Turner

Mark, You are not alone! I purchased a custom suit from Kokatat, through NESC, before going to Greenland last year. I used it 4 times before the neck gasket blew. There was quite a run of gasket failures last summer and last fall, from other sources... I have nonetheless found their customer service consistently excellent and they replaced ALL gaskets free of charge. Alex at NESC was instrumental in this, but I suspect they would have stepped up and replaced the neck gasket for free after they examined it. I suspect that they've been wrestling with third party quality control. They've been a good company over the long haul. I would be quite surprised if they don't make good on your purchase. The time it takes to get this done IS frustrating. I recommend that anyone in the biz have two suits, or be prepared to soldier on without on occasion. Did you trim or stretch these before they failed? I've always stretched mine, but I think they fail somewhat faster if you do. My sources at a few dive shops recommend trimming to fit and talcum powder, not 303, to keep them happy. And dive shops tend to carry a higher grade of these things. It is relatively easy to replace them yourself. A couple of ring forms, some aquaseal and a few clamps...10 minutes later, you are done. ymmv, Turner

A day has somehow turned into more than a week! Re-entering America is not without its perils ;-) The morning of departure for Paamiut was a very busy one, attending to what was to be our last communications with friends and family for two weeks, as well as getting in goodbyes to those in Sisimiut that were not making the trip. Many, as it turns out, including Maligiaq, had decided not to compete this year. In this final decision, he was not alone. Paamiut, a town rumored to be not among the most desirable locations to visit in Greenland, is a long ferry ride from Sisimiut. Most clubs were not at full compliment. Qajaq Sisimiut, next year's host, seemed especially under-represented, especially in categories above the age of 14, keeping their powder dry for 2006. On-water support for their youngsters was short indeed. Last year, Maligiaq had been particularly active in this regard, mentoring all day prior to his own performances.As we came to this leg of the trip, we said our good-byes, Per askedif we could assist these youngsters, once there. The Ferry ride from Sismiut to Paamiut was quite an experience. Without roads linking towns, the Ferry is the lifeblood of transportation, apart from the more expensive helicopter and airplane options, both only available also to the larger communities (all the communities are small.) Nuuk has the distinction of being the smallest capital city on the planet, at some 14,000 people. The ferry population was a mix of Inuits, many traveling this particular week to Paamiut, Danes who live and work in Greenland, and several northern european tourists, many of whom had purchased the more luxurious accommodations, and kept sequestered for the most part. We traveled with Qajaq Sisimiut, and slept in bunks, in compartments of four. More opportunity to meet and share. Qajaq Illulisat is already on board, and many competitors are picked up on the way, especially in Nuuk, where boisterous and very confident Qajaq Nuuk comes on board. Among them, Jakob Peter Enoksen, just last year a Qajaq Sisimiut teammate of Maligiaq, now a competitor, from Nuuk. Asked by Per Hulsen, whether he had been training, he said, every day! He actually took a month off from workto train.Many are anticipating that in Maligiaqs absence, that Jakob Peter will carry home "Qajaq man of the year " honors. Pavia Lyberth, a gregarious young man, with good english skills, became an instant friend, inquisitive about us, and telling us many things about his clubs preparations and techniques. This club had all the appearance of a really well-oiled sports club, similar to a good soocer club team in the states. Active and enthusiastic parents, able to tap the resources of one of the few pools in Greenland, this had the effect of making their preparations quite good. They had good and deep leadership, from Jenseraq on down through a very talented group of young men competing in the 20-34s, down to the youngest age groups. So it went... lots of sight-seeing on the outside decks, looking at land go by, and watching out for seals and whales. Lots of smokey discussion and partying, in the cafeteria, the commons, from early until very late. Card-playing was also a popular activity, as was an occasional live guitar. The Nuuk boys and others in their turn, would try their hand at gymnastics on the upper deck, impressively exploiting any ferry apparatus that would lend itself to the cause. It was on a short layover in Nuuk at the Seamans home that I first met Kampe, who had been in Nuuk to attend the final meeting of Qannaat Kattufiat prior to the Competition. With a twinkle in his eyes, he asked Cheri why she was traveling with a 150 year old man. This put the exclamation point on my reputation as the "yule' man" also known as Santa Claus. All the time in Sisimiut, my white beard had kindled quite a bit of curiosity among the youngsters, and some adults as well, and in the close environs of the ferry this became an easy icebreaker that helped take the edge off trying to communicate across two or three languages. Greenland is so close to the North Pole that the Greenlandic childrenthink "the Christmas Man" lives there, so "you have come home" was a familiar whispering. Honestly, I think Kampe is the real yule man! In many ways, he is the glue that holds this whole event together! On the last leg of the trip we were offered accommodations in Paamiut apart from the school, where most of the clubs were staying. While some had relatives in Paamiut, there was no hotel or Seamans home here, and the school had previously seemed the only alternative to camping. This offer came from Jakob Thorensen, a long time resident of Paamiut, an active, and, I think, a pivotal member of Qajaq Paamiut. As it turned out we took him up on staying in a dorm-like apartment, with shared kitchen and bath and three keyed bedrooms. About a 10 minute walk from the school and the harbor, and compared to the open classrooms at the school, this was quite luxurious, and I might add free, an unbeatable combination! Arriving in Paamiut, greeted by our first taste of nightfall in two weeks, as it is just far enough south of the Arctic Circle to offer an hour or so of near darkness. Wearrived after midnight the night before competition began. And no rest for the weary! In the days that followed, the competition careened from event to event, always adjusting and changing to the weather and the conditions, as well as to the level of contentment in the camp. Short race, team rolling, harpoon-throw, ropes, long race, individual rolling, portage race, team relay. For those of you who have heard the expression Greenland time, this event brought home this concept. A schedule started this competition and something resembling it flowed out around the corners and edges of each day, with communication of changes spotty at best. This was especially difficult if you couldnt speak Greenlandic or Danish! Going with the flow was essential, the only option. To complain was pointless. Fortunately, Cheri and I were, for all extents and purposes now representing two clubs, qajaqUSA and Qajaq Sisimiut, as well as ourselves, so we had some inkling of what was transpiring as the youngest were called to action each day. Despite the language barrier, we were the on the water support for theyoung participants of Sisimiut(who had only one otheradult capable of on the water support, and she devoted most of her time to her two talented youngsters.) To further complicate matters, the idea of which class one was in was completely chaotic, brought into sharp relief by the sparse number of participants. And in a way, it helped me to concentrate on participating, not winning. On the first day, I learned that Per had signed me up for 20-34. I am 55! I appealed to Kampe and Jenseraq, perhaps two classes down was a bit much, and that I would be more comfortable in 35-50. As it turned out, this was more than enough confusion for everyone, and as competition went on, I discovered that they considered me in the 50 and over. No matter much, as I tried to focus on being there, mentoring and participating, despite very limited training up to my departure. Cheri was correctly placed in the 20-34s, waiving her age group one level. As internationals, it didnt matter much, and in fact, there was more competition in the 50 and over bracket on the mens side than there was in the 34-50. Participating, and keeping one eye on overall results, we both ended up doing well in some events and ok in others. I expected to do well in rolling, and had no expectations for the races. Cheri and I both had Greenlanders from two different towns in our team rolling event and this produced very uneven results as there was no time to practice together, as ourteams came together last minute. Karl Larsen from Qorqatoq, the legendary upside down paddler!, and Emmanuaq, a wonderful 18 year old from Sismiut were my teammates, but language, my maiden rolling voyage in the qajaq we had reconstituted, and Karls qajaq flooding out brought us full stop half way through the list. I was very frustrated with my efforts, and fought with myself to keep things in perspective, finally wrestling the inner beast to a draw that evening. Ugly american? Cheri had Marie from Paamiut who had made enormous strides in rolling since last year, and a woman from Nuuk on her team, who was not very good, and had to be convinced to participate in this event. She finally agreed, in doing so forming the only female team. Not many rolls were performed but she enjoyed the experience nonetheless, and was particularly happy to see Marie leaping forward in the event, as women rollers are few and far between among Greenlanders. Cheri rolled very well and placed either first or second,of all competitors, in this event. We still dont know our actual scores ;-). I love to roll, but in the extremely cold water, without gloves, I lost track of time and was closed out (30 min. time limit) half way through hand-rolling, on my way to a score in the low 200s, I hit about 140 points, good enough for 5th or 6th, all competitors. Next time, next time?, I'll do what Dubside did last year. Memorize the order or carry a sheet, and just bang 'em out early, not waiting for each to be called out through two languages.I think Cheri had 250 or so points. She had the most impressive Walrus Pull of the competition, and I was quite disappointed that I couldnt answer hers with better! ;-) We both did well in short race, and neither of us participated in ropes. I did well enough in harpoon throw, despite one sheared pin on the harpoon that made things quite difficult, and placed very well in both races, especially happy with my effort in the long race, where tactics and paddling experience were essential to a good result. I was able to get into the top third early and work through being tag- teamed drafted by two Nuuk boys less than half my age, for miles, before busting out and eventually finishing in the top ten, all competitors. Cheri, class act, helped afrightened hypothermic Qajaq Sisimiut woman [dressed in cotton], with a fully flooded qajaq, to safety at the end of the first lap of this event and finished lower than she could have expected as a result. Cheri finished well in the extremely difficult womens portage race, with an unbelievable gradient and very slick exit and entry at the first portage. We think the organizers had a mind to kill the women and children first ;-). I passed on the portage, as by this time in the week, I had become quite sick, and was not up to portaging a 40 lb qajaq hat for 3/4 of a mile. I did not regret this decision ;-). Cheri ended up unable to form a team for the relay race on the last day. I had a gas, despite still feeling lousy, holding down the weak link, middle leg of the Qajaq Sisimiut team, on our way to second overall. Per and Emmanuaq were the strong bookends that held this three-generation team together. The bemused judges saw fit to award us with half a dozen gold medals each. I will always look at them as tokens of appreciation for coming, being there, and taking part. And through all of these days, and beyond, what I will remember most are the trials and tribulations of all the participants, but mostly the youngest of the young. To experience the courage and tenacity and excitement of these youngsters [of all ages] was a just reward for going and being there, and gives me a very strong sense of the quiet strength and joy of these people. As the days go by, since we have returned, there is much that we'll have to leave unspoken. The world here keeps getting in the way of telling much more, for now. But soon, not tomorrow ;-), we'll have some pictures to share on the QajaqUSA website at www,qajaqusa.org

Friends: Sorry this has taken so long... In the short time that we have been back, as folks have asked about our trip, it has been amusing trying to form ANY short answers, and we are both running, catching up to our lives in America... But the short answer is that we have had an incredible and rewarding experience, and we are both quite grateful for all of the open hearts we have met along the way. What follows is a short first offering. Others will follow as time permits. I've got a bit more flexibility in my schedule, so I am writing on Cheri's behalf as well. She is nose to the work grindstone, only coming up occasionally for air [and a workout ;-)]... After four flights spanning 36 hours, via Boston, Kevlavik, Reykyavik, Kulusuk, Kangerlussuaq, and finally Sisimiut, hauling gear and a 7' bag filled with four paddles and a scarfed qajaq... we were met at the Sisimiut airport on a foggy, and spitting morning, by Maligiaq Padilla and Per Hulsen. We hung out for approximately one week in Sisimiut, all the while rebuilding the rolling qajaq that Pete Strand worked up for us. Sisimiut is a modern day 21st century boom town [for Greenland], of some 8500 people, bursting at its edges, it has a deep and island protected harbor and steep peaks surround it. Apartment and retail construction is everywhere. Nonetheless the scale is small enough to suiting walking everywhere, and we did, constantly declining offers for lifts. The kids in town are lively and the streets bristle with folks walking, taxis, buzzing back and forth, bus service and cars. Common employment options are fishing either on shrimp or crabbing trawlers, or as independent contractors hunting seal, catching fish. The powerboat has totally replaced the kayak for these purposes. In the winter many hunt with dogsleds, Sisimiut being the southernmost town on the west coast where sled dogs reside in the city limits. Per owns several sled dogs, and on our second day in town, we spent a couple of hours observing them at feeding time in their summer haunt on the on edge of town. Maliqiag's mother had just moved to a new apartment and we were graciously offered her old apartment to stay in for the time we were in Sisimiut. Our base of construction operations was the Qajaq Sismiut clubhouse. This was also our social base. In the process we worked side by side with Maligiaq and many others that were preparing their own qajaqs for the competition in Paamiut. What developed were some wonderful human relationships that came out of the language of qajaq construction, not English or Greenlandic or Danish. The club house environment was multi-generational, with teenagers and adults working and kids scrambling around and through the edges. Very cool. Maligaiq was quite a whirlwind in this environment, blowing in on his lunch break and moving from project to project offering help We went on two paddles with Maligiaq in club SOF. One was a first day tour of Sisimiut harbor. The qajaqs used were of the deep-v variety, racing qajaqs and they were a bit skittish, in some conditions, especially beam seas. The second paddle was a long day tour to an abandoned village south east of Sisimiut. Great fun, beautiful day. Lots of qajaq talk! We also briefly encountered an old sealhunter who, tired of modern life in Sisimiut, had returned to his home village, where he is now the only resident. After getting the skinning on the qajaq, Cheri and I took off on an unguided kayak camping trip, in two European rotomolded kayaks, a bit slow loaded, but very predictable capable performers in waves and swell, and had encounters with seal schools, summering sled dogs and pups, and not least of all, humpback whales! At one point a humpback breached right in front of my bow, cutting across my path, 15 feet between us. One big eye, about 7 feet to the top of the dorsal fin, and plenty of wet spray from his blow... we spent a lot of time trying to get close before this. 'Maybe that's close enough?' crossed my mind at this point ;-)... We also got in some significant hikes to the top of each island and their respective cairns. After we returned to Sisimiut, time was short, just enough left to paint the qajaq and prepare and run sealskin decklines, before the ferry ride several hundred kilometers down the coast to Paamiut, a town of a different sort. In the process we interacted with Allricht Augustessen, and older gent, in his mid sixties, that had built many qajaq over the years, before the economy radically changed in the 60's and 70's. He had many stories, was extremely interested in sharing, and taught me many things... And that's where I'll stop the recounting, for a bit of 'artificial world' work. I hope to be back this evening for another turn, but hold not your breath, unless you be practicing paddling upside down! Best, Cheri and Turner

I agree with all of Brian and Jed's comments here. No kayak does everything well. Know what you want it for. Let me add a commercial offering to the still extremely limited list of day kayak that are appropriate to the scale of small folks... The BBK Idun is 16', 20 inch beam, new last year. Under 25 lbs, a dream to portage or car top, expensive, yes, but check it out. These kayaks are generally very condition neutral, without skeg. Turner

Bob: Dan Segal and I went last year and loved it... I had firm plans to go again this year, but at the last minute had to take a rain check. Moving has worn me down to the point that if I turn sideways, I am invisible! Besides, I am going to Greenland for a month at the end of June. Gotta work sometime! The people are great at this event. Harvey Golden, Marcel Rodriquez, Shawn Baker, not to mention the Doornink family, who are going to be famous for Greenlandic rope gymnastics before you know it. And the food? Fresh oysters and smoked salmon, compliments of Bob Kelim. For a sampling of last year: http://homepage.mac.com/wilsturn/PhotoAlbum1.html Turner

I concur. BUY THIS BOOK! This postumous volume is a thorough collection on several topics of interest for folks trying to sort out the traditional techniques, and rationales behind them. Local chap Vernon Doucette has contributed most of the superb sequential shots, and for those of you searching for the the out of print 'Little Kayak Book' series, John Brand's partial offering is tasty inclusion. >Postman brought my copy of Eastern Arctic Kayaks, by John >Heath and others. Just out from the University of Alaska >press. For those that need some how to's Greg Stammers piece >on GP use is worth the price of admission alone. Lots of >drawings of boats, sequential shots of rolls, history of >boats. Heath, Arima, Golden are some of the other authors. > >Its not a fancy this is how you do x book in glossy color >that is dated in a year or two. This is one that you'll keep >and look at long in future.