A dreamy autumn evening
It’s been an unusually warm and paddler-friendly fall in the midwest this year, but the days are getting shorter, and we’re starting to finish most of our after-work paddles in the dark.…
read moreThe Gales Storm Gathering: five successful years
Five years ago, our friend Keith Wikle had an ambitious idea: Why not hold a rough-water symposium on the Great Lakes in October? Ambitious because the weather in October can be blustery or balmy, and the water can be challening or calm.…
read moreOne of our favorite places: San Juan Islands
Part 5 in the series “What a summer it’s been.”
There are so many amazing places to paddle, it’s tempting to go someplace new every time we get the chance — much like it’s tempting to read a new book every time you have the opportunity, rather than return to one you’ve read and enjoyed before.…
read morePaddling on the Hudson River
Part 4 in the series, “What a summer it’s been.”
When Bill Lozano invited us to coach at the Hudson River Kayak Weekend, we jumped at the chance to return to upstate New York, a place that holds special paddling memories for us.…
read morePhoto Friday: Autumn Storm
A Waking Haiku
Rumbling atmosphere
Inaugural thunderstorm
Rattling through the house
–Mark Hochmuth,
Have Kayaks, Will Travel’s poet in residence…
read moreHow not to do a T-rescue
Back in July, we spent some time with Scott Fairty and Trey Rouss of The Power of Water filming some assisted rescues.
When Scott wanted to film the “bad rescue,” we hesitated.…
read moreBuilding ocean skills in Rhode Island
Part 3 in the series, “What a summer it’s been.”
In June, we teamed up with Bill Lozano of Atlantic Kayak Tours, and Scott Fairty and Trey Rouss of The Power of Water, to offer our second annual Ocean Skills Workshop in Rhode Island.…
read moreIt’s a buoy! Chicago gets a new data station
There’s no substitute for real data when we are trying to anticipate conditions out on Lake Michigan, or when we are seeking to square what we’ve experienced with actual wave heights and wind speeds.…
read moreHow to improve your forward stroke
The forward stroke is deceptively simple, at least at the beginning. Most people, given a paddle, can make a kayak move forward.
But after that initial success, there’s a lot to learn to make the forward stroke efficient.…
read moreOur poet-in-residence lives to write another day
The water has been pretty rough the past several days. We did go out paddling on Lake Michigan with a capable group, but we have chosen, at times, not to paddle on days when the risks outweighed the rewards.…
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