Archive for the ‘News & Print’ Category

Morning all.  Today we’ve got a bit of exciting news and I’m also looking for your thoughts.  First of all my friend Justine Curgenven; filmmaker, adventurer and occasional country chef has just released the preview of her latest DVD called, This  Is Canoeing!  (10,000 canoeists stand up and shout, “IT’S ABOUT FRIGGIN’ TIME!) What’s more, we’ve also.. (I can say “we” for this part…) updated her website at www.CackleTV.com..  Ok, now for the discussion bit…

I expect Justine’s new DVD to sell like mad.  She’s an amazing filmmaker of course, but what really shines through is her personality which simply soaks through every frame.  Personally, I believe she could make a documentary on lake sludge and I’m sure it would still exude excitement and fun.  It’s just what happens when she gets into something and that’s why I’ve been totally in her court for more years than I care to count now.

Now here’s the discussion bit.. How are we all doing with multi-media these days?  Are we video’d out and so far buried in the Youtube glut that we no longer value professional work?  Are we less apt to pay for something we perceive we can get for free elsewhere? Maybe it’s oppositely true that we’re more apt to buy something because all the free junk makes us well aware of the good stuff? Maybe there is still so few of us who live online, that we won’t effect the outcome either way..  What are your thoughts on the state of media today?

Oh, and by the way.. you can pre-order Justine’s new DVD right here on her brand new website… Did I mention that?

*Please listen to the doors for 24.3 seconds before watching this video or reading this post.. You pick the tune.

Now I absolutely refuse to comment on this image or the guy in the red shirt.  It’s more than my life is worth!.. What I can say is that anyone involved in the outdoor recreation industry or for that matter any businesses interested in how to make social media work for them, should know these folks.  You can start by watching the  “Boots on the Ground” is the first of a series of “unofficial” social media panel discussion here.  Besides if you watch it, you won’t have to listen to me tell you the same stuff. As they say it’s easier to to bring the mountain to… or climb to.. or those who buy Mohammad a beer will certainly… Anyway, I forgot.  But the point of this blog was that I’m deleting my KayakQuixotica Twitter account in favor of my Skillet Creek Twitter account.. It’s just that well.. you know.. It may be a bit too hyper-local for some.. but even most of my outdoor life is well, hyper local…

* Yes, I did steal this screen shot from the video and may burn in hell for an indefinite period of time.  If however if you are the owner of this video and you’d like to save my soul or have me remove this image, please speak now.

Imagine the coach saying, “In order to achieve the ISKA L5 level you will have to be able to disassemble and reassemble your Lendal 4 peice paddle in under 4.6 seconds”.  Sorry, that was just the first thing that went through my head when I thought of Nigel Dennis announcing a new international sea kayaking certification program.  Yup.  You did read that correctly.  I’ll leave it to other more investigative bloggers to ferret out the details.  For my part I want to begin ghost writing a draft of the new ISKA Coaches handbook…   “While other kayaks may be used, it is well under stood that Sea Kayaking UK kayaks are safer, faster, and better built than all other kayaks…”  There will be a test!..  Oh, and investigative types may want to start here.

Nothing remains
We could run /  when the rain slows / Look for the cars or signs of life / Where the heat goes
Look for the drifters / We should crawl under the bracken
Look for the shafts of light on the road
Where the heat goes
– bowie

Sometimes when you wake up in the middle of the night you’re not really sure why. Still you get out of your warm cozy bed and begin your day. You have to. If you just lay there, all those worrisome thoughts start creeping into your head like, “Why does my toe suddenly hurt?”, “What if I lose my job tomorrow?”, or “Why doesn’t Valley ever finish their website?”

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I wish I hadn’t bought you dinner
right before you
dumped me on your front porch
– Ben Folds

Have you heard all the stories?  The mill says Johnson Outdoors is looking to unload LENDAL.  Didn’t they just buy them?  The mill also suggests the most likely buyer could be Nigel Dennis of SeaKayakingUK or  possibly EPIC.  Hmmm.  Now the thing is, LENDAL used to be a premiere brand.  Holding a LENDAL in your hand was something akin to holding Excalibur.  Then Johnson took over. Our friendly reps went away and QC went into the dumper as well. Yeah, they got it under control eventually but by then everything the brand had stood for in the eyes of sea kayakers never really came back.  Now I can’t help wonder if LENDAL is about to be saved or on its way to  getting tossed around like a _________ ,  ___________.  (Creatively fill in the blanks.)

Up until this point I’ve chosen not to comment on the case of missing Wisconsin paddler, Doug Winter.   It’s an interesting case which I’m sure will stir up discussion soon enough if it hasn’t already.  As I’ve said many times, I don’t really keep up with what’s going on at Pnet anymore.  Still, just like anyone else I can’t help but roll the news reports around in my head and ask questions.  Questions I’m sure the police, family and friends have all asked.  I’m sure there are some answers out there.  Some known already by the authorities and some still waiting to be discovered.  One thing I’m feeling is that what I’m reading so far just doesn’t quite feel right.

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Advance glance at the new P&H Delphin to come out sometime around christmas.

Right now the P&H Custom Sea Kayaks new Delphin is a bit of an X-Boat.  You have to sneak onto a secret base somewhere in the UK to see one.  Well, not really.  It feels like it though.  Thankfully we have a couple advance shots to share. Now what I want to show you here is the upturned hull.  (No skegs in this shot!).  The Delphin has a bit of a white water edge for carving in surf and some planing areas as well which should make it a really fun boat.  Yet even with the racy hull, the kayak is intended to be a good all around, even “beginners” kayak. We’ll see. Reports are that there will still be modifications. Possibly a change in the rocker and there is that whole skeg thing to think about…

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