Sicily and Sardinia 2007

Wendy Killoran and René Seindal will circumnavigate the Italian islands of Sardinia and Sicily in the autumn of 2007.

Canadian school teacher Wendy Killoran, who has circumnavigated the Canadian islands of Manitoulin Island, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, will join paddler René Seindal who speaks Italian fluently and is an avid sea kayaker, historian and website designer. They will indulge in the local cuisine, explore the shoreline communities and historical attractions and will investigate the affect of the Mediterranean Sea on the inhabitants along the shoreline and how the people affect the sea in return.

Each island has over 1000 kilometers of rugged shoreline and Wendy and René will document their journey through photography, video and by maintaining this blog.

The journey will start in Cagliari in late September with the circumnavigation of Sardinia, paddling north along the eastern coast of the island, passing the Strait of Bonifacio and then south along the western coast, hoping to gain from the prevalent NW winds on the western coast of Sardinia.

The trip from Cagliari to Palermo will be by ferry. Departing from Palermo, the journey continues westwards, passing Trapani, the Egadian Islands, and Marsala, and along the south coast of Sicily, passing Mazzaro del Vallo, Selinunte, Agrigento, Gela and Ragusa. The journey up the east coast of Sicily passes Syracuse, Catania, Taormina and Messina, with Etna dominating the horizon. From Messina the trip moves towards Milazzo, where a crossing to the Aeolian Islands with the two active volcanoes Vulcan and Stromboli will be attempted, weather permitting. After that detour the journey continues back to Palermo, where we expect to arrive around late November or early December.

About our sponsors

These companies have kindly sponsored our expedition, for which we are truly grateful.

Tiderace Sea Kayaks

Tiderace Sea Kayaks is Aled William's new kayak company. It will produce and sell kayaks of Aled's own design. Currently, the Xcite kayak is entering production and the Xplore kayak is in pre-production. Aled is the designer of Rockpool's kayaks, and the kayaks of Tiderace Sea Kayaks will no doubt be just as brilliant, if not better.

Tiderace Sea Kayaks will lend us a prototype of the Xplore for our expedtion, which we're very Xcited about :-) Thanks Aled.

Skim Kayaks

Skim Kayaks has generously sponsored René a Skim Distance for this journey. The Skim Distance is a different kind of expedition kayak which we're quite keen to test during our journey. Thanks Skim Kayaks!

Current Design

Current Design and their German dealer Wavecrest will borrow us a Current Design Solstice GTS kayak for the journey. Wendy already has a sponsored Solstice GTS in Canada, but a borrowed kayak from Wavecrest will be a great help in keeping costs down. Thanks Current Design and Wavecrest.

Kokatat

Kokatat continues to be a leader in creating functional, practical, stylish, quality garments for sea kayaking and other water sports. We're happy to say that Kokatat will provide generous sponsorship, including garments such as the GORE-TEX PACLITE Storm Cag, GORE-TEX PACLITE Anorak, and the GORE-TEX PACLITE Knappster. Accessories provided by Kokatat include the TROPOS Seawester Hat and the Tributary Hydration System. Not only will we feel stylish, we'll have the confidence to know that we can count on their quality gear to keep us comfortable on the water. Thanks Kokatat!

Avatak Paddles

Nicola de Florio of Varese, Italy makes the most wonderful handcrafted Greenland paddles on the market. Each paddle is an exquisite piece of craftsmanship.

Avatak Paddles have sponsored each of us a paddle of our choice. Wendy will get both a two-piece and a single-piece Greenland style paddle, 224 cm long with 8 cm blades. René's will be a single piece Greenland style paddle, 244cm long with 9 cm blades. Both paddles are made of pine and mahogany. Thanks Nicola!

ODLO

ODLO have been a market leader in functional sportswear for over 60 years. ODLO products include functional underwear, Nordic Walking sportswear and, together with Bjørn Dæhlie®, in X-Country clothing. ODLO develops sportswear - and this is unique – from the skin outwards: from the inside to the outside.

ODLO has sponsored us assorted underwear styles, Tec shirts and jackets. Thanks ODLO!

North Water

North Water designs and builds paddle sport products to promote safety, comfort and organization. By working with some of the world’s foremost experts in the paddle sports industry, the commercial marine environment and the swift water rescue industry, North Water is able to offer innovative, high quality products that are built to a much higher standard than consumer related brands.

North Water has sponsored us deck bags, duffelbags and safety products essential for a secure paddling experience. Thanks North Water!

Nokia Nseries

Nokia Nseries is the world's leader in mobile multimedia devices, and with the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet Nokia Nseries has made the ultimate mobile internet device. The N800 Internet Tablet gives internet access anywhere there is mobile coverage or wi-fi access, with a hi-res 4.3" display, Opera browser, Flash, Email, Google Talk, Skype and much more.

Nokia Nseries sponsors us a N800 Internet Tablet, a foldable keyboard, a car charger for use with our solar panels and a GPS unit for easy blogging of our position. With the N800 Internet tablet we'll be able to update our blog, upload photos and check weather forecasts from just about anywhere, as long as we have mobile phone coverage. Thanks Nokia Nseries!

V.I.O. Video In and Out

We wish to acknowledge V.I.O. Video In and Out for their generous sponsorship. They have provided us with the Viosport Adventure Cam H2O and the necessary accesories for creating videos on the water while kayaking. Thanks V.I.O.!

Brunton

Brunton sells quality camping and outdoor gear for the adventurous.

Brunton has given us a 40% discount on flexible waterproof solar panels for recharging electronic equipment, and on stoves, lamps and cooking gear. Thanks Brunton!

Hilleberg

Hilleberg has for 30 years manufactured backpacking and mountaineering tents of the highest quality.

Hilleberg has given us a 45% discount on a Nammatj 3 GT tent. Thanks Hilleberg!

Vibram FiveFingers

Vibram FiveFingers will support our Kayak Island Quest journey by providing us with a pair of red "Sprint" Five Fingers footwear. Vibram FiveFingers are unique, functional and very comfortable footwear that can be worn both on and off the water. Thanks Vibram FiveFingers.

Kajakhotellet

Kajakhotellet is one of the major kayak dealers in Denmark. They sell high quality kayaks, like NDK, Valley, Nigel Foster designs, Skim Kayaks, and clothing from Kokatat and Artistic Sportswear.

Kajakhotellet has a policy of supporting expeditions from their pool of expedition gear, and they will provide us with many of the little bits and pieces we need for an extended expedition. Thanks Kajakhotellet!