"On a multi-day paddle the fingers can take quite a hammering, prising well fitting hatch covers on and off. The fingers are particularly vulnerable in cold and wet weather conditions."  Sean Morley, who completed the circumnavigation of the British Isles, and paddles don't come much longer than that, has submitted this simple method of getting hatch covers on and off. A piece of plastic with a bevelled front edge is an ideal implement for putting under the rim the hatch and levering it up. "It is also ideal for tucking the lip of the cover back in place ensuring a water tight fit. Protecting those delicate fingers!"

Sean Morley