Inaugural Rolling Session in Queens!

Just a few pix from today's inaugural rolling session at the brand-new (just opened on February 29th) Flushing Meadows Corona Park Aquatic Center in Queens!

I don't remember the last time we loaded up THIS many boats!

Our convoy of 4 loaded cars made it safely to Queens -

Here we are. Just look at the place. Incredible.


Many boats need many paddles. Me, I brought 3 (used one, but hey, they always say to have a spare, right?)


The place is truly enormous. And I didn't even turn around and take a picture of the full-sized ice rink that's visible through the windows behind me. I used to live near the Asphalt Green swimming pool, and I thought that was pretty cool - but I think this one beats that. Well, it should - I was told by one of the regular swimmers there that the place was actually built as part of NY's bid for the 2012 Olympics. Well, we didn't get that - but we sure got a nice pool out of it. And it was in intense use today, families, kids of all ages, lap swimmers - it was sort of a raw & windy day outside, and people were taking full advantage of the place.

Here's some of the bigger kids. The amazing thing was that we only took up about a sixth of the entire space available, not counting the diving area, which had been made available to us I think it was just for today - more fun being with the crowd, though.

This was sort of a test run (almost said "dry run") to see how things would go - mostly, it sounds like everybody was happy with it, so the Sebago pool rolling season seems likely to have gained an extension!

Great fun - thanks to all the people who worked to make this happen.

THE CULEBRA CHALLENGE

Sebago member Joe Glickman and a friend of many Sebago members, Freya Hoffmeister
, raced surf skis in Culebra the link

LOLKayak!

Minh! MINH!

moar funny pictures

Actually...guess what. I'm KIDDING.

OK, so some of those who paddle sleek, shiny, nimble rocket-like craft (and OK, and even some of us who paddle nimble, banged-up craft which might, when first glimpsed from the corner of the eye, be mistaken for a half-peeled banana) may look down our highly-trained, expensively-certified schnozzes at an object like this, but our friend Marcus made a very astute observation as we were discussing the widening circles of people who are choosing something like this as the perfect fishing platform -

A fisherman on a big, inelegant-looking (to the eyes of some) S.O.T. is a fisherman who's NOT in a noise-creating, gas-guzzling, smoke-belching stinkpot - and that's better for everybody, don't you agree?

More photos from the Long Island Paddlesports Safety Symposium on the way one of these days. Thoroughly enjoyable day, thanks Elizabeth for another good one!

cross posted at Frogma

p.s. I know I just did a lol-canoe at Frogma - I promise this is not going to become a regular feature!

p.p.s. honest, I mean it!

2nd to Last Greenwich Pool Session - Where Is Everyone!

Spring is not yet quite sprung...but we're getting there! Check out the volunteer crocus Adele the Gardening Chair found hanging out in the middle of the grounds. None of us planted this!

Greenwich pool sessions are winding down - next week's the last one. Now some of us, in a collective moment of temporary insanity, have volunteered to help out with the rolling demo at the Long Island Paddlesports Symposium. What's so insane about that? Well, nothing much except that this year's venue doesn't have a pool. Please please please please please no cold snaps this week...

Anyways - Last week's session was incredibly crowded - this week's was the polar opposite! Just a few quick shots from today's -

(echo effect)
HELLOOOO!ello! ello! ello!
Where is everybody!uddy! uddy! uddy!

Pete averaged it out - said the average number of people in the pool at any given time was 5. Made for a pretty intensive session, both because there were fewer people to schmooze with and/or apologize to when you ran them over. A lot of the regulars were missed but this did make for perfect conditions to spread out & work hard.


John had a fun new toy...introducing Helmet-Cam! Equally usable as Bow-Cam and In-Hand-Cam. We may see some footage from that one of these days. I proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am never going to be the US's answer to Justine C - there was something about having a camera parked on my bow pointed at me & recording that made me blow some pretty simple rolls!

He finally had pity & took the camera away but my gosh has he got some blackmail material.

Redeemed myself through the rest of the session - storm rolls were working mostly, hand rolls both sides, and lots of swimming to paddles & other breath-holding silliness.

And oh, yes, I did roll Jean T's Feathercraft. Last week I'd tried to roll this & failed completely. I mean I couldn't get the thing to give so much as a twitch in the right directions - the sponsons Just Said No. This week, Jean let me give it another shot, this time with sponsons deflated. Much Much Better!

Finished off the session with a little pure horsing around. Next lap I was up on my knees doing a Rolls-Royce hood ornament impression. Wasn't going to try standing up - I am no airy sylph & I was concerned about bending the aluminum rods that form the frame, but for those for whom the simple business of standing up in their own boat has lost all novelty & is becoming humdrum - perhaps trying that would provide some new amusement!


Been a fun season in Greenwich. A warm (though soggy) thank-you to theAppalachian Mountain Club's CT Flatwater Committee (especially Jean T!) for hosting these!

Greg Barton up for US Olympic Hall of Fame - Hey Paddlers, Let's VOTE!

image swiped from Epic Kayaks

Just a quick lunchtime post to pass on word that originated with Connie Hagler, secretary of the USA Canoe & Kayak - Greg Barton is one of the 18 nominees from which the 6 2008 inductees for the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame will be chosen.

Voting is open now!

Go Greg!

p.s. I "Heart" my Epic wing!

p.p.s. thanks Nancy for passing the word!

cross-posted at Frogma

Sweetwater Kayak BCU Week

Tony, John, Don, Walter and Dot took a road trip last week to Fort DeSoto Park in Florida to attend Sweetwater Kayak's BCU and Greenland week. A wonderful time was had by all. We received great instruction and made new friends. We didn't have time to take too many photos, but here's a link to a small slide show. http://www.picasaweb.google.com/Kayaker824/SweetwaterBCUWeek

Horse Gate

This is also the Paedergat, on a day far more congenial to paddling!

I had cross-posted the stormy day photos on Frogma, and a gentleman from the Netherlands left a comment asking if the name was a legacy of the early Dutch settlers.

A question like that was far to much fun to just answer in the comments - the answer became a post in it's own right

I was going to tailor to the Sebago blog but the work day turned into yet another marathon & I'm just too tired - but I thought Sebagoites and anyone else who's even slightly interested in NY names would enjoy reading both the post AND a most interesting section in a book I found while using Google to verify that I was recalling the story a fellow Sebagoite had told me (Paerdegat = "Horse Gate") correctly. Really, that's made me kick up the response from a comment to a full-fledged post. Fascinating stuff!

So here's the link. Hope you enjoy.

Paerdegat Basin, blustery Sunday.

There have been weekends this winter where I've been almost tempted to email Holly the Sailing Chair - "Hey, Holly, 50 degrees, light winds, can we, um, maybe go sailing, maybe, huh?"

Sunday the 10th was decidedly not one of those days.



Look - whitecaps!

Marcus Demuth Presentation at Sebago

Marcus Demuth will be at Sebago Canoe Club, Saturday Feb 9th at 6:00PM,
to give a talk about his past and future expeditions.

He recently completed a solo sea kayak circumnavigation of Ireland. And
has done extended trips in Patagonia, Australia and Nova Scotia, to name
a few.

He is in the planning stage of an extended trip to circumnavigate the
Alexander Archipelago, Alaska.
He also came in first place in his class in the past two  NYC Mayors Cup
races.

It will be informal, bring drink and snacks to share.

Even if it is cold out, the new stove will keep it toasty warm.

http://marcusdemuth.com

More Pool Session Fun!

This was pretty funny. I was swimming around with my camera last Sunday at the pool session and decided to see if I could get the video function to work. I'm not really conversant with that particular function, but it is fun for rolling, so I was trying.

Here goes Minh! (btw these seem to be hanging up - just hit the play button a couple times, and if it stops hit the pause button, it'll go again)


So that worked. Now Stevie has been doing wonders teaching people this year (I swear, he's barely in his boat) and among others, vice-commodore Pete has made incredible progress.

So, hey, Pete, howsabout a roll for the camera?


What happened there? Well, I'll tell you what happened. I was expecting to record one nice no-fuss no-muss roll for Sebago blog-sterity.

I was not expecting him to keep going!

And kayaks don't roll in one spot - no, they travel. And Pete is a big, powerful guy & all the sudden he was looking more like a steamroller than a kayak roller, and - well, you heard my little "EEEK!" as I realized he wasn't stopping! Like I said, I actually put my foot up on the back deck to let him know I was there.

We did do a redo but this one was funnier, so there it is.

After that, I just got silly.


Fun session.

We have definitely got a number of folks who've got it going on with the rolling!

And Stevie's collecting kayak karma points galore.

(p.s. - Adele, we missed you! Hope you're feeling better!)