![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMZR4otfzlp-63P-jXnovXqAdFp14l_8RD695We70hrAqDdNo-gSQ2fENZQr0jn7IqDboxm2pj6ErC2NNZgMWa9Wye7omjuxKo6S3diMY7GJQlQ1cmS8s8qby593WXpKLjdRTtf3XFbRo/s400/20090228.jpg)
Saturday 28 February 2009
Overnight trip south from Grimstad
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMZR4otfzlp-63P-jXnovXqAdFp14l_8RD695We70hrAqDdNo-gSQ2fENZQr0jn7IqDboxm2pj6ErC2NNZgMWa9Wye7omjuxKo6S3diMY7GJQlQ1cmS8s8qby593WXpKLjdRTtf3XFbRo/s400/20090228.jpg)
Grimstad GPS tracks
I need some space on my GPS and I don't have my usual MemoryMap software installed on the laptop that I have with me in Norway.
The GPS data downloaded OK via a serial cable from my Garmin Foretrex201 that is plugged into a USB Bay 3U1S1P serial to USB converter. I used the freeware GPSBabel (http://www.gpsbabel.org/) to download the data and save it in the "Universal CSV" format.
I uploaded the CSV into the free online GPS Visualizer tool (http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/) to convert it to the Google Earth .kmz format. This displayed fine in Google Earth once I had downloaded and installed it from http://earth.google.com/.
The result is a display of how much ground I have covered by running or kayaking during the weeks that I have been in Grimstad:
The GPS data downloaded OK via a serial cable from my Garmin Foretrex201 that is plugged into a USB Bay 3U1S1P serial to USB converter. I used the freeware GPSBabel (http://www.gpsbabel.org/) to download the data and save it in the "Universal CSV" format.
I uploaded the CSV into the free online GPS Visualizer tool (http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/) to convert it to the Google Earth .kmz format. This displayed fine in Google Earth once I had downloaded and installed it from http://earth.google.com/.
The result is a display of how much ground I have covered by running or kayaking during the weeks that I have been in Grimstad:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtcbimndVPW2IsEbNXS5RNzzQr4CL9VjvENuwJaCEUdmtNBweEteH7yLkNXS7zyXELnqToat2Z9m1-uoMyMPT5bVY4luy88CTn6eI0RB7fNmzRf7Y3IZRDuYGyIzHlQHsAoXrniICuNAKC/s400/Grimstad20090228.jpg)
Thursday 26 February 2009
Evening paddle
Sunday 22 February 2009
Islands, channels and a frozen canal
My second paddle in Norway involved a bit more distance and a lot more sunshine than the first. Espen and I launched from the same spot in Holvika:
We turned right and paddled into the sun towards Lillesand:
Espen was dressed for the conditions:
We went as far as the "Blind channel" of Bufjorden. Apparently, this channel is so easy to navigate that it can be done blind:
We turned into the Reddal canal that leads to the inland lakes of Landvikvannet and Reddalsvannet:
The canal was frozen after only a few hundred metres, so it will have to wait for next time:
Even the melting snow was freezing again into icicles:
The paddle back took us through lots of small channels between the islands:
Many of the islands have small holiday homes on them. Some have lighthouses and the (now disused) dwellings for the lighthouse keepers:
Night was starting to fall as we finished our paddle:
Thursday 19 February 2009
First paddle in Norway
It was cold. It was dark. I was using a borrowed boat and blades. I was paddling with someone that I had never met before. I didn't care; it felt great to be back in a boat for my first paddle of the year. The last two months may have been my longest time without getting in a boat in the last twenty years!
Embarrassingly, I managed to snap the borrowed paddles after about fifteen minutes. The shaft sheared through on the first hard paddle stroke and left me paddling C1-style for the rest of the evening. As a result, we only covered about 9km or so but it was a very pleasant little trip.
The coastline near Grimstad is a maze of channels between islands of a wide range of sizes:
We set off from Holvika; you can see the two jetties to the south of Groos on the bottom left of the map. I was paddling with Espen from Black Hawk (http://www.black-hawk.no/) :
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzLoTxI5OsO6Dpxr5xwfbcHhDIaeYEXdKtokW3W184z_ZUxZd7cIr4hJxKiHKupLzxQ08u-mI5_Z6qeEQ22-le1_qdgssT_nLymDnevqoLhQ-AYcfcPpr3ylbe-8Tc5lc7eGhmjsX3aNaT/s400/P2190021.JPG)
There was still a bit of daylight left as we paddled off but it soon got dark:
I plan to join Grimstad PadleKlubb (http://www.grimstad-padleklubb.no/) on Sunday. My thanks go to Espen for the company and the loan of the kit.
Embarrassingly, I managed to snap the borrowed paddles after about fifteen minutes. The shaft sheared through on the first hard paddle stroke and left me paddling C1-style for the rest of the evening. As a result, we only covered about 9km or so but it was a very pleasant little trip.
The coastline near Grimstad is a maze of channels between islands of a wide range of sizes:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVv3dZyGc3VNfYfNwQDcGaKL6YIN40-jbnVPop0jIyA6Aefzun6P5dmmz2Vgr1CfCmLkRfK4D0WA2x78v-d9k95-504mR8Ht67vgGgZ6HYCKnXDG3Nq3i0QUjqETLFIVOmRTsopXa0AAQ4/s400/Map.png)
There was still a bit of daylight left as we paddled off but it soon got dark:
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