close your eyes and sing
Published July 2, 2010 | 
To draw you must close your eyes and sing. – Pablo Picasso
Do you have a paddling song? Maybe a whole repertoire? What songs do you sing when you paddle? How did you choose them?
People have paddling songs for lots of reasons. Some folks sing in groups just because they are class clowns or entertainers. I remember once paddling with a group of guys who knew all the lyrics to all the songs of the classic nautical musical, “HMS Pinafore”. That took some work and obviously needed to be shared around whenever possible! Besides, what better way to impress the girls than singing tunes from “The Lass that Loved a Sailor”? Continue reading
served 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, travelguest
Published October 29, 2008 | 
I was sitting quietly in my room sorting quarters from Euros when a knock came at the door. A man that I did not recognise appeared. He said he was there to take me somewhere. It was ok he told me. We would go to the home of the owners of the club. I walked with him down to the car and we drove off into the night. driving along a secluded road his cellphone rang, he answered a couple quick questions. Plans had changed. Soon we arrived at the gate of a high secuity area along the coast. He talked to the gaurd in Hebrew. After a short conversation we turned and went to a side gate. Slowly the 12 foot raser wire gate began to open. I wondered what would happen next. . . Continue reading
South Georgia Chromatids
Published October 22, 2008 | 
we were all basically alone / despite what all his studies had shown
that what’s mistaken for closeness / is just a case of mitosis
sure fatal doses of malcontent through osmosis
and why do some show no mercy / while others are painfully shy
tell me doctor, can you quantify?
the reason why
- andrew bird
In 2005 two teams of sea kayakers jostled to be the first to circumnavigate South Georgia Island. A “British” team consisting of Peter Bray, Nigel Dennis, Jeff Allen and Hadas Feldman (of Israel) were first to announce their intent. Up until this point “announcing” was for lack of a better word, traditional. By announcing your plans, paddlers had time to build up interest which is of course important when seeking funding for such excursions. As we all know now it also gives others an opportunity to beat you to the punch. Continue reading
Posted in Commentary & Rants, Expeditions, Paddling, Random Thoughts | expediton, Paddling, sea kayaking, south georgiadegrees of practice
Published May 10, 2006 | 
There is no pain, you are receding.A distant ship’s smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can’t hear what you’re sayin’.
When I was a child I had a fever.
My hands felt just like two balloons.
Now I got that feeling once again.
I can’t explain, you would not understand.
This is not how I am.
I have become comfortably numb.
- waters
3 hours of rolling with a fever is about enough. Mary took the photo after I wet exited, came up, and just clung to the boat. My eyes were burning from the bleachy pool, my Tylenol was no longer effective. I was exhausted and a bit dizzy. I was cooked and ready to go home. ( I should add a disclaimer here that exercise while ill or with a fever is BAD and carries certain serious risks. Again, don’t do what Donny Dont Does) Continue reading
Posted in Coaching, Learn To Roll, Learning, My Paddling, Paddling | Lamar Hudgens, Paddling, practice
I gave the doctor my description / I’ve tried to stick to my prescription
Someday I’ll have a disappearing hairline /Someday I’ll wear pyjamas in the daytime
Afternoons will be measured out /Measured out, measured with
Coffee-spoons and T.S. Eliot –
I’m sorry I’m old. Really. I didn’t start out this way. I used to be much younger but then the sun came up and went down a bunch of times and I got older. Now I’m 45 for some reason. I’ll be 46 in about a month. I’m sorry for myself too. I’m sorry that there are probably fewer years ahead than behind. I’m also sorry that I’m pretty much on the young side of your average sea kayaker. I didn’t even start in the sport until I was in my late 30s. By then I had a business that was doing OK and the ability to buy the stuff necessary to get into sea kayaking. (Well, barely!!). Come to think of it, I’m sorry we’re all old. What will become of us? Continue reading →