Given Up The Drink
Published December 31, 2010 | 
And I like pints of Guinness / As Billy used to say
It rained so fucking much here / That well drink away the day
– The Bollox
In May of 2011 Harry Whelan, Chris Millington and Jeff Allen will be aiming to beat the record for the fastest 1,000 mile circumnavigation of Ireland which now sits at 33 days. According to their website, the reason for taking aim at the record is to get around and back before giving in to the temptation of the Guinness after having “sort of” given up the drink recently. (Um, yeah.. no comment..) Not everyone knows what kayaks they’ll be paddling yet, but it sounds like most will be opting for Rockpool’s new Taran. For more information you can visit the Team Expedition Paddler website at www.ExpeditionPaddler.com
** Image: Giants Causeway. Ireland. Photo by Petr Brož.
Don’t Stop The Rain
Published August 14, 2010 | 
Long as I remember The rain been coming down.
Clouds of myst’ry pouring Confusion on the ground.
Good men through the ages, Trying to find the sun;
And I wonder, Still I wonder, Who’ll stop the rain. – ccr
After a successful day of rolling on Thursday, you wouldn’t be surprised if Mary wanted to get back out and lock in her roll the following morning. Now, some could say that the weather didn’t cooperate but I’d say it did exactly what it should have done. It upped the ante… Continue reading
Sea Kayaking UK (NDK) Romany. In Review.
Published July 7, 2010 | 
We can never know about the days to come
But we think about them anyway, yay
And I wonder if I’m really with you now
Or just chasin’ after some finer day
– carly simon
I’ve had the old white Romany for some time, but as I said it was not “my” boat so I rarely paddled it. In fact until recently the only time I paddled the Romany was when the local river was in flood. At those times I’d take the boat out to play in the currents and surf since I was not worried about banging it up. Now that I’ve repaired the hull and have it seaworthy again, I’ve been paddling it quite a bit which offers a great opportunity to share some fresh thoughts about the Romany in general. Continue reading
Posted in Kayaks, Paddling, Reviews | 
aled williams, ndk, Nigel Dennis, Reviews, rockpool, romany, seakayakinguk, TideraceMadness is Assured…
Published September 4, 2009 | 
They’ll stone you when you’re trying to be so good / They’ll stone you just like they said they would
They’ll stone you when you’re trying to go home / They’ll stone you when you’re there all alone
But I would not feel so all alone / Everybody must get stoned
– dylan
So yesterday I spent half my day talking to an insurance agent. I know that sounds like a complaint and to be sure, there’s plenty of things I’d rather be doing. A root canal comes to mind… On the other hand, I’m happy to know that if my Alaw Bach flies off my Jeep, sinks in Lake Michigan, or goes up in flames.. it’s covered. It’s even covered against theft. My fear of course is that it would be stolen one piece at a time…
Visualize Man!
Published August 27, 2009 | 
I’ve got a phone conference with a client coming up in about an hour and all sorts of other businessy bits to deal with today… so all you get for stopping by today (at least for now) is this photograph of my Rockpool Alaw Bach waiting to take me on an early morning paddle up the Lake Michigan coastline toward the Point Beach lighthouse.
Sometimes a photograph is almost like being there. Sometimes a photograph just clarifies where you really are. Oh well, you know what they say, “Visualize the future you desire, then make it happen”. Nothing like a Thursday morning platitude to get the day started. On the other hand I can’t help but remember what Emerson said, “When there is no vision, people perish.” Emerson, all the inspiration, none of the BS! And with that… Have a flippin’ fantastic day…
Posted in Cameras & Photography, Kayaks, Paddling, Random Thoughts | alaw bach, lake michigan, point beach, rockpool, wisconsinPaddle, Pack, Puma
Published July 26, 2009 | 
We love to laugh / Loud and long and clear
We love to laugh / So ev’rybody can hear
The more you laugh / The more you fill with glee
And the more the glee / The more we’re a merrier we!
- from mary poppins
Yesterday I taught down at Rutabaga in Madison. I had just a single student. I’m not sure if it’s the economy or simply the luck of my draw that I’ve taught very small classes at the shop this year. It’s ok of course. Having a day with 2 or 3 students or one in this case means you can really spend time working with them in a very personal and useful way. Yesterday we practically laughed our way through the class both having our own reasons for simply being happy to be alive and in the water on such a warm and magnificent day.
glitterati
Published June 20, 2009 | 
How’d you like a nice glittery pink kayak? This one is from SeaKayakingUK. I was amazed at the number of glittery kayaks here at the ISS symposium. These days you can find glitter pretty commonly on SeaKayakingUK & P&H kayaks. It was only a couple years ago when glitter was one of the things that made Rockpool Kayaks unique. At least Rockpool still has the mighty stars! Continue reading
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