[Paddlewise] Ladysmith Paddlefest

I wasn't able to attend the entire weekend, but did manage the slide
show Saturday night after a bit of a drive up and then back after; then
went back up for Sunday afternoon. The weekend generally lacked high
numbers, but you kind of have to expect that this time of year and in a
small town.

Saturday night saw a small gathering of enthusiastic but less
technically oriented paddlers taking in the fine presentation by Nigel
Foster covering paddling destinations on the west coast of Scotland. It
was well worth the drive to see the irrefutably magnificent shots of
kayaks plying in and out of the multifaceted caves of the Shetland
Islands; the austere beauty of the Isle of Mull dripping with the dew of
history; and the fear-inducing pics of paddlers challenging the oceanic
overfalls generated between the almost unnavigable Fareoe Islands. The
only thing that wasn't wetted-out was Nigel's dry humour. I had a nice
talk with him for a good hour after.

Wendell Phillips who I hadn't scene for a while was in fine form
dispensing Greenlandic Inuit qajaq technology information via an
incredibly colorful slide presentation. Lots of iceberg shots helped
cool us down in the hot agricultural hall. Wendell is a former
photojournalist -- spiritually connected it would seem to the north now
-- and along with intelligent, gifted men like Harvey Golden, should add
immeasurably to the baseline of information being stockpiled and
hopefully disseminated while there are still surviving examples of Inuit
technology left to survey. We chatted the night away with some other
yakkers.

Sunday was a little windy, which made for lots of novice spills in the
demo on-water area. Nigel's presentation was underutilized, considering
his international resume, but that's okay: with Seaward now producing
his signature kayak's, Nigel should be returning to the island many
times more I would hazard. Those of us gathered along the shore wadded
out into the 1-foot chop to watch attentively as Nigel demonstrated his
well-known repertoire of edging, leaning, slid-slipping and
bow-ruddering maneuvers using the underlying principle that the kayak is
less encumbered by high pressure along the stern half when the kayak is
under sufficient movement generation, enabling the stern to kick-out
more readily than when static-induced turns are attempted. it took some
time before folks caught on to what he meant. But the actual on-water
demonstration spoke volumes over the shyly spoken words muted by the
wind and waves.

I spent over an hour in the Legend, Nigel's trademark boat that he uses
for most of his demos. I was impressed by the volume of this kayak and
yet, its easy maneuverability and speed. I think it may be faster than
the Romany's. I really think this kayak has almost everything for the
attentive paddler who utilizes a proactive paddling style. I didn't like
the high rear coming astern, preventing lay-back rolls, and
unfortunately, I couldn't get my thighs into the Sillouette -- a much
more Inuit-influenced design. I also unfortunately, didn't shorten the
foot rests, so paid for it big-time that night, actually resorting to
tensor bandages down both legs at three in the morning that night.

The narrow Echo was not my cup of tea. The Rumour was a gas. A real
contender against, say, a VCP Pintail. I could well imagine myself
running down the face of a big Pacific wave, back of head on the rear
deck, watching the rear toggle shoot up spray as it trailed behind.
Rolling it was more like cheating, as lay-back rolls and a tight fit
made it just too easy. As usual, I was last out of the water, Nigel
patiently waiting for his personal Rumor back.

I tried the latest generation Hennessy tent-hammock. I really liked the
thing. Its on my short list for new gear. All in all, not a bad little
event. And it was all free.

Well, gotta run. There's wet geareverywhere. One day, I'm gonna go
kayaking and not get wet. Had a great night tonight out off Sooke in
Juan de Fuca Strait after dinner. It was forecast to hit 40 knots, but
was only about 30 where I was. Still, its was my first venture out into
my old stomping grounds and I found some great waves, swam around for
awhile practicing reentiries with my Sea Seat, and even pulled of some
deep-water rolls in the waves away from the security of shore. Paddle on
dudes and dudetts.

DL (excuse the spelling errors tonight)

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