Weekly Canoe News, March 21, 2013

Photo: Float Your Fanny Down the Granny — Weekly Canoe News, March 21, 2013

This week in canoeing news: paddling 1,000 miles for autism, Float your Fanny Down the Granny, heritage trips on the Fox River and Rapid Media at Jeresy Paddlesport 2013.

Canoeing 1,000 miles for autism awareness

With temperatures hovering around 40 degrees and dark clouds looming overhead, on Thursday, March 14, Joe Reidhead paddled his canoe steadily down the Missouri River. Originally from Augusta, Joe Reidhead began a 1,000-mile journey Feb. 17 in Omaha. Reidhead’s trek along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers is to raise funds and awareness about autism spectrum disorders. By the time he reached Washington this week, Reidhead was a little more than halfway through his trip, which will end in Memphis. Via emussourian.com.

Float your Fanny Down the Granny

Float Your Fanny Down the Ganny is a 10 kilometer race along the Ganaraska River to commemorate the 1980 flood that crippled Port Hope’s downtown area. The event take place Saturday, April 06, 2013. Enter with a canoe or kayak to try for speed on the course or enter the Crazy Craft for something different. To qualify, a Crazy Craft has to have been built from multiple different items to form a floating vessel. Crazy Crafts are on fastest time, best costume, most number of crew and judge’s favourite. Via www.floatyourfanny.ca.

Fox of the River

The Voyaguer field trip is truly a hands on experience in history, and camaraderie. Fox of the River Voyaguer LLC introduces students to the fur trade era and the lives of its most colorful participants, the Voyageurs. Students role play by paddling a Voyageur canoe and learning about the Voyageur way of life. Step into the past with Jean Paul Pauquette and Jacques Largillier as guides. Heritage paddles run May to October. Via Fox of the River.

Jersey Paddlesport 2013

Visit Rapid staff in Somerset, New Jersey, this weekend at Paddlesport 2013, hosted by The Jersey Paddler. There will be amazing deals on subscriptions as well as latest issues up for grabs. Publisher, Scott MacGregor, will be hosting a showing of the Reel Paddling Film Festival as well as a presentation on how to write for adventure magazines. Rapid editor, Michael Mechan, will be there to meet paddlers and share river stories. Go to www.jerseypaddler.com for event details.

Daily Photo: Way #15

16 Ways to Take Your Boating to the Next Level.

Way #15: Use Rocks.
It’s time to start taking advantage of some of the river features you might usually avoid. Smooth rocks at or slightly below water-level can be used as long pads, creating a clean line out of an otherwise portaged set. Lean your weight forward and aim to hit the rock with speed at around a 30-degree angle. Plant a boof stroke just before coming in contact with tthe rock and it will carry you up and over. You may have to adjust the angle you hit the rock to control the direction your boat lands. Not enough speed or too much contact with the rock will leave you high and dry. Practice first over small holes and progress to safe drops

Learn the other 15 ways to take your boating to the next level by reading the full article from the Spring 2012 issue of Rapid, for FREE!

This photo was taken by Flickr user s.schmitz and is licensed under Creative Commons.

Think your image could be a Rapid Media Whitewater Daily Photo? Submit it to [email protected].

Handline Kayak Fishing Technique

Skills

This kayak technique article on how to catch fish from your sea kayak on a handline was originally published in Adventure Kayak magazine.

Handlines offer fishing without the fuss. A simple plastic spool or wooden shuttle wrapped with 60 to 100 meters of monofilament line, a handline avoids the storage hassles and maintenance  woes of a rod and reel.

Handlines are dirt cheap to buy (5 to 10 dollars for a 4- to 6-inch spool) and damned easy to make yourself—use a jigsaw to cut 1-inch plywood into an I-shape with one end roughly the width of your grip, and wrap the line around a shaft of 5 to 6 inches.

Handlines are best used for trolling or jigging. Save casting for the cottage; without the mechanical advantage of a rod to assist your toss, you’re more likely to capsize than catch a fish. Kayaks are the perfect vehicle for trolling since most paddlers tour at the ideal pace for spoons and diving Rapalas. Whatever method or lure you use, heavy line (15- to 20-pound test) is necessary since handlines don’t offer the line-saving flex and drag capabilities of a rod and reel.

For hands-free trolling, attach the handline spool to your kayak’s deck line with an 18-inch length of bungee. Play out as much line as you want and tuck the spool under your deck bungees. When you get a bite, the spool will be pulled off your deck and the bungee will dampen the initial jerk, set the lure and keep the spool within easy reach for the retrieve.

Tip: to avoid snags and shredded Gore-Tex, replace troublesome treble hooks with single hooks.

This article originally appeared in Adventure Kayak, Summer/Fall 2009. Download our freeiPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Q&A with Justine Curgenven

Photo: Courtesy Justine Curgenven — Round-the-World paddler Sarah Outen with Curgenven (R).

If you’re fond of kayaking, you’ve probably seen at least one of Justine Curgenven’s award-winning This is the Sea films. Maybe, like me, you’ve happily watched one of her five TITS DVDs from start to finish without so much as a popcorn or pee break (an impressive feat given TITS 5, released this year, is up to a whopping three hours). For many, the Welsh filmmaker’s videos aren’t just entertainment—they’re the inspiration to plan a long expedition, learn to surf, teach a friend to paddle, or make kayaking a part of day-to-day life.

Adventure Kayak caught up with Curgenven to reflect on 10 years of TITS, and look at how the sea kayak film has evolved over the past decade. To read the full interview, as featured in the premiere issue of our new monthly magazine, Paddling This Month, click here.

Weekly Whitewater News, March 20, 2013

Photo: USNWC — Weekly Whitewater News, March 20, 2013

U.S. National Whitewater Center Goes Green

No, a nuclear reactor did not leak toxic ooze into the USNWC waters. The Charlotte, NC, paddling training centre hosted their annual Green Revival event in celebration of St. Paddy’s Day last Saturday. A part of the event, the 12-million-gallon course was inundated with green dye.

Check out video footage of the deluge of green riverwater here.

(Photo: Courtesy U.S. National Whitewater Center)

Jersey Paddlesport 2013

Visit Rapid staff in Somerset, New Jersey, this weekend at Paddlesport 2013, hosted by The Jersey Paddler. There will be amazing deals on subscriptions as well as latest issues up for grabs.

Publisher, Scott MacGregor, will be hosting a shooing of the Reel Paddling Film Festival as well as a presentation on how to write for adventure magazines. Rapid editor, Michael Mechan, will be there to meet paddlers and share river stories.

Go to www.jerseypaddler.com for event details.

Bomber Gear Founder Rick Franken Passes On

Rick Franken, beloved founder of paddling apparel and accessory company Bomber Gear passed away last weekend. His family has confirmed that he died in his sleep of respiratory failure while at the Alabama Mountain Games. A celebration of life is planned to take place at the Animas River Days in Durango in June. More details will follow.

(Photo: Courtesy Confluence Watersports)

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Daily Photo: Moor Whitewater

Photo: Big Dubya — Daily Photo: Moor Whitewater

Morning rush hour sucks. Morning rush hour on the river, not so much. Twenty rafts moored at one spot means boatloads fo paddling buddies. Moor fun!

This photo was taken by Flickr user Big Dubya and is licensed under Creative Commons.

Think your image could be a Rapid Media Whitewater Daily Photo? Submit it to [email protected].

Best Made Co. Axe Review

Gear

59d925d75340d64d31d5ce71bf6ceaf4_XL — Axe

This gear review of the Best Made Co. Hudson Bay Axe originally appeared in Canoeroots and Family Camping magazine.

As American as apple pie and baseball, Best Made Co. is a back-to-basics, mom and pop outfit from New York. Their vision is to create tools to be passed down for generations, empowering people to work with their hands. A big axe at 21 inches long, the Hudson Bay provides confidence in control and swings effortlessly. An ideal pick for those looking to chop larger wood and work for longer, its last cut is just as deep as its first.

$135 | www.bestmadeco.com

This article appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Spring 2013.

Voyageur Wilderness Programme at Canoecopia 2013

Videos

The Rapid Media TV crew chats with Michelle from the Voyageur Wilderness Programme booth at Canoecopia 2013. Find out all about what they do and how they can help you plan your next trip eco-trip.

OR Sensor Command Gear Review

Gear

Photo: Outdoor Research — OR Sensor Command

A review of the Outdoor Research Sensor Command deck bag from Adventure Kayak magazine.

For those who can’t leave shore without their tablets, this deck bag features a dry compartment with a touch-screen compatible clear window. It’s equally suited to displaying maps (you know, those paper thingies the old-timers used), and can be used independently if you don’t need the bag’s two additional compartments for extra storage.

www.outdoorresearch.com | $159

This article originally appeared in Adventure Kayak, Spring 2013. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Daily Photo: Recovery

Photo: abkfenris — Daily Photo: Recovery

Recovery—trickier than it looks. Especially on the Monday after St. Patrick’s Day.

This photo was taken by Flickr user abkfenris and is licensed under Creative Commons.

Think your image could be a Rapid Media Whitewater Daily Photo? Submit it to [email protected].