Why Canoecopia continues to matter
Mention Canoecopia to midwest paddlers and they fairly glow with pride. The world’s largest paddlesport expo happens here–in Madison, Wisconsin, to be precise–every March. Take that, coastal paddlers!
Kelly Blades, P&H Midwest Guy, shows Sharon the new Delphin 150.… read moreDry land river reading activity
Smurf avoids the hydraulic with the log stuck in it.Our 10-week spring kayaking class at the local YMCA is almost over. We’ve spent time teaching rolling and basic strokes in a small pool augmented only by slalom gates and our own imaginations.…
read moreCoaches: Course reporting just got easy. Really!
Every four years, ACA-certified instructors need to provide evidence that we’ve taught at least two courses (including one at our level of certification) and participated in one instructor update. Doing those things has never been an issue, but reporting them has felt like a hassle.… read morePlacing a value on kayak instruction
CASKA night at the UIC pool.
Earlier this week, we organized an evening of instruction for CASKA, the Chicago Area Sea Kayakers Association. We are board members of this club, which has a mission that includes promoting safe paddling.…
read moreSigns of Spring for kayakers
We just picked up 26 new Werner paddles from Geneva Kayak Center for the Chicago Whitewater Association’s pool classes. We can’t wait to get them in our students’ hands! Everything’s coming up paddles!… read more
An SKUK Expedition Center in Illinois?
When we think about Sea Kayaking UK Expedition Centers, we think about Wales, Scotland and Cornwall — places situated in the UK and on the sea. Turns out there are 16 Expedition Centers in North America, too, but they’re primarily situated (not surprisingly) on the coasts: Maine, North Carolina, San Francisco, Washington.…
read moreWhat we carry in our PFDs
Our last post about PFDs resulted in a number of queries via Facebook and email: “So what do you carry in your PFDs?
What’s inside each of our pockets: Sharon (left) and Alec (right).… read moreProduct review: Kokatat MsFit Tour and Ronin Pro PFDs
Eventually, even the best gear wears out. After six years of heavy use and exposure to the elements, the fabric on Alec’s Kokatat MsFit Tour PFD was deteriorating, the retroreflective tape wasn’t retroreflecting, and the zipper tabs were gone from the pockets.…
read moreThe poetry of Lake Michigan in winter
These fragments I have shored against my ruins. –T.S.Eliot, The Waste Land
The lake looks like a mosaic now.
A mosaic is a conversation that takes place on surfaces. A mosaic is a conversation with light, with color, with form.… read more
