One Mans Struggle to Transcend.

An awesome video by Sean Mullens.
Great photography - Great story.
It's a big file, give it some time...it's worth it.

BIRTHRIGHT from Sean Mullens on Vimeo.

One man's struggle to transcend.

"This humble film is about a friend of mine named Michael and his daily ritual to find his natural self through surfing. The film was shot in one day. Michael has not seen the film yet...I'm waiting to screen it for him personally. He will see it this week.
I had discussed shooting the film with Michael for a few weeks and then one day he approached me and asked if I wanted to go film him getting into the water. I grabbed my camera and we shot everything in a few hours.
There is more interview footage of him detailing his initial accident and his return to the ocean/surfing that didn't make it into the final cut.
One interesting fact is that the place where we filmed him entering the water was the exact location he broke his neck and became disabled 30 years ago. He told me that time and time again he finds himself at that spot on earth without intention of being there...it is one of his favorite places to be."

Sean Mullens

Right Whales Chilling Further South

Tom down in New Smyrna Beach sent us this picture from the weekend.



"Sunday we had a right whale hanging out at Flagler Avenue beach access. I missed it, but Pat's boss Dave managed to paddle out to inspect. Last month I saw 2 whales offshore." Tom

The Northern Right whale is the world's most endangered large whale. Their only known calving grounds are the shallow coastal waters of Georgia and Florida, from the Altamaha River near Darien to Sebastian Inlet, south of Cape Canaveral. Here the mother whales come to bear and nurture their young from November through April each year. They remain within five miles of shore, often venturing into the bays and inlets.

When the Spanish discovered St. Simons Island in the 1540s, they called St. Simons Sound "The Bay of Whales" because there were so many mother and calf pairs to be seen. They named Jekyll Island "The Isle of Whales." By 1875, commercial whaling had nearly wiped out the species, and the people of the Golden Isles forgot their heritage of the whales.

Open Pool Practice- Thursday 25th Feb

Get wetted out for the coming Spring.

This coming Thursday evening we have three lanes reserved at the Aquatics Center. Bring your own kayak and practice your rolling technique. We will be on hand to offer tips and advice and practice our selves. You can bring your own kayak, just make sure it is clean inside and out. There is limited room for sea kayaks and
we have a few ww boats for rent for $10.
2hr Practice session cost $20.
From 5.30- 7.30pm Get on the list if interested.

Sweet Deals on Used Surf Boats.

We have a few interesting kayaks up for grabs on the used page right now.
A couple of nice high performance SOT- Wave Skis. $550 and $625 respectively.
These boats/boards are a great way to get into the sport of surfing. Pick up is from Jacksonville. Contact wcbuns@yahoo.com for a viewing.



Riot Boogie $450...almost brand new. Great intro surf kayak for paddler under 180lbs. Pick up in Savannah.

Best Sea Kayak Movie - Paddle to Seattle.

PALMER RAPIDS,FEBRUARY 12, 2010 –
The 5th annual Reel Paddling Film Festival premiered last night at the Bloor Cinema downtown Toronto, hosted by The Complete Paddler. The largest premiere audience in festival history was treated to the first screening of this year’s award winning films. The winners are:

1. Best Sea Kayaking Film: Paddle to Seattle, J.J. Kelly and Josh Thomas use their homemade wooden boats to kayak the 1,300-mile Inside Passage from Alaska to Seattle.
2. Best Canoeing Film: This is Canoeing is a celebration of canoeing, showcasing some of the single blade’s most talented paddlers, wilderness explorers and whitewater adventures.
3. Best Whitewater Film: In Into Perpetual Ice five kayakers visit Greenland to explore the whitewater of this remote island.
4. Best Kayak Fishing Film: Kayak Fishing: Game On 2 follows big game kayaker Jim Sammons on a three-hour battle with a 120-pound tuna.
5. Best Adventure Travel Film: Finding Farley, in which Karsten Heuer and Leanne Allison, along with their two-year old son, set out on a 5,000-kilometre trip from the Prairies to the Maritimes to retrace the literary footsteps of legendary author Farley Mowat.
6. Best Environmental Paddling Film: Facing East is the final descent of the mighty Yangtze River before it is completely underwater and transformed into massive reservoirs.
7. Best Paddling Documentary: Kent Ford’s Call of the River traces whitewater’s history with as many twists and turns as the canyons its pioneers explored.
8. Best Amateur/Short Paddling Film: Falling is a thrill ride and a poetic meditation about harmonizing with the awesome forces of nature featuring the waterfalls of Agua Azul in Chiapas, Mexico.
9. Best Instructional Paddling Film: Sea Kayak with Gordon Brown offers exciting, practical instruction while on a four-day expedition around the Isle of Skye.

“Never before has the Festival seen so many amazing films,” said Scott MacGregor, RPFF producer and last night’s red carpet emcee. “There is truly something for everyone in this year’s World Tour.”

The premiere kicks off the Reel Paddling Film Festival World Tour, an international paddling film tour with 37 short-listed films screening in 75 cities hosted by paddling shops, clubs and events. For a list of all World Tour films, the World Tour schedule, and hosting information visit, www.reelpaddlingfilmfestival.com.

Back Yard Bird Count Starts Today.

This Friday marks the start of the 4-day Great Backyard Bird Count, which continues through Monday, Feb. 15. We need everyone's participation to keep Savannah ranked in the top 10 localities nationally for diversity of bird species!

You can help by simply watching birds at your feeders or in your yard for as little as 15 minutes on one or more of the days. Or you can venture out to your favorite birding spot. Either way, just report your sightings on-line at www.birdsource.org/gbbc. You'll also find useful information on this site on how to identify key species and how to estimate the number of birds coming to your feeders.

For those who prefer birding with a group, there will be two Saturday (Feb. 13) teams that you are welcome to join:
- Diana Churchill's (dichurch@bellsouth.net) team will meet at 8:00 AM at the bridge just inside the entrance to Ft. Pulaski (US 80 route to Tybee); and
- Dot Bambach's (dotbam@bellsouth.net) team will meet at 8:00 AM in the parking lot opposite the gas station in the Village on Skidaway Island.
Please let the leader know if you plan to participate.

Mountain Film Tour.

The Mountain Film tour strolls through town this weekend, much to the delight of many. The festival features short films dedicated to educating and inspiring audiences about issues that matter, cultures worth exploring, environments worth preserving and conversations worth sustaining. Each program is different and the films are introduced by a MountainFilm representative.

Saturdays showing includes Pacific Horizons, a sea kayak movie featuring local paddle talent and friends Dave White and Richard Davis.
All showings are at the Jepson Center for the Arts located at 207 W. York Street, Savannah, GA 31401.
$10 for adults and $5 for children. (Cash Only)
Saturdays showing is a family oriented program.

Schedule of showings.
Friday, February 12th – 8-10:30pm
The Red Helmet
Running Down the Man
Making the Crooked Straight
Deep/Shinsetsu
Pickin’ & Trimmin’ - Director Q&A
Samsara
The Job
Total Show Time: 141 Minutes

Saturday, February 13th - 3 – 5:30pm
Look to the Ground
Good Riddance! Termites
The Leaning Tower
Safari
Kids Who Rip
Pacific Horizons
I Matter: One Kid’s Fight Against Global Warming
History Making Farming Author on the Move - Director Q&A
Trial and Error: Progression
The Hidden Life of the Burrowing Owl
The Champ

Total Show Time: 117 minutes

Sponsored by The Savannah Film Commission and Telfair Museums, Leopold's Ice Cream and Half Moon Outfitters.

Dr Dude Back from Haiti

Savannah surf paddle team member Colm Acuff has just returned from a rather intense week in Haiti. The ER doctor from Memorial Hospital volunteered his time, reorganized his schedule and along with ten other compadres flew by private jet to the north shore of Hispaniola.
"The situation is desperate. This is the poorest country I have ever seen by a long shot." Said the well travelled doctor earlier. Having volunteered his skills in several other third world countries before, Colm said this was the most moving experience yet.
A large volume of the patients he saw were suffering from infections and related problems. Quite a lot of people are still dying
"Garbage and filth is rapidly piling up in the streets. The situation is dire."
The best thing people can do right now is to donate money, nothing more, nothing less."
The private jet that Colm and his group charted cost almost $70,000 of which the entire cost was donated.

Ben Lawry's New DVD.

We would like to congratulate Ben Lawry on the newest addition to his video series. The DVD covers flat water strokes in his own unique style. We have not seen the finished product, but are sure it will be excellent and up to his usual high standard.
Ben recently joined the Kokatat team, so he's going to look super snappy in their latest threads.
Will he still be sporting his signature black socks or is this the start of a more serious Mr Ben ?

Here is a clip.



DVD details here soon.

Goose Validates Need for Paddle Float.

Because you just never know what might happen out there....




Thanks for the vid, Jim.

Wildlife Refuge Opens March 8.

Friends of the Savannah Coastal Wildlife Refuges

Visitor Center Volunteer Training
DATE: February 22nd, 23rd, and 24th, 2010
LOCATION: Savannah NWR Visitor Center, 694 Beech Hill Lane, Hardeeville, SC

The long wait is nearly over!
The Savannah NWR Visitor Center will open to the public on Monday, March 8, 2010. The Friends group needs volunteers to help staff the new center, both the Information Desk, and our bookstore, "The Gator Hole". You may volunteer for either or both areas. Traing sessions for those interested in volunteering will be held on February 22nd, 23rd, and 24th. The sessions wil last about three hours each and will be set up as either morning or afternoon sessions, depending on demand. You need attend only one session. If you are at all interested, please contact Refuge Ranger Amy Ochoa at amy_ochoa@fws.gov (or 843-784-2468 Ext 111) and tell her which times work best for you.

If you have any questions about what is involved, please call Amy , or call Rick Shields at 912-335-5085.

An Apology...

To Marcus and Biff,

"I attempted to make funny story out of a serious endeavor.
I completely failed.
I had absolutley no intention to denegrate your methods, abilities or motivation by any means. I have nothing but admiration for you both, and other's who are pushing the sport of kayaking to it's furthest reaches.
I very am sorry you had to endure what you did in Tierra De Fuego and then come back and justify your actions to me. I was the ass. You have to taught me another good lesson. I look forward to you coming to Charleston, and your presentation for which you have my complete support. Please accept my apology."
Nigel Law.

P.S.
The story should have been...
Two Kayaks For Free...Pickup Only.