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PaddlingInstructor.com - Canoe and Kayak News, Paddling News, Free Kayak and Canoe Teaching Resources
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Written by David H. Johnston
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Tuesday, 03 October 2006 |
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Nigel Foster, one of the world's foremost kayak figures, will head
Point 65s Research & Development department and optimize
contemporary and future products. Nigel is internationally known for
his expeditions, instruction, symposium appearances, kayaks designs and
numerous books and articles.
{mosimage}Nigel Foster will head Point 65s Research & Development department
and optimize contemporary and future products for smoother production
and quality control. Nigel will also be the Point 65 spokesperson and
assist with PR, marketing and events, in addition to designing new
products for Point65. First out is a new kayak line, targeted at
instructors and extreme touring paddlers, to be introduced in the fall
of 2007.
Finally Nigel will set up our new "Point 65 Expedition Team". We will
select high profile paddlers and expeditions and provide them with
kayaks to get feedback from the most extreme paddling environments.
Nigel will continue as an independent instructor and designer and
retain his relationships with other manufacturers.
Nigel Foster is one of the worlds front figures in kayaking,
internationally known for his expeditions, instruction, symposium
appearances, kayaks designs and numerous books and articles.
Nigel began paddling at the age of 15 in a canvas kayak, but soon
graduated to the slalom kayak in which he developed an obsession for
surf kayaking. One of his first journeys in a sea kayak was across the
English Channel to France, which he then repeated a couple of times by
night. His 400-mile solo journey around the southwest peninsula of
England and along the English Channel coast led him into his longer
explorations in Scotland. In 1977 at the age of 24 he became the first
to circumnavigate Iceland by kayak with companion Geoff Hunter. For
this trip they paddled a pair of Foster’s first design of sea kayaks,
the "Vyneck".
By this time he was professionally involved in teaching kayaking, and
in the following years began leading groups in places like Norway and
the Faroe Islands. This didn’t prevent him from escaping to explore the
Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, and to cross France from North to South
in a double racing kayak following canals and rivers.
In 1981 he set off on what almost proved to be his last trip, a journey
south from the then named “Frobisher Bay” on Baffin Island, to
Resolution Island and the Hudson Strait. From there he crossed 45 miles
of open water to the Button Islands off Northern Labrador. This is an
area with a tidal range up to 40 feet and tidal streams running in
places in excess of 7 knots. He suffered frostbitten fingers and the
loss of some of his gear some 300 miles from the nearest village after
an epic time in the tide races off the Button Islands in the dark.
It is in such situations that you need to depend on your choice of gear
and kayak. These hard earned experiences are now added to all Point65
products.
For more information visit Point65 Kayaks.
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