The Houston Canoe Club
is a Paddlesports Risk Management Club Sign the Waiver HCC
"5 Free Ways To Improve Your Kayak Skills" "Being a paddling addict can be a bit hard on the wallet—there’s always a tempting new piece of gear to acquire, another course to take, a new boat of your dreams (funny how that dream boat seems to change year to year) and of course those irresistible coastal destinations calling your name. Here’s the real scoop—you don’t have to throw money around to become a better paddler..." Complete story: Adventure Kayak "3 Whitewater Secrets From Chris Gragtmans" "So many aspects of whitewater kayaking are counter to our natural instincts. Bring your head up last. Lean towards the rock. Don’t get in the back seat. These well-meaning words of advice are recited to nearly every single beginner kayaker; they’re our mantras to conquering our natural reactions. After 20 years of kayaking and 15 years of class V, I have seen a lot of teaching techniques, successes and failures. There is some advice that I have found tremendously helpful and powerful for early paddlers, yet it's not as often repeated..." Complete story: Rapid Media "Secrets Of The Seal Launch" "The decision to use a seal launch in a sea kayak could be made because of access issues, to practice balance and brace skills or purely just for fun but it is important to keep a few things in mind. For a successful seal launch, one of the key ingredients is..." Complete story: Adventure Kayak "5 Canoeing Myths Busted" "After a decade of columns in this space dedicated to the history, heritage, esoterica and minutiae of canoeing, written for paddlers and would-be paddlers, it occurred to me that there might be people out there who are non-paddlers. For the benefit of these folk, here’s a debunker’s guide to the paddling mythosphere..." Complete story: Canoeroots "5 Strokes To Make You A Better Canoeist" "The way your paddle interacts with the water dictates how your canoe moves and the kind of experience you have as a canoeist. Learning a range of useful strokes will make you a versatile paddler who can canoe in different conditions and situations with greater confidence. We have handpicked the top five most important canoe strokes to make you a better canoeist..." Complete story: Canoeroots "Towing: Mind Over Matter" "When we consider towing, we tend to think about rope. We carry a tow belt with a sturdy carabiner as well as a short, deck-mounted tow rope with a quick-release, and we use them to help paddlers who are exhausted, overwhelmed, injured, or drifting into a danger zone. We wouldn’t paddle without these essential pieces of safety equipment. But sometimes, we can best help a timid or tired paddler with the most powerful piece of equipment in anyone’s kit: the mind..." Complete story: Adventure Kayak "Learn the Coast Guard's National On-Water Standards" "The new National On-Water Standards give boating educators national quality standards for providing skills instruction in recreational powerboat, sailboat and human-propelled craft, such as stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, canoes and row boats..." Complete story: Paddling.com "How To Stay Dry On Your Canoe Trip" "When a day of sloshing through thigh deep mud on portages ends miserably in a soggy sleeping bag we try to tell ourselves that a little bit of suffering builds character. Forget that. These expert-approved tricks will keep you happy even during days of nonstop rain..." Complete story: Canoeroots
"Being a paddling addict can be a bit hard on the wallet—there’s always a tempting new piece of gear to acquire, another course to take, a new boat of your dreams (funny how that dream boat seems to change year to year) and of course those irresistible coastal destinations calling your name. Here’s the real scoop—you don’t have to throw money around to become a better paddler..."
"So many aspects of whitewater kayaking are counter to our natural instincts. Bring your head up last. Lean towards the rock. Don’t get in the back seat. These well-meaning words of advice are recited to nearly every single beginner kayaker; they’re our mantras to conquering our natural reactions. After 20 years of kayaking and 15 years of class V, I have seen a lot of teaching techniques, successes and failures. There is some advice that I have found tremendously helpful and powerful for early paddlers, yet it's not as often repeated..."
"The decision to use a seal launch in a sea kayak could be made because of access issues, to practice balance and brace skills or purely just for fun but it is important to keep a few things in mind. For a successful seal launch, one of the key ingredients is..."
"After a decade of columns in this space dedicated to the history, heritage, esoterica and minutiae of canoeing, written for paddlers and would-be paddlers, it occurred to me that there might be people out there who are non-paddlers. For the benefit of these folk, here’s a debunker’s guide to the paddling mythosphere..."
"The way your paddle interacts with the water dictates how your canoe moves and the kind of experience you have as a canoeist. Learning a range of useful strokes will make you a versatile paddler who can canoe in different conditions and situations with greater confidence. We have handpicked the top five most important canoe strokes to make you a better canoeist..."
"When we consider towing, we tend to think about rope. We carry a tow belt with a sturdy carabiner as well as a short, deck-mounted tow rope with a quick-release, and we use them to help paddlers who are exhausted, overwhelmed, injured, or drifting into a danger zone. We wouldn’t paddle without these essential pieces of safety equipment. But sometimes, we can best help a timid or tired paddler with the most powerful piece of equipment in anyone’s kit: the mind..."
"The new National On-Water Standards give boating educators national quality standards for providing skills instruction in recreational powerboat, sailboat and human-propelled craft, such as stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, canoes and row boats..."
"When a day of sloshing through thigh deep mud on portages ends miserably in a soggy sleeping bag we try to tell ourselves that a little bit of suffering builds character. Forget that. These expert-approved tricks will keep you happy even during days of nonstop rain..."