Paddling News

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.