Qajaq Rolls
Published August 16, 2011 | 
Time once again to take a break from my own endless chatter and recommend another blog worth checking out. Since I’ve spent a lot of time on traditional stuff recently, now is a good time to send you over to check out Minnesota resident, Christopher Crowhurst’s Qajaq Rolls. I really like what Christopher is doing with his Roll of the Day series. I’ve always thought that one of the best things about the internet is that we can go online and learn just about anything. Of course for this to happen, other people have to go be generous enough to share what they know with little to no financial reward. Continue reading
Posted in Learn To Roll, Learning, Paddling, Traditional Paddling | 
Christopher Crowhurst, dubside, Helen Wilson, Maligaq, rolling | 
1 CommentThe Fantastical Sea Sock
Published August 12, 2011 | 
O.K. I know what you’re thinking. Don’t worry, it’s been said before. Some folks do call them kayak condoms and worse, but on the other hand it’s always wise to practice safe sea kayaking, right? So if you’d like to try your hand at slightly off-color sea sock jokes, please feel free.. I’ll be in the other room reading, “The City in the Sea” by Poe….
…. There open fanes and gaping graves
Yawn level with the luminous waves;
But not the riches there that lie
In each idol’s diamond eye-
Not the gaily-jewelled dead
Tempt the waters from their bed;
For no ripples curl, alas!
Along that wilderness of glass-
No swellings tell that winds may be
Upon some far-off happier sea-
No heavings hint that winds have been
On seas less hideously serene….
Done yet?
Now, where was I? Oh, that’s right, Sea socks… Continue reading
The Immortal Coil
Published August 4, 2011 | 
Daisy, Daisy,
Give me your answer do!
I’m half crazy,
All for the love of you!
You’d think it was an insult, but it’s just a fact. Sometimes, the most amazingly simple things elude me. Take daisy chains for instance. Creating a daisy chain is the most common and dare I say, simplest way to manage the length of your tow rope. Put simply, a daisy chained tow rope is the perfect ”short tow” length. You can then quickly unravel your chain for a “long tow” length. The problem for me was that I simply never could work out how a daisy chain actually came together! Stupid? Well, if you’re stupid like me.. today I’ll do my best to show you how to do it… Continue reading
Is Kayaking A Good Way to Lose Weight?
Published July 28, 2011 | 
These days it seems everyone is looking for a good way lose weight. As a kayak coach and dare I say, an advocate for the sport, it’s a bit of a no-brainer that I would tell you that kayaking is indeed a good way to lose weight.. After all, any exercise that supports physical fitness, burns calories and keeps you interested is on its surface, a good way to lose weight. But is it really? Here are some thoughts… Continue reading
Nothing At All
Published July 26, 2011 | 
After yesterday’s review of the new Sea Kayak Essentials DVD, I thought it was as good of a time as any to put in a reminder to make sure and spend plenty of time on the water doing nothing as well. Don’t practice, don’t exercise, don’t take pictures, nothing. Just play. That’s what I love about my old Perception Mirage.. it does nothing well, which means when I’m in it, I’m there for fun.. everything else is essentially impossible. We should all have a kayak like the Mirage! On the other hand, you do know what the real difference between a sea kayak, a white water boat and a rec kayak is at the end of the day, right? Nothing. Nothing at all.
Beach Toys
Published June 8, 2011 | 
Arthur Robinson closes the glass and replies,
“I dream of ballerinas and I don’t know why?
But I see Cadillacs sailing” – counting crows
The 3rd straight day with heat indexes into the hundreds has passed here in Wisconsin. Now it’s 3am and slipping into the fourth. Man it’s hot!! Yesterday was also the 3rd day in a row that I’ve been out in a kayak. 3 days, 3 different kayaks. This time I took the roller out to Devil’s Lake State Park. While everyone else played on the beach, I went off shore and rolled myself dizzy. The only problem is that the sudden heat wave hasn’t had time to warm up the water. It feels warm enough for a while but after a half hour or so I started to feel a chill sinking deep into my bones. I’d have written it off to old age or thin skin if not for the fact that my 10-year-old began wanting to go home the at same time I did! Continue reading
100 Down The Boo
Published June 7, 2011 | 
Up a lazy river by the old mill stream
That lazy, hazy river where we both can dream
Linger in the shade of an old oak tree
Throw away your troubles, dream a dream with me
- louis armstrong
Thermometers around here were just hitting 100f as I launched out for my second run down the Baraboo river in 2 days. This time I hauled out my Pyranha. I wanted to do this quickly so that I could get some sense of the differences between this boat and my new/0ld Perception Mirage. Yeah, it’s obvious that they are totally different kayaks..but unless you actually do the butt-in-boat time it’s all theory. What surprised me was that the much shorter Pyranha actually seems easier to keep on a line than 13 foot Mirage. Of course while surfing and playing in a small hole there was no comparison. The playboat actually listens to commands! Continue reading
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