Action Jackson

Jeff and I are excited to have been invited to join Jackson Kayak's Exploration Team.  Last fall, we pulled the trigger on some brand new Jackson Kayak Zen's to use for Liquid Fusion Kayaking's rock gardening and whitewater kayaking classes.  Of course we had to paddle them to get a feel for them.

We were really stoked with the boats and Jackson Kayak Company.  We like that Jackson makes kayaks for all ages, sizes, and kayaking abilities.  Their line of boats is constantly evolving and continuing to meet the needs of competition creeking and playboating but also the needs of a recreational kayaker who wants a comfortable and quality boat.  For school boats, we love Jackson's outfitting that can quickly and easily be adjusted to fit different paddlers - and is even adjustable while on the water.  Our students rave about the customer service as well as the quality of the boats which are made in the USA and using all materials made in the USA.  We were honored to be asked to join the Jackson Kayak Exploration Team and are looking forward to paddling Jackson Kayaks for our whitewater river and whitewater of the sea (rock gardening) classes and adventures.  We will be sharing our adventures and doing some educational videos and blogs for the Jackson Kayak Community.

Our first project was helping with the filming of the new Karma RG promo video.

Here is my first blog post for Jackson Kayak - Karma and Zen in the Redwoods.  My next project for JK is a going to be a video on outfitting a Jackson Kayak for a smaller paddler.  I will be continuing to write here on my woman on water blog as well.  Stay tuned.

Rumors of a New Rock Garden Kayak

The rumors that Jackson Kayak has a new rock garden kayak are true.  Last week, we got to take the first ones out for a 3 day demo and video shoot on the waters of Mendocino County.  The boat is called the Karma Unlimited RG.  We ended up calling it RG for short.  RG stands for Rock Garden and River Guide.  It is based on the design of Jackson's Karma whitewater creek race boat.

Jackson Karma Unlimited RG on Mendocino's Eel River photo by Sean Morley

Here's a video about the creek boat version.

Basically the RG has all the features of the Unlimited and also has a rear bulkhead and hatch, decklines, and a drop down skeg to make for a versatile ocean play boat or whitewater river expedition boat.  More details and a promo video about the RG will be coming out soon.

The Karma RG has all the features necessary on an ocean rock garden play boat.

We got to paddle the RG in the rock gardens and surf of the Mendocino Coast and on a class III whitewater stretch of the Eel River.  I was prepared to put my game face on and just paddle the boat for the promo video; however, I fell in love with the boat and am excited about its possibilities for both rock gardening and ocean play as well as multi-day river trips.

The Karma RG is a blast on the river!!! Photo by Sean Morley

Stay tuned for more videos, photos and a full review.

Working at Play and Playing at Work

"Working at Play and Playing at Work" was the title of my presentation last week at Fort Bragg and Mendocino High Schools' career day.  The lines of work are often blurred in the kayaking business.

Riding a fat pour-over.  Photo by Matt Nelson

Our friend Paul Kuthe describes it well in his blog post "Strictly Business."  I highly encourage you to read Paul's post - it tells the tale of our adventures after the Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium.

I have to admit though that this week the kayaking business feels like work as I get all of our accounting together for taxes and work on catching up on office work from when I was out "Playing at Work."  I definitely need to schedule some time to PLAY!

The quiver is ready to PLAY!!!

Whirlwind

The past 2 weeks have been a whirlwind of teaching and paddling and all of the energy and logistics that go into teaching and paddling.  I have to admit that my mind and body are a bit tired but my spirit is soaring.

Cate Hawthorne diagrams the surf zone.

My 2 week whirlwind began with hosting Ocean Camp Northern California.  This was a 6 day sea kayak training camp taught by the team of Ryan Rushton of Geneva Kayak Center and Jeff Laxier and I of Liquid Fusion Kayaking.  We rented a vacation home in Fort Bragg, planned meals and instruction, and rallied 8 students to come improve their sea kayaking skills on the Mendocino Coast.

Peter and MaryAnn applying their strokes in rough conditions.

It was an AWESOME week!!!  We had sunshine, whales, surf zones, dynamic ocean conditions, and 8 eager students.  Many skills were developed, limits were pushed, FUN was had, and lifelong friendships made.  The primary physical complaint of the week was abdominal muscles being sore.  It is debatable whether this was from paddling or laughing.

Kat and Keri (aka Sunshine and Zippy) working together as a team.

Following Ocean Camp, we journeyed to San Francisco for the Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium (GGSKS).   I have to admit that traveling to a symposium is a bit of a stretch for me.  Teaching in unfamiliar venues with different instructors and being surrounded by lots of people challenges my quiet nature.  However, this year I was excited for the symposium.  I felt honored to be selected as a lead coach and excited be reunited with paddling friends and colleagues.

Practicing sea kayak rescue skills outside the Golden Gate Bridge.

This year's GGSKS was exciting as there were many new faces in the crowd and some new courses.  I was super stoked to be teaching Whitewater of the Sea (rock gardening in whitewater kayaks) with Jeff Laxier and Surf Kayaking (in short boats) with Kate Hives of The Hurricane Riders.  

The rock garden class went well.  We had a group of skilled whitewater boaters who were keen to learn the nuances of whitewater paddling in the ocean.  They were quick learners and we had a fantastic day of exploration and play - complete with a close encounter with a gray whale (sorry no photos of the whale).

Leah with great timing in the GGSKS whitewater kayak rock gardening class.

A storm came through on Sunday making surf conditions poor so the decision was made to cancel the surf kayak class.  Coaches Kate Hives, Mathew Hoff, and myself put our heads together and offered the students the option of switching to another class or doing a classroom/dryland session with us.  We were excited to have 6 students join us for a day of in depth instruction on surf zone topics including etiquette, waveology, and skills for performance surf kayaking.  Lots of "ah-ha" learning moments occurred and everyone left the class excited to try some new techniques in their next surf session.

Kate Hives and Matthew Hoff start a self-assessment exercise at GGSKS.

Decompressing from an active 10 days of teaching, began on Monday with our annual post GGSKS coaches paddle.  Matt Nelson, Paul Kuthe, Bryant Burkhardt, Jeff Laxier and I enjoyed a 2 hour play session on the Mendocino Coast.  Our rock garden session included riding some fun pour-overs, shooting through slots, and threading the needle through some dynamic and technical rock garden passages.

Matt Nelson styling a pour over.

We all appreciated a post paddle hike in the forest and along the coast - stretching out our paddling muscles, enjoying each others company and marveling at the beauty of the trees and waters of the Mendocino Coast. 

Coaches appreciating the beauty of the Mendocino Coast.

The speed of the whirlwind has abated but I still find myself in motion as I catch up on correspondence, upload photos, blog, catch-up on homework in my fern and wildflower class, prepare for Friday's presentation at the local high school's career fair, and do the final organization for Sunday's Valentine Tea (a fundraiser for Books for Babies/Kits for Kindergarten).

But you know the saying - a rolling stone gathers no moss . . .