Charli Kerns
Charli is the online editor for Canoe & Kayak magazine. Her boating career started with kayaking in the Appalachian mountains of east Tennessee. She picked up canoeing in New England where she got her masters in science journalism.
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Author Archives: "Charli Kerns"
Dirtbag Diaries: Superior Dream
What does traveling 1,300 Miles Around the World’s Biggest Lake feel like.
New Surf Spot in Southeast
Georgia and Alabama’s Chattahoochee River is now on the must-visit paddling list alongside such other Southeast boating hotbeds as the Ocoee, Nantahala and Chattooga rivers.
Sea of Cortez
Erik Boomer made this photograph of expedition partner Sarah McNair Landry during a rainsquall in the middle of Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. The duo joined noted whitewater charger Tyler Bradt on a kayak-sailing journey from mainland Mexico to the Baja Peninsula via the Middrift Islands. “We got it handed to us straight out of the gate with a big north wind,” Boomer says. “And we had a crazy seal encounter where we got stormed by about a hundred seals.” Despite the rough start, the team also enjoyed their share of fair winds and good fishing, prompting Bradt to label the trip a “Relaxpedition.” They also made a film by the same name about the journey.
11 Urban Waterways Get a Second Chance
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that the Urban Waters Federal Partnership is adding 11 new locations. In addition, two more federal partner agencies will join the partnership in its collaborative efforts to restore waterways and their environments.
Nutcase Helmets
Being a long-time surfer and ocean sports enthusiast I’ve never been a big fan of wearing helmets. When one is needed, I’ll find an old skateboard or bike helmet to do the job and be glad when it’s over.
How to Set Some Goals
Goal setting is relevant in everything from personal finance to lifestyle changes. The concept is relatively simple: make a goal and plan how you’re going to get there. Sometimes, though putting into practice isn’t so simple. What follows is my story about goal setting and my take on how to make it work for you.
The Inga Rapids
This story featured in the 2012 June issue. Tyler Bradt (in blue) with Steve Fisher, Ben Marr and Rush Sturges in a moment of relative calm during the first descent of the Inga Rapids of the Congo River, Oct. 26, 2011. Measured by volume, these are the biggest whitewater rapids on the planet, with an [...]
A Kayak Surfer’s Angst
This story featured in the 2012 June issue. By Sean Morley I don’t need an alarm to wake before first light. I’ve checked my watch three times in the last hour. I slide out of bed and creep downstairs, avoiding the squeaky steps, dreading the normally wonderful, “Daddy, is it time to get up?” Grabbing [...]
Sharing Whitewater with My Mother
When I tell people I go kayaking with my mom, they never picture us practicing our boof strokes at “Bayless’ Boof” on the Upper Green River or crashing through holes on the Rio Pacuare in Costa Rica. Yes, my mom and I paddle whitewater together.
Boating with a Baby Bump
I began whitewater kayaking in 2006, and it quickly paddling became a passion. I spent every chance I could out on the river, learning, practicing and getting better. I progressed in the sport, enjoying long days on the river in the company of my paddling friends and adding personal first descents to my growing list of rivers. I took a swiftwater rescue course and completed my ACA Level 4 Instructor certification. Then last year, I learned that I was pregnant, and through the following months, I learned the limits and surprises that came with being pregnant during the winter boating season.
Competing in Freestyle Kayaking While Pregnant
As a professional kayaker I have always exceled in the arena of freestyle competitions. Just this past weekend I got to compete at the US Freestyle Team Trials. I have been a member of the U.S. team for 10 years, and I was excited at the prospect of competing to be a part of the team once again. This time was a touch different, and if you had asked me about it several months ago I wouldn’t have thought it would even be possible. The reasoning is that by the time I would be actually competing, I was seven months, one week pregnant.
Mother’s Day Paddles
There isn’t a better way to spend time with your mother.” So dust off your old canoe, tandem sea kayak, inflatable or what have you and hit your local waterway with matriarch in tow. If you don’t have the skills to pull it off alone, you can also check with your local shop or paddling club; chances are they, too, have a special outing lined up to celebrate Mom. Following is a sampling of organized Mother’s Day tours you’ll find across the country, er Motherland…
Mother’s Day on the Water
Mothers all have in common the love they bare their children, the sweat and tears of raising them and the laughs and memories that develop along the way. Canoe & Kayak wanted to recognize the water mommas. Below are a few stories of mothers and children celebrating family on the water.
Being a Boating Mother
The main thing that has changed is the risk/reward factor. It’s no longer about me getting injured or, worse, something going wrong. My son needs a momma, and I want to be around to watch him grow up. It has made me more thoughtful when considering what to boat and whom I boat with.
Birch-Bark Odyssey
This story featured in the 2012 July issue. By Dan Blessing Marc and I were leading 22-day Outward Bound expeditions when we started talking about an outlandishly longer expedition—from Minnesota to the Pacific Ocean. Two years later, Marc built the birch-bark canoe to carry us the 4,000 miles across North America. Marc forged hand tools [...]
Fishing Kayak Evolution
This story featured in the 2012 July issue. By Paul Lebowitz Fishing kayaks have come a long way since the Ocean Kayak Scupper first hit a West Coast beach in 1971. It was a new sort of boat—one designed to get watermen through the waves and the chop to dive and fish. Self-draining, open-topped, and [...]
Animal Attraction
One of the great joys of paddling is encountering wild animals in their element. We’ve all been there, watching in wonder as pelicans skim so close that we can hear the wind in their feathers, or returning a sea lion’s curious stare from the seat of our kayak. We’d never see such things from shore or a motorboat, which is why wildlife photos taken from a canoe or kayak are so engaging. Here’s how to capture this unique perspective.
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