[Rhodes22-list] Shameless Self Promotion

[ROGER PIHLAJA]

Hi All,

Those of you that are involved in paddle sports are probably familiar with Canoecopia, the largest paddle sports show in the world.  It is normally held at the Alliant Energy Center coliseum complex (A Huge Covered Sports Stadium & Conference Center) in Madison, WI in March every year.   This year, because of COVID-19, the show is being held virtually the weekend of March 12-14, 2021.  A 3-day ticket for the exhibition and presentations costs $15.00.  Although the list of venders and tour companies is down this year, there are still > 70 exhibitors (Normally > 150) and 80 presentations.   The presentations typically run ~30 minutes and cover everything from first aid to paddling techniques to travelogues on various destinations.  I am giving 3 presentations this year:

Circumnavigating Ontario’s Philip Edward Island
Sea Kayaking Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Paddling The Green River In Mammoth Cave National Park

All three of these voyages were High Adventure Trips with my family.  In July, 2021, our High Adventure Trip will be a grand circle tour of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in western Lake Superior.  We will use S/V Dynamic Equilibrium to cover the miles between islands and tow our sea kayaks while underway.  Then, we will use the sea kayaks to explore the sea caves, sea stacks, sea arches, and other sights on the various islands in the archipelago.  We will wilderness beach camp on 3 different uninhabited islands along the way.  If I don’t die, this trip might be the topic of a presentation at Canoecopia, 2022!

Philip Edward Island is in northern Georgian Bay near Killarney Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada.  It would fit nicely into a North Channel cruise if you are prepared to be off the beaten path and self sufficient for a few days.  Philip Edward Island has changed little since the days of the Voyageurs.  The Voyageurs used to duck behind Philip Edward Island to spare themselves from the rough conditions on Georgian Bay for a few days.  Because of the large number of small, unmarked, rocky islands and shoals and the scarcity of navigational aids, it is a very challenging place to navigate.  But, the beauty of the barren red granite and white quartzite islands along with the pristine blue waters of Georgian Bay will take your breath away!  It is a stunningly beautiful and wild place that’s not that far away.

Anyway, if you are interested, here’s the link to the Canoecopia web site:  https://www.rutabaga.com/canoecopia/page.asp?pgid=1001
Canoecopia is a pretty good way to spend an interesting weekend in March when there’s not usually too much else going on.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium





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