Vendors & Information Booths (Get a booth at the event!)

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Friends Of The Apostle Islands will be providing information about Wavewatch and Access for All, as well as other Friends initiatives.

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Current Designs Kayaks (https://cdkayak.com) was founded in British Columbia in the late 1970s. Those earliest kayaks were made for experiencing the wonder and beauty of the big waters of the west coast, cruising for days and camping out on remote shorelines. Through its history, changes of location and ownership, finally sharing its current home with Sanborn and Merrimack in Winona, Minnesota, Current Designs has expanded its offerings to cover more ground in terms of play, touring, and recreational joy out on the water but the philosophy remains the same. They will have several boats to try out at our Demo Beach and will be there to answer all your questions! 

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North Coast Kayaks (http://www.nckayaks.com) was founded in 1999 by two friends who left Boeing with the goal to build an efficient, light, strong, and fast touring kayak. Using the knowledge gained from years working in the aeronautical industry they designed a touring kayak with a distinctive hull shape and innovative manufacturing process, NC Kayaks redefined what a touring kayak can be. Today the materials and processes have been improved, but we still build every fiberglass part of the kayak ourselves. We spray the gel coat, then we build the fiberglass laminate using brushes, rollers, and squeegees, as well as a few special tools we’ve developed and built ourselves. Over our decades of building kayaks, we’ve made some changes, but the shape of the hull hasn’t changed, paddle one and you’ll see why. NC kayaks will have several boats to try out at our demo beach and will be there to answer all your questions!

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The National Weather Service Meteorologist Ketzel Levens will have a booth on Friday, talking about products for marine users, best practices for interpreting our forecast (that what you're likely getting on a VHF radio), how you can help the NWS, and other Lake Superior weather info!

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Paddle to Long Island with Ali from Trek & Trail​

Off the beaten path, Long Island is one of the most undervalued places in the Apostle Islands. Long ago, the shallow water that now spans between the isthmus and Madeline Island was a sand bar that invited the Anishinaabe people to follow the guidance of the great creator and settle in now-called LaPointe. Zaagawaamikong-neyaashi (Long Island) boasts a wide grassy beach, home to nesting birds like piping plovers. Two lighthouses and a connecting boardwalk make it a great place to get out and stretch legs. Come join us for a social paddle, crossing 3 miles from Bayview Beach to the point of Long Island. (6 miles total) Click for launch location

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Youth Clinic with Doug Liphart & Beth Reed

Doug & Beth are long time educators with over 30 years experience paddling the Apostle Islands. Last year they met families at Siskiwit lake (5 miles from the event site) and introduced kayaking with kids games. Small kayaks available. More details will be forthcoming!

All ages welcome, but this one's for kids. (And families)

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Downwind Paddle with Greg from Lost Creek Adventures

The idea behind a downwind paddle is to paddle as little as possible, while surfing as much as possible. If we get wind and a good route, we'll drop off in one area, and get picked up in another. 5 to 10 mile paddle depending upon wind direction. If we don't have wind we'll just have to paddle harder!

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Adaptive Canoe Paddles – Universal Sizing Project and Paddle Demos
Drop by and learn about the One-Arm Freedom® canoe paddle- Enabling people with use of only one arm to paddle effectively in any flatwater discipline! Engage with the designers as we develop a new race-worthy interface to more effectively transfer energy from the user to the paddle. Get involved, by letting us take a mold of your shoulder for our universal sizing project—it only takes a few minutes!
 

Open to participation on a drop in/drop out anytime! Come meet Cindy Dillenschneider, designer of the One-Arm Freedom® canoe paddle, Kennan Archer Doctor of Physical Therapy and 3D modeler, and Nancy Uschold ACA Adaptive Paddling Instructor Trainer.

Weather conditions permitting, we will have opportunities to paddle with the One-Arm Freedom® canoe paddle and test a new dragon boating model of our paddle and shoulder saddle interface. Test paddle volunteers will be asked for permission for use of video and audio recording of their participation and feedback.
 

Open to participation on a drop in/drop out anytime!