A New Year

Happy New Year! I have a few resolutions for 2009:
#1 - blog more often!
#2 - never paddle without a digital camera!

I have a lot of reflections on 2008: My Father's death; opening Sea Kayak Carolina; hernia surgery and recovery; some spectacular local kayak adventures; a fantastic trip to Key Largo; lots of new friends; and the joy and love from the people around me.

What's in store for 2009? So much, I'm almost overwhelmed! A few upcoming highlights: I'm assisting Karen Knight with an American Canoe Association (ACA) Instructor Development Workshop/Instructor Certification Exam (IDW/ICE) in February at Florida Bay Outfitters in Key Largo. Sue will be going to help, and some other folks from Sea Kayak Carolina will be attending as candidates.

In April we will hold another IDW/ICE here in Charleston - with Dale Williams. Then, later in April... Sea Kayak Carolina is the Gold Sponsor of the 2009 East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival - held just down the road from the shop at the James Island County Park. Charleston becomes the center of the kayak universe every April - Sea Kayak Carolina is excited to be part of it!

Well, that's all for now. We hope to see you at the shop, better yet, in a kayak on the waters in and around Charleston, South Carolina! ~Scott

Scott Szczepaniak (pictured desperately trying to overcome his natural shyness) is the managing owner of Sea Kayak Carolina. The shop is located at 1731 Signal Point Road, Charleston, South Carolina (on James Island). The number at the shop is (843) 225-7969, web site www.seakayakcarolina.com. Sea Kayak Carolina is a full service kayak shop, offering kayak tours, kayak classes and retail sales for the Charleston kayaking community. Sea Kayak Carolina, a Place for Paddlers in Charleston!

First Ocean Paddle

Today was one of those landmark days in my kayaking journey as I left the relative safety of the protected waterways and paddled out into the Atlantic Ocean. I will say, first off, I would have never attempted this without Scott and Mary Ross at my side, but it was still a day that opened exciting new paddling horizons.

I will always love paddling the quieter waterways of this awesome area, with their unique wildlife and natural beauty. However, I found that when you leave the safety of land and paddle straight out into the Atlantic on purpose it is a surreal experience like no other.

The waves were not huge today but they were challenging to me. I was able to practice paddling through breaking surf, bracing, and even a little surfing. I accomplished my first true combat roll after a wave knocked me over. I did have to swim once, when I missed my roll, but my winter paddling gear protected me while Scott helped with a rescue.

We finished the day with an ocean paddle back up the beach to our launch site. It’s hard for me to describe the feeling of being one-half mile offshore or so, in a sea kayak, but suffice to say it was humbling and awe inspiring at the same time. I truly felt at one with my boat as on no other paddle I have done.

While this is not an activity I would recommend for beginners, once your paddling skills develop -- to where you are comfortable bracing and have some knowledge of advanced rescue and paddling techniques -- it is some of the most fun you can have in a kayak. On top of that you will gain personal confidence in your abilities and an appreciation for the oceans natural beauty and raw power.

I’ll sign-off with thoughts of my next ocean paddle and I hope you can join me.

William

Holiday Howdy

Howdy, Happy Paddlers! So much news, so little time to write about it! First of all, an overdue thank you to our students, customers and supporters as we approach our first year in business. We appreciate your enthusiasm as we share our love for kayaking with paddlers in, around and visiting Charleston, South Carolina.

We have been proud of our association with the Lowcountry Paddlers. President Todd Beach, Vice President Jim Miller, Secretary Leslie Maple, and Treasurer Michael Condon give freely of their valuable time and energy to share their love of the sport. Thanks to Todd and his gang for all they do for the paddlers of Charleston. Check out the Lowcountry Paddlers at http://lowcountrypaddlers.net/.

Sea Kayak Carolina is also pleased to be the sponsors of the Charleston Sea Kayakers Meetup Group. Check out this informal association of Charleston kayakers at the Charleston Sea Kayakers Meetup Group website.

We are very excited to be the Gold Sponsors of the 2009 East Coast Canoe & Kayak Festival April 17, 18, 19, 2009. Sea Kayak Carolina will help bring you the latest news related to this world class kayak event in Charleston at the James Island County Park - right up the road from our shop!

On behalf of Deb, Sue and the rest of the gang at Sea Kayak Carolina,

Happy Hanuka, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Scott

Paddler to Be

Welcome the newest kayaker! Our friends Kimberly and Matthew had their second child yesterday. Meet Benjamin Edward Faust. He arrived at 8 pounds, 11 ounces! Mom, Benjamin, Matt and Benjamin's big brother Jonah all are well.

Shop Notes from Scott

Lots of stuff happening at Sea Kayak Carolina during our "slow" time of the year! We had a great day after the Turkey paddle. I'm looking forward to seeing the trip report on-line in our "Kayak in Charleston On-Line Guide" -- stay tuned. One nice bit of news is that Amy Sloane (pictured in her new P&H Capella) will be working around the shop and helping on trips. Amy is an enthusiastic new paddler with an engaging, effervescent personality. Hopefully you will have a chance to say hello to her soon. That's all for now -- I'll try to get some of my contributions to the Sea Kayak Carolina blog caught up soon. -Scott

Moooooovie Night

We had a great turnout at our first of many movie nights at the shop yesterday. Susan and Susan and Todd and Todd, Sandie, Amy, Dan, Tom, Diana (who brought cheesecake that tasted like an ice cream sundae!), William, Deb and me.

This is the Sea 4 is a spectacular DVD. Incredible scenery and inspiring kayaking. Rock hopping on the Baja peninsula, white water seakayaking on the Ottawa River, balancing tricks in the freezing water of Norway. One of the coolest parts was watching Dubside rolling his folding kayak in rough tide-race waters. That guy is incredible. And I learned about some spectacular kayaking spots on Lake Superior amongst the Apostle Islands.

We were all amazed, terrified, inspired, energized, and just plain entertained by Justine and her film-making.

And it was such fun to view it all with fellow kayakers!

Thanks everyone for coming and experiencing this with me!

Sue

Howdy from Key Largo!

You know how to whistle, don't you? Just pucker up your lips and blow.

After a long drive from Charleston, with a stop at the Miami Airport to pick up Karen Knight, I've arrived in Key Largo. We start our ACA IDW/ICE (up to level 3) here at Florida Bay Outfitters tomorrow.

Today I reviewed strokes and teaching strategies with Karen. My new friend Dallas, pictured here, and I paddled from Garden Cove to the wrecked barge, thru the "Meadow" between Rattlesnake Key and Sound Point. Then into Largo Sound, thru the Marvin D. Adams Waterway. Huge, colorful iguana on the seawall! Did I say "Hey, Buddy!" to him? Of course! Into Blackwater Sound, round Stellrecht Point, and landed at Florida Bay Outfitters in Sexton Cove. That's all for now, I've got a bit of a cold. More pictures here! -Scott