Open Canoeing - I Believe...

“Everyone must believe in something. I believe I'll go canoeing.”

Henry David Thoreau

Photo credit to Jack Kukowski, canoeist on the Montreal River, on the Wisconsin - U.P. boarder.

Photo credit to Jack Kukowski, canoeist on the Montresa

Wasted Soul

“If you don't take risks, you'll have a wasted soul.” 

Drew Barrymore

The Northern Open Canoe Access Project can provide you with the training, the inspiration, and the equipment, to get you running whitewater rivers in an open canoe .  

 Get the Right Equipment. 

• Helmet, 
• Lifejacket, 
• Cold Weather Clothing

Learn the Fundamentals of the Sport

• Stokes, 
• Eddy-outs, 
• River Ferrying, 

and you will greatly reduce the risk in the sport.

whitewater paddling gear

Are you wasting your soul? or are you ready for some adventure?

Open Canoe Pin on Duncan Creek, WI

Canoe Pin and Rescue

Mankato Dave's footage from a spring run on Duncan Creek.
Nice ending of a canoe pin and rescue.

You will notice that Dave is equipped with a helmet and a lifejacket.  His canoe has float bags in it, this prevents the boat from filling completely with water.  Dressed in a dry suit, Dave came away from the swim and boat pin just fine.

Also note that Dave is boating with a group of experienced paddlers.

Have the right gear, get trained, go have an adventure.

Rolling an Open Canoe Video

Here' a video I put together to show how to roll an open canoe.  Below I break the roll down to 3 steps.

Step 1

The set-up, head and body flat against float bags.

Step 2 

Canoeist rotates to have body and paddle perpendicular to canoe.

Step 3

Finish with a low brace, sweep your paddle forward, keep your head down, kiss the gunwale.

The Northern Open Canoe Access Project, helping to get paddlers onto moving water.

What are you waiting for?

Whitewater Canoeing - How to get Started

The Northern Open Canoe Access Project hopes to connect canoeist with ...
the Training,
the Inspiration,
and the Equipment to get you on whitewater.

The project is designed for people that have paddling skills, for people that are comfortable in a canoe, and for paddlers that have the desire to get on moving water.

So...
if you are skilled in flat water canoe paddling
and
if you can comfortably paddle a canoe
and
if you have the desire to start paddling an open canoe on whitewater rivers,

then contact me, Tony Vavricka, at hardwatersports@gmail.com  

The Goal of the Northern Open Canoe Access Project is simple; 
By providing the training, the inspiration, and equipment...
Convert 100 or more Northern, flat water canoeist into whitewater river paddlers by the end of the 2013 paddling season.

Get started now - be a part of the project

Contact hardwatersports@gmail.com 

Whitewater Canoeist 

Table Rock Falls on the Vermillion River, Northern Minnesota, 675 cfs

Open Canoe descent of a Northern Minnesota classic waterfall on a beautiful and wonderfully clean, North flowing river.

      Inspiration

            This could be you…

All you need are; the skills, the equipment, and the desire.  The Northern Open Canoe Access Project is here to connect you to the training and the gear.

                       Do you have the desire???