Laguna paddles have arrived!

Werner’s newest paddle blends heritage and advanced design at a new low price — and is now in stock at Sea Kayak Carolina. The Laguna features fiberglass reinforced nylon blades which offer light swing weight and great durability.

Visit Werner's website for more information on these paddles or drop by the shop to see them in person.

This awesome entry-level paddle is available now at an unbeatable price of $109.

Sea Kayak Carolina located in Charleston, South Carolina also stocks a huge selection of other Werner paddles.

Co-starring on Army Wives!

P&H and Venture Kayaks will be co-starring in an upcoming episode of Army Wives, to be shot tomorrow at an undisclosed beach location somewhere in coastal South Carolina! Kayaks provided by Sea Kayak Carolina.

New East Coast Canoe and Kayak festival website

I wanted to let everyone know about a new website, The East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival MeetUp Group, to promote the Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission's East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival. The main event runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday April 16, 17, and 18, 2010.

Don't miss Sea Kayak Carolina's un-Official Festival Guide, and to register or for more information, check out the official Festival page.

Perhaps you can make some new kayaking friends on-line prior to the Festival. Perhaps connect with Charleston area paddlers for some fabulous local paddling before or after the Festival.

Kayak Anna visited the shop!

After a busy morning yesterday with Christmas kayakers, the afternoon became quiet at the shop. Imagine my surprise when the door burst open, and there she was! Dr. Lina Lukashevich, in the flesh, walking into Sea Kayak Carolina!

"Who is Dr. Lina Lukashevich?" -- you may wonder. She is the author of the recent book Kayak Anna and the Palindrome Creek. It is "...a splashing eco-adventure for readers ages 9 - 13. Anna fights pollution in her neighborhood creek. Along the way she encounters bullies, leeches and alarmingly ravenous trolls!

Lina came to visit from her home town of Brookfield, Illinois! She was in Columbia with her Mom to visit her aunt. They came to tour Charleston and had a chance to drop off some copies of Kayak Anna. They are available here at the shop, or call (843) 225-7969 for a copy to be delivered to your door, or the door of a young reader/kayaker of your choosing. Lina is donating all of her profits to Living Water International, which helps provide clean, safe drinking water to children around the world. Copies of Kayak Anna are $12.99.

Lina may be back to Charleston in April for the East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival - as part of Sea Kayak Carolina's compound. Keep your fingers crossed!

"And what is a palindrome?" you may wonder. A word spelled that is spelled the same way forwards and backwards. The first to email me an example of a palindrome will win a free SKC Nalgene water bottle with their purchase of Kayak Anna!

Scott@SeaKayakCarolina.com

Great party - great plans for next year...

We had a blast at the shop party last night. Check here for some additional photos.

We're already gearing up for a big year in 2010:

February 27 & 28, 2010 - ACA Advanced Open Water (L5) ICE led by Dale Williams.

Starting April 9 - ACA IDW / ICE led by Tom Nickels. This is a modular event from L1 - L4.

April 16, 17, 18 - East Coast Canoe & Kayak Festival! Sea Kayak Carolina is the Gold Sponsor of this event.

April 19 & 20 - BCU 3 Star Sea Assessment led by Coach Tom Nickels.

And lots of rolling, navigation and other classes and events already on the calendar for 2010. Hope to see you at the shop or on the water soon!

Scott

Thanks to our recent 5 candidates, who are all now American Canoe Association Coastal Kayak Instructors. Sea Kayak Carolina hosted a 6-day, American Canoe Association Instructor Development Workshop and Certification Exam here in Charleston, South Carolina. The workshop was led by Tom Nickels.

Days 1 and 2 were on a nearby private pond, days 3 & 4 on the Folly River and Charleston Harbor, and Days 5 & 6 on the Atlantic Ocean in the vicinity of the Morris Island Lighthouse. Check here for more pictures.

It's not too early to sign up for a similar ACA CK IDW/ICE here in April 2010, again featuring Tom Nickels as the lead Instructor Trainer.

I’m a frayed knot!

Bow & Stern Toggles... lifesavers or killers?

Well, even I admit that the lead sentence is a bit dramatic. But we have had a few incidents related to toggles that it seemed timely for a post.

Bow and stern toggles on sea kayaks can help us manage our boats. However, they should not be used to carry the boats... read on:

Deb and a student were test paddling my personal (and at the time, brand new) P&H Capella 167. They were walking the boat across the parking lot, a knot holding the toggle came undone, and crash went the boat, taking a chunk of fiberglass out of the keel. But it gets worse...

I previously reported that Sue broke her wrist in a freak kayak accident. She was standing on the bumper of her SueBaru, pulling a fiberglass boat by the stern toggle to reposition it in the cradles. The line holding the toggle in place was frayed, it broke un-expectantly, and Sue experienced a FWOSH! (Fall with an outstretched hand.) Sue, by the way, is just recovering from surgery and could use some good wishes... send them to sue@seakayakcarolina.com.

We all have our terrible toggle stories to tell. The moral of the story is to carry sea kayaks with a hand cradling the bow or stern, and inspect the toggles periodically to ensure that the lines are not showing signs of wear. One more related story...

The string went into the bar, hopped up on a barstool, and asked the bartender for a beer. The bartender shouted “Get out -- we don’t serve strings in here!” The string went into the alley next to the bar, and just went nuts: Thrashing against the wall, the ground, wiggling around in a crazed manner. Can you picture it? Then the string went back into the bar, hopped up on the very same stool, and asked for a beer. The bartender shouted “Didn’t I just tell you we don't serve strings in here?!” To which the string replied — “I’m a frayed knot.”