Video from the Newquay Padstow paddle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgZ1w1gTuHc&feature=youtu.be

The 16 mile paddle

We completed the Newquay to Padstow paddle in 4hours and 22minutes.

Real good day, flat and little wind but not to say it wasnt hard!

Along the way we had the pretty spectacular north Cornish coast as well as  spoting sunfish and dolphin which swan in the bow wave for a bit! all in all  another  good outing for the board, coming in to its own with stability and handling through chop (the ax bow cutting through rather than slammin!)

Newquay Padstow

About to embark on a 15 mile paddle for Newquay to Padstow on the North Cornish coast,  weather, tide and swell look favorable, let see how the board hold out as it will be the longest open water paddle the board been on!

Racing

I did my first race on the board today, 15km from Darmouth to Totnes (Devon), was hard going alot was into the wind but me and the board made it up there, and back. 15th overall 6th in the 12'6'' class, pretty stoked with that!

(you can see me and the board 4 board back at the start)

http://standuppaddlesurf.co.uk/component/content/article/703-head-of-the-dart-results

 a real sea trial at the begin of febuary, real still everning but a slight bit of ground swell, the board was flying, kicks slightly to the right and stalls very slighty when in the troths, still got a little hole somewhere, think it is in the same place. 

A hole

Found a, and hopefully the only hole where water was coming in, using a vacuum and some tissue paper, sealing of the inspection hatch and sucking the air out found the hole to be in the handle, so any water coming over the bow/ nose was draining out of the handle and into the board/ not down the drainage pipe.
Hindsight probably should have tested the pressure before going on the water?

Testing

Well it works, paddle real smooth and fast, cuts through chop effortlessly with a elegant bow wave. Stability, transverse and longitudinal is good, a lot of reserve buoyancy so possibility to carry a 'luggage'. 

A slight leak somewhere which is a bit of a mare? might be through the inspection hatches, pressure test it with a vacuum ?

All in all pretty pleased