{"id":3044,"date":"2019-12-29T16:41:56","date_gmt":"2019-12-29T16:41:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.performanceseakayak.co.uk\/Archive\/?p=3044"},"modified":"2024-03-04T15:46:16","modified_gmt":"2024-03-04T15:46:16","slug":"taran-10-years-part_2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.performanceseakayak.co.uk\/Archive\/taran-10-years-part_2\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockpool Taran – 10 years – Part 2: From Niche to Everyday"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the\u00a0Taran<\/em> moved into production in 2010 it now had to give a return on the investment made by Rockpool. The boat needed to be publicised.<\/p>\n

First Outings<\/h6>\n

The inaugural Oban Sea Kayak Race was a good opportunity, so Pascale and myself took the first two production boats to Oban. The Taran <\/em>took first place in both the ladies and mens categories.<\/p>\n

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Oban sea kayak race. Image: Kevin McGlynn\/Universal News and Sport Scotland.<\/p>\n

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Image: Kevin McGlynn\/Universal News and Sport Scotland.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Early Milestones<\/h6>\n

And though the Taran<\/em> was now in production there was still plenty to learn about the new boat. You have to remember that at the time the boat was a serious departure from the norm, an unknown in many areas.<\/p>\n

Testing continued, both formally and informally.\u00a0 I was feeding development\u00a0 information back to Mike Webb at Rockpool, but I was also interested from a purely personal point of view. I wanted to know just what this boat could do. How did it handle? Where did the limits lie? What could we use it for? Was there a catch? Every paddle was still a test paddle in a way.<\/p>\n

I wanted confirmation that the Anglesey record wasn’t a fluke, so in August 2010 I made an attempt on the Isle of Man circumnav record. On paper it shouldn’t be much different, but we had to make sure. A month later a crossing of the St George’s Channel (Irish Sea) followed – to extend the Taran’s<\/em> longest crossing to 44 nm. Again I was looking for confirmation and confidence from the paddle. Both trips went well.<\/p>\n

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IOM Record 2010<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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St George’s Channel Crossing 2010<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There was no doubt now that the\u00a0Taran<\/em> was capable and seaworthy, but it was also becoming labelled as a specialised boat for races or records.<\/p>\n

Expedition Intro<\/h6>\n

Then Jeff Allen and Harry Whelan took a leap of faith and chose the Taran<\/em> for their upcoming Around Ireland 2011 expedition.\u00a0 This was new territory for the Taran<\/em>, no-one had paddled one on a long multi-day expedition before. With their record trip of 25 days, Jeff and Harry put the Taran<\/em> firmly on the expedition paddling map.<\/p>\n

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Jeff Allen + Harry Whelan – Around Ireland 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Breaking Records<\/h6>\n

We wanted to learn more about long-duration paddling inside the Taran<\/em> too.\u00a0 And once again record attempts were the way to push the boat to its limits. So in June 2011 I paddled a 19 hr + circumnav of Mull – the longest day out so far.<\/em> We learnt a lot about the seat and fittings from that attempt.<\/p>\n

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Mull circumnav preparations<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another solo crossing followed, this time from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire, in October 2011. At 54 nm this was now the longest Taran<\/em> crossing, and set another milestone.<\/p>\n

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Waiting for the ferry – Irish Sea Crossing 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
A New Arrival<\/h6>\n

2011 also saw a new addition in the form of the Taran 16.<\/em> As soon as the Taran<\/em> entered production, energies had been orientated towards developing a follow-up boat. Some European dealers were a little stressed by the thought of the Taran<\/em> and wanted a shorter version. Time to get out the hacksaw.\u00a0 Originally known by the working name of ‘Tiny Taran’ and then the ‘Manta’. The T16 was paddled as a prototype in 2011; however the production-standard\u00a0 plug was not completed until August of 2012. And the boat became known as the Taran 16<\/em> after an informal lunchtime poll inside the Rockpool workshop.<\/p>\n

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Taran 16 Plug<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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16th June 2011 – First paddle of the Taran 16 prototype<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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If you look closely you can see the working name of the Taran 16 prototype.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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First lady to paddle a Taran 16<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Jeff Allen paddles the Manta (Taran 16)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Moving Up A Level<\/h6>\n

Feedback from Jeff (Allen) had been positive after the Around Ireland trip. It helped sway me to\u00a0 choose the Taran<\/em> for a solo circumnav of the UK in 2012. The 72 day trip became the longest Taran<\/em> expedition, and 8 days faster than the previous record.\u00a0 A few weeks later Joe Leach paddled his Taran<\/em> around the UK too, setting a new record of 67 days – a record that stands to this day.<\/p>\n

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UK Circumnav 2012 completed – Image: Mike Webb<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Joe Leach UK Circumnavigation – joeroundbritain.wordpress.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While Jeff Allen and Harry Whelan had put the\u00a0Taran<\/em> on the expedition paddler’s shortlist, these latest two trips, and especially Joe’s impressive record, consolidated the Taran<\/em>\u00a0as a realistic long-distance expedition choice.<\/p>\n

Since 2012 – 17 paddlers have completed the UK Circumnav – 8 of them paddled Tarans<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Wider Appeal<\/h6>\n

But the Taran<\/em> is never far from the single-day-record limelight. 3 weeks after Joe returned home, Irish paddlers Brian Fanning and Mick O’Meara paddled across the Irish Sea and set a new record of 10 hrs 45. The Taran<\/em> was now being noticed further afield.<\/p>\n

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Brian Fanning and Mick O’Meara (left and right centre respectively) Irish Sea Crossing 2012<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Unfortunately my name crops up here all too often – the sea kayak community was reticent to embrace the Taran<\/em> early on, hence I was doing most of the paddling. After 2012 the boat really started to get noticed, and from then new names paddled the Taran<\/em> onto the pages of Performance Sea Kayak.<\/p>\n