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My hometown shop. Despite the small size of Marquette, there are three locally owned and very responsible shops owned and operated by paddlers. Down Wind is the largest and most diverse - you can buy anything to feed your outdoor addiction there. The Down Wind folks are always very supportive of local paddling and the trips I have done. A quality shop where they work hard to earn your business before and after the sale.

I am a boat bigot. I have paddled the Explorer since they first came out in ‘95, the Explorer is what works for me and my style of paddling. I now own three of them: one in good shape & used the most, a 3-piece boat for travel by airline and an old one for rock gardens. It handles an expedition very well. Its nimble enough to surf in, tracks well enough not to need a skeg, is fast, packs gear for up to three weeks and has all the features one expects nowadays (day hatch, deck lines, one piece hatches, etc). This is a boat designed by a paddler with lots of expedition experience.

Ok, I am a paddle bigot as well. I have been using Lendal paddles since 1996. They don’t move through the water, they flow - very predictable with any stroke and in any direction. The Nordkapp blade grabs and moves a lot of water, just what I need when in high winds, rough water or need speed. I abuse my paddles by playing in rock gardens, pushing off rocks, launching and landing on/around rocks and the carbon nylon blades takes it without a problem, ever. I love getting new paddles because of their always evolving and improving features. At first I was leery of the pad lock system, now I swear by it - it works. These are paddles designed by paddlers.

Two critical pieces of equipment are a tent and sleeping bag. I’ve spent many a night in a tent getting rocked around in sites I thought were protected. In Ireland, many of the sites will be exposed which makes a sturdy tent important. Last summer I went through several and never found one I liked until I came across the Spire 2 from Mountain Hardware. With internal and external guying, this tent is built to withstand rough weather. It also packs small and has great head room inside. Regarding a sleeping bag, ever slept cold on a trip? I have and it wasn’t fun. Mountain Hardware’s Lamina 20 bag will keep me warm. Synthetic so it dries fast and packs up small.

I love IR paddling jackets. The Zephyr jacket is coming along with me to Ireland. With the conditions and rain I’ll encounter, it is the jacket to have and an important piece of equipment. Before going, I have the X dry top to train in the icy waters of Lake Superior in the spring. Both jackets represent the IR’s philosophy towards their products: quality and innovation.

One of the recently added sponsors for the trip is North Water. One of the products I noticed from them is their tow belts, in particular their Sea Tec tow belt. These belts are well designed and can also be used as a deck tow. Thanks to their sponsorship, Jukka, Nancy, Stew and I will have Sea Tec towbelts and stirrups when we paddle together. Designed by BCU 5 Star paddlers, this safety equipment is the best around and will help us significantly if needed. In addition, North Water is also providing gear including net bags and duffel bags. The bags are incredibly useful for keeping together all the gear and food while traveling and are as well built as their tow belts.

I don’t know why, but making a quality sprayskirt that doesn’t leak seems to be difficult to do. For me, most skirts leak either at the tube or at the coaming - some even leak in both places. Having to pump every hour in rough conditions is bad, finishing the day sopping wet from the waist down is worse. Two neoprene skirts (out of six) have not leaked in the last 10 years for me. I was sorry to sell one of them but I am happy to have discovered Seals sprayskirts (click here). Their Pro Shocker neoprene sprayskirt has yet to leak in 2+ seasons of use. Seals recently became a sponsor for the trip and has supplied their quality products.

Gaia is providing their Tortuga line of dry bags for the trip. These are heavy duty nylon bags that will handle the wear and tear that 1200 miles and 3 months of use will throw their way. I’ve had a nylon dry bag leak on me and ruined a 1st aid kit because the seams failed. Gaia knows how to design long lasting bag, these are doubly reinforced at the seam. With different sizes, there is a bag for every need.

Paddlers care about the environment. Here is a business, run by a paddler, that helps companies run their business in an environmentally friendly way. Environmental Compliance Systems, Inc. is a consultancy specializing in the following: Helping organizations improve environmental and health and safety performance; ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 systems implementation, auditing and training; Product Life Cycle Assessments under the ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 protocol; Green House Gas emission inventories and reduction/removal programs meeting the requirements of ISO 14064. Click on the logo to read more about their services and software solutions. There are even photos from the Apostles Islands there, cool!

I’ve read a bit about nutrition and have heard the cries throughout the years about salt, fat, saturated fats, etc. Generic advice most likely from a non-athlete. Donna is different. She is an endurance athlete who x-c skied her way through college and is often found biking, running as well as competing in regional endurance races. A writer, her column appears in Silent Sports magazine and other publications. A Registered Dietitian and a Nurse, she has the educational background to take theory and research and transform it into effective & cutting edge advice for an athlete.

Native Eyewear is providing a pair of sunglasses. All their sunglasses are polarized providing great performance on the water. Their frames are comfortable and lightweight. The ability to change out lenses offers the ability to adjust the lens to the light conditions.

Seal Line is providing several of their Baja line of vinyl dry bags. This is a tough and durable dry bag that I have used for 10+ years. Their quality of design and manufacture is such that I have never had to consider using a different vinyl dry bag.

I never understood why people spent so much money on sandals until mine fell apart when I needed them the most - someone was hurt and they needed help but they were a mile away. Running there my sandals fell apart on the rough ground. After that I walked into Down Wind and asked for their best sandal, they brought out the Chaco ZX2. That was close to eight years ago and I haven’t needed to look at another pair of sandals. Incredibly comfortable, a secure fit that lets you climb around on rocks and high quality are what describes these sandals.

Teko Socks is providing several of their ecomerino pair of wool socks. The wool in these socks are ‘beyond organic’ and comes from a 5th generation that has been practicing sustainable farming techniques for 150+ years. Not only are these socks good for the planet, they are also good for keeping my feet warm.

The sea kayak instruction business I co-own with Nancy Uschold. Thanks to her efforts and sacrifices, the instruction will keep happening around Marquette even with me gone all summer. Of course, this is payback for when she paddled around Lake Superior in 2002. Interestingly enough that was a 1200 mile long trip as well. I am afraid to ask her how long her trip in 2008 is going to be...

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