Helen Wilson - can actually fit in a Tahe Greenland (unlike FP!)

In the sleepy liberal town of Arcata in northern California can be found world-renown Greenland roller Helen Wilson. A multiple medal winner at the Greenland National Kayaking Championships (2008, 2010), her qualifications as an expert in the art of Greenland-style kayaking are beyond question. Dressed all in black and nestled inside her sleek Tahe Greenland kayak, she is like a paddling martial artist, flawlessly running through her kata of 35 different rolling techniques developed by the Inuit seal hunters of old.

G-styles... more time in the water than out of it

The style is not without controversy however. Many contemporary sea kayakers mock the Greenland sport as nothing more than a nostalgic art using ancient equipment. The Greenland paddle favoured in the style also has its share of detractors, with some claiming them unable to be used for the rigours of the modern paddler at sea, and at best only useful as an easy to stow spare.

Helen in the froth... maybe you CAN use a Greenland paddle in moving water?

When asked about this Helen just smiles and nods. She’s heard all the put-downs from the detractors and is well aware of the views that Greenlanders can’t surf, roll their boats safely in dangerous conditions or mix it in heavy sea states with their contemporaries. Her response is not one of words, but of action. “Whatever”, she smiles mischieviously “and excuse me, I’m about to take my Skin On Frame kayak out to the cliffs off Trinidad”.

Helen heads out to the rock gardens of her northern Californian backyard

A quick look at photos and videos of her paddling exploits drives home the point. She relishes the rough coastal conditions along the northern Californian coast, smiling broadly as she surfs and combat rolls her various boats amongst the area’s many rock gardens.  She has paddled with members of famed extreme kayakers the Tsunami Rangers, even instructing them in the art of rolling with Greenland paddles.  Her entire attitude is one on nonchalance – say whatever you want, she’s going to just go on enjoying her sport and using her skills to go places others fear to go.

The cliffs of Trinidad, including the famed "Smack Wall", make a fun playground for paddlers

Complementing her extraordinary paddling and rolling abilities, Helen’s one true passion is passing on her skills to others. She has been able to break the core components of the art into a couple of simple, easy to learn steps that she passes onto the paddlers lucky enough to attend one of her sessions.

Helen instructing students on rolling technique

In 2010 she took her teaching further by releasing an instructional DVD titled “Simplifying the Roll with Helen Wilson“, which is fast becoming the “must have” resource for both new and veteran rollers. That same year she came up with the Transitional Stick, a teaching aid aimed at progressing paddlers from their full-length paddles down to the shorter norsaq and eventually to hand rolls. Canadian paddle maker, Joe O’Blenis, worked with her on the design to make the T-Stick a reality.

News of her skill as both a paddler and instructor has spread quickly off the back of her DVD sales and she now travels the world teaching Greenland rolling skills at kayak symposiums, club days and private lessons, her schedule almost full from the extraordinary demand for her services. Between teaching commitments she writes articles for quality publications such as Sea Kayaker and Ocean Paddler magazines as well as contributing where she can to Qajaq USA, the American body dedicated to teaching the ancient traditions of the Inuit hunters of yesterday.

The northern Californian coastline - could this be paradise for paddlers?

As her global image continues to grow, even her detractors are having to begrudgingly grant her respect. Perhaps she is finally proving to the world that the Inuit people, with thousands of years of development amongst the icy waters of the arctic, might just have developed some useful skills after all. Not that she really cares mind you, she’s probably just out surfing somewhere.

Bouncing around in waves is fun!

“Simplifying the Roll with Helen Wilson” DVDs can be purchased directly from this website for Australian and New Zealand customers, or  from Helen’s own website GreenlandorBust.org. The Transitional Stick is available online from JoeOPaddles and will also be available in Australia shortly from Greenland Downunder. Cheers – FP

Team Fat Paddler ring-in for the next Greenland National Kayaking Championships

*Images used with permission thanks to Helen Wilson and Jim Kakuk

Tags: Greenland Downunder, Greenland or Bust, Helen Wilson, Helen Wilson DVD, JoeO Paddles, Simplifying the roll with Helen Wilson

Confessions Of A Wave Warrior - Eric Soares

Recently I was lucky enough to catch up with Jim Kakuk, co-founder of the Tsunami Rangers, over lunch here in Sydney. His parting gift to me was a copy of “Confessions of a Wave Warrior” by Jim’s good mate Eric Soares.

The book chronicles Eric’s growing love affair with water from the moment his father taught him to swim to the glory years surfing through Californian rock gardens with the rest of the Tsunami paddle tribe. But this isn’t just a book about one man, but rather about a paddle culture that evolved and thrived amongst wild coastline, surf and rocks. A culture of thrills, skills and spills. A culture embodied completely by the rock gardening buccaneers known as the Tsunami Rangers.

Eric Breaks the Wave Barrier in a Tsunami X-1 Rocket (photo by Jim Kakuk)

As the title suggests, this is a book of confessions. Of mistakes made, lessons learnt, and disasters averted. It is a collection of short stories about this famous group, each told with both humour and reverence for the ocean. The stories chronicle the history of the Tsunami Rangers, the development of their unique open-decked surf boats, the quirks of its individual members, and of the pirate-like ethos that lead to the famous “unofficial races” which the Rangers ran for a number of years on the West coast.

Captain Kuk embarks on another mission (photo by Eric Soares)

This is not a book about recklessness however. The skills development requried to reach the official ranks of the Rangers took many years to attain. High standards of personal fitness, swimming strength and ability to read ocean and sea states were required on top of the extraordinary paddle skills needed to survive riding waves into sea caves and amongst rock formations. The book gives insights into how these skills were crucial and expected from all potential rangers, but also how even having these skills might not be enough to handle all conditions.

A Tsunami Ranger secret camp at Trilogy Cove (photo by Jim Kakuk)

In the end, this is a book about living. From Eric’s early childhood memories rafting down swollen rivers with friends, to the heady days racing with his bretheren amongst reef and rock, and including his health scares in more recent years, this is a chronicle of living life to the full. It is a book about deep friendships, shared experiences, and above all about Man’s place in the water and the world.

Tsunami Rangers on the Sonoma Coast in 2007 (photo by Bob Stender)

If you’re lucky enough to meet Jim “Captain Kuk” Kakuk on his travels here in Australia over the next few months, he has copies of Eric’s book for sale. If you can’t wait for that, Lawrence from Nadgee Kayaks Australia has copies for sale and can post to anywhere in Australia. For the rest of the world, books can be bought online directly from the Tsunami Rangers website. Cheers – FP

All images copyright of Tsunami Rangers and are used with permission from the author.

Tags: book review, Captain Kuk, Confessions of a Wave Warrior, Eric Soares, Jim Kakuk, Tsunami Rangers

From top: Mitchell, Elver, Adanac, Adanac, CohoKayak

It is common knowledge that I love, and exclusively use, Greenland paddles. Over the last few months I’ve received a lot of questions from interested paddlers asking me how my different sticks compare, so to answer that I thought I’d write my thoughts on the various paddles here.

(L to R): Mitchell Split Horizon, Elver Tour, Adanac Rock Garden (full and storm), CohoKayak Greenlander

Mitchell Horizon Split Greenland Paddle (USA) – 399 AUD

Mitchell are reknowned for their great paddles and their Horizon GP is a beautiful looking stick. Available as a one piece as well as split, I liked the fact I could use it as a traveller paddle with my folding Folbot Cooper, as well as being able to carry it conveniently on deck as a spare (a key selling point here in Australia). It is finished well, the laminate looks stunning, and it never fails to get a reaction from other paddlers.

It is also extremely light-weight, which is either a positive or a negative depending on how you look at it.  I’ve broken one by using power-strokes with it, and have felt its replacement creak a bit if I start to put too much strain through it. Keep in mind I’m a big guy and pump a lot of power through them, which is really not what they are designed for.  In the case of more gentler paddling, it is delightful to use and the ability to break it down into two pieces is extremely convenient.

Best for: travel, gentle paddles.

different loom configurations

Elver Tour Greenland Paddle (Australia) – 330 AUD

The Elver paddles are made locally on the NSW Central Coast here in Australia by a great fella with a real passion for the stick. Generally a single piece of Red Cedar (although he’ll use other timbers and laminates on request), each stick is custom made to order, although in general the measurements are roughly the same for each stick.

The care and craftsmanship is immediately apparent, with the stick lovingly smoothed and finished to perfection. The shape is beautiful, with an oval cross-section on the loom, a gentle shoulder and perfectly tapering blades.  It is one of the most comfortable paddles I have ever used, sits beautifully in your hand, rolls well and is an all round fantastic paddle.

Best for: everyday and distance paddling

Supplier:  Elver Paddles (Australia)

Different shaped looms across the GP range

Adanac Rock Garden Series Greenland & Storm Paddles (Canada) – 750 CDN per set

Made by master wood carver Jill Ellis in Ontario, Canada, the Rock Garden Series paddles were inspired by my regular breaking of paddles, and have been designed and built to with-stand the stresses a power-paddler like myself places on my sticks. The main body is made with quarter-sawn red Cedar with a very fine grain, and then tipped with Purple Heart, an incredibly tough South American hardwood which seems indestructable. The loom is a thick octagonal cross section that offers maximum strength and control over the paddle during sprints, whilst ensuring the paddle weight remains between your hands.

The paddle length on the full GP is the longest of my paddles and was determined according to my height, arm length etc. The storm paddle is the shortest of my paddles and fits perfectly on deck as a spare. The Purple Heart tips make the paddles a little heavier than my other GPs, but this is a small price to pay for the incredible resilience and strength. During some rock gardening sessions I’ve smashed these babies against rocks, concrete and oyster beds, with barely a mark to be seen on them!

Both the full length and storm length paddles perform beautifully. The storm requries a sliding stroke but is so easy to use that my paddling colleagues believe it is faster than the full length paddle! The shorter storm is also great for rock gardening as it is easy to use in tight places.

The paddles are beautifully oiled and have a rich warm smell to them, and come in custom made “paddle booties” to protect them in transit. Mine were also “pimped” with the Fat Paddler logo etched into the tips.

Best for: sprinting, rock gardening, rough treatment

Supplier: Adanac Paddles (Canada)

Comparisons: GPs, a Euro, kiddie canoe paddles

CohoKayak Greenlander Paddle (Australia) – 450 AUD

This is the first GP I ever used, and what lead to my passion for the stick. It is less traditional than the others reviewed here and more of a hybrid design, with a shorter length, wider blade and more pronounced shoulder. Made from laminated cedar and kiri, it is a solid stick with a fair bit of power, although the tips are not as well attached as I would like for rock gardening.

The loom has a nice oval cross section, which when combined with the pronounced shoulder leads to an easy grip with perfect blade alignment, which helps to reduce feathering for those new to GPs. The stick also feels solid and bouyant, and orients itself perfectly when rolling. The shorter length also means it can be stored on-deck as a spare and is easier to store and transport in general.

Best for: GP novices, cruising

Supplier: Sydney Harbour Kayaks (Australia)

The Final Say

I love all of the GPs for different reasons, but if I had to rank them I would put the Adanac paddles from Canada on top of the list, with the locally-made Elver a very close second. The Adanacs admittedly were custom made for me, are tough as nails, and complement my paddling needs perfectly. That being said, I did the 111km Hawkesbury Classic with the Elver because it is such a magnificent light-weight performance paddle, and being locally-made makes it far easier to order and ship. Both the Adanac and Elver paddles are superbly made, beautiful to the eye, and a delight to paddle. Cheers – FP

Tags: Adanac paddle, CohoKayak paddle, elver paddle, greenland paddle, Mitchell Paddle, paddle reviews

Stars and Lights (Image credit: solentseakayaking.co.uk)

With the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic just days away, I’ve been thinking alot about paddling at night.  I personally love to glide through inky darkness with the stars overhead and the silence that only night time can bring, but it is a notoriously difficult time of the day to photograph due to light issues.

One of my twitter mates @solentseakayak however has done a little experimenting with slow shutter rates to see if he can capture the magic of night, with some quite beautiful results.

Contemplation (Image credit: solentseakayaking.co.uk)

I’m loving these shots, and can only hope that with a little push Solent Sea Kayaking will continue to take more for the rest of us to enjoy. Go and check out the post for higher rez versions, they are really something special. Cheers – FP

Tags: kayak, night photography, Photography, sea kayak, solent sea kayaking

Elver Greenland Paddles (Image Credit: www.elverpaddles.com)

This will be short and sweet, as I don’t intend doing a full review of Greenland paddling itself.  But I did receive my new Elver Greenland Paddle yesterday (having recently been converted to Greenland paddles with my CohoKayak greenlander) and couldn’t wait to get out onto the Harbour for a kayak.

The Elver paddle itself is quite different from the CohoKayak. At 2.22m long the Elver paddle is 30cm longer than the CohoKayak but a good 2-3cm narrower.  It is carved from a single piece of  Western Red Cedar, is nicely oiled and fits perfectly in the hand.

Heading out onto Sydney Harbour just after 6am this morning, I decided to brave the ocean swell coming through the Harbour heads and cross over the shipping-lane to Watsons Bay.  Braving 3-4 foot multi-directional chop, I carved my way through the waves at a handy 7.5km/hr. When I wanted a bit of raw power, I’d switch to a sliding stroke, finding the narrower blades far easier to use for this technique.

Fat Paddler in "Cayenne" with Elver Greenland paddle, Sydney Harbour

The final verdict? Simply awesome. I am so happy with this blade the rest of my paddles can expect to be retired. It is well crafted, paddles with ease, is bouyant, easily switches from a standard forward stroke to a sliding stroke, and quite simply looks beautiful.

Thanks Elver Paddles, great job. Now, how much for one of your storm paddles?? 

Tags: elver greenland paddle, elver paddle, elver storm, greenland paddle, paddle review