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What is a “dam river?” A river with dams on it. Most rivers are dammed, and if they aren’t already, they likely will be one day. What is "your" dam river? Your dam river is a river you paddle on with dams. You need to know how many there are, where they are located, what kind of flows are coming out of them and how they might affect the stretch of water you’re planning to paddle on. You may have more than one dam river. There are many rivers that I regularly paddle in Canada: the Ottawa, Madawaska, Gatineau, Rideau Canal system, Mississippi, and St. Lawrence rivers. And, there are other rivers I hit up and need to learn about when I travel. Every time I want to paddle a river, especially a new stretch I don’t know, it takes research. Where are the dams? Where are the rapids? How paddler friendly is it? How hard is it to navigate? Where is the put in and take out? What else do I need to be aware of? (There are alligators in some Florida rivers, and others affec...

Here's more news on Maelstrom sea kayaks provided by a paddler and sea kayak instructor who recently headed out to coastal waters to give the Maelstrom Vital 166 a try. Fern, from www.WannaKayak.com in North Carolina, U.S.A., contacted me a while back with some questions about the Maelstrom Vital 166. Several paddlers have, as they have been looking for more news and reviews from other paddlers on the new Maelstrom sea kayaks, the Maelstrom Vital 166 and the Vaag. Also my BaffinPaddler Web stats show I'm getting the most Web traffic overall for my news on Maelstrom kayaks and Greenland paddling posts. Web stats are so great! So share your news. People are looking for it. I fell in love with my Maelstrom Vital 166 on the first try and have been posting some of my own reviews and following the news and reviews from other, more experienced paddlers like Alex Matthews . Of course, no love story is perfect forever. But it's a great feeling when it hits! I was anxiou...

Ever find a little out of the way magic spot that you normally wouldn't notice and not understand why? Some place so simple, so small, and not so far away. But you could feel something there and not know what it was? A spot along the trail, or the water that makes you want to stop and linger while others pass by? There are lots of spots. You can travel far and wide and be amazed by something so obviously spectacular, but at the end of the day, it's about what you feel. I was surprised to find a little pond in New Hampshire that I would not normally even consider with a 16 or 17 foot sea kayak. It was only two miles long and one-half mile wide at the widest point. Not an exciting place to paddle. But a place to relax. The water glows at dawn and dusk. The stars dance off your paddle. Something magic. Swim in it. Your skin will tell you the same. There is something special going on in a small pond, without all the development you find in so many once-nice places, no speed boats, ...

Timing is everything! I was at an outdoor store buying some new waterproof Merrell hiking boots (please don't ask me the model, I go by look and feel) and likely to be late for my next appointment where I'd have to sit and read something for a long time. Yes, the totally vain Baffin Paddler was off to the salon to get highlights. I dread that stuff! So I grabbed my new boots and the Adventure Kayak mag that was staring at me from the rack across the room without looking at the cover or the (very brief) stories inside. A few minutes later, covered in foil and smelly highlight stuff, I glanced at the cover of the magazine I'd just bought on impulse. Hmmm, Alex Matthews on the cover. I'm a fan. I like his articles, reviews and book on Sea Kayaking Rough Waters­. Great, in the Adventure Kayak 2010 summer/fall issue, he reviewed the new Maelstrom Vital 166. Hey, that's my new sea kayak! I got a little nervous. I just posted my reaction to how the Maelstrom ...

Looks nice doesn't it!? The Comerford Reservoir, on the Connecticut River, borders New Hampshire and Vermont, in the United States. Plenty of water, a nice sandy beach, easy boat launch, grass with picnic tables, lots of free parking, not much development along this stretch of the river towards the Moore Reservoir, and mountain views. But what did I leave out of this shot just off to my left of the beautiful public access to the water? A major development. The big monster. The dam monster. The Frank D. Comerford Dam. There are much bigger dams of course. But they are all monsters for "us". Those of "us" who want to use the water once in a while, and know, "When is it safe for "us"? When can "we" use the water that you control? Could you let us know when it's OK?" And guess what. I was paddling towards an even bigger dam, the massive 178 foot high Moore Dam on the Moore Reservoir. "During boating season, water ...

I finally got my new Maelstrom Vital 166 sea kayak out in some wind and waves to test it in something other than calm lake water and compare it with my Boreal Baffin. This pic is from the launch in a protected bay. I couldn't really take a shot in the bigger waves and wind. I forgot to attach the float to my waterproof Olympus Stylus Tough camera (they sink without it), and this sea kayak turns sideways too quickly on windy days before I can grab a pic. And I still can't roll yet. A head cam or a cam mounted on the sea kayak would be great! I'm checking them out. When there are whitecaps and lots of kite surfers out moving at speed on a big stretch of water, it's a good sign for sea kayak play. And when you have a shallow protected bay without too many rocks to launch from on a sunny fall day, it's just perfect! To be honest, I was disappointed in how the Maelstrom Vital headed into the bigger waves. It's one of those sea kayaks that jumps up a...

I love the Valley Avocet . . . for fun. But didn't buy one . . . yet. I'd like one . . . if they make improvements to some basic design elements! I'd like Valley to work on making their seats something I'd like to sit in! So far, I don't know anyone who likes their seats! And it's a well known complaint. Come on Valley! When I buy a new sea kayak, I shouldn't have to redo the seat before I can paddle the boat, although lots of high end paddlers do just that with every sea kayak they buy. I already have two sea kayaks: The Boreal Baffin and Maelstrom Vital . And I'm perfectly happy in the factory installed seats in each one. Although in the Boreal Baffin, I had to add a bit of foam for a tighter fit. The Baffin is a bit big on me. I'm a 5'6", 125 lbs. girl. I also didn't like the short awkward coaming around the cockpit of the Valley Avocet. It was next to impossible for me to get my skirt on this thing. Not something I have ti...