Variations on a Contact Tow
Published September 22, 2011 | 
The other day a coach that I was paddling with showed me his fancy new quick release on his contact tow. This is certainly a heavy-duty bit of gear. Just what I was looking for to connect my Jeff Allen throw tow to my PFD. I’m sure there are probably lighter quick release clips out there, but these are available locally at the old Farm & Fleet store. Now what you also might find interesting is how this system was set up.. See the pic below; Continue reading
In Crease
Published September 22, 2011 | 
A few days back I wrote about how a simple crease in your drygear’s latex seal could cause your hands to go numb or even swell up. Today while paddling day 4 of my 100 miles around Devil’s Lake, that’s exactly what happened. As I was getting ready to go, one of the park rangers came up to chat with me. Of course I was spending more time paying attention to the conversation than paying attention to my gear. By the time I was half way around the lake, my right hand began to go numb. I rolled up the other bit of the sleeve and as you can see… my gasket was bunched up. Not much mind you, but enough. After I took the pic, I readjusted the laytex and within about 5 minutes my hand was back to normal. Amazing how just a little thing could make such a big difference!
Pesky Gaskets
Published September 19, 2011 | 
As the summer fades to autumn and both the air and water temperatures begin to drop, we’re once again faced with the prospect of dealing with those pesky latex gaskets. Now it’s my position that latex gaskets are not uncomfortable if worn properly. For the moment let’s take these pesky wrist gaskets for example. They were causing a bit of swelling in the back of my hands if I wore them for hours on end. I stretched them out AGAIN for 48 hours with little effect. I was thinking I may have to trim them. Tight gaskets can sure ruin your day on the water!
Well, before you get cutting, there is one last thing to check. Something so silly that it’s easy to overlook… Are the gaskets rolling or folding over on your wrists? Sometimes it happens when you first put them on, sometimes they will work roll back over time. (That’s what happened in my case). If so, simply rolling them back out and removing any folds, creases, or other pressure points may do the trick. The latex should be smooth against your skin. Also, make sure to pull them back on your wrists far enough that the movement of your hands does not start them rolling back down again. For me, that was the solution. Nothing like applying a little patience and observation before getting out the knife!! Anyway, if you’re having trouble with your new gaskets. . . even after you’ve tried stretching them. . . make sure they aren’t just getting rolled up or folded before you get out the knife. One thing about cutting your gaskets, if you get it wrong you can’t put it back…
Teaching Tips For Kayaking
Published September 9, 2011 | 
Poor Professor Pynchon had only good intentions when he
Put his Bunsen burners all away
And turning to a playground in a Petri dish
Where single cells would swing their fists at anything that looks like easy prey
– andrew bird
So.. If you are a kayaking coach, you’ll certainly want to check out the ACA’s Teaching Tips for Kayaking. There’s a lot of good stuff in there. I especially like the bit about learning styles… Of course I am quickly reminded what kind of learner I am NOT, when faced with thoes lettery-memory things like “EDRC” not to mention this paragraph heading, “Paddle Orientation for Efficiency – Basic Naval Architecture” (which includes the diagram above). If I had to absorb coaching and paddling techniques through acronyms and diagrams, I’d be taking up another sport entirely.. something simpler, like space flight!
Actually though, don’t let my side track, side-track you. The ACA is doing a great job providing lots of information for folks who can learn this way.. I’m just going to have to wait for the comic book edit.. Oh, a butterfly!
Imagine You’re Alone…
Published August 29, 2011 | 
don’t give up
‘cos you have friends
don’t give up
you’re not beaten yet
don’t give up
I know you can make it good – gabriel
Learn to know what you don’t know. Then know it. In some ways our lives are way too simple. We get up, we eat, we drive the same route to work each day, we do a job we’ve done for a thousand years, then drive the same route home, eat and then veg in front of a television. Days pass. Weeks turn into months and months into years. There’s nothing wrong with that exactly, but it may lead us to feel way too secure in what we think we know. Then suddenly, shockingly things can go very wrong. Continue reading
Sea Kayak With Gordon Brown V2
Published August 19, 2011 | 
As with my review of the first edition of Sea Kayak With Gordon Brown, let me cut to the chase here. Volume 2 includes a new trip, a bit of a history lesson, and lots of new skill work in real world conditions. V2 is a fun, tight presentation that will add to your skill set and keep you sitting in front of your TV from beginning to end… Well, unless you find yourself impulsively loading up the kayak to rush out and try something he’s just presented. For my part, I was able to take away and apply one new-found method to a class almost immediately. The new (to me) gem gave 2 students a much quicker success than they would have otherwise. For one student, it was the only answer that worked. As she was sitting back up in her kayak and smiling ear-to-ear.. I told her, “You have Gordon Brown to thank for this one.” I don’t think I can give the DVD a better compliment than that. There’s a lot of good stuff in there, even for us coaches and more experienced paddlers to take in. Continue reading
Posted in Learning, Paddling, Reviews, Video | 
dvd, gordon brown, Rowland Woolven, sea kayak with gordon brown, Simon Willis | 
6 CommentsQajaq 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 Comment
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