Werner Blog

Northeast white water action. Check out Werner Team Nicole Mansfield, Dave Fusilli and all our friends.

Thanks to Werner Paddle's athlete Dave Fusilli and Nicole Mansfield for this report from a recent Northeast white water tour they did in the Pyranha Kayaks rig.

The tour took them to some awesome runs in both New York, the Bottom Moose and Boquet River, and Vermont, the Middlebury Gorge and American White Water release project the Green River.  Here is a great link to the VIDEO action of the fun runs and fall foliage. 

Thanks to Dave and Nicole for the still shots and video, you guys have been awesome all year!  Our thanks to Craig Kleckner as well for all his support this year, I know it has been a long and at times painful season.  Of course we appreciate all our friends sporting the logo as they fly by the lens, we couldn't do it without ya'll, glad the paddles are working!

 

Dave Boehne BOP Distance Race: Inspirational!

Here is a post from Dave Boehne about his BOP Distance Race...

The Battle of the Paddle distance race is always a fun one, but the distance stuff hasn't been one of my strengths so I decided to mix it up this year and perhaps make a bit of history! Me and fellow Infinity Team racers Slater Trout and Chance Fielder raced my Dad's 4 man 21ft SUP as a three man team. This has never been done and to take 2nd Place over all behind Danny Ching felt good.We were presented the "most inspirational" award from Gerry Lopez and Sparky Longley. It was a nice way to cap off a great weekend of racing!

Recreational SUP: Fiji Review

The good folks over at Colorado Kayak Supply have just finished reviewing Werner's latest SUP - the Fiji.

Here is what they have to say about it.

 

Saint Michael's College Wilderness Programs-Swift water training 2011

 

Werner Paddle's team of athletes is made up from a diverse group of touring, white water, fishing and Stand Up paddlers and also instructors.  Those looking to grow the sport at its roots, building a stronger foundation of skills.  No more important is this than with young paddlers and with that we spotlight Werner Team paddler Todd Wright, Director of the Saint Michael's College Wilderness Program. 

Check out the staff and students at this prestigious and unique program as they work with local paddling clubs to teach their swift water/cold water training for the fall semester on their local Vermont run.

Big Winner: SUP

We have added QR codes to our print advertising and magazine readers (and everyone else) can scan the code and be entered for a chance to win a new Werner Paddle.  This quarters SUP winner is Grant Troxler.

I've just recently been introduced to stand up paddleboarding, and I love it! Working at a Hook, Line  & Paddle Kayak/SUP shop this summer has really let me try out a multitude of different boards and paddles. I am also a personal trainer, and paddleboarding is a great workout as well. I have taken several clients out on the water for a SUP workout and every single one has enjoyed it. It is hard to decide whether I like flat water or ocean paddling best, but I am on the water every chance I get. Thanks again, I can't wait to get on the water with my very own Werner paddle!

"Digging for Britain" Archeological digs by kayak with Werner Team paddler Kevin Mansell.

Thanks to Jersey's Kevin Mansell from the Werner Paddles Team in the UK for this interesting video piece, "Digging for Britain."  Kevin lead Dr. Alice Roberts along the Jersey coast in search of potential sites for research.  Watch for this on the BBC this Autumn.

(Pictured is Dr. Roberts, Kevin has a much stronger chin.)

Ny's Moose River Fest-report by Werner regional Team paddler Ryan Mooney.

(Words by Werner regional Team paddler Ryan Mooney, photos by Patrick Rogers.  Ryan lives in Western Mass where he is an advid white water boater and super fast down hill ski racer. Shown above running the high water boof at Fowersville Falls, drop #1 on the Bottom Moose.)

"All day Friday and Saturday it rained hard brining the level up. A normal level on the Bottom section of the Moose during Moose Fest is about 3 feet. This weekend it was between 5-5.5 feet. This created some stompy holes out there but some great lines to be explored as well.  The first and tallest drop, "Fowlersville Falls," had a giant ski jump on the left sending you flying over the large hole. Luckily I hit it every run. Marking the beginning of what the locals call the "Bootom-Bottom is "Agers Falls."  At this level it was a super fun rapid starting off by going over a small dam then dropping a perfect 18 foot waterfall with somewhat of a hole at the bottom.  The weather turned for the worst at this point making some of the longer more drawn our rapids kind of interesting. The rain was driving down with the help of 50 mph gusts, just keeping your eyes open was challenge enough.   Luckily most people in our group punched the large curling wave at the top  of "Sureform "and and made it left for the easier of the two very long fast slide lines. "Crystal" was the next big one and with the weather turning for the worst luckily the second to last.

When we got there no one was running the middle line so I decided to fire it up. Starting out by punching a strong ledge hole on river right then getting into the main channel I lined up for the middle drop and sent it! It went great!  It is very intimidating looking at the left side or the "Alpine Line." "Magilla" is the last rapid, with the main line and without a doubt the hardest section to the left, it looked stout. I decided to run the far right, known locally as the "Agitated Eskimo". It was a little slide over a dam into a super fun and clean 15 footer.

All in all it was a great time. Great boating and good food at the local pub and party scene, Slickers! My thoughts are out to everyone who got hurt out there. There were a lot of injuries this weekend…"

Thanks Ryan to a great blog, feels like we were there.

 

Washington Water Trails Auction: Bid Now

Washington Water Trails fundraising auction is underway. Werner Paddles is pround to have WWTA as one of our Healthy Waters partners. Check out all of the great items you can bid on; but be sure to bid on the Premium Camano paddle.

Paddle to the Ocean-Zac Crouse's final video installement, or is it...

(Words by film maker and Werner Paddle's Team paddler, Kelsey Thompson.) "If you're new to Paddle to the Ocean, Halifax based paddler and musician Zac Crouse paddled and biked from Beachburg, Ontario to Halifax, Nova Scotia this summer to promote an active lifestyle and carbon free methods of transportation. Here is the rewarding final installment of the video capturing his journey.  You can view video updates from various legs of his trip on the Paddle to the Ocean vimeo channel to catch up, http://vimeo.com/channels/paddletotheocean

These updates were meant to serve as progress reports and additional promotion for the trip. Zac and I are now working on putting a full length documentary on the trip including the difficulties of traveling by sea kayak and other aspects of the trip that weren't covered in these short videos that will be released in the fall of 2012. For more info on this project and Zac's trip visit www.zaccrouse.com"  Thanks Kelsey and congrats Zac.

 

Photo of the Day. Fall colors on VT's Green River, thanks to Brian Murphy.

Thanks to Brian Murphy for the Photo of the Day, Danny Sieger taking in the Autumn colors in VT as he floats the "Big Drop" on the Green River.  Danny and Brian were to do a flow study with American Whitewater. AW is working with FERC licensing to have scheduled dam releases on this Vermont gem. More info on this run can be found in the upcoming issue of AW.  You want to see your picture on the Photo of the Day?  Send it over.