Dear Kayak Forum,

I am writing to let you know about a new course at the Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis, UK which gives people the opportunity to build their very own skin-on-frame West Greenland Kayak and paddle. Perhaps this is something that might be of interest to Tonbridge Canoe Club members.

For the first time we will be running a 10 day West Greenland Kayak building course here on the Dorset/Devon border, and we're quite excited about it. Over the ten days of the course students will each build their own made-to-measure kayak, using either linen canvas or ballistic nylon, and a paddle. The course will run from 27 September to 6 October, instructed by Lars Herfeldt. Lars first paddled a kayak in the 1960s and was the first to import British sea kayaks to Germany. In the 1980s he started making paddles and in 1989 built his first skin-on-frame kayak with Svend Ulstrup, who learnt the skill in Greenland. Lars has now made over 400 paddles and 30 East and West Greenland kayaks and is a member of Qajaq USA.

For more details and photos of the building of a ballistic nylon kayak copy and paste this link into your browser:
http://www.boatbuildingacademy.com/courses/kayak.htm

While the course will be instructed and run by the Boat Building Academy, it is fully residential and takes place at 300 acre Trill Farm, idyllically located just under four miles from the Academy. Trill Farm specialises in sustainable living skills, organic farming, natural remedies and more. Trill will provide course members with shared en-suite rooms and three home-cooked (organic and home-grown where possible) meals a day. Should you not want to take up the option of accommodation, contact us for a revised price.

You can see us at this year’s South West Canoe Show in Exeter on 25th September – if you’re there come and say hello! Email us if you would like e-leaflet (just made that word up I think).

Best wishes,
Emma

Emma Brice
office@boatbuildingacademy.com
01297 445545