GO! Girls Outdoors

What do rock gardens, powerful tidal races, stingrays, Greenland Rope Gymnastics, chalk cliffs, the Ottawa River and the world’s biggest blowhole have in common?  Well, there are lots of rocks involved (except for the tidal races and stingrays) and a fair amount of water (except for the cliffs and rock gardens).  But what on earth is Greenland Rope Gymnastics?  And what does it have in common with the rest?

The answer is This Is The Sea IV, a sea kayaking DVD with a difference, where all of these things are featured.  Justine Curgenven (previously profiled on GO! Girls Outdoors) has a dream job - for anyone who loves kayaking, that is.  Justine films and produces kayaking DVDs, including the popular This Is The Sea series, which now has four parts.  She travels the world, goes kayaking, meets interesting people and films the lot, all of which appears on her DVDs.  

This Is The Sea IV is a rollocking good watch, and if my experience has been typical, has a strange effect on people.  If you’re an employer, I wouldn’t recommend the DVD to your employees - just one viewing of the DVD will have people quietly Googling away at work and popping out early to go paddling, which might have an impact on their productivity.  Such is the passion of the paddlers Justine found and filmed for This Is The Sea IV, just one viewing will have you trooping out to the shed to dust off your old playboat or fishing yak, reattaching the kayak carriers to your roof rack and heading out for your first paddle in months.  If you paddle a lot already, you’ll probably find yourself researching the price of flights to Norway, or perhaps figuring out how you can convince your other half that you truly need a new kayak, or whether it would be easier to set up a convincing argument for a new Greenland paddle.

Whatever your paddling experience or expertise, I truly believe that This Is The Sea IV will be an inspiring watch, and probably change your perceptions of kayaking as well.  Justine has travelled all over the world to find the most interesting people and incredible places to go kayaking, and you can have all that in your own living room!

First it’s playing in rock gardens and blowholes in Baja, Mexico with Jen Kleck, America’s most qualified kayaking coach and instructor (male or female).  Then we meet Dubside, a character with a passion for Greenland Rolling, Greenland Rope Gymnastics and Commando Kayaking (kayaking without a car), who singlehandedly inspired my boyfriend to get on the phone to a mate and plan a rolling session after work the next day, and to go searching on the internet for information about Greenland Rope Gymnastics and in the backyard for two suitable trees.  Then it’s punching through the surf with what looks like a tonne of fishing gear, searching for a world record fish from a humble kayak.

Justine’s journey across Bass Strait was particularly inspiring for me because I’ve already had one crack at the Strait and been turned around by bad weather and other unforseen circumstances.  Justine and her friend made it across the treacherous waters without too many issues, and filmed the millpond conditions I’d heard about but didn’t quite believe in after I spent a week sitting in Victoria waiting for the 35+ knot winds and 3 metre swell to die down.  After Bass Strait Justine throws herself into the Ottawa River, where two very experienced white water kayakers decided to up the ante and run all the lines in sea kayaks.  Then we go surfing and exploring in Israel, practice paddling gymnastics in the mighty fjords of Norway and have a shower in the waterfalls of Lake Superior in Canada.

This Is The Sea IV also comes with a bonus “Expedition Disc”, which features multi-award winning documentaries about two of Justine’s trips - a circumnavigation of the Queen Charlotte Islands (off Canada’s Northern coast) and of the wild and unpredictable South Island of New Zealand.  The Queen Charlottes were incredible and the smiley team had pretty good luck with the weather, making it around without too many dramas.  New Zealand brought to mind a friend of mine’s favourite saying - “it doesn’t have to be fun to be fun”, which I think means something like “it might be crap now but later, when the whole thing is over, the story will be a lot of fun to tell over beers at the pub”, which is an attitude that has got me through many an adventure.  New Zealand is hard core - actually, make that Hard Core - but it makes a great story.

The true inspiration in This Is The Sea IV, the thing that sets people Googling and braving monster spiders who’ve set up home in unused kayaks, is the passion of the people who love kayaking.  You can see it wherever you go in the world, but Justine has captured the passion perfectly in her DVD.  Whether it’s casually touring and camping, finding a big fish, shooting an enormous rapid or developing a wide range of skills, there is something in kayaking for everyone - and always something new to try for even the most experienced and seasoned kayaker.

If you love adventure, or you love kayaking, get hold of This Is The Sea IV.  Be inspired!

For more information, please visit the Cackle TV website or read the profile of Justine Curgenven on GO! Girls Outdoors.