Every year we sell off our entire fleet of boats and gear to make way for new stuff for next year.  It is a great opportunity for folks to buy a kayak or canoe and still have enough time left in the season to try it out.

Some of our kayak fleet includes; Boreal Designs’ Fjiord, Necky Looksha IV and Narpa, Current Designs’ Alaho and Squall, Seaward’s Chilco, Quest and Navigator.  We also have some tandem boats for sale’ Seaward’s  Southwind and Passat plus a few plastic ones as well.

If you are in the market for a canoe, we’ve got boats from Nova Craft (16 and 17 foot Royalex), Wennonah and Evergreen.

You can also pick up accessories for your new-found boat- paddles, spray skirts, throw bags, paddlefloats, and pumps.

You can find all the items, short description and the prices here.

The traditional refers to the paddling, not the symposium. August 21-24, 2008, we are hosting our 3rd annual Traditional Paddling Symposium also referred to as the Greenland Style Paddling Symposium. There will be workshops devoted to Greenland style paddling for women, novice, intermediates as well as rolling and building your own paddle.

Friday will be a day of tours around Michipicoten Bay, Saturday will consist of workshops and there will also be a concert Saturday night. Sunday we’ll have our Lake Superior Goes Greenland Paddling Competition where the “competition” is merely a formality, as paddling, hunting and portaging make sure this activity is more fun than work.

Not a Greenland Paddler? We can supply you with the use of a handmade wooden paddle to get you started.

Hopefully you’ve registered to participate. If not call the office to see if there is still availability. 1-800-203-9092.

See you on Superior!

Finally! It took a while to get here but the last few weeks we’ve been blessed with some stellar weather.  July was really wet and we weren’t even sure what August was going to bring.  I think that we have been in a bubble here in the northeast corner of Lake Superior since folks around us have been complaining of a lot of rain over the last few weeks.  We have had some super sunshine with some rain only in the evening.

I don’t want to jinx us so I won’t go on too much.  We’ve had some great paddling days of late so I guess we’ll see how long that will last.

Naturally Superior Adventures was featured in today’s Travel Section of the Toronto Star. Writer Anna Lee Boschetto pens an article featuring Lake Superior and specifically NSA’s paddling programs and packages at Rock Island Lodge.

Click on the article to read the full story.

Canada Day was celebrated in style over Wawa lake. A pretty impressive display of pyrotechnics considering we are just a wee, small community. Here is a 2 minute clip of what you would have seen if you were here. Wawa Fireworks Display

NSA staff spent their weekend co-hosting the Rossport Symposium along with local company Superior Outfitters. The weekend was a huge success and we managed to attract over 60 participants to the little hamlet on the shore of Lake Superior. Weather was on our side (more or less). We had a huge thunderstorm overnight Friday night but come morning the sun was shining and it was even a little bit hot. Unfortunately the good weather couldn’t last the entire weekend and our last event on Sunday afternoon was rained out.

We kicked off the weekend with a showing of various films from the Reel Paddling Film Festival. We got to watch a variety of paddling movies such as Islands of the Haida by Justine Curgenven about a group of paddlers that sea kayak 800 km around Haida Gwaii and Birthplace of the Wind by Jon Bowermaster , another sea kayaking movie about a group of friends who paddle the Aleutian Islands. Saturday was a combination of instruction for beginners and guided tours of the islands for intermediate and advanced paddlers. In the afternoon those who weren’t out for a full day tour could choose between on water playshops such as “Finding Your Edge” and “Paddle Stroke Improvement” or dryland sessions like “Yoga for Paddlers” and “Expedition Planning”. The highlight of Saturday night was the dinner put on by Environment North as a fundraiser for their initiatives. Apres stuffing our bellies we were entertained by a vicarious Joanie McGuffin as she presented her slideshow of the North Shore and promoted awareness of the Lake Superior Conservancy and Watershed Council (www.lscwc.org ). She is also promoting their new book “How to Paddle Your Kayak”. To cap off the evening, our ears were tuned into the guitar riffs of Bill Houston and mandolin great Damian Dowback. A day on the water, a belly full of yummies add a couple of social beverages on top and I don’t think anyone had any troubles falling asleep that night!

Sunday was a busy day with the novice group heading out for some guided half day tours around the Rossport archipelago while the rest of the crew got to choose from a variety of playshops geared towards intermediate and advanced paddlers. Some of the choices included rolling, greenland style paddling and rescues. Rain took us indoors to the Rossport Community Hall for lunch prepared by the Relay for Life volunteers. The afternoon’s final activity- The Amazing Race was then morphed into the Amazing Trivial Challenge and participants were eligible for prizes from Superior Outfitters, Wild Waters and Gear Up for Outdoors. All in all everyone had an enjoyable weekend, friends were made, networking was had and even a few skills were learned.

If you would like to be notified about upcoming paddling symposiums, join our email list for updates.

See more photos of the weekend.

Going boating in Canada this summer? Don’t forget to take a minute to check Transport Canada’s Safe Boating Guide.

Here’s what you need to know: Canoes, kayaks and rowboats under 6m (19′8″) in length:

1. One (1) Canadian-approved personal flotation device or lifejacket of appropriate size for each person on board
2. One (1) buoyant heaving line no less than 15 m (49’3”) in length
3. One (1) manual propelling device (i.e paddle)(for more detailed description, refer to the manual propelling device definition) OR An anchor with no less than 15 m (49’3”) of cable, rope or chain in any combination
4. One (1) bailer OR One (1) manual water pump fitted with or accompanied by sufficient hose to enable a person using the pump to discharge water from the bilge of the vessel over the side of the vessel
5. A sound-signaling device or a sound-signaling appliance
6. Navigation lights that meet the applicable standards set out in the Collision Regulations if the pleasure craft is operated after sunset and before sunrise or in periods of restricted visibility

Pleasure craft propelled by oars and pleasure craft 8 m (26’3”) or less in length within sight of navigational marks do not require a compass.

The paddling season is upon us and here are some suggestions to get your body in shape so you don’t injure yourself.

In addition to using kayaking to improve your fitness, you can also condition your body beforehand to enhance your experience. Improved physical fitness will make your paddling more enjoyable because you will feel more energetic and be able to paddle greater distances without fatigue. You will feel stronger, and be able to do routine tasks like carrying boats and dealing with unexpected difficulties like increasing winds. You will also feel more flexible and you’ll be able to use your entire body to execute your strokes strongly and efficiently.

Here are some simple torso stretches. When you do these stretches, warm up for a few minutes with some light running or paddling motions. Then stretch gently to the point where you feel the stretch. Hold this position for 15 to 20 seconds. Repeat 3 times each direction. Stretching before each paddle helps prevent injuries like tendinitis, muscle soreness, strains, and dislocations. Stretching afterwards is most likely to improve your flexibility.

1) “C” Stretches: Bending sideways with your arm over your head. Work the lateral flexibility on each side. This helps rolling, bracing, and general edging of the boat.

2) Torso twists: Twist your chest and shoulders keeping the rest of the body pointed forward so you feel the twist low and deep in your torso. This twist is easy to do in a boat, with you hands assisting by grasping the deck, one hand in front of you, one behind.

3) Hamstring stretches. Do this while lying on your back, with your leg extended straight up. Use a towel or a short section of webbing to help pull your leg to get tension.

Tips for avoiding injuries

• Warm-up and stretch before each paddle

• Be systematic in the distance and difficulty

• Cool-down and stretch after each paddle

This pileated woodpecker was going nuts on a rotten log outside the office this morning. Apparently there was some good eatin’ to be had.

On June 10, 2008 Dee Miller will begin biking throughout Ontario (7,645 kms) for 100 consecutive days to raise awareness of the free programs Renewed Strength offers and to help raise needed funds to provide every cancer patient in Ontario the opportunity to take advantage of these programs.

Dee will be in Wawa, staying at Rock Island Lodge on August 14, 2008.

To find out more about the cause, visit their website.