We’ve talked a bit about selecting the best kayak for you before, but it’s getting to be that season again, and you
may be itching to buy yourself a new boat. If that’s the case, give
this site a look (with a name like
kayak online, you know it can’t be all bad). There is a brief, but solid
little primer on how to choose a boat. The things you want to be aware of are stability, controllability, weight, and
where, exactly, you plan on taking the thing…which, come to think of it, is probably the first thing to decide.
Paddling and Digital Navigation
For those paddlers interested in the newest technologies and how to use them to digitally
navigate during a long paddle, you cannot go wrong reading
this fine article on the subject. It covers
GPS maps and other aspects of navigation and is a great primer on the subject.
Baja Paddling Tragedy
This is rough. And it
raises some important questions about how to handle yourself in a rough situation. A group of kayakers experience some
rough seas and high winds. One of them disappears because the group fails to stay together. He dies. Hypothermia is the
official reason. How does the group deal with his death? What does this say about the need to stick together? Important
questions and a hard lesson.
Kayaking Crete with a Sense of Humor
The best first person adventure stories are told when the author is completely honest about his or her experiences.
This premise sets the scene for About.com’s Greece Guide deTraci
Regula as she relates her multi-day kayaking
expedition around Crete in a way which will make you laugh and feel sorry for her at the same time. A complete
novice of the sport, she braves her fears (while making great friends with her personal floatation device) to learn how
to kayak and explore some amazing places. She also provides
some planning notes related
to future runs of the same kayaking expedition.
Paddling the Dead Sea
There are lots of odd places to paddle, but here is one of the odder ones:
the Dead
Sea. In case you’re not up on your geographical trivia, the Dead Sea is the lowest sea…nay, the lowest water body
on the planet. It sits 400 meters below sea level. It is also the saltiest Sea (or lake) in the world. Oh, and it
smells. Bad. So why would anyone want to paddle the Dead Sea? Because it’s there. Because it’s cool to tell your
friends, “Oh, I paddled the Dead Sea.” Maybe.
Of course, some people beleive bathing (although that’s an odd term to use since you must rinse off immediately after
going in the water) the Dead Sea is highly therapeutic. They say the waters
possess almost magical properties of healing. Well, I floated in the Dead Sea once and all I got out of it was an itchy
butt crack. So if that’s your thing, by all means, go for it.