Code Name: Scorpio

Who doesn’t know that P&H came out with our much anticipated new plastic expedition boat, the Scorpio? Well, probably 3 guys in Northern Montana who are living under a rock…in a coma. Other than that, the kayak has been making big news all over the place. But is it worthy of the hype? Does it deliver? Will it have an impact on sea kayaking in a meaningful and lasting way? Here’s what I think…

I got mine about a month ago and admittedly I haven’t had it on a long trip or in very rough water. But, since this isn’t my first barn dance when it comes to paddling I think I can give you a fair picture. Yes, I am bias towards P&H kayaks. Yes, I work for the company? Yes, I am dangerously handsome and have a disarming boyish charm. So take all that in to consideration and let’s get after it!

Tracking and Speed- We are known for playful boats and we like it that way. Turning for us at P&H is pretty key and that normally lends to less tracking and more maneuverability. The Scorpio takes care of that impression. It’s straight and efficient with plenty of glide to get the job done. And it only gets better when loaded up with your kit for a trip. Funny; when we discussed this boat originally, speed was not an issue. This was allotted to be a boat for intermediate to advanced paddlers who were going to rely on good technique to get the boat moving. P&H’s owner and designer, Graham Mackereth, said, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” and made it fast anyway. Just one of the many reasons why he is in the big office and we work for him…turns out he’s right always and great at what he does. So what you get is a rock solid kayak with the nuts to keep up with anything out there and the ability to hold a line without too much effort.

Edging- If you don’t think edging is as important as speed and tracking then clearly you have a rudder on your boat and have stopped reading this by now. Have fun with that! For those of you who get it, read on. One of the elements essential in the Scorpio for us was the ability to edge. Edging for me is the number one most important thing in a rough water boat. You don’t edge, you don’t turn. You don’t turn, you end up in a world of hurt. Our benchmark for how a boat should edge was the Capella 163 and 161. And since those boats were already in our back shed, it was fairly easy to sort it out. The Scorpio heals up and turns on a dime when pushed to a moderate and “a bit past” edge. A big edge should come with a warning light because if you are not paying attention, you will turn too quickly and take a bath. In getting to those edges, it’s total cake… just a pleasure. It’s the type of ease in edging that makes you look and feel like a bad ass!

Initial Stability- It’s very nice with no surprises. Sure, its 22 inches wide and a Swede form boat but with the bottom of the boat flattened a bit more, it sits rock hard in flat of bumpy water. The one issue that I find is that the seat sits a bit too high for my tastes. The good news is that we put a small strip of neoprene under the front lip of the seat to raise it up. Take that out if you feel too high and you are styling. Also, the seat pad can be taken out and that will drop you down a bit. Do both and you might find yourself sitting too low.

Deck height- We kept things low-ish in back and pretty damn good in the front. Another point brought up during the design banter was keeping things low for windage. Done! The front deck has great height for knees and foot position. The back deck is perfect.

Rolling- If you can’t roll this boat (or have a problem rolling any other competent kayak) go work on your roll.

Hatches- One Oval in the back. One 10” in the front, one 7.5” for the day hatch, and one “Sneaky Pete” hatch on the deck. Tons of space in the rear of the boat with a day hatch that you could almost store your white water boat in…and I mean that in the best way! It’s easy to pack (if you paddle Brit boats) and can carry more than you would expect. The storage space in the back is like the Energizer Bunny, it just keeps going and going and going…

So, does it match the hype? Hellz yeah!

Does it deliver? Every penny and then some!

Will it change the face of history? Well, only time will tell but I can say that it will change the way we look at boats from here on in terms of functionality, usability, and amenities.

The Scorpio is on point! It’s fast, maneuverable, and totally reliable. But don’t take my word for it, go out and prove me right or wrong. It’s one thing to hit a home run. It’s another thing to stand bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs and ding in the game winning grand slam. The Scorpio just put this game away for P&H.

Go West, Young Man!

"Travellin' up and down the river you can hear the factories hum,
Makin' chrome and makin' manganese and light aluminium"

I am headed off to the LoCo Sea Kayak Symposium hosted by Columbia River Kayaking. 5 Days on the Lower Columbia River, birth place of some of the finest Woody Guthrie songs ever. Oh, and by the looks of it plenty of good paddling. Just can't wait!

The laudry list grows!

Since I sent out my plea to folks to read my new blog, I have gotten a few requests to put their names and schools up on my site. This shocks me considering I am just a big, dumb farm boy from Michigan talking about kayaking. Sure, I get around a bit but after all is said and done, I am an intermediate paddler with just another pretty face. So, when I get folks who are really great paddlers asking me to include them, I am really taken aback. Such is the case with my buddy, Mark Shoon. Mark is the co-owner of Carpe Diem Kayaking out in Maine. If you don't know who Mark is, you should be asking yourself why! He might just be one of the most under rated paddlers out there and a damn fine coach. And no he doesn't paddle for P&H much to our chagrin.

He and his partner Mel (who is also one hell of a paddler...I don't want to say to many glowing things about her because Mark would beat me up!) run BCU courses off the coast of Maine and beyond. I have spilt blood in the same mud as these two for a while now and if you find yourself out that way, give them your business.

As speaking of being out their way, they are hosting the Downeast Sea Kayaking Symposium in the beginning of September. Make your travel plans now. Not only will they be there but some other great instructors will be tripping the waves fantastic!

All my ex's live in...

Texas! That's right, I am going to Texas the first weekend in October. Mark White of Luna Sea Kayaks has invited me to teach an Intermediate Rough Water Workshop at San Lous Pass south of Gaviston, TX. Oh yes, I am fired up about it! I love Texas as it is the undisputed epicenter of brush guards.

If you are from the Texas area and want to get in on the action, please contact Good Ol' Boy Mark at www.lunaseakayaks.com and join us out in surf, sand, and horse trailers on the beach! Yeah, you heard me right. Horse trailers on the beach! Again, I love Texas!

Walk North until your hat floats

The GLSKS is now a week over and I have gotten back to some normality in my life. Well, at least until my next group of trips. Of a Thursday morning, there is nothing I like better than to reflect on a week or two well spent and avoid doing the inevitable yard work that piles up while I am gone. Here goes nothing!

I started off last Thursday morning getting some old and new friends on the water. Justine Curgenven was up for the symposium and wanted to film something for use in her newest epic, "This is the Sea 4". Honestly, she has made enough of these talkies that I can't keep track of which one she's on! With all of the hoopla preceding the GLSKS it was a bit of a crunch for getting her a boat the day before. Enter; P&H! I met her and the team in Munising, MI and we made our way to Miner's Beach on the Western edge of the Pictured Rocks National Shoreline. Now, it's been a long, long time since my days of acting and I felt like a real film crew. We had 3 vehicles, 25 kayaks of all shapes and sizes, 40 Werner Paddles, and enough kit to send a unit of Navy Seals to invade a Caribbean island...all for 5 paddlers and a camera! And Europeans call us Americans excessive!

The paddlers; Justine, Barry (Justine's significant other), Damon and Sara Smith (Yes, the beautiful people), and Danny Mongno of Werner Paddles (Oh, and a P&H and Impex Pro Paddler). The boats; a P&H Cetus, 2 P&H Capella 161's, a P&H Sirius, and a Valley Nordkapp.

When looking at the laundry list of competent paddlers and given it turned out to be a 16 mile paddle, one would ask what could possibly go bad? Two words; BLACK FLIES! For those of you not from the Midwest, let me explain the dreaded black fly experience. These tiny demons from Hell mask themselves as normal flies. If you look closely you can see their horns and bifurcated tales. They are more tenacious than mosquitos...more akin to telemarketers in the late 90's. Oh, and they bite! Not sting, they bite! And if you don't kill them they just assume you are dead and begin the mastication process! And there are 2 billion of them per inch along lake Superior. Have I mentioned that they bite? Hard? Little villains!

After dropping them off and getting the crew on the water, I had to head into Grand Marais to teach so no black fly and Pictured Rocks for me. Always a bridesmaid...

And that, my friends, is the way the all became the Brady Bunch!

On the road again?

I did some hiking in the Great North Woods yesterday and had a grand time of it. It's nice to be on dry land for a change considering the Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium is just around the corner. This is a picture of Bond Falls. I honestly didn't even know it was there until I popped down a road in the middle of nowhere. It's quite good. Roughly 100 ft. down from top to bottom. The falls you see there are about 30 or 40 feet. Yes, I thought about running it but it's a bit shallow to say the least. Might be a ass kicker in the Spring, though!

It's a Great Day To Be Alive!

Everyone has their own opinion of what the perfect birthday is supposed to look like. For me, I just let it happen and keep my eyes open for what I am meant to see. And, because I am paying attention, I am having just about the best birthday I have had in a long time. Let's break down the action;

First, I wake up in the North Woods at the home of some old friends. How can you beat that? I check the old celly and find I have a throng of well wishing emails from all over the planet it seems. I makes a guy feel loved, I tell you. After a quick start to my day I head off to one of the most beautiful towns in Wisconsin by the name of Minocqua. In my mind, this is the place where people wish they were from and envy those who reside within. At the southern end of the North Woods of Wisconsin, there is everything outdoorsy to do here; hiking, biking, paddling, climbing, and drinking. And even though they are a short hour away from Superior and 1 3/4 hour from the Apostles, they still find time to have one of the best little Internet cafes around. And how can you go wrong with a place like "Horhay's"? Well, you can't. As some of you know I have been trying to cut dairy out of my diet (which, in Wisconsin, is like keeping sex out of your diet at brothel) but I just couldn't pass up getting an Irish Cream Latte for a birthday treat. Oh, and it's good! And to top off the morning I get a call from Lise and the kids with birthday wishes. No better way from the first 2 hours to come down on a such a day.

It truly is a happy birthday!

Door County Rundown

As the last day of the Door County Kayak Symposium comes to a conclusion and lights go out in the big tent, I find myself thinking back on the event and wondering what makes it so different from all the others. I think if I were to sum it up in one word it would be, "family"! I have been to my fair share of kayak gatherings in my tenure as a coach and a boat rep. I think I speak from experience when I say this one leads with the notion of making this a warm and friendly thing. And the Rutabaga staff does it not only for the participants but the reps, coaches, and the staff of the wagon wheel. Everyone is here with their own agendas for sure, but all through out the day, people are helping one another. Sharing stories, songs, gear, and whatever else comes along is just the norm here. The staff strives for each and every person to feel like this place is there place, that this time is their time, and this little world is their big ol' goofy world. And let me say that it is not the staff waiting on the participants hand and foot. Far from it! It is the fostering of team work and the treating everyone as friends and family. In some ways this may be the summer camp of story books. Where we are all busy doing our own little hobbies during the day only to gather in the great lodge for some dinner while the counselors tell us about the next days events. Then, with the excitement of the youthful, we all head into our little cabins to hide under a sheet with a flashlight and talk like only childhood pals can talk.
I truly feel that there is the family we are born with and the family we choose. I am proud to have been chosen by this family. Real relationships are pretty hard to come by these days so it is nice to know that places like this exist to build them, forged by hard work, a common love, and a sanctuary for these things to still mean something.
To all of my friends and family at the Door County Symposium and the staff of Rutabaga, safe travels our homes and I will give no "goodbyes" but rather a "until we meet down the road".

Saturday in the Door

It's been a good event all the way around up here in Door County. As always, the Rutabaga people do not go in for near misses and half measures. Everyone seems like they are having a good time and the paddling weather has been stepping up to the plate. I can't say the same for the night time weather though. As the sun goes down, the rain falls. I think it has something to do with me setting out my paddling clothes to dry and the elements not wanting that to happen.



Honestly, the only unusual event to note was the unexpected attack in front of registration. Seem that in a fit of desperation, P&H and Werner's own Ben Lawry lost his temper during a gear conversation. In the actions that followed, Ben punched Steve Sheerer to the ground and forced Cindy Sheerer to become a living billboard for Werner paddles while he and wife, Elizabeth laughed and mocked. While it was a horrible display of unruly behavior, you can't help but respect Ben's convictions to his believes.

Night moves...Door Style

The lads and I went out for a nice meal at the "La Puerta" in Ellison Bay and followed up with a dandy stroll down to the shore with an ice cream. Now, I bet I have been gayer in my life but I am hard pressed to remember when. Suffice it to say, the sunset was cool.

The ice cream shop had some good wears...trouble is, the young folk who worked there I think were stolen away from Moosylvania as recently as that morning. They didn't have a firm command of any language nor did they seem to truly understand what they were doing there. I suspect that, given an opportunity, these youngster would dig a tunnel under the wire and escape into the countryside. Most likely their tyrannical captors have insisted the American populace are savage creatures who gobbled down teens if caught roaming free.

Best quote of the evening comes from Mark Pecot when said, " Ice Cream Factory? How can it be a factory? There are no smoke stacks."

Door County...where men are forged

Here I sit after a wonderful day of driving, paddling, and giggling like a school girl with my pals, Mark Pecot and Ben Lawry. The drive from Mad Town turned out to be uneventful and we solved all of the kayak worlds problems in the process. If only we could make the rest of the paddling community listen we could rule like the might overlords we truly are!

Out and About

After a long weekend of yard work, hanging with family, and even more yard work I am finally on the road for a marathon 2 1/2 weeks of driving and paddling fun. For those of you following along in you hymnals thats; Detroit, Toledo, Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee, Sisters Bay, Green Bay, Republic, Marquette, Grand Marais, Munising, Grand Marais, Cedar Ville, Traverse City, and home...provided I don't have anything added. Always sounds like fun being a kayak rep, huh?

Lucky Number 7

Well, it's July (finally) all over the world and it seems as though Summer is here and here to stay. It is a month of kayak symposia, BBQ's, and long days here in the Midwest. Emerging from the winter around here you get the feeling that, due to the short days, you can only get one good thing done in a 24 hour period. Now that we have sun for most of the solor cycle we can plan so much more. So, let's all here it for after work paddling!

Here are some tips to make the most of a 2 hour kayak session to keep your skills sharp and still have some fun doing it;

1) Remember why you came out! So many of us get caught up with gear, boats, and weather conditions that we forget to do that whole paddling thing. My advice is to plan a distance that you can easily obtain in about 2/3 your overall paddle time and get some saddle time.

2) Use your cruising time to get a little work done. Pick on element of your forward stroke and keep it in the back of your mind while you paddle. By the end of the session you may not feel as though you haven't done much but you skill level will increase slowly and surely. On the next paddle you can work on another element. Then, once you have been through all of the points you want to work on, start the process over again. By the end of the season you will feel and see an improvement.

3) Take some time (either before or after) to play around in your boat with some skills that go often overlooked. My favorite is doing recues. A good round-robin of rescues should take no more than a few minutes and it not only gets you better at the task but also cools you down after a good paddle and gets you more comfortable in you boat.

4) Remember to do some rolls or braces. These are skills we all get comfortable with and then seem to walk away from. If you are not comfortable with them, do them in shallow water so you can either do a "sand brace" is you fail or have the bottom to let you know that your paddle is going too deep.

5) Do a gear check and dig in the nooks and crannies of your kit to see how things are fairing. Some times (if you are anything like me) you keep things in your boat and after a long season of teaching and paddling, you find you haven't had an incident to warrent using any of the gear. Make sure you know what you are carrying and that it is still functional. And this is a good time to swap notes with you fellow paddlers and see where you stand. Remember, it's not what you carry with you, it's how effective it is when it is time to use it!

Hope these tips helped you in your short sessions out on the water and makes the most of your paddling moments.

From the desk of Kelly Blades