Advances in tech help keep things fresh in kayaking, but sometimes it seems a little too easy to focus on the manufactured goods, and not the fluid goods on which we paddle. For Colin Field, the goal is to get anywhere the surf is up, escewing spending on a name brand rack in favour of a lumber yard and a little sweat equity. For Field, it’s an effort all in the name of getting to the real goods.
Morpho 2P Tent Gear Review
This gear review of Nemo’s Morpho 2P tent was originally published in Adventure Kayak magazine.
Jamming 18-inch tent poles into a nine- inch-diameter hatch on a low-profile touring boat is problematic. Nemo’s Air Supported Technology employs foot pump-inflatable sleeves instead of conventional poles to provide remarkably sound structure that’s far more packable, durable and field repairable. The Morpho 2P is easy to set up in nasty conditions and provides ample living space to stay comfortable away from the storm.
This article originally appeared in Adventure Kayak, Fall 2012. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.
MSR Zing Gear Review
A review of the MSR Zing shelter from Adventure Kayak magazine.
A tarp is essential for a camp kitchen, gathering area or even sleeping shelter that’s shielded from the rain, sun and wind. The MSR Zing has multiple configuration options that let you optimize for space or protection and includes two adjustable aluminum poles if you’d rather not use your carbon paddle for support. Mastering the set-up of a high quality tarp like this provides added relief from the elements on weather-bound days.
www.cascadedesigns.com/msr | $400
This article originally appeared in Adventure Kayak, Fall 2012. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.
10 Downtown Day Trips For Kayakers
Want a great kayak adventure but can’t afford any more days off work? We dish out the goods on ten kayak trips within city limits, from Halifax to Houston and San Francisco to Toronto.
10 downtown day trips for kayakers
1 Vancouver
Consistently ranked as one of the most liveable cities in the world, Vancouver’s oceanside location and outdoor culture make this an ideal place to explore by kayak.
Paddle past the giant cedars and temperate rainforest of Stanley Park, glide below the sweeping expanse of the Lion’s Gate Bridge (and play in the tidal race if your timing and skills are right) or head up the sheltered waters of False Creek—all framed by the beautiful Coastal Mountains.
2 Seattle
With its busy seaport, lively indie music scene and successful high-tech economy, Seattle is an intriguing city to explore from the water and beyond.
Freshwater Lake Union in the middle of Seattle has sheltered paddling conditions and a close-up view of the skyline. For a more exposed saltwater adventure and encounters with seals, whales and sea lions, the waters of Puget Sound are a paddler’s dream.
3 New York City
Overwhelmed by crowds and concrete? Escape to the Hudson River to experience the grandeur of New York City from a more peaceful perspective.
Ambitious kayakers can circumnavigate the entire island of Manhattan in eight hours—be sure to plan for currents and tides. For a more leisurely trip, paddle to the Statue of Liberty, visit Chelsea Piers or venture on a night time paddle to see the city lights.
4 Miami
Vamos a la playa! Kayak past the sun-drenched beaches of Miami to experience the buzzing beach culture and ocean side skyline.
Kayaking the sheltered canals and harbors will let you marvel at Miami’s super yachts and tropical vegetation, while paddling on the Atlantic side offers rolling surf and possible encounters with manatees, dolphins and stingrays.
5 San Francisco
From the iconic Golden Gate Bridge to the infamous island of Alcatraz, the San Francisco Bay area has a wealth of prime destinations to explore by water.
Beginners can easily enjoy panoramic views of the Bay from close to shore while more experienced paddlers can tackle the powerful surf, tide races and rock gardens that make this coast famous.
6 Halifax
Looking for lighthouses, rocky shores and colorful fishing villages? The paddling paradise of St. Margaret’s Bay offers an archetypal East Coast experience just a 30-minute drive from downtown Halifax.
While popular Peggy’s Cove can be overrun with tourists, exploring the surrounding area by kayak will give you easy access to undisturbed beaches, birding and whale watching.
7 Montreal
Located on an island guarding the St. Lawrence Seaway, Montreal’s vibrant culture, lively nightlife and Old World atmosphere make this city an eternally popular destination among travelers.
From the calm waters of the Lachine Canal, you can paddle past historic buildings and stop at the Atwater Market to browse the distracting array of delicious wares. If you’re looking for an adrenaline rush, join local river surfers on the powerful standing wave by Habitat 67.
8 Chicago
Kayaking beneath the towering skyline of Chicago gives you a unique perspective of the city’s world renowned architecture and will help you build up an appetite for the Windy City’s famous deep-dish pizza.
For a close-up view of the city, follow the canals and branches of the Chicago River, most notably the downtown Chicago Loop. Head out onto Lake Michigan for more exposed conditions and sweeping views of the cityscape.
9 Houston
Despite being the fourth largest urban center in the U.S., Houston’s elaborate network of rivers, lakes and bayous make this city popular among paddlers.
Paddling along Buffalo Bayou will bring you straight to the heart of the city, while dozens of other bayous or lakes such as 1,200-acre Sheldon Reservoir offer great bird watching and alligator spotting opportunities.
10 Toronto
Skip the long terrestrial line-ups for the CN Tower—a paddle along the Toronto waterfront will give you an incomparable view of this tallest freestanding structure in the Western Hemisphere.
The Toronto Islands offer numerous sheltered channels to explore by kayak, while Lake Ontario has fun surf when the wind cooperates. Beyond diverse paddling opportunities, the Toronto Islands also have an amusement park, cafes, outdoor art displays and beaches.
Feature photo: Robert Jones/Pixabay
Sarah Outen Is Circumnavigating The Globe
This expedition news article was originally published in Adventure Kayak magazine.
Sarah Outen looked death in the eye twice on her solo row across the Indian Ocean in 2009. Thrown from her capsizing boat and plunged into a stormy sea, she had to unclip her safety line to clamber back on board. Then, on the very last day of her 4,000-mile epic, her rowboat collided with a reef. Before the coral gashes and the deep saltwater sores healed, the gutsy 25-year-old Brit was planning her next adventure.
Sarah Outen is circumnavigating the globe
Despite moments of despair during her 124 days on the Indian Ocean, Outen surfed with albatrosses, witnessed jaw-dropping sunrises and says she “never felt more alive.” The first woman and youngest person to row across the Indian Ocean turned her sights on a non-motorized loop around the planet.
On April 1, 2011, Outen took the first paddle strokes of her 20,000-mile journey. For two and a half years, she will be cycling, rowing and kayaking from London to London, via the world. The boldest legs are solo rows across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, although she thinks her biggest danger is being hit by a wayward truck while cycling across Europe, the Far East and North America.
I joined Outen on the kayaking portions of her trip for safety and filming. Departing London down the River Thames, we paddled six hours on, six hours off, making the most of tidal flows en route to the trip’s first major challenge: crossing the busiest shipping lane in the world to France. A closing weather window led us to make the 24-mile crossing in the dark on lively seas.
Over the next six months, Outen pedaled 10,000 miles across 12 countries, breaking a wheel on the bumpy dirt roads of Kazakhstan and battling debilitating headwinds and sticky heat in China’s Gobi Desert. With the arrival of fall, she reached eastern Russia and I joined her as she jumped back into her kayak, island hopping to Sakhalin and then Japan.
Paddling to Japan was a physical and logistical challenge. The 24-mile crossing turned into 40 miles because Russian law required that we be stamped out of the country at a major port and dropped 12 miles off the coast in international waters. Outen insisted we illegally sneak back into Russian waters so every inch of her journey was covered by human power.“It’s all about integrity,” she told me as justification for our law breaking.
Outen’s unwavering determination and remarkable inner strength are derived in part from the tragic death of her father from arthritis the year before her Indian Ocean expedition. She coped with the grief by setting herself a challenge to focus on. From tragedy, Outen developed a determination to follow her dreams while she can. Through her website and education projects for schools, she’s sharing that zest for life and instilling in others the realization that anything is possible.
After landing at sunset in a small Japanese harbor, Outen climbed back onto her bike for the month-long pedal into Tokyo. At press time, Outen remained in Tokyo recovering from a tropical storm that thwarted her first attempt at crossing the Pacific. Her intention remains to complete the five-month, 4,000 mile trip.
To follow Outen’s ongoing ‘round the world journey, visit her website at sarahouten.com.
This article originally appeared in Adventure Kayak, Fall 2012. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.
Delta Kayak 15 Video Review
Delta Kayak designer Stuart Mounsey explains what makes the new Delta 15 special. Designed for a smaller fit, the kayak has a number of redesigned features, including cockpit size and new seat materials. Delta is also debuting a new hatch system using press on lids with minimal extra steps. These improvements along with other nice touches help bring the weight quite low for this style of boat.
Daily Image: Island Exploration
Sander Jain photographed a sea kayaker gliding along the cliffs of grice bay’s indian island on a dark, unnaturally still January day. “The bay is a popular feeding ground for grey whales, and the scandinavian homes on indian island are a local landmark,” says Jain, whose Tofino home is just minutes from the put-in.
– Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia
Behind the Scenes at the Canadian Canoe Museum
The Canoeroots magazine crew headed down to Peterborough, Ontario for a unique, behind-the-scenes tour of the Canadian Canoe Museum. Check out this video tour of the main building as well as a few looks at what they have in the warehouse out back.