The GB360 Midlifekayak expedition sets off to circumnavigate mainland Britain by kayak on April 29th from the Cornwall coast in the South West of England.  English paddlers Andy Mullins, Geoff Cater and Mike Greenslade will be equipped with Kokatat GORE-TEX® dry suits, PFDs (personal flotation devices) and accessories to help keep them dry, safe and comfortable on their 2,500-mile journey.

The team is aiming to complete the trip in approximately one hundred days by covering rougly twenty-five miles each day.   A total of 23 people have previously completed the route with the first successful attempt in 1980.

The paddlers of GB360 Midlifekayak met on the Isles of Scilly in April 2010 and found that they all harboured ambitions for a large scale kayaking expedition.  Along with a goal of completing the expedition, GB360 Midlifekayak hopes to raise $15,000 USD for their favorite causes including:

On April 8th Matthew White and Skye Marchesi will depart on a sail assisted kayak expedition from Olympia, WA, to Glacier Bay, Alaska through the Inside Passage, with hopes to raise $100,000 for the Seattle area YMCA Camp Orkila.

“Summer camps are where many children have their first paddlesports experience,” said Lisa Kincaid, Kokatat Promotional Marketing Manager. “We wish Matthew and Skye the best of luck on their trip and hope that their expedition will give many more Orkila campers the opportunity to fall in love with paddlesports.”

White, a former Orkila camper and counselor, has long wanted to give back to the camp and provide more children with the opportunity to attend the camp where one in six campers receive scholarship assistance. After discussing the topic with Marchesi, his girlfriend and a successful fundraiser, they spawned the idea of an expedition that fused their love of the outdoors with the mission to raise a substantial endowment for the camp.

“Orkila has a special place in my heart and it’s from my experiences there that lead to my love for the outdoors and paddlesports,” said White.

YMCA Camp Orkila, founded in 1906, is located on the north side of Orcas Island in the Washington San Juan Islands. YMCA Camp Orkila provides summer camp opportunities including day and overnight camping for boys and girls where they can explore nature, learn new skills, make new friends and gain respect for the environment.

White and Marchesi will be relying on a full kit of Kokatat paddling gear to keep them dry, safe, and comfortable. Included in the kit are Kokatat’s GORE-TEX® TecTour anoraks, GORE-TEX® Whirlpool bibs, personal floatation devices (PFDs), Nomad Boots, and additional accessories. To assist White and Marchesi on their trip they will be using Triak trimaran sailing kayaks.

To learn more about the expedition and follow their progress at http://triakfororkila.com.

About Kokatat Watersports Wear:
Celebrating over 40 years of innovation, Kokatat is an independently operated, US manufacturer of technical apparel and accessories for water sports. Handcrafted in Arcata, California, Kokatat employees are focused on building the finest functional product for people who work and play on water. Our gear is designed for paddlers, by paddlers, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience on the water all year long and in all weather conditions. Into the water with Kokatat! Please visit www.kokatat.com and follow Kokatat on Facebook and Twitter “@kokatat”.

Wilderness Systems is teaming up with three major national media outlets for a high-profile angling sponsorship package developed by The Heliconia Press. The much anticipated partnership will showcase the brand’s leadership position in the kayak angling community and star well-seasoned Wilderness Systems Pro Staff Director Chad Hoover.

In his network television debut, Knot Right Kayak Fishing, Hoover offers helpful kayak bass fishing secrets, tips, and tricks. Wilderness Systems is a major sponsor of the new three-episode mini-series, which premiered Friday, March 30, on NBC Sports. Viewers can tune in Fridays at 1 p.m. EST for the remainder of the episodes. On the show, Hoover travels around North America in his kayak to pursue a range of different types of bassin’ adventures, but the fishing lessons don’t stop there.

Starting in July, the World Fishing Network, with Wilderness Systems as title sponsor, will air a full 13-episode run of Kayak Bassin’ with Chad Hoover. This show will allow Hoover to spread a wealth of kayak fishing knowledge to an ever-growing kayak angling audience. All episodes will feature Wilderness Systems boats and Adventure Technology paddles.

Wilderness Systems is also proud to continue serving as a major sponsor of Hoover’s YouTube channel KayakBassinTV. His popular fishing segments will further engage his online audience as the web-series heads into its second season.

“It was great to work with Heliconia’s Executive Director and Producer Ken Whiting and our Pro Staff Captain Chad Hoover on this multi-media project,” said Cheri McKenzie, Chief Marketing Officer for Confluence Watersports. “The Wilderness Systems team is dedicated to growing the sport of kayak fishing, and this sponsorship trifecta presented an entertaining opportunity to support and further educate the growing base of anglers, retailers, and fans who have come to love this pastime.”  

For additional information on Chad Hoover and the Wilderness Systems Pro Staff team, please visit www.wildernesssystems.com.

About Wilderness Systems:
Innovative designs tuned for performance, premium outfitting, and superlative quality have aligned Wilderness Systems boats with the most acclaimed paddling experiences in the world. Since 1986, Wilderness Systems has pushed the limits of design and innovation, by refusing to compromise. A Wilderness Systems kayak offers the ultimate in performance and design for the recreational boater to the expedition paddler. Taking that same drive into the angling market, Wilderness Systems fishing kayaks exemplify the ultimate experience for anglers. For the times you can’t be on water, experience Wilderness Systems at www.wildernesssystems.com and join the Wildy Community.

Kokatat, the leading US manufacturer of technical apparel and accessories for water sports, donated over $20,000 in product to the local Arcata, CA organization Disabled Adventure Outfitters (DAO), for use in its watersports programs for people with hemophilia and other bleeding disorders.

“DAO does amazing work empowering and challenging people with bleeding disorders in and around our community and we’re proud to support a local organization that shares our passion for paddlesports,” said Kit Mann, Kokatat Special Projects Manager. 

DAO will use the personal floatation devices, dry suits, paddle jackets, and additional gear provided by Kokatat for its programs that range from one-day trips to weeklong camps.  DOA’s programs primarily consist of rafting and inflatable kayaking on the Trinity River, with longer camps also including advanced river skill challenges, as well as rock climbing, hiking, gold panning, or ropes course sessions.

“Kokatat’s generosity will ensure that people of all ages with bleeding disorders in our community and beyond will have the opportunity to experience the freedom, excitement, and fun of paddlesports,” said Todd Smith president of DAO.

In addition to using the donated gear for its own programming, DAO will distribute a portion of the product to other non-profit organizations around the country with outdoor programs.  Recently, DAO representatives attended the North American Camping Conference of Hemophilia Organizations, where they identified and distributed some of the Kokatat gear.

DAO was founded in 1996 by Bret Leach and Bill Wing.  Leach, who had hemophilia -- a hereditary disease that prevents normal blood clotting, resulting in sometimes uncontrolled bleeding- personally understood the positive therapeutic effects of being out on the water.  DAO became a nonprofit organization in 1998 and has since grown to provide services to disabled people through out Northern California.

About Kokatat Watersports Wear: