Posts Tagged ‘Traditional Paddling’

Lay down, Sally, and rest you in my arms.
Don’t you think you want someone to talk to?
Lay down, Sally, no need to leave so soon.
I’ve been trying all night long just to talk to you. – clapton

In Greenland rolling an essential technique, and the foundation of a variety of rolls is called the balance brace.  This little maneuver is basically the act of floating your upper body on the surface of the water, while remaining in your kayak and WITHOUT falling over.  Sounds simple enough eh?

The real challenge of the balance brace is that with your upper body in the water, the kayak wants to follow you in (or roll over on top of you). So to counter this, we have to position our bodies in a particular way to “balance” the boat against the weight of our torso to remain on the surface.  Yeah, it’s tricky. While we’re going to talk about the balance brace for at least a couple posts in this series.. I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to be successful at it, to have an effortless roll.  Read the rest of this entry »

WarChild dance the days, and dance the nights away.
Open your windows and I’ll walk through your doors.
Let me live in your country — let me sleep by your shores.
Tull

Low impact does not mean dainty, wimpy or weak.  Low impact kayak rolling is not about modifying a powerful roll to make it easy on the old bones. If you think low impact means, low power you’re missing the point completely. What we’re really talking about is efficiency.    Read the rest of this entry »

You got me where you want me
I ain’t nothing but your fool
You treated me mean oh you treated me cruel
– Aretha Franklin

If your roll sucks I’ll know.  It’s easy.   Just put away that big blade and have a go with my Greenland paddle.  Go ahead.  C2C, Sweep, Modified Sweep.. whatever.  Ok, I’ll even give you a warm up.. If you don’t roll after 2.. Um well… there it is then.

There’s a point where most every kayak roll becomes the same. It’s right at that moment when the paddler is who upside down, decides to roll up. At that moment the first thing you do, regardless of  paddle, rolling style or technique, is roll the boat up.  That seems obvious.  Well, I’m not referring to the whole process of rolling the boat up, but only that millisecond right after the mind decides to engage the body in the process of rolling.  At that moment, it’s all about the boat.   It’s also the point where most of our energy is expended IF we’re doing it right. Read the rest of this entry »

Scratch, scratch, she’s clawing at the door
Whoa, no, I can’t take it anymore
Crack, crack I’m feeling so sore
I never should asked for black leather
- guns-n-roses

Now this is some thick leather!  As I mentioned, we actually have a large leather craft shop here locally and a couple tack shops as well. (You’d think it was Wyoming..) But no one had leather cord that looked thick enough to me to last on a skin-on-frame kayak.  Thankfully Bruce Stitt referred me some on Ebay which was just what I was looking for.  Now to honest I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m reading and learning as I go.  Now that I have the cord, I have to figure out what sort of stops I want to use.  The old wooden ones seem, well.. bland.

Couldn’t you just
Let me go down and do my stuff?
– fleetwood mac

The email from Nancy Thornton came in today to remind us all that it’s just about time again to register for Qajaq Training Camp for 2010.   You can register for the August 27-29th traditional kayaking event online April 1st.  This year they will be offering a paddle making workshop with Don Beale of Beal Paddlemaking. Guests will include Adam Hansen who is actively promoting Greenland as a travel destination and Heather Lamon, and emerging US star in rope gymnastics.  Our friends Turner Wilson and Cheri Perry will be there as well as all the regular suspects.  I’d like to attend this year myself, although I don’t know in what capacity.. or what boat for that matter. For more information and registration go here.

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He say “I know you, you know me”
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free
Come together right now
over me
– the beatles

Our friend Dominique was kind enough to share with us some of his pictures from this year’s Delmarva Paddler’s Retreat. Delmarva was founded in 1988 by Charlie and Cindy Cole and is the unrivaled Mecca of Greenland style paddling. (This side of Greenland of course!!) The annual event held in Lewes, Delaware is considered the place where Greenland style really kicked off here in the states. Attendees learn traditional paddling skills, attend lectures & workshops, and of course spend a lot of time rolling! Most paddlers with a passion for G-Style make it a goal to at least once be able to attend Delmarva.

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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. . . Read the rest of this entry »