Waterspout on the Cooper

For Charleston area folks who like to get out on the water, Waterspouts are more than just a technical note... On June 6th a very real waterspout formed over the Cooper River and wound its way into Charleston Harbor. You may have seen the photos which have been circulating via email — but if you've not seen them yet, here they are:






While the spout received some media coverage, we think it is worth taking an extra moment to appreciate just what sort of conditions can sneak up on us during our frequent summer thunderstorms. So be sure to keep one eye on the weather, check the radar before you head out, and paddle safe!

First Sign of Spring

Is it the earliest azalea blossoms? Or the birds signing? Or the local paddlers heading out without their dry suits? Maybe. But for this blog post that's not what I'm talking about.

The sign I want you all to appreciate is the new shop sign we installed today. Gone is the heritage kayak and the vinyl banner -- replaced with a bright, crisp, new Sea Kayak Carolina sign:

And while we all like the new sign outside the store very much, it gives only a hint of the changes that are taking place inside.

Inside is where the action is. If you haven't been in to see us lately, it's worth a visit: We're saying goodbye to much of our old inventory (the March Madness sale continues,) and we've been stocking-up with new gear and a whole selection of new clothing. Spring and summer paddling will be more comfortable than ever with innovative shorts and tops from Reed and Immersion Research and Kokatat. And more is on the way.

Stay tuned for more product news and reviews.

Happy Paddling,
-Steve

As the Kayak Rolls?

Like sands thru the hourglass, these are the kayaks of our lives...

My old Explorer went off to Georgia with a nice kayaker named Christopher.

Sue's "old" Impex Force Cat 3 returned from a trip to Canada. The boat had some repairs to battle wounds that Sue had inflicted, and a keel strip and turtle were added.

Don't let her pretty looks fool you; the kayak is a working boat anxious to get banged around in the ocean, performing rescues, and generally doing what a sea kayak is built to do. Sue, too!

Hello from Key Largo!

Here we are again! William and Jane are ACA Instructor Candidates, and Sue and I are helping teach the Level 1 - Level 3 IDW/ICE at Florida Bay Outfitters in Key Largo. We left James Island yesterday at 0530, stopped to get gas (and pee) twice, and pulled in to our rental house on Blackwater Sound at 3:45 p.m. We checked out the canal in our backyard, and were happy to see a momma and baby manatee! Momma gave each of us turns scratching her head!

The photo above was taken at the start of our adventure today. We launched mid-morning at Florida Bay Outfitters on Blackwater Sound, paddled to a sandy mangrove beach 3 miles away, and had a lunch break. We met Louie, a nice man from Miami, and did some great rescue practice. Click here for additional photos - viewer discretion advised - contains partial nudity.

We've got a busy day tomorrow - first day of the course. I'll try to take some pictures and keep the blog up to date. We're quite excited about the Post & Courier article William coordinated. We're looking forward to warm Springtime paddling with all of our Charleston friends!

Scott Szczepaniak, pictured at left, was recently disgraced and lost his Weightlifting Hall of Fame membership due to steroid use over 6 years ago.

Knot Class...

Charton DuRant had us tongue tied...

Click here for more pictures of the knot class.

SOF Kayaks

Recently I joined the Flatwater Paddlers, a community of kayakers in North Carolina, to learn the skills of building a skin on frame (SOF) kayak and to carve a Greenland paddle.

Mimi, the organizer for the class, convinced Brian Schultz of Cape Falcon kayaks, to make the journey to the East and teach not one, but two classes. Mimi met Brian last October at the Delmarva Gathering, were he taught a class on building SOF kayaks.

I was in Class II, and what a grand group of folks we were! We traveled through Raleigh rush-hour traffic and 4 inches of snow to arrive by 8:00 AM each morning. We worked as a team, pitching in to help each other through the long days. They often gave me a literal helping hand with aspects of the building process I couldn't manage due to my lingering hand injury. I couldn't have done it without them.

Camille, Mimi, and Lee built a variation of the F-1 SOF that Brian has designed: it has enough room to stow gear for overnight camping trips:



Ty built a SOF racing kayak. We couldn't decide on "Ty-ger"or "Ty-ak" for the name of this kayak:



Steve built a scaled up replica of a West Greenland kayak:



And I built a replica of the 1931 Disco Bay West Greenland kayak. And all in 8 days!



We were under the guidance and instruction of Brian Schulz, who earned the name "Saint Brian" during our class. Check out his website (CapeFalconKayak.com) to find a page he devoted to our class and to learn more about this unique individual.

And visit the Flatwater Paddlers website) to learn more about this NC kayaking community.

May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.

-Jane

It's All Relative...

I've been a bit down lately, 'cause it's cold and gray more often than not in the past few weeks. However, we did have a nice time on the Stono River in the rain the other day. And the weekend is forecast to warm up... a good Charleston Sea Kayaking Meetup Pod is scheduled to head out to Deveaux Bank on Sunday.

Ask me about how I started sea kayaking sometime... To make a long story shorter I will tell you now that it was in the Spring of 1991, and it started at Billington Sea Watercraft, in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Doug Gray, the owner of Billington Sea Watercraft, just sent me some photos of the lake where I first sat in a sea kayak...

Yikes! Spring will be here sooner in Charleston, South Carolina than Plymouth, Massachusetts...

Scott Szczepaniak is the managing owner of Sea Kayak Carolina and a former poster child for Seasonal Affective Disorder. Contact him at Scott@SeaKayakCarolina.com with your story of how you first got started kayaking... he'll post it on the blog.