[Paddlewise] Arctic Sea Kayak Race 1998

ASKR 1998, July 27-31: A participant’s view
(ASKR: www.nif.idrett.no/padling/askr.html)

After several years in Stockholm, my wife and me moved
to the very northernmost parts of Sweden. The distance
between the capital and our present home town, old
town of Luleå, is roughly 600 miles – meaning also
that the islands of Vesterålen in Norway are not so
awfully far away. Arctic Sea Kayak Race is an event
arranged (almost) every year by sea kayak enthusiasts
in that area since 1991 and last spring we made up our
minds: North Atlantic, here we come!

ASKR consists of three separate – although slightly
overlapping – events: the Race, Ramble and the Camp.
The Race is an extremely high-level competition for
serious athletes and it seems that in order to have a
chance to win, you must practice almost full time.
Even completing the Race is, in my opinion, quite an
achievement since the total distance covered in four
days of paddling is about 200km – pretty much
regardless of the weather. The winner of ASKR –98
paddled for 20 hours, all in all. The Ramble, then, is
a different story altogether: it offers the
participants the possibility to enjoy the breathtaking
scenery and beautiful waters of Vesterålen through
daily touring trips. The third event, Camp, is for sea
kayaking beginners who want to get a bit more serious
about what they are doing – theory and practice are
closely tied together.

For us it was natural to choose the Ramble – we are
just about as far from being pros as you can get but
figured that daily 20–40km trips would be okay. We got
interested in sea kayaking some seven years ago and
our normal tempo is not extremely high, putting it
mildly. Our kayaks are made by North Shore in Britain;
they are extremely well built in fiberglass and not
equipped with rudder – skeg only. 

All three ASKR events had the historic fishing village
and harbor of Skipnes on the island of Tindøya as
their base (and the arrangement will be the same in
1999, too). To get to Skipnes we paddled some five
kilometers from Kråkberget harbor where we parked our
car – it was also possible to take a boat out to
Skipnes. Prior to driving to Kråkberget we were
briefed at the Sortland Hotel, which serves as ASKR
headquarters.

The ”transport” from Kråkberget to Skipnes was a bit
exciting due to light fog in the area. It was a great
feeling, arriving at picturesque Skipnes – now it was
for real and we were afloat in the midst of this fairy
tale scenery, composed of dramatic towering peaks and
the sparkling Atlantic. Quite a few people had already
arrived so it took us a while to find a good spot for
our tent, close to a German Race camp as it turned
out.

The ASKR program is flexible, weather and winds can
always force a change of plans. However, this time the
weather gods were mostly on our side and the tours
could be carried out almost as planned. The first two
days offered beautiful day trips so we got acquainted
with the region; then you had the opportunity to join
an overnight tour to a “spectacular” location.
Naturally, we put our names on the list and next
morning some fifteen kayaks started out for the 20km
trip to Asandsanden. Weather remained enjoyable and we
saw innumerous sea birds during the trip – including
so many eagles that I, after a while, lost count of
them. Finally, we were getting close to our goal,
rounded some cliffs and suddenly I had a hard time
believing my eyes: right in front of us was an amazing
bay with a shining white beach and beautiful green
hills. Further away, a vertical cliff wall was
guarding this incredible natural harbor.

The day after, getting back, we had head wind and
especially the last five kilometers offered big waves
and some very real sea kayaking. To us, the
Asandsanden trip was the most memorable part of the
–98 ASKR.

The last part of the Ramble was the optional kayak
marathon, the 42km route that also was the last leg of
the Race. We decided to paddle a somewhat more
laid-back tour of our own, just extending the
transport back to Kråkberget a bit. The weather was
great and we had a wonderful tour to complete our
Norwegian sea kayak adventure.

Back in Sortland, ASKR arranged a dinner and a prize
ceremony at the Sortland Hotel. The atmosphere was
relaxed and it was interesting to hear the experiences
of those who had paddled the marathon. That night we
stayed at nearby Sortland Camping and then started the
long drive home the following day.

Some quick observations and thoughts to sum up our
ASKR 1998 experience:
 The event was well organized, the crew
members knew what they were doing and they were
friendly and helpful. Safety aspects were well taken
care of.
 Every Race participant used a wing paddle and
had the kayak fitted with a rudder. Same thing as to
the ASKR crew. Comments, anyone?
 Vesterålen islands – and Lofoten! – are
stunning. Get there if you can.

Rgds
Niilo

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