries. As its Halloween, we are covering a couple of spooky kayaking trips for you. One in the north, and one way down south!

 

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Hooe Lake – Plymouth

In recent years, Plymouth University students have recorded evidence of over 100 shipwrecks, partial or not, in the estuaries around Plymouth and South Devon. Hooe Lake is an important one, as it has one of the highest concentrations of wrecked boats – between 13 and 20! But there is a lot of reason as to why the situation at Hooe Lake could be considered creepy. Firstly, why such a high concentration compared to other places? And additionally – there is little information about a lot of the boats or their history, and so they remain the subject of much fascination. Perfect for some Fatyak investigation and exploration!
Find out more at hooelake.org

 

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Witches Cauldron – North Pembrokeshire

In North Pembrokeshire there is a labyrinth of tunnels carved by the sea that can be paddled through. Naturally, the accessibility of these caves is decided by the state of the tide! The way the light from above interacts with both the caves and the water creates a very spooky atmosphere. The water even turns an emerald green as you pass underneath low ceilings. And when the tide is right, a room completely cut off by light becomes accessible, with room only for 2-3 kayaks. Eerie indeed – and not for the claustrophobic!

 

Been to any of these spooky spots? Or planning to go to any ? Let us know!

 

Posted on by Fiona

Fatyak Stability

1 of the most frequently reported points we receive through feedback is how stable our range of kayaks are. Fatyak stability is vital and we strive to make all of our kayaks easy to paddle, fun, and stable in the water.

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Naturally our kayaks all feature a hull design allowing straight tracking while remaining very stable in the water. However, our different models have different strengths between them, to cater for various types of paddler!

Surf

The Surf is the first kayak we produced – developed back in 2009, and is where we have taken the name Fatyak from. The Surf sits lower in the water than its siblings, and it’s short, wide body makes it excellent for beginners. Perfect for anyone requiring some extra stability and ease of use in order to learn the ropes of the sport.

Kaafu

Next in the series, the Kaafu shares the same ethos as the Surf but portrays this in a sportier fashion. It has longer and more streamlined design allowing for quicker pivots and improved agility in the water. However, the shape of the hull means that not only does it track well, but it also remains stable. This makes it a great all-rounder.

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One success story for the stability of our kayaks is that of Channel Adventure and Channel Training! With a fleet of Fatyak Kayaks, owner Jim Whittaker has found great success in hosting activity days and training courses. This is down to how easy to paddle and stable the kayaks are, and how well they cope with being dragged and loaded onto trailers and vans.

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A real testament to the stability of our kayaks is the increasing amount of people who find them stable enough to stand up and paddle on! Stand up paddle boarding is a rising trend in the industry and we think our Fatyaks fit right in. Our new Samos paddle board has been developed with all of this experience and feedback in mind, which makes it extremely stable yet agile.

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Posted on by Fiona

PaddleExpo 2016

As you may or may not know, the Fatyak team recently undertook another adventure to Nuremberg for our 2nd year at the amazing PaddleExpo trade fair, and despite the rather chilly weather its fair to say it was a huge success! As we expected it was a great opportunity for us to spread the word around the world, #fatyaking going global! We were blessed with the opportunity to discuss with representatives from countries such as Germany, France and Norway and even countries from further afield such as Romania, Lithuania and Ukraine which was a brilliant chance for us in our quest to look for partners overseas.

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We were particularly very excited to unveil our SUP board, the Samos. New for 2017 and after a long time in the making, the PaddleExpo really brought it to life as it caused a lot of positive commotion! We were very proud of all the interest the Samos was receiving and are excited for what the coming years hold in store for it.

The PaddleExpo as a whole was a success as always showing a steady increase in visitors from last year with 1550 attendees (1393 in 2015) from 44 nations. Germany held a percentage of 46% of the guests and the majority of others were representing countries such as Switzerland, Italy, Czech Republic, UK and France followed by Austria, Norway, Portugal, Poland, Slovenia and The Netherlands.

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The PaddleExpo will be taking place again next year in the same location between the 19th-21st of September and we very much hope that we can make it again for the 3rd year running!
We want to say a huge thanks to everyone who helped organise the PaddleExpo, all the guests and all of the representatives for making it possible! We are always on a keen lookout for any oversea’s partners and would be very happy to work with anybody who is interested in our products no matter where they are located! Follow this link ( https://fatyak-kayaks.co.uk/international-orders/ ) for details on what we require to make this possible. Keep on #fatyaking !

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Posted on by Fiona

Stand up Paddleboarding Basics

As the stand up paddleboarding scene continues to grow, and with our own Samos paddleboard now launched, you may be thinking of giving the sport a go! Stand up paddleboarding is certainly trending at the moment and offers a fresh perspective on the water for paddlers already involved in kayaking and surfing.

We’ve come up with some hints and tips for new paddlers, which we’ve broken down into 4 sections, so read on!

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We would always recommend buying a leash for your board

Equipment

While the saying “a good workman doesn’t blame his tools” may exist, it’s important to have the right selection of equipment and know how to use it for successful paddling. A leash is important to have on a SUP board, for the safety of yourself and others – as well as being convenient if you lose hold of your board. Additionally, make sure you take care of your paddleboard. While our new Samos is rotationally moulded and designed to last, it doesn’t hurt to carry out some regular maintenance – checking for any deep scratches or other issues to ensure a lifetime of paddling.

Position

Stand in the centre of the board, with your feet shoulder width apart. Hold the paddle with the top hand firm, and the lower hand looser. Stand upright, but with your core engaged and your knees slightly bent. This will help keep you a bit more stable.

When it doesn’t go so well however, you’ll want to know how to fall off the board properly, avoiding injury being the main goal. When you come off, try to fall away from your board – as far as possible, as large boards could potentially injure you in a collision. Not losing your board in this situation is another great reason why we would highly recommend a leash!

Technique

Once you have a stable stance on the board, you can start propelling yourself forward. Place the paddle right into the water at the front of the board (a little out from the board itself) and pull the paddle through the water, finishing no further than your feet. The most important tip is to keep the paddle as vertical as possible. For a more in-depth read on how to paddle your SUP, click here.

Environment

Lastly, a few key pointers to mention about the environment you’ll be paddling in can help you to have a fun, safe, and useful session on your board.

Space

Try to stay out of the way of other paddlers, any debris or coastlines that may cause you issues. Avoid rocky areas that might damage the board. To begin with we recommend lakes as a great place to start off.

Conditions

Be smart and ride waves in the right conditions for your level, ensuring you understand the flow of the water around you. In addition to this, keep an eye on the wind and what it’s doing. If you get caught on the wind, or you end up in difficulties, lie face down on your board, using your arms to paddle (like you would on a surfboard). This will prevent the wind from taking you away, and will give you full control of your board.