Wavelength Magazine's Blog

Arthur Vollmer, one month shy of his 80th birthday, looks forward to greeting paddlers at the Halifax International Boat Show and share his passion for Klepper folding kayaks. ‘King’ Arthur as he jokingly refers to himself first paddled a Klepper folding kayak with his parents on the River Rhine in Germany when he was five years old… and he has been paddling ever since.

Arthur and his wife Maria invite you to drop by booth 318 to learn more about Klepper folding kayaks and listen to captivating stories of a lifetime of kayak adventures. The couple paddles their 57 year-old Klepper and the passion for Klepper folding kayaks passed on to Arthur by his parents, has been transmitted to their son Ingo. Arthur and Maria work with Ingo, a professional underwater photographer and Klepper Folding Kayak dealer, at Marlin Marine in West Arichat, Cape Breton.

The Halifax International Boat show will be held from February 18 to 21, 2010. Visit www.klepper.ca and the News page for a link to a discount entry coupon for the Halifax International Boat Show at Exhibition Park and details on other Klepper showings across the country – February is Klepper Month in Canada with shows in Halifax, Toronto, Calgary and Red Deer.

Valley Sea Kayaks is giving  away a kayaking DVD with every purchase this year. This from Rob Avery in Washington State:

All new Valley composite sea kayaks purchased for the 2010 season will include a free full length copy of Gordon Brown’s DVD “Sea Kayak with Gordon Brown”.  That’s 90 minutes of pure kayaking!

“Sea Kayak With Gordon Brown” offers a unique combination of enthralling videography combined with practical instructional content, all shot around the dramatic Isle of Skye in Scotland where Gordon is based.  No, this Gordon is not the UK Prime Minister, but perhaps should be the Prime Minister of sea kayaking!

Whether a newcomer to the sport or a seasoned paddler, your customers will find this DVD both informational and entertaining. It is undoubtedly the most exciting sea-kayaking DVD release of 2010 and Valley is very proud to be associated with it. 

More information and a trailer can be found at:

http://www.valleyseakayaks.com/content/pages/valley-news

And yes, the Valley website is back and better than ever!

Additional non-promotional copies can be ordered from me at my Active Paddles distribution business.  This DVD retails for $29.95 plus S&H.  I will also be offering the Presda Press books in addition to the Wild Coast/Wavelength Maps for one-stop shopping for my dealer network.  I will be sending you more information from Active Paddles as the new lines come on-board.

The Mountain Equipment Co-op Paddlefests are growing as a way for the paddlesports community to learn skills and view a wide range of products and services. Though corporate, it is an inclusive event that welcomes anyone associated with the paddlesports industry to take part.  The day features learning opportunities on water and on land. Paddlers of all skill levels welcome.

The unknown is exactly when all the paddlefests will be. We’ll update this post as information comes forward.

Victoria                       TBD                          Cadboro Bay
Vancouver                TBD                            Jericho Beach
Calgary                      TBD                             Carburn Park
Edmonton                 TBD                            Rundle Park Paddling Centre
Toronto                      TBD                            Sunnyside Park
Ottawa                        TBD                            Mooney’s Bay Park
Montreal                    TBD                           Le Parc de la Riviere des Milles Iles in Laval, PQ
Quebec                      TBD                             Baie de Beauport, Quebec
Halifax                       TBD                            Lake Banook

There may be a hole in the paddlesports community this year as the West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium is on hold pending host Trade Association of Paddlesports’ attempt to find a new management organization. Saddled with debt, falling interest and hurdles with the host location, Fort Warden, TAPS is hoping to spin off the annual event onto someone else’s shoulders.

The odds of that seem slim. If the WCSKS does fold, it will leave a significant hole in the paddlesports community in the Pacific Northwest.

Coast Mountain Expeditions/Discovery Lodge B&B is hosting the first-ever tidal rapids kayaking festival at Surge Narrows on the new moon, June 12-13, 2010.

Surge Narrows is lesser known than its nearby counterpart, Skookumchuck Rapids, but is an amazing place for both flatwater and whitewater kayaking that can include the Okisollo standing wave (8 km up-channel).

The festival is an opportunity for sea kayakers to share and learn, challenge skills, play and laugh – all in the extraordinary natural beauty of this dynamic location.

Expert paddlers will offer practical advice in short courses on a range of skills for paddling in moving water: from bracing, eddying and basic boat handling; to rolling, surfing, rough-water rescues and more.

Just-for-fun challenge activities will include races both with and against the current, relay events and competitions for best (and maybe worst) technique/style in kayak surfing and rolling and other somewhat-measurable skills.

For those less motivated by moving water, basic skills clinics and Surge Narrows Marine Park tours at slack tides are also on the list of possibilities. Details are still evolving.

Preliminary plans include camping at the Surge Narrows community field on Read Island. One registration fee will cover meals and all kayaking events, including Saturday evening activities at the Community Hall.

Please contact West Coast Expeditions if you have ideas, energy for helping, or if you’re interested in participating.

Paddlefest 2010, Canada’s premier West Coast paddlesports event, takes place May 15 & 16, 2010, with the apt theme ‘Family Paddling.’

Wavelength Magazine is thrilled with the chosen topic, as the theme mirrors that of the Spring 2010 issue, which is dedicated to exploring how to best bring a new generation of kayakers into paddlesports.

The Paddlefest will be held at Transfer Beach Ladysmith and feature a vendor/trade show, workshops and demos. Paddlefest is an opportunity to get together with colleagues and business associates in the paddlesports industry to display products and/or services to a focused market of consumers.

Wavelength Magazine will have a booth the entire weekend. Be sure to drop by.

A new free-distribution kayaking magazine should be available this spring in Northern California.

Kayaker Peter Donohue is launching California Kayaker Magazine (http://www.calkayakermag.com). Plans are to publish it quarterly on glossy stock.  Content will be varied, with a focus on touring and sea kayaks, but also including other aspects such as whitewater, surf, racing, etc.

The first issue is planned for April. Best of luck to Peter with his plans.

I was having an email discussion this morning with a friend who raised a red flag that perhaps too much attention is put on kayaking skills and not enough on anticipating conditions, in the larger scheme of this, is a better safety skill than being a better paddler. And whereas clubs and courses focus on skills, said friend pointed out he couldn’t find a single course talking about risk avoidance through weather skills.

Nick Castro to the rescue in another email that ironically came the same day.  Here’s the synopsis of a course he’s offering through his company Active Sea Kayaking:

Sign up for an exciting day dedicated to Marine Weather in relation to sea kayaking around the Canadian West Coast, with Vancouver Island as a focus. Our speaker, Hamish Murray is a Professional Marine Weather Forecaster for Environment Canada and a kayaker as well. He teaches meteorology courses across the country. The day will be divided in two parts:

Morning Session 9 to 12am:

A basic introduction to weather, covering vocabulary, the forecast information we are looking for, the relevant things to note down. The last hour will be open for questions to keep things interactive and personal.

Afternoon Session 1 to 4pm:

We will cover more advanced weather related subjects such as Weather systems and fronts, weather data maps, long range forecasting… and the last hour will be left open for questions.

Weather forecasting is one of the most elusive skills sea kayakers have to develop and this is a chance to talk and ask questions to a Forecaster from Environment Canada.

Whether you are starting out or looking for Advanced tips, I think you will get something out of the day…

The seminar is brought to you by Active Sea Kayaking. Contact us to pre-register and receive a PDF copy of Environment Canada’s Marine Weather Guide.

Cost: $50

Location: Victoria, BC

Date: Sunday, February 7th, 2010

Time: 9am-4pm

Phone: 250 507-8877 Email: nick@activeseakayaking.ca

Photographer Michael Powers and friend Lars Howlett traveled to the Himalayas recently, with the result a show of photography at the Enso Gallery at Half Moon Bay, CA. Here’s the show description from Michael, whose work graced the cover of Wavelength Magazine twice last year:

From hundreds of images gathered by Lars Howlett & myself on our recent Himalaya expedition, along with a few of mine from a previous Nepal trek in ‘98, some 50 carefully selected photographs have now been transformed into fine archival prints, created especially for this exhibit by digital printing master Roy Smith. Some were chosen because we felt they provided poignant glimpses, frozen in time, of the unique culture, survival skills & the poignant spirituality of the legendary Sherpa mountain guides, nomadic Tibetan traders, mystical monks  & other remarkable individuals we encountered up there among the highest mountains in the world; other images seemed to capture the life-transforming experiences of our twelve fellow expedition members & ourselves, as we trekked for 13 days at high altitude & came face-to-face with the awe-inspiring majesty & transcendent power of the great Himalayas.

The opening is Jan. 9, with a slideshow Sunday, Jan. 24 at 5 pm. For those interested in reading a bit more about the trip, here are some links to a series of Half Moon Bay Review articles:

Article 1 : Preparation for the Nepal 09 expedition by trip organizers Karma Lama and Michael Powers
http://www.hmbreview.com/articles/2009/10/28/news/doc4ae8643d5c19d940114167.txt

Article 2 : Expedition members trek to 12,900′ Tengboche Monastery to participate in the Mani Rimdu festival and experience the rich spiritual traditions of the Himalayas first hand
http://www.hmbreview.com/articles/2009/11/25/news/doc4b0d679a7593e578643673.txt

Article 3 : The pinnacle of 13 days of trekking at high altitude was reaching the summit of 18,190′ Kala Patthar for a close-up perspective of the highest place on earth, 29,028′ Mt. Everest http://www.hmbreview.com/articles/2009/12/04/news/doc4b16ac7d194a0932695302.txt

Klepper is launching a major contest in Canada. To thank Canadians for their continued support and to celebrate 103 years of innovation, Klepper Folding Kayaks will give away one Aerius Classic II + 545 tandem folding kayak to a lucky Canadian winner in 2010.

The Aerius Classic II + 545 tandem is part of the newest line of products from Klepper Folding Kayaks designed to meet the modern paddler’s needs. “Paddlers are getting taller,” explains Gerhard Schedel from the Klepper head office and manufacturing facility in Rosenheim Germany, “so we stretched our most popular folding kayak, the Aerius II 520 and created the Aerius II + 545. The extra 25cm provides more leg room or can even accommodate an extra seat for a child”. This model has quickly become the top seller in Europe and in North America.

The ‘Win a Klepper Folding Kayak’ Contest opens on January 1, 2010 and will be running until June 1. On July 1, 2010, the Klepper Folding Kayaks Agents in Canada will draw the winner’s name for an Aerius Classic II + 545 tandem folding kayak package that includes a Isar paddles, a spraycover, a rudder, carrying bags and years of fun and adventure! The contest ballot, complete contest rules and restrictions and information on Klepper Folding Kayaks products are available on the Klepper Folding Kayaks in Canada website, www.klepper.ca.