Today the World, Tomorrow Canoecopia
Published March 12, 2010 | 
Pewitt’s Nest – Baraboo, Wisconsin.
Now here’s the thing. Spring is coming on here in Wisconsin in a mad rush. I should of course have my heart all a-flutter about spending the next 2 days at Canoecopia, the world’s largest paddle-sports expo. Yet, what I find myself thinking is that I’m going to spend most of my time indoors pining for the rain, the trails, and the rivers outdoors. What the hell is wrong with me eh?
I don’t need gear. I don’t really need anything. Honesty after 5 or 6 years I’m getting jaded. I’m that guy companies begin to blow off because although we may have disposable income, we’ve already got pretty much everything we need and we’re not so easily swayed by eye candy anymore. We’re just too much work!
And that would be the story I’d stick to if not for the fact that I actually do want something… I want a new kayak.
I want a new kayak that will allow me to give my beautiful but tattered Rockpool Alaw Bach a bit more rest. It’s so beat that I simply can’t imagine using it to teach another year. You may remember, I started seriously browsing last year by test paddling much of the P&H kayak fleet. The guys at P&H were really helpful as I worked through the process of testing boats. I was enamored of the P&H Cetus.. It almost had everything I wanted…. but it’s not the roller I want. Truth be told, I’m still pining for the Valley Anas Acuta I sold. As we all know, I suffer occasional bouts of stupidity. Selling the Acuta was an extreme case in point.
When practicing for the rolling demo I’m doing Sunday, I soon realized there are rolls I can’t do in my Bach. Rolls that I could do in my Acuta, and certainly cannot do in a Cetus. What I need is an agile teaching boat, that’s a crazy easy roller.. Is that too much to ask? Why can’t one kayak just do everything? Yarg!
Tomorrow and Sunday we’ll be roaming around the event hall and of course attending Justine’s DVD premier. You can follow my twitter if you want to check in @skilletcreek (Click Here). I can’t promise to spend every waking moment “Twittering”. If you want all the latest I’d recommend you follow Pemba Serves or Kokatat who both have already posted video.
Between you and I, I keep having this crazy fantasy of grabbing a couple friends I’ve not seen in a couple years and whisking them out the back door of the Alliant Center and off to my local river. It’s running crazy at the moment. Now wouldn’t that just be Fantastic!? …
Yeah, it’s gonna be hard to stay inside.. sorry.. really.
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2 Responses to Today the World, Tomorrow Canoecopia
well, do you have to stay inside with your friends?
I saw an Anas Acuta at the Inland Sea Kayaking Symposium. The lady who owned it said she loved it. My Pilgrim hasn’t arrived yet – hope it turns out to be a good roller!
Exactly what rolls can you do in the Acuta that you can’t do in the Alaw Bach?
Perhaps it’s time you designed and built a boat to your specs! You could base it on the Acuta and customize it for you and what you’d like to do with it, a bit like Cheri and Turner have done with their teaching boats. Their boats are real confidence builders for people just learning to roll etc.