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This is a new web page with descriptions of and links to online articles of interest to kayakers! If you find an article you think we can include, or you find one of our links has become outdated, let us know. Also, we welcome original submissions. We will strive to maintain a list of only HIGH QUALITY articles.
INDEX
Sea Kayaking Articles
Navigation and Weather Reading Skills
Wildlife and Environmental Issues
Whitewater Kayaking Articles
SEA KAYAKING ARTICLES
Ed Gillet's Hawaii Trip: Interview with Ed Gillet, who paddled a sea kayak solo across 2,200 miles of open ocean from California to Hawaii.
Better You Take The Bus: A true story Scott Fink wrote for Sea Kayaker magazine about his solo trip down India's Yamuna and Ganges rivers in a Feathercraft folding sea kayak.
Kayaking the Islands of Anartica: Tsunami Rangers member Michael Powers' story of an expedition in Anartica by Feathercraft folding sea kayak.
Kayaking Manhattan: Can you believe this? A travel log from a Manhattan sea kayak circumnavigation.
Photo from Sea Kayaker magazine
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The Broken Group: A somewhat dated (1994) but still good article about paddling in one of the world's great paddling meccas - the Broken Group on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
The Sea of Cortes: A long series of pages describing good paddling destination's in the Sea of Cortes, by Andromeda Romano-Lax, author of "Sea Kayaking in Baja." Highlights include itineraries for Bahia de Los Angeles and Isla Espiritu Santo.
Lake Union: A guide from the Northwest Outdoor Center showing points of interest when paddling around Lake Union and Portage Bay.
Kayaking the Stockholm Archipelago: There are very few places to turn to learn about kayaking the 24,000 islands of the Stockholm Archipelago without having to know Swedish. This is one of them.
Photo from Wavelength Paddling magazine
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The Long Distance Touring Stroke: A how-to on the long distance forward stroke, from a guy who has paddled over 10,000 miles.
Support Strokes: A good illustrated description of the essential kayak braces.
Calm Water Training for Broaching: An article from Sea Kayaker magazine about how to train for broaching situations on flat water.
Paddle Float Rescue: A description by Nigel Foster of the paddle float rescue.
Broaching and Bracing in Surf for Beginners: An article written by a guy from down under on bracing techniques in surf. Some cute hand-drawn pictures included.
Surf Etiquette: How to handle yourself in surf to avoid collisions.
To Feather or Not to Feather: A detailed discussion of the merits of feathered and unfeathered paddles.
Paddling a Kayak in a Straight Line: If you're having trouble tracking, this is for you.
Four Elements of the Eskimo Roll: A step-by-step guide to the sweep roll.
Cold Water: An article by UKC Sea Kayak Trip Coordinator Mike Wagenbach about the dangers of cold water in kayaking.
Photo from Sea Kayaker magazine
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Navigation and Weather Reading Skills
Making Sense Out of North: A good description of the difference between magnetic and true north, plus a detailed discussion of the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS).
Navigation Basics: A very basic introduction to marine navigation.
Navigation in Traffic and at Night: A useful set of articles from Ralph Diaz about paddling in ship traffic and at night.
How a GPS Works: A well organized layman's description of how a GPS works.
Natural Ranges and Drift: An excellent multimedia article on use of natural ranges to correct for current drift on a crossing.
Current and Tide Calculator: An Excel spreadsheet created by Gary Lai for conveniently predicting tide height and current speeds.
Weather and Weater Forecasts: An article by UKC Sea Kayak Trip Coordinator Mike Wagenbach about the influence of weather on sea kayaking in the Pacific Northwest.
Photo from GORP.com
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Dagger Magellan: Review from Sea Kayaker magazine of the Dagger Magellan, like the one the club owns.
Looksha IV: Review from Sea Kayaker magazine of the Looksha IV, like the two the club owns.
The Palm Pilot - Out of the Office and Into the Dry Bag: For you technophiles! Uses for your Palm Pilot in sea kayaking.
Overboard with Electronics: From our very own Kevin Whilden, an article from Sea Kayaker about trip planning with a computer and a review of four GPS units.
Kestrel Anemometer: A review of a compact, digital anemometer (wind speed measuring device).
Photo from Sea Kayaker magazine
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Wildlife and Environmental Issues
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Hard Chine vs. Multi Chine: A description of the performance difference between hard chine and multi chine kayaks, as applied to the kayaks made by Pygmy Boats.
Sea Kayak Design Considerations: A less technical but still good discussion of sea kayak design, and how hull shape affects performance.
Sea Kayak Design Seminar Notes: Notes from a 90-minute sea kayak design seminar given to club members on May 29, 2002, entitled "Fundamentals of Sea Kayak Design." Contains a lot of basic information on how different aspects of kayak and paddle design affect performance.
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Maligiaq Makes Waves on U.S. Visit: Young Greenland kayak champion Maligiaq Padilla visits the U.S. and demonstrates traditional Greenland paddling technique.
Greenland Style Paddling: An illustrated guide to basic Greenland style paddling techniques.
Aleut/Eskimo Style Paddling Making: A photographic overview of making an Eskimo paddle.
Building the Greenland Kayak: An illustrated overview of the process of building a traditional Greenland kayak.
Notes on Early Greenlandic Kayak Paddles: Photos and raw data on early Greenlandic paddles.
Replica Greenland Kayaks: A series of pages with lots of pictures from Harvey Golden of replica Greenland kayaks he has built of originals in museums around the world.
The Tuilik: An informative article on the Tuilik, the traditional garment worn by Inuits when kayaking.
Photo from Harvey Golden
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WHITEWATER KAYAKING ARTICLES
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