canoe
Open Ocean
06.16.2003
Mikey and I untied our kelp anchors and backed our boats into open water. A stiff current picked us up. We drifted with it a moment, then dug hard with our paddles, sweeping our kayaks around head-on into a strong four-knot ebb. “Gonna be nice to get out on the open water and away from [...]
Ontario
06.04.2003
Kilarney Outfitters 800-461-1117 Web: www.killarneyoutfitters.com Discover the brilliant blue lakes and white quartzite ridges of Killarney Park, and the red granite shoreline of Georgian Bay, the sixth Great Lake. We rent canoes and sea kayaks, pack outfitting packages, offer shuttle service and guide day trips in one of Ontario’s most spectacular wilderness locations. Multi-day guided [...]
Frankie Hubbard, 1961-2003
05.28.2003
The whitewater community worldwide, especially open canoeists, lost a beloved and influential friend this spring. Frankie Hubbard, paddler, competitor, and boat designer, died May 4, 2003, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, from lung cancer. He was 41. Hubbard pioneered many revolutionary high-performance whitewater canoe designs, including the Mohawk Edge, Mohawk Viper series, Dagger Ocoee, Savage Superfly, and [...]
The Baby Grand
05.16.2003
When most paddlers think of the Colorado River within Arizona, visions of Grand Canyon-type rapids and mile-deep chasms come to mind. But downstream of the Grand is another remarkable canyon. This one has no whitewater thrills, just placid, highly canoeable waters coursing through a spectacular gorge, mountain desert scenery, and at either end of the [...]
Paddle Oregon
05.13.2003
Some 150 paddlers will head down a 120-mile stretch of Oregon’s Willamette River in September as part of Willametter Riverkeeper’s Paddle Oregon event. In its third year, Paddle Oregon provides canoeists and kayakers an educational river experience that incorporates information about the Willamette River’s history and ecology. The event is designed for paddlers of all [...]
Kayakers Wanted
05.13.2003
Fresh from the wilds of Mozambique, another Scientific Exploration Society team of explorers is planning to take their research, kayaking, and diving skills to Madagascar Masoala Peninsula in November 2003, to continue their role at the forefront of scientific exploration. The team will venture up to the northeastern corner of the island, much of which [...]
Whale Worth It
05.10.2003
As we launch our loaded sea kayaks from the Tadoussac town beach, we can already see whales feeding far out in the bay. The skies are clear as we paddle along the shore skirting the big, blue waters of the St. Lawrence River. As we round the point and enter the narrow Saguenay River, we’re [...]
Poll Results Archive
05.07.2003
How did you learn to paddle? Total Votes: 374 From my parents: 9% From friends: 11% From a paddling school: 5% At summer camp: 8% From a club: 5% At school: 2% Paid private instruction: 1% On my own: 55% How old were you when you started paddling? Total votes:356 0-5: 4% 6-10: 12% 11-15: [...]
The Silence is Deafening
05.06.2003
We glide beneath a wall of rock layered in white, rust, brown, so many shades for which I have no names. The silence is palpable–our paddles idle, our voices still–as we drink in the evidence of eons of time and the erosive power of water. It is moments like this that I will remember when [...]
Inflation is a Good Thing
05.01.2003
I wasn’t always a cheerleader for inflatable paddlecraft. Like many “serious” paddlers, I was suspicious about the ruggedness and usefulness of these blow-up rubber boats; I certainly wasn’t going to entrust my life in the wilderness to any “pool-toy” ducky. But things have changed. Starting with a trip down Oregon’s wild Rogue River 10 years [...]
Epic Endurance
05.01.2003
The Epic Touring Endurance is a high-performance kayak with hatches and bulkheads for extended trips.Designed by Greg Barton and Oscar Chalupsky, it’s 18 feet long and 21.5 inches wide and weighs 47 pounds. $2,495 with the SmartTrack rudder, $2,345 without. (866) GET-EPIC; www.EpicKayaks.com.
Orca Weekender
05.01.2003
The Orca Weekender is Pyranha’s new touring kayak. It’s 15 feet 4 inches long and 23 inches wide, and weighs 55 pounds. With its hard-chined hull it can be leaned on edge for tight turns. $1,350 with rudder, $1,150 without. (828) 254-1101; www.pyranha.com.
Eddy Turns and Peel-Outs
05.01.2003
Doing an eddy turn or peel-out can be likened to driving a car around a curve in the road. Roads are engineered with the most user-friendly tilt throughout the turn. This slope is called a bank. The tighter the turn, the more banked it must be. When driving at prescribed speeds, the car tracks throughout [...]
Eddy Turns and Peel-Outs
05.01.2003
Doing an eddy turn or peel-out can be likened to driving a car around a curve in the road. Roads are engineered with the most user-friendly tilt throughout the turn. This slope is called a bank. The tighter the turn, the more banked it must be. When driving at prescribed speeds, the car tracks throughout [...]
Safety Signals
05.01.2003
In June 1967, my friend John Orr and I made our annual pilgrimage to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of Minnesota. Along a portage, we met a group of teenagers who were carrying a 15-year-old girl who had a “stomachache” on an improvised stretcher. When John–a football coach–gently touched her abdomen, she shrieked in pain. [...]
Pathfinder
04.30.2003
Old Town Canoe is offering a new Royalex recreational canoe, the pathfinder. It’s 14 feet 10 inches long, with a classic recurved bow and stern. $999. (800) 343-1555; www.oldtowncanoe.com.
Buyer's Guide
