March 11, 2010

She is baaack!!!

Polly Green has been a Kokatat sponsored athelete from the early days of her paddling life. She is re-entering the professional paddling scene, using her film-making skills to document her journey:

“My goal in life has been to be a world champion athlete since I was seven years old. My hero at the time was the Olympic gymnast Nadia Comaneci, who had just scored the first perfect ten. I wanted to be her. The closest I came to realizing my dream was in 2003 at the Freestyle Kayak World Championships in Graz (Austria), where I came 5th. I was devastated. My fire burnt out after 2003, and even though I hung in there for a few more years, I knew deep down it was time to move on, and give the rest of life a go. I pursued my filmmaking career, learned to surf, started a regular yoga practice, and began making art again. I thought my competition days were over.


A few months ago my friend, Arnd Schaeftlein came to visit and go surfing. We got to talking about the last world championships, and he off handedly said “you know Polly, if you started training again I think you could be in the top ten at the next worlds” and I replied “If I start training again I don’t want to be top ten I want to win”. A seed was planted that day. A week later I left to go on a ten- day meditation course. That course was the hardest thing I have ever done. Ten days of sitting in silence for 11 hours a day. It relit my fire. I realized that my dream of being the world champion was still in me, and if I didn’t go for it I would regret it for the rest of my life. I made a commitment to myself then and there that I was going to go for it and start training for the 2011 World Championships, and make a film about my journey. I knew that this time around I had to do things differently. The last time things felt self-centered and ego driven. This time it is not so much about proving I can win to the world, but is more about fulfilling a deep-seated childhood dream that I can’t explain. It just feels now like it is something I have to do.

This journey to the world championships is about more than winning a gold medal. Through making a film I am sharing my experiences and lessons I learn along the way. I am out to discover what it takes to be a winner, and what it means to be a winner not just on the water, but in life. There are people that will help me along the way in my quest to find the answers including top-level sports psychologists, neuroscientists, and psychics. I am striving this time to maintain a holistic approach to my training, maintaining balance, awareness and appreciation for the fact that I am even able to go for my dream in the first place. What happens at the world championships is only a part of the dream. My goal is to appreciate the journey as much as the outcome, and to live my days knowing that I gave it my best shot.” – Polly Green

March 10, 2010

Plas Y Brenin Expedition Symposium

 

Kokatat Ambassador Mark Tozer sends an update on the recent Plas Y Brenin Expedition Symposium in Noth Wales.

February saw nearly a hundred delegates come together for the 3rd Paddlesport Expedition Symposium at Plas y Brenin in North Wales. It was organized by Pete Catterall, Head of Paddlesports, and supported by many great guest speakers and coaches including the likes of Justine Curgenven and Ray Goodwin, one of the UK’s only triple Level 5 coaches. The event provided a memorable opportunity for participants from all over the UK, Europe, and the USA to come together to share their experiences and skills.

The two days were jam packed with fascinating talks, workshops and discussions.  They covered everything from canoe poling, gear selection, tarpology and bushcraft. We also covered bear proofing your kit, recording the trip and exploring leadership/group dynamics during expeditions. It was all run with the relaxed professionalism always associated with Plas Y Brenin, however that didn’t stop a few of the symposium staff from getting up to mischief  by participating in some ‘snowyaking’ after a fresh dump of powder!

Saturday was concluded with a highly exclusive preview of Justine’s forthcoming DVD release of ‘This is Canoeing’, which was very well received. This was followed by Peter Catterall and his team talking about their ‘Below and Beyond Machu Pichu ‘09’ trip which was a kayaking expedition to complete a first decent of the Rio Concebidayoc in the Quillabamba region of Peru.

Overall it was an engaging and enjoyable experience as to be there as a guest speaker and occasional participant when there was time to sneak into other workshops. Praise should go to Pete and all the team for delivering a great symposium that was all things to all participants with plenty of time to network and gather information.

Mark

Mark Tozer is based in North Wales and provides outdoor learning, training and recreation programmes throughout the UK all year round.

March 8, 2010

The Season – Butze or Bust

 

Kokatat Ambassador Paul Kuthe is one of the stars of a new web television series developed by Bryan Smith and Fitz Cahall, called The Season. Paul takes us through another episode of their adventure to Butze Rapid…

 

The Season Episode 8 from Fitz Cahall and Bryan Smith on Vimeo.

 

We heard about this wave a couple years ago…an untapped tidal zone that only local whitewater boaters know about. We didn’t know what to expect really, but we knew we wanted to put sea kayaks on it. It took us a year or better to get all the logistics sorted out and our schedules aligned, but last summer it all came together.

Dave White, Nick Jacob, and I CRAMMED ourselves and our gear into Nick’s Subaru Outback Sport in an effort to be under the 7′ height limit enforced by B.C. Ferries. We had learned on previous adventures that over height = over priced! We were operating on a shoestring budget and determined to get to the Butze without spending too much cash. We also didn’t want to miss our ferry over to Vancouver Island after the long night on the road, so when we finally rolled into Tswassen we just decided to sleep in line for the ferry.

We woke to a symphony of big diesel engines firing up the next morning. Crap! It’s time to board!! We all stuffed our sleeping gear and rolled onto the boat within minutes of waking up. We were to meet Bryan Smith and Phil Tifo in Nanaimo that morning. We did a big food shop, prepared our provisions for the journey and drove the length of Vancouver Island to Port Hardy so we could catch our next ferry!

The folks at the Port Hardy Terminal were nice enough (or they just pitied us enough) to give us a parking area and a HUGE zone to prepare the boats for the next mornings departure. We needed to get all 5 of our boats stuffed to the gills because we were walking onto the ferry leaving the cars behind for the next week. This included all the usual food and camping gear that goes with ANY multi day trip into the BC wilderness, but we also needed to find room for a full size movie camera, a laptop, tripods, and multiple still camera set-ups so we could document the experience.

We hoped we were making the right call…As we cruised past some of the most sought after sea kayak destinations on earth, we hoped that this rapid in the middle of nowhere would be worth it. The ferry from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert is every bit of 15 hours. By the time we hit Prince Rupert, it was already 10pm and the sun was setting fast. We were faced with the prospect of either paddling into an unknown tidal race in the dark or spending our third night at yet another ferry terminal.

I can’t say we made the wrong call, but I will say that I didn’t sleep much that night. Just as we were getting settled in and making friends with the swarms of local mosquitoes and flies, our make-shift camp in the corner of the ferry terminal yard was invaded by the freight train that comes to unload every night.

We were set-up to the outside of the curve of the tracks such that it seemed as though the train was literally going to run us over. The ground shook, the train whistle blasted repeatedly, and the crossing signal seemed to be mocking us… ding ding dinging incessantly. About the third time the train backed up and pulled forward triggering the crossing signal, Dave White lost it. All he could do was laugh. His laughter was infectious and soon all five of us were hysterically laughing at ourselves. What were we doing here???

The next morning we launched and paddled into the zone. On the paddle up we approached what we thought must be the first set of rapids. As we drew near we realized that what we were seeing was actually huge piles of foam floating head high on the water’s surface. Whatever stirred up this much foam must be powerful. It should have served as a clue to what was to come, but we thought little of it at the time.

We arrived as the day’s flood was reaching it’s peak. We were finally here!!! From the looks of it, the rapids were going to be SWEET. We unloaded the boats, went for a quick surf on the tail end of the flood and then we all passed out in the sun to enjoy our first bit of sleep outside a ferry terminal. None of us realized It would be our last view of the sun for that trip, and it would also be our last un-interrupted slumber on that particular island.

Stay tuned for another episode of The Season coming soon!

March 6, 2010

Taylor Cote Paddling in the whitewater paradise of Chile

Kokatat Ambassador Taylor Cote is having tons of fun on the Palguin River: “Scraping down the steep hill, making sure I’m keeping up with the person in front. We get closer and closer to the most exciting part of this whole hike, the put-in. There’s a land bridge you get to walk over – a mossy little nature bridge you can peer over into the water, careful not to drop your boat though! After that, there’s also the fun seal launch; it can be a bit nerve-racking, because after you create your big splash you look up and realize you have just dropped into gorge, a beautiful one at that. Then it’s just a wait in the top eddy for the rest of the group to hurry up and get in the water. Everyone is wondering if any of the others have the same concerns about this being a gorge and all. Hmm… looking down it seems alright; we all notice a little horizon line around the corner then we can’t see anymore then that. Finally, the last of the people drop into the chilly water and crowd around Coach Tino for instructions. It’s the usual, a “don’t worry”, “here’s the line”, and “we’ll have safety throughout the whole rapid”. Doesn’t mean this helped calm any of the qualms about this, but oh well.

Cote DSC_0247

Everyone who knows anything about the river has left the eddy by now. We all watched one teacher get up on shore with his rope and then give us a thumb’s up. I turn back to my brethren and ask, “So, umm…Who wants to go first?”. This phrase got repeated a couple times, then of course the brave soul who just wants to get it over with says, “I’ll go, I’ll go”. Everyone momentarily breathes sighs of relief as he leaves the eddy, happy they’re not the probe. Then we all watch intently as the first person bobs down. So far no problems, the person on shore shouting a few directions to them, and then they disappear. Looks good, and a fist pump from the guy onshore, alright they did fine. Another glance around, which brave soul would like to go next. I don’t know why we always psych ourselves out about it, but we do. I mean they even tell us it’s in our abilities. I decide it’s my turn, I pull out of the eddy a little nervous, and down the rapid I go! Through the swirling and twirling whitewater – so far so good, nothing I can’t handle. Passing the person on shore, now hearing what they were telling the first one down. They wanted to make sure we followed the water as it flowed up onto the wall, it’s definitely a much sweeter line. After that I prepared for a nice boof, and whoosh off about a 10 foot drop. I heard a couple woots and paddle towards all the colorful boats. That was definitely one way to get your adrenaline pumping.

Well one down, “what’s up next?” is the question when everyone got down to the eddy. Another briefing about what’s below, and down we go, this one was another 10 footer with a few rapids above. The next drop is also a nice boof depending where you hit it. It can either be a nice delayed one down the middle, or stay right and hit a small flake. After this drop we’re all settled, and everyone is dealing with the adrenaline rush from the sick new creek run. Everyone is talking about how awesome someone’s boof was or how someone totally ate it as we paddle to the next drop.

“The next drop is 20 feet; you can plug or try boofing, whatever you desire”, says Tino “It has a nice soft landing at the bottom so, even if you mess up terribly it doesn’t matter”. It was so fun to be first at this drop – I got to see everyone else’s lines. It’s so cool to see your friend just nail the line, and see their face so gung-ho afterwards. After the last drop, we all couldn’t believe what we just went through. How we did all that, and how we dropped that much gradient so fast. Then we reached the takeout, everyone was sprinting to the top to get home to warm showers and food. At the trailer it’s a group effort loading boats. It so funny how pleased everyone was sighing happily, exhausted from the day. Then it’s a bump, bump, bumping down the gravely road to get back to the base. We’re all ready for some good ol’ fashion Chilean grub cooked by our chef, Lorena. What another amazing day of paddling in the whitewater paradise of Chile on the Palguin River.” Photo courtesy of David Gorski.

March 5, 2010

Kokatat F18 Sailing

 

Kokatat Sailing team members Garth Fansano and Tyler Burd check in with what they have been up to in the off season:

 

 

After a long winter season we are about ready to get back out on the water. We are rigging up the boat the first weekend in March, and then sailing in Newport until we head down to Florida for the Tybee 500. Over the winter we have taken some major steps to get the boat ready for the coming season.

First of all, Kokatat has been a huge help getting us great gear! We have lots of warm stuff from them, even a new GORE-TEX® Front Entry Dry Suit with relief zipper and GORE-TEX® socks for Garth.  It was about time for an upgrade from the suit he was wearing back in high school.

With the help of PepPod, Lars Guck has been working on refurbishing the boat. He is reinforcing weak points on the hull to make sure we don’t have any surprises while we are racing offshore. The daggerboard trunks are getting a refurb to make them watertight and have a snugger fit with our boards. Finally, the bottom will have a new coat of nice smooth and fast gelcoat.

Another major addition for the boat is an entire new set of sails, which was a necessity after Tyler “Twinkletoes” flew off the boat and through the mainsail at our last event. It was a disappointing way to wrap up our season but it also forced us to ante up and get fresh sails. Another spinnaker is on the way from Claes from Gransegel which should be a downwind speed machine.

Coming back this year we feel like we have done as much as we can to get everything ready and now it is time to get out on the water!

T minus 10 Days.

March 4, 2010

Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium

Kokatat’s Sea Kayaking Ambassador Jeff Allen attended the Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium last weekend. here’s what Jeff has to say about the event:

“This was the 2nd Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium (GGSKS), although only my first, and I was surprised at just how well organised the event was. You would think that it had been running for years, it went off so smoothly.


San Francisco can receive a mixed bag of weather conditions and this three day event held no exceptions there. Gale force winds and heavy rain one day, bright sunshine and gorgeous blue skies the next. Not a great deal of activity took place outside of the Gate due to 20 foot swells, which kept all but the most experienced paddlers inside of this unique harbour. This was not a disappointment, the spring tides and refracting swell on Yellow Bluff created a perfect environment for both the intermediate and advanced sessions; everyone expanded their learning curve beyond the horizon at some time or other.

Kokatat Ambassador Freya Hoffmeister gave a talk on her recent circumnavigation of Australia on Saturday night. It was great to hear first hand of her experiences and her opening comments said it all: “People said that I was attempting to circumnavigate around Australia, believe me, there was never any attempt, in my mind only conclusion”. When this women sets her sight on a target you know she’s going to give it her all and hit bulls eye! Well done Freya, you’ve taken the world of sea kayaking by storm and proved what most men and women thought impossible.

The idea of creating the GGSKS lay with Sean Morley and Jen Kleck but this year Jen could not be there, and Sean made sure that all who attended knew where the steam behind the event had come from – Matt Palmariello. Matt put a great deal of time and effort into ensuring that this years event would not only run smoothly, but also ensured that all participants would leave with a big smile on their faces, well he certainly achieved a triple ace on my cards.

Here’s looking forward to next years event!” All the best,

Jeff Allen

March 2, 2010

4th Annual Brazil Waterfall Expedition: part 2

 

 Kokatat Ambassadors Ben Stookesberry and Chris Korbulic check in from Brazil:

 

Text Ben Stookesberry

Photos Chris Korbulic

3/1/10 - Mato Grosso, Brazil

 

Despite many areas experiencing the most rain in 80 years, Sao Paulo’s freeways and the thoroughfares through Brazil’s expansive interior were in as good of shape as I have seen them.  The rivers on the other hand are incredibly full and treacherous, with our first descent of the Expedition demonstrating the true power of a Central Brazilian river.  At or near the scour line, the Rio Das Mortes (River of the Dead) sped into the jungle with 15 – 20 thousand cfs at the put-in.  Surrounding the river corridor of thick jungle are massive Agricultural complexes; however, the riparian vegetation has been maintained throughout the watershed so even at this extremely high flow the water is transparent and appeared quite clean. 

 

Three years ago during my first trip to Mato Grosso a local kayaker told me about this unrun section of river, containing the big class V we like.  Finally, a month ago I came across the whitewater laced canyon on Google Earth located in the upper watershed near where we would enter Mato Grosso from Sao Paulo.  

 

From the satellite photo I saw massive deforestation around the river and expected to be overwhelmed by the destruction of the natural Serrado forest. Once on the ground though, I began to see the place through the eyes of the extremely hospitable land owners and farm workers that have developed the area for the last 50 years.  These are the people we have to thank for many of the conveniences of the modern world, i.e. the supermarket.  

 

In addition to providing us with directions for put-in and take-out, the gracious farmers took us up in a crop duster to give us a look at the dense jungle canyon of the Das Mortes.  From the air at about 85 miles an hour and 60 – 150 feet off the deck the river looked huge but very manageable.  At about 15 – 20 miles an hour and a torso length off the boiling, swollen current, things looked very different from the seat of our Super Heroes.  

 

This incredible descent of a big water canyon on the edge of the Amazon could not have provided a more exhilarating and informative start to the trip.  Unfortunately the Das Mortes River and its intact jungle corridor is slated for inundation by hydro-electric development over the next 5 – 10 years.  From this first encounter with river, jungle, and agricultural plantation it seems that the biggest threat to the Amazon now is from the promise of “cheap and clean” hydro power.  The biggest example of this is a massive neighbor to the Amazon called the Xingu.  Once dammed, the Xingu will be the third largest dammed river on the planet.  

 

Through the rest of the journey into the Amazon we will be in search of more amazing rivers, and more perspectives from agricultural concerns to the indigenous peoples of the area that are entrusted with the last natural expanses of rainforest.

March 1, 2010

Trip Report: Kayak Fishing Tillamook Bay, Oregon

 

Kokatat Kayak Fishing Ambassador, Jason Self, sends in a trip report from his latest kayak fishing trip…

The weather in Oregon has been absolutely stunning for the last few weeks. I don’t care what the scientists say, or how dry it will be this summer… I love el Nino.

On Sunday, 2/21, the ocean laid down to around 6ft@12-15s, the sky showed not a single cloud, temperatures averaged 50F, and winds blew steady out of the East at 15mph with gusts to 20. My friend Jerrol and I launched from the marina at Giribaldi on to Tillamook Bay and paddled South toward the jetty entrance an hour before low tide. The bay is quite shallow in this area, in fact the bottom was in sight most of the way towards the jetty. This made for a much more dynamic environment than most of the other smaller bays on the coast. The shallow water produced some nice 2-3ft wind waves to play on, and just a small channel every now and then would make for a funneling action resulting in several mild rips to mess around with.

We paddled to the bayside edge of the South jetty and hopped out on the cobble beach to asses the situation and discuss bail out options & capsize plans. With a general strategy set, we jumped back in our boats and paddled down the South jetty towards the Pacific Ocean. Jerrol shouted something along the lines of “My goal is to not end up on the 6 o’ clock news.” I just laughed as we rolled up and down on the 3ft swell that made it through the bay entrance.

As the sea floor fell out beneath us and turned from sand to rocks, we dropped our jigs and began fishing. I used my handline again, this time with 40# Berkley Big Game Trilene. I’ve been experimenting with heavier line weight and knots for the last few months, and finally found what I was looking for with the Big Game Trilene. I was fishing with my favorite, most faithful fish-catching lure of all time; a four-inch pink buzzbomb. As unimaginative and low-class as this lure is, it has never, ever been skunked.
The 15-20mph East wind proved to be exceptionally challenging. Blowing strait down the jetty towards the ocean, it made keeping a line vertical almost impossible. This factor, combined with the waves and outflow around the rocks made for some seriously technical boat handling just to keep my line in position for one or two jigs before getting blown out again. It was a great place to practice boat control & conditions management, but not so great for a relaxing day of fishing.
After attempting to fight the conditions for an hour, all the while knowing there’s lunkers below us but no way to get to them & offer a decent presentation, we decided to paddle across the entrance to the North jetty and find shelter in the lee side of the rocks & stacks located there. We tried again to fish the deeper water along the jetty, but faced the same problems with the wind, so we paddled further in and found shelter behind the “Three Graces”.

We knew we were out of big lunker territory, but we knew there would be some smaller lingcod & possibly some greenling around the rockpiles, and we started fishing. A short bit later I started getting nibbles, but missed a few sets. Finally I managed to boat a small lingcod, around 20 inches, which I quickly released. A few minutes later, Jerrol hooked up in the same spot with another small lingcod around 20 inches.

We fished a while longer, then paddled through a nice rock garden towards shore to have lunch. Jerrol asked something along the lines of “What’s the best way through the rocks?” I gave him a funny look. “Well you’re the expert!” he said. Again I just laugh as we bob up and down next to the rocks. I said something along the lines of “Try not to run into them.” It’s not that I was apathetic for safety, or mocking his questions, but I hadn’t been here before, and when I’m not guiding, I entertain myself with allot of, “I wonder if I can get through there?”, or, “I wonder what will happen if I go this way?”, and allot of times it ends up with a “How do I get myself out of this one?” We paddled through the garden with no issues, landed on a cobble beach and had lunch.

By the time we finished eating, it was getting close to quitting time, so we floated back to the marina on the incoming tide as we mooched our jigs. Jerrol spotted some activity on his fish finder around the pilings at the fisherman’s dock at Giribaldi, and we fished for a few minutes there with no result before pulling out at the marina where we launched.

I was really hoping for a lunker on this trip, but I was extremely pleased with our adaptations to unsuitable conditions. The bottom line at the end of the day is that, despite the challenges, we adapted and were still able to get fish. If nothing else, I found a great spot to practice technical boat handling in a relatively safe environment, and had a load of fun soaking in February sunshine and sea air with a friend.

-Jason Self, Portland Oregon

February 26, 2010

First Descents: “River Ward Trailer”

Our February partner of the month, First Descents, a non-profit organization for young adults with cancer, posted a trailer of their new documentary, “The River Ward”. The film follows four First Descents’ participants as they take on the rivers of Montana to overcome the challenges of whitewater kayaking and with it, prove to themselves that cancer, no matter how aggressive, dormant, advanced, or invasive, would never be stronger than they were.

First Descents, founded by Kokatat ambassador Brad Ludden, provides young adults with cancer a free of charge adventure therapy program with the mission of curing the emotional sides of cancer and empowering participants to regain control of their lives through whitewater kayaking. We’re very proud to be affiliated with Brad Ludden and the First Descents.

Visit First Descents to learn more about the organization and to Donate.

February 23, 2010

Freya Hoffmeister- Race Around Australia Seattle Presentation

Freya’s West Coast Tour…don’t miss it! Barb Gronseth, from Kayak Academy, tells us about the Freya Hoffmeister’s “Race Around Australia” presentation that took place in Seattle.

“Kayak Academy and Sea Kayaker Magazine hosted Freya’s “Race around Australia” presentation in Seattle Feb 16th. Avid Seattle-area paddlers poured in from all points for the opportunity to meet Freya. Some had followed her blog throughout the trip and others logged in for the tougher phases of the trip. Her initial slide of Australia super imposed over Europe helps you grasp the immensity of her circumnavigation and then her year unfolds with photos of beautiful scenery and marine life.

The next day, I was off on my own travels, to Whistler and the Olympics. Gazing at out the bus window at Howe Sound my thoughts turned to the night before and Freya’s presentation. Stories abound of her courage, determination, what percentage of her trip was supported, the number of technological communication devices used but what affected me most was the excitement of watching her succeed. We, sea kayakers don’t have a world cup or Olympic ski racer to follow down the race course and to the finish but we do have images of Freya punching out through the surf and at the Finish. She won her race, what’s your next adventure?”

-Barb Gronseth

Tonight at 6:30pm  Freya will be giving her presentation in Eureka, CA at the Wharfinger Building.  Then she will be at the Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium This weekend 2/26-2/28.  There will be another presentation during the symposium on 2/27. Check out the full tour schedule to see if Freya is coming to a town near you!

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