About Me
 David H. Johnston Toronto, Ontario, Canada I'm a little mean, but I make up for it by bein' real healthy. Say you'll be mine. Say you'll be my beloved!
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General News
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Friday, 03 July 2009 |
Kayak adventurers, James Castrission and Justin Jones just announced the publication of their new book telling the adventure of their 62 day crossing from New South Wales, Australia to New Zealand in a two person kayak back in early 2008.
I’m really looking forward to reading it as it was quite an adventure following along via their website and frequent blog updates.
The cover design looks great (that is how I judge all my books) and Kokatat must be pleased to see their suits in action and company logo displayed front and centre on the page.
It was released on July 1 but it doesn’t seem to be available at Amazon.com yet. Hopefully soon.
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Events
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Friday, 26 June 2009 |
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Here in Canada, June 26 is National Canoe Day and it is an event that is almost as huge as Christmas. Really it is. Well not really but at least National Badminton Day doesn’t exist so ours is still biggest. Update: There is a National Badminton Day; it was back on June 14th in Luxembourg and apparently a big deal there.
This years National Canoe Day has over 20 events taking place across Canada so take a look on the event listings map and visit your closest event and join in while there is still time.
National Canoe Day came about after the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) named the canoe as one of the Canada’s seven national wonders.
For more information visit the official National Canoe Day website at www.nationalcanoeday.net.
Photo Credit: National Canoe Day
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Events
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Thursday, 25 June 2009 |
 Mark off October 23-25, 2009 on your fridge calendar so you can make yourself available for the American Canoe Association's National Paddlesports Conference.
Taking place in Fredericksburg, VA, this event focuses on all facets of the paddlesports community with training sessions including instructor updates, instructor trainer sessions, adaptive paddling seminars and safety & rescue clinics.
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Funny
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Thursday, 25 June 2009 |
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How do you know when your sport has made it to the big times? A clear sign is when spammers are using your sport to try to scam you.
Over the past 24 hours, I have been getting reports of quite a few people in the kayaking community getting the posted email below.
If you get the spam, please ignore it as seems to reek of a ripe Nigerian Email Scam. A quick search on Google of the phone number brought up several different blog postings with the same person looking to pay nicely for chess, sewing and sailing lessons.
So pat yourself on the back and congratulate each other for being there when kayaking truly hit the big times. It’s a story you will want to remember to tell your grandkids and easily on the same level as your grandfather’s story of being there to see Babe Ruth play his first game.
Below is the email that's going around:
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Funny
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Wednesday, 17 June 2009 |
Meet Cory Lamondin from Bracebridge, Ontario. Cory was recently pulled over because of a burned out taillight. When he was questioned by police, he couldn’t produce a driver’s license (it was suspended) nor could they find his name in the computer database (he gave them a false name).
While he was sitting in the front seat of the police cruiser (said he had a bum knee and couldn’t sit in the back) he bolted from the car and ran through a nearby yard and down to a nearby lake where he conveniently found a kayak and paddles sitting close by (just like the movies). It was a quick paddle across the small lake to freedom.
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Events
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Wednesday, 10 June 2009 |
I just received this email from Pauline Halstead who runs Paddles and Boots; an organization that specializes in kayak instruction specifically for people with disabilities. It’s an absolutely amazing group.
I thought I would post her email to see if anybody is interested in helping out with this great project:
"Hands Across the Water" - Crossing of Lake Ontario for People with Disabilities
Paddles and Boots Inc. is organizing the above event to raise awareness for people with disabilities and to raise funds so we can keep offering this activity. We have two kayakers, possibly three, with disabilities who are excited about paddling from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Toronto. One of our paddlers reluctantly dropped out as he made the Ontario Provincial Track and Field Team. He has cerebral palsy. We are disappointed but being on the team is another opportunity for him. So, we would like to find a replacement.
If you, or someone you know, is a paddler with a disability please contact is via our website at paddlesandboots.net.
The planned date of the crossing is August 1, 2009.
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Industry Stuff
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Wednesday, 10 June 2009 |
 I just found out that Ian Merringer, current editor of Canoeroots Magazine is leaving the editorial desk which leaves a mighty big chair to fill and it not because he is fat, believe me.
So, if you have the ability to spell and paddle at the same time, send a note to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
. They are looking to have somebody going by early September.
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Video
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Wednesday, 10 June 2009 |
William Castleman created this fantastic time-lapse video of the night sky during a recent Star Party in Texas. Keep an eye out for the absolutely vivid colours of the Milky Way as the earth spins around about 1/2 way through.
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Industry Stuff
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Friday, 05 June 2009 |
As mentioned earlier, Wave Sport has been running a graphic design contest for their new boat, the Fuse 56.
As described on the contest website, they teamed up with Core77 to create a new generation of boat graphics for their Fuse 56 river running / freestyle kayak, featuring their new full-color high-resolution graphics capability.
Well, they just released the top 5 and boy are they spectacular. You can help determine the winner by going to the website and casting your vote for the best looking one. Go now since voting ends on June 14th when the contest closes.
I said it before and I will say it again. This type of thing has been done for canoes and now white water kayaks. It’s time to see a sea kayak manufacture so something like this. For that contest, I’m envisioning the winner paddling away in a sea kayak with giant torpedo graphics all over it. Get on that somebody! Also, I want to be on the judging committee when you get that going...
More info: core77.com
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Events
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Friday, 05 June 2009 |
It’s super late notice as I just found out just now. If you are living near Galilee, Rhode Island, tomorrow morning (June 5) at 10:00am, the US Coast Guard is putting on a search and rescue demonstration as well as putting on a canoe and kayak safety overview.
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General News
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Friday, 05 June 2009 |
It has been a super busy week for me and I apologize for the lack of new information for most of the week.
Things started off crazy last Saturday. My wife was helping to run a fun fair fundraiser for the local public school which was highly successful. No tears from our kids all day as they bounced on the inflatable castles and played the fun fair games. There was a haunted house set up by one of the parents who works with props in the movie industry. It is always super cool. My oldest was too scared to go in so I convinced the youngest that she needed to go as parents were not allowed in on their own. Highlights included the mad scientist room filled with the expected glass jars of weird goo and small animals floating around inside. Later I proved how good of a father I was of reminding the oldest that the youngest was braver then her…
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