Engelandvaarders 2011
Published May 13, 2011 | 
In memory of the thirty-two young Dutchmen
who tried to escape to England by kayak
during World War II to join the Allied Forces.
Eight of them reached the English coast.
The last living survivor dedicated this memorial
to his brothers in arms who were less fortunate
he reached England – and freedom -
on this beach on 21 september 1941.
During World War II, some 1700 Dutch men & women escaped Nazi-occupied Holland by crossing the North Sea from the Netherlands to the UK in every sort of craft. They were called the Engelandvaaders. In August of this year three British paddlers, Alec Greenwell, Ed Cooper & Henry Franks, will attempt this hazardous crossing in their memory. The paddlers will be following a route that brothers, Henri and William Peteri took some 70 years earlier; launching from Katwijk, just north of The Hague and heading west across the channel to land on the beach at Sizewell in Suffolk, UK. It took the Peteri brothers about 56 hours to make the crossing, the 2011 team hopes to cover the 118 mile route in about 30 hours. What makes this historic crossing so challenging is that they will be padding against a constant natural current through some of the busiest shipping lanes on earth. This will certainly be one to watch. Continue reading
You Must Be Trippin!
Published January 4, 2011 | 
All along the icy wastes there are faces smiling in the gloom.
Roll up roll down, Feeling unwound? Step into the viewing room.
The cameras were all around. We’ve got you taped; you’re in the play.
– tull
Our friends Justine & Barry, or as they are officially called “Expedition Paddlers, Justine Curgenven and Barry Shaw” have arrived in Punta Arenas. As you can see in the license plate above, Punta Arenas is in Chile. Cool. Justine and Barry are preparing to circumnavigate Tierra del Fuego by sea kayak… that is.. when their sea kayaks actually arrive.. but that’s another story! Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago (or island group) that makes up the southern tip of South America. Continue reading
Names Darling!
Published July 23, 2010 | 
Ziggy played for time, jiving us that we was voodoo
The kids was just crass. He was the nazz
With God given ass
He took it all too far, but boy could he play guitar
– bowie
So I got into this conversation the other day. The topic was “Names”. Do paddlers you read about in Sea Kayaker magazine inspire you to sign up for events or symposiums? Would you go any way? Maybe when you read that a certain paddler is going to coach it’s a great idea to attend to get instruction from the ‘masters’ so to speak. But what if the ‘Name’ is only there to present and preside? Should symposiums sort out the green M&Ms for the latest person to paddle across Boyizitbig Bay, or should they save the bowl for a couple great coaches instead? Continue reading
It’s Just Stuff That Happened
Published July 30, 2009 | 
It was nice to see Justine again. On Tuesday she flew over from Manchester to Chicago, then hopped in a rental car and drove straight up to Wausau for the Open Boat Nationals that begin tomorrow. On the way she stopped in at the house for a quick chat. My hope is that we’ll get a chance for another quick chat when I get over to the UK in September. It’s a very weird thing how we make friends at such distances, stay in touch by email, blog and twitter and then only stand in the same room once or twice a year. Speaking of distant friends, I’m twisting one distant friends arm to come and paddle a bit of the west coast of Scotland with me. Lord knows he’s done it enough.. Someone’s got to keep the silly mid-westerner safe in those tides!
Posted in Loch Ness, My Paddling, My Weird Life, Paddling, People, travel | 
aca, Expeditions, justine curgenven, scotland, travel, wisconsinserved with “neeps and nips”
Published July 28, 2009 | 
Many miles away there’s a shadow on a door
Of a cottage by the shore
Of a dark Scottish lake
– the police
A new day, a new bowl of Haggis! Well, something like that anyway. Thanks to everyone for their emails and encouragements. It’s hard sometimes to translate emotions to print but I’m certainly not down or out. Speaking with Kelly last evening I’m sure he’s more disappointed than I am, at least in the fact that I can still get my stuff together continue my Nessie hunt. The only real change comes in that I have to pick up on some logistics and at this point, maybe even those original plans will still go through. Plus there are lots of good folks around that I’m sure I can pester someone to give me a ride to the water’s edge.
Posted in Expeditions, Loch Ness, My Paddling, Paddling, travel | devils lake, Expeditions, justine curgenven, Paddling, RNLI, scotland, travel, uk, wisconsinA Leap Once Leapt
Published July 25, 2009 | 
I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment’s gone
All my dreams, pass before my eyes, a curiosity
– kansas
It’s that time again. The time where I can’t let another day go by without making one decision or another about my upcoming paddling adventure. This time of course, it’s Scotland. Some of it is easy enough. Buy this, buy that, read this, read that.. take notes! What is different is that with a little experience I’m trying to travel as lightly as I possibly can. Traveling light is harder than you may think given my past BCU training. You come to believe that anything less than everything is irresponsible. I still remember the days when I carried practically 2 weeks worth of gear just to teach a class because that’s what a “hard core” coach did. Or at least I thought so. Continue reading
Posted in Expeditions, Loch Ness, Paddling | Expeditions, kokatat, Loch Ness, P&H Kayaks, Paddling, scotland, travelAccidentally Flavorless Ordinary Life
Published April 8, 2009 | 
What has happened to it all?
Crazy, some are saying
Where is the life that I recognize?
– duran duran
I was walking out of the Tescos in Holyhead, Wales. There was a police car in front of me, one of those tiny ones with the Cheap Trick paint jobs. I walked by it to the right hand drivers side of my rented white Vauxhall Astra. Adjusting my grocery bag in one hand I got the keys out of my pocket and hit the clicker. The Astra beeped back. I put the keys back in my pocket to free up my hand and open the door. I tossed my bag filled with sausage rolls & mars bars (see: The Penrhyn Mawr diet) in the back seat, and sat down behind the wheel. There with the door open, just sitting, surrounded by the muddle of traffic, voices and banging carts of an ordinary day and I thought… “How great is this!?”.
Posted in Expeditions, Loch Ness, Paddling, Random Thoughts, travel | Astra, Expeditions, Holyhead, Tescos, Vauxhall, wales
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