FREE Movie premiere: "This is Canoeing"

Justine Curgenven ("This is the Sea" series) brings you a brand new take on paddling adventure movies with "This is Canoeing". Sponsored by Esquif Canoes, Justine's newest film covers the world's greatest paddling destinations and shows an amazing variety of paddling skills, from graceful ballet to hardcore slalom racing.The Northwest USA premiere is happening at Cascade Canoe & Kayak in Renton, WA on Saturday the 20^th of March. Cascade’s Dan Henderson will fire up the grill at 1:30, serve some chow, chat about the movie, and get it on screen around 2:30.Check out the sweet video trailer here:http://www.cackletv.com/canoeing/this-is-canoeing/Please RSVP here if you're coming and we'll pass the info along to Dan, or call him at the shop at (425) 430-0111. Directions are on CC&K's site, http://www.canoe-kayak.com/locations/renton

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

Aquabound & Bending Branches -- together at last

Every good outing has a great campfire story. Lacking any smoky ambience, Ethan memorably recreates Bill Murray and the Dalai Lama in the hotel parking lot. Wazzat got to do with paddles? You got me. Then again, you might think deep fried cheese curds are unrelated. Think again. Every fine stick from Bending Branches and Aqua-Bound comes straight to you from America's Dairyland, handcrafted in Osceola, Wisconsin.

A short trip to Wisconsin brought the Aqua-Bound family of paddles front and center for the Ruby Creek gear quiver. A year ago, Bending Branches purchased Aqua-Bound from founder Joe Matuska, and we're honored to be repping both brands now under the consolidated company banner. Two days of planning meetings culminated with seven miles of product testing on the gorgeous, mostly peaceful St Croix River dividing rural Wisconsin on the East and Minnesota on the West. Just an hour from the Twin Cities, this place is a world away from the rat race.

From BB's Whisper, at $60 an amazing light weight and durable paddle for the price, to Aqua-Bound's mainstream Ray series, to Branches' all-carbon Spirit set for transfer to the Aqua-Bound brand for 2010, to the SWEET kayak and canoe models in wood, these combined great names in paddling have it covered. In a factory tour, we met the crew who take such pride in their work that they can get your order off to your dealer in two days, over 90% of the time.

More amazing is the return rate of less than 1%. These guys make solid, safe paddles that are built to last. Ethan and I are proud and grateful to be a part of the family.


Ed and Jerry styled in a canoe, checking the sweet feel of the BB bent shaft paddles, while East Coast rep Tim Knight cruised the river with an all-carbon Spirit paddle, weighing in at 25 oz. in T-700 carbon, the tough, aircraft-grade fabric you'll see in Aqua-Bound shafts beginning next year.

Parting Shot -- The St Croix River gets a little Northwest love from Renton, WA's Cascade Canoe & Kayak.

It's a Shore Thing

It's A Shore Thing... at the Caribbean!
Annual Auction & Dinner
Saturday, April 4th
Community Center at Mercer View

It's become a tradition in the Northwest paddling community to look forward to the annual Washington Water Trails Auction. This is WWTA's main public fundraiser and supports the organization's activities -- environmental advocacy, volunteer site stewardship, Leave No Trace education, the list is endless -- that are vital to the health of our local waters and to our ability to access them.

This year, with items like the one below (from the news on WWTA's web site) popping up wherever you look, it's crucial to help out in any way we can. If you can't get there, donate an auction item. Send a cash donation. Or at least, if you haven't done it yet, JOIN WWTA!

Special thanks to Dan Henderson and his crew at Cascade Canoe & Kayak for their support of WWTA and their sponsorship of the auction.

Budget Proposal Threatens to Close Four Cascadia Marine Trail Sites

The Governor’s proposed 2009-11 budget reflects the critical state of the national economy. Services and spending are being cut across the board, including funding for parks and recreation. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission budget proposal for the next biennium, which begins July 1, aims for a $10 million reduction. This budget cut includes reductions in equipment replacement, administration, services, and a move to “mothball” or close 15 parks and expand seasonal park closures. State Parks will close and seek other public owner-operators for 13 parks deemed by the Commission as “not consistent” with the Centennial 2013 Vision (premier destinations or places of regional or statewide significance). Among the park closures, are four key Cascadia Marine Trail Sites: Kopachuck, Fay Bainbridge, Joemma Beach, and Fort Ward. In addition, a new site was planned for Old Fort Townsend, another park slated for closure. WWTA will advocate to keep the Cascadia Marine Trail Sites open and available for overnight use by non-motorized boaters if and when ownership of these important sites changes. Stay tuned to the email newsletter or Easy Current News for more information, as it becomes available. You can help! Call or write to voice your support today!