Shop News
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Harbourfront South Paddling Camp (PDF)
Aardvark's will be hosting some of the top Canadian instructors in their search for warmer climates. They'll be
offering some advanced instruction to our local paddlers as well as to their campers.. If you click on the link above
you'll get an itinerary specific to their Canadian paddlers. If you have an interest and for rates and registration,
contact them directly at the address below. I'm really looking forward to the video stroke analysis and the Greenland
style instruction.
Harbourfront Adventures (a division of Water Travel Inc.)
www.harbourfrontadventures.com
E-Mail : ask@harbourfrontadventures.com
416.203.2277 • 1.800.960.8886
Also, we now have a kayak fishing club. Semi-Official Name: Nature Coast Kayak Fishing Club aka
The NCKFC. For information Contact Adrian at kayak.fishing.crystal.river@gmail.com
The club will have an informal meet and greet as part of the Paddlers Picnic
CLUB WEBSITE
NEW PRODUCTS
.
Harbourfront South Paddling Camp (PDF)
Aardvark's will be hosting some of the top Canadian instructors in their search for warmer climates. They'll be
offering some advanced instruction to our local paddlers as well as to their campers.. If you click on the link above
you'll get an itinerary specific to their Canadian paddlers. If you have an interest and for rates and registration,
contact them directly at the address below. I'm really looking forward to the video stroke analysis and the Greenland
style instruction.
Harbourfront Adventures (a division of Water Travel Inc.)
www.harbourfrontadventures.com
E-Mail : ask@harbourfrontadventures.com
416.203.2277 • 1.800.960.8886
Also, we now have a kayak fishing club. Semi-Official Name: Nature Coast Kayak Fishing Club aka
The NCKFC. For information Contact Adrian at kayak.fishing.crystal.river@gmail.com
The club will have an informal meet and greet as part of the Paddlers Picnic
CLUB WEBSITE
NEW PRODUCTS
Posture is everything.
Learn and practice proper posture and life will be good. Ignore it at your own risk and you'll pay with a bad back. Sit
up straight and keep your shoulders over/in front of your hips. If you recline (shoulders behind hips) you cannot
rotate so you end up paddling with just your arms and you back will curse you for a week afterwards. One of the
keys to proper posture is setting your foot braces properly. If your legs are lying flat, the tendency is to go into a
slouch. Keeping your legs bent forces your posterior back into the seat and allows you to bring your shoulders
forward. Ignore this advice at your own risk.
Basic Knowledge is Lacking
Folks, it is time to wake up and understand that kayaks are boats. As such you are responsible to know and follow
boating laws. I'm beginning to think maybe mandatory boating safety is the way to go. Some of my colleagues will
crucify me for that, but I see members of our community violate basic boating safety laws on a daily basis. It's not
just the novice kayakers with little Walmart toy boats that are the problem, but presumably experienced folks
paddling high end sea kayaks as well. Stop by Hunter Spring on a weekend during the winter and count how many
people you see kayaking through the swim area. Even if there is no one swimming, it is still a boating exclusion zone
by law. Kayakers are legally boaters, so that exclusion applies to us as well.
Learn and practice proper posture and life will be good. Ignore it at your own risk and you'll pay with a bad back. Sit
up straight and keep your shoulders over/in front of your hips. If you recline (shoulders behind hips) you cannot
rotate so you end up paddling with just your arms and you back will curse you for a week afterwards. One of the
keys to proper posture is setting your foot braces properly. If your legs are lying flat, the tendency is to go into a
slouch. Keeping your legs bent forces your posterior back into the seat and allows you to bring your shoulders
forward. Ignore this advice at your own risk.
Basic Knowledge is Lacking
Folks, it is time to wake up and understand that kayaks are boats. As such you are responsible to know and follow
boating laws. I'm beginning to think maybe mandatory boating safety is the way to go. Some of my colleagues will
crucify me for that, but I see members of our community violate basic boating safety laws on a daily basis. It's not
just the novice kayakers with little Walmart toy boats that are the problem, but presumably experienced folks
paddling high end sea kayaks as well. Stop by Hunter Spring on a weekend during the winter and count how many
people you see kayaking through the swim area. Even if there is no one swimming, it is still a boating exclusion zone
by law. Kayakers are legally boaters, so that exclusion applies to us as well.
| Aardvark's Adventures in Kayakland April / May 2010 1st Edition |
| ANCK Club Trip List |
| Group paddles are Aardvark's time to socialize and paddle with both old and new friends. Skill levels vary so the trips are typically not very strenuous unless so noted (Advanced/Long/Offshore). Join us at no charge if you have your own boat. Need a rental? We'll bring one for you at base rental rates. ($35 single/$45 tandem). We now require that you pre-pay for rentals. Sign up early. You can always cancel out and that way you are in the loop from the beginning. If you decide you don't want to go at the last minute, just let us know so we don't wait on you. Don't expect an immediate response when you sign up. The e-mails go into a bin and a message is generated, usually the Friday before the trip. |
| Interactive Trip Selector is now located here: Group Paddle Trips 1. Make sure to fill in the contact info box with an e-mail address so that we can contact you with trip details. 2. Check the boxes next to the trips that interest you. 3. When everything is filled in hit the Send Button. I have to ask that you please sign up through the webform using a valid e-mail address and please check the waiver. In order to keep these trips free, I have to keep it as simple as possible. |
| That's all for now folks. See You on the Water Aardvark's |
| Upcoming Events Hope Wildlife Rehabilitation Poker run Ozello Adventure Race Small Boat Builders Raid on Crystal River |
The Environment
| Take an online boating safety course for free. Click here to Start then click on Florida on the Map |
| Weeki Wachee Headwaters |
| Sunday |
| ALL |
| Sunday |
| Bennett's Creek |
| Stumps |
| DATE |
| NOTES |
| Current/Fees |
| Long |
| ALL |
| TRIP |
| SKILL LEVEL* |
| March 16 |
| ALL |
| Raid on Crystal River |
| Ozello |
| May 2 |
| Sunday |
| DAY |
| April 11 |
| Sunday |
| Sunday |
| March 23 |
| Strong Beginner |
| Wacasassa Bay |
| Withlacoochee Blue Spring |
| Sunday |
| Strong Beginner |
| April 25 |
| March 9 |
| Beyond Beginner |
Paddling Tips
| Long Open Water |
* Skill Level. Please Note: None of these are float trips which means you will need to actually paddle. These
classifications are meant to give you some idea whether you should consider going on the trips. All generally means that the
trip is suitable for any skill level, including first timers but as with any outdoor activity, you may encounter unexpected conditions
that can make the trip more strenuous than you thought. Kayaks must be at last 10' long. Beyond Beginner means that you
should at last have some idea of how to paddle and have been on at least a few outings or taken a basic class before trying this
trip level. Kayaks need to be at least 12' long. Strong Beginner means that in addition to having some basic skills, you need to
have the endurance to paddle distances longer than 6 miles, spend up to 4 hours sitting in a kayak and handle less than
optimal conditions (wind/current). Kayaks need to be at least 13.5' long. Intermediate means that in addition to having some
basic skills and physical ability, that you have some knowledge of basic rescue techniques and can perform at least an assisted
rescue as both rescuer and rescue. Kayaks need to be at least 13.5' long. Advanced means that in addition to the
intermediate skills you can successfully perform a self rescue in adverse conditions and have the proper equipment necessary
for offshore paddling. Kayaks need to be at least 13.5' long.
classifications are meant to give you some idea whether you should consider going on the trips. All generally means that the
trip is suitable for any skill level, including first timers but as with any outdoor activity, you may encounter unexpected conditions
that can make the trip more strenuous than you thought. Kayaks must be at last 10' long. Beyond Beginner means that you
should at last have some idea of how to paddle and have been on at least a few outings or taken a basic class before trying this
trip level. Kayaks need to be at least 12' long. Strong Beginner means that in addition to having some basic skills, you need to
have the endurance to paddle distances longer than 6 miles, spend up to 4 hours sitting in a kayak and handle less than
optimal conditions (wind/current). Kayaks need to be at least 13.5' long. Intermediate means that in addition to having some
basic skills and physical ability, that you have some knowledge of basic rescue techniques and can perform at least an assisted
rescue as both rescuer and rescue. Kayaks need to be at least 13.5' long. Advanced means that in addition to the
intermediate skills you can successfully perform a self rescue in adverse conditions and have the proper equipment necessary
for offshore paddling. Kayaks need to be at least 13.5' long.
| Copyright ©2003 Aardvark's Florida Kayak Company All Rights Reserved |
| Lots of new stuff and events to talk about. First off is the Newsletter itself and how the second edition is handled. Now that we have a Blog, all interim updates will appear there, so there will no longer be a 1st and then a 2nd edition. The Paddler's Picnic coming up on Saturday February 20th click here for details (PDF). Blog entry here |
C-Tug Just Pull it! $149.90
LIGHT WEIGHT & EASY TO HANDLE
less than 6kg
ASSEMBLED IN UNDER 1 MINUTE
* reinforced composite construction
* 120kg static loading
* thermo-bonded elastomeric seat pads
* stainless steel reinforced axles
* 2.4m strap with cam-lock buckle
* fast assembly and disassembly for easy storage and transport
| Gum Slough |
| Long |
| Sunday |
| March 30 |
| Strong Beginner |
I read an article today in the Citrus County Chronicle that talked about the Florida Farm Bureau's opposition to new EPA clean
water standards for Florida. They claim that we can't afford clean water. "“By the time things clear, many family farms will have
given up and closed their farms, never to recover,” McClellan said. “Many jobs will be lost. Many family farms are able to operate
because of the sweat equity of several generations. You cannot start anew. It will not be affordable.” The sky is falling !
Take a look at Crystal River if you think current standards are adequate. Of course Capt Mike would accuse me of being an
extreme liberal advocate for supporting government regulations to protect the environment, but even he should be seeing the
writing on the wall. Clean water is the lifeblood of Crystal River. The dive industry has pretty much abandoned Crystal River
outside the manatee tours. Fewer divers, less income for support businesses like restaurants, gas stations, etc...Rainbow River
and Dunnellon is now the destination of choice. The difference? Clearer water throughout.
In Crystal River, we cannot afford not to have clean water. Water clarity has declined so much over the last 20 years that calling it
the Crystal River is really a joke and heart breaking to those of us who remember the good ole days where you could spot pennies
on the bottom at the main spring..
The SWFWMD SWIM program had great promise early on. In the early stages the designation for Crystal River was a
preservation waterbody. Before long, it became a restoration waterbody and now it's pretty much a meaningless program that has
not stopped the downward spiral despite the current standards. The other program is the Outstanding Florida Waterbody (OFW)
designation. Crystal River was designated an OFW in 1983. That program set standards that were not to be exceeded to protect
the water quality of what was then considered to be a water body of some significance. The current standards have not worked for
Crystal River. If they were working, we would still be seeing visability in the hundreds of feet, not just a few feet.
water standards for Florida. They claim that we can't afford clean water. "“By the time things clear, many family farms will have
given up and closed their farms, never to recover,” McClellan said. “Many jobs will be lost. Many family farms are able to operate
because of the sweat equity of several generations. You cannot start anew. It will not be affordable.” The sky is falling !
Take a look at Crystal River if you think current standards are adequate. Of course Capt Mike would accuse me of being an
extreme liberal advocate for supporting government regulations to protect the environment, but even he should be seeing the
writing on the wall. Clean water is the lifeblood of Crystal River. The dive industry has pretty much abandoned Crystal River
outside the manatee tours. Fewer divers, less income for support businesses like restaurants, gas stations, etc...Rainbow River
and Dunnellon is now the destination of choice. The difference? Clearer water throughout.
In Crystal River, we cannot afford not to have clean water. Water clarity has declined so much over the last 20 years that calling it
the Crystal River is really a joke and heart breaking to those of us who remember the good ole days where you could spot pennies
on the bottom at the main spring..
The SWFWMD SWIM program had great promise early on. In the early stages the designation for Crystal River was a
preservation waterbody. Before long, it became a restoration waterbody and now it's pretty much a meaningless program that has
not stopped the downward spiral despite the current standards. The other program is the Outstanding Florida Waterbody (OFW)
designation. Crystal River was designated an OFW in 1983. That program set standards that were not to be exceeded to protect
the water quality of what was then considered to be a water body of some significance. The current standards have not worked for
Crystal River. If they were working, we would still be seeing visability in the hundreds of feet, not just a few feet.
The new MTI PFDIVA has arrived. This
mid-range vest is designed specifically
for women including kayak
fisherpersons of the female species.
It feature tons of storage as well as
MTI's Adjust a Bust padding system for
the perfectly correct anatomical fit.
$119.99
mid-range vest is designed specifically
for women including kayak
fisherpersons of the female species.
It feature tons of storage as well as
MTI's Adjust a Bust padding system for
the perfectly correct anatomical fit.
$119.99
| Coming in February Check it out at the Paddlers Picnic |
$11.95