Panthera round Denmark in speed and style...
Thursday, August 5, 2021, 9 comments
A couple of days ago Erik B. Jørgensen completed his round Denmark challenge on record time. He cut the old record from 18 to 14 days!
Denmark is partly a different challenge than the Swedish coast. The long west coast of Jylland, wide open to the North Sea, with fx Klitmøller as a wave surfer's paradise, and with several very long open-sea passages out of sight from land: Skagen – Læsø – Anholt – Gilleleje (as if the Swedish Sea Kayakers Blue Band included rounding Gotland!). And Erik had his share of challenges: hard wind, 2,5 m waves, calms and tropical heat, wind, and current running against, etc. Erik's blog is an exciting read.
Photo: Claus Lillevang
Of course, all exceptional achievements are primarily due to the person doing the work – planning, strength, technique, focus, stamina – but I wouldn't want anyone to miss that Erik chose a Panthera for his successful record challenge ;-)
The Panthera is designed for those interested in touring in speed and style, rolling like in a Greenland style kayak, competing, or going after records (”...possibly Denmark's fastest Sea kayak” according to Jacob Norris).
How to get a Panthera:
Most satisfying is, of course, to build one yourself in wood strips, glass fiber, and epoxy, with the finish, outfitting, and seating comfort to your own taste.
But to save time, and maybe also weight (not all amateur builders can match the 16,5 kg of the plywood version, including Smarttrack rudder and Kajaksport hatches) by building your kayak on one of Petruskajak's well-known 8-day building classes.
Next year there will also be a commercially available composite Panthera from Danish Struer (the company that also builds Frej in composite and thermoplastic).
The top image shows my suggested design for the Petrus-built Panthera that Struer sponsored Erik with – designed with a tip of the hat to Erik's military background and, of course, with the Danish flag.
