Morocco

In case you haven't already heard.. Gareth has just got back from an epic surf trip to Morocco!

While the rest of us have suffered in the cold, Gareth was out surfing in a short sleeve cag, dining on local cuisine, and exploring the Moroccan coastline.

The trip started out by flying to Agadir. From here the team travelled to their first stop, Imsouane. A day or two was spent surfing at Cathedral Point, but it wasn't long before they headed South to Sidi Ifni, stopping off at a few spots along the way and sampling the local cuisine. 

A great way to get a dose of warm weather paddling during the winter. Definitely marked on the calender for next year!

Team Member - Gareth Spendiff

Name: 

Gareth (Spendy) Spendiff

Hometown: 

Swansea, South Wales

Current canoe/kayak/SUP(s) owned: 

P&H Aries / Wavesport Recon 83 / Mega Boost.

Favourite canoe/kayak/SUP of all time: 

P&H Aries / Delphin.

Most useful piece of equipment owned (why?): 

GoPro Camera. Always good fun looking back at the days paddle/carnage.

A piece of equipment on the wish list (why?): 

Werner Ovation. An awesome set of super light sea paddles.

An item of clothing on the wish list (why?): 

Kokatat Gore-Tex Expedition Drysuit. Such a lightweight and comfortable suit that works really well on the water.

Favourite type of paddling: 

Sea Kayaking.

Favourite paddling location: 

Pembrokeshire.

Best paddling experience: 

Surfing an old P&H Orion sea kayak on a hot sunny day with long, long glassy waves in the Gower.

Future trips on the wish list: 

Whitewater: A week or two in Val Sesia, Italy. 

Sea Kayaking: A surf at The Bitches, Pembrokeshire.

Current paddle wagon:

Ford Mondeo that is full of sand and mud as standard!

A song/artist/album which gets you motivated for a paddle:

Stereophonics.
Favourite thing to buy from Greggs:

Rocky Road slice.

Autumn Paddling

The cold weather has crept up on us once again!

But for the UK white water paddler, this means spending the week chasing rain and psyching up to push their abilities to the limit.

The team has been out in force over the last few weeks, paddling some great Welsh rivers like the Towy, Tawe and Mellte, and trying to catch some waves before work.

Paddle Expo 2013

Paddle Expo (or KanuMesse) is now the biggest canoe and kayak trade show in the world!

Suppliers and manufacturers from around the globe travel to Nuremberg, Germany, to show off their newest designs and latest innovations.

This year Gareth and Tom went to check it out, leaving Gus to manage some new and exciting developments happening back at Escape. Here is just some of what's to come in 2014...

The Kokatat range is as strong as ever.

Kokatat's Hydrus Expedition suit.

Sweet new colours in the Perception kayak range.

Werner paddles are still our favourite!

A brighter Astral Seawolf.

Close up with the New Burn.

Gareth's newest boat.

Peak UK are looking flash for 2014.

 A few updates for the Peak UK drysuits.

Orange could be the colour of 2014..

A little brother for the Palm Safety Tape.

CIWW White Water Festival 2013

The CIWW annual paddle event that brings canoeists and kayakers from far and wide.

The 2013 White Water Festival saw paddling manufacturers including Palm, Dagger, Pyranha, Jackson and Wavesport, offering demo boats to test on the course and showing off their latest products.

Of particular interest this year was Dagger's new boat, the Katana. A crossover kayak built for tackling white water, but also allows for easy cruising on the flat. Fantastic for multi-day trips.


Later in the day were the races.
The Dirty Dog Ducky Derby was as popular as ever, and the Palm Boater-Cross saw teams of paddlers racing down the course, completing challenges at certain points and trying to avoid as much chaos as possible. A lot of fun had by all.

Tom takes the Gold in the Duo Ducky Race

The evening came to a close with a performance from The Blims, some left over hog roast, and a few beers at the bar. A great way to end the Summer.

The Last Evening Paddle of the Summer

The days are getting shorter again and the water a little colder. 

The team waved goodbye to the Summer months while paddling around Mumbles lighthouse and over to Langland last night, taking in the stunning Welsh coastline scenery and enjoying a bit of seal watching.

Looks like we'll be in drysuits again before we know it!