Bill Burnham - Knack Kayaking for Everyone: Selecting Gear, Learning Strokes, And Planning Trips

Copyright 2010 by Morris Book Publishing, LLC

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.

Knack is a registered trademark of Morris Book Publishing, LLC, and is used with express permission.

Falcon and FalconGuides are registered trademarks of Morris Book Publishing, LLC.

Editorial Director: Cynthia Hughes

Editor: Lara Asher

Project Editor: Tracee Williams

Cover Design: Paul Beatrice, Bret Kerr

Interior Design: Paul Beatrice

Layout: Maggie Peterson

Illustrator: Lori Enik

Front Cover Photos by: Stephen Gorman and Eli Burakian; Ruth Black | Jupiter Images

Back Cover Photo by: Stephen Gorman and Eli Burakian

Interior Photos by: Stephen Gorman and Eli Burakian with the exception of those on page 240.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Burnham, Bill.

Kayaking for everyone : selecting gear, learning strokes, and planning trips / Bill and Mary Burnham ; photographs by Stephen Gorman and Eli Burakian.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-59921-509-9

1. Kayaking. I. Burnham, Mary (Mary K.) II. Gorman, Stephen. III. Burakian, Eli. IV. Title.

GV783.B87 2010

797.1224dc22

2009048394

The following manufacturers/names appearing in Knack Kayaking for Everyone are trademarks:

303, ACE, American Medical Kits, Aquaseal, Benadryl, CamelBak, Chacos, Crazy Creek, Croakies, Crocs, Dragon Skin, EpiPen, G/flex, Google GORE-TEX, Hydroseal HydroSkin, Imodium, Jet Ski, Kevlar, Malone, Maptech, Marmot, Mountain Hardwear Conness, MSR, NRS, Pelican, Pepto-Bismol, SealLine, Seals, SmartWool, Surform, Thermos, Thule, Tupperware, Velcro, Waterproof Charts, West Systems, WhisperLite, Yak-A-Launcher, Yakima

Printed in China

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the authors or Globe Pequot Press. The authors and Globe Pequot Press disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information.

With thanks to our circle of paddling friends who never fail to teach and inspire, with special acknowledgments to Rich Prado and Josh Gregory.

~Bill and Mary Burnham

The photographers would like to thank Josie Fisher, Kate Fisher, Rhona Dallison, the Staff at Canoe Imports (South Burlington, VT), Jolyon Rivoir-Pruszinski, and Bud Cherry.

Call it your personal aahhh moment,that wonderful feeling that envelops you a few seconds after launching your kayak. The boat glides silently. You take a deep breath and float, soaking in the beauty around you.

Our moment came more than a decade ago. Long before it happened, however, we had to confront a few central questions that you may very well be facing now.

We surmounted our uncertainties and found that a new world awaited us. In kayaks, weve explored salt marshes of Virginia and the Carolinas and tropical mangrove islands in South Florida. Weve ridden ocean swells off Maines coast and weaved through kelp forests passing sea lions and seals off Californias coast.

If we could have seen on that first day how this sport would become entwined into every facet of our life, the places it would take us, the friends we would make, and the truly awesome moments we would share as a couplewell, lets just say that for us kayaking, like life, is as much a journey as an activity.

And where will this simple boat and paddle take you? Perhaps on a lake near your home. You may be prepping to run Class I or II rapids or be ready to plunge down the mountain streams pulsing with spring snowmelt or autumn dam releases. You may launch from a sandy beach to paddle with dolphins or head out with a rack of fishing poles for your special spot.

Kayaking has been described as hiking on water. Clever and kind of true. Think of the oceans and bays as forests and of the creeks and rivers as trails. You paddle instead of walk, but the effect is the same: You are transported to an amazing world of plants and wildlife that can be reached only by taking the windy tidal creek or running downriver.

We designed this book to take you from the store to the shore and from there out into the water. Our goal is to show you not only how to kayak but also how to do it safely and efficiently. Kayakingwhether a serene day paddle, a week-long expedition, a short ride with your child, or a few quality hours spent fishingcan unveil a beautiful world. It is a vigorous form of exercise or a form of meditation. It is what you make it.

What you will read here results not only from having done it time and again but also from having often failed first. This is especially true of our whitewater experiences, an area where we still consider ourselves beginners. But, hey, we all have to start somewhere, right?

Our goal is to make kayaking easy and easy to understand. If youve ever visited a kayak shop, you can relate to the overwhelming feeling that so many choices of boats, paddles, life jackets, and gear inspires.

The first step in understanding is asking yourself a few simple questions: What is it I want to do? Where do I want to go?

This sport has a lot of room for growth. As a beginner, you prefer a stable boat, knowing you wont venture far from land. Perhaps you fish or take photos. Boats with lots of cockpit room are a good choice.

At every big change in our skills and commitment to the sport, instruction was the step up we needed.

Mary and I belong to the American Canoe Association (ACA, www.americancanoe.org). This organization offers a range of classes in canoeing and kayaking for both flatwater and whitewater. These classes serve as an excellent introduction to the sport. The British Canoe Union (BCU, www.bcu.org.uk) governs canoe and kayak instruction in the United Kingdom and has a strong U.S. presence as well. This well-respected group offers instruction or coaching.