| A-B | C-F | G-I | J-K | L | M | N-Q | R | S | T | U-Z |
a) NAME:
James, Steve and Sheri
b) CONTACT:
- sljamesBOASpacifierDOTcom : may change
- Vancouver ,Wa
e) SPECIAL INTERESTS:
Anything outdoors: Camping, fishing, sitting watching the
world, beaches,lakes, open campfires, cup of coffee and good friends
g) STRONG OPINIONS:
Steve keep's his opinions close and I don't- tho he probably wishes I would.
h) MOST INTERESTING KAYAK TRIP:
none yet, however everyone that we take is interesting
Bio-
married for 61/2 years, been together 13 yrs., we have 4 teenagers, all
love the outdoors, 2 are ok, 2 are braindead, and 1 of those may find the
outdoors sooner than he thinks.As for the adults- we like everything
outdoors:-)
a) NAME:
Jennings, Will
b) CONTACT:
WillBOASBigWoodenRadioDOTcom
c) KAYAKS OWNED:
NDK Romany
d) SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE:
Backpacking, gear, travel.
e) BIO:
I'm a forty-something writer who makes his living teaching at
The University of Iowa and by playing music in an acoustic-Americana-roots band.
I had a fair amount of Class II and III river experience in my past,
though this was in Boy Scout issue aluminum canoes! Made a few multi
week paddles in the BWAC, then shifted to land-based backcountry travels.
I'm fairly well versed in backpacking, leave no trace, wilderness first
aid, group process & decision-making skills. I am new to kayaks and the
Paddlewise community, soaking up what I can by lurking & listening, and
taking progressively challenging courses. I try to paddle locally on
reservoirs, lakes, etc. three times a week when schedules and weather
permit (not during lightening storms or when ice takes over the water's
surface!). I love self-propelled transport, and have thoroughly enjoyed
meeting many wonderful yakkers...on line and on the water. I'd move to
Maine in a heartbeat....
a) NAME:
Johnson, Andy
b) CONTACT:
- email: carljohnBOASuscDOTedu
- IPR Web Site http://www.usc.edu/go/ipr/
Anderson Johnson, Ph.D.
Sidney Garfield Professor of Preventive Medicine and
Director, Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research
University of Southern California
1540 Alcazar Street
Los Angeles, CA 90033
26th May 2002 - Kenneth Johnson
a) NAME:
Johnson, Kenneth (Ken)
b) CONTACT:
johnsonkwBOASearthlinkDOTnet Corpus Christi,
c) KAYAKS:
Mayan Seas "Performa", Dagger "Meridian SK", and KayakSport "Vivian" now; in the past...Dagger "Sitka", Current Design "Solstice", Seda "Glider" and Wilderness Systems "Sealution".
Paddles:
Epic carbon ultralite Wayfarer, Lightning Ultralight, and Werner Quest.
e) SPECIAL INTERESTS:
Kayak trips: Pacific between Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta, Scammons Lagoon
to watch whales in Baja, Isle Royale, Georgian Bay, Apostle Islands, Pictured
Rocks MI, Les Cheneaux islands in Lake Huron, islands offshore Mississippi,
Florida, Georgia, and N and S Carolina; Florida Everglades and Keys, Olympic
Penninsula, and misc. spots along west coast.
h) MOST INTERESTING KAYAK TRIP:
Cumberland Island and getting attacked by a Marco Sharke
(see http://www.jacksonville.net/~dldecker/tooth.htm )
Trip pictures at http://community.webshots.com/user/johnsonkw1
Bio:
I am 67, retired early (1992) moving from Chicago to Corpus Christi with
the sole purpose of kayaking. Looked at Costa Rica, Mexico, and S. Texas for
some place warm, on the water with good kayaking, and cheap to live. Corpus
Christi won out. Saw my first kayak at Chicagoland Canoe Base in 1990; a
Current Design Solstice, red deck, cream hull, hanging from ceiling over cash
register. It was love at first sight and I bought it on the spot. Lived in a
condo on Lakeshore Drive so they kept it for me while I figured out where to put
the kayak. Would have been in my living room, but it wouldn't fit in the
elevator and my window was 28 stories up! Finally arranged to hang it from a
heating pipe over my parking spot in the basement garage. Learned to kayak on
Lake Michigan. First trip with with U of Minnesota school of kayaking, through
the Apostle Islands. Then hit kayak symposiums at Bayfield WI, Grand Haven and
Grand Marais MI, Port Townsend WA, Charleston SC, and Tampa/St Pete FLA. Also
paddled with Ed Gillet down to Scammons Lagoon in Baja Mexico to migrating grey
whales. I try to limit my time indoors to an absolute minimum and paddle almost
every day. Have been fortunate to have many people take up my offer to show
them the paddle sights of Corpus Christi (see description of Corpus Christi
paddling sights on GASP at http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/ under "destinations").
Enjoy meeting and paddling with new kayakers; great group of people! Enjoy
paddlewise discussions, but have not spent much time on the computer. This
who-are-we thread has been the exception. Hope some of you will take up my offer
to visit Corpus Christi. Great kayaking year around. Ken
From:
Jones, Andrew
Kingfisher Wilderness Adventures Ltd {kingfshrBOASidmailDOTcom}
Hello, I started receiving this list late last year and have enjoyed it considerably. I have learned a few things and have had a good laugh a few times I started paddling about 15 years ago thanks to my brother-in-law in New Brunswick and really started paddling with a vengeance when I moved from the Prairies to British Columbia about 8 years ago. I live about 2 minutes from a nice day paddle destination and manage to paddle my Current Designs Solstice Gt year round. What I really enjoy though are multi-day trips and have managed to paddle a good deal of the BC coast on trips ranging from 2 to 10 days, sometimes with a small group of friends and often solo ( foolish enough to paddle alone but smart enough to know when to sit on the beach for days at a time if necessary). This past year I also managed to get in a few canoe trips ( really enjoyed the Bowron Lakes ), and will be looking at adding a canoe to my list of toys this year. In my spare time I have begun to volunteer at the Vancouver Aquarium where I work with school kids learning about marine inverterbrates and marine mammals. This is also a big year for me as I have just quit my job of 12 years and have begun my own kayak tour company, giving me a chance to do a number of things I enjoy. Paddling, being in the wilderness, teaching people new skills and passing along my enthusiasm for wilderness to others. Looking forward to more great posts Andrew Jones
Kingfisher Wilderness Adventures Ltd.
Suite 211 - 1641 Lonsdale Ave.
North Vancouver, BC, Canada
V7M 2J5
Ph. 604-831-6180
e-mail: kingfshrBOASidmailDOTcom http://www.kingfisher-adventures.com
From:
- Jorgenson, Mike
- JorgieJBOASaolDOTcom
- Seattle, WA, USA
Kayaks:
3-Pygmy GoldenEye, Coho and Osprey Double
Interests:
rec. paddling and camping, solo and with family
Strong opinions:
No regulations
Most Interesting Trip:
Paddling BC, Canada coast and inland waters
a) NAME:
Joyce, Tom
b) CONTACT:
E-mail: tfjBOASinteraccessDOTcom
d) SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE:
World-class fingerless whistle perfected on 4 kids and dog.
e) STRONG OPINIONS:
You don't want to go there.
f) MOST INTERESTING KAYAK TRIP
The next one I'm planning (location X in Lake Huron: May 2000).
BIO:
46, tax lawyer, married 22 years, 4 kids; also like many outdoor
activities. Live in Chicago Illinois and enjoy paddling on Lake Michigan.
a) NAME:
Kenney, Kevin
I'm Kevin Kenney, 36 father two two great girls. I am a CDR in the Navy and currently stationed in Rhode Island (great paddling on the Naragansett) but we'll be moving to Jacksonville FL in about 3 weeks. (any gouge on the area would be appreciated) My callsign is Sluf (short little ugly fellow-- What, you expected everybody got cool callsigns like Maverick and Ice?) I am a Navy Helo pilot by trade, also a Test Pilot, so I've flown lots of stuff from F-18's to 707's, and as I've said in other posts, I have plenty of SAR experience too. I am primarily a day paddler, with my longest trips being weekends in Baja Mexico. Been paddling since '94, but I'm still very much a novice (I can manage a Pawlata roll on a good day : ) I am secretly getting my wife involved by letting her paddle whenever she wants to, and by bringing the girls along whenever I can. Since I live on the water I commute to work by Kayak 3-4 days a week (Yes I know, life's rough) and hope to continue the trend in FL when I get there. I paddle a WS Sealution II XS and I like it a lot. I am currently in the market for a K-light (Hint Hint) as my time aboard ship means I can't bring a stiffy along with me. I have been paddling in places such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Australia and the Persian Gulf (not recommended). I'm sure I'm missing stuff, but that ought to give everyone a flavor for who I am.
Regards to all,
Sluf
a) NAME:
Key, Danial
b) CONTACT:
- dthemanBOASuDOTwashingtonDOTedu
- University of Washington, Seattle
f) SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE:
Composite material properties and construction
Naval architecture (stability, drag, etc.)
g) STRONG OPINIONS:
Do what makes you happy. I have Euro, Wing and Greenland paddles; boats with
and without rudders and I have experienced both sides of most arguments I
have seen. Each situation and personality calls for something different.
h) MOST INTERESTING KAYAK TRIP:
1. Straight of Juan De Fuca from Sequim to Protection Island. Big birds,
Big waves and Big Mammals (Whales are BIG).
2. First Whitewater Canoe Run: John Day River, OR. Beautiful 3 day run through the gorge and valley. Good weather, good water and great friends.
a) NAME:
Kinderis, Saul
b) CONTACT:
- saulBOASisomediaDOTcom
- Seattle, WA, USA
e) SPECIAL INTERESTS:
Biking, Kayaking, Running, Reading, Hiking, Traveling,
Languages (beyond English), building furniture
g) STRONG OPINIONS:
Work interferes with the important things in life
Outdoors is my preferred environment
h) MOST INTERESTING KAYAK TRIP:
Close tie between three trips - Gulf Islands in Canada; a 1993
10 day trip in Baja with a friend; and a major screw up trip in
the San Juan Islands that got written up in Deep Trouble.
i) Personal Info Single, no children - well maybe - I guess I could be accused of not having grown up yet. ;-) Raised in the greater Seattle area with a few years in Alaska Graduated from Western Washington University up near the Canadian border Heavily involved in Track & Field and running in general in the Pacific NW. Favorite pastimes - biking; kayaking; running; hiking; sailing
Saul Kinderis
- saulBOASisomediaDOTcom
- My new web page is at: http://www.isomedia.com/homes/saul
a) NAME:
Kircus, Marilyn
b) CONTACT:
mkircusBOASyahooDOTcom
c) KAYAKS OWNED:
Eddyline Raven plus a Perception and Seda whitewater kayaks
Paddled ( and wanted):
Foldboat, Eddyline Merlin, Paradigm by Williams Performance Kayaks
Paddled - too many to list
d) SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE:
Finding interesting waterways wherever I find myself
to canoe or kayak, biking, camping, rollerblading, gardening, reading.
Finding paddle buddies on the Internet.
e) SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE:
Computer applications, 3 Instructor Certifications in Canoeing, bird identification.
f) STRONG OPINIONS: About everything.
g) MOST INTERESTING TRIP:
The last one I did. But I did one I called Multi River Madness
when a friend talked me into a multi river trip which I helped turned into a 38 mile day trip on flat water.
Also have had lots of interesting experiences in the Atachfalaya swamp in Louisiana.
h) BIO:
I'm a 65 year old Teacher Technologist at an middle school in Houston, TX. I have been paddling for over
30 years and currently own 4 boats. I know I really need at least one more. I have paddled thousands of miles,
usually 300 or more each year. I love to travel and my best trip so far was a 7 week 11,000 mile odyssey that
included an 8 day solo trip in my Blackhawk Zephyr (solo touring canoe) in Quetico. I paddle year around,
mostly in shorts, and usually have a boat with me when I travel.
I also enjoy taking out people that have never paddled or camped. I use some of my boats for them. I had an outdoor club at a middle school and my start it for 5th graders at my elementary school. I gave them paddling lessons and took them camping for a weekend as well as doing day trips for birding, hiking, and fishing. Occasionally I lead a catered trip (usually for pay) but always for fun. I love sharing my favorite places around Houston, TX with visitors.
Contact me if you are coming this way. mkircusBOASyahooDOTcom
I publish albums of many of my trips on:
http://community.webshots.com/user/mkircus
a) NAME:
Knapp, Andy - Minneapolis, MN, US
b) CONTACT:
AndyTKnappBOAScsDOTcom
c) KAYAKS (Owned or paddled):
Currently have an Eddyline Sea Star and two older touring kayaks, and an
expedition canoe. As a part of the paddlesports industry, I have paddled
many other kayak models, but my future wish list is on hold due to the need
for a new roof and a new furnace, and to the aging condition of my eight-year
old car with 201,000 miles on it.
d) BOAT NAME:
Other than an occasional "C'mon Nellie!", I don't give names to
my boats and bikes.
e) SPECIAL INTERESTS:
Human-powered travel- the joy of motion in the
out-of-doors; I'm at about 124,000 miles and counting. My lifetime goal of
100,000 bicycle miles is now about a year away; 10,000 paddling miles, about
two years away. Photography. History. Current events. Environmental and
population issues.
f) SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE:
I have worked in the outdoor sports industry for 27
years as a retail buyer and as an independent writer. Regular speaker at a
variety of the sea kayak symposiums around the country.
g) STRONG OPINIONS: Who me?
h) MOST INTERESTING TRIP(s):
My always evolving "Top Ten" trip list: Bicycling around Lake Superior (1523
miles on 3-speed bikes) in 1964; Bicycling to Alaska and back from Minnesota,
(7460 miles) in 1967; Bicycling from Wisconsin to Labrador and back via
Washington D.C. (4450 miles) in 1969; Backpacking the Brooks Range divide in
Alaska (502 miles in 55 days with one resupply point) in 1972; Bicycling from
Minneapolis, MN, to Pigeon River, Ontario, (305.2 miles in 23 hours) in 1973;
Budget backpacking ascent of Alaska's Mt. Sanford (16200 ft.) in 1975; Ascent
of Mt. McKinley (20300 ft.) in 1979; Kayak descent of the entire Noatak River in
Alaska's Brooks Range in 1981; Kayak circumnavigation of Lake Superior's Isle
Royale in 1984; Bicycling across Europe from France to Romania (1825 miles) in
1984; Kayak circumnavigation of Glacier Bay from Juneau and back (350 miles) in
1985; North - South kayak crossing of Lake Superior in 1993; and Kayak
circumnavigation of Lake Superior without resupply (1136 miles in 30 days) in
1996.
FEBRUARY's "Who We Are" ENTRY
I don't have e-mail at work, so I find it difficult to keep up with PaddleWise
on a daily basis, but still enjoy chiming in on occasion. This thread makes it
even more obvious that we have an interesting and diverse group.
I have been adventuring since my teen years when I got hooked on bicycle touring, including a trek around Lake Superior, and culminating with a trip to Alaska and back in 1967. That got me in touch with the mountains and the vast wilderness areas, and I went on to bicycle pretty much every dirt road north of 60 Latitude in Alaska and the Yukon. After some years backpacking the Brooks Range, and mountaineering, I started to have to work more seriously for a living, and rediscovered the water environment of my home state.
After destroying one of the earliest Cycolac (ABS) canoes, I got a hold of a Phoenix touring kayak and spent the late 1970's exploring the Boundary Waters. Gradually, I learned that I prefer to paddle rather than walk through the woods with a boat on my head followed by a million I have since paddled about 8600 miles, including 4500 on the Big Lake, but have also returned to Alaska to descend the Noatak River to Kotzebue and paddle the circumference of Glacier Bay from Juneau and back. Several trips to Baja and an almost annual trip to the Everglades or Florida Keys helps to keep the ice off the kayaks.
I have worked in the outdoor equipment industry for 26 years as a buyer for a retail store, and have been editor of an periodic sea kayakers newsletter for the Minnesota-Wisconsin area. I also write a column for Canoe & Kayak magazine, and am on the speakers roster for a number of the paddlesports shows and symposiums, and for that reason, appreciate the many opinions and tidbits of wisdom the I can mine out of the PaddleWise stream.
I too have joined the 50 club, but see no reason to slow down on the outdoor stuff. I still bicycle to work year-round, thanks to studded mountain bike tires and my hand-made anti-salt fenders, but I can tell as time goes on, that paddling is the easiest activity in terms of wear and tear on the old joints. Keep at it!
Regards, Andy Knapp
Minneapolis
23rd October 2002 - Larry Koenig
a) NAME: Koenig, Larry
b) CONTACT:
- gystBOAScoxDOTnet
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
While it may be appropriate to have a quiver of boats to choose from depending on what kind of conditions and type of paddling one's about at the time, the discerning reader may note some redundancy here. ( My wife certainly has.) Despite my new self designation as a "collector", 4 rigid solo cruising boats is, I agree, a bit much and so I'm planning on selling a couple any day now. :~)
d) RADIO specs:
WUS 4099 licensed to "Ibinghy the Pelican" (a now defunct Nimbus Puffin)
e) SPECIAL INTERESTS:
Growing of orchids, gingers, and aroids. The Gulf of
Mexico, its paddling, history, biology etc. So called "World Music" - mainly
reggae and Caribbean music. Amateur astronomy. Language.
f) SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE
Emergency medicine
g) STRONG OPINIONS:
None that I'm unwilling to reconsider
h) MOST INTERESTING KAYAK TRIP
That'd probably have to be a week of white water
on the Rio Jatate during extremely high water in the Lacandon rain forest of
Chiapas at a time when the Zapatistas were cutting up. It made transport off
water very interesting too.
BIO:
I'm 45, delightfully married to a non paddler, father of a boy, 24 and a
girl, 21 (who paddles), an ER doctor in a small Cajun town on Bayou Teche and
an avid user of the Mississippi River ( as my default paddling destination).
Paddling boats came into my life in a big way when I was a med student,
influenced my choice of residency programs (Portland OR) and has been my chief
source of escape, exercise and exploration of the world ever since. My focus has
shifted during that time from running rivers to going fast on flat water to
cruising open water. I'm always honing technical skills. The Gulf of Mexico is
now my playground.
FEBRUARY's "Who We Are" ENTRY
Named Larry Koenig, I'm a 45 y/o from Baton Rouge, LA who has recently
discovered this list. I snuck out one afternoon in 1979 during my 3rd year of
med school (while my wife napped) and bought a Grumman shoe keel 17 footer and
have had a love affair with the water ever since. A flood on Cross Bayou in
Shreveport took that first boat (and darn near drowned my foolish hypothermic
ass) but I replaced it (the boat) with a MR Explorer. I, like all paddlers I
knew at the time, craved the thrills of whitewater and so moved to Oregon for
ER residency. Still somehow feeling invincible and anxious to play hard I took
my open canoe out into the Pacific that first summer and through the surf at
Pirates Cove only to dump, flounder and ( long story short) wash up, wind
driven, hypothermic and certifiably foolish on the beach 5 miles south at
Manzanita from where, after a night in the ICU, I emerged with a proper fear of
the ocean. Compelled to return (kicking and screaming) 3 years later to
Louisiana by the National Health Service Corp I bought a Jenson C1W as a
consolation prize for cruising the bayous and commenced to learn to cruise. In
my last month in Oregon I was led by the princes of Serendip to REI wherein I
first saw a sea kayak - a sexy looking Current Designs boat. Suddenly
Louisiana with its miles of warm coastline didn't look so bleak. In Baton
Rouge since 84, I spent three years racing around in solo canoes (an Advantage
XL and later J-180) before, enamored by speed, I traded a Black Buck paddle for
an old Olympic flatwater kayak in which I learned to brace and go. I knew of
no Gulf of Mexico kayakers at that time so bought my first sea kayak for safety
- I was, of necessity, a solo paddler. That Nimbus Puffin took me all over the
Northern Gulf. Later, I paddled a Necky Arluk 1 (still in love with that
speed) until one day when I noticed my daughter in a Seda Impulse blithely
paddling in a strong crosswind on Lake Ponchartrain without her rudder while I,
battling weathercocking in the "faster" boat, couldn't keep up without using the
rudder. Since rudders had thrice failed on me (once in a critical situation and
always because of unexpected breaking waves) I knew that dependence on them was
unsafe and so have been paddling boats without them for some time. The current
quiver of boats includes: a solo and a tandem cruising canoes, a Dagger
Response, an Orion OF boat built by Wenonah, the Arluk 1, a Seda Impulse of my
own (plus storage of my daughter's), a rare original style Nautiraid
Greenlander, an original Aleut Sea 2 made by Pure Perfection Custom in Wales,
P&H Sirius, Foster Rowe Silhouette and, a Findeisen X surf ski. In order to
justify having all these boats ( in which you might note there is a trace of
redundancy [but don't tell my wife]) I've begun to think of myself as a
paddler/collector. My living room ceiling is as full as my garage. These
days I paddle 3-4 days a week in the Mississippi River which, here in BR, I have
all to myself. With a little bit of luck, in 2 years I'll drop back to part
time ER work and spend even more time on the water.
a. NAME:
Kohut, Christopher R. (....the R. is for Robin, if you
really must know)
b. CONTACT:
- chriskayakBOASearthlinkDOTnet
- My domicile is in Savannah, JAW-juh
INTERESTS:
Aqueous Velocity. Reef aquaria. Ellie. My kids.
My grandkids (don't get me started)....boat building.....books on
Civil War history...("it was more about shovelry than chivalry "--Shelby
Foote) Theology.(can I get a witness??!) Ellie, (did I already mention her?)
d. SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE:
working on it. (Say, did you hear
about the frustrated student of Zen who walked up to the hot-dog vendor in
NY city? " How 'bout making me one with everything?" )
e. Strong opinions: .....who ....Me???
f. Most interesting trip:
A rather tame moonlight paddle with the pod in
Savannah, up the Vernor river into tide swollen irrigation streams, from
thence to flooded ancestral rice paddies, the way the shadows of the
spanish moss laden live oaks played with the moonlight, the whole scene
looked like something out of a Tolkien novel. Sharp eye out for orks.
g. BIO:
married coming onto 25 years....4 kids (2 of our own, two who
followed us home in California.....".can we keep Them....pleeeeeze?")
Aged 22, 21, 12, 10!
Wife, Ellie.(don't get me started!....she's a good paddler too!)
I keep body and soul together by fixing cigarette burns at car dealerships.
And leather. Yuppies must have perfect leather in their Range Rovers.
(must'nt forget that).
Did a 6 year stint pastoring in California......(thank you sweet Jesus
for deliverance!) Rode two churches down in flames and kept my family,
...... and sanity (mostly). ......developed a taste for mutton though.
Two grandkids (oh man....is this gettin' good now!)
That's enough for now.
FEBRUARY's "Who We Are" ENTRY
.....while I obviously cannot compete with luminaries such as Dr. Iverbon,
et.al, permit me to introduce myself as well, and give a bit of my paddling
pedigree. Dr. Iverbon brought to mind a Geographic article and photo essay on
Peary which included a bevy of comely Inuit maidens, linked shoulder to
shoulder, grinning, in what could only be described as a kick-line formation,
often seen in arctic ceremonies, no doubt. The wry caption of the group of
photographs was ..........."ethnological studies".) But that was ZEN.....this
is now.
I was but a lad of 10 back in 1963 when I began the process in earnest, of wheedling and haranguing my tin-banger- union- man father for a kayak. As one might have guessed, the options were somewhat limited at the time.....one couldn't just simply pop down to the local kayak outfitter and select one from off the peg, quite a different prospect from the happy scenario today. (Some kid named Georgie Dyson in Princeton N.J. a few miles away, I learned late in life, was making his first skin boat in the living room of his parents house, at the same time, and I have absolutely no question that his career was launched by artistic espionage, somehow watching my Dad and I put together our aluminum and skin, albeit not baidarka, kayak.) But I digress.........
Dad had a friend with a low temp elder weld up some thin-wall conduit into a double-ended shape of his own design (that Hungarian could do anything he set his hand to), and he and I sewed a canvas skin on and glassed all but the deck. Spray skirts were unnecessary as a coaming occurred to no one in the fabrication. The only store bought item was a take-apart wooden double bladed paddle. (No, we didn't grow our own canvas and fiberglass). We launched on the Millstone River of central N.J. about a quarter mile downstream from the Griggstown bridge (across from my house). That was the last time I appeared that summer at the family table for regular meals. There was entirely too much interesting stuff that would wash up in the eddies of the frequent log jams on the Millstone, and entirely too many painted turtles to be caught. That part of New Jersey was all dairy farms and silage corn back then, as landscaping with strip malls was slow to catch on. If I had already picked through the flotsam in my little stretch of the Millstone, awaiting the next flood, the boat was light enough for a smallish kid to pick it up on my shoulder and cross the heavily treed no-man's land between the Millstone and the Delaware-Raritan Canal, and cross the tow-path and paddle the canal for a while. That having been done you were teleported back to 1850 -- or so it seemed, what with the lock-keepers quarters and the houses still standing spared by the Brits who swept through in 1812 when they burnt the courthouse. Except for the hiss of tires on wet pavement of the occasional Sunday driver on the adjacent road, all was nearly like it was in 1850: only the sound was of your paddle drip and occasional turtle plopping off the bank as you passed too near for turtle comfort.
Summers, sometimes for 6 weeks, we would load the kayak and my brother's Wind & Sea longboard with the glued in skeg, (he still has it), into the baby blue two- tone Studebaker wagon encrusted with lawn chairs, and barbecue grills and all things necessary for extended beach homesteading, and head through the Pine Barrens to Sea Isle City/ Strathmere N.J. That kayak surfed as one would expect any kayak with a open manhole to surf......but that didn't stop me. My older sister might have tried it once and declined a second offer.......older brother was content with knee-paddling his longboard.....so the beach was mine! Get out beyond the break await a swell, engage the wave, .......broach....do the rotisserie thing.........slogg in........empty out........start over again until dark. Repeat the entire process at dawn, following the "arise Tiki" ceremony (he was coaxing the sun to rise, Polynesian style), officiated by my brother on the beach.
Fast forward 32 years............kayakless for that long (sob)........as that homespun boat washed away in a flood when I was 16 (brother Davie didn't tie it up, or someone felt they needed it more than I)......Relocate from Sonora, California to Savannah, JAW-juh, and there, at the Charleston Symposium lay a screaming yellow Wilderness Systems Seacret that had my name on it. Then came the discovery of okome and the good people at Chesapeake Light Craft, and epoxy. And the subsequent discovery that there is only so much that straight panels of plywood can be expected to do. Next a plastic Necky Kyook, the trading of which made this posting possible. Finally at long last, the nitch in to which I settled was a skin on frame Baidarka of some 42 pounds........a Bruce Lemon interpretation of the boat in the Lowie museum. We both put it together at the Charleston Symposium a years ago in four days. (!) Oh yeah, and surf boats. Man, have I got surf boats. An early Necky proto-type of the Rip, and recently a Mega Jester, but it doesn't stop there....... I have, at this moment the skeletal beginnings of another surf boat on my bench in the same garage where the family Volvo was evicted some years ago.....it's all benches and tables and kayak racks to the ceiling now.
Last summer my brother visited me and he used one of my longboards (he immediately started stroking into a wave from a kneeling position, caught it, executed a drop-knee backside bottom turn, for the uninitiated, that's reallllllly core, rode it till the skeg ground... ........he didn't miss a beat, I was so proud of him....), came back through the break grinning from ear to ear. I was in my Necky Rip and the surf was uncommonly good that day.... ......the thought occurred to me, and I shouted over to David......." Hey Dave.. ......It's 1963 .......again!!!"
Thanks for your indulgence with my ruminations:
Christopher Kohut
From:
Koormann, Rudolf {rukDOTkoormannBOASnwnDOTde}
Dear paddlewisers,
after having been a new subscriber of the list since the end of february I think it's time to introduce myself a little bit.
I am 46 and I live in the northern part of Germany, next to the dutch frontier and about 150 km away from the North sea. Too long a distance to go there each weekend for seakayaking! So you will find me usually very often on the rivers around (like the EMS) and on some bigger lakes in the Netherlands. I am organized with some of my friends in the german "Salzwasser-Union" of seakayakers and we took some training there in navigation, selfrescue and partner-rescue. I am not yet too good in eskimorolling, allthough I am teaching my pupils in kano-polo at school and they all learn the handroll pretty well. Nevertheless I am rather experienced in kayaking, since I have been paddling from my 17.th. birthday up to the roaring fities. I fell in love with seakayaks in my thirties because of its wonderfull shapes and since then I am a very proud owner of an 'english heavy' like the CALYPSO from NORTH - SHORE. Each member of my four person family has his own seakayak. Unfortunately my three girls only prefer sunshine-paddling!
The last five years we spent our summer holidays with some other families at the beautiful swedish coast. I will never forget these happy summerdays of paddling with good friends in this marvelous area of that country. We all really fell in love with it. Perhaps you can imagine now, why we want to go to the Aland Archipelagos in the Baltic sea. It is a real dream and we want it to come true in 2000. We think, that should be a good date.
Cheers!
Rudi Koormann
a) NAME:
Kosofsky, David
b) CONTACT:
- dDOTavidBOASiDOTam or kosofskyBOASsobackDOTkornet21DOTnet
- Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul KOREA
c) KAYAKS (Owned or Paddled):
Feathercraft K-Light: With a skin-boat like a K-Light, the relationship to
the paddler is so intimate that it would seem odd to give the kayak a name.
After all, I don't have a separate name for my knee or my liver.
e) SPECIAL INTERESTS:
travel, reading, writing
f) SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE:
Asian affairs; English rhetoric; comparative history
g) STRONG OPINIONS:
by the thousand, and typically on several sides of the same
issue. If there's any coherent theme, though, it's probably a deep distrust
of all forms of cultural nationalism.
h) MOST INTERESTING KAYAK TRIP:
In the just under two years that I've owned my
K-Light, I have paddled it in Florida (Keys and 'Glades); in British Columbia
(Gulf Islands, Sunshine Coast, etc.), and New Zealand's South Island (crater-
harbors, lakes, fjords), all of which are famously lovely and hardly need any
public-relations help from me. But I've also done a bit of paddling on some of
the lakes right here in South Korea, with landscapes (brooding cliffs, layers of
pine-covered mountains) straight out of an Oriental hanging-scroll brush-
painting. And since kayaking (other than as an Olympic sport) is totally unknown
in this country, these trips are more special in that the experience, thus far,
is mine alone. I'm inclined to tell other kayakers about it, but on the other
hand....
i) Short BIO (personal description):
I grew up in the suburbs of Washington,
D.C. (lived `inside the Beltway' before the Beltway was even built) and did
quite a bit of boyhood paddling on the Potomac in a Grumman aluminum canoe.
Left USA in 1977 and have lived in East Asia ever since: Japan, Malaysia, and
Korea (for the last 17 years), where I teach in a university and also do
freelance writing on Asian cultures and travel destinations. When I tried
kayaking in Vancouver in the summer of '97, I rediscovered a love of paddle-
sports that had lain latent for nearly three decades. Since then, most of my
free time (fortunately the Korean academic calendar allows me one two-month
vacation in the winter and another in the summer) has been fairly kayak-
centered.... though not quite as much so as I'd like. Apart from this new-found
passion, I am an indoorsy, bookish, married forty-six year old with a very young
son... five months younger than my kayak, in fact.
From:
Kossy, Barbara {bkossyBOASigcDOTapcDOTorg}
I'm Barbara Kossy, 47, living in Moss Beach, California (just south of San Francisco, on the Pacific) - born in Chicago, Illinois. I've been sea kayaking here in the SF Bay Area since 1989. I put all my outdoors adventures in the context of being an urban Jew (picture Woody Allen in a sea kayak). Growing up, the only wildlife I saw consisted of the rabbits and robins in the back yard. I thought horses were extinct (I only saw them on TV), and I didn't see the Milky Way till I went to Girl Scout Camp in Wisconsin (urban lights were too bright). My folks taught me to read books, not water. So I figure even just getting into a kayak is a damn miracle. I've paddled SF Bay, creeks and estuaries, up and down the California coast, San Juans, Lake Michigan, Baja, a touch of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea around the Island of Elba Italy.
I was the president of Bay Area Sea Kayakers for one year, have helped lead and teach our annual novice clinic, and I organize and guide sea kayaking trips on Elba. The Elba connection came about when I wrote a letter to the Italian Sea Kayaking Association (address from the back of Sea Kayaker Mag.) asking about kayaking Italy's Cinque Terre region. In reply they invited me to join them kayaking on Elba, and once I was there, they asked me to help them organize, lead, and promote trips for people who speak English. Elba is gorgeous, the kayakers are now my dear friends, and I'm in my fourth year of association with the Elba Sea Kayak Center. My new husband John Dixon and I will be there in May 8-23, where I'll be co- leading the spring trip. John is a Tsunami Ranger (one of a group of 12 paddlers who paddle and surf coastal white water) and since partnering with him and moving to Moss Beach, on the ocean, my paddling is shifting from bay trips to ocean trips and a bit of race training. I have a pretty low fear threshold (I think of myself as kinetically challenged), but going out with John is slowly building my confidence level and competence in bumpy coastal water. We're also doing a little race training on his Futura SOT double.
I have a "pool" roll with a Greenland and standard paddle, goal is to move both to "combat" roll. I've found the right clothing for cold water paddling has really helped. I now have a custom wet suit that really keeps me warm, and a Goretex paddle jacket with latex wrist gaskets that keeps the cold water out. Comfort is key. My boat of four years is a kevlar Necky Tornak. John and I together have around 12 boats including a Tsunami SOT double, X-15 singles, and the Futura double. John also paddles an X-Par Missile race boat (I plan to give it a try) and various surf boats (I *may* try when feeling kinetically confident). We're about to get a Feathercraft K-2 and plan to do some traveling with it. I'm a writer and photographer (mostly business stuff) and occasionally rep for the sea kayaking etiquette expert, Ms. Bowstern.
a) NAME:
Kramer, Sandy
b) CONTACT:
- sandykayakBOASaolDOTcom
- Miami, Florida, USA
c) KAYAKS (Owned or Paddled)
Main boats: Seda's Gypsy (15' deluxe fiberglass);
12' Hobie Pursuit(plastic SOT); Ocean Kayak Scupper Pro(15'plastic SOT),
& a 10.5' Puffin Folding Kayak ( http://www.pakboats.com )
e) SPECIAL INTERESTS:
Camping, kayaking, canoeing, reading, travel, cooking, Music (New
Age, Classical, Opera). Like being with friends and meeting new
people and learning about other cultures.
g) STRONG OPINIONS:
Prioritize your life as if you only had six months left to live.
h) MOST INTERESTING KAYAK TRIP:
Not taken yet, but Belize is on my wish list.
SUGGESTED CATEGORY:
11th January 2010 - Dave Kruger
a) NAME:
Kruger, Dave
b) CONTACT:
- Dave Kruger [kdrugerBOASpacifierDOTcom]
- (Astoria, OR, USA: mouth of the Columbia River)
c) KAYAKS (Owned or paddled):
Eddyline Wind Dancer and Sea Star; three Folbots: Cooper, Kodiak, and an Edisto; Current
Designs Libra XT double. The WD is my main boat, the Sea Star is Becky's single, and the
Libra is our go-to double for camping and day trips. The Sea Star is for sale.
d) BOAT NAME & CALL SIGN:
Bufflehead WCT 4364
e) SPECIAL INTERESTS:
Foldables, Sea kayaking, wilderness, materials science (amateur), new fiction, boat building
f) SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE:
Long time experimental organic chemist and long time chemistry teacher, focusing on developing
cognitive tools through hands-on activities, now retired; amateur boat builder
g) STRONG OPINIONS:
Don't believe in black or white solutions or answers to most real questions.
h) MOST INTERESTING TRIPS: Several: Couple in the Charlottes -- favor the south end of Moresby Island; downriver sorties from Portland OR to Astoria OR; coast of Baja south of Loreto.Barkley Sound and Clayoquot Sound. Photos of paddling ventures here: http://www.pbase.com/bartenderdave/padltrips
i) BIO:
65-year old very chunky guy, strength-limited by tendonitis in my wrists (let this be a lesson to
all the rest of you paddlejocks!). Came to sea kayaking from a mountaineering background (20 years
in the Pacific Northwest -- mostly glacier work and alpine routes in the Cascades of WA,
with a few routes in Wyoming; some guiding; some winter climbs). Had to give up backpacking,
XC sking and climbing due to knee problems. Eventually gave up mt. biking for the same reason.
Been active as a sea kayaker since 1992, with a strong focus on multiday trips on the
west coast of Vancouver Island and in the Charlottes. Most of my "home" paddling is on the
Lower Columbia River, a sensitive and wild area characterized by strong tidal influence and
great habitat for waterfowl -- yet with a rich history of use of the River by mankind. Strongly
committed to meaningful resolution of use issues in wild areas: practical restrictions and
cooperative solutions with landowners and other stakeholders, reflected in community work.
Taught chemistry at a small community college here for 27 years, retired in July 2000. Have
done chemical research, both applied and theoretical. Made a couple stitch and glue yaks. Pretty
good wilderness stir fry cook, and handy with tools. Recently built a 20-foot plywood-hulled cuddy cabin
inboard based on a frame kit from Bartender Boats
http://bartenderboats.com/index.html ,
which Becky and I have been taking to the nicer parts of the Gulf Islands, once to the San Juans,
and all over the Lower Columbia. Below is a link to photos of its construction and ventures we have
made in it. Hell of a lot of fun.
http://www.pbase.com/bartenderdave/srfsctr
Divorced, with a married 36-year-old son who lives in Pemberton, BC with his Canadian spouse, also an RN at the ER clinic there. Live with my long-time fiance' who just turned 60! Grew up in SoCal, and was an active board surfer and body surfer in my teen years, mostly in head-height stuff and smaller. Locally, I am known as ... Tarpman! ... for my talents with a 10 x 12 nylon protective envelope. (My son is "Inferno Boy!" for his talents with the trash fire. The SO is known as "The Queen.")
I have no ties with commercial ventures related to sea kayaking, though I did some guiding twenty years ago when I was very active as a climber (mostly glaciated volcanoes emphasizing moderate angle ice, some high-angle rock climbing and a lot alpine ascents). Over 30 years of back country experience in the West. None in the eastern US -- that would be ... east of the Rockies. {G}
a) NAME: Kuhlman, Chris
b)
- Email address: clkBOASckproDOTcom
- website: http://www.ckpro.com
d) BOAT NAME & MARITIME RADIO HANDLE:
"Seafishant" on Channel 16
e) SPECIAL INTERESTS:
Performance kayaking and touring, eco-tourism development, Trash Bash
(environmental clean-up), birding, camping, travel.
f) SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE:
Professional photographer since 1976.
g) STRONG OPINIONS:
Yes always!
h) MOST INTERESTING KAYAK TRIP:
Several days paddling and camping in Florida from Sanibel to Cayo Costa.
This trip did it for me. I was hooked for life and haven't stopped
paddling since.
i) Short BIO (personal description):
47 years old, (’54) professional photographer/designer. Graduated from
Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara. Work related assignments have taken
me to Australia, Japan, Indonesia, Sumatra, Bali, Scandinavia, and most
of Europe. I’ve always been a water person, growing up at my parents
beach house, I learned to surf, sail and fish. This life experience has
evolved to a new level and an appreciation for sea kayaking. I now live,
work and play out of my Galveston Bay home in Seabrook, Texas. I have
gotten serious about BCU training and look forward to traveling to all
of the skills symposium's around the country to meet new people and
experience new places. I paddle several days a week, year around and
spend the rest of my free time playing with my Frisbee catching Border
Collie.