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Showing posts from June, 2010

Men Who Paddle Pink

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Here's that sneaky Current Designs Suka still teasing me by staying well out of my reach and it's in pink (some would call it magenta). Pink would so clash with my red PFD. I've heard this boat is hard to demo and finding it so for me, but those who have give it good reviews. I'll catch up with it eventually. Smaller paddlers seem to have to work harder to meet up with their boats. Suka means fast in native Alaskan (Inuit), so of course, I'm going to like it. I'm also admiring the secure hatches on the Current Designs boats and other boat models after easily popping off the super soft and sticky Kajak Sport rear hatch on my new Maelstrom Vital and piercing a big hole in it at the same time with my kayak knife (still secure in its plastic sheath on my PFD) while practicing a simple cowboy scramble re-entry up the back deck in calm water. I sat there straddling my fantastic new boat on a beautiful day thinking, "Great, I've rescued myself, and seriously

Why am I the Baffin Paddler?

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People keep asking me, "Who is the Baffin Paddler?" I'm not sure either. But here's a clue. I may add more to this page as I find out. I hate definitions. People say now that I own a Maelstrom Vital 166 , I'm no longer the BaffinPaddler. Is that so?! We'll see about that. I still own a Boreal Baffin . It's the first boat that made me stop, wonder, think, and want to learn more about paddling. I really had no choice either. The Baffin is a great boat, but it weathercocks so badly in wind, any wind, big or small, that I had to learn strokes and edging quickly. I hate the skeg wheel on it too, so I made peace with this boat by taking up a Greenland paddle. The Greenland paddle allows me to quickly and seamlessly adjust my strokes to compensate for the weathercocking of the Baffin and stop fiddling and cursing the skeg! And the Baffin is a great boat for rolling, except for me. See, the Baffin has done so much for me and my paddling. I've had such great ti

Another Maelstrom Vaag gets a Vital Playmate in Newfoundland

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Here's a sweet baby blue Maelstrom Vaag hanging out in beautiful Sandy Cove, Newfoundland and it just found a slinky black Vital paddle mate. The two paddle best together I think. I can attest to that. My white and blue Vital paddles sometimes with a red Vaag. Although I find it odd to be seeing so many black kayaks out there. I'm so fond of the lighter brighter colours. Anyone ever see a pink kayak? Happy paddling and finding your perfect paddle mate! The BaffinPaddler

Miska and Kelty

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Guess who they belong to. Does it matter? Aren't Huskies just plain intriguing? OK, some are cuter than others! The Ottawa MEC Paddlefest blog post may reveal who they belong to. What will I find at the upcoming Toronto MEC Paddlefest? Maybe a Suka? A boat or a Husky of the same name?