Welcome to Episode 15 of ‘Paddle and Flow’ Kayak podcast with Alex and Nicola.

This week we have a special episode as Alex talks about a recent flare demonstration he attended with Lothian Sea Kayak Club.

Pyrotechnic flares are one of several pieces of emergency/safety kit that kayakers may choose to carry on the sea.

In this episode, we discuss the different types of flares available, when to deploy them and how to do this safely. We also cover the RNLI recommendations for carrying flares.

If you carry flares as part of your emergency kit, remember to keep them where they are immediately accessible and take a glove to protect your hand from the heat. We don’t need to tell you that saltwater corrodes everything so remember to regularly inspect your flares when checking the rest of your gear for signs of corrosion 👍

As this was a demonstration of how to safely deploy flares, it may be useful to watch the video over on our YouTube channel (link below).

Thanks for listening. Happy paddling, stay safe 🙂

Paddle and Flow - YouTube

⁠⁠⁠ELKayak Fish - YouTube⁠⁠⁠ - Alex’s kayak fishing channel.

⁠⁠⁠P&H Custom Sea Kayaks⁠⁠⁠ - Nicola’s P&H Virgo MV

⁠⁠⁠Sturgeon Sit On Top Fishing Kayak - Galaxy Kayaks⁠⁠⁠ - Alex’s fishing kayak

Welcome to Episode 14 of ‘Paddle and Flow’ Kayak podcast.

With the podcast now over four months old, there was only so long we could avoid the paddling-related phrases that annoy Nicola! This week we’re talking about swimming. This is still a kayaking podcast but… are we all just between swims?!

Leading on from last week’s episode about the fear of failure, Alex starts by asking “Do you need to fall in to learn?”

We also consider a slightly different slant on this often seen on social media… if you’re not falling in, you’re not trying. This is not necessarily our view!

If we fall in, we can learn from it, but can we learn if we’re not falling in? Do we learn if we’re not making mistakes or does failure teach us more than success?

We finish off by talking about our big swims and whether we learnt anything from them.

We’d love to know what you think when it comes to learning and staying upright.

Thanks for listening. Happy paddling, stay safe 🙂

⁠⁠ELKayak Fish - YouTube⁠⁠ - Alex’s kayak fishing channel.

⁠⁠P&H Custom Sea Kayaks⁠⁠ - Nicola’s P&H Virgo MV

⁠⁠Sturgeon Sit On Top Fishing Kayak - Galaxy Kayaks⁠⁠ - Alex’s fishing kayak

Welcome back to Paddle and Flow!

After a three week break, Alex and Nicola are back with their 13th Episode - The Fear of Failure.

This topic felt like a natural next step following our multipart discussion about paddling and social media. We’re interested to find out whether a fear of failing is something we’re seeing more than we used to when it comes to paddling.

Had the thought of making a mistake stopped you from going paddling?

Alex talks about his experiences with kayak fishing and the prospect of not catching fish, while Nicola shares her fear of trying a new boat in front of an audience of strangers.

We chat about the internal and external factors that might be at play when we decide not to do something we’d planned to do, and we ask how we measure failure.

Are we afraid to start something because of the fear of not being able to complete it or because we’re scared we’ll mess up?

Are we more likely to avoid situations that might not work out as we’d hoped or do we embrace our mistakes, learn and move on? Can we improve if we don’t try?

What makes us feel safe to try even if we may not succeed?

Does the fear of failure feature in your paddling and how? We’d love to know your thoughts and experiences.

Thanks for listening and remember, if you never try, then you’ll never know! Happy paddling, stay safe 🙂

⁠⁠ELKayak Fish - YouTube⁠⁠ - Alex’s kayak fishing channel.

⁠⁠P&H Custom Sea Kayaks⁠⁠ - Nicola’s P&H Virgo MV

⁠⁠Sturgeon Sit On Top Fishing Kayak - Galaxy Kayaks⁠⁠ - Alex’s fishing kayak

Welcome to episode 12 of Paddle and Flow, the third part of our chat about social media and kayaking.

In this episode, Alex and Nicola start by continuing our discussion about safety and responsibility towards other paddlers, and being a good role model for others.

We do wander slightly and surprisingly off-topic as we consider the wider influence of social media and explore the creation of social media narratives.

Does having a social media presence change how we present ourselves and portray our lives due to fear of how we’ll be received by others? Is it possible to escape the downsides including negative comparison?

Thank you to everyone who’s made it through any or all three parts of this long chat! Let us know your views on whether social media is a good or bad thing when it comes to kayaking and beyond.

We hope you can join us next time as we ask if our paddling lives would change if we didn’t have social media, and we move on to discuss failure and the general reluctance to share when things don’t go to plan.

Thanks for listening 🙂

⁠⁠ELKayak Fish - YouTube⁠⁠ - Alex’s kayak fishing channel.

⁠⁠P&H Custom Sea Kayaks⁠⁠ - Nicola’s P&H Virgo MV

⁠⁠Sturgeon Sit On Top Fishing Kayak - Galaxy Kayaks⁠⁠ - Alex’s fishing kayak

Welcome to episode 11 of Paddle and Flow, the second part of our discussion about social media and kayaking.

In this episode, Alex and Nicola focus on the influence social media is having on paddling, particularly the decisions made by newcomers to the sport.

Is social media making kayaking more dangerous? Do more experienced paddlers have a responsibility towards helping beginners stay safe? Join us as we give our view on this often controversial topic.

We hope you enjoy this episode. Let us know whether you think social media is a good or bad thing when it comes to kayaking.

Thanks for listening 🙂

ELKayak Fish - YouTube - Alex’s kayak fishing channel.

P&H Custom Sea Kayaks - Nicola’s P&H Virgo MV

Sturgeon Sit On Top Fishing Kayak - Galaxy Kayaks - Alex’s fishing kayak

Alex and Nicola would like to welcome you to Episode 10 of Paddle and Flow.

This episode is the first in a long discussion we had about social media, which we have split into a few episodes.

In the first we pin down what we consider social media to be before moving onto Alex’s experience with his kayak fishing YouTube channel (see link below.)

We then begin trying to unravel whether social media has changed kayaking. Do we compare ourselves to other kayakers on social media? We also ask why is there a quiet reluctance to share when things go wrong?

We hope you enjoy our ramblings, please let us know your thoughts on whether social media is a good or bad thing when it comes to kayaking.

Thanks for listening 🙂

ELKayak Fish - YouTube - Alex’s kayak fishing channel.

P&H Custom Sea Kayaks - Nicola’s P&H Virgo MV

Sturgeon Sit On Top Fishing Kayak - Galaxy Kayaks - Alex’s fishing kayak

Welcome to Episode 9 of Paddle and Flow.

Alex and Nicola are back with the second half of a two-part episode about our recent paddling adventures and plans for 2025.

This week we talk about the mix of conditions we’ve had here on the East Coast of Scotland, with Alex getting caught in a squall on the same day Nicola was paddling on a sea of silver glass five miles along the coast.

We then move on to discussing our paddling plans for the year - paddle, lots 😁

Thanks for listening 🙂

ELKayak Fish - YouTube - Alex’s kayak fishing channel.

One Man And His Boat - YouTube - local fisherman Barry Brunton’s informative and entertaining YouTube channel. Always listen when a fisherman says not to trust winter weather!

P&H Custom Sea Kayaks - Nicola’s P&H Virgo MV.

Sturgeon Sit On Top Fishing Kayak - Galaxy Kayaks - Alex’s fishing kayak.

Welcome to Episode 8 of Paddle and Flow.

Alex and Nicola are back with a two-part episode to share our recent paddling adventures and plans for 2025, starting with a trip around Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth.

Join us as we discuss paddling in this classic sea kayaking spot on the East Coast of Scotland. From the quiet of winter to our fears of what lies above and below, it’s all here!

This is link to the trip Alex refers to when he experienced true fear in the shadow of Bass Rock -

I Felt So Small! Kayaking to the HUGE Bass Rock - YouTube

Tune in next week for Part 2!

Thanks for listening 🙂