Aah, The First Day of Fall.

It feels a lot like Fall.
It smells like Fall.
By Jove, it is Fall !
Happy Fall Y'all

Mess of Canoes at Kanumesse

Kanumesse is the big European paddlesports Industry showcase event. Not open to the public, it is a product platform for new (?) ideas and designs that will be available for next season. It's a chance for the suits to hype up their knaf gimmicks and hang out with some hot birds in need of some instruction.

Fluid have reproduced the Element in a composite layup. Not sure why. It looks a lot like the Wavesport Flyer from 6 years ago. And what the hell is this...>>>

P&H showed off there new double skegged kayak.? Two 'inline ' skegs, one controller.. We will have to ask Ben Lawry about this one..

Some very hot looking PFD's from Palm... the accessory that they just can't quite get right... after all these years ! Why is it so hard to design a suitable, comfortable, practical vest ?
More details coming soon
And of course, this...the sectional SOT...well, about time.

So there you have it. Lots of great new stuff coming our way 2010. Did we mention Stand Up Paddle Boards ?

Dirty Ocean - Dirty Coast

Last year, volunteers in 100 countries working with Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup removed seven million pounds of trash and debris in a single day. Most of it was from beaches, riverbanks and lake shores.

As much as 70% of all trash that that goes into the ocean sinks to the bottom.
Of all this trash the most prevalent and damaging is fishing gear. The hand cast nest, hooks and monofilament that we find on a regular basis, either washed ashore or entangling wildlife are Lilliputian compared to the commercial fishing nets and traps abandoned or lost at sea. Some commercial gill nets are several hundred feet high and up to 6 miles long. Pacific trawl nets can easily swallow up a Boeing 747. 'Ghost Fishing' as it is know, is becoming an increasing concern for all our oceans.
In crabbing and lobstering regions, the presence of abandoned pots is a deepening concern. In the Gulf of Mexico 250,00 pots get lost a year and derelict traps claim between 4-10 million blue crabs each year in Louisiana.
An estimated 20-30 % of all New England lobster pots are lost each year.

To find out more about what you can do to help and to get involved in the 2009 International Coastal Cleanup
this weekend visit http://www.oceanconservancy.org/

Stats and info from The Ocean Conservancy.

Instruction Week

For our customers..

As a big thank you to all our customers for making it a great summer season, we would like to offer a week of half price classes. L1-4 for Sea Kayak, Surf Kayak, SOT, and Canoe. Call to reserve a spot. First come first serve.

The Long Boat by Stanley Kunitz

When his boat snapped loose
from its mooring, under
the screaking of the gulls,
he tried at first to wave
to his dear ones on shore,
but in the rolling fog
they had already lost their faces.
Too tired even to choose
between jumping and calling,
somehow he felt absolved and free
of his burdens, those mottoes
stamped on his name-tag:
conscience, ambition, and all
that caring.
He was content to lie down
with the family ghosts
in the slop of his cradle,
buffeted by the storm,
endlessly drifting.
Peace! Peace!
To be rocked by the Infinite!
As if it didn't matter
which way was home;
as if he didn't know
he loved the earth so much
he wanted to stay forever.

Paddle Surf Jam- Oct 24

The event will take place on the south side of Tybee Pier. Exact location tbd.
Meet at The Strand parking lot at 7 am for check in and boat inspection. There is also a ESA stand up surf comp going on so make sure you stand in the right queue. Surfing will start at 8am and go until about 3pm. There will be an award ceremony at Hucapoos along with some paddle surfing big screen entertainment on the deck. @ approx 7.30pm.
Sign up now.
Catagories are:
First Timer
Tandem
Sea Kayak
HP men and women
IC men and women
Young guns
Inbetweenies
Old Bastards

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Audubon Meeting .

Please join Ogeechee Audubon at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, September 15 for a program about Georgia's Important Bird Areas (IBAs).

The IBA program is an international effort to identify and protect areas and habitats that are critical breeding and/or feeding sites for birds. National Audubon and its local chapters are central to this effort in the United States.

Georgia currently has identified 44 IBAs; 12 of them are right here on the Georgia Coast. On Tuesday, our speaker will be Charlie Muise, IBA Coordinator for the entire state. He will give us some important insights on how ordinary citizens who care about bird conservation can help the IBA program to achieve its goals.

The program is free and open to the public, so feel free to bring a friend or neighbor. We will meet at our new, temporary location in the First Presbyterian Church at 520 E. Washington St. in Savannah.

Hope to see you there.
Dot Bambach
Vice President,
Ogeechee Audubon Society

Flint River Camp & Paddle

Instructor Speak

With warm waters and great waves, Tybee in the fall is one of the best places in the U.S. to increase one's paddling skill level.
With the coming of the Tybee Kayak Symposium, there will be many 'highly qualified instructors ' teaching a wide array of techniques and styles.
So, as we come into the 'Instruction Season', we thought we would have a closer look at some commonly used phrases and abbreviations of the top coaches.. and their real meaning. Here are just a few...

"Generally" - I'm the only person who believes this.

"Basically" - This is going to get complicated.

"I think that " - Nobody else agrees with me.

"In my honest opinion" - I don't believe a word of this.

"Simply put" - Everything before was a load of waffle.

"The point I'm trying to make" - No one is listening to me.

"In the not too distant future " - It's never going to happen.

"Wow, fantastic " - Finally!

VP - Visual pollution - Rec style kayaks

DOA - Drunk on arrival

FLK - Funny looking kid

NQR - Not quite right

F&C - Fish and Chips

FAC - Fancy a Cuppa?

And some commom English to American translations..
Loo, lav or bog = Bathroom
Spend a Penny = Go to the bathroom
Shagged Out = Worn out
Cream Crackered = Knackered = Worn out
Rubber = Eraser
Randy = Horny
Torch = Flashlight
Queue = Line
Holiday = Vacation
Water bottle = Hydration System
Arse = Fanny
Fanny, front bottom = Well, you know..

Fall Season Up & Running.

All classes, except rolling, are half price from Monday Sept 21 to Friday Sept 25th.
This includes all surf kayaking and sea kayaking levels. So, come on...lets get prepped and ready for some great winter paddles.