Let's Samba!

Kayak Academy's Whende Keatts, smilin' & stylin' Eddyline's latest new boat

Eddyline Kayaks introduces its newest model, with performance features for everyone to enjoy.

At just under 14 feet, and 44 pounds, it’s a responsive, playful kayak designed to stylishly update the hugely popular Merlin LT design. I paddled this little guy, all 6’3”, 215 pounds of me, and loved it… wished the conditions were a little burlier than Lake Sammamish; even tried to flag down a passing ski boat to get a good wake to ride.

The boat is designed for the smaller paddler though. Whende and Barb jumped in it at Kayak Academy in Issaquah, and came away with big smiles.

Kayak Academy co-owner Barb Gronseth, dancing the Samba beat

Big, but not as big as the grin on the face of Samba Sue that evening at Alki Kayak Tours, where Sue and her husband Stu came by for a test paddle on their way to a romantic sunset dinner. Sue was the first potential customer to paddle the Samba, and she left her name on Alki’s wait list for the new boat! She loved it!

Smilin' Samba Sue

Speaking of wait lists, production is scheduled to start in a couple weeks, and the boat will be MSRP’d at $2,199. Color options are red, blue, yellow, white, and a limited run of Eddyline Orange. Hulls are white, or can be in color for an additional charge. Talk to your local Eddyline dealer today, and grab this new little bundle of joy!

Olympic Raft & Kayak, Port Angeles

Popeye’s Marine, Everett

Boston Harbor Marina, Olympia

Alki Kayak Tours / Mountain to Sound Outfitters, Seattle

Kayak Academy, Issaquah

Olympic Outdoor Center, Port Gamble

Seakayakshop.com, Anacortes

Ahhhhhhh….. just another lovely evening in paradise.

Big props to Emotion Kayaks!

Big Tom Strauss of Emotion Kayaks will not be photographed without that smile on his face.

Big Tom Strauss, he’s our man, and he’s come through again with an awesome display of generosity, support for a fantastic cause, and BIG LOVE for the kayak fishing community in the Puget Sound area.

Big Smilin’ Tom, President of Emotion Kayaks, agreed to donate a Stealth fishing kayak to the 2010 Anacortes Salmon Derby, which attracted 1,000 enthusiastic fishermen earlier this month. In its first three years, the Derby raised over $73,000 for Puget Sound Anglers’ scholarship program for young students pursuing careers in Fisheries Management and related areas.

Kayak winner Keith Hofkamp of Burlington WA told me "that's my picture... with the big ass fish". Yeah Keith, that's one big ass fish, and congrats on winning the boat! Dean Hislop photo courtesy of Anacortes Salmon Derby

Knowing that support for research and proper management of salmon habitat means support for the entire ecosystem, from our local endangered Orcas (who eat the big yummy salmon too) to the thick-forested headwaters of our streams where they spawn, Big Tom stepped up where it counts.

The lucky winner of the Stealth kayak was Keith Hofkamp of Burlington, WA, who caught a 21.6-pound Chinook Salmon. Congrats Keith! And thanks again to Big Tom Strauss for making it happen!

Here's the boat Tom donated and Keith won with his 21+-pound whopper... all in the name of helping another generation of young people get educated and keep our waters clean and our salmon healthy!

Emotion Kayaks are popping up in outdoor shops all over the Northwest, including Puget Sound dealers LFS Marine in Bellingham, Wholesale Sports at nine locations in Washington and Oregon, Popeye’s Marine and Grass Roots Outdoors in Everett, Mountain to Sound Outfitters in Seattle, Olympic Outdoor Center in Port Gamble, Ship to Shore Marine in Gig Harbor, Boston Harbor Marina in Olympia, and Olympic Raft & Kayak in Port Angeles.

Paddling events on the Spring calendar

You can tell it’s Spring when cool stuff like this is happening in Northwest paddlesports:

>>FREE<< “This is Canoeing” premiere -- Saturday, March 20: Justine Curgenven and Esquif Canoes present “This is Canoeing” (Click the title to see the sweeeeet trailer). The Washington premiere is at Cascade Canoe & Kayak in Renton, WA. Cascade’s Dan Henderson says we’ll fire up the BBQ grill around 1:30pm, then get the movie going when everyone’s finished eating. The show is free!

Port Angeles Kayak Symposium -- Friday-Sunday, April 16-18: Dave King and Olympic Raft & Kayak present the 10th annual Port Angeles Kayak Symposium, in front of the Red Lion Hotel. Admission to the demo beach is FREE with a donation to the P.A. Food Bank. Along with huge savings and great deals on boats and gear, the weekend features guest speakers, beach bonfires, skill & safety clinics, on-water demos, a Sunday-morning race, and as always the warm hospitality of your friends at Olympic.

WAKE Demo Day -- Saturday May 1^st: Whatcom Association of Kayak Enthusiasts presents another Annual Demo Day on Lake Whatcom. Keep an eye on their web site for details.

Unleash the Beast! -- Saturday & Sunday, May 8^th & 9^th: John Kuntz and crew at Olympic Outdoor Center in Port Gamble have combined sea kayaking, standup paddling, mountain biking, adventure-films and racing, and a beer garden to top it off, and stirred up “Unleash the Beast”. It’s a groundbreaking Adventure Sports Expo and features the Reel Paddling Film Festival, demos, clinics, a mountain bike competition, and Paddle the Dragon, a 6-mile paddling race presented by Paddling Dynamics.

Races – full info to be available soon, but mark your calendar now:

Paddle the Dragon, Sunday May 9th, Port Gamble

DeFuca Downwinder, Saturday June 12th, Port Angeles

San Juan Orca Challenge, Saturday Sept 11^th, Anacortes

Join up with Paddle Kitsap!

Ruby Creek customer and long-time paddlin' purveyor of Poulsbo, John Kuntz at Olympic Outdoor Center, sent this notice out today. OOC and their associated club, Olympic Kayak Club, are putting on Paddle Kitsap for the second year, to promote paddling as a fun activity open to anyone who loves the water, and to publicize the need for public access to and from the water along the beautiful shores of Puget Sound. The 2-day event goes from Port Gamble to Kingston on Day One, and on to Poulsbo on Day Two. It features awesome meals, entertainment, refreshments and lots of new paddlin' friends. Read on...

Paddle Kitsap Paddlers SAVE on 2009 Paddle Kitsap

What is Paddle Kitsap? Welcome to Paddle Kitsap. Paddle the waterfront Pearls of North Kitsap communities and help establish the North Kitsap water trail. This spectacular 2 day fully supported paddle will be the highlight of your paddling year. Whether its a kayak, canoe, rowing, or other human powered craft you will enjoy the spectacular natural beauty, challenge of the 35 NM course, and the making of your new paddling friends. If you have been waiting to sign up for Paddle Kitsap Now is the time to get in on this great paddle! We have extended the $175 registration fee to the end of June which leaves you just 13 days to sign up. We have also added the youth price so you can take your kids on this memorable adventure. Regular Price: $225 Till June 30th: $175 Youth(16+ under) Price: $125 Click here to Sign-Up. Why Do Paddle Kitsap?1. You will paddling the entire North Kitsap Water Trail, a spectacular paddle. 2. You will be contributing to the establishment of the water trail because a portion of your fee will be donated to the North Kitsap Trails Association. 3. You will get great party gifts like a T-shirt, decal for your boat, laminated course chart you can use again and again, and the paddlers handbook. 4. You will be catered to because we provide breakfast, lunch and dinner both days as well as overnight camping area. 5. You get to listen to great live music and enjoy our beer and wine garden after the paddle both days. 6. Its a social event wrapped around paddling so you will get to make new friends and meet new paddlers. This paddle is for all skill levels from beginner to expert. With our on-water safety boats (power and kayaks) you can take off the course at any time and be shuttled back to camp if needed. Don't delay sign up today by registering on-line or by calling Olympic Outdoor Center at 1 (800) 592-5983. Thank you, John Kuntz Director Paddle Kitsap

Kitsap Peninsula rocks the paddlin' world

Some people just keep moving, keep getting better, and keep spreading the gospel. One of those I'm lucky to know is John Kuntz, owner of Olympic Outdoor Center in Poulsbo, WA, at the heart of the lovely Kitsap Peninsula. John is also a member of the Olympic Kayak Club, and a strong supporter of organizations that promote conservation of open spaces and access to and from the water, like the Washington Water Trails and North Kitsap Trails. So here's what John has on his plate for 2009, all to promote paddlesports, get more people in boats and build public support for our sport:

The Puget Sound Challenge, a 1-year, 150-mile, do-it-yourself-whenever-you-want-or-with-a-planned-group paddling adventure. From Belfair, WA, at the southern tip of Hood Canal, to Allyn, WA, it's just a few miles across the tiny isthmus that creates the Kitsap Peninsula. But it's 150 miles by water and the trip covers some of the most gorgeous paddling scenery you can imagine. I've talked to people who want to do it in a weekend, and others who want to stretch it out and devote nearly every weekend from now til Fall. Whatever the reason and however it's paddled, it's all for fun and awareness of paddling, and the extra bucks go to WWTA. A great cause and it should be a chance for lots of new paddling friendships.

Paddle Kitsap, a full-service 2-day, 3-evening affair on July 31 and August 1 to support the North Kitsap Trails Association. The cost is not cheap, but the organizers are going all out with shuttles, meals, and live entertainment all included. With all the development planned for this former rural backwater piece of Puget Sound, the Trails group is playing a vital role in making paddling available for everyone.

Paddle Washington is John's other ongoing project, and he's ambitiously working to unite the many members of our paddlesports business community to publicize events like clinics, races, symposia, and paddlers' gatherings of every type. After talking extensively about this with John, and reading daily about our state's cuts to parks services, it's obvious to me that all this energy will be well-spent if we can build some synergy among our industry to get more people paddling safely, no matter how much/how little they want to spend or what type of craft they want to paddle.

Great work, John. Wish I had your energy!