All posts tagged: Canoe

Paddle under the Pennines: longest and deepest UK canal tunnel opens for canoe trips | North of England

Paddle under the Pennines: longest and deepest UK canal tunnel opens for canoe trips | North of England

Published by skeptic

“You’re in a canoe, not a boat, so you are very exposed,” said Gordon McMinn as he prepared to paddle into the UK’s longest, highest and deepest canal tunnel. “You’re vulnerable, you’re under your own steam, you are up and close to history … it is quite an experience.” McMinn, a volunteer team leader at the Canal & River Trust, has coordinated what it is hoped will become a bucket-list experience – the opportunity to paddle under the Pennines. The guided 3.5-mile canoe trips are through Standedge Tunnel, a jaw dropping feat of engineering which is 194 metres underground and 196 metres above sea level. The narrow canal tunnel from Marsden in West Yorkshire to Diggle in Greater Manchester opened in 1811 after 17 years of construction. The Guardian was invited for a preview before the trips are launched in a fortnight’s time. Emergency contact details were provided – “just in case” – and McMinn sought to reassure us that the risk of the disease leptospirosis was tiny. “It’s only really if you get wet …

Montgomery Whitewater hosts canoe and kayak Olympic trials, a first for Alabama

Montgomery Whitewater hosts canoe and kayak Olympic trials, a first for Alabama

Published by skeptic

At the U.S. Olympic trials in Montgomery, Evy Leibfarth wins a spot to represent USA in women’s canoe slalom for the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer. Rolando Arrieta/NPR hide caption toggle caption Rolando Arrieta/NPR At the U.S. Olympic trials in Montgomery, Evy Leibfarth wins a spot to represent USA in women’s canoe slalom for the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer. Rolando Arrieta/NPR MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Tammy Sterling had plans to go out of town this past weekend. Instead, she stayed home to attend an athletic event she’d never seen before. “I am actually watching the Olympic trials, and I’m going to see somebody that I watched today at the Paris Olympics in 2024. It’s just amazing. I love it,” Sterling said. The U.S. Olympic Team trials for canoe and kayak slalom were held Saturday and Sunday at Montgomery Whitewater, a new artificial watersports complex near downtown Montgomery. Hundreds of curious Alabamians turned out for the event. Cindy Riggins was intrigued by the caliber of athletes who had traveled to her hometown for this competition. “It …

Off the charts: how a Polynesian canoe inspired a renaissance in traditional seafaring | Global development

Off the charts: how a Polynesian canoe inspired a renaissance in traditional seafaring | Global development

Published by skeptic

A double-hulled Polynesian sailing canoe glides up to a busy dock in San Diego, California. Hōkūleʻa’s two short wooden masts are dwarfed by the historic schooner that escorted the boat into the harbour. Dozens of small outrigger canoes trail in its wake, honouring the crew’s arrival. Once the docklines are secure, Hōkūleʻa’s 13 crew members put on ceremonial leis – floral garlands – and request permission from the local Indigenous tribe to come ashore. In response, 30 members of the Kumeyaay Nation sing and dance to welcome them to their native lands. Hundreds of onlookers snap photos before joining the festivities at a nearby park. The celebration in San Diego is partly to honour Hōkūleʻa’s 2,800-mile voyage down the west coast of North America with no compass, charts or GPS (not to mention no galley or toilet). That it’s possible to navigate across thousands of miles of open ocean without instruments is inspirational Ray Ashley, San Diego Maritime Museum It is also about honouring this small craft’s leading role in inspiring a cultural renaissance in …