I love sailing canoes

Photo lifted from the WildSide blog
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I just love outrigger sailing canoes. So pure and primitive in their construction. Sail canoes in general are a passion for me. I was completely taken in by the adventures of SOS and his motley crew when they build two 3 board outrigger canoes for EC 2007.

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So in EC 2009 a monster 45' outrigger, a proa, a high end home built 21 foot trimaran grace the starting line. Ah the men and their paddle sailing machines.

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Which reminds me to remind you all that the Paddlin Shop will again host the Paddle Sailing Rendezvous the first weekend in June. The venue, Lake Mendota is an outstanding lake to paddle/sail on. Unlike its big sister Lake Michigan, the Mendota is user friendly with water temps well into the 70's by June. OK high 60's, but I'm trying to sell you on joining us this year. :-)

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It's all in the packaging - The Capt'n

The Canoeist

Stumbled upon the Canoeist website this morning and found it quite enjoyable. It gets tough to visit all the blogs I follow and get anything of substance done during the day. Now to add another to the list... sounds perfect.

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Did some scouting yesterday and we're still iced out on the Crawfish, Rock and Bark rivers. The Oconomowoc river is open and flowing between Oconomowoc Lake and Fowler Lake with easy access at Riverside Park. (limited ice shelf to launch of). Baraboo river is open and I hear tale that parts of the Yahara is open, but have not seen it with "me own eyes...arrrr"

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March is an exciting time around here... The Everglades Challenge takes place which is quite enjoyable to follow along, even more fun to participate in for sure, then there is Canoecopia, which stirs the imagination. Team Kruger / RP Lumber Boo and Hannah will be in attendance.

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The girls are getting excited to get on the water and hang out together, so are the dads. Adventure good!

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We'll then pilgrimage over to the Paddlin Shop, hang with boys, talk story, cause a ruckus etc...

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Let's light this rocket and see what happens - The Capt'n

The eagle has landed

Here are a few pics taken from my good friend Jerry, whom I have known for about 15 years. We worked with adjudicated youth together back in the day. Jerry is the master of story telling. His stories can make or break an adventure with kids in the wild or a backyard adventure, but these pictures, wow, are worth a thousand words.
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Nothing like seeing nature thrive in spite of the human intrusion. Venture over to ThereAndBackAgain's blog and see wild boar and bobcats thriving on the islands of the Everglades.
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Eagles along with other birds of prey are a good indication that our river systems and waterways are thriving. Back in the 60's when I was a young lad, I don't recall ever seeing so many eagles or hawks as I do today.

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The confidence of eagles or Alfred Hitchcock's the "Bird's". You be the judge. My Brother in law Ben saw an eagle on Lac La Belle in Oconomowoc; I can't ever remember seeing an eagle in Oconomowoc.

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From the banks and cliffs of the Wisconsin River; Thank for sharing Jerry!! - The Capt'n

Not as close as I thought...

Koa at play

I've been living on NyQuil, Vitamin C and anything I could find in the fridge to eat the past three days. Man do I have a doozy of a cold! - Just for the record. puppies don't care if you have a cold, they want to play all the time. :-/

Now I did get outside twice..... to shovel. Now the snow total will shock you, but the plow truck spraying an additional 6 inches on the 8 inches that had already fallen on my side walk made for a "what the..." moment for the Capt'n.

On the bright side, Koa was able to run around the yard for 2 1/2 hours while I shovelled... I barely made it back to the couch where I wheezed my way into NyQuil induced coma; Shivering 1/2 to death with a puppy standing on my chest.

Cold 1 / The Capt'n 0

We're Close....

With the official start of paddling right around the corner - Gates opening at Canoecopia - (largest paddling expo I have ever seen), Boo and I got an early start on the ice-cream / custard season.

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We managed to hit multiple ice cream parlors over the weekend, but wait in anticipation for the Kiltie Drive-in to open. Much like the drive-in diners of the 50's, you pull up and choose your food and car hop bolts to your car and takes your order. Quite the gathering place for the young at heart.

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We were already to paddle, but a stiff bone chilling breeze this weekend kept us off the water. Instead I helped Boo pick out supplies for her science project / presentation and made a day trip to the Wisconsin Dells for the fun and excitement of Mount Olympus Water Park.

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We had 9 cherubs with us, 8 of which were under 7 years of age, 5 adults to supervise. One thing about the Wisconsin Dells... perfect in the off season, no crowds to deal with but still very expensive. Boo did laps in the lazy river working on her hand paddling skills, Dad did 16oz curls at $5.25 at barely pop.

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"Two Kiltie Burgers, onion rings and a chocolate malt please" - The Capt'n

6 more weeks..... winter

According to German superstition, if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2 — the Christian holiday of Candlemas — winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says, spring will come early.

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The sun is in my face - are groundhogs good eating? - The Capt'n