I will admit upfront that I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to topics like kayak rescues and towing. Not sure why but I just find them more interesting to talk about and practice then boring topics like how to perfect the low brace or forward stroke. That’s why I was excited to check the the mail recently and discover a pre-release version of the upcoming DVD, Sea Kayak with Gordon Brown: Volume 2 by BCU senior sea kayak instructor, Gordon Brown.

Sea Kayak with Gordon Brown: Volume 2 is the second in a three part series (look for the third volume to be released in 2012). This version take us into more advanced boat handing and covers topics such as Assisted and Self Rescues, Contact/Short and Long Distance Towing, Technical Landings and Rescue Scenarios. On paper that might not seem like a lot but trust me this DVD covers a huge pile of material in each chapter that will keep both intermediate and advanced paddlers happy.

What I really like is that for an instructional DVD, it’s actually interesting. Like version 1, the teaching elements are woven into the story of a group of paddlers who set out to explore St Kilda by kayak. St Kilda is a small cluster of beautiful and rugged islands 40 miles into the North Atlantic off the west coast of Scotland. I found the formula of mixing a good story with instruction throughout made watching the entire two hour production a pleasure.

As far as actual new stuff to learn, I was pleasantly surprised with how much material there was throughout the DVD. After watching a good many instructional DVD’s over the years, it’s sometimes hard for me to pick out exactly what new stuff I learned but in this case I didn’t have to wait to long to pick up some new ideas. For example, the long distance towing section had some great information on what to look for when buying a new tow system as well as clear instructions on how to dismantle then rebuild the whole thing as soon as you get home to eliminate the knotts and snag points. Watching Gordon explain all the different towing systems he uses is worth the price for admission alone.

Compared to version 1, the production and editing of this video is greatly improved. Producer, Simon Willis invested new cameras and waterproof gear so version 2 was shot in entirely in HD. You might remember in version 1 that several of his waterproof cameras were not at the same resolution so the footage sometimes would show clips of lower quality footage. That’s been solved and they now make use of several cameras showing the same skill from different angles to make things very clear.

The other nice improvement this time round was a subtle change that to me made a huge improvement in all the instructional segments. This time Gordon is teaching actual students rather then teaching the the camera how to do the skill. It’s immediately clear that he is more comfortable talking to real students and more natural sounding. Instructors, you are going to want to pay close attention to how he teaches the skill to the group then steal all the good lines for your own lessons.

Besides the teaching elements, I loved the groups trip out to St Kilda. Before watching the DVD I had never heard of St Kilda but after seeing the gorgeous abandoned islands with their massive cliffs and millions of sea birds; I now have another location added to my checklist of paddling locations to visit before I’m dead. Oh, did I mention that there is a sea cave that goes directly through the heart of one of the islands? Yep, on a calm day you can enter the west side of the island and come out the eastern side. Not quite the the same as going through the Mines of Moria from Lord of the Rings but pretty cool anyways.

One hidden gem buried in the middle of the DVD that I wasn’t expecting was a historical segment and interview of Hamish Gow who, along with his wife, were the first people to paddle by kayak the 63 km (40 miles) out from Scotland to St Kilda back in 1965. It’s a great little eight minute segment with home movies of the original crossing. The history buffs out there might be interested to know that the full interview has been turned into a 24 minute documentary which you will be able to download it at seakayakwithgordonbrown.com later this October.

Sea Kayak with Gordon Brown: Volume 2 will be available October 2011 at your local paddling shop or at seakayakwithgordonbrown.com. If you want to just sample a couple of the coaching sessions, you can rent them online for only $4.50.

All images captured from the DVD.

BCU Level 3 Coach, Nick Cunliffe and Matt Giblin recently released their second instructional DVD in the Sea Kayak Essentials series. Last time they focused on foundation kayak skills aimed at beginner and intermediate paddlers but this time they are stopping it up a notch as they focus on intermediate and advanced boat handling skills.

Sea Kayak Essentials covers a wide range of topics including open water forward paddling, moving water skills, tide race paddling, rock hopping and surfing skills.

The paddling nerd in me really liked this video. Be warned that in some areas it’s very technical which could turn of casual paddlers looking for pure entertainment. That being said; they do a fantastic job breaking down some very technical skills (eg. tidal race paddling) and present it in easy to digest chunks.

If you are the self learning type of paddler then this DVD will appeal to you. You know who you are; you read info in books or watch a DVD then go out and practice yourself and figure it out. This DVD will be right up your alley.

One thing that I do really appreciate is that the producers have also written 40 pages of technical notes to go along with the DVD allowing you to get even more detail out of the video. It’s a great resource for students but I believe it will also be a fantastic resource for instructors who are looking to increase their technical knowledge for rough water paddling skills. You can grab a copy of it on their website.

Except for Jennifer Lopez’s masterpiece Gigli, no film is perfect. One thing that I do wish Nick and Matt did was to spend more time explaining some techniques from a boat. Nick does a great job as host and instructor but I sometimes noticed the editing formula would be to introduce the skill and explain the key concepts while standing on a rock then cut to a boater in rough water doing it with nice background music. There was a couple times where I was longing for a voice over or specific graphics so I knew what to look for. As somebody who easily got distracted by the amazing rough water footage and scenery, it would help snap out of dreaming mode and back into learning mode. Of course didn’t happen all the time but it was a noticeable point to me.

Final verdict? If you are looking for a solid video textbook to get you going I found it for you.

You can grab your copy for £19.95 if you live in the UK or £21.95 if you are living anywhere else in the world. Sea Kayak Essentials is available in both PAL and NTSC formats.

This is Canoeing is the next DVD in a growing list of award winning films by Justine Curgenven who is best known for her groundbreaking sea kayaking, “This is the Sea” series. Justine was one of the first to really show what a sea kayak could do and bring that footage to the masses.

With her newest film This is Canoeing, Justine steps out of her kayak and into a canoe with the goal of celebrating the many versatile uses is this fantastic watercraft. Running over three and a half hours; the 2 DVD set can be more described as 12 short films highlighting different people or different styles of paddling. Included in the film is Kevin Callan, Becky Mason, Paul Mason, Mark Scriver, Andrew Westwood, Karen Knight, Bob Foote and Wendy Grater.

Like her sea kayaking films, This is Canoeing was shot in many exotic places including Northern Canada, the United States, Scotland & Wales.



I will be honest with you, I really wanted to love this movie but I just couldn’t. Don’t get me wrong; I liked the move a lot, I just didn’t love it. It’s thoroughly entertaining with some great whitewater action and very funny interviews throughout but I just found that it was missing something that I still find difficult to put my finger on.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a new kayak skills DVD just released called Kayak Essentials. I was very pleased to get a copy in the mail to review.

Kayak Essentials is produced by BCU coaches Nick Cunliffe, Matt Giblin and Lynsey Evans. They are all extremely well qualified instructors and it’s very evident that they did their homework with this project. The kayaking skills demonstrated throughout the DVD are good and the production for a training video is top rate.

Clocking in at roughly an hour and an half, Kayak Essentials focuses on the core skills for flatwater, whitewater and sea kayaking.

The one thing I noticed right off the start is that the video isn’t flashy at all. At first I was thinking, “Ugh oh, what have we got here?” but then I was pleasantly surprised that the lack of flash was made up for by the depth of knowledge in skills that the DVD presented. Every time a new skill is introduced they take the time to go through the stroke; carefully pointing out the key elements as well as common problems beginners usually have. Scattered throughout are extra challenges and simple coaching tips to remember when out paddling on your own.

Simon Willis was very kind to send me late last week a preview copy of the new DVD that he produced and directed; Sea Kayak with Gordon Brown.

Sea Kayak with Gordon Brown was developed to be an extension to Gordon’s very good book by the same name. Like the book, the DVD is aimed at intermediate paddlers and provides a video reference to the many skills need on the water.