The World's Best Kayaking Recipe!

1. Pack up to the light of the moon. Any moon will do.

I'm hauling my Boreal Baffin this time. My other boat is a Maelstrom Vital 166. What a choice I've got! It's hard to decide which boat to take sometimes. A lucky problem that all sea kayakers should be afflicted with.

2. Take one of your sea kayaks somewhere.

You have more than one right?! 

3. Bring friends!

 

4. Enjoy!

This is a simple, no fat recipe. You can indulge and enjoy as much of it as you like, as often as you like.

What's your favourite kayaking recipe?
The BaffinPaddler

Paddle with a puppy! How do you haul your dog?

Well, here we go. Let's take the big 45 pound puppy to the lake. Where do we put her? On the back deck of my Boreal Baffin.

Why not? It should work, eh?

All these brilliant ideas sound great when you test them out at home with your boat parked on the grass in your front yard while you train the dog to get on to the back deck of your kayak and lay still for a few minutes.

 

But when I get out on the water with her parked as close to the back of my cockpit as possible for stability, I quickly find out that a 45 pound doggie - this cute blue merle Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix named "Riley", can move a bit, shift her weight, turn her head, whine, and decide to suddenly sit up tall while I'm paddling instead of laying down. Plus the water doesn't sit still either, even on a calm day.

All this makes for a tippy kayak.

 

This is interesting! A new challenge. 

And this is something we're just having fun with on an warm, sunny day with no wind in a small warm lake we know very well, staying close to shores with mostly sandy bottoms where we launch and land, and the doggie is wearing a PFD - a doggie life jacket, even though she is an excellent and very fast swimmer! And there very few motor boats on this lake. I wouldn't want my dog jumping off and swimming with motorized craft in the area.

We had no expectations for any kind of success. I wasn't paddling alone. I had a paddle partner nearby for help and to watch what the dog was doing behind me, and take a few pics!

If you have taught your doggie to crawl on land, and she can crawl up to the back end of your kayak's cockpit - that's going to totally rock! And your boat may rock less!  

 

This is not an easy way to carry a dog. Trust me!  

I wouldn't go far and I don't recommend this. 

We were just having some fun for the day on a lazy summer day close to shore. And Riley is probably an exceptional dog. We managed this three times on the same day with Riley getting up on to the back deck of my Boreal Baffin, laying down quietly while I paddled, and waiting until we hit shore to jump off.

We also used encouraging voice commands along the way to keep her in place, happy, and secure. Doggie cookies help sometimes too, but not while paddling. 

I put a wet towel on the back deck of my Boreal Baffin under the bungees to make it softer and less slipperly for Riley to lay on and to allow her to get a good grip with her body. My Boreal Baffin has a flat back deck, and was wide enough to support her body - barely though.

Riley is pretty smart and independent for a one year old dog. I'm a decent paddler with some balance, but I was thinking "I may need to brace or bail out" a few times. But didn't need to.

But, this is definitely a short term thing!

I'm looking for a better boat for hauling a dog, like a stable canoe or a tandem kayak with proper seating!

Some dogs really love going to the lake with you. And I really love taking the doggie along.

Finding a safe and enjoyable way to do it is a new thing for me as a kayaker. I love sea kayaks. I don't like canoes! 

 "OK, we're going to do this again tomorrow, I promise!"

Happy paddling with your dog!

Keep them safe. They are so special!

The BaffinPaddler

City life with a kayak. . . sigh!

 

Take your boat (without a motor) somewhere grand!

The BaffinPaddler

Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Launching from Dows Lake, paddling on the historic Rideau Canal towards the City of Ottawa and the locks.

Lazy Summer Days . . . the epitome of kayaking!

Ahhhh, the lazy days of summer. This is what kayaking and life is all about . . . sometimes! The good times!

Do you see the two little white eyes at the top of the first picture? Click on the pic twice to enlarge it. Cheeky bug. Not afraid of the camera either. This is not a zoomed in shot. I was taking a picture of the nose of my boat when this guy showed up and stole the shot. The camera lens focused on him instead. A nice surprise.

My feet are underwater here. Pretty nice stuff! I mean the water . . .

This one (or maybe most of them) is for love of boat. I love this boat so much! The Maelstrom Vital 166.

Ahhhh, the lazy days of summer. And I just learned that all those pesky big black "picnic hungry" ants can't climb up beer cans, so at least part of my lunch is safe!

So many nice spots!
Enjoy finding yours!
The BaffinPaddler

Paddle to Yoga with the Maelstrom Vital 166! This is one mission I love!

Need I say more? Strap a yoga mat to your fab sea kayak. Find a spot. Strike a pose.

Notice the bright green yoga mat under the bungee on the back deck of my Maelstrom Vital 166?

That's not a bed roll but maybe it could function as one under a sleeping bag. It doesn't get any better than this!

I'm out shopping for Paddle to Yoga spots in the 1000 Islands region on the St. Lawrence River off the quaint little town of Gananoque in the province of Ontario in Canada.

I'll never tire of it . . . shopping for great places to get out of the yoga studio and do some yoga outdoors once in a while.

Don't get me wrong. I love my yoga studios and teachers! I just can't wait to Paddle to Yoga with them.

You really don't even need a mat to Paddle to Yoga. Just yourself and a boat!

It really rocks. I love it and I'm going to keep doin' it! . . . Paddling to spots to do yoga.

Where have you paddled to yoga?

Where would you like to go?

Happy paddling to yoga!
The BaffinPaddler
Paddle to Yoga

P.S. I'll be adding a video to this page soon. So you may wish to check back.

People who make your day . . . in a good way . . . and the Greenland paddle connection!

Ever have someone really make your day with something so simple? Like one little innocent comment that really makes you laugh and think?  I just did. It made me wonder why we work so hard to have fun sometimes.

I was out tooling around some water with my "skinny stick" (Greenland paddle) in a sweet sleek sea kayak when a guy in a parked houseboat sipping a beer with some friends called out, "Hey. What's that thing you're paddling with? The stick I use to stir my cake mix with is bigger than that!"

"Ha! It's a Greenland paddle", I replied.

"Can you get anywhere with that!?"

"Yep!"

"Why do you paddle with it!?"

"Well, lots of reasons":

• "The long narrow blade of the Greenland paddle doesn't catch the wind like a big spoon, and spreads the pull on the water over a longer area. A big bladed paddle has a bigger pull on the water over a shorter wider area and puts more strain on your body."
• "My Greenland paddle let me keep paddling when my injured right shoulder was healing and I haven't reinjured it as long as I stick with my Greenland paddle." (See: Let's talk yoga, a Greenland paddle and healing a wrecked shoulder.)
• "These paddles were invented by the Inuit people of Greenland propelling their kayaks through big seas and wind, sometimes with a harpooned walrus in tow! They knew what they were doing!" 

After I gave him a few reasons why I paddle with a Greenland paddle, the real reason hit me and it was the most important one:

"When I paddle with my Greenland paddle, it makes me feel connected to the water and my boat."

Now here's the funny, ironic part of this whole Greenland paddle thing, a skinny stick that always stirs curiosity to newcomers to the "stick", and the thing that made the guy and his crew laugh out loud:

"Plus, you can make one of these things for about 9 bucks! Now my expensive $500 Werner fiberglass paddle is my spare paddle!"

I've probably got one of the longest skinniest Greenland paddles around at 8 foot 8 inches long, and 2 3/4 inches at the widest part of the blade. And I love it!

More and more, I see people making their Greenland paddles with wider and wider blades for more power. Hey, is that cheating? Is it still a Greenland paddle?

Learn more about Greenland paddles from : The Weathered Paddle or see: Greenland Paddle Makers

The Greenland paddle movement is growing! They are making a big comeback and there are more and more converts to the "stick"!

The GP connects you to so many things

• Yourself
• The Water and what it connects to
• Other people
• Great things you keep discovering

You can add to this list I'm sure!

Have you joined the GP community . . . yet!?

Happy paddling!
The BaffinPaddler

Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Test Your Gear. I Did in May. A Good May Day for Me!

Cold Water Rescue Practice. Do it safely. Test your gear before heading out. I finally did!

Today some experienced local paddlers and kayak instructors got together on Canada's Ottawa River to do cold water rescue practice. I joined in. I was glad I did!

Whatever gear you are paddling in when the water is cold, it is a good idea to test your gear close to shore before you head out further. Some days, you choose your gear well. Other days, you wish you've dressed differently.

 I've been paddling for several years in different types of gear, and combinations of gear, and never got completely into the water to test all of it in cold spring waters before heading out. Today I did. And I'm so happy I finally had the courage to do it!

Everything I wore today performed well for me in the conditions I paddled and practiced in during cold water rescue practice. The water temp was probably 10 degrees Celsius or warmer, but I can't be sure. The thermometer we plunged into the Ottawa River was impossible to read. The air temperature was about 16 degrees Celsius at 2:00 in the afternoon, but there was a fair wind blowing in the bay and I felt chilled on land in dry fleece as I geared up.

I had to go by feel. How did I feel in the water with my gear. How much time will it give me to get back into my boat and be comfortable. I didn't plunge my unprotected head completely into the water today. I'll try that another time, with a neo hood.

Of course, how much time you spend in cold water or on a cold shore is another matter. The point of the rescue practice is to see how well, and how fast you can get back into your boat unassisted or assisted, and how you can help others.

The gear I wore today to practice cold water rescues worked for me. I can't tell you how happy that made me feel. I couldn't believe how buoyant I was in all my neo, paddle jacket and PFD! You may be in neoprene, a dry suit, or a T-shirt and shorts. What matters is what you wear, what works for you, how it performs for you, and how well you can perform in it. Then it matters to the others you are paddling with!

Gear Up

You can see in the photos, that I'm geared up. I was wearing a long sleeve neoprene top and long neo pants, a Merino wool layer underneath, a Gul paddle jacket over all that, a very well-fitting PFD of course with the straps on the shoulders and waist battened down securely but still comfortable, a neo skirt, neo socks and neo booties, and Gul 4mm Flexor Gloves. I don't have a drysuit yet.

I started slowly by walking out into the water to see how my body reacted and how my gear choice performed. Then, when I was comfortable with my gear in the water for a few minutes, I got into my Boreal Baffin unassisted from the water. Then I felt ready for rescue practice.


I know that if I'm in really cold water and get dumped over suddenly, I can still suffer from cold water shock and gasp reflex. But today I'm testing my gear after the spring water in the Ottawa River has warmed up a bit and the ice has completely thawed several weeks earlier. I don't ever want to intentionally throw myself into water that is 4 degrees Celsius or colder. And I'm thinking I may want to avoid paddling water that cold.

Cowboy Scramble into the Boreal Baffin - This boat rocks! I love it!

When you are suited up in gear: Neoprene or a dry suit, gloves or mitts, booties and your PFD, that's when you're going to find out just how much tighter you fit into your cockpit, whether or not you can grab your decklines with your gloves, if your hands and feet are warm and comfortable, if you can still maneuver with what you are wearing, can you get back into your boat with all that stuff, and find out if you can still assist others.

You should be comfortable and able to paddle with ease in your gear. You want to have fun right?

I did today. Another day could be different. I know that. And when I'm not in the mood to hit up all that gear, I grab my bike or my yoga mat!

 
Why do Some People Paddle Cold Water in T-shirts and Shorts?

There is nothing like being suited up properly for the spring cold water conditions in May on a warm, windy, sunny day in a beautiful bay on the Ottawa River in Ontario, Canada, with a crew of experienced paddlers and instructors, only to see several people heading out from shore in rec boats wearing shorts and T-shirts, but at least a PFD.

Wow! They have no clue what they are doing. And most times, they will head out and come back just fine. I'm happy for you who do - you're lucky. They put their feet into the water to launch and say, "Yikes, the water is cold!", and head out anyway.

Get gear. Test your gear in a safe way. 
Learn about hypothermia.

• Visit Coldwater Bootcamp and watch the videos of real people and what happens to them in cold water.
• Visit Cold Water Survival by the United States Search and Rescue Task Force.

Learn about the water you paddle and what temperature it is. It is probably way colder than you think!

Learn how to get back into your boat. Practice. Have fun!

Don't Forget the Sunscreen

Despite all the great gear I wore today, I still forgot one thing! The waterproof sunscreen. I've got a nice little red sunburn on the only part of me that was looking at the sun for two hours. My nose!

Thanks to Local Paddlers and Instructors

Thanks to the great crew of local Ottawa paddlers and instructors who continue to share their experience with us and who put on today's practice! You rock! 

Happy and safe paddling!
The BaffinPaddler

Have you tested your gear?