BaffinPaddler - http://baffinpaddler.blogspot.com

I bet you think this post means, “So, she finally rolled her sea kayak!” Nope. I’m still rolling challenged. It just means I’m finally starting to recognize “trying to learn how to roll” as a reward rather than an intense feeling of dread, dry mouth, and nausea. Now, even after a practice session in which I don’t roll, I’m still smiling and very comfortable with whatever audiences I’ve gathered along the way. No matter how much I’ve messed up, I’ve managed to gain something each time. (Even if I’m the only one who thinks so!) One day I’ll post a video or two. Good, bad, or ugly. In the past onlookers have asked me, “So, how is it trying to learn how to roll?” Me, “It really sucks!” And I forgot to add, “peeling yourself out of wet neo afterwards in a dark smelly outhouse after the sun has set and you can’t find your undergarments while others are waiting in line to use the facility isn’t so much fun either! And it really messes up your hair!” They thought it was ...

People with GPs seem to like to make them. Greenland paddlers are special and fun to paddle with. I admire them. Let someone try yours. Here are some good resources handed on to me and now on to you. Making a West Greenland Paddle, by Chuck Holst Cape Falcon Kayak, Oregon, Greenland Paddles The Weathered Paddle, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. Adanac Paddles , Dover, Ontario, Canada, all about GPs and a paddle maker. Buy the wood in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada at: KJP Select Hardwoods Check out Gnarlydog's posts, images, and videos on different types of GPs and Aleut paddles, technique and how they perform in surf. Visit GreenlandPaddle.com for a great explanation of the canted stroke, and much more. See my more recent post, Let's talk yoga, a Greenland paddle, and healing a wrecked shoulder Looking for Greenland Paddling and Rolling Clinics? June 25, 2011, Greenland Paddling and Greenland Rolling Clinics , Back by popular demand at 1000 Islands Kayaking Compan...

Here's a HEAD'S UP for the 2011 Greenland paddle techniques and Greenland rolling clinics back by popular demand at 1000 Islands Kayaking, in Gananoque, Ontario, June 25, 2011. Contact www.1000islandskayaking.com for more info.  The Greenland paddle techniques clinic is from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m., and the Greenland rolling clinic runs from 3:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m. The clinics are held outdoors on the beautiful St. Lawrence River, in the 1000 Islands region, just off the shore from the quaint little town of Gananoque, in the province of Ontario, Canada. Greenland Rolling Video Feature with 1000 Islands Kayaking  This video was filmed April 2011 in an indoor pool in Kingston, Ontario. In this video, you can watch Tom Gartley and Alfred Cheung in his yellow Boreal Baffin do some awesome Greenland rolls! They'll be your teachers for this year's Greenland rolling clinics at 1000 Islands Kayaking PaddleFest 2011, June 25. ENJOY! Now back to last year's repor...

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?