Exped Available at Savannah Canoe

My favorite tent for leading extended trips on the Georgia coast quickly became the Exped Solo Vela 1.
After selling some photos to Outdoor Research, the USA importer for Exped back then, I added the Airmat and the Wallcreeper sleeping bag to my overnight ensemble.
I was a very happy camper and have followed the progress of Exped ever since.

On our River Ganges India trip, we tried some other Exped products, all of which we thought were very well designed and functional. We particularly found useful the Exped Multimatt. We used these foam matts to wrap around the wooden frames of the collapsible kayak for protection during transit. Folded up they made great kayak cushions and laid out in the tub of the tent they were a excellent insulator from the damp sand. Of course, as a picnic blanket and camp carpet, they were terrific.
You can read about us on the Exped Blog http://www.expedlife.com/.

We will be carrying the Exped line at the shop, which will be open by mid March. Come and have a look.

Used Surf Kayaks For Sale

Two very nice surf boats up for grabs this week.


Both boats are in excellent condition and going for a song.
The Mega Neutron is almost brand new.
Both are located in the Maryland vaccinity.
Contact Travis at.... tnkyates@verizon.net

From The Zen Calendar Today

'I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance than I should have been by any epaulette I could have worn.'
Henry David Thoreau.

I never did get the whole Epaulette thing.
Love sparrows and hoeing.
Too late to hoe now.

Shacked SoT Surfing

No bikini babes with their paddles upside down here.
This is one hot Sot in the right hands.
No thigh straps, no fins, awesome waves, great photography and seriously shacked.
Available only in Tahiti ?...not for long.

'By Canoe' Gets Cult Status.

Our increasingly popular self published book 'By Canoe' seems to be becoming a collectible piece of kayak memorabilia.
The book, written, designed and published by Nigel & Kristin Law is available on Amazon for $54 new, with used prices up to over $80 !!

We were also very pleased to hear the book was also recently added to the recommended reading list for Expeditionary Studies students at SUNY Plattsburgh.

Of course, you can buy it from us for $16, signed and with a personalized written note of encouragement. See, this is what happens when you get cult status before death....a marketing man's nightmare indeed.

There are no plans for a reprint, but there is expected to be a follow up book...'By Kayak' coming in the Fall of 2015.

By Canoe (Paperback)
A nice review.
Recommended by friends, I'm very pleased. The photography is phenomenal, and the way the authors portray their adventure is sometimes romantic, sometimes comical, sometimes surreal, but always exquisite. A great adventure, and a great book.

East Coast Canoe & Kayak Festival - 2011

Yes, folks, it's that time of year again. April 15-17, 2011 Time to start thinking about the coming paddling season. The East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival kicks things into high gear in the Southeast. With a great line up of instructors, speakers, and lakeside outfitters, this event is well worth the low price of admission. It's also a great place if you are looking for that elusive $500 canoe or an eclectic piece of kayak junk going for a song. (We love the used boat corral.)

I will be at the event for the weekend teaching a couple of classes, but Savannah Canoe and Kayak will not be manning a booth this year.
These are my class topics and outlines.

Introduction to Kayaking in the Surf Zone: Master Class
This is a fundamentals and confidence building class for all levels, in any kayak, in a shallow water shore break environment. Sooner or later you will, intentionally or unintentionally, find yourself in ‘the surf zone’. In this class we will prepare you physically and mentally for this eventuality. As well as launching, we will practice both pro-active and passive techniques for landing on surf beaches. We will look at how best to capsize, getting to shore, and rescuing a swimmer. Energy and fun level is high.

Sit-On-Top Kayak Surfing: 1 Hour
Ever thought about taking your SOT to the beach to play in the waves?
In this presentation we will have a hands-on look at what makes a SOT ideally suited to this environment, and the best and safest way to go about it. Topics covered include surfing etiquette, rules of the beach, reading waves, and basic skills. We will also practice technique with the aid of a dry land surfing simulator.

Ups and Downs of the Surf Zone: 1 Hour
A closer look at waves and how they relate to the paddler: where they come from, how they are made, how the coastal landscape shapes them, wave prediction, and which ones to avoid. With the use of models and diagrams, we will discuss characteristics of waves, and most importantly, how best to make use of them in our kayaks

Check out the full schedule here.

A Savannah Canoe Shop and More

Progress on the shop space continues through the month of February as we aim for our March opening.
The new space will allow us to continue running our operations, as well as providing our customers a much better quality of service for retail, rental and community events.
"We are excited about the continuing evolution of Savannah C&K and paddle sports in this area." said a spokesperson at the scene yesterday.

As you can see from the picture the place really just needs a good sweep and a lick of fresh paint.
There will be an open house free painting session this coming Sunday (Feb 6th). Details coming soon.

Yesterday's Stellar demo session
took place under sunny skies, very warm temps and the watchful eye of a friendly local vulture. To all those who attended, thank you for your feedback and time. Your comments are very much appreciated as we strive to better serve the needs of the Savannah paddler. We hope to be carrying several lines from Stellar Kayaks including their surf ski model. More information about Stellar Kayaks coming soon.

GoPro's on Bikes

2010 Post Office Bike Jam
Highlights from the gathering of the world's best freestyle bike athletes in Northern California

GoPro are making TV commercials from their favorite GoPro videos to demonstrate the professional quality footage possible with the HD HERO camera.

GoPro - Available at Savannah Canoe and Kayak.

Stellar Kayak Demo- Sunday at Despositos

We have a small trailer load of kayaks from new kayak manufacturer Stellar, which we will be test paddling tomorrow at Thunderbolt, Jan 30th.

From the Stellar website....
Stellar Kayaks was conceived in 2008 by a Global team, bringing the latest design and manufacturing techniques together. Working in tandem with world renowned rowing manufacturer, WinTech Racing, Stellar produces highly engineered, durable, yet affordable boats and paddles.

If you are interested in coming down and giving us some feedback on the three models we have, we would be very appreciative. One is a surf ski (pictured) and two are sea kayaks.
Demo starts at 10am at Despositos. Dress warm. Bring your kit.

The surf ski in the picture above sells for $1800, in the basic layup.
Worth a closer look we think.

Mountainfilm-Savannah Packs Them In

SC&K attended both evening showings at this years Mountainfilm Tour in Savannah.
And we are pleased to say it was a well supported event with some excellent celluloid story telling. Friday night was a sell out audience, with the Charles Morris Center packed to capacity. Last nights showing included a snippet of Hotel Charley... Jessie Coombs and Darin Mc Quoids first descent kayak trip down the Rio Piaxtla through the deepest canyon in North America.

Also on the bill was the 'needs to be seen' documentary Bag It.
The story follows an average American, Jeb Berrier, who makes a resolution to stop using plastic bags at the grocery store. Did you know that in the first ten years of the 21st Century we have used more plastic than we did in the entire 20th Century ?.

Jeb discovers that not only is plastic contributing to the death of about 100,000 marine animals and birds each year, but that this plastic is even contributing to chemicals making their way into our own bodies.

Chemicals such as Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates are added during manufacturing. These chemical additives, which are often used in food and drink containers, have been found to leach, and scientists have overwhelming evidence that these chemicals are affecting humans—specifically babies in utero and children.
BPA and phthalates are linked to numerous health problems—cancer, diabetes, autism, attention deficit disorder, obesity, infertility—even smaller penis size.

Congratulations to the lucky people who won SC&K kayak trips in the raffle.
We look forward to taking you on an adventure in your own back yard....just as soon as it warms up.

Proceeds from the raffle go to Georgia Conservancy.
>