It is never too early to start training for the Yukon River Quest 2024!!! Keep Charging! Heather, Brandon and Hayden

QUESTION FROM A FIRST TIME ‘QUESTER: Q: I’ve been using a full carbon straight shaft Werner Cyprus paddle and playing with the feathering a bit to find what’s comfortable. One thing I was wondering is if you really can’t get a good leg drive/torso turn is it worth it to go with a wing ? [...]

QUESTION: Hello Heather and Brandon !Not sure what category to put this question in so here goes. I’m hoping to do the Yukon River Quest in 2010 as a solo kayaker. I’ve been canoeing for quite a few years in a variety of boats including marathon C-1 and tandem canoes. Done some races up to [...]

Vector Surfski Design Inquiry Heather and Brandon, Greetings from Georgia! I am a long time lurker on your blogsite and am writing you today to inquire about the Vector Surfski that was just posted. I called Sterling Kayaks this Friday to discuss boat design, and they mentioned that you and Brandon had a helping hand. [...]

Questions From the Field: Potty, Paddles and Emersion Suits for a 30-Hour Open-Ocean Crossing! Belgium paddlers Steven Hobert and Bart Pauwels are attempting to paddle from Mallorca to Vallencia in the Mediteranean; a 250 km (straight line) crossing, non-stop. Then, later in the summer, they will attempt to paddle from Great Yaermouth (UK) to Heist [...]

Questions From The Field: Staying Fueled During an UltraMarathon Event Hello Heather, You will read some mistakes in this text, that’s because I’m Belgian, and English isn’t my mother language. With a lot of interest I have read the article in Seakayaker Magazine. Congratulations with your result in the Yukon race!! It is not only [...]

Question from New Zealand: I’m a passionate sea kayaker, I paddle all the time. I’ve decided that I’m going to do a 24-hour ocean paddle, (Not for the record thou! I’d love to just experience a 24 hour paddle), to raise funds for the NZ Cancer Society. My mum passed away when I was 9 [...]

After breaking the mixed tandem course record in the 460-mile Yukon River Quest with Brandon in 2005, I set my sights high for 2006. Not only did I want to win the women’s solo category, I wanted to break the course record and come in top 10 overall. After a year of training and preparation, [...]

Lake Okanagan, just east of Kamloops in British Columbia, is about 100 KM tip-to-tip, and no wider than about a mile the entire length. With its consistent winds funneled from the north, and provincial parks lining the west side of the lake, Okanagan screams, ‘RACE ME’! Penticton Racing Canoe Club answered the call with the [...]

GGGRRRAAAAHHH!!! I grunted loudly as I bent my knees slightly, arched my back in a horrible backwards bend, and heaved our 100-pound of tandem kayak over my head to rest on my other shoulder. The sharp keel line of the bow sunk sickly into the soft flesh of my left shoulder. In two to three [...]

In the day-to-day world, “Necessity” may be the “Mother of Invention.” But in the world of ultra-marathon paddling, the Mother of Invention is “Suffering.” Every time I finish a race or ultra workout, I look back at the times of my worst suffering, and start trying to figure out ways to ease the pain. Afterall, [...]

Teams Kayak For Care! Sponsored by Nimbus Kayaks and Kokatat Heather crossing the finish line Brandon and David, stoked to be first overall Brandon: Seventy-five teams stand, stomping feet for warmth on the pavement of Whitehorse’s Main Street and ducking from the cold rain, as event director Jeff Brady bellows the name of each and [...]