Paddling & Navigation
Novices & experienced alike
Sea kayaking in Saint Anna & Gryt is as easy or hard as you make it. You have endless freedom in choosing your route and how much distance you wish to cover. Family-friendly! A great adventure for families with kids over 12 years old.
Kayaking on the sea
Paddling in Saint Anna is relatively easy, similar to paddling on a large lake instead of the open sea. There are no tides, currents or big swells to worry about. When conditions are windy, the islands provide shelter and break up waves into choppy waters.
Kayaks for long-distance paddling
We use stable double kayaks for all beginners and intermediates. They are fast, yet almost impossible to roll over – perfectly suited for covering vast distances and carrying lots of gear. We provide single kayaks strictly for experienced kayakers. If your group is uneven we do have single kayaks that are more stable, but they hold a lot less gear.
Varying degrees of shelter – from west to east
Saint Anna & Gryt are approximately 10-20 kilometres wide and divided into three zones from west to east – the inner, middle and outer archipelago. The inner parts are characterised by large forested islands and islets, situated close to each other and separated by narrow passages or smaller straits. These areas are usually very sheltered from the wind. The middle archipelago consists of medium sized islands, often clustered with some wider straits in between. This zone is more exposed to wind, but you can generally find quite sheltered routes. The outer archipelago is a myriad of islets and barren tiny skerries, with few obstacles that create protection from the wind.
Easy or hard – you choose!
When we speak of “adapting to weather conditions”, this most often means the wind, as rain is not that big of a deal. Especially since we use such high quality gear. If conditions are very windy, it’s a great option to stay in the inner and middle parts of the archipelago, where there is more shelter. The largest factor on your route however, is actually not the wind strength, but the direction. Paddling in headwind can be quite strenuous, whereas tailwinds are easy peasy.
Battling the elements can definitely be a fun part of your adventure! You have lots of flexibility in adapting your route, both in regards to wind strength and direction. You can choose how easy or hard you make it, which makes Saint Anna & Gryt fantastic paddling waters for beginners and experienced kayakers alike.
finding your way
It’s an interesting challenge to find your way around the islands. We teach you the basics of navigating in the area. After a lil trial and error even the novice navigator excels at taking out routes and recognising landmarks.
Comparing what’s around with your sea chart
You are provided a rolling compass strapped to the front of your kayak, which makes it easy to see what direction you’re heading at all times. The sea chart may look daunting at first, but taking out a compass bearing is simple. What’s a little trickier is to know exactly how far you’ve paddled. It’s an exercise in comparing what you see around you with your map. The shape and size of islands and their relative position to each other, rocks sticking out of the water, lighthouses, sea-marks, signs for underwater power cables or bird sanctuaries. These are some of the many marks that assist in pinpointing where you are.