Archive for the ‘Events & Symposia’ Category

And as the sparrow sings
Dawn chorus for
Someone else to hear
The thinker sits alone growing older
– d. bowie

So this is what it looks like at 5am, no, 6am here in Madison, Wisconsin.  You are looking across the street from our motel at the Alliant Energy Center where in just a few hours Canoecopia will be opening it’s doors for the last day of the 2010 show. Reports are that visitor numbers have nearly doubled this year over last which made for a lot of warm fuzzy feelings in among the regulars.

And this just in from the rumors department… It seems the owner of Boreal Shores Kayaks in Bayfield ran amok over the winter and bashed out a wall of his shop… (I’m sure Chris will like me describing it that way.   Now everywhere he goes people will be talking about him… “There goes Chris,” they’ll say, “Running Amok.”)   Of course the truth is that I just got all long winded in telling you he’s done some remodeling and you should check it out if you get up his way.

Last night Justine Curgenven introduced her new DVD with a 1 hour compilation that gave the audience a good feel for everything contained in the 3 hour full version of “This Is Canoeing”.  Of course as she said, you need to buy a copy to see it all.  From what I was able to see last night it looks great.  It’s certainly Justine giving canoeing the “This is the Sea” treatment with a lot of added refinement that comes from the experience of her years of experience filming in the wild and on the water.

And by the way who knew  ACA kayak coach extraordinaire, John Browning would dance all night long?

So for today I hit the show floor, then hit the water.  I’m going to run over to the P&H booth and see if I can get my fat behind into a Cetus low volume.  Remember folks, don’t let anyone tell you a kayak is wrong for you.  Try it, and figure it out yourself.  With that in mind, if I can get in the little thing I might spend some pool time with one and let you know how it rolls.

And speaking of rolls.. This afternoon I’ll be in the pool with Steve Scherrer.  I think there was some paperwork telling me all the technical details about how to get my boat in there, where to dress and all that but of course I didn’t read anything.. so I need to go figure all that out. Which means less time to actually worry that I’ll blow something.  I’m sure I will.

I saw her bus come down a little subway street
She played a gypsy song with a 3/4 beat
And when I heard her voice
She gave me vertigo
– fastball

Time to head out to the “big city” and join the party! It’s almost 6 am and I’ve wrapped up what bits of work I still needed to get done before we head off to Madison for the big show.  We’ll be exploring the show floor most of the day today (and sneaking off to the bike show next door).  I have to take back that bit about not needing anything.. other than a kayak.. I also need to find some new paddling shoes since mine seem to have disappeared.  Always something…    Oh, and if you’re wondering why Wenonah got the big feature pic today even though I don’t even own a canoe… I have no idea.. things were just going that way.

One day I fell under her spell
She showed me both heaven and hell
She made it shine, she made it rain
Now she’s gone, gone, gone, gone
Gone just like a train

Now wait.. no there’s more..
KayakQuixotica Declares today
“Wenonah Canoe” Love Day!

(I mean, come’on only 8 followers on their new twitter??  Let’s show ‘em some love

Reposted from The Skillet Creek Journal - Outdoor lovers from all over the mid-west will be gathering in Madison, Wisconsin this weekend, March 12 – 14, 2010, for Canoecopia, the world’s largest paddle sports expo. Hosted by Rutabaga of Madison, Canoecopia features hundreds of vendors from the outdoor industry and 3 days of presentations by some of the world’s foremost paddling experts and instructors. In addition, many outfitters and guides from around the country will be on hand to promote their 2010 trips from Great Lakes excursions to full-on world class expeditions. Did we mention the sales, promotions & discounts? Read the rest of this entry »

Free as a bird,
it’s the next best thing to be.
Free as a bird.
– beatles

It’s almost New Year’s Day again.  That means it’s time for the annual Fog Bowl at Lake Columbia in Portage, Wisconsin.  The fog bowl is the day when ice locked kayakers around Wisconsin finally crack and  decide to take  any open water they can get.  This is it. Lake Columbia is actually a large cooling pond for the big Columbia coal fired power plant that serves much of the area.  The horseshoe shaped pond is about a mile long and about half as wide.  Water exits the plant on one side at nearly 90f and cools as it flows around the “U” to the intake on the other side.  Read the rest of this entry »

Mind me platypus duck, Bill,
mind me platypus duck.
Don’t let him go running amok, Bill,
mind me platypus duck.
Altogether now!..

It’s been a long time coming, but I can’t say there was much doubt.  Freya Hoffmeister of Germany completed her  sea kayak circumnavigation of Australia!! Amazing! Wonderful!  Well done!  Read the rest of this entry »

And just like the first time / We’re just strangers again
I might have grown out of style / In the place I’ve been
– alice cooper

A lot of sea kayaking goes down in October.  BCU Week in Tybee Island Georgia will be hosted by Sea Kayak Georgia from October 21st through the 25th, the Optimist Symposium in Sdot Yam, Israel will be held on Oct 29th-Nov 1st and I’m sure there are more. It’s always hard to wrap my tiny brain around sea kayaking in October.  Here in the heart of the Great Lakes region it’s cold.  25F right now as a matter of fact.   It’s that time of the year when we’re visiting apple orchards, stumbling around the local wineries, and taking our families out to enjoy a candle lit Halloween hike.  As for kayakers the winter is closing in, and luckily the pools are opening up!

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He say “I know you, you know me”
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free
Come together right now
over me
– the beatles

Our friend Dominique was kind enough to share with us some of his pictures from this year’s Delmarva Paddler’s Retreat. Delmarva was founded in 1988 by Charlie and Cindy Cole and is the unrivaled Mecca of Greenland style paddling. (This side of Greenland of course!!) The annual event held in Lewes, Delaware is considered the place where Greenland style really kicked off here in the states. Attendees learn traditional paddling skills, attend lectures & workshops, and of course spend a lot of time rolling! Most paddlers with a passion for G-Style make it a goal to at least once be able to attend Delmarva.

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