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Feature
Japan Needs Our Help
By Christopher Cunningham
Editor
We were relieved to hear that our friend Eiichi Ito was not harmed by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan. Eiichi did the artwork for our August 2001 cover and is the
President of Qajaq JPN, a group of Greenland-style kayakers in Japan. Eiichi reports that a number of his friends and fellow kayakers have lost everything. Qajaq JPN is collecting donations to aid in the relief efforts. The American Red Cross is also collecting funds specifically for Japan as well as for other nations in need.
The scope of the damage in Japan is beyond comprehension and the recovery will require the best efforts of the global community. In the midst of writing this I pulled out my credit card and in less than a minute made a donation through the American Red Cross website. I hope you’ll do the same.
A Survey of Sea Kayak Training and Assessment Organizations
There are a number of organizations offering training and certification. Among those in North America we have the American Canoe Association (ACA), the British Canoe Union (BCU) and Paddle Canada (PC, formerly the Canadian Recreational Canoeing Association). We’d like to know if you’re involved with such an organization—please take a moment to fill out the short survey.
Click here to take the survey
In Memory of Superwoman: Ellen DeBondt
By Laurel Menoche
If your nerves were getting the better of you while approaching rapids, everyone knew the trick: Follow Ellen. Ellen’s ability, her athleticism, was something to behold. From white water kayaking, mountain biking, sea kayaking, stand-up-paddle boarding or running Ellen was ahead of the pack. She earned the nick name “Momma duck” because she instilled the confidence needed by so many to continue down the river or through the surf. Her quick glance and warm smile said: “You’re doing great, you’ll do fine, it’s not as bad as it looks.”
Ellen was born to be in and on the water, and she truly loved the ocean.
Click here to read more.
Another Day at the Office
By Christopher Cunningham
Editor
When there’s a winter storm blowing while I’m at the office I keep an eye on a website that graphs the air temperature, the barometric pressure and the wind speed at West Point. The point juts about 1.5 nautical miles into Puget Sound. I can’t see the point from the office but I have a view of a patch of Puget Sound that gets a stripe of light green when the southwesterlies scour the sand and clay from the bluffs and beaches on the south side of the point. If there are any boats out I take a look through the binoculars to gauge the size of the waves. Eventually the siren call of surfable wind waves pulls me away from the computer screen. In twenty minutes I can be in my drysuit and ready to launch. Click here to read more.
Sea Kayaker Store
April 2011 Issue
Nova Scotia’s Atlantic Coast: In the Heart of the Maritimes by Scott Cunningham
Aleutian Expedition: The Andreanof Islands by Stanislov Chladek
Ride ‘Em Cowboy: Making Your Scramble Recovery More than a Pool Trick by Roger Schumann
A Whole New World: Kayaking as Therapy for Kids by James Tibensky and Andrea Knepper
Gear Review: Klip-n-Go Kayak Strap
Review by Joel McNamara
Kayak Reviews:
Delphin 155 by P&H Custom Sea Kayaks
Xcite by Tiderace Sea Kayaks
This issue is currently available on the newsstands or from Sea Kayaker in print or digital (PDF).
June 2011 Issue soon to be released!
A Remembrance: Traditional Kayak Historian, John Brand by Harvey Golden
Beaches, Bridges, and Backwaters: Paddling Bridgeport, Connecticut by Carol A. Mihelik
Circumnavigation: Around Great Britain in 80 Days by Marcus Demuth with Joe Glickman
Technique: Surfing Ocean Waves with Touring Kayaks by Gregg Berman
Gear Review: Modern Paddles with Old-Fashioned Wood:
Just Another Pretty Face?
Review by Roger Schumann
Essay: One Plus One Equals Three by Terry Harper
Kayak Reviews:
Infinity by Current Designs
Xplore by Tiderace Sea Kayaks
Do-it-Yourself Kayak Books on SALE
If the snow in your area is still a long way from melting, consider building a kayak. All of our do-it-yourself kayak books are 20% off in April. Whether you choose a skin-on frame, a strip-built or a stitch-and–glue plywood kayak, the experience of building your own kayak can be life changing.
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BK64 Kayaks You Can Build by Ted Moores and Greg Rossel, was $35.00, now $28.00! This book enables the first-time builder to assemble a kayak with truly professional results. |
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BK55 Building the Greenland Kayak by Christopher Cunningham, was $19.95, now $15.96! Christopher Cunningham, Sea Kayaker magazine editor, has been building boats since 1979 and provides plenty of tips and pointers to help you build a kayak that is strong, flexible, and perfectly scaled to your dimensions.
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BK37 KayakCraft: Fine Woodstrip Kayak Construction by Ted Moores, was $19.95, now $15.96! This book on woodstrip kayak construction includes designs for the 17' Endeavour, and lines and offsets for a 14' sport kayak, a 16' 6" touring kayak, and a 20' 6" tandem kayak. |
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BK45 The New Kayak Shop by Chris Kulczycki, was $21.95, now $17.56! The new edition includes complete plans for three new kayak designs (The Chesapeake 16, West River 180 and the Severn), with instructions on making and installing a retractable skeg
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BK19 The Strip-Built Sea Kayak by Nick Schade, was $19.95, now $15.96! At 200 pages it is richly illustrated with photographs and drawings, making each step of building clear and understandable. The book also details the making of a number of accessories including a lightweight paddle. |
Visit Seakayakermag.com/Online Store to order subscriptions, books, DVDS and other products online. Or order by phone 206.789.9536; fax 206.781.1141 or mail to PO Box 17029, Seattle, WA 98127 (Email orders not accepted)
More Info
Don’t miss out!
Take the 2011-2013 Sea Kayaker Magazine
Readers Choice Awards Survey
Have you taken our Readers Choice Awards Survey yet? Complete the online survey and enter to win the prize. And what a prize!
A Kokatat GORE-TEX® Meridian Dry Suit and
Kokatat PFD of your choice
for you and your paddling partner —
2 dry suits and 2 PFDs Total!
The survey can be found on our website. The code required to open the survey is published in  the Readers Choice Awards ad in Sea Kayaker magazine. We ask that only readers of the magazine fill out the survey. Circulating the code without the magazine is prohibited and survey entries submitted as a result will be disqualified.
We only ask that you get the code from the magazine whether you subscribe to it, buy it at a newsstand or borrow it from a friend or library. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping the selection process fair.
The Readers Choice Awards will be presented on June 25, 2011 at a special ceremony here in Seattle, Washington at the Northwest Paddling Festival, a new event co-presented by Sea Kayaker magazine.
Canoecopia Paddle Winner!
Sea Kayaker magazine and Werner Paddles teamed up at the Canoecopia Paddlesport Exposition in Madison, WI March 11th through 13th. The folks at Rutabaga showed us once again that they can  produce a great crowd! We had a constant flow of people, many of them loyal Sea Kayaker readers, coming by our booth to introduce themselves and grab a free copy of the magazine.
Werner Paddles gave away a custom-fit, carbon-fiber Werner paddle to the winner of Sea Kayaker’s drawing. The lucky paddler was Steve Johnson of Woodstock, IL, pictured here with Brian Good of Werner Paddles. CONGRATULATIONS to Steve and a huge THANK YOU to Werner Paddles for partnering with us on this promotion.
Heel Hook Self- Rescue - VIDEO
Christine Burris’s article worked very well for one of our subscribers. Kathi Morrison was looking for a technique that would make reentries easier. The heel-hook turned out to be the ticket. “Last year I mastered the assisted rescue heal hook method. This year my goal was to do a self rescue and thought it would take all year with weight training and the like and/or learning the re-entry and roll. Well, February's Sea Kayaker published a three pager on this heal-hook self rescue. I popped in the very first time! Then I thought it was a fluke, so the next day I did four heel-hook reentries, all successful. I hadn't started the weight training. That's what's so cool about it. No special training, just the desire to try it is required. It's liberating. I never knew how much it meant until I set the goal. Trust me anyone can do it if I can.” The video taken by Kathi’s husband Chris shows how well the heel hook works.
Click here to watch!
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Sea Kayaker magazine, independently owned and operated since 1984
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