Can you judge a book by its cover? No. You can’t. Gazing at the cover of sea kayaking adventurer Jon Turk’s The Raven’s Gift (2009), I envisioned a tale of an arduous sea trek along the icy coast of Kamchatka. And Jon did kayak there. But that’s not what the book is about. The book […]
Sea Kayaking Philosophy
Four Ways to Learn Sea Kayaking
I learned how to sea kayak from a book. Written by Derek Hutchinson, it was called SEA CANOEING. From that book I learned how to roll, how to outfit a sea kayak, how to surf and seal land, and how to stay safe on the water. But that was not the only way I learned […]
Swimmer First, Kayaker Second?
Exactly 25 years ago I wrote my first kayaking article called “Survival Swimming”, which was published in SEA KAYAKER Magazine. I thank editors Bea and John Dowd for having faith in me to write an article worthy of their magazine. I’ve experienced a lot and learned some things since then. The other day I mused, […]
Sea Kayaking Should be FUN not Serious
A few months ago Tsunami Ranger Michael Powers wrote an article in Sea Kayaker magazine about getting lost while paddling solo in big waves and fog. In the next issue, an irate reader railed at Michael for the very boo boos that he had already owned up to, and labeled him “arrogant and egotistical” for […]
Gizmos and Gadgets for Sea Kayakers
We sea kayak because we are drawn to ancient seafaring arts practiced by Aleuts, Inuits, Polynesians, and other coastal peoples. A key part of the appeal is the simple equipment needed—primarily a small boat and a paddle. The whole idea is to venture into the elements with just your knowledge of the sea and paddling […]
Seize and Assist (and other paddling power words)
Word choice is important in sea kayaking just as it is in any activity, as a paddler’s use of words conjures an image in her mind that either helps or hinders. Let’s discuss empowering versus disempowering words a kayaking teacher can use to strengthen or weaken a student’s viewpoint of his skill in a trying […]