SimonWillis.net: December 2011

A small team of us recently shot the Tiree Wave Classic, a spectacularly challenging windsurf competition. See the clip below.

I stepped in at the last moment to produce the show (despite what it says on the credits!), and after a week on the island I spent another couple of weeks editing it.

I knew nothing about windsurf competitions but I found it hugely compelling. The experts on the shore explain the subtlety of the moves and how these are scored. Then the competition itself proved intense, with the lead switching back and forth.

Oh - and there's also a feature on SUPing, Stand Up Paddling.

It's all in tonight's edition of the BBC2 Scotland programme The Adventure Show at 7pm. You can catch the programme on the iPlayer, on Sky Freesat or Freeview.

Knoydart - Last Paddle of 2011

The cold, crisp weather last week offered lovely 'last paddle of 2011' possibilities. In the end we kayaked from Mallaig to Inverie in Knoydart and back out again. The GPS track shows us wavering all over the place as we explored different possibilities, but it was a great day. We're looking forward to the first paddle of 2012 already.

Offer Extended - Buy DVD Vol 2 get Vol1 Under Half Price

Our pre-Christmas special offer on the two Sea Kayak with Gordon Brown DVDs is proving exceptionally popular and has therefore been extended until after Christmas.

Buy Volume 2, get Volume 1 for less than half price.

It genuinely surprises me so many people are taking advantage of this offer to complete their collection. Many bought Volume 1 when it was first released two years ago and have since mislaid the disc. This is a great chance to replace it for less than £10.

One of the great things about our coaching DVDs is you can return to them time and again, and learn something fresh with each viewing.

Pay To View Sea Kayak Coaching - Price Cut

The limited offer of Buy DVD Volume-2 get Volume-1 Half Price is proving very popular.

Quite a few people bought Volume-1 two years ago. Over time, many mislaid their disc, which is easily done.

So they tell me they're taking advantage of this special pre-Chrismas offer to complete their set. It means Volume-1 is effectively just £9.90.

That's the great thing with our coaching DVDs - you can return to them time and time again and learn something fresh with each viewing.

The two definitive sea kayak handling and rescues DVDs for £29.90 - an offer which ends 17th December.

Meanwhile I've also cut the price of the two Pay-to-View coaching sessions from Volume 2, Sea Kayak with Gordon Brown. There's more than 7 minutes of coaching for under £1! You can have unlimited number of viewings in 24 hours. It's an ideal way for people to see how the sessions on the DVD actually look before committing to buy the whole thing.

Superb Repairs to Outdoor Kit Including BAs

When a mouse chewed through the zip and surrounding fabric of the pocket on Liz's buoyancy aid, I feared it could not be repaired.

This wasn't just replacing a zip, this was rebuilding part of the pocket.

It now looks like new, so I can highly recommend the repair work of Tundra - Outdoor Ltd.

From tents to sleeping bags, gaiters to Goretex jackets, if these folk can't repair it, no-one can.

I sent the BA, they e-mailed a quote, I sent they money, they returned the BA fixed. The repair including return postage cost just £25.

They're based in Washington near Sunderland, the home of Berghaus. I might be wrong, but I think these folk set up in business after Berghaus moved much of its production overseas.

A website to bookmark for future use.

Video - Sea Kayaking Pioneers

There is much more to this film than I put in the first trailer - so I've made another one. You'll find it below.

I've also cut the price of the download to just £3.99.

For those who don't like Downloads, I've run off a few PAL Region 2 DVDs from our edit computer - there's no fancy box though.

When I produced the first trailer for Hamish's Kayaking Films, I really messed up.

I emphasised the St Kilda story because Hamish and Anne Gow were the first to kayak to those islands.

But eight minutes of Hamish's cine footage that crossing features in Volume 2 of Sea Kayak with Gordon Brown.

Anyone who bought the DVD would look at the first trailer and conclude, "I've seen all that".

In reality there's much more of Hamish's excellent archive footage in this 24 minute film. Shot in the 1950's and 1960's, exploring Mingulay, Staffa and other Scottish islands, as well looking at equipment and techniques.

So the new trailer emphasises what's not in the Gordon Brown DVD - I hope you like it.

And at just £3.99, I hope you buy it!