I just received my copy of the new DVD,  “Simplifying the Roll with Helen Wilson”, in the mail today.  I ordered it from “Sea Kayaker” magazine and received it in about 3 days.  I immediately turned off the football game this afternoon as soon as it arrived and popped the disc into the DVD player.  [...]

If you want to take your paddling skills to the highest level you can achieve, it is extremely important to get good instruction right from the beginning.  This little bit of advice may seem fairly self-evident and not particularly earth-shattering which is maybe why it is so often overlooked and ignored by beginning paddlers.
I’m currently [...]

Are you thinking about getting a tandem kayak?  I would caution you to consider this option very carefully if this is going to be your first kayak.  While tandems do have their place, in most cases I don’t think that they are the best option when you are first getting into the sport.  Here are [...]

About a month ago I posted a blog about learning to roll at pool sessions during the winter. I had promised to put some video of hip snap practice on the website. It is actually on the photo gallery page, but I didn’t get around to blogging about it until today. Sorry. [...]

This time of year, as a paddler, you have 3 options if you want to get in your boat on water.  You can take a vacation to somewhere warmer.  You can get a drysuit and look for open water around Wisconsin, or you can take your kayak to a pool session.  In my next few [...]

Many clubs have begun their winter pool sessions for paddling and rolling practice.  Although our local club does not sponsor formal lessons as part of the pool sessions, there is much that novice kayakers can gain from attending these events.  If you’ve never tried a wet exit from any kayak or practiced re-entering a sea [...]

The weather could be warmer (in my opinion), but at least the water on our local inland lakes has warmed up nicely.  It’s about as good as it’s going to get for learning to roll this summer.  If you have been thinking about it, or have tried in the past with limited success, let me [...]

Have you ever tried pounding in a nail with a saw, or cutting boards with a wrench?  While saws and wrenches are both extremely useful tools, you need to have the right tool for the right job.  This time of year, many kayakers are thinking about learning to roll.  Trying to learn to roll in [...]