A different kind of horizon line. Imagine every portage was as easy as this one at Wales’ Cardiff International Whitewater Centre?
This photo was taken by Flickr user Harry Wood and is licensed under Creative Commons.
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Adventure Kayak editor Virginia Marshall demonstrates a great two-person technique to help keep a partner’s kayak going straight in windy conditions.
This originally appeared in the Spring 2013 issue of Adventure Kayak. Click here for more ways to keep your kayak on course when the wind is howling.
Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App to read Adventure Kayak on your phone or tablet.
I enjoy foreign films, candle-lit dinners and long walks through the woods, around dams, over ridges, through canyons, while carrying and dragging boats and gear.
This photo was taken by Flickr user curtis.mchale and is licensed under Creative Commons.
Think your image could be a Rapid Media Whitewater Daily Photo? Submit it to [email protected].
A review of the Kokatat Storm Cag from Adventure Kayak magazine.
What this one-piece hooded jacket and spray skirt cover lacks in style, it more than makes up for with incredible versatility. Touring? When ugly weather hits, throw this nifty number over whatever you’re wearing—PFD and skirt included—and keep your kit dry for days. Day tripping? Made from Gore-Tex Paclite, the Storm Cag packs small but its generous cut provides whole-body shelter and warmth (did we mention the jumbo fleece-lined hand warmer pocket?) on shore breaks, or even an emergency overnight. Paddling with friends? No worries, one size fits most.
www.kokatat.com | $330 / $209 (Gore-Tex / Tropos Light)
This article originally appeared in Adventure Kayak, Spring 2013. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.
This week in canoeing news: Canoeists discover 40,000 year old skeleton, Mississippi River paddle and new water trails in Rhode Island.
Alaksan Canoeists Discover 40,000-year-old Steppe Bison Skeleton
As she scraped cold dirt from the remains of an extinct bison, Pam Groves wrinkled her nose at a rotten-egg smell wafting from gristle that still clung to the animal’s bones. She lifted her head to scan the horizon, wary of bears that might be attracted to the flesh of a creature that gasped its last breath 40,000 years ago. In the type of discovery they have dreamed about for years, Groves and Dan Mann, both researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, in summer 2012 found in the thawing bank of a northern river almost the entire skeleton of a steppe bison that died during the last ice age. Via Alaska Disptach.
Mississippi River Run
Imagine fashioning your own boat out of scrap pieces of particleboard and duct tape and then paddling down the world’s fourth largest waterway—the Mississippi. Mountain Folk’s Mississippi River Run begins at Itasca State Park, Minnesota, USA. Through a series of creeks and channels, this year’s River Folk will meander across lakes and in to the heart of the US of A. 2,350 miles later you will dock in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, with more than a few stories to tell. Festivities start May 4. Via Mountain Folk.
New Water Trails on Rhode Island
See the Water Trails page for 20 new paddle trail maps for paddling routes across Rhode Island. There are trips for all skill levels, all across the state, on rivers and lakes and salt ponds. The maps were created in partnership with ten watershed organizations across the state, with funding from the Rhode Island Foundation. Via ExploreRI.org
The Recon is a hardcore creekboat designed to take paddlers on the steeps in comfort and safety. If you want a boat that charges down rocky mank this could be the boat for you.
Looking beyond Wave Sport’s stylish, comfortable and easily adjustable Core WhiteOut outfitting you’ll find a boat that performs in Class IV–V+ water. The Recon has loads of integrated safety features: A safety step-out wall, seven points of rescue for boat extractions and an auto-adjusting bulkhead foot brace designed to fill up empty bow space so feet can’t get stuck behind it.
Wave Sport Recon S/M/L Specs
Length: 7’9” / 8’3” / 8’8”
Width: 25.5” / 26.5” / 27”
Volume: 70 / 83 /93 US GAL
Weight: 47 / 50 / 52 LBS
Paddler: 80–150 / 140–200 / 180–275 LBS
MSRP: $1,099
www.wavesport.com
At 50 pounds, the Recon isn’t light on the shoulder, but when I’m slamming into rocks all day I appreciate a beefier build. The soft end handles make the boat easy to drag around and the handle on the step-out pillar helps keep the boat on your shoulder when carrying.
Though the Recon replaces Wave Sport’s former creeker, the Habitat, “It has a new shape and paddles significantly differently,” says David Maughan, a designer at Wave Sport. “In terms of performance and features, we started with a bit of a blank slate.”
With a pronounced and continuous rocker profile, the Recon keeps its bow and stern well above the water. This means it’s super maneuverable, easy to boof and skips over holes. It’s in boulder-choked rapids and on slides where the Recon really shines as it slides up, over and through with ease.
“It’s a smooth and forgiving boat,” adds Maughan. “And its volume distribution makes it easy to roll for recovery.”
With its short waterline, the Recon jumps to top speed with a just few quick strokes. The dome-like stern sheds water and ejects the boat almost instantly. This is great for technical creeks where there isn’t room to build up speed and the moves are stacked close together.
Tilt the Recon on edge and it becomes an amazingly stable platform that you could hang out on all day. Don’t expect to carve around the river or deep into eddies though. With its edges engaged in the water, the Recon spins in and out of the current with authority. It’s perfect for grabbing a break in micro eddies or on runs where you don’t have room to make long, carving turns.
While the Recon can easily be piloted down Class I–III+ runs, it’s way more boat than these rivers require. However, if you love to tackle the Class IV–V+ steep, continuous and rocky rivers of the world, consider the Recon as your tool of choice to get the job done.
This article originally appeared in Rapid’s Spring 2013 issue. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions here, or browse the archives here.
Time spent in reconnaissance is never wasted.” —George Washington | Photo by: Jo-Anne Caldwell
Another Whitewater Park In CO?Work may begin on a Grant County, Colorado, whitewater park as early as next year according to the Ski-Hi News. Locals have applied for permits and started fundraising for the man-made wave planned for the Colorado River. Colorado already has parks in Steamboat Springs, Glenwood Springs, Durango, Salida and Golden, making it, as far as we can tell, the state with the most. Authorities are seeing money pour in from comps and festivals. It also can’t hurt increased awareness for the sport.
Read the full story at the Sky-Hi News.
(Photo: Sky-Hi News.)
S.O.S. AppiCall4Help is a new app that turns your smartphone into rescue communication device similar to familiar Delorme InReach or SPOT satellite messenger devices. It uses the cellular network, so it isn’t as far reaching, but you can send preprogrammed voice, sms, email and Facebook messages, to just check in, or to call for help. You can also set alarms to check in a predetermined intervals and if you fail to respond, the app can automatically trigger a rescue.
iCall4Help costs $2.99 in the Apple App Store and credits for voice and text messages cost five cents a piece—no need for annual subscriptions.
Read more here.
Help The Fight To Allow Whitewater Boating in YosemiteAmerican Whitewater is working with Yosemite National Park to address the issue of boater access. Whitewater paddling is banned on almost of the rivers in the iconic park. With runs like the Tuolomne and Merced, that just seems like a terrible waste. The park is currently redrafting a management plan. Given the fact that the park manages other human-powered, low-impact activities like hiking and climbing, they are open to hearing from boaters. Comments from the public are due March 18. Click here to learn how you can have your say.
(Photo: American Whitewater) (Main Photo: Flickr user docentjoyce licensed under Creative Commons.) Have a whitewater news story you’d like to share? Email it to [email protected].
Robert Perkins paddles from his house in southern Utah down the lower Colorado to discover why the water is disappearing. With insight and humor, he paddles 500 miles to Mexico. He finds the river no longer reaches the sea, but he discovers an unexpected miracle. Blind Bird Singing Rain is a poetic personal narrative about the river’s plight. Director and Producer: Robert Perkins
Blind Bird Singing Rain is now playing on the Reel Paddling Film Festival World Tour. Find out tour dates and check out other award-winning films at www.reelpaddlingfilmfestival.com.
You have your raft, you have your trip plan, you’ve carved out the prep time to set everything up. Now what? When it comes to mounting your raft rowing frame, most folks will tell you there are only two options.
Center mounts place the oarlocks at the halfway point along the raft’s waterline, putting the power on the pivot point. This is ideal for very heavy loads, and is the most common setup for multi-day rigs.
Stern mounts put the guide seat on the back tube, sitting high on the rocker with oars in lap. This is a typical commercial day trip setup, where the guide wants to keep the clients in view and away from the oars.
The fact is, the typical recreational rafter’s boat is not loaded with three weeks of food and gear, or with six to 10 passengers.
For a day trip or weekend, a centre mount will likely place passengers forward of the oars, making the raft bow heavy. With a stern mount, you can’t back ferry and the guide’s power is lost in flexing the raft’s rocker, rather than turning or moving the boat.
The ideal position lies in between.
For a light gear load and a couple of passengers, placing the oarlocks two-thirds along the waterline with the guide seat in front of the stern rise makes for a balanced and predictable ride. The pivot stays near the centre of the raft, the guide can hold an angle pushing or pulling, is efficient pulling the flats and doesn’t mess with the stern rocker.
The trick is to experiment with different positions—don’t view the frame as fixed. You’ll find different setups for various load types. Move not only the frame, but also the oarlocks and seat to best position, and then mark those locations on the frame with a Sharpie. Several D-ring placements and long frame straps help keep options open.
Balance shares the stories of three individuals who live their lives in very different ways. The characters are not professional athletes but rather working-class heroes—people who work to make time for the things they love. In this edition, follow Blair Trotman as he finds his path as a kayaking instructor after ending up in the military. Director and Producer: Kelsey Thompson
Balance is now playing on the Reel Paddling Film Festival World Tour. Find out tour dates and check out other award-winning films at www.reelpaddlingfilmfestival.com.
