Paddling Planet

The in-box had a note yesterday about SISKA's plans for another charity kayaking day in August, like last year's event. This relaxed paddle is for any local kayakers as well as members, and it covers about 13 or 14 kilometres in beautiful Saanich Inlet. Here's their message:

Som vanligt numera var anmälningslistan lång när det var dags för Malmö Kanotklubbs veckotur – den här gången i norra Bohuslän. Av praktiska skäl blev det därför tre grupper: Uffes grupp (4 deltagare) som inte gärna stiger upp tidigt, men i gengäld undviker civilisationen, käkar frystorkat på karga kobbar längst ut i havsbandet, Marja-Liisas grupp (12 deltagare) som gärna anlägger basläger på trivsamma öar och gör dagsturer därifrån runt om i skärgården och så min grupp (4 deltagare) som brukar vara klara i kajakerna klockan tio och som inte föraktar ett eller ett par besök i civilisationen och dess kulinariska lockelser. Andra skulle kanske definiera grupperna annorlunda – det får de gärna göra....

Lördag: avfärd Råssö kl 16 med kurs söderut mot Bissen. I sol och lätt medvind var vi där snabbt och det kändes väl tidigt för nattläger. Vi fortsatte söderut på utsidan av Kalvön-Lindön mot Ulsholmen. Men vid det laget hotade vädertjänsten med hård sydvästlig vind framåt morgontimmarna, så vi fann för gott att ta oss över Tjurpannan redan på kvällen, landade framåt skymningen på Käften och trängde in oss på stranden bland Uffes grupps kajaker – de hade lyssnat på samma vädersrapport och dragit samma slutsats.

Lägerplats på Käften tillsammans med Uffes grupp – de i röda tält, vi i gröna

So, after a considerable journey and no small number of emails and phone calls, the 'William Riley of Birmingham and Leamington' is finally here. Now we've just got to work out how to pull her around town and row her! In any case, for the moment she looks wonderful parked up at the Middle School....

And they just keep coming...towards the bottom of the M3 we passed the 'William Riley" on a Low-loader heading for HQ in Poole. Hopefully Deasy will then tow her over to Swanage tonight ready for the Carnival procession on Sunday.

So we are heading home on the M3 and pass yet another lifeboat.  This time it is Margate's Mersey 12-20.  Our own, 12-23 was out again last night, this time for a shorter trip. Looking forward to getting home...

Tog en promenad uppe vid Djurholmen. Fint som attan. Hade tänkt plocka lite geocachar, men det gick sådär. Lite kass mobilmottagning gjorde att Geocachingprogrammet i gammelifånen (de nya tog slut innan vi hann fram igår, men tar man sovmorgon så får man skylla sig själv) hade svårt att hitta rätt.

Men vi hittade Torvtäkten – Djurholmen tour #6, GC271KZ i alla fall.

Lite off från mobiltäckning är det klart smidigare med vanlig gps, men annars är det skönt att geocacha med iphonen som man ändå har med sig och där man får fram det mesta som kan behövas.

Och så fick vi se Älg på hyfsat nära håll och Kärrspindel.

I enjoyed discovering ski touring ( back country skiing) last winter. My friend Mike Austin is half way through his training to become a ski guide and he kept me safe on a multi-day trip in the Ortler Alps. In return, I recently helped him to make a short film about his passion for skiing, [...]

Here are some pictures of a Saturday morning paddle, the first group goes out at 7am, the second at 9.30. Because there are so many new members the first session is usually full, that makes about 20 plus kayaks in the water

.How the sport has grown in the last couple of years. and there are newcomers for lessons almost every day


.I really enjoy teaching the rookies  and seeing them improve from outing to outing.its a chance to give back to the sport that has taken over my life.

There is always something new to learn and you can never get to the end.


Some get it quicker than others, some have more natural ability, some have more persistence, but in the end almost everybody enjoys the experience and everyone improves .


We visited the old port of Cesearea today,
 Funny how easily we forget to look around and appreciate our surroundings, imagine paddling round a 2000 year old Roman village, but because we do it all the time we hardly even think about it anymore.



Of course it has been rebuilt and modernised, but there are still lots of relics  left to give it the original flavour.

When we got back to our beach we met Hadas with her group of new paddlers out for their first lesson.















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The interview Gordon Brown and I gave to Helen Needham was broadcast on BBC Scotland's Out Of Doors programme this morning. My book, The Scottish Sea Kayak Trail was a loose 'peg' for the story.Helen made a two part 'package'. The first was broadcast near the start of the show and the second was the last item. It was quite a relief to discover I only gabble in two places. Gordon stepped in

Partner Linda Bartlett tries out her spanking new Impex Force 3 in Newfoundland's Terra Nova National Park I just returned from a whirlwind trip -- teaching and speaking at the Atlantic Canadian Paddling Symposium in Nova Scotia before rushing off to Newfoundland to teach at the annual Kayak Labrador and Newfoundland (KNL) ...

"Actually, this is just a place for my stuff ... That's all I want, that's all you need in life, is a little place for your stuff ... Everybody's got a little place for their stuff. This is my stuff, that's your stuff. That'll be his stuff over there. That's ...

Thanks to Ryan Rushton from Geneva Kayak Center for organizing and hosting my talk, and thanks to Paul and his lovely wife Kim for hosting me for the night! My shirt says: "Women who behave rarely make history!" So true...

Thanks very much to Bill Thompson from Downwind Sports to invite me to teach and speak at the Great Lakes Sea Kayaking Sympsoium! It was a pleasure to be at Grand Marais/ Lake Superior. It is a great place for beginners and intermediate kayakers to meet and to learn form ...

Några Hipstamaticbilder från de senaste dagarna.

af Visi.is:Ungur norskur kajakræðari þykir hafa sýnt bæði snarræði og kjark þegar hann bjargaði félaga sínum úr kjafti hvítabjarnar. Sebastian Plur Nilssen (22) og Ludvig Fjeld (22) ætluðu að verða fyrstir manna til þess að róa kajökum sínum umhverfis Svalbarða. Það er um 2000 kílómetra vegalengd. nánar áhttp://visir.is/hvitabjorn-dro-kajakraedara-ut-ur-tjaldinu-/article/201034325269

We had a visit from a helicopter today, while we were coming back from our outing  we were buzzed by this large chopper.




We knew right away that it was Itay flying and Vered was with him, later I learned that Idit was with them too. Pity they flew away before we started playing in the waves, I guess aerial photos of us surfing could be quite exciting... maybe next time.

With Tracy and the boys visting the outlaws and with the forecast not too bad it seemed ideal for a few days paddling. So Friday morning with tent and provisions in the Nordkapp I left Porthsele and let the ebbing tide take me South. I was originally going to paddle along the West side of Ramsey but South Bishop looked so inviting, so altering course I headed for North Bishop and began the

These are just some of the images from the flight into Katmai National Park, we had low clouds so getting to some of the areas was not possible that day. A day in the life of an Alaskan bush pilot.

Just in case you haven’t seen it else where, there are 2 days left on CackleTV’s 2 for $45 DVD Sale. If you’re new to the website or have taken one of my classes, this is where you get those cool This Is The Sea DVDs I’ve told you about, and at the moment you [...]

"Wow, those are some impressive numbers Greg." "Yes, they are Marve. Now let's see what the judge from Denmark has to say." - So here's the thing. I've been pissing a lot of folks off recently. I even pissed off the manager of the local homeless shelter! Unusual for me, really. But I've been told if you are not making someone mad, you're hiding. I get that.

Fruen og jeg snuppede et par dage på campingpladsen ved Ore Strand. De blev selvfølgelig benyttet til et par roture.

Det må retfærdigvis nævnes at det ikke er mig broen er åbnet for, men et par lystsejlere gemt bag den store bropille.

Den ene gik til Vordingborg, hvor indsejling i solskin altid er et flot syn.

Der er ikke de store muligheder for at gå i land i byen, men det lykkedes mig at finde et slæbested neden for borgruinen, hvor jeg gennem et tykt ildelygtende lag mudder kunne vade i land.

Da jeg skulle i kajakken igen, ville jeg ikke gøre det via mudderet, så jeg kravlede ned i kajakken fra en lystbådebro. Jeg kunne lige nå at stille mig på kanten af cockpittet inden jeg kun sænke mig ned i båden. Et par sejlede fulgte optrinnet og var vist lidt skuffede over at jeg ikke røg i baljen.

Den anden tur gik langs det inderste stykke af Knudshoved Odde. Undervejs kunne jeg se et gravemaskineskib, der vist nok uddybede sejlrenden ind til Masnæsø. De fleste kyststrækninger er ret stenede, men det kan dog lykkes at komme i land uden at få alt for mange ridser i sin kajak.

Rolængde 31 m

Torsdag er i NKC dagen hvor nye roere kan få lidt kilometer i armene på roture på deres betingelser - til at begynde med: i kke så lange og ikke så hurtige ture. Hjemvendt fra ferie og køkkenbygning hos min søn var jeg med på en tur.
I Jacobshavn havde et par ænder valgt at tage en slapper på trimpladerne på en båd
Men der er lys for enden af tunnelen
og man bliver belønnet med et flot syn, når man ror ud af den
Men man kan ikke ro ret langt før man bliver stoppet af Stryget. Det kan vist kun passeres i en fosskajak - den anden vej.
Turlængde 13 km

These barrels appeared on the beach at Grand Marais, and only a few of us knew what they were for. Before most of the participants arrived a cadre of Ninja towers went into action.
To some it might have appeared that we had developed a new method of aerobic paddling.
Not so. Soon we were busy "hiding" and tying up these barrels in various locations.
JB picked the spots and carefully noted their location on his GPS.
Yes, Michael, it was for a geo cache event that took place during the weekend. In each barrel was a small "prize" with directions in some to help find one of the barrels.
That last barrel was brilliantly hidden in a bar, 2 blocks in shore.

Paddle safe...
DS

Turen hjem gik langs kanalen.

On leaving Lunga we approached the fair isle of Guirasdeal and Scarba beyond. It is like a miniature Scarba. One wonders what sort of cataclysmic geological events shaped this wonderful little isle.We often take a break on its steep cobble beach but I knew my knee could not stand a landing there. At this point we had to decide whether to return to the Sound of Jura via the Grey Dogs (over

No comment needed on its awesomeness.



Thanks Gnarlydog!

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I just got asked to be on CBC Radio tomorrow (July 30). They contacted me earlier today about coming in and getting interviewed about the recent news article about Parks Ontario testing wifi in some parks. I guess they found my recent article on the issue and want me to come and chat about it.

Right now I don’t know any details I need to show up at the CBC studio prepared to talk from 3:00-6:00pm. From what I can tell I will be talking to the local stations across Canada.

Should be fun. Last time I did something big I was interviewed for the TechTV show, “Call for Help” with Leo Laporte. At the time I was only a big gaga of Leo; not like I would be now if I had to do the interview again. That super nerd is super awesome.

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With the recent weather not being too good for sea kayaking lately I have spent the last two Saturday mornings at the Cardiff International White Water Centre and today Tracy, Bobby and Harry came down for an hour to watch and take some photos. I think I am slowly getting the hang of the course, as I haven't had too much experience white water apart from in tide races, though I am still spending

In my post on 14/03/2010 An Alien In A Cave I took the picture below of something hanging from a cave. After much searching on the web, sending emails and putting a post on UK Sea Kayak Guidebook, I was given various suggestions ranging from seal snot to egg cases!Forgetting about it for a while I recently received an email from the BBC Wildlife magazine saying that they were going to publish my

so, I'm in London with the family for a mini cultural break but of course there is no getting away from lifeboating...I might have missed last nights shout but I still got to witness a bit of action here!

Fram till igårkväll vid 22-snåret var vi mycket nöjda med vårt Marmot Aelos 2p. Men strax innan vi skulle somna tyckte Pia man såg lite väl bra genom de fåniga ”fönstren”. Båda två hade trillat ur, och det regnade lite grann. Blött kring Pias huvud och mina fötter. Skönt att vi såg det då och inte några timmar senare; dyngsura dunsovsäckar är ju sådär…

Vi konstaterade igen att silvertejp fäster tokigt kass på tältvävar, och ännu sämre på blöta sådana. Men med lite kartblad, paddlar, regnjackor, silvertejp, vävtejp ur förstaförbandspåsen gick det fint och vi somnade och sov sött.

Ända sen vi köpte tältet har vi frågat oss varför de där plastfönstren skulle vara där… Fönster på tält känns som upplagt för strul och lite väl Jula/Jysk/Ikea/Biltema/ClasOhlson-aktigt

I övrigt en himla fin kort runda borta i Blekinge östra, en natt på Tobisaflöten och en på Äspeskär.

I always enjoy looking through old canoeing and kayaking images. They remind me that people have been paddling for a long time–what we do isn’t new, because it’s been around for thousands of years. It reminds me that our recreational activity links us to all those back through time that have enjoyed it. They enjoyed adventure as much as we do. It also reminds me how much better we look doing it now; look at some of the goofy outfits worn by paddlers of the past.

My two favorite locations are on Flickr’s The Commons, which has a small but interesting collection, and Minnesota Historical Society’s Visual Resource Database. Every once in a while, a Google image search results in good finds. Below are a few interesting pictures from our paddling past.

Title: [Alton Smith and Al Zaebst loading a captured alligator into their canoe : Weeki Wachee River, Florida]
Date: Photographed on December 13, 1948.

Thousand Islands, ON, about 1915
Wm. Notman & Son
About 1915, 20th century

M2000.113.6.223
Mrs. Cotter kayaking on the North West River, Hamilton Inlet, Labrador, NL, 1909
Hugh A. Peck
1909, 20th century

Ojibwe women and children in a canoe.
Photographer: Charles Alfred Zimmerman (1844-1909)
Photograph Collection, Carte-de-visite ca. 1885

Crossing to St. Helen’s Island, near Montreal, QC, 1875
Alexander Henderson
1875, 19th century

Buy me a beer if you liked this article.

From the 5th Coast Guard district's public affairs office, late July: Thunderstorms rage through Chesapeake Bay; Coast Guard responds to 37 distress calls BALTIMORE – Coast Guard responded to 37 distress calls resulting in more than 77 mariners assisted or rescued after a severe thunderstorm developed in the Chesapeake Bay Sunday afternoon. At 3:05 p.m., National Weather Service Radar

E' finalmente arrivato l'attestato conseguito a maggio ad Anglesey di 4 stelle Sea Leader!
E' forse il primo certificato del genere conseguito in Italia da una kayaker, dopo che ormai più di 15 anni fa il mitico Capitano Gianni Montagner aveva fatto da apripista recandosi in quei lidi freddi e tempestosi per cimentarsi con le tecniche marine e le metodologie didattiche adottate dalla British Canoe Union...
Sull'attestato, scritto anche in gallese (suona bene "tystysgrif"!), si riconoscono gli stemmi di tutte le federazioni aderenti: Regno Unito, Inghilterra, Scozia, Nord Irlanda, Galles ed Europa con la EPP (Euro Paddle Pass) cui aderiscono Gran Bretagna, Irlanda, Francia, Germania, Danimarca, Svezia e Slovenia, a riprova della ampia e condivisa pratica sicura degli sport di pagaia.
Come precisato nella lettera di accompagnamento, secondo gli standard BCU chi consegue il titolo deve mantenersi sempre aggiornato (primo soccorso, linee guida sulla protezione dei minori, dell'ambiente e degli standard canoistici) e può condurre gruppi di 4 pagaiatori esperti (esclusa la guida) in condizioni di mare più che moderate, deve sapere prendere decisioni appropriate in ragione delle necessità e deve modificare il programma in caso di necessità...
Quando Nigel Dennis mi ha stretto la mano per congratularsi, mi ha detto ironico: "Ora hai ufficialmente licenza di uccidere", spiegandomi poi il ruolo di responsabilità che la BCU attribuisce alle sue guide...
Così domani possiamo partire per la spedizione a Creta davvero sicuri, tranquilli e brevettati!


It is finally arrived the Sea Leader 4 Star Award Certificate, achived in Anglesey in May!
Maybe the first certificate achieved in Italy by a woman kayaker, after more than 15 years, when the  Italian kayaker Gianni Montagner has first "discovered" the sea techniques and the didactic methodologies adopted by the British Canoes Union...
On the certificate, also written in Welsh (sounds good "tystysgrif"!), the logos of all the adherent federations are recognized: British Canoe Union, Canoe England, Scottish Canoe Association, Canoe Association of North Ireland, Canoe Wales and EPP (Euro Paddle Pass).
As specified in the congratulations letter, "BCU expect leaders to be current in the relevant craft, environment and skills whilst practicing as a leader... the first aid prerequisite... and a knowledge of child protection guidelines and good practise including checks where necessary; a 4 Star Leader may lead a group of 4 competent paddlers (not including themselves) in appropriate locations, up to moderate conditions and to judge the conditions and the standard of the group and make appropriate decisions along with the need to modify plans as required"...
When Nigel Dennis has shaken me the hand to congratulate, he told me ironic: "Now you officially have the license to kill", explaining me the responsibility up to all the Sea Leaders...
Now, we can start the Crete sea kayak expedition very safe endeed, calm and certificated!

While the "Mexicans" (South of the Queensland border) paddlers have to contend with much colder waters right now, we "banana-benders" are graced with sunshine and ocean temps that don't require much more than a Reed top.Some locals however still regard the conditions too "extreme" and most popular surfing spots are much less crowded than in summer.That leaves me so much more room to enjoy sea

I vår serie av citypaddlingar (Stockholm, Stockholm, Lidingö-Vaxholm) i stockholmsområdet  har turen nu kommit till Uppsala. En stad som också råkar vara Daniels postadress sedan ett antal år.

Vi tänkte: är det city så är det city… och vandrade med kajakerna på vagn genom stan för att hitta en bra iläggsplats i Fyrisån.

While having breakfast on the shore of Lake Superior a week ago today, the FrugalFisherman took a call from his spouse informing us that the Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture, Rod Nilsestuen, had drowned near Marquette. She had worked with Rod in the office of former US Rep. Al Baldus back in Eau Claire in the mid 70's, and she and the FF had remained in touch over the years. I met Rod at the same time and even applied for an internship from him in the DC office of Congressman Baldus. Every publication from the farm journals to Business Week have been praising him as the man who revived Wisconsins dairy industry and could work well with both sides of the aisle toward the public good, a very rare and valued quality in these polarized times. The accounts said that Rod had been volunteering on a Habitat for Humanity project in Marquette and had gone for a swim after working. Witnesses say he was unable to swim back to a sandbar at the Picnic Rocks area near downtown Marquette. I know the area well. I was there the week before on my way to Grand Marais.

Picnic Rocks has been the scene of 12 drownings since the 60's. There is even a plaque at the beach with the names of the victims on it. The problem is that there is a tombolo or sand bar, that connects the shore to the rocks out in the lake. It can clearly be seen on the image above. When the wind blows from the north or east a strong current forms, almost like a rip current only running paralell to the shore instead of out into the lake. People either step off or swim off the narrow sand bar and then panic when they can't swim back to the shallow water against the current. The situation is described far better than I could in an article published by Sea Grant Michigan. It describes both the phenomena and how it can be dealt with. NOAA also has an excellent description and is where I heisted the Google map image above.

So how an we avoid another tragedy at a beautiful, inviting, yet dangerous spot? The lake after all, is indeed the boss and the conditions will not change. When I stopped at Picnic Rocks there was no parking within 3 blocks, it was sunny, Gitchee Gumee was flat, and people were having a wonderful time. Banning swimming there, as the National Park Service did in the Dalles of the St Croix River near Interstate park on the MN/WI border, is not the answer. Knowing how to deal with these rip currents would seem to be, but how do we educate people to the dangers? That sign with the 11 names on it certainly got my attention but, like many things, warnings aren't taken to heart until experienced personally and sometimes that's too late. About once every 4 years according to the history of the place.

I don't have an answer. Tell as many people as you can, write a letter to the editor, forward the two linked websites to folks that you know enjoy swimming in the lake, and try to educate. Rod Nilsestuen will be missed on many,many levels. If we all do our small part to make this little known fact about Lake Superior common knowledge, I would hope that a few lives might be saved along the way.

Although there was some growling from the throat of the Dogs and the occasional fleck of saliva, all looked remarkably calm and, much to Phil and Jennifer's relief, we slipped past the Grey Dogs on our way north to the tip of Rubha Fiola.Scarba slipped astern but still dominated the skyline above the east coast of Lunga.Ahead lay Fladda lighthouse backed by the island of Seil and the distant

Hi hi hi! Long time no blog - because I've been using pay-by-the-minute internet setup, this trip has been easier to report on Facebook, so if you're on Facebook, go follow my Facebook badge-link-thingy & you'll get the fabulous blow-by-blow.

It's been fabulous. I've been hiking, and paddling, and snorkeling, and had a great time meeting David & the crew of Valis (those who hadn't already split, but at least I got to fill in for Ed at the awards banquet - thank you Ed, and thank you David for talking me into "being Ed" for the evening, what a marvelous way to spend one of my first evenings on Oahu!) and eaten all the wonderful Island foods I can't get in Hawaii, and spent a great (and very full) day in Aiea (my hometown), and even had a walk around the Iolani campus. I got to drive a Mustang convertible around for 3 days, and then BECAUSE I gave up the Mustang & switched to public transportation, I had the most astounding experience yesterday watching throngs of sea turtles ("honu") grazing on limu along the shore from Haleiwa to where the walkable beach runs out before Waimea (at a certain point the shore turns rocky & you have to go up to the road). The original plan had been the around-the-island trip on The Bus with Stop 1 in Haleiwa for a Kua Aina burger (recommended by a work friend) & Aoki's shave ice, and if I'd still had the car, that's exactly what would have happened & I would have passed the "honu coast" (not what it's called, but it should be!) without a clue - but instead, I walked a little way along the shore, started seeing turtles right there, then took a whim to keep walking for a while & then just kept seeing turtles. Pictures, tons, when I'm back home, right now I'm sort of limited to text...

Anyways, I ended up hoofing it from Haleiwa to Waimea Bay (appreciating, at ever moment, the fact that here in Hawaii, the beach is still public land, so you decide to do something like that on a whim & know that you can without ANY hassles!), astounded by the numbers of turtles all the way (except after the coastline turned rocky & I went up to the road, no turtles on the road. I jumped on the bus again at Waimea. Disembarked again for a Longboard Lager & a spectacular sunset (with the sun on the correct, far, side of the ocean instead of over the freakin' parking lot like it is on the East Coast), then back on the bus, catching a glimpse of the Pirates of the Caribbean shooting a bit before Kaneohe (very dramatic, pirate ship, big movie lighting & lots of fake fog, if I wasn't already looking at a late night (those darned turtles) I would've had to jump off the bus again for a little more gawking. Even without that, can't imagine a better day. Really.

So happy I decided to do this. I'm just absolutely wallowing in being back again!!!

Bed now. Going to try for an early start tomorrow, catching The Bus to Hanauma Bay! Yay!

 a sandy beach by the water where I can pitch a tent and launch my kayak. A place to which I can return for the evening. A place where I can share with others the experiences of the day.

It is weird being interviewed. I've been pointing microphones at people for more than thirty years. But when one is pointed at me I have a tendancy to jabber.Helen Needham from Radio Scotland's 'Out Of Doors' programme, was very understanding. She wanted to do a piece about sea kayaking, loosely based around my book The Scottish Sea Kayak Trail. I was heartily relieved when Gordon Brown came

I'm excited to announce that Jeff Rivest and Point 65 are joining forces. Jeff will head Point 65’s rapidly expanding business in North America. While Jeff will focus mainly on Canada, he will also head US sales until a US sales manager has been found.

The collaboration takes effect immediately and Jeff will be instrumental to Point 65’s presence at the upcoming Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake City. Point 65 has established offices and warehousing in Montreal, Quebec.
Jeff and I have been friends for years and our companies have been close. I’ve been trying to woo Jeff into working with us for a long time. I’m ecstatic that he has decided to join Point 65 in its expansion. This says a lot about the opportunity Point 65 has created for its customers around the world.
Jeff brings key insights into the nuts and bolts of the North American paddle sport market as well as valuable knowledge within product development and manufacturing.

Jeff Rivest, founder of Riot and Azul Kayaks:
“Point 65 is just too good an opportunity to miss, and despite my obvious mixed feelings about leaving the company I founded, they are well compensated with the possibilities from Point 65 Sweden’s incredible level of innovation and exceptional brand focus. Point 65’s sales have a huge potential in North America and can expand very quickly, so I am delighted to be in on that ride. The fact that Richard and I already share a great working rapport was also important to my decision.”

The tides carried us north at 8km/hr out of the Sound of Jura into the Sound of Luing, which separates Scarba on the west from Luing on the east.The east coast of Scarba is sheltered from the prevailing wind and has a thick growth of deciduous woodland. Both red and fallow deer can be seen here. Kilmory Lodge lies 88m above sea level while the summit of Cruach Scarba 449m towers high above.We had

A foggy morning at 63rd Street beach. The breakwall 100 feet to the right is invisible. (Photo by Lyn Stone.)

   This has been a season of extreme weather. We've had torrential downpours, heat waves, gale-force winds and thick fog--sometimes all in the course of 24 hours.
   Paddlers need to pay attention to the weather, but looking at the all-purpose local forecast is rarely enough. We start there, but then we turn to a combination of regional radar, marine forecast, nearby weather reporting stations, and good old-fashioned observation to get a more sophisticated sense of what conditions we'll experience on the water.
   Some of these sources are easy to identify. In our area, they include:

• The Weather Underground forecast for the Chicago Lakefront.
  
• The regional radar that shows what might be coming.
• The near-shore marine forecast.
• The current and recent conditions reported at the Harrison Street crib, for what is actually happening on the lake.
  
• The Great Lakes wave forecast.
• The model of projected fronts and temperature gradients that suggests how the weather may look up to 5 days out.
  

   We've also acquired a small library of books that help us understand the weather and decode the evidence around us.

Five of our favorite weather books.

  These sources are only as useful as the context you put them in, however. We compare what they suggest to what actually happens, and over time we're developing a pretty good ability to know what's coming and get off the water in time if it's something bad.

Ominous clouds.

Another afternoon when we got off the water before the storm hit--this time with 70-plus-knot-winds.

   This blog consistently gets visits from people around the world. We'd love to know which resources you find most helpful. 

Spray Falls Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Barring a full post on my sea kayaking wilderness trip, I thought I would start sharing photos with the simple thought starter.

What makes or breaks a good wilderness trip for you?

Having dramatic scenery such as this peppered throughout the trip is essential for me? I love having rocks, cliffs, sea stacks, and caves to poke my kayak around. Without dramatic topography I get very impatient and ready to pull over and take a nap.

Let’s hear your thoughts.

My last post 'Where is it We're Going?" was in anticipation of a coastal trip planned for last weekend. Well... I didn't go anywhere. A last minute unexpected trip to NY yesterday for work, had me needing to prepare for the trip over the weekend. I was disappointed. I did get to join KiwiBird and family and some friends for a nice pool/dinner party Saturday night which was lots of fun. And

It's been a week now since I sent a polite email to the Tofino Sea Kayaking Company regarding a solo kayak rental (see previous post). Apart from the automated reply acknowledging the receipt of my message, I still have received no reply from a human being at that particular company.

This may sound hypocritical given that I've previously said that chasing BCU stars is silly for recreational sea kayakers, but I really wanted to nail my BCU 2 Star assessment.Last summer I took a 2 Star training with H. Greg Paquin was doing a series of 2 Star trainings and a number of the RICKA sea kayakers took the training over the course of the summer. It is a good overview of basic boat

The making of a good adventure very often isn’t the final destination but is those with who you cross paths with and share life’s journey.  A colleague and friend had asked me if I could take him and a couple of guys to the Lake District while they were visiting the UK on business, and so an international mini-meet was born…

Federico is an Argentinean who lives in Salt Lake City, Thiago, born in Brazil now residing in Windsor, Ont. Canada, and Kyle if a Californian who has made his home in Utah. All were hoping to see a little of “real” England on a short foray North.

Langdale had come to mind as an obvious choice, but I’ve done it too many times in the past. At this time of year it can be grossly over-crowded and I was doubtful of getting a place on the National Trust Camp Site. For me Wasdale holds special memories as it was here that some of my very first hill walking and backpacking took place around 20 years ago. Being a little more remote (from the motorway network) it’s harder to get to for a weekend retreat and a visit was very long overdue. Ashamedly I confess it was 1997 when I last visited.

With International companions at hand, it seemed the perfect excuse for a jaunt up Scafell Pike, but not before a stop off at The Eagle & Child for real English hospitality and some great food.

We take our narrow country lanes with high grass verges for granted, but for these guys it was something entirely new. Driving over Hardknott pass, my companions were spell bound by the hair raising switchback turns of what is possibly England’s steepest road and the narrow country lanes barely wide enough to accommodate a car. 

Saturday dawned dry and we enjoyed a simple but satisfying breakfast before starting our trek.

  

The guys are fit and soon we made progress climbing upwards; heading towards “Hollow stones”, one of Alfred Wainwrights favourite places.

  

Soon we were on the col below Broad Stand.

…from where the summit is only a short walk…

The following morning, unfortunately just as the coffee pot boiled, the heavens opened. We bailed out to Ambleside for a late breakfast and a saunter back down the M6 to waiting hotel rooms in Birmingham, but not before a few beers in the Wasdale Head Inn - listening on the radio to Federico’s Argentina get slaughtered 0:4 by Germany in the World Cup quarter final.

   

Today we had a new adventure. After going out against the wind and waves coming back home was great fun.  


Surfing all those waves gives you a great feeling of speed and once you master the small problem of keeping your direction  you can really enjoy yourself

I had to perform 47 rolls on Saturday, plus one for good luck.In my paddling circles that’s the norm.On one’s birthday, we don’t just eat cake or get drunk, we get wet.The celebrated paddler must execute a roll for each year of his/her age.Adventuretess started the trend last January and now we all do it.Despite the rather cold temperatures, 7 other paddlers joined me for the on-water

White flickers in the sky over the highway picked out by the morning sun. Snowy Egrets are flocking, heading into the marsh to feed. A Plover flops around on the sand pretending injury. It draws our eyes from the ping pong ball sized fluff on stilts that are its young as they cruise across the beach to the safety of the dunes. A man and his children walk across the packed dirt soccer field as my train rumbles past. He sends his dog out after a flock of Canada Geese who freak as they scramble into the sky. Several other flocks of geese watch from the river. Great Blue Herons surround a marsh pool deciding which morsels will be their appetizers.

Migration is starting to happen. Hot as it may be and hard as it is to admit there are few weeks of summer left, one of the better times to be on the water is here.

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There's something exciting about a ferry journey. Leaving one shore behind and crossing to a new piece of land sprinkles a little extra spice onto any adventure.So a one-day circular bike ride which uses two ferries, and passes through some of the best scenery on Scotland's west coast, is going to be a classic.I first did this ride a couple of years ago and wrote a short article about it, but

I was playing in the waves where the bottom shallows up outside Grand Marais, Michigan when I saw her coming. I immediately recognized it as a trawler as I had once owned one.

Having paddled with kids a lot more than the average guy, I know that they are funny, fickle creatures who crave adventure and excitement like crazy dope fiends. They don’t care about technique, strokes, or learning anything. They want the experience without all the talking.

Laura and I set off from our very familiar Deer Lick Creek beach south of South Haven at the setting of the sun with our 10 year old daughter Isabella.  She was paddling with fury out of the gate, determined to stay ahead of Dad. She dug deep with her home made inuit blade, and grew frustrated when she wasn’t leading the pack. Laura tried to offer tips and technique to no avail. Having been through this before, I let her go off on her own. I coasted until she began to see the full moon rise over the water.

This finally made an impact on her, and she started to enjoy the cool night air, the stars, and the glassy surface of the water as she paddled towards the pier.

Once we reached the pier there was a crowd watching the full moon rise across the surface of the water. She announced proudly, “I paddled all the way here!”  As Laura and I paddled up someone asked, “where did you come from?”

“We were out paddling and we just found this kid out here on her own.”  I said. There was a sudden and communal intake of  social outrage. Then I burst that bubble. “Just kidding, this is my kid.” There was an audible sigh of relief across the space of the darkened water and the blinking red light of the pier.

I want to meet that kid that sea kayaks unsupervised under the full moon. Peter Pan, Lord of the Flies, and other childhood stories be damned, kids just don’t venture out into the dark to experience magic on their own anymore. They have to be dragged kicking and screaming. The poet in me obliges me to make my children experience sunsets and moonrises in abundance. In the end will they have no impact, like a comet sick of seeing it’s tail. I hope not. I hope there is some magic left in the world where a father can show his daughter molten silver poured over Lake Michigan, and she says, “WOW”!

And now our obligatory U2 quote:

Into the heart… of a child
I stay awhile… oh, I can go back

Into the heart… of a child
I can smile
I can go there

Into the heart
Into the heart of a child
I can go back
I can stay awhile

Into the heart…