The following article was written by Frank Eichenlaub of the Berrien Paddlers Club. He attended my risk management class back in the beginning of August. I didn’t want to shape, or edit Frank’s article in any way so that he could draw his own conclusions and see where he went with it. While a river …
Category Archive: Sea Kayaking
Jun
25
Is sea kayaking difficult?
In reading the latest issue of Ocean Paddler, I read the article/interview by expeditioner/philosopher- Jon Turk. I really like Jon Turk. To date he has been one of my favorite guest speakers at WMCKA. His Logic vs. Magic video from the Raven’s Gift book really struck a chord with me. It is an interesting paradigm, …
Jun
16
Kayaker Fatality-is it the right question?
There have been a ton of posts already about the tragic death on Lake Superior of Kevin Dammen. The media has covered this event from different angles, and even CASKA’s Tom Bamonte’s post did an excellent job of elucidating the dual-nature of our sport. One thing that continues to strike me each time there is …
May
31
Rough Water Sea Kayaking Article in Adventure Kayak Magazine
The summer issue of Adventure Kayak Magazine has hit the shelves. Go Kayak Now! Editor in Chief – Keith Wikle (I feel funny referring to myself in the third person, but oh well) was interviewed by Paddling Instructor’s (my erstwhile brother from another mother), David Johnston about the state of rough water paddling, and the …
May
22
Death on the Kalamazoo river
In the unfortunate hours of yesterday afternoon, a young man drowned on the Kalamazoo river near Morrow dam in Comstock. Normally, these events seem a distant sort of event, like hearing about an earthquake in Japan, or a tsunami in southeast Asia, despite the fact that the victims might be our own neighbors. Preparing for …
Apr
14
Men’s Journal Features Go Kayak Now
I got a cold call from a freelance writer named Bill Gifford about 3 months ago. He was interested in doing a story on the Apostle Islands for Men’s Journal Magazine. He found my article on my trip to the Apostle Islands and its impact on my understanding of leadership. He was really interested in …
Apr
12
What to look for in a New Kayak
Tiderace Xplore_s First thoughts Construction Couple of first thoughts on the Tiderace Xplore_S. This is probably the stiffest kayak I have ever owned. There don’t really seem to be any mushy spots in the hull or the deck. There is some flex, enough to ensure the kayak won’t be brittle, but overall it is probably …
Apr
12
Custom artwork from Watertech
Custom Watertech 666 Waveski image While I am not much of a fussy britches on my kayak’s color or one for custom artwork, this Waveski struck me as being kinda cool. It has the same kind of feel as twin-tip ski artwork. It would be pretty damn sweet to have a custom Tiderace Xcite Sea …
Feb
26
TsunamiChuck in the New York Times
You heard me. Paddling.net’s local bad boy, the nurse of nihilism, Chuck Freedman of Reno Nevada is in the New York times. This feature focuses on winter paddling on Lake Tahoe. Chuck is one of the best guys around. I spent a couple days paddling Santa Cruz and the Bay area with Chuck. My only …
Feb
17
Surfing a Sea Kayak Article from Wayne Horodowich
This article from Wayne Horodowich does a really nice job explaining the mechanics of catching waves in a sea kayak. He also makes mention of ensuring you pick a break appropriate to your craft and your skill level, which I have hinted to before. He also wisely explains some of the potential pitfalls of surfing …
