BaffinPaddler - http://baffinpaddler.blogspot.com

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...

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...

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

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?

Perfect weather and a huge turnout at MEC Paddlefest 2010 in Mooney's Bay. I decided to hang out for a while in the RIOT Aura 18 . (You can get them at Ottawa Paddleshack). As usual, I show up somewhere, and right away one thing will catch my eye and keep it. The RIOT Aura was right there. It is a good looking, sleek, fast 18 foot sea kayak (I think it has lots of rocker, the manufacturer says moderate) that is too big in the cockpit for me and a real bitch to turn. I hear some people love them. Anyway, you can't really test much or take too many chances with what you do in the murky and questionable waters of Mooney's Bay , so I didn't do much with this kayak except enjoy its speed, and curse it whenever I needed to turn it. I was there to test touring paddles. I love my skinny stick (Greenland paddle), except when I want to get somewhere moderately fast and keep up with others. I finally caught up with Peter Whaley, founder of Pure Canadian Adventures and...

Yes, it got me! I got it! I'll be posting more about Maelströmkayak and following reviews and comments of other Maelström paddlers. We are the new kids on the block as these boats are fresh on the market. I bought my Maelstr ö m Vital 166 at Ottawa Paddle Shack in May 2010. We need more choices of higher end models around here. When will we see the Romany sea kayaks in our stores? I love the Romany S but can't find any around here in the National Capital Region of Canada (Ottawa/Ontario, Gatineau/Quebec) Cross fingers. Let's be greedy. 2012 update: Good news: Looks like Maelströmkayak will have some new kayak models coming out in 2012, the Forvag and the Flod. I can't wait to see what new features and design changes they've got! Sad news:  Kayak designers and manufacturer, Boreal Design in Quebec, Canada declared bankruptcy in 2012. Boreal Design was manufacturing Maelströmkayak design models the Vaag 174 and the Vital 166.   After the ba...

No, that's not me paddling the Vital. I wish I was that good! It's one of the Maelstrom guys. Well, the Maelström kayaks have finally trickled into the Ottawa, Ontario area. I think there are probably only two of them around here for now and they are pretty sweet looking demo kayaks at Paddle Shack in Ottawa's trendy Westboro neighborhood. One of each, a red and white Vaag 174 and a blue and white Vital 166. ( Update to this post: My paddle partner and I bought both of them after the first test paddle on the Ottawa River.) They are play boats designed for the high-end paddler. If you aren't a high-end paddler, buying a kayak that is will help you get there. You'll have to learn how to really paddle and will have way more fun in the water! I sat in the Vital today, on the showroom floor with foams underneath. The weather around here is emulating winter! I hope it's just a bad dream with the hail, rain, then snow and sleet (yes in that order), and cold high...