Archive for November, 2007

If you ask me, the star of Pacific Horizons, the new DVD from Bryan Smith, is Paul Kuthe who is my choice for the Foam Cowboy award, 2007! (if there were such a thing).

Thanks to Bryan for sending me an advance copy of Pacific Horizons and not worrying too much that I’d give it a bad review. LOL! The interesting thing about PH is it’s enjoyably mellow, west coast feel. You’ll want to put your feet up and enjoy a nice latte or maybe a choice micro-brew when you watch this one. You get the impression you could easily hang out with anyone on the DVD without feeling like you would’nt be welcomed. In some ways this is the best part of a DVD like this. Pacific Horizons invites the viewer to join in on some fun adventures with folks that quickly feel like friends. A pleasant break from the testosterone driven ego fests that are often part of many sports videos. Even with the rockin aspects of long boat surfing, sea kayaking as always takes on a unique, natural feel. Pacific Horizons is not only suitable and inspirational for any skill level paddler, but will also be enjoyable for the rest of the family as well.

Before watching Pacific Horizons, I had wondered honestly if it would feel fresh and new considering that there were some of the same faces and places we’d seen in other videos. Happily it is. There is no question that the Pacific Northwest is easily one of the worlds top sea kayaking playgrounds. Filmed in High-def, Pacific Horizons draws us right into the action and immerses us into the beauty of the region. Bryan proves to be a good story teller who finds a unique approach to sea kayaking and the people many of us have come to know. The format of the video is decidedly familiar; Chapter by chapter we are taken on different adventures against a background of seascapes, mountains and music. The old guys among us will be happy to know that Bryan’s musical choices never overwhelm the the story or cause your aging speakers to buzz. If you were thinking you’ve seen it all before, you should be pleasantly surprised.

In addition to footage from the Greenland championships, the section on Dubside gives us a better look into what Dubside calls “Commando Kayaking”. Dubside as many of us know, does not own a car and often uses public transportation to get to his paddling destinations. With his folding kayak in tow, Dubside sets out to find adventure in his own back yard as it were. The idea of Commando kayaking tells us that we don’t need to be jet setters or own a shiny Subaru to enjoy sea kayaking. Dubside reminds us that there is an adventure right in our backyard if we really want to find it.

Of course if you have the Pacific Northwest as your back yard there are endless adventures to be had. Among other stories we are invited to join Shawna Franklin, Leon Somme and friends on a week long trip to the Bunsby Islands which truly displays the beauty of the area. In amongst a pristine landscape filled with Bald Eagles and sea otters, we are drawn into the warm, heartfelt appreciation for nature that Leon and Shawna express so well. There is something almost too picture perfect in watching Shawna on the beach with her watercolors. This is an experience you just want to be part of. Just this section alone I’m sure will be enough to make many of you add the Northwest coast to your short list of paddle destinations.

To add some adrenaline to the mix Bryan put in a great tide race tour as well. Many of us have seen Bryan riding the Skookumchuck Narrows before, but you’ve not seen it quite like this. Bryan was able to get right in there and take some amazing footage. Paddlers of mixed skill levels also added to the excitement. There were moments when I felt driven to get on a plane right that moment and go ride the Skooks, then there were others where I thought, “Well, I may get on the plane, but I may just watch from shore!” Paul Kuthe’s wild ride was enough to give anyone pause. Bryan also introduces us to some other exciting races in the area and in some instances those other races made Skooks look like the kiddie pool. Yikes! Ok, yeah, that P&H looks great screaming down the wave too!

In addition we get to visit some killer whales, kayak windsurf, follow along with Kierron Tastagh and Jeff Norville’s record setting circumnavigation of Vancouver Island, and get a little advance peak into Justine Curgenven’s trip with Shawna & Leon around the Queen Charlotte Islands. We also get to check in with Ginnie Callahan, who I’m pleased to see is doing quite well since her battle with breast cancer. It seems as if nothing can bring this woman down.

Bryan also adds some nice extras including a Director’s Cut which I’ve not watched yet as well as a collage of tidal race paddling which is quite exciting to watch. All in all I’m sure you will enjoy Pacific Horizons. For Bryan to create a Banff Mountain Film Festival finalist in his first go says a lot. The DVD can be ordered on his website here in the states and is available through CackleTV in the UK. Oh, and should I mention Christmas is coming??

How’s this for an insight into madness. . . The new just released Futurama DVD contains this little extra; 22 minutes of Hypnotoad. Yeah, that’s 22 minutes of staring at this image with only momentary breaks for silly spoof advertising. To me, this is one of the funniest things I could imagine. Sad isn’t it?? Hmmm. So it’s Thursday night in Wisconsin and the Greenbay Packers are playing their biggest game of the season. (the one that thanks to a bunch of rich guys trying to get richer, few will see. . .) Well, here’s my plan. I’m going to listen to the game on the radio while Hypnotoad hums away on the television. Given that the Packers can’t seem to beg a win out of Texas, anythings worth a try. Go Pack!. . oh, All Glory To Hypnotoad!!!!

Money, its a crime.
Share it fairly but don’t take a slice of my pie.
Money, so they say
Is the root of all evil today.
But if you ask for a raise its no surprise that they’re
Giving none away.
- pink floyd

As of today one pound equals about two dollars and seven cents. No wonder the news is reporting a British invasion this holiday season. Of course the lousy exchange rate has made it more expensive for those of us on this side to buy UK products or to travel. When I did a cash exchange on my way over this spring It was pretty sad. I handed the lady a couple hundred bucks and only get about half back. That’s one way to keep your wallet thin and comfortable in the back pocket. Oh well, we’re always screaming “Buy American”. At this rate we’re not going to have much choice. . .

Oh, and by the way I did take that picture. You can see why I have to spend lots of time on my own. Not many people want to stand around with you as you take pictures of money on a rock. Well, at least not where they could be seen. Daft? Me?

This crazy little gizmo is the Peregrine SPOT Satellite Messenger. “SPOT” is much easier. For about $170 bucks the SPOT gives you a GPS Locater that can send out distress calls, request non-emergency “help” or just send out a quick signal that you are just fine. It can also can send out a “Track Progress” signal that saves your location and tracks your progress using Google Maps. Obviously they are going for the growing PLB market here. The SPOT is light, waterproof, shockproof, and it floats. (well, that’s what they say now. . . .)

The SPOT is fairly inexpensive for what it does, however the “catch” if you want to call it that, is in the additional service fees. The Annual “limited” messaging service is $99 per year. This let’s you send out the little blips to say you are ok, need help, or 911 calls. You have to pay an additional $49.99 for unlimited tracking transmissions. GEOS Rescue Service is another $7.95 per year.

Here is how GEOS works; The Emergency button on your SPOT unit has to be held for 3 seconds, then it will send a signal to the GEOS Emergency Response Service. When they get your signal they first try to contact your first and second emergency contacts which you provide when activating the service. If your contacts do not answer, they will mark your exact location, then contact the local SARs or police in your area if you are on land or the Coast Guard if you are at sea. Interestingly if you are outside the states, they also contact the US embassy near you just to be sure someone knows where you are at. I could not find any information about owning the SPOT outside of the US. I.E. if you are from the UK do they contact the UK embassy for you?? Well, more research. . . .

In some ways the interesting feature here is the little “I’m OK” message capability that gives you a way to let your family or team know where you are and that you are doing just fine. That in addition to the Google map tracking, non-emergency help signal & GEOS Rescue Service certainly make it a strong candidate for any paddling expedition.

SPOT is available online at Rutabaga here in Wisconsin (among many other places).

November
It only believes
In a pile of dead leaves
And a moon
That’s the color of bone
- Tom Waits

Man, It’s been a long November. In late November, Wisconsin is often a brown and black, grey, dingy place. My local lake is still open, but it’s 16F and I’m not up to that today. Now this morning I had a very interesting new product to tell you about but I’m having issues uploading an image so I’ll wait. Maybe later today. I’m not sure what it is about this season that has me not wanting to paddle in the cold. Every other year I’ve been loving the idea of playing “ice breaker” with my kayak. Maybe it’s just the fact that there is no ice at the moment. Paddling round in a 3.5 mile flat water circle wrapped up in a drysuit, while staring at the same bloody rocks I’ve seen a million times is just not cutting it for me. Maybe I’ve just been spoiled by dynamic water. The flat stuff recently has left me feeling well, “flat”. Sounds like I need to load up my kayak and go for a drive. We’ll see. For the moment though, I think it’s time to hit the pool again. Not that a pool is any more dynamic in itself, but at least I can sit and spin for awhile. One thing about winter at the pool is you have plenty of time to work on your traditional rolling skills. I know this much; even if I’m not real keen on the cold, I’m feeling the need to get back in the water.

Shine on, shine
on, shine on me
Whenever something’s missing
You’re exactly what I need
- Rascal Flatts

So if you’ve been following along here, you’ll know that I’ve had very bad luck with signal lights going back to when I first started paddling. In fact the first strobe I bought was at Canoecopia a few years back. I spent time talking to the rep from ARC asking all the questions a newbie asks to be sure they are getting just the right thing. Before you knew it, I was out the door with my new C-strobe in hand. Well, that and a bunch of other stuff.

In just a couple of months a little bit of plastic broke off and suddenly the light would not stay on. I replaced it. Again in a very short time that one went. In fact we went through a total of 4 C-Strobes and the 5th is broken as well, but you can make it go on with a bit of fiddling. My next light was a Princeton-Tec Aqua Strobe. Just my luck, it held out for about 2 months before it failed as well.

Of course for lots of people these lights last forever. It “could be” said that I am just harder on equipment than most people. Could be?? Nah, it is said. Regularly! Just a day before I grabbed my flight to Puerto Rico I still didn’t have a strobe. I ran again down to Rutabaga in Madison for one last look. I was resigned to buying another C-strobe and taking my chances. I knew it would’nt last. I mean if the silly thing would not stay working in fresh water conditions where I could blow off the sand after each paddle what chance did it have on this trip? I just knew it would croak the first week.

When I got there, Darren Bush pointed out one more option. The Hydro-Star Mulit-Strobe from Seattle Sports. At first glance it was a bit big and bulky for my taste. It’s just over 6 inches tall and weights about 8.5 Ounces. On the upside the Hydro-Star uses LED lights and includes a flashlight with three brightness settings, a strobe, and a red/green marker light. The LED lamps are very bright and use very little battery power. The additional function of a flashlight comes in handy as well. Now I had no use for the little suction cup mount that comes with it, but you can attach it to your vest as well. Given my luck with the other lamps, I bought this one. I was glad I did.

This morning i went out to the shed and brought the little light in. Even frozen it lit right up with a twist. It had been through a month of salt water and sand and had really never been rinsed off. It had been dropped and banged around more times than I could count and even soaked over night a couple times in saltwater quite by accident. All that time I also used the Hydro-Star every night as my main flashlight. I also hung it in the tent in the evenings to read by, change contact lenses, or to sort through dry bags. I had spare batteries, so I was not too concerned about using them up. It’s cool to see the original batteries put up with that and are still working today some 2 months later.

I love simplicity. When stuff just works it makes life much more enjoyable. The Hydro-Star worked and eliminated the need for an additional flash light. Yeah, it’s a little bulky but that’s a small price to pay. What good is a smaller light if it doesn’t . ah, . . light?!

HydroStar at Rutabaga.com 

So for one last trip from port I’ll ship
but next time back I’m swearing
I’ll settle down in my hometown
and go no more seafaring.

Of course we were all happy to hear the crew and passengers aboard the M/S Explorer are back on land and in good spirits. Hearing stories of a passenger ship hitting an Iceberg in cold waters can’t help but remind us of past disasters. Of course the Explorer was a unique “cruise” ship in that it took more adventurous types to places that most people would not normally want to go. From what I’ve read her passengers were particularly capable of riding out a 4 hour wait in the life boats and spoke well of the Captain and his crew.

For a seemingly unremarkable, little red passenger ship, the Explorer had quite an interesting history. The Explorer was the first passenger ship to cross the fabled northwest passage in 1984 and they did it again in 1988. She was also the first passenger ship to circumnavigate James Clark Ross Island (that’s the dinosaur Island, not the other “Ross Island”) in Antarctica in 1997. Interestingly she was first to travel up the Amazon river and beyond its confluence of the Ucayali and Marañon Rivers which lies 80 miles above Iquitos, Peru. Since then this has become a popular tour run by a variety of companies.

There is something sad and foreboding in the loss of an ocean vessel. You just sense a certain loneliness in the thought of an empty ship listing in a cold sea as it slowly fills with water. Suddenly it reaches the tipping point where there is no longer enough air in the hull to keep it afloat. In a sudden din of rushing water and groaning steal, it slips below the surface and drops into the icy darkness. In moments the water again becomes calm and quiet as if the ship were never there. Suddenly something so big and so seemingly permanent is simply, erased.

*photo from Eagle-Eye Tours