Here’s one of those days when I couldn’t think of anything to write. But I couldn’t bear to leave a machine gun as the top image on the blog through the weekend. This photo is one from my hike yesterday. I’ve actually found a bit of an addiction with my bike recently. But like a car, sometimes a bike goes too fast and you miss the details. It was nice to walk through the cold wet day and listen to the leaves rattle against the branches. Many think of autumn as death. I suppose sometimes I do too. But on better days I remember that in autumn the costume green glow of chlorophyll gives way to the worlds true colors. There’s something nice about that. Cold, windy, desolate and honest. Amid the reds, blacks, orange and yellows I stand in the bitter wind, tingling and alive.

Well, here’s a new challenge for sea kayakers in the Great Lakes; avoiding a hail of gunfire! According to CNN the US government is planning to arm U.S. Coast Guard boats on the Great Lakes with machine guns. This as you can imagine is not going over well with some Canadians. The mayor of Toronto claims that this move violates a treaty between Canada and the United States signed right after the war of 1812. Of course the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard says the old treaty no longer applies. I find it interesting that we have the commandant of the Coast Guard interpreting and negating international treaty. I suppose it saves diplomats and elected officials a lot of work. To be fair, the US and Canada signed an agreement to allow armed U.S. boats in the Great Lakes in 2003, but forbids them entering Canadian waters.

Earlier this year the Coast Guard started their training exercises with their shiny new .30 caliber machine guns. Kayakers and recreational boaters shouldn’t feel ill at ease however since they assure us there are safety measures in place to protect near by boaters. Warnings are broadcast on maritime frequencies before the exercises, and the they will have boats monitoring traffic in the area. Besides they say, “we’re only talking about a couple of times a year, a couple hours a day.” Hmmm, just another reason to buy that VHF. And maybe and extra large flack jacket to go over your PFD.

Guest Report by Simon Osborne – The NDK dealers meet is currently in mid flow. Yesterday saw one of the best days out at Penrhyn Mawr. The sun was shining a force 4 was blowing against the flow and the tide was whipping through and over the rocks. The inner race was the site of many pop outs and loops with whoops and cheers all around. I don’t think I can remember a day with so many people getting the kayak into the air. As a result many top paddlers (naming no names) ran out of breath at times! After two hours of continuous surfing people were feeling drained but couldn’t bring themselves to sit in the eddy and watch.

The NDK Dealers Meet was set up by Nigel Dennis to allow him to invite any company that sells NDK around the world to come and see what the kayaks were designed for. It is also a good opportunity to show off new developments and get feedback on what the customers want. The Romany Surf is now in production and watch this space for more photographs of the new design. I will be writing a full report on the week once we have all recovered!

After last nights traditional Irish band and many pints of bitter we are going through new website developments before heading out to Harry Furlong tidal race. With force 8 in the forecast there should be lots more entertainment on the way.

Simon Osborne
NDK Sponsored Paddler

See More Photos From Penrhyn Mawr.

So my next mission was to start my BCU coaching certifications. No need to start arguing the reasoning behind the BCU or certifications in general. Here it’s just part of life.

At this time I have an ACA L2 and just could not get up the energy to drive to the great white north to try for my L3. As you know, here in the Midwest it can be a challenge to find an ACA IT near by. To be fair though my heart is with the BCU. I’ve always felt better with my experiences in BCU training. Not of course to say one group or the other is particularly better, but one or the other my better fit each paddler’s needs and personality. One of the things I’d always really enjoyed about the BCU is that under most conditions if you know a paddlers certification level, you have a pretty good understanding of their skill. Of course that’s not always the case, but good enough that many outfitters are comfortable using BCU certification levels to qualify paddlers for trips. The ACA to this point has not run a certification program for paddlers, just coaches. Although that may change.

I’ve also heard on the wind that the BCU may soon be making new in roads into our part of the Great Lakes region very soon which will make a BCU cert a bit more relevant in Wisconsin. So that puts a bit more of a rush on if I want to take part.

So as it stands I have my BCU 4* paddler cert along with the ACA Coach 2. So I asked our favorite Midwest BCU Super Hero what to do next. His first question. . “Do you have a BCU 3*?” . . “ah, well, no. . ” I said, “but I have the 4″. Not good enough it seems. Interestingly, the BCU now requires you to have your 3* as well. Apparently there was some worry that paddlers were getting their 4* certification without being properly tested on the fundamentals of the 3* program. Surprisingly I do understand that. The 4* assessment does not require you to go through all the kayak gymnastics that the 3 star program does. It is assumed that you know them already. In fact it was my understanding that you could not just jump in at the 4* level without either having the 3* or proving you having equivalent 3* skills. Thus I could do my 4* assessment because I had a ACA coach certification. Confused yet??

Well the bottom line is that I need to go back and have my BCU 3* assessment and take a Canoe Safety course as well before I can try for my 2* coaching certification. Ok then. Two steps forward, one step back. It’s a waltz! I don’t really relish having to demo sweeps and bow rudders again, but so be it. If this is what it takes to be sure that the star program has real meaning I’m happy to go back and work on that flat-water sweep.

I wonder if I could escape 2007 with a Coach 3? Two steps in one year? Now I probably am dreaming!

It’s sad I know but we are parting with the Mary’s Greenlander. I tried to think of a way I could justify keeping it for myself but in truth I’m happy with my Explorer & the Actua. The poor thing would never get paddled. And a kayak like the Greenlander should be somewhere where it will spend a lot of time on the water. So if anyone is interested in adoption I’ve posted more details here. Just email me with any questions.

Well, it’s about time to start hitting the pool for rolling practice again and I have to say I’m really inspired. I was watching Andrew’s video of Dubside and every so often I’d see a roll I thought I could do with a bit of work! Hmmmm, The dead seal thing looks interesting. . . Check out that video if you haven’t yet.

Meanwhile in another shade of black, Freya has posted her trip report from the Adventure Week Symposium sponsored by Adventurous Experiences on the Isle of Man. Looks like everyone had a great time and everyone survived. Survival is almost guaranteed as long as you keep your banana well protected . . .

The fortress-community we now call Aztalan flourished between 900 – 1200 AD and may have been founded as early at 600 AD. The community was surrounded by by a stockade of wattle and daub construction, with watchtowers at regular intervals. The wall totaled 2,750 feet. Inside of the first wall were the largest pyramids & crops, then the second inner wall which protected the individual homes. The only way into the city as far as archeologists can tell was from the river. What kind of threat deserved this kind of defensive structure? Who knows!? I find this especially interesting given that evidence suggests a mix of middle Mississippian and local native traditions.

Aztalan as far as we can tell today was the furthest northern outpost of the middle Mississippian culture. Their largest city, Cahokia is located just 8 miles outside of St. Louis, Missouri. The people of Aztalan (located near Lake Mills, Wisconsin) were connected to Cahokia by a series of rivers and could easily travel back and forth. Very little is actually known of this culture and at first it was assumed they must have been descended of the Aztec cultures of Mexico. Archeologists no longer believe this to be so. It is thought that this north American empire rose independently with cities north to Aztalan and as far south as Florida. However they may have shared some trade with the Mexican cultures and could have been influenced by them.

The ruins of Aztalan were first discovered by white man in the early 1800’s. The early description describes over 40 mounds, Pyramids and the partial remains of the walls. Not long afterward the land was sold for $22 and plowed under by farmers. Much of the foundation stone for the pyramids was used in road building around the area. The mounds we see today were rebuilt in 1951 and were not grass, but clay capped which as you can imagine would have been quite dramatic rising above the natural slope of the land. Thinking about the destruction of this archeological wonder and the many others across the country certainly gives one a sense of nausea that floats around the pit of your stomach.