So long and no update. The paddling season was a great success! I paddled from October 11th to November 20th, nearly a month till solstice. My last paddle was on a Friday and when I went back to Cootes Paradise on a Sunday, it was frozen to about a half inch at the shore and about 80% covered. I could have continued to paddle but my lack of recent challenging experience as well as my lack of paddling partners has stopped me from venturing out into the lake... so far. I've seen some nice calm days that are just begging for a qajaq on the lake.
 |
| www.wolfgangbrinck.com |
In the meantime, the insatiable bug that comes with creating such beautiful crafts has bitten me once more and I seem to be devoting more and more of my thoughts to the construction of the Aleutian kayak, also known as a baidarka as the Russian's called them or an iqyax to the Aleutian or Unangan people. There are a wholly different animal from the West Greenland qajaq. The West Greenland is a hunting vehicle for the relatively calm waters of the fjords of Greenland. Its lines are in my opinion, the most beautiful a kayak or any vessel can have. There symmetry and simplicity are awe-inspiring. The baidarka has been seen as an uglier vessel, at least at first glance. It's a bit bigger, rounder in hull and the ends are most peculiar. The stern is quite square, as it enters the water and the end of the deck. The bow is the most striking feature though. It is traditionally bifurcated, or two pronged, stacked vertically. No one is quite sure why. Some are not and have a 'normal' bow. There is little difference in performance but I think I'll go the extra step because it will look awesome. The picture here is Wolfgang Brinck in his baidarka. I will be using his book, "The Aleutian Kayak" as my main resource for this next project.
Since it is snowing now and I have no large indoor space, I will probably be focusing on the much more complex bow and stern pieces and collecting winter willow for the ribs. On my West Greenland kayak, affectionately know as Gemini, the gunnels met at the bow and stern making it very easy to line them up perfectly for symmetry. The gunnels on a baidarka never touch but meet at the flat piece of the bow or stern. I will try to find some good willow shoots, about 1/2 inch wide and 30 inches long. I'll need forty of them and winter is apparently the best time to collect them for optimum bending capabilities. I'm quite excited about this aspect because this should noticeably be able to absorb shock more readily than my oak ribs on Gemini.
And now here's a picture of Gemini without her clothes on! Happy New Year!
