This is Canoeing is the next DVD in a growing list of award winning films by Justine Curgenven who is best known for her groundbreaking sea kayaking, “This is the Sea” series. Justine was one of the first to really show what a sea kayak could do and bring that footage to the masses.

With her newest film This is Canoeing, Justine steps out of her kayak and into a canoe with the goal of celebrating the many versatile uses is this fantastic watercraft. Running over three and a half hours; the 2 DVD set can be more described as 12 short films highlighting different people or different styles of paddling. Included in the film is Kevin Callan, Becky Mason, Paul Mason, Mark Scriver, Andrew Westwood, Karen Knight, Bob Foote and Wendy Grater.

Like her sea kayaking films, This is Canoeing was shot in many exotic places including Northern Canada, the United States, Scotland & Wales.



I will be honest with you, I really wanted to love this movie but I just couldn’t. Don’t get me wrong; I liked the move a lot, I just didn’t love it. It’s thoroughly entertaining with some great whitewater action and very funny interviews throughout but I just found that it was missing something that I still find difficult to put my finger on.

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A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a new kayak skills DVD just released called Kayak Essentials. I was very pleased to get a copy in the mail to review.

Kayak Essentials is produced by BCU coaches Nick Cunliffe, Matt Giblin and Lynsey Evans. They are all extremely well qualified instructors and it’s very evident that they did their homework with this project. The kayaking skills demonstrated throughout the DVD are good and the production for a training video is top rate.

Clocking in at roughly an hour and an half, Kayak Essentials focuses on the core skills for flatwater, whitewater and sea kayaking.

The one thing I noticed right off the start is that the video isn’t flashy at all. At first I was thinking, “Ugh oh, what have we got here?” but then I was pleasantly surprised that the lack of flash was made up for by the depth of knowledge in skills that the DVD presented. Every time a new skill is introduced they take the time to go through the stroke; carefully pointing out the key elements as well as common problems beginners usually have. Scattered throughout are extra challenges and simple coaching tips to remember when out paddling on your own.

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Kayak gear manufacture, Kayalu recently sent me a new stern deck light system that is about to hit the market. The Kayalite Stern Light is a 360 degree white light perched on top of an 18 inch ABS plastic pole. It’s designed to allow other boats to see you while out on the water at night.

Most deck lights on the market attach to the boat with either a giant suction cup or by strapping to the back of the paddler’s lifejacket. Both are good designs but they do have their flaws. The suction cup works great on fibreglass boats but doesn’t stick to plastic models at all due to the rough surface. The lifejacket light works fine but really can only been seen by other boaters if they happen to approach you from behind.

What makes the Kayalite system unique is the method by which it attaches to the kayak. The design uses a bungee and hook system so it will attach to either an eyelet or bungee on the deck of your boat. Once the light is clipped on and the bungee is tightened down, the unit is held snug to the boat. The large base helps to prevent the light tipping over. In fact, other people have reported rolling their boat with the light staying put!

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I love weather. That’s why I was excited to finally get my hands on and review the Kestrel 2500 Wind Meter.

The Kestrel 2500 is a small waterproof weather station that fits in the palm of your hand. It’s designed to accurately measure wind speed, air or water temperature, wind chill, barometric pressure including pressure trend and altitude.

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Simon Willis was very kind to send me late last week a preview copy of the new DVD that he produced and directed; Sea Kayak with Gordon Brown.

Sea Kayak with Gordon Brown was developed to be an extension to Gordon’s very good book by the same name. Like the book, the DVD is aimed at intermediate paddlers and provides a video reference to the many skills need on the water.

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I recently upgraded my camera from a splash proof digital point-and-shoot camera to a mid-level DSLR. The advantage being that the quality of the photos go way up but sadly, SLR’s are absolutely not friendly with water.

There are a couple of different waterproof cases on the market for SLR cameras that are marketed towards divers. The acrylic cases are fantastic as they protect the camera and are able to withstand the pressures of SCUBA diving but the kicker is that they start at around $800 and quickly go up from there in price.

The things is; kayakers don’t need a hard case specifically designed for deep water pressure; we really just need a case designed to keep the camera dry yet will still protect the camera from the accidental dunking. That is why I got excited when Aquapac sent me their Waterproof SLR Case to test out.

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Anybody who has gone on a canoe or kayaking trip will understand that keeping your navigation maps dry is super important. After all, you want to (eventually) find your way home and having wet maps makes it a touch more difficult.

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Welcome to another instalment of, “Better Know an Instructor”.

Marna Powel has been teaching kayaking for over 10 years as an ACA Open Water Coastal Kayak instructor with the Adaptive Paddling Endorsement. She is also owner of Kayak Zak’s which specializes in adaptive paddling instruction.

Marna was very kind to take the time to answer my questions and get her to open up about herself and what motivates her to get out teaching others.

Tell us about yourself. What do you do when you are not out paddling/teaching?
Actually on my days off I like to go paddle.  Winter and spring in this area has incredible whitewater runs.  My husband and I also have a small welding business www.gonewelding.com and since one of my degrees is in business administration with an accounting emphasis (gag me!) there really is a ton of paperwork involved in operating two businesses and a household.  On a more positive note, we have eight acres on the coast bordering Redwood National Park. It’s a lot of hard work and I love our goats, dogs and organic garden with greenhouse.  Michael and I have been together for 21 years.

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Hot off the Pesda Press press is a brand new book by renowned kayak coach, Doug Cooper.

Sea Kayak Handling is a practical manual for both beginner and intermediate paddlers who are looking to improve their boat handling skills. Strokes and manoeuvres covered in the book include forward paddling, staying on course, turning, moving sideways, support strokes and working with skegs and rudders.

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I recently rediscovered a fantastic little book published by Pesda Press called Tip Tips for Coaches.

It is a simple, no-nonsense collection of 319 fantastic ideas and teaching tips for coaches assembled by the fine staff at Plas Y Brenin which is also The National Mountain Centre for Wales.

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If you are like me, you are terrible with trying to remember your student's names. I'm so bad that I once forgot my kids' names during a job interview and had to make hem up. It took me 2 weeks to tell the story to my wife. Yeah, it was bad...

Knowing the names of your students is so important because you will connect with your students better and build that bond of trust faster. Also, in an emergency, you can keep control of the situation significantly better hopefully leading to a more positive outcome.

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This fall North Water released a brand new spare paddle holder for sea kayakers called PaddleBritches. It's easy to see where they got the name from as they look just like a pair of doll pants.

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Welcome to our third installment in our 276 part series, "Better know a paddling instructor". Last week, I sat down with Michael Pardy from Victoria, British Columbia.

Michael wears many hats in the paddlesports industry. He is one of the owners of SKILS (Sea Kayak Instruction Leadership Systems) as well the Executive Director of The Trade Association of Paddlesports. Michael is the past president of the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC.

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After reading about the Spot Satellite Messenger for sometime, I decided that it was time to take the plunge and pick one up.

Released in September 2007, the SPOT Messenger was developed by Globstar and designed to bring search and rescue technology to the general public who were not likely to purchase $700-1000 personal locater beacons (PLB's).

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This clip is a great example of how not to pack your kayak. Notice the huge (and heavy) container of water packed on top of the boat? Sitting that high out of the water, it is causing his boat to become very unstable.

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Pesda Press recently released the 2^nd edition of their popular book, Sea Kayak Navigation by Franco Ferrero. The new edition is a completely updated layout including several chapter rewrites and updates to help explain the tougher concepts even better than before. A clearly written and very practical manual, this is a great book for anybody who is interested in learning more about sea navigation.

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By L. Dee Fink
Reprinted from the University of Oklahoma Instructional Development Program, July 19, 1999

Many teachers today want to move past passive learning to active learning, to find better ways of engaging students in the learning process. But many teachers feel a need for help in imagining what to do, in or out of class, that would constitute a meaningful set of active learning activities.

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Pacific Horizons is the latest film released to the growing trend of big water sea kayaking. Filmed and produced by Bryan Smith, it is entirely shot in the Pacific Northwest.

Even before its release, Pacific Horizons was generating a significant amount of buzz. Bryan had to rush a pre-release version of it so it would be ready in time for its headline debut at the 2007 West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium. The biggest news came when it was chosen as a finalist for the famed 2007 Banff Mountain Film Festival.

Clocking at 60 minutes, it takes the viewer through many different aspects of sea kayaking including placid flatwater paddling, tripping, surfing and Greenland rolling.

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I was very excited recently when North Water Paddlesports Equipment sent me the guides vest recently to try out. Several of my friends have been using them for a couple of seasons now so I have looking forward to actually using it for some time.

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Visit your local the book section at your local outdoor store and you will find a boatload of books on sea kayaking skills. Generally speaking they are written towards the novice paddler and cover a wide range of skills from packing your boat to how to keep your boat going straight.

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