If you’re wondering why it’s been so grey and gloomy here in Wisconsin it’s probably because Megan the Canoecopia Goddess left us and ran to Georgia to play in the sun. Brat! She’ll also be joined by fellow ‘bugateer’ Nydia K who will be doing her coach 2 training. I’m certainly there in spirit with Nydia, you “go girl!” as they say.

It’s a hard year to miss the Sea Kayak Georgia Party, especially considering almost all of the kayak coaching brat pack will be there including; Jeff Allen, Simon Osborne, Hadas Feldman, Phil Eccles, Nigel Dennis, Fiona Whitehead, Ben Lawry, Nigel Foster, Lamar Hudgins, Dale Williams, Mark Schoon, Mel Rice, Ollie Sandars and others. Of course Cheri Perry and Turner Wilson will also be there representing the sticky crowd.

For my part I sat around the living room watching This Is The Sea II for about the thousandth time with remote in hand, trying to get my brain those “half-rolls” when you get up in the air. Often for me learning is a zen thing. If I can visualize it long enough, at least occasionally, it will happen. Sometimes. Since you rarely get the chance to actually practice that move around here I’m training in my mind. . .

Meanwhile if you’ve not been looking round the blogging world recenty here’s what you’ve missed. . .

Justine’s Posh Frock

. . . and much, much more!!

Invariably the first measurable snow fall comes down in a big wet slushy mess. Then, when it’s over, the wind changes. The world is washed in cold wind and damp. It’s refreshing. It’s right then that the trees get mischievous. They throw snowballs at you. It wouldn’t be so bad, but they always seem to hit you square on the top of the head.

I remember one time on another kayak blog, the writer decided to take a day off to be enraged about some current political issue. One comment, incidentally from another blog author, said something to the effect of “shut up and just write about kayaking!” I remember having an instant queasy feeling. Not from the blog itself. I mean, we’re real people. We feel, think and believe things. You have to admit the world can be an ugly and frustrating place. But the comment on the other hand did bother me. I guess I was surprised that there could be an assumption that a blog, like a magazine, was a “product”. The reader’s expectation was a kin to a paying customer who came to read about their preferred subject. Apparently they didn’t get their money’s worth if page 27 was “off topic” as it were. Interesting. For my part I’ve always hoped readers understood that this journal was written by a kayaker but was as I say “mindless ramblings”. I am not “only” a kayaker. So far, I’ve not gotten the “Shut up and play yer’ guitar” responses. In fact, I feel like if you knew exactly what to expect, it would get boring. Not that it doesn’t sometimes anyway. I think it’s fair to say that a blog is generally not a commercial endeavor. Not commercially driven anyway. No subscription or advertiser demands that we stay “on topic” as it were. That’s what the Magazines are for. (Lord knows, Sea Kayaker would never look twice at my gibberish as it is) In fact I often find that we have more in common than just kayaking, and that really makes me feel good. I’m glad to know we are multi-dimensional.

With that in mind, I’m thinking about the week ahead. Let’s hope we have time to talk about; Tow Ropes, The Georgia Symposium, Trips to the Yucatan, more guests at Canoecopia, and if I have the guts, the “Gordon Brown Lynch-o-Thon”. I might write about politics or religion as well. But I doubt it.

“Oh, God. I got a feeling something went wrong
and now I own a blind camel.” – ishtar

I was thinking about the movie “Ishtar”. Sure, it was considered one of the worst movies of all times, but for some reason it seems to keep coming back to me. Any movie with a song called ‘Wardrobe of Love” can’t be all bad. . . Or what about that deep introspective number “Software”!?

Software.
I’m looking for software.
I gotta have software.
For my machine. – ishtar

Which reminds me I have to go meet JB and Silbs today and see if we can’t figure out away around all the photo upload problems blogger has. I have a solution, now I have to be able to demonstrate it and still have time left over for our Rutabaga Instructor end of year staff meeting. I don’t know why they keep inviting me to these things. Probably because that’s one more person to contribute a dish to pass. . .

Saturday morning
The sound of a lawnmower
touches my heart…
And a lawnmower can do all that!
It’s amazing! – ishtar

Saturday Morning I was at the pool at 9:30 am. I worked on offside rolls. Sorry, the whole “Side 1, Side A” thing just seems silly to me. Sort of like putting power word magnets on the refigerator. Something about self-empowerment-psycho-speak just makes me feel dirty. It’s tastes like politics and advertising. I have enough mindgames to overcome without confusing them with word games. . . Of course if I keep blowing my offside hand rolls, I may change my mind. . . I frequently do. . .

And then there’s this:

I can see her standing in the backyard of my mind.
She cracks her knuckles
and the scab that’s on her knee won’t go away.
I can see the woman waiting in her eyes,
and I can see the love.
But I can’t see the Brooklyn Dodgers in LA – ishtar

I don’t like baseball very much. I’ve really got to see that movie again. . .

It won’t always be so quiet! Just because you stopped by today you get reason 1 to come to Canoecopia the weekend of March 9-11th, 2007. Wendy Killoran. Yep the early, early, news has it that it’s a dead cert that we can expect Wendy to visit Wisconsin in the spring and offer a presentation on her trip “round the rock”. Now she tells me she may bring her kayak along as well! Cool. But for my part I want to see how Freya’s trolley held up. Oh, and ask her what kind of shoes she wore. Mine can’t seem to last a season!

Reason #2 ?? Coming soon. (hey, I don’t want to give everything away at once. . .)

A KayakWisconsin Post Honoring Wendy’s Success

Wendy’s sponsors include; Kokatat and Wenonah-Current Designs.

It’s a bit of an understatement and more than a little cliché to say Andrew McAuley is a guy who pushes his personal limits. You can read that phrase everywhere these days. If anything Andrew reclaims the statement and gives it back it’s meaning.

Among his amazing adventures, Andrew made the first direct, non-stop crossing of the Bass strait between Tasmania and Australia in 2003. That was about 220km through an area known for strong rips and high winds, in just 35 hours. He’s made the Bass strait crossing 3 times in fact. Then in 2004 he made the first solo crossing of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. This was a 530km crossing that took him about 7 days. Imagine trying to catch a few “Z”s in a kayak on those waters! In one interview Andrew stated “It (trying to sleep) was like having someone throw a bucket of water on your face every 10 seconds”. Along the way he suffered salt sores, fevers and the blistering sun. Andrew received the 2005 Australian Geographic Adventurer of the year award in recognition of the Carpentaria crossing.

Early this year Andrew, Laurie Geoghegan & Stuart Trueman completed an expedition along the coast of Antarctica from Hope Bay south to the Artic Circle covering about 850km in 32 days. In addition to raising funds for advancements in the treatment of brain cancer through the Cure for Life Foundation, they dedicated the journey to the memory of John Rymill. Rymill, a largely uncelebrated Australian explorer, led the British Graham Land Expedition to Antarctica in 1934-37. The team had quite an adventure retracing Rymill’s travels. Says Andrew, “This is some of the most inhospitable coast in the world. We were regularly hammered with katabolic winds that reached storm force (50kts) at times, and had to deal with heavy brash ice in places.” Yet along the way they were able to visit that earlier expedition’s winter base in the Argentine Islands and were gifted with an amazing variety of sea life including a multitude of seabirds, Southern Right Whales, Humpbacks, Leopard Seals and of course penguins, to keep them company. Their stunning experiences will be featured as part of Justine Curgenven’s highly anticipated, “This is the Sea III” due out in March of 2007.

You’d think he’d be ready for a rest, but instead Andrew is about a month away from his next challenge. In late November he plans to make a solo crossing of the Tasman sea. A crossing of over 1600km! As if a mere 1600km crossing through famously rough seas is not enough, he plans to use a stock model Mirage kayak with as few tweaks as possible. This means no cabin or keel. (sleeping through buckets of water again. . .) He will even get by without one of those funky sails, which seems pretty popular ’round those parts!! The plan is to paddle from the east coast of Tasmania to Milford Sound, on the South Island of New Zealand. With good weather the voyage will take around 30 days to complete. The Tasman Crossing has only been attempted twice before by Paul Caffyn but has not yet been accomplished. I certainly send him my best wishes on the journey. Regular updates along with GPS tracking will be posted on his website so be sure to keep your eye on www.AndrewMcAuley.com.

Thank you to Andrew McAuley for his assistance and use of the photo & logo.

Saturday evening after I had completed the 3* training, Mary and I took a drive over to Geneva Kayaks (Geneva, IL) which was just a couple miles down the road from our Hotel. In fact, it was Geneva Kayaks that had put on the 3* weekend. Driving east on highway 38 through Geneva you take a quick left turn as soon as you cross the bridge over the Fox river. You first enter a parking lot for a little park. You just continue through this parking area into a second and you’ll be at the shop.

Of course it was well after dark and the shop has some nice big windows, but at night the GK has a warm cozy feel with nice mellow lighting and a big warm fireplace. Your immediate impression is of a shop for people who take kayaking seriously. (Now if they would just start serving espresso) Instead of carrying a plethora of low end products, Geneva Kayaks is focused on gear you actually want. We noticed plenty of top kit from Reed, Lendal, NRS, Yakima, Kokatat and other well known brands. GK carries kayaks from Valley, P&H, Impex, CD and Canoes (yes, canoes) from Bell, Wenonah and Mad River. Ryan Rushton, the guy behind Geneva kayaks, also shared with us that Nigel Dennis Kayaks would be arriving in spring as well. So Midwesterners, now is the time to get those orders in with Ryan!

I had talked a bit to John Martin (BCU Coach 2) who many of us know from various symposiums around the Midwest about what drew him to teaching at Geneva Kayaks. He told me much of it had to do with Ryan’s focus on top notch courses for not just beginners, but intermediate kayakers as well. The current BCU training was an example of that goal. He was also impressed by the top gear provided to students. As an instructor myself I understand how starting out with high quality, working equiptment can make a huge difference in a new kayaker’s early experiences. Last thing we want is students learning two boat rescues on imploding hatches!!

It’s probably a good time to mention to those of you in the Chicago area that GK is holding an end of season sale October 20-22nd. Along with that is a big wing-ding called the "October Kayakfest" on the 21st. Which Ryan humbly calls, "Only Illinois’ Best Paddling Event!" Which is pretty good for October if you ask me! They will be offering; free trips, classes, workshops, a gear swap and a barbecue dinner. Then to top it off, in the evening Tom Heinemann will be offering a presentation on his 49 day circomnavigation of Lake Michigan earlier this summer. For details give the shop a call at 630-232-0320 or visit their website at http://www.genevakayak.com/.

Thanks again to Ryan & John for their hospitality.

What’s happening tomorrow you wonder? Well, we’re heading south to look in on an upcoming amazing adventure!