Stradivarius
Stradivarius could make wonderful music with any violin. Thus the idea is to become Stradivarius, not necessarily to acquire one. Of course there is the danger of becoming and doing both.
Seems to me
a Stradivarius is a decked boat, not an open canoe.
I haven’t paddled one personally but just looking at at I don’t think it would be worth a damn.
If I had a little Grumman 129
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I would bring it to FCS.. I would like to see the lakes at the event peopled folks paddling elementary school grade instruments.
If it floats, bring it!
I read somewhere that Davey and Kathy
Hearn learned play cello as kids. I thought of getting an old slalom c-1 and rigging it as a string bass for them, with the cockpit as soundhole. The long stern will serve for a tuning peg location, and the bridge can go down on the bow. With any foam removed, the resonance should be awesomely hideous.
Sam Rizzetta in West Virginia makes mountain and hammered dulcimers, and makes composite canoes and kayaks. If you want something wasp-wasted like a violin, he has a canoe/kayak that is pinched in along the center so that he can paddle it with the shaft vertical and close to his body.
Well I wish he would come to FCS
cause a wider variety of musicians are needed. They are all good but I think aside from one the other six are guitarists.
A good dulcimer would be sweet.
Yes there is music after dark and around a campfire.
I have the old classic Cortot/Thibeaux
recording. I also love the last three string quartets and the string quintet.
What is the creeking class?
Is this a whitewater program? What class water is this?
I haven’t paddled it
But the highest point in Florida is at less than 350 foot elevation above sea level.
If you could manage to put that place 3 miles away from the Atlantic Ocean, or the Gulf, and arrange to have a stream bed running in a direct line between the two, you could have a hell of a whitewater run, albeit on the short side.
But failing that, I think it is safe to say that this is a Class I or moving flat water run.
Running Florida’s highest waterfall
In ‘89 I moved from Woodstock, NY, to Tallahassee for a year to teach. I was then just past my peak as a whitewater boater. So I brought my Whitesell Piranha, figuring it would be a cinch to run the highest waterfall in those flatlands.
This was before the internet.
So I shlepped my magic bus, Whitesell atop, over to Chipley, Florida, to Falling Waters State Park one day.
And chickened out.
The waterfall cheats. It falls into a sucking sinkhole about 70 feet deep. It would be a little difficult to get “ashore”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTIM8Oq2Jjw
I’m still thinking about the highest waterfalls in Louisiana and Rhode Island, but haven’t researched them yet.
I don’t think Marc runs the Creekin’ class at Falling Waters. He wants paddlers who are unfamiliar with moving water to get the feel of how to use on-side and off-side post, axle, christie and wedge turns, along with sideslips, in moving water – and why.
The Creekin Class is
an opportunity to use the precision paddling techniques we teach in FreeStyle, in a real world situation. The creek in question is narrow and meandering, with modest current. There will likely be some dead fall adding to the necessary maneuvering.
This will be an up and back trip. We’ll begin by discussing river currents and how to use them to our advantage, as we work upstream. The essence of FreeStyle is maximizing efficiency and effectiveness. Working upstream should be no exception.
We will use most of the basic FreeStyle maneuvers to position our canoes most effectively to traverse the river and slip past, around, under and occasionally over whatever obstacles we are presented with. Just for fun, we may occasionally take a circuitous, obstructed route, where those less adventurous would take a clear channel.
Anyone who has taken the forward and cross forward classes should be comfortable in this class. Those with reverse and cross reverse experience will have additional opportunities.
We’ll work with all participants, at their respective levels of expertise. This class is open to solo canoeists as well as tandem teams.
Creekin Freestyle
Never heard of a Creekin Freestyle class, but have practiced many of the freestyle maneuvers on many of the small rivers in Southwest Michigan. The rivers are known for their many twist and turns and the challenges posed by tree falls. I find these rivers are ideal for a Wildfire using freestyle techniques.
The Wildfire is one of my favorite boats
I’ll likely be paddling one when I teach the Creekin class however the class is about technique and getting the most out of the hull that you have.
The most common maneuvers that I use are side slips and they work equally well in moderately rockered hulls and those that are straight as an arrow.
I’m not sure there is anything in LA
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that I would call a waterfall. Even finding real rapids is difficult. There are said to be stretches of intermittent class 1-2 in forest land in the upper central part of the state.
Nice sandbar rivers, and bayous too.
We visited Falling Waters SP last fall, and I have a spliced photo of the entire drop of that waterfall. Only thing is, it was not running at all. We did some pre-scouting of the Chipola, but I had not brought a boat along because my back was out. Only panhandle river we've done so far is the Coldwater, but I'm planning to do a lot more.
Sure Thinking About It, But
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Afraid we might feel a little out of our league? If I were a golfer, I'd be the self-taught "Hacker" of 40 years who can rarely break 100. And my wife? She paddles her beat up, ugly Flashfire sitting with a kayak paddle? Wondering if we're too old dogs that are too old to learn new tricks?
Absolutely not!
We have had students who have never been in a canoe before, and make great strides. The symposium classes are geared for all levels. The instruction is superb, and you will have a blast. Great group of people, too!
Going To See If I Can Get the Time…
…off from work. Heck, we have friends in the Jacksonville area we’ve been wanting to see too.
You’re right in the right age group
You’ll be right at home. Having paddled with you I doubt you would be regarded as a duffer.
If you are in the “wrong” class its quite easy to move.
If you play an instrument of any sort bring it. We have lots of bad singers and some six guitarists and people who can sing.
If M wants to come…remember there is tandem… much more than double the fun!
Just who
are you calling a bad singer?
The mission of Florida Canoe
Symposium is two fold
- Everyone have a good time. Bad singer or no, there is nothing to be ashamed about.
- Brush up or improve your paddling skills so you can enjoy your next trip with less effort.
And for 1, if you have a non paddling partner, there is an Outings Club branch of the Free Style Committee that goes on various trips during canoeing instruction…like to Fernandina Beach or Cumberland National Seashore.
G-129 actually paddles pretty nicely.
But, it ain’t no Flashfire.
Very stiff and responsive. Not real fast.