This Months Books and Videos
April-May 2005
This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: > DOWNLOAD
Sea Kayaking: The Ultimate Guide by Ken Whiting and Alex Matthews The Heliconia Press, 2005, DVD, 120 min. $39.95 Cdn, $29.95 US World Champion paddler Ken Whiting and WaveLength columnist Alex Matthews combined their knowledge and experience to write and star in this great, new, instructional DVD which just received top honors at the WaterwalkerFilm Festival as the Best Safety Video. The video is divided into four parts: One is for novices who need the basics regarding equipment and how to get started as a sea kayaker; Two demonstrates essential strokes and paddling techniques; Three is about safety and rescue; and Four goes on to more advanced skills such as preparation for multi-day touring, and how to handle surf, current and weather. The production team (including award-winner, Chris Emerick behind the camera), has developed a high quality DVD that is full of valuable information and is a joy to watch, with action from destination hotspots around Vancouver Island, the Olympic Peninsula, and Canada’s renowned Algonquin Park.Beginners will return to this DVD again and again as their skills improve, and there is much for paddlers who want to extend themselves to the next level of sea kayaking experience, inspired by the sheer beauty of the settings in this fine production. |
by Colin Jarman Thomas Allen 2005 ISBN 0-919028-45-4 128 pp, color photos, index $21.95 Cdn Top Knots: Over 70 Dependable Knots, How To Tie and How To Use Them is the complete title of this handy reference book. Hardcover, spiral bound and complete with a short length of rope to practice on, this volume would be a fun addition to your gear on a touring trip. How better to while away the evening hours, as you sit quietly observing the natural world, than to practice a new and useful skill that will surely erase any vestiges of your work world. The series of photographed illustrations for how to tie each knot are so clear that you hardly need to read the explanatory text. The book is nicely laid out, beginning with some useful information about different fibers and constructions of ropes, appropriate uses of each type, and suggestions for care and maintenance. The knots are then grouped according to their purpose (e.g. hold-fast knots, easy-release knots, shortening knots, lashings, etc.) and coded with icons to suggest whether they would be useful for climbing, camping, sailing, fishing or general use. This is a great activity book for families—kids seem to love knots and it will give you something to learn together. |
Top Knots
By Paula Wild Harbour Publishing, 2004 ISBN 1-55017-354-5 288 pp, b/w photos, index, $24.95 Cdn/US Remote and wild, refusing to be tamed, the Bella Coola Valley has long been home to First Nations and more recently, immigrants to this land. In One River, Two Cultures, the author answers her own question: ”Who would choose to live here, so far removed and isolated from the rest of the world?” Through archival research and interviews with residents, Paula Wild learned many stories of endurance and personal tragedy, but also, how the towering mountains and the magnificent river drew people to the valley. She begins with the Nuxalkmc Nation, and then documents the arrival of fur traders, explorers, gold seekers and Norwegian settlers. |
One River, Two Cultures: A History of the Bella Coola Valley
