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Tuesday, 14 June 2011 20:12 |
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Received this beautiful piece of kit a few weeks ago. It's the Whiskey Jack, Double Whiskey River, so called for the doulbe bend in the shaft, giving this light-weight marvel balance and comfort like no wooden paddle I've touched. Beautifully handcrafted, these paddles are worth every penny.(pending a durability review, but A+++ for astetics, weight, and balance). I'm torn between mounting it on the wall and plunging it into a river. I'm leaning toward the river...
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 14 June 2011 20:58 |
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Tuesday, 14 June 2011 08:08 |
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My new Sea Clipper canoe from Clipper canoes (www.clippercanoes.com) has rolled off the assembly line. She's a beautiful 18'6" kevlar hulled marvel of canoe construction. Really the photos speak for themselves. I'm not going to get to meet her until mid-July, but it's definitely something to look forward to.
You'll notice on the bow seat there is a rolled up parcel. That is a North Water expedition spray skirt, with all the options.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 14 June 2011 20:26 |
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Monday, 19 July 2010 18:45 |
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Iceland Photos are here! Click on the 'Photo Gallery' tab at the top of the page and access the gallery at the bottom labeled 'Iceland Photos.' Enjoy!
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Friday, 09 July 2010 14:51 |
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After persisting for nearly four weeks and paddling just over 355 miles, I finally gave in to the persistent winds and home sickness. It was a difficult decision to make, but while most other circumnavigation attempts have enjoyed fair weather, the concensus in Iceland is that I was hit with some very bad luck. After two weeks of paddling, I was poised to paddle around the north-western fijords along with two icelandic paddlers. Weather reports from the area showed heavy winds out of the northeast creating conditions that simply weren't safe to paddle in, regardless of skill level. These driving winds push up big swells and breaking waves against the cliffs that form most of the headland shores. Unfortunately, these conditions persisted for more three weeks, even beyond the point where I decided to join my family for the remainder of our summer holidays. You can read about my adventure on the posts below. You'll notice there were several days when paddling just wasn't really an option, and, had I waited for improvements instead of skipping around and eventually heading home, it would have taken me around three months to complete the trip, which is much too long to be away from my wife and 2 year old. So alas, my Iceland trip ended far short of my goal, but I had an amazing adventure and it was well worth the effort. Photos and stories will follow soon. Also look for my plans to paddle somewhere in New England next summer, this time in a canoe and with my dog, Attis.
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Last Updated on Friday, 09 July 2010 14:52 |
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Sunday, 27 June 2010 18:51 |
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I hadn´t planned to paddle today, as the winds were expected to continue. I awoke rather late, 0800 I think, and realized there was no wind. I wanted to be paddling not sitting. I called up a man named Steni I had met yesterday at the sailing club who offered to help if I needed anything. I needed a ride! He was very punctual and had me on the water in a bout an hour. I made two medium sized crossings to get over to the east side of the fjord. It was pretty easy going until I turned north and into the wind. I made it into Hofsos and decided to charge my phone, which seems to die quickly on gprs, and took a meal at the only local eating establishment. It was certainly a very cute little community. I tried to leave in the early evening, but the wind had picked up and I wanted to make an early start the next day. I paddled a couple of miles out of town and made camp in a sheep pasture pestered by the always present Terns.
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Last Updated on Monday, 28 June 2010 06:46 |
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Sunday, 27 June 2010 18:47 |
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I had asked that one of the three brothers who live at the farm I stayed at give me a ride into the nearest town, which was Saudarkrokur. I don´t know the brother´s name because he didn´t speak English, but he was very nice and willing to help. He helped me drop the boat at the local sailing club then dropped me at the town campsite. I gave him some cash for petrol and wished him well. Saudarkrokur is a nice town, very clean and well provisioned. I spent the rest of the day stocking up on supplies and trying to decide what to do with myself. I will say I enjoyed the best restaurant meal I´ve had yet, though I can´t remember the name of the place. Artic Char. Yum.
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Last Updated on Monday, 28 June 2010 06:45 |
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Sunday, 27 June 2010 18:32 |
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Be sure to check out the ever growing Iceland 2010 photo gallery by clicking on the link at the top of the page.
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Last Updated on Sunday, 27 June 2010 18:32 |
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Sunday, 27 June 2010 18:26 |
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At this point, the ocean is a breaking mess. With no interest in paddling for the day, I made my way over to the farm to see what was going on. The order of the day was going to be horse rounding and hoof trimming, then Stenni and Marani, with their 15 year old daughter Karen, were going to Denmark for the weekend. I was definitely keen to help round up the horses, so I grabbed my camera and away I went. The pasture their herd of about 25 head was in has a lot of soft ground, bumps, and marsh areas, so a little foot work was needed, which happens to be my speciality. I volunteered to run to the far side of the herd while Stenni´s brother Gunni pushed them from the other end, toward a gate and eventually the road. The horses were only too happy to avoid us, and the round up was uneventful. It was defintiely spectacular to see 25 Icelandic horses trotting down a gravel road kicking up dust. Not knowing much about horses I spent the rest of the morning taking photos, trying to be helpful, and mostly staying out of the way while Gunni expertly trimmed the horses hooves and removed the remaining shoes from last year. It made for a good morning and a nice diversion from cold spray and grinding waves. At that point I was actually quite sad to see Stenni and his family leave for their trip, but they were kind enough to invite me to stay in their house for the night. Talk about trust! I had a good evening of updating the website and cleaning clothes. Gunni and his sister in law, whose name I didn´t catch, came over for a while and taught me about Icelandic summer solstice legends. I think they were trying to get me to embarass myself by running around the house with only one trouser leg! There was only one beer per person in the house, so there was no chance of that happening. At any rate, I was much more enthusiatic about my journey after a day filled with interesting diversions.
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Last Updated on Monday, 28 June 2010 06:44 |
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