So with the symposium in Anglesey just about to get underway it’s time to get all “UK’d” up. So in solidarity with our Welsh brethren for the next week we can all pay like $6.00 a gallon for gas while we travel to our fun paddling spots. If you’re lucky enough not to have to pay that much for fuel, the rest can go in your symposium fund! Yep, things is tough all over. . . but “no one lives on an island”. . . wait. . sure they do. . who came up with that silly phrase anyway!??

The paddler in the picture above is Laurie Levkenecht. Laurie is ACA/BCU kayak coach, one of the organizers of the West Michigan Kayak Symposium, and just a complete joy to be around. (well, at least when I’ve been around anyway!).

It’s not too long after you paddle with Laurie that your eye keeps fixating on the bow of her boat. You see a bunch of letters there and they seem to make a word. Well, it starts out like a word and then suddenly goes all wrong in the middle bits. “nrh” are not letters that normally play so closely together. So it’s a foregone conclusion that you’re going to ask her about it. You’ll ask, “What does that say on the side of your boat?”. “What?” she’ll say. “Arianrhod?”. “Yes!” you’ll say, “Why, does your kayak say “Arianrhod”??”, “It looks like a NDK. . .” She’ll look at you like you’re daft, then being the kind woman she is, she will share with you the story of her kayak just as if you were the first person she’d told. So I figured I could ask her to repeat it for all of us. That way we won’t have to ask her when we show up in Michigan in a few weeks. ) But then again, what fun would that be? Let’s all ask her anyway. .

Take it away Laurie;

” It started on the day I got my boat – I think three years ago now. It arrived from GRO still in the packing on the trailer. Nigel Dennis was there and helped to unwrap it and talked about further customized fitting. I then went paddling on her (the boat’s) maiden voyage with Nigel and Peter Bray. Peter said I should name it after a Welsh GOD, and I of course, said that I thought a goddess would be more appropriate, since it is a chick boat (colors and all). So I went looking for a Welsh goddess that seemed to fit.

Arianrhod is a Welsh goddess known as the Silver Wheel. She is associated with the moon, night, magik and reincarnation (and sometime the night sea). Sometimes she’s also called the Silver Goddess of the dawn. She lives in the Corona Borealis. She’s the beautiful daughter of the Welsh mother goddess Don. She’s somewhat of a seductress and lures seamen into her embrace. However, she remains independent. . . How’s that?”

So in the end we’ve come back to Wales. How’d that happen? I hope everyone enjoys the big party. Someone throw a soggy biscut at Rowland for me. . and don’t let him get you into one of those 10 boat, towing train thingies of his.

And the moral of today’s story is?? Well, “Wherever you go, . . there you are” of course.

Thanks Laurie, See you soon!!