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SK
Newsletter - August 8, 2007
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No.6 |
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Feature
Roll Call
by
Christopher Cunningham
If
you do one search for photos on Google
for “whitewater
kayaking” and one for “sea
kayaking” it’s pretty obvious
that one thing that’s different
about whitewater kayakers is that they
have wet hair. If we put aside the other
differences in whitewater and sea kayaking
demographics, wet hair (or a wet head,
in deference to my peers whose shine
comes not from conditioner-enriched hair
but the lack of it) may be more than
a superficial difference. If your head
is wet, the rest of you is likely to
be wet, and if that’s the case,
you are more likely to be dressed for
getting drenched. If your face is wet,
winding up in the water isn’t as
much of a shock as it is plunging in
when warm and dry. In whitewater, getting
your head and face wet is usually automatic.
Sea kayakers may have to shift to manual
and make a choice to get a feel for the
water.
If you don’t mind getting your
hair wet, maybe it’s finding
yourself upside down underwater that
makes you uncomfortable.
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Through
out their history, kayaks have been designed
for particular places and purposes. Modern day
recreational kayakers don't depend upon kayaks
for their livelihoods, but they do require kayaks
that are a good match for the kind of paddling
they do. Our kayak reviews always include a statement
from the designer about the purpose and features
of a particular kayak, but space in the reviews
is limited. We've invited kayak manufacturers to
answer a series of questions that we think will
help our
readers find the kayaks best suited to them. Their
answers will appear here and in subsequent newsletters.
How much of a role do computers play in the designing
of your kayaks?
When you develop a new design how do you go about
field testing it prior to going into production?
Click here to read more.
Water
Trails
Water
trails have been an important part
of the sea kayaking scene for the past
two decades. The trails help preserve
access to the water, establish and
maintain campsites, promote low-impact
forms of recreation and create communities
of stewardship to watch over our waterways.
In this issue of the SK Newsletter,
and in issues to come, we’d like
to introduce you to water trails long
and short and urge you to support them
in their efforts to give us places
to paddle.
Lower
Columbia River Water Trail
Submitted by Chris
Hathaway
Director of Stewardship Programs
A journey along the
Lower Columbia River Water Trail
is a rich mélange of gorgeous
landscapes, historical and cultural
sites, working ports of call, modern
day cities and amenities, and remote
areas with vistas that Lewis and
Clark would recognize. Sites include
the Columbia River Gorge National
Scenic Area, the bustling cities
of Portland and Vancouver, three
National Wildlife Refuges and many
more natural areas,  the Fort Vancouver
National Historic Site, Lewis and
Clark National Historical Park,
floating restaurants, riverfront
hotels, and working riverfront
towns such as Rainier, Cathlamet,
Skamokawa, and Astoria. The river’s size and
the trail’s length and diversity
provide an unlimited range of paddling
trips and experiences.
The Lower Columbia River Estuary
Partnership coordinates the Lower
Columbia River Water Trail. The
Estuary Partnership's Water Trail
Committee provides input and guidance
into the trail's development and
management and believes the Water
Trail provides a great opportunity
for citizens of all ages to enjoy
the river, learn about it through
direct experience, and value its
importance to quality of life in
the Northwest. One of the first
tasks the Water Trail Committee
undertook was developing a common
vision and goals for the Lower
Columbia River Water Trail. With
unanimous support, the following
vision and goals were developed
and agreed to by the Water Trail
Committee.
Click here to read more about
this water trail.
Click here for a list of more
water trails!
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Sea
Kayaker Magazine
Forum
We’d
like your input. The Sea
Kayaker online forum has
fellow paddlers looking for
information on paddling destinations.
If you have any current information
you’d be willing to
share we’re sure
it would be appreciated
Over
ten years ago I launched on Quadra
Is. passed through Surge Narrows
and camped at Octopus Island Provincial
Park. Was wondering if anyone has
been there more recently. There
now seems to be several undeveloped
parks in the area (Read Is. and
Surge Narrows ) and I was wondering
if anyone has first hand knowledge
of these places. Are they decent
for landing and camping or just
all rocks and cliffs?
Click
here to go to this discussion.
My wife and I are planning a trip
to Montana , and thought we might
spend a few days paddling in Teton
and Yellowstone on the way. I am
looking for some advice from anyone
with some experience in the area.
We are going to try to make the trip
right after Labor Day. I am not sure
if we will be able to reserve any
backcountry campsites at Shoshone
lake at this late date or not, but
we are going to try.
Click here to go to this discussion.
Sea
Kayaker Store and More
NEW
DVDs
Birthplace
of the Winds - Sea Kayaking
Alaska
by
John Bowermaster
A three week journey from California
to halfway between Alaska and Russia
where the Pacific Ocean and the
Bering Sea collide. Sea kayaking
among the five volcanic Aleutian
Islands where winds can exceed
a hundred miles an hour and the
islands rise straight out the seas.
Click here to order.
Borderland
- Sea Kayaking
Croatia
by Jon Bowermaster
A 400 mile kayak
trip through the islands of the Adriatic Sea from Zadar
to Dubrovnik along the coast of Croatia, home to one
of the largest archipelagos in the Mediterranean.
Click here to order.
Additional
reading about paddling
in the Aleutians,
please read the article "Islands
of Four Mountains" by Stan
Chladek in Sea Kayaker magazine,
June 2007.
Click here to order.
Winners
of the 2007 Reader
Survey
Congratulations and thank
you for participating in our
survey!
Mark
M. - Florida
|
Frank
A. - New Jersey |
Chris
P. - Austrailia |
Nanette
O. - Utah |
Emma
H. - Pennsylvania |
Willem
V. - Belgium |
Ed
B. - Missouri |
Robert
S. - New York |
Roger
H. - New York |
Valerie
L. - Canada |
Norm
N. - Washington |
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Stop
by and say hello!
Sea
Kayaker magazine
will be attending
the West
Coast Sea Kayak Symposium
September
14-16, 2007 in Port Townsend,
WA.
For
show contact information
and to see a complete
calendar of events-
Click here.
Online
Sweepstakes!
Sea
Kayaker Magazine - Are you a subscriber?
Published bi-monthly, bringing you product reviews, techniques, safety
articles, destinations, and more!
Click
here to subscribe!
Searching
for a missing issue or a specific
article? Choose the Articles/Article
Index menu on the Sea Kayaker
web site and search by key words.
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From
the Advertising Department
Selecting
a Guided Sea Kayak Tour in
Baja
California Sur, Mexico
Many
of the sea kayak tour operators in
the southern half of Mexico’s
Baja peninsula are based in Loreto
or La Paz, coastal communities on the
Sea of Cortez side of the peninsula. Most
of the tours visit uninhabited islands
and coastlines near those two starting
points. No multi-day tours go out of
Cabo San Lucas because there are no
nearby islands to paddle to and the
sea is much more exposed there.
Loreto & La Paz comparison
Loreto is a sleepy Mexican fishing village
about 8 hours by car from Cabo San
Lucas. It was the original capital
of the peninsula until 1828 when
a hurricane leveled the town and
the capital was permanently moved
to La Paz. La Paz, a city of 280,000,
is the main ferry terminus to mainland
Mexico, and is located approximately
half way between Loreto and Cabo
San Lucas.
Loreto has limited flights arriving daily from
Los Angeles or San Diego on Alaska, Delta and Aero
Mexico airlines. La Paz has more options for flights
on those airlines and others. Loreto is a 2-day
drive south from San Diego, California, USA. Some
guests fly into Cabo San Lucas to take advantage
of cheap flights, and then take an air-conditioned
bus to either Loreto or La Paz at a fraction of
the cost.
Sea
Kayaker Magazine, Independently
owned and operated since 1984
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