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stories of entrepreneurs and artists living off the grid in outback locations, homeschooling their kids and growing their own food— but few champion this the way Mason did for canoeing. Kayaking authorship has long keened toward a scholarly preoc- cupation with the sport’s indigenous origins, or such militaristic and masculine nautical concepts as “seamanship.” Our shining lights tend to be hard-charging A-types who leave families and jobs behind to head off on ambitious global expeditions. Hard-assed mountaineers of the high seas, not warm fuzzy sorts with a taste for introspection.


From the wonders these gurus experience abroad they bring back not enlightenment but new paddling strokes, safety princi- ples, speed and efficiency graphs, techniques to do headstands in kayaks or 27 different rolls while holding a lit candle. Sure, there are exceptions—Jon Turk’s spiritual odysseys rival those of any adventure literature (turn to page 62 for an in-depth look at Turk’s diverse literary legacy). And the female perspec- tives shared by explorer-writers like Audrey Sutherland and Vic- toria Jason have helped open the door to an insightful, lyrical and more reflective way of viewing our sport. Why, then, are kayakers stereotypically such nerds? Is it demo- graphics—our advanced age or the critical bias of our university educations? Is it because most of us are really landlubbers, fearful city folk trying to come to grips with the alien sea in an absurdly vulnerable craft? Is it because kayaks are tippier than canoes? Is it the dour Eastern European character of expat Czech and German pioneers or the scientific rigor of Seattle aerospace engineers who influenced early sea kayaking in North America?


What sea kayaking needs is not another expert, not another guide of how to do it, but a guide of why to do it, and what for, and what it really means.


“We shall comprehensively describe this sport in every practical de- tail so that it may be optimally disseminated to the wider population with complete accuracy and efficiency.”


But sea kayaking is not rocket science. It’s play, which by very definition is neither serious nor practical. As philosopher and writ- er Alan Watts said, “Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun.”


Try going on a long sea kayak expedition and you’ll very quickly figure out what to do with your paddle and how to set up your tent. But spend a season bobbing on the waves and camping on sand and then come home to our crazy modern world and tell me there’s anything complete about a kayaking book that doesn’t help you make sense of the meaning of life as experienced by the warmth of a beach bonfire at sunset.


What sea kayaking needs is not another expert, not an- other guide of how to do it, but a guide of why to do it, and what for, and what it means. More kayaking Bill Ma- sons, John Muirs, Ralph Waldo Emersons and Henry David Thoreaus. More kayaking art, poetry, philosophy and religion; less kayaking science. If kayakers need another manual, it isn’t the complete or com- prehensive guide to anything. Rather, it’s the essential guide to the art, soul and spirit of the sport. Maybe it could be called Way of the Paddle: A Playful Romp Through the Soul of Sea Kayaking. Waterlines columnist Tim Shuff is a former editor at Adventure Kayak and embraces both the playful and serious sides of paddling.


Puffin Saco in the Arctic


Wherever your travels take you, the folding Puffin kayak is your perfect travel companion.


You can even enjoy a day on a fjord in Arctic Norway! www.pakboats.com


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