PHOTO: DAVID JOHNSTON
PHOTO: VINCE PAQUOT
ROUGH WATER
Recently, these humble beginnings have been eclipsed by a
mainstream fascination with rough water, as more casual pad- dlers discover the joys of playing in waves. But why now, and where is this bumpy course headed?
Boat Design B
oat design has played a quiet role in shaping how pad- dlers get out and play. Five to 10 years ago, the dominating
sea kayak designs were high volume boats designed for stabil- ity, speed and straight-ahead touring. There was a perception among manufacturers that paddlers were only interested in going on 10-day trips, and the designs reflected that idea. “Sea kayak manufacturers used to be really slow to react
to the changing needs of paddlers,” says Keith Wikle, creator of the sea and surf kayak website,
Gokayaknow.com. “They would release a boat and freeze the design, going a long time without any updates. Valley Kayaks, for example, used to have a really ancient line-up.” That design deep freeze has begun to thaw. The selection
of low volume boats specifically designed and built to perform in surf and around rocks is the greatest ever. Several com- panies—including P&H, Rockpool and Sterling kayaks—are on the cutting edge and have released innovative boat designs aimed at performance-oriented paddlers. Valley, which still of- fers the Anas Acuta—first released in 1972 and one of the very first commercially produced sea kayaks—is also launch- ing a brand new play design this year. “Sea kayaks are changing,” says Rowan Gloag, producer of
The Hurricane Riders rough water film shorts. “Speed, track- ing and rudders are being replaced by rocker and maneuver- ability. This doesn’t mean that existing designs are flawed, but it does give people more options based on the type of paddling they choose to do.”
Training and Equipment T
he availability of training and suitable gear have also in- fluenced the popularity of rough water paddling.
“The BCU [British Canoe Union] craze that hit the Unit-
ed States in the mid-90s was a result of the credibility of this type of kayaking,” says Wikle. North American BCU coaches who trained in the U.K.
emphasized skills and safety in rough water and current. They brought that rough water experience and the equipment that goes with it—boats and safety gear—with them when they re- turned home. Wikle says some now-popular rough water gear— such as helmets and rescue PFDs with integrated tow systems— was also adapted from whitewater or swiftwater rescue.
Media V
ideo depicting “extreme” sea kayaking, readily available via YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook, is perhaps the single big-
gest growth factor. Today’s healthy crop can be traced back to 2004’s ground- breaking film, This is the Sea, from Welsh filmmaker Justine
44 ADVENTURE KAYAK | EARLY SUMMER 2011
Impending disaster. PHOTOS: GREG MAINO
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