West PA Solo Canoe Rendezvous 2011
 

Hi Folks - a sort of advance notice for y'all to put on your calendars, as follows:

The 4th Annual Western PA Solo Canoe Rendezvous will be held on the first weekend of June in 2011. This is Friday through Sunday June 3, 4, and 5. It will be held again at Cooper?s Lake Campground in Portersville PA. The Rendezvous is a gathering of solo canoe enthusiasts in particular (though tandems are by no means excluded). It features various manufacturers and designers of solo canoes with demo models of their boats available for test-paddling; demonstrations of, and informal instruction in, FreeStyle paddling; assorted programs on various aspects of canoe design, construction, and use in the real world; food; live entertainment on one or both evenings (Fri and Sat); Dead Fish Polo; a Candlelight Paddle on Saturday evening; pick-up paddling trips on local streams/rivers; informal gear/boat sales and swaps; a pot-luck Vegetarian dinner on the Friday night that can?t be beat: and Goodness Knows Whatall. It is an opportunity to immerse yourself in solo canoes for 60 some hours (or more) to the exclusion of all other reality.
Everyone is encouraged to bring their own solo craft, since at least part of the experience is being able to look over (and perhaps paddle) a large array of classic solo canoes that you just don?t see all that often.
In particular this year we are looking to assemble as many Curtis Dragonflies as possible for a ?Dragonfly Reunion? ? west PA was once a hot-bed for these boats, and there are a fair number still in the area. We encourage any and all Drangonfliers to come be with us and bring your boat for (at the very least) one highly unusual Group Picture. Colden Canoe will also be on hand with one of the first ?new? Dragonflies to be produced since the mid-nineties.
There is no charge for the Event per se, though the Campground does charge a modest fee for Day-Trippers, and of course assesses a fee for camping. This early in the game precise details as to scheduling, who will be attending, etc. have not been set in cement. We will provide such info as it becomes available here on the rendezvous website (wpascr.org), so check with us periodically.
Do come ? it?s a Very Nice Affair Indeed.

solo rendezvous a Go!
 

Just a reminder about the solo canoe rendezvous this coming weekend at Cooper's Lake Campground in Portersville PA. Saturday is the day to be there.
The website (wpascr.org) has details, or you can contact me directly bckjal@yahoo.com. 724-445-2742 Any single-blader will be in heaven, trust me. JP, Clipper, EAR, others - ya need to be there. Bruce K

TCT,

I took Bruce up on his urging to attend the Solo Canoe Rendezvous and was very glad that I did. Although I was only able to attend Saturday morning, it was immediately clear that freestyle paddling adds an entirely new dimension to canoeing. It's the difference between beer and fine wine, between bait fishing and dry flies. The folks who practice this style of paddling have such a refined sense of how canoes respond to the slightest change in weight shifts and paddle angles. It was also fun to paddle some really slick and sweet boats other than the Chrysler Newport. I'd encourage any t-gripper to give this style of paddling a try. It was very exciting to have the light bulb go on several times as I learned some new aspects of paddling. However, I think I only scratched the surface of this and look forward to learning more about freestyle canoeing.

JP

Sounds interesting JP, but I'm trying to get a mental image of this canoe freestyling, so I need you to help me out with this. Is it more like canoe ballet or canoe break dancing ..YO BABY YO BABY YO BABY YO. That being said I think your Chrysler Newport is built strickly for ROCK-N-ROLL. You know in your heart it is not right to paddle other canoes as long as the Newport is around. See you on the Shenengo trip. My regards to Mom Tolson.

As far as the boats were concerned, it was like showing up in jeans and t-shirt when everyone else was in black tie. So it was a little embarrassing hauling out the Newport with all the slick and lightweight canoes. But there wasn't another kayak in sight!