— by Simon Wenger
ALL PHOTOS © SIMON WENGER

 

I've been paddling a TRAK kayak for years. In 2013, I bought my T-1600 boat and paddled it in Scotland, Cornwall, Wales and southeastern Sweden. 

It was only 2016 that I decided to give my boat a name. In the rare moments when I'm not on the water (I wish that were true...), I am conductor of a youth orchestra. For a New Year's Concert I was rehearsing Felix Mendelssohn's beautiful overture 'Fingal's Cave' which he had written after visiting this fascinating place on the Isle of Staffa in the Inner Hebrides. With the name, I set the goal to paddle into that cave someday (which I finally did in 2018).

 

 

As a member of the Kanu-Club Konstanz, my home waters are the Lake of Constance and the Rhine. As an early Kickstarter backer for the 2.0, I decided that my new boat was going to be yellow (call it gold!) and the name could not have been other than 'Das Rheingold'! (Let's see if my new goal will now be to conduct this wonderful opera someday...?) It was just fabulous to share Das Rheingold's baptism with some of my dearest friends on a sunny spring day on the club's premises in May.

— Simon Wenger

 

More Stories

View all

Turning Black into Blue on November 28th

Turning Black into Blue on November 28th

If you've ever paddled around the bend, only to find yourself overwhelmed by the wind and waves on the other side, then you know how we feel around this time of year... For those of us who work and paddle...

Read more

Paddling the 'Real' Jersey Shore - Report by TRAK Pilot Anthony Sousa

Paddling the 'Real' Jersey Shore - Report by TRAK Pilot Anthony Sousa

After a busy summer working for NOLS in Alaska, I decided to take a trip to an exciting new destination filled with rocks and cliffs, fascinating tidal flows and even castles!  You guessed it: I went to Jersey!  

Read more

SAVE YOUR SPOT: Paddle in French Polynesia in May 2026

SAVE YOUR SPOT: Paddle in French Polynesia in May 2026

As of Oct 2025,  only 4 spots remain for this trip. Author: Zack Kruzins TRAK Pilot and Owner of Such a Nice Day (S.A.N.D.) Adventures  There are not many places left in the world where the pace of life slows...

Read more

Get to know our kayak.

Dependable, seaworthy, and easy to setup in 10 minutes, the TRAK 2.0 is ready to take you anywhere the water calls you.

Shop TRAK Kayaks

Before you paddle off...

We'd like to help.

As a global kayak company, we're used to questions about shipping and importing. If the shipping quote in your shopping cart doesn't make sense, or you want to get clarity on how we handle importing to your region, don't hesitate to email us (info@trakkayaks.com) or reach out by WhatsApp with your questions: 250-797-8725 ('TRAK').

Click 'here' to connect with a real TRAK owner near you.

Happy paddling ahead!

Book a 10 min call with Caleb @ TRAK HQ