This morning I heard from my pal Harald over in Øyfjell, a beautiful wee Telemark mountain village halfway between Oslo & Bergen. A while back, he invited me over to help with & instruct G-style, survival techniques, &, do a talk [god help me!] at the new Norwegian Symposium he is helping to organize with Anders Thygesen, Pål Gustad, & Asle-Håvard Miklegard, so I thought I'd post up his flier for anyone interested on this side of the water, as the time is nearing gradually. Ok, it's in August but if you're like me, you blink & it's Spring, blink again & it's Summer...
The Symposium is a new venture & as with many new born ideas, it certainly relies on people's good will to become a great & consistent annual adventure. Harald, who will own his first Anas Acuta this February, has been kayaking for 36 years & likes a good Scottish malt. This is dangerous & I fear I may have to limit the amount of whisky I take to Norway this year or we may be rolling on the ground instead of in the sea. Black Lagavulin has that effect. :o)
By August I will hopefully have built a new bespoke Black Pearl under Björn Thomasson's original blueprints & take it over along with the Anas SoF.
A further link to the •≈ Norge Padleforbund forum is on the right hand bar of this blog where it's always been.

Seinn mæ en karsk, kjære kelner, til Valhöll vi drar.


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© Harald Rishovd
Inuit style sea kayak symposium in Norway

Are you fascinated by the history of Greenland & the paddling & rolling techniques of the Inuit? Are you interested in building you own skin-on-frame kayak? Would you like to paddle some trips, both long & short, with like-minded people? Do you have children that you would like to introduce to the world of Greenland paddling?

Where: The week-end of August 7-9 the Project Inuit is arranging a meeting of kayak enthusiasts at the beautiful Stokkøya Sjøsenter. The Center lies about 120 kilometres north of Trondheim, Norway, & offers varied possibilities for quartering, meals, & a fantastic area for paddling.

Who: The meeting is for anyone with an interest in the history of Greenland kayaking, related paddling and rolling techniques, and the building of Greenland-style kayaks & Baidarkas. You are still very much invited even if you have a plastic or fibreglass kayak; the only thing we ask is that you either paddle now with a Greenland paddle, or have an interest in learning to paddle with one.

Program: Several of Norway's leading Greenland enthusiasts have signed up for the meeting, but don't expect a fixed program where a few instruct & everybody else looks on. We want for everybody to be actively engaged, & are planning trips, & informal workshops with themes such as rolling, ropes, paddling technique, & building skin boats. [NOTE: Kayaks will not be built, but we will discuss how they are built & participants will have a chance to try out skin on frame kayaks & work with Greenland paddles]. There will be interesting talks &, of course, other enthusiasts to chat with. Of special interest to children & youth are ropes, rolling, & harpoon throwing.

Mentors: So far we have Anders Thygesen, Pål Gustad, & Asle-Håvard Miklegard, & a skilled madman from the Hebrides :0) More information will follow.

Food and lodging: There will be a common meal on Saturday evening, otherwise people will choose for themselves. Rooms are available for rent, & camping on the premises is permitted.

Price: The price for the symposium is 500.- Norwegian kroner per person. There will be no charge for children under 16 years of age. The price includes all activities & a t-shirt. The common meal on Saturday evening, lodging, & any meals bought at the Center will be paid for directly to Stokkøya Sjøsenter.

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Registration:

Registration for the meet should be sent to

Torleif Holm at: tolleboy@cembalaro.com

There is more info at: •≈ www.kajakkspesialisten.no

For more information on Stokkøya Sjøsenter:
•≈ www.stokkoy.no

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