Women, women, here is something for you, Go have a look at Adventure kayak Mag (article Women at Sea, page 32 to 48) and read about the Adventurous women from around the world that have become sea kayak legends!

Also in the same issue, there is some gear specially designed for you, just to prove that both genders are now equal (just in case there was some doubt left…).

Here is the intro from the article:

Men dominate sea kayaking,
right? Not for long. Female
participation in the sport
has doubled from 1998 to 2004. At
the same time the number of female
kayaking “enthusiasts” jumped 250
per cent. Enthusiasts? That’s an
understatement for the 11 wild women
profiled here. Between them they’ve
earned the highest certifications in sea
kayaking, paddled on every continent,
circumnavigated Iceland, Japan,
Newfoundland, South Georgia Island,
Great Britain and New Zealand’s South
Island, battled cancer and won, started
thriving businesses, run companies,
raised children, and ridden bareback on
a humpback whale. So, men dominate
sea kayaking, right? Not anymore.

Here is an article from Adventure kayak magazine, the writer is John Dowd and quite famous for his kayaking influence, books and trips. I’ll let you read the article and see for yourself.

Rolling is so 1960
I thought I’d offer you some of my insights
from the recent history of sea kayaking. This
is prompted by two items: the piece you did
on rolling as “the most valuable skill of sea
kayaking” (Early Summer 2007) and your
2007 Canadian Sea Kayak Instructor Conference—
apparently dealing with a concern
that a high percentage of those completing
sea kayaking courses do not continue paddling.
It could be that you’re becoming part
of the problem.
Sea kayaking in North America was planned
and developed by a very small group of enthusiasts
and businesspeople. We had the benefit
of seeing how a sport could go so wrong by
watching the British Savage their own sport
during the ’60s and ’70s.
To avoid the British mistakes, we promoted
a full range of kayaks with an emphasis on
large-cockpit, beamier boats (24 inches for the
average male, 22 inches for the average female)
and doubles, and we actively sought the participation
of women.
Contrary to the theme of your rolling issue,
the ability to roll a kayak is not an essential
skill. Furthermore, surveys showed that the
majority of sea kayakers were turned off by
the prospect of having to roll.
Kayakers mostly choose sea kayaking for
the freedom it offers. This led us to the realization
that it was critical to differentiate between
sea kayaking, whitewater kayaking and kayak
racing. Indeed we coined the name sea kayaking
in order to distance the activity (yes, we
even resisted calling it a sport) from its paddling
cousins.
More than ever, I am seeing whitewater
skills and attitudes in sea kayaking magazines
and courses, and flatwater paddling techniques
for sea kayakers who are encouraged
to paddle a heavily loaded kayak the way racers
paddle a 20-pound shell. For the majority
of potential sea kayakers, this is a turnoff.
John Dowd
Vargas Island, BC

I think there is a really interesting point of view expressed here. Even thought sea kayaking is a sport to some, it is still described by most as a recreational activity. A little bit of control over our toys always enhance our fun (and good rescues should be a must), but unless we get to a certain level of instruction, designed to unable the paddler to go face rougher water and longer trips in remote areas, how much techniques does one need?
Probably none, as anybody in a kayak will usually be able to go where they want in flatwater conditions. It is true that most movies, magazines and books coming out are focusing on performance paddling and great techniques, maybe turning off potential paddlers that just want to go out for a bit… that’s too bad.
I do enjoy the sport, but lots of time I go back to the basics, enjoying the change of environment from land to water. I am (well I think) a technical paddler, but bring no judgment to recreational sea kayaker, we enjoy the same boat in a different way, both as good as each other.
Happy paddling, and whatever make you boat float!

John Dowd is the author of several books, here are some of them:

Here are a few shots of last Sunday MEC Paddlefest. Luckily we were blessed with sunshine, lots of boats, manufacturers, retail shops, instructors and guides…
I’d like to say CONGRATULATIONS to MEC for organizing this event, free of charge for the participants. There was everything you could ever dream of (if you are a sea kayak freak at least!), and it was certainly a unique opportunity for people that had never been in a kayak to try it out.
All the clinics were full, the demo boats were all over the water, it looked awesome to see all those colored shiny crafts floating side by side and traveling in all directions.
After you got your paper work done (about 2 minutes) you could try any boats, take free clinics with instructors and guides, borrow a fancy paddle or two from the Werner booth and go give it a try…
The event was a success thanks to all participants, and a few people I won’t name because they are shy (well, there would be Andrew Woodford and Alex Matthews, they’re not too shy), and because MEC brought everybody there on that day, plus a lot of their staff to organize and help!
The sea kayak industry certainly benefits from some public exposure, with lots of choice and good location, so Thanks again.