A Paddle on the Wild Side by Sean Morley | Jul 24, 2014 | Cruise 12, Journey, Recreational/Touring, Tripper 12Elkhorn Slough and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary As you approach the fishing village of Moss Landing on California Highway 1 the view is dominated the cooling towers of the Moss Landing Power Plant, the tops of the towers often obscured by grey cloud. It...
Paddling with Giants by Sean Morley | Jun 6, 2014 | Jackson Dealers, WhitewaterOn a recent business trip to Montana, Wyoming and Idaho I was fortunate enough to meet and paddle with some true giants of paddle sport. I had arranged to meet Gary (The Edge) Edgeworth at Rendezvous River Sports the following morning. Gary is a Team Jackson paddler...
Review of Karma RG by Neptune’s Rangers by Sean Morley | Apr 15, 2014 | Karma RG, Karma Rock GardenHere’s a great review of the Karma RG by California’s Neptune’s Rangers: http://neptunesrangers.blogspot.com/2014/04/jackson-karma-review_13.html
Oceans of Whitewater (Part 4) – Mastering the Pour-over by Sean Morley | Apr 9, 2014 | Instructional, Journey, Karma RG, Karma Rock Garden, Recreational/TouringWhat, you may ask, is a pour-over? The short answer is “riding a wave over a rock”. I’m going to give you a longer version of the answer however and seek to de-mystify this apparently dangerous and flamboyant maneuver that combines the thrills of sea, surf and...
Santa Cruz Kayak Surf Festival by Sean Morley | Apr 2, 2014 | Recreational/Touring, SaltwaterThe Santa Cruz Kayak Surf Festival is held at Steamer Lane, one of the best amphitheaters for a surfing competition anywhere in the world. Conditions for the 28th annual event were mixed. Participants had to endure a fickle swell on Friday, wind and rain and almost...
Oceans of Whitewater (Part 3) – Mendocino by Sean Morley | Mar 26, 2014 | Karma RG, Karma Rock Garden, Recreational/TouringThere is nowhere I know of that embodies the concept of ‘Oceans of Whitewater’ quite like the Mendocino Coast of California. The myriad of rock gardens, caves and arches combined with the ever-present Pacific swell and stunning coastal views makes this a...
Mendocino Adventure – Filming the promo for the Karma RG by Sean Morley | Mar 19, 2014 | Karma RG, Karma Rock Garden, Recreational/TouringThe plan was a simple one: head up to Mendocino County on the Northern California Coast, meet up with three of the best rock garden paddlers on the west coast and film the result. Jeff Laxier and Cate Hawthorne from Liquid Fusion Kayaking in Fort Bragg are pioneers in...
Oceans of Whitewater (Part 2 – Surfing the Gate) by Sean Morley | Mar 2, 2014 | Karma RG, Karma Rock Garden, Karma Unlimited, Recreational/Touring, WhitewaterThe entrance to San Francisco Bay is spanned by perhaps the most beautiful and iconic bridge in the world. The mile wide Golden Gate is also a whitewater playground. Consider this: at a maximum ebb of 6 knots it is estimated that the equivalent to 2.3 million cubic...
Oceans of Whitewater (Part 1) by Sean Morley | Feb 27, 2014 | 2014 Karma Unlimited, Karma RG, Karma Rock Garden, Karma Unlimited, Recreational/Touring, WhitewaterEven during a truly historic drought here in California there is plenty of whitewater to be found. It’s just that it tastes salty! Every day of the year there is fun to be had paddling kayaks on the ocean. “Sea kayaking? That is for old men with beards!” I hear...
Testing the Karma Unlimited/RG prototype by Sean Morley | Feb 22, 2014 | Karma Rock Garden, Karma Unlimited, WhitewaterJackson Kayak’s popular Karma creek boat is undergoing two simultaneous evolutions this year: The Karma Unlimited creek racing kayak and the Karma RG ocean play boat and river tourer. Playing in the ocean is what I am all about whether it is surfing, rock gardening or...
Ecuador – The Land of the Boof by Sean Morley | Jan 23, 2014 | WhitewaterEcuador – The Land of the Boof [Boof: The act of lifting the bow of a whitewater kayak while going over rocks, waves, or waterfalls, in order to launch over hydraulics (“holes”) or rocks.] When my boss Marty Cronin invited me to Ecuador with the Jackson...
Flat Water Creeking by Sean Morley | Jan 21, 2014 | Cruise 10, Journey, Recreational/Touring, RogueCreeking usually involves descending very steep low-volume whitewater. But there is an alternative flat-water version that will appeal if you are not hooked on adrenalin and not looking to hurl yourself down some steep ravine. Many watersheds have quiet backwaters...
