Kayak in a Pack

by Erik Olsen on

I’m just finishing up my second reading of Paul Theroux’s Happy Isles of
Oceania, probably my favorite book by one of my favorite authors. In the book, Theroux, crotchety as ever, takes a
collapsible kayak to Oceania (you know, that place on the other side of the globe with all the small islands…um,
including Australia and NZ), and paddles around partly under the pretense of following in the footsteps of famed
anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski whose classic book
on the Trobriands painted the culture there as a sex-driven paradise.

Well, in this spirit, I found a link today over at
Travelizmo for the First Light kayak, a portable kayak in a pack
that weighs under 20 pounds, is rather small (compared to some collapsibles) and is said to be easy to assemble. I took
a look at the site for the kayak, made by a New Zealand company, and was very pleased to find a whole assembly of
great little videos showing the kayak in action. Very
cool.

Missing New York Rower Story

by Erik Olsen on


I subscribe to a NYC kayakers list and it has been burning with talk about Jim Runsdorf, the Manhattan real estate
executive

who went missing and was presumed dead yesterday after a 29-foot motorboat collided with his racing shell on the
Harlem River. Runsdorf has been missing since early Monday morning even though he was on the racing shell with two
others who, like Runsdorf, were all former college athletes. The two others were pulled from the water and taken to the
hospital with head injuries. By all appearances, this was an accident. The motorboat was identified as the Ready to
Jet, and police said that no charges were filed against the driver, as he passed a Breathalyzer test.

Well, the New York Rowing Association is holding a search for Runsdorf tomorrow
morning heading out from the Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse. This is a tragedy, and very sad. But it raises questions about
boating in early (and late light). Several quotes give the impression that crafts on NYC rivers are in constant threat
of getting hit…and this seems to be a topic of great (and passionate) interest to the local boating community.

NYT Adventure Travel Guide to the Caribbean

by Erik Olsen on

This is a very well-done means of showing
how/where to go in the Caribbean. Snorkeling, windsurfing, diving, mountain biking…you name it. If water sports
in warm climes are your forte, this is a neat way of looking at what’s available to you in the region. Click on the
sport and get a useful little write up, then download the PDF for printing. Some of the entries have photos. The Times
consistently does excellent Flash interactives, and this is one to bookmark if you are headed to the Caribbean.
 

Swimming to Catalina

by Erik Olsen on

Wow,
here’s
a story about a guy who is swimming the distance between the California mainland and Catalina Island, an
amazing 26 mile haul. The swimmer is Peter Attia, a Baltimore doctor who, let’s face it, is either in amazing
shape or mad as a hatter. 

I know some folks who have done this as a paddle on a kayak or paddleboard, but never a swim. And that makes sense
(that I’ve not heard of this) since only 120 people have ever made the crossing. There’s also a
well-done
video on the crossing.

Journal of Kayaking

by Erik Olsen on

I frequent so many of the same places these days looking for stories, interesting things happening, cool people…so
it’s always cool to stumble upon a site you’ve never seen before that

Ignacio Wenley Palacios has kept a nicely done journal
chronicling his first year sea kayaking, and already, as you can see
from this
entry, the guy’s hitting the surf. Pretty ballsy.

The journal has got some good posts on the kayaking life as well as
reviews and lots of photos of, well,

kayaks. It’s not the deepest, deepest site you’ve ever seen, but if you’re into paddling, you’ll probably enjoy
reading what Palacios has to say.