The Atlantic Ocean, 5 Canadian Provinces (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia) 14 States (Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Maine, Pennsylvania, New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Jersey)
The 5 Great Lakes
The St. Lawrence River Seaway
The Hudson River… to Troy, New York
The Erie Canal System to Lake Oneida and back onto Lake Ontario
If any Pnetter owns waterfront along her route, she’s looking for camping spots as well as resupply sites. See her “I need your help” comments. Tracking available at raceowl.com
looks like you meant 365 days since she’s trying set a record for one year. I thought about the Kruger trips but most of that wasn’t solo. Surprisingly, the math works out to less than 24 miles every day. Still a lot of paddling planned on big lakes where I would think wind is likely to be a factor.
Her website states 8,600 miles in 265 days. She wants to beat Freya’s record of 8,570 miles in 322 days and figures she’ll need 32.5 miles a day to do that.
Hmmm. Wouldnt you want to start in a lower region…you got months of snow and ice on that route? As any paddling expedition paddler knows… to figure in “weather” windbound days at about 1 layover in every 8 days and if you look at some of the Great Lake Circumnavigations, they are averaging 12 miles a day with windbound days of 30-50% of their expeditions… Thought of the “Kruger” comment from the person above, yes you should try a Kruger canoe…heck of more effieciency than the boat she’s using …just saying. If you wanna talk “records” , don’t forget Valeria Fons----she didn’t stop at 365 days—went on to paddle a total of 21,000 miles in 2.5 years…in a solo boat BUT with another paddler also paddling a solo boat etc. Second longest paddle trip ever undertaken. Good luck on the trip, keep the round side down! Paddle Hard!
We didn’t have much ice coverage on the Great Lakes this winter so she may be okay in that respect.
In October 2015 Mark Przedwojewski (he’s the guy that builds Krugers) launched his Sea Wind on Lake Huron, planning to paddle the coast of Michigan. A 700-mile trip. His Kruger was outfitted with a sail and amas. Autumn isn’t friendly on the Great Lakes as that’s the start of the wicked winter winds. Mark had to cut his trip short, traveling 522 miles, cutting across the state through the Chain of Lakes and portaging along highways and wheelways for 85 of those miles. There’s a well written account of his travels at http://krugercanoes.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2015-01-01T00:00:00-05:00&updated-max=2016-01-01T00:00:00-05:00&max-results=50
The winds settle down in the spring so that’s in Traci Martin’s favor - but it sure is a monumental undertaking and I hope she succeeds.
Wow, she planned to start March 9 and she did - when Michigan was getting hit with major winds (63 mph gusts reported on Lake Michigan in some spots). She managed 21 miles under washing machine conditions.
Weather hold today: gale warnings and freezing spray on Huron till 4 a.m. tomorrow. Some ice in Saginaw Bay, otherwise Huron is clear - until the Straits of Mackinac. Maybe the bay ice will be gone by the time she paddles there.
As a new guy to kayaking, I’ve been out in winds 20 gusting to 30 just for giggles to see what it would be like. I was on a large lake and didn’t stray too far from the shore. For you experienced folks, how much wind is too much before you decide that it is just too much work and wait for better conditions?
If you paddle a sit-inside kayak and have a solid roll, 20 gusting to 30 is survivable. In a sit-on-top kayak, not so good. I was fishing on a lake in a Hobie Revolution Mirage Drive kayak when a big storm brewed up, and fields of whitecaps started marching down the lake towards me. I’m a whitewater kayaker, so I turned my nose into the wind, pulled up my Mirage Drive, and started ferrying towards shore, keeping my nose generally into the wind and whitecaps. At one point as a line of whitecaps approached me, a whirlwind of spray swirled up and moved from right to left along the front of the gust, passing about 30 yards in front of me. Which I thought was pretty unusual. I had almost made it to the protection of a point when I got hit by a huge gust which blew spray about 6 feet up above the whitecaps. I braced with my paddle like crazy, but the wind inexorably tipped me over, and eventually I slid off my seat into the water. This wouldn’t have happened if I had been in a sit-inside kayak. I righted my kayak, and after the violent gusts passed I climbed back onto it and continued paddling behind the point. I was lucky in that I was close to a point. If I had been a couple miles out in the water and the wind remained high, I could have been in trouble. This kind of gave me religion about sit-on-top kayaking in lousy weather, and I tend to restrict my kayak fishing to predicted winds of less than 20 mph. I feel confident kayaking in a sit-inside kayak in somewhat higher winds, but I have a very reliable roll.
My suggestion is, don’t push your luck. If the winds are predicted to be high, don’t go kayaking, particularly on the ocean and on larger lakes. Do something else. You’ll live longer.
@TreeA10 said:
As a new guy to kayaking, I’ve been out in winds 20 gusting to 30 just for giggles to see what it would be like. I was on a large lake and didn’t stray too far from the shore. For you experienced folks, how much wind is too much before you decide that it is just too much work and wait for better conditions?
I’ve learned that it depends on size of the lake, wind direction, and fetch. If it’s blowing 20-30mph on Lake Michigan, I stay off that water. It’s no fun having a wind gust bring your boat to a stop - or being nearly blown over sideways. I’ll instead paddle a nearby inland lake which is about 15 miles long. Doable at that wind speed, but still a lot of work even with a Greenland paddle.
I had to look up what a Kruger canoe was. No way in hell thats faster than a surf ski. Your just wrong if you think one of those canoes is faster that a surf ski. I found several here http://www.krugercanoes.com/Products.html and the super WIDE like 28 inchs wide. My QCC 700X would blow those wide boats out of the water. Or did I miss understand what you meant as a better boat? Now a sail would make it fast but then thats no longer paddling thats sailing.
I wouldn’t want to be in a surf ski in the cold weather she is dealing with this time of year but a ski will be the faster way to go. Freya used a kayak a Epic 18x or the new Point 65 kayak so thats not an equal comparison either. A ski will always be faster. But you cant carry much gear if any on a ski. Some skis have a rear hatch but still not much storage. Boy an open ski in this weather has to be super cold way to go now. I wonder if she could use a fast kayak like an epic 18x or the like at first then switch to a ski. I have no idea if there are any rules with this.
One of my friends is helping her in my area maybe I will paddle with her but might have to borrow a ski to keep up.
Oh I have paddled the great lakes, Erie and Ontario in 45 mph wind, as long as your going with the wind it can be a blast but against and its brutal. You should have a roll but no rolling a ski its climb back on after a rollover. Berr in the cold.
We didn’t have much ice coverage on the Great Lakes this winter so she may be okay in that respect.
In October 2015 Mark Przedwojewski (he’s the guy that builds Krugers) launched his Sea Wind on Lake Huron, planning to paddle the coast of Michigan. A 700-mile trip. His Kruger was outfitted with a sail and amas. Autumn isn’t friendly on the Great Lakes as that’s the start of the wicked winter winds. Mark had to cut his trip short, traveling 522 miles, cutting across the state through the Chain of Lakes and portaging along highways and wheelways for 85 of those miles. There’s a well written account of his travels at http://krugercanoes.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2015-01-01T00:00:00-05:00&updated-max=2016-01-01T00:00:00-05:00&max-results=50
The winds settle down in the spring so that’s in Traci Martin’s favor - but it sure is a monumental undertaking and I hope she succeeds.
@dc9mm
“I had to look up what a Kruger canoe was. No way in hell thats faster than a surf ski. Your just wrong if you think one of those canoes is faster that a surf ski.”
Traci is not doing an expedition as she’s stopping daily and being resupplied, so carrying gear isn’t all that crucial. She did dump on her first day and had a bit of a garage sale with what she was carrying on her surf ski.
I was wrong in stating she had a weather hold yesterday (3/10). In spite of 40 mph winds and an ice accretion warning, she made an attempt but logged only a mile before having to come back in. Air temp was 20F, water 35F, and she was covered with ice. The conditions looked hellish. According to her daily video diary, she intends to continue today and in checking her SPOT, she’s on the water now.
Edit: she cleared the Lexington Marina break wall and is heading out.
Your comment made it sound like you thought would be a better boat for here attempt at the 8600 mile trip. It wouldn’t as she has to put long mileage down each day. Thats all I was saying. She will on good days have to double her mileage to make up for lost days. That Kruger would be a slow paddle and she would fail with it. For 8600 miles you want a boat thats as fast as possible. If this paddle had no time limit then sure a Kruger could work.
I didn’t know she had a video blog. I will have to take a look, Sounds bad she was covered in ice which would be expected this time of year in an open ski or any small boat now.
The only thing I see the Kruger being better at is holding more gear which is typical for a canoe. I cant see a canoe ever being better at any open water paddling ever. Canoes have there place especially with portaging involved. Open water a ski or kayak will always be a better choice.
@Rookie said: @dc9mm
“I had to look up what a Kruger canoe was. No way in hell thats faster than a surf ski. Your just wrong if you think one of those canoes is faster that a surf ski.”
Traci is not doing an expedition as she’s stopping daily and being resupplied, so carrying gear isn’t all that crucial. She did dump on her first day and had a bit of a garage sale with what she was carrying on her surf ski.
I was wrong in stating she had a weather hold yesterday (3/10). In spite of 40 mph winds and an ice accretion warning, she made an attempt but logged only a mile before having to come back in. Air temp was 20F, water 35F, and she was covered with ice. The conditions looked hellish. According to her daily video diary, she intends to continue today and in checking her SPOT, she’s on the water now.
Edit: she cleared the Lexington Marina break wall and is heading out.
@Rookie said: @dc9mm
“I had to look up what a Kruger canoe was. No way in hell thats faster than a surf ski. Your just wrong if you think one of those canoes is faster that a surf ski.”
Traci is not doing an expedition as she’s stopping daily and being resupplied, so carrying gear isn’t all that crucial. She did dump on her first day and had a bit of a garage sale with what she was carrying on her surf ski.
I was wrong in stating she had a weather hold yesterday (3/10). In spite of 40 mph winds and an ice accretion warning, she made an attempt but logged only a mile before having to come back in. Air temp was 20F, water 35F, and she was covered with ice. The conditions looked hellish. According to her daily video diary, she intends to continue today and in checking her SPOT, she’s on the water now.
Edit: she cleared the Lexington Marina break wall and is heading out.
She IS Doing an EXPEDITION minus the gear. DOn’t forget that. It’s not about speed. Plus to comment on the Kruger being slow. It was already used to cover 8000 miles during the course of two trips. The UCC and the 2-Continents covered 8000 miles for two years and 1/2 for a total of 28,000 miles and 21,000 miles. Just sayin!
The first part of the journey from June 1st to March 26th Valerie covered 8000 miles then continued on another 18 months. The Dreamcatcher was never designed to go faster than a surf ski. It was designed to cover over 8000 miles a season is all… and more. Keep the round side down and keep us posted!
@paddletothesea You’re correct that her journey is an expedition. I tend to think of kayak/canoe expeditions as self-sufficient, carrying all your gear. Been watching too much WaterTribe, I guess.
Not only that, but according to her most recent video report her support person had a family emergency and had to leave. So she has no one to drive her vehicle and his replacement isn’t due until April. Under the current circumstances, she’d be much better off in a Kruger SeaWind. She talked about continuing alone, but if your gear is in your car and not in your boat, that’s going to be difficult.
Keeping my fingers crossed that she’ll find some local volunteers to help with the driving once the ice moves away.
I have a friend with a Kruger sea wind. It looks to me like it can taken some sever conditions. I may have to paddle it sometime.
I have 2 other friends that finished the EC 300 this month. They just wanted to finish and had no expectations of winning. The little girl’s father on my Cedar Creek/Congaree thread is one of them. It took them 7 days. I am amazed by folks like this young woman.
I too have an autoimmune disorder. It causes fatigue, and I need to keep UV exposure to a minimum, but neither have prevented me from paddling or getting outdoors. I am the guy at the beach wearing long sleeves, long pants and wide brim hat. I swim with long sleeve paddling shirts, and black leotards. I find I am a head turner! More power to her!
@castoff
What are the tribe names of your friends? So fabulous that they finished the EC - which was really tough this year because of the windy conditions. There’s a long list of DNFs, so they should be very proud they got to Key Largo.
You have a great attitude. I always wear long sleeved rashguards with UV protection - thanks to modern fabrics, I find them cooler than short sleeves. On the other hand, high humidity is a rarity up here.
Laurie Sanders and Geoffrey Chambers are the two EC paddlers I know. I don’t know their watertribe handles. You too have the type of attitude that takes one places. Thanks
@castoff
That would be Aleutian and Knotsynced. Great comment by Knotsynced in the rosters: “Rule # 5: The last one off the water and back to work wins.” Sound like fun guys to paddle with.
As to Traci, looks like she’s going to need lots of patience as yesterday a local weatherman reported ice cover on the Great Lakes has increased from 9% to 20%. A check today shows Lake Huron at 31%. Temp on the first day of spring next week is supposed to be 20F. Oh goody.
I got rule