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Spring on the Loose - hooting and blatting |
Ode to Breakups of the Happy Kind
This past weekend we skied out to the Mink Islands. Heading up over rock and snow of the southern chain, I could here a familiar sound - big waves crashing on the western shore. So there we were in bright sunshine with fine powder and firm crust carving almost legible telly turns - and backdropping this magic was wide open Bay!
In a few short weeks (April Fools Day to be exact) - this tom foolery finishes and we're back to being adults as the Squall opens up for the 25th season. Boats are arriving in droves - and just quivering with excitement. I keep telling them to simmer down and not get their deck lines in a knot - the novelty of being wet all day trucking folks over the waves from island to island will soon wear thin. If that ain't enough, these odd humans will haul you up on your backside out of the water and onto cold hard rock - then walk away to brew a coffee leaving you shivering with a soggy skirt sittin' on your bellybutton. Oh the life of a kayak...
So there you are in the back of beyond - and your buddy just stabbed hisself while falling on his new swiss army knife trying to peel the top off a great bottle of ten dollar wine. There's red stuff oozing out of his shirt and you get this funny feeling it's not wine and it not going to be a normal evening. Far-fetched like tea from china? - but it can happen and ya gotta know what to do. There are three different Wilderness First Aid Courses coming up in April taught by Internationally recognized Wilderness Medical Associates with a few spots still available. If you are a perspiring outdoor guide - or just want to have that confidence and knowledge to act when your buddy gets hurt, these courses are your ticket to stardom. You don't have to be god's gift to bandaids to take 'em - just a willingness to learn. It's nothing like standard first aid - they start with the assumption that advanced care is a long way off and it's up to you to sort things out.
My pride and joy - the 11 day Sweetwater Senior Youth Expedition from Parry Sound to Little Current - is looking for more participants. If you are an older teen with past sea kayak and camp experience looking for adventure - and a national skill certification to boot - please get in touch. These kinds of trips are rare - so git off your keester and apply :)
 Rick Mercer will be talking to Mark Scriver on March 9 about Stand Up Paddling. Not to be outdone by the Mercer Report, we've asked Mark to come to our Paddle Party on the May Long Weekend - we'll have more than chickens "standing up". Mark will have plenty of Stand Up Boards for you to dazzle yourself on Cole Lake. We've got a bzillion other things happening that weekend - canoe ballet, gps for dummies, trip navigation for nimrods, yoga for stiffnecks, el camino revisited, colorado hook demystified, and all the basic to intermediate canoe and kayak skills you could ever imagine. If you call or e-mail in and tell us you're coming, we'll put your name in for our big outdoor gear draw. It's all free except for the Saturday night concert - speaking of which - if you don't have your Fred Eaglesmith spots booked yet, give our town shop a call and they can sign you up! (705) 746-4936 Our website has current information and it's being updated weekly.
Paddle Canada Certification Courses - we've got top sea kayak guns teaching skill and instructor courses throughout this spring, summer and fall. Take time and get your paddling life on track - your offside hanging edged draw (with a smile) will never look the same. For course details, see whitesquall.com
Thanks for listening everyone, and remember - you CAN paddle your way through life, despite what mom told you.....t |
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Nano technology has hit paddlesports. I can't tell you for sure if it works or not, but I do believe Mark Scriver when he tells me there is a new coating you can put on your boat that will significantly reduce friction. From Surf Nano Products, it's entirely eco-friendly (I always marvel how they say that - hey, my big toe is eco friendly too!!) We'll carry and try it this spring....but I was just thinking - how about skis that don't glide so well? To heck with all that fluoro stuff - let's go organic. I wonder if I could spray some on my artifical hip and really tear up the trails.... Don't tell anyone, but the next olympics - dyer will own the podium big time, you watch. |
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Hoot and Blat in the Cold |
HI Winter Fans!
This Thurs. Feb. 11 I'll be speaking at the London Paddle Shop (Nova Craft)from 7-9pm and wanted to invite you if you're bored. It's free and the long-winded title (much like the speaker) will be "Tall Tales, Tips & Tricks for Paddling Georgian Bay" Through songs, stories, artifacts and amazing four season Bay photos we'll take you on an armchair paddle and ski. You'll even see Captain Jack starring in a TV show - that's worth the price of admission right there! More Info
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ps - forgot tim's tips.....hmmmmm - ok, here's one - when someone is cooking a wonderful winter stew in an electric crockpot and you come into the kitchen - best thing is to not put the pot on the stove and turn the stove element on. There's this funny plastic smell and a gooey mess to clean up....
tip #2 - ok, this is for real now, the other was purely hypothetical. If you are outside and your hands and toes go numb - get your core heated by putting on another jacket or thermal layer. The extra warmth encourages blood flow to extremities and warms them up. This happened to a little girl in my jackrabbit ski class last weekend. Early on she took off her jacket as she was too warm. Ten minutes later she was complaining of frozen fingers and toes. We put the jacket back on and quicker than you can say "jackrabbits jump gingerly on jellybeans" - she was all toasty in her toes and fingers. A simple fix, but sometimes we forget the simple things. |
Tim's Tips
Tip #1 - Don't Read These Tips....
Last time, some people thought I was serious about folks paying $300/month for us to retrain your misbehaving kayaks. So to those people - please send us your delinquents right now cause we need money and I'll do whatever it takes. Behind my back they call me the "kayak whisperer" so you can pretty much guess how good I'll be.
Tip #2
If you're still with me, you might need to get out more...
Tip #3
Making a fire outside in the winter is tough - especially at the end of the day. To help you over the first half hour of being on your knees, blowing madly, breathing in smoke and the only flame is a girl or guy you remember from a high school dance - forget highschool and stamp out your imagined fire area in the snow. Take small cut logs and lay them down side by each. This creates an insulated platform where you can start your fire and forget your imagination. Sounds obvious but a lot of us don't do it - you're left with your imagination and a cold supper... |
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Hoot and Blather - January 2010 |
Hello from the Backwaters of Carling Township
A gang of sled dogs just galloped by on the lake so I guess it's winter now. The way I can really tell is my shoulder aches from trying to start Jesse's snowmobile. Why do things not work when it's minus 25 and all you want is to sit by the fire.
Lots to tell you so I'll get right to it.....
Our new brochure is posted on line at whitesquall.com and we'll be mailing it out on her majesty's service in the next few weeks. A few highlights:
Senior Youth Kayak Exp. - a challenging 11 day leadership paddle from Parry Sound to Little Current (I'm really excited - we've subsidized costs to encourage as many as possible)
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 Tim's Tips for November
1. Send your kayak to White Squall Winter Retraining Camp...
2. Drysuits Are a Lifesaver but you got look after them...
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Hoot & Blat - Our 25th Year |
Happy December Snow Fans
We're wallowing in it. And cold - why this morning I saw a chipmunk trying to jump start a squirrel!
We're happy to announce our 2010 programme lineup. There are still holes to fill and tweaks to make, but I'm sending the draft outline, pricing and dates. If you think any of this would make a fine christmas present, give us a call and we can arrange a gift certificate.
Thanks everyone - here we go........
White Squall 2010 – Draft Programmes (as of Dec.16/09)
(subject to change – see whitesquall.com for detailed descriptions – completed by early Jan. 2010)
25th Anniversary Paddle Party, Open House & Fred Sat, Sun. May 22,23
Celebrate our 25th year with free stuff for all ages on and off the water. Test drive the latest hotrod boats then take in Kate’s Café with fair trade coffee and good things to eat. Friendly chickens, fairly friendly staff and ice cream are the backdrop for a day of paddling workshops, singsongs and messing about in boats. Captain Jack will be on deck for the afternoon Cole Lake Cardboard Kayak Race. Saturday evening, we are honoured to welcome back Fred J. Eaglesmith - $20. (limited tickets-call now) Everything else if free and we hope you can come!
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Hoot and blat for early december |
Hello Out There
Few things to tell you.....
We have big news.... our former general manager Graham Ketcheson - has been named the new Executive Director of Paddle Canada! We all knew how special he is and now the rest of the country will soon find out. If you plunk on over to paddlingcanada.com under "latest news" you can view the official announcement. Pretty cool huh?
So what are we gonna do without him? Funny you should ask - we are tickled to announce that Patti Morel has stepped up to join Heather Metcalfe as Senior Manager. Jack Elliott has jumped on as manager - so with me and Kathy and Benji, that rounds out our management team. As always, Benji's focus will be visitor reception and services with a particular emphasis this year on smelling crotches and sleeping. The key to our still being here is that our staff really don't need managers! They're the ones who tell us what to do - then we take the credit. I find it's a good system.
Next summer's programmes will be posted at whitesquall.com within the next week or so. Watch for some pretty awesome new stuff - my personal favourite is an 11 day senior youth sea kayak challenge called "Sweetwater Sea Kayak Expedition" from Parry Sound to Little Current in the North Channel. We're subsidizing this significantly and Youth Quest graduates or those with similar experience aged 15 - 18 are encouraged to apply.
Another big event is our Paddle Party on the May 24 weekend - Fred J. Eaglesmith is coming to help us celebrate 25 years in Squallor. Later in the summer we're planning a Squall Summer Holiday at Diamond Key Lodge along with a bunch of other very fun things.... Please stay tuned to the website for the new offerings coming soon. |
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Tim's Tips - Autumn Ramblin' |
Tim's Tips for Fall
1. Starting to sell more of the gravity feed water filters.....
2. OK - move over thermarests - the down-filled air mattresses from ExPed are pretty awesome.
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Boat Orphans, Cold Racks, and My Grandfather |
November 18, 2009
Hello out there.... (have a look at Kevin Callan's blog response to this Hoot and Blat on his Paddler's Guide to Happy Camping).
This afternoon we unloaded 96 more orphaned boats and began tucking them in for the winter. As they climbed onto their racks, the little gaffers looked up forlornly and in a voice only another kayak could love, said - "hey timmer, can't we go to some nice family now, instead of sitting on these cold wooden racks all winter...." They got to me, so I promised I would ask you kind folks if you could find it in your heart to take one of them home. They eat like sparrows and don't backtalk - in fact I find they pretty much agree with whatever you say. Often on a cold Carling township night, I'll wander out and just sit amongst them, talking about the day and the ways of the world. Kathy wants me to get therapy, but she just doesn't understand. (My grandfather was deaf as a post and would sit in the chicken shed and talk to his girls for hours ....so I figure I come by it honestly) Best part is they sleep day and night - not bothering anyone, and whenever you want to go paddle - or just talk about the idea of it on a winter's night, they'll wake up and be ready with a big smile.
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