PADDLER
Part two - next issue .
PADDLER
50
The packing of the kayak didn ’ t change much over the entire expedition – I had all my dry clothes in the front hatch . I have a sleeping bag , roll mat , bear gear in the rear hatch , all my tech stuff – cameras , GoPro , powerbanks as well as first aid kit , toiletries and a ‘ useful things ’ bag ( compass , duct tape , another knife , matches etc ) in the hatch directly behind the cockpit . Food and cooking gear was strapped to the rear deck , tent and rifle to the front deck . Everything was in dry bags , which I thought would be sufficient , but no . Water gets into every hatch – especially when the wind is lively and waves wash over you from all sides .
THE COLD DRY SUIT
I quickly learnt to put any sensitive objects – i . e . anything electrical , inside a plastic bag with a clip-on , sometimes double bagged , which makes getting organised in your tent pretty crucial if you don ’ t want to spend ages looking for an item . I got a little quicker each time at packing / unpacking , but it still took 90 minutes from start to finish . The most challenging part of the routine was getting into the cold dry suit – I left this bit until Scorp was loaded and ready to go . Just the tent left to pack down , removing your toasty warm and dry clothes to put on the cold drysuit was a miserable task , only alleviated by knowing that you ’ d be on the water soon and paddling to warm up .
I didn ’ t do any planning really to work around tides , and I didn ’ t notice them too much when I was out towards the coast – only through a couple of fjord systems did it affect me . Once , heading through an icy fjord in the south , I heard something that soon turned
into a dull roar , and I could feel the water tug . Paddling hard towards the land , I soon saw the fjord narrow , and the water was rough about 100m ahead . Not knowing the water and being by myself , I didn ’ t fancy giving it a go , so I wound my way down into a small cove , landing on an icy beach . I hopped out to see if I could portage past that fast-moving water over the hill . And yes , I could .
I dragged Scorp about 200m over ice into a cove on the other side of the narrows – feet breaking through the icy crust and soon losing any feeling as I managed to launch through some heavy ice and carry on with the journey . Two other times , the tide was too strong to paddle against , and both times , I pulled to the side and waited it out . It ’ s not ideal when it ’ s so cold , but it wasn ’ t long before the current had lessened enough for me to make some headway against it .
GREENLANDIC PADDLERS
I didn ’ t encounter any other paddlers until I reached Sisimiut , when a group of Greenlandic paddlers came out to meet me a few kilometres from the harbour . I am in awe of these paddlers , in their homemade craft that are so sleek and low in the water . The silence of their wooden Greenlandic paddles made me feel a little clumsy . I was in my dry suit , throw rope and PFD , bits of equipment hanging off me and Scorp , whereas they were in a regular jumper ( with jeans and sneakers , I found out when we landed ), no lifejacket or emergency beacons in case anything happened .
I often thought of those traditional qajaqs alone , paddling or waiting out a storm . Scorp is pretty bombproof – tough moulded plastic split by bulkheads into four separate sections , so if one section floods , it ’ ll still float . But these wooden qajaqs , with canvas or stretched sealskin the only thing between the paddler and the freezing cold waters , had no such luxury – it would just take a mishap with a sharp piece of ice or a walrus attack , and that would be it – there would be no chance of making it to shore before hypothermia took hold .
Part two - next issue .