10.00 p.m. The wind is rising. Pouring rain.Two crew-members evacuated to the support vessel.One with a knee injury, one due to freeze down. - Logbook, july 1

The Sea Stallion from Glendalough is the Worlds largest reconstruction of a Viking Age warship. Few minutes ago the 30 metre long ship departed. For the next six weeks the 65 man crew will bring the ship through numerous trials.

Sure, it’s not kayaking, but it’s certainly worth watching. Already the crew has had to deal with hypothermia becoming an issue. I wonder if one thing we will learn from this adventure is not so much about the ship, but about the men who sailed them. Time and time again we look back into history and wonder at the strenth and endurance of those who went before us. Seeing all that they have done without our modern concerns and conveniences has to leave you in awe.

Follow along with the “Sea Stallion” (No I don’t mean Simon Osborne) at their website right here.

On Thursday, December 16, 1773, the evening before the tea was due to be landed, on a signal given by Samuel Adams, the Sons of Liberty thinly disguised as Mohawk Indians, left the massive protest meeting and headed toward Griffin’s Wharf, where lay HMS Dartmouth and her newly arrived, tea bearing, sister ships HMS Beaver and HMS Eleanour. Swiftly and efficiently, casks of tea were brought up from the hold to the deck, reasonable proof that some of the “Indians” were, in fact, longshoremen. The casks were opened and the tea dumped overboard; the work, lasting well into the night, was quick, thorough, and efficient. By dawn, 90,000 lbs (45 tons) of tea worth an estimated £10,000 had been consigned to waters of Boston harbor.^[1] Nothing else had been damaged or stolen, except a single padlock accidentally broken and anonymously replaced not long thereafter. Tea washed up on the shores around Boston for weeks. – Wikipedia

These days we of course are a bit less worried about the import of tea. In fact had the colonies received representation in parliament early on, there was an off-hand chance we’d all be speaking English right now! LOL! On the other hand like the Austrailians, we have a a nasty independant streak on our side of the pond. The NRA often reminds us that we need guns in our homes in part to “Keep the King of England from pushing us around!” We certainly can’t be having any of that!

What’s in a name? Well, a lot it seems. There had been a lot of chatter about the name IN-UIT that Aled Williams had chosen for his new company with the best of intentions. The problem is the name of course represents more than just kayaking, but a culture and a way of life. In this country we have been eliminating native names and slurs from sports teams and such for years in deference to our nativities peoples. Of course in the states we are not doing nearly enough in my opinion to compensate for the damages done. I’m not sure that we can either. So I am pleased to see that with a bit more thought about the issues, the name IN-UIT has been put aside and the company name has been changed to TideRace. Sure this is a little Faux Pas, but one that is best dealt with now. Aled did that. Good for him. Visit his new website.

- thanks for the note jim

This is what you look for as an instructor. A bloom. You are a gardener, not a mechanic. You cannot make a flower bloom, but with some care and the right nourishment it will.

I’ve learned so much in the last year or so about coaching and I see it paying off. A change in the way the students are learning. The number of smiles, the laughter, trust, and wiliness to get right in there and try stuff. It seems to me these days it’s all about creating an environment of safety and discovery. A place where you guide the learning but don’t actually spend much time teaching it. Sure you do “teach” all the stuff students need to know; forward strokes, reverse strokes, sweeps, draws, rudders, rescues. . blah, blah. . But I’m leaning to leave the school marm and just hint and guide students in their own learning. In the end, the more they learn from their own discovery, the more they remember and the more fun they have.

To the guys in my class over the weekend, Thank you. What a great time we had!

Here’s Sam Crowley our midwest ACA IT and all around popular dude. He’s currently attempting a solo paddle around ireland. Here is his blog. Everyone around here is pretty proud!

Well, I’m teaching at Rutabaga this weekend so I’ve got to get out the door! Cya!

* photo lifted from Sam’s Gallery.