touring kayak
Paddling for a Cause
08.19.2011
Professional kiteboarder Tonia Farman launched Athletes for Cancer in 2007 in response to her brother’s yearlong battle with leukemia, the disease that ultimately took his life. While her brother was subject to a suite of medical tests and treatments, Farman resolved, “We needed to do something other than just sit and watch.” The result: a fundraising and athletic challenge that’s evolved into the annual summer Tenacity Games.
Forward Strokes, Ischemic Strokes and No Backstrokes
08.17.2011
Once again I find myself at Gloucester (Mass.) High School, home of the Fighting Fishermen, bearing up beneath dark storm clouds and a gale of calendar pages. I’m staring down the barrel of my 56th birthday and Father Time’s itchy finger grows heavy on the trigger.
Taming the Kawnivore 100
08.15.2011
n July, the Midwest kayak race calendar is dominated by the Missouri River 340 (aka the MR340), the longest river event in the U.S. that runs from Kansas City to St. Charles, Mo. But with the Missouri breaking its banks at numerous points and the high tide obscuring dikes, buoys and other obstacles, founder and organizer Scott Mansker was forced to postpone the contest until September.
One-day wonder
07.28.2011
This Saturday is the Northern Forest Canoe Trail’s second annual 740 Miles In One Day event. The Waitsfield, Vt.,-based nonprofit that promotes the trail is asking canoeists and kayakers to paddle a mile, 5 miles or however much you want to do.
Out of Africa: Berg Canoe Marathon
07.25.2011
The Berg is a mighty race, with no-where to hide, paddling 240km from the vineyards of Paarl to the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast at Velddrift, South Africa. For my Zulus, this trip went beyond just racing down a river, but was more of a life-enriching experience where they got to travel across South Africa.
¡RIO NAZAS REGATA!
07.22.2011
Letting his kayak paddle do the talking, 23-year-old Martin Rangel, aka “El Mudo” (the Mute), held off a furious charge by the Villela Landeros twins to win the mid-July Rio Nazas Regata. It was a rousing finish to Mexico’s longest, and longest-running, canoe and kayak race.
The Century Club
07.21.2011
Call it Canada’s best idea. One hundred years ago, in 1911, Canada established the Dominion Parks Branch—the world’s first national parks service. Back then, the Canadian government managed six parks—including iconic mountain retreats like Banff and Jasper…
Virtual Coach: Power Paddling
07.18.2011
Sean Morley knows a few things about going fast. He honed his forward stroke technique as a flatwater sprint racer on the British junior national team, but has made his biggest mark traveling far and fast in challenging conditions. He’s held speed records for crossing the Irish Sea, circumnavigating Vancouver Island, and paddling 4,500 miles around Great Britain and Ireland, solo.
Gone Fishin’
07.18.2011
On Saturday, July 23, kayaker Josh Tart will set off on the Ohio River in Cincinnati on one of North America’s classic water routes. The so-called “Great Loop” traces the perimeter of the eastern United States. What sets Tart’s expedition apart from the countless pleasure boaters and odd sea kayakers and canoeists…
Kayaks on the ‘Shetland Bus’
07.15.2011
Three English sea kayakers are setting out from the Shetland Islands tomorrow, July 16, local time, on an attempt to cross the North Sea to the west coast of Norway as part of a fundraising expedition to benefit the Make a Wish Foundation and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
Across The Big Empty
07.15.2011
The question streams in bold letters across the website of the Yukon River 1000 Canoe and Kayak Race: Do you really want to do this?
A Kiwi Plan B
07.07.2011
Kiwi sea kayaker Tim Taylor was well on his way to becoming the first person to complete a continuous circumnavigation of the three islands of New Zealand when the harsh southern hemisphere winter caught up with him 500 miles from achieving his goal.
Off the Fence
07.07.2011
Deep in New York’s Adirondack State Park, “No Trespassing” signs warn paddlers to stay off Mud Pond, and “Posted” signs dangle from a steel cable strung across a nearby stream. Last year, Phil Brown canoed right past the signs and into a legal fight.
Day 3: Yukon River Quest
07.03.2011
After 460 grueling miles of turbulent waters, frigid cold nights, aching bodies and 50-plus hours of paddling on the Yukon River, the two-time defending champion team, The Texans, emerged victorious as the winner of the 13th Annual Yukon River Quest on Friday. As their boat came to a stop on the banks of the Yukon River, the three-time winners dawned humbling smiles.
Chronicles: 2011 Texas Water Safari
07.01.2011
Billed at “The World’s Toughest Canoe Race,” the Texas Water Safari will celebrate its 50th anniversary in the summer of 2012. Starting this year on June 11, the Water Safari sends teams in canoes and kayaks over a 260-mile course from San Marcos, near Austin, Texas, to Seadrift on the Texas Gulf coast.
Day 2: Yukon River Quest
07.01.2011
With Day 2 completed of the 13th annual Yukon River Quest, paddlers are eager to get to the finish line in Dawson City over the next few days. The race route, all told, is 460 miles.
Day 1: Yukon River Quest
06.30.2011
It is a cool, overcast morning (12 degrees C) and paddlers are slowly making their way to the edge of the Yukon River with boats in tow. By 11:30 a.m. yesterday, June 29, the banks are packed—support crews, boats, fans and officials—for the start of the 13th annual Yukon River Quest, a 460 mile (740km) paddle down the Yukon River.
Buyer's Guide
