Hi fellow-PaddleWisers,

I don't know why we've never done this "round-table" before. Anyway, I'm
Philip Torrens. I've been sea-kayaking for a dozen years, and "messing
about in small boats" as well as backpacking and camping since I was
about twelve. I'll be hitting the big 40 this summer, and find myself
increasingly using experience and guile to see me through situations
where I used to rely on pure youthful energy and indestructibility.

I've been lucky enough to paddle on some of the Great Lakes, and in the
Canadian and Norwegian Arctic. For the last several years, I've only
paddled my "home waters" but that's hardly painful—the Pacific Northwest
coast contains enough stuff that needs exploring to fill many 
lifetimes.

I used to do mostly solo touring, and still do on long weekends and
shorter trips. As a concession to my wife's worrying, I now tend to go
with one or two carefully selected mates on the longer and wilder trips.
Three or four in a group is about my limit—although I know a lot of
people enjoy the social aspect of larger groups, and it is a excellent
way to hone your skills in greater safely (provided you're with the right
group), personally I find it rather defeats the purpose of a personal
boat to travel in flocks of a dozen or more and descend like chattering
starlings on a campsite. Just colour me Grinch green:-)

My current fleet consists of my single sea kayak, a double which I use
for a long week-end trip or two with my wife each year (she prefers
sunny, shorter, "mellow" trips), and a white-water boat which I use for
surf play at Vancouver Island's Long Beach. 

I'm lucky enough to work as a product information writer for a major
Canadian outdoor retailer (though I stress I'm on PaddleWise in a purely
personal capacity). If you can't actually be outdoors, to be writing
about and fondling the gear is the next best thing. I also do the
occasional free-lance article on equipment, technique, or on experiences
I've had, and have been published in <italic>Sea Kayaker</italic>,
<italic>Canoe & Kayak</italic>, and <italic>Paddler</italic> magazines. 

My approach to sea-kayaking is to treat it as real seafaring, albeit on a
small scale. To this end, I have some formal training in coastal
navigation and yachting. 

I learn a great deal on this list, and value the chance to avail myself
of so many perspectives and collective person-years of experience on
paddling matters.


Cheers, 



Philip T.

N49°16' W123°08' 

"The opinions expressed in this posting are not necessarily those of my employer, or indeed, of any sentient being."
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