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Our “Holiday on Ice” with Frozen Frog Productions 2012
Remember last year when we had the ice rink surrounded by little children and their families, sipping hot cocoa and watching incredible ice skaters make their way around the ice bringing the Spirit of winter to your heart? You do? Fabulous… wait… you dont? Well good grief! It was so much fun and we want you to come this year!
This years Holiday Show will be held on Sat. December 15th. The rain date would be Sun. Dec, 16 but let’s keep our fingers crossed that doesn’t happen.
Free admission starts at 11 am. Show starts at 2 pm. After the show is over skaters have the opportunity to skate with an meet the performers out on the ice. Free admission continues until the rink closes at 9 pm.
“Frozen Frog Productions, LLC is a Boston-based boutique production company specializing in live, high-energy ice skating entertainment. Our original productions feature world class professional skaters that have performed across the globe with Disney on Ice, Ice Capades, and Holiday on Ice, as well as high-level competitive skaters. Frozen Frog Productions’ passion is creating fun, high-quality, family-friendly skating entertainment. We have been producing shows for over 10 years for clients including General Electric, BioMed Realty Trust and Boston Common Frog Pond Foundation, and also provide custom choreography, instruction and production consultation for numerous events, competitors and performers.”
You can check out some photos from last years show on our facebook page!
Melanie Lambert and Fred Palascak will be there too! Melanie and Fred have been skating together for more than 17 years. For 14 years, they travelled the world as professionals, performing in over 25 different countries. In the US, the performed as a principle pair team with Disney on Ice, Footloose on Ice, and in numerous theme parks and holiday shows. Internationally, they performed on Royal Caribbean cruise ships, in theme parks in Germany and Hong Kong, and in four productions of the European company Holiday on Ice.
Melanie and Fred also became staples in reality television starring as professional partners to celebrity skaters. In the UK, they performed in four series of Torvill and Dean’s Dancing on Ice. In 2007, Melanie became the series two Dancing on Ice Champion. In 2010, Fred was named the Season One winner of ABC’s Skating with the Stars.
Recently, Melanie added “choreographer” to her resume. She has assisted choreographing four different skating shows, the latest being Holiday on Ice’s newest production “Festival.” Also, both Melanie and Fred are now current professional coaches in and around their hometown of Boston, MA.
PHOTO CONTEST 2012!
Guess what!!! We are holding our first ever photo contest! We want to see your photos from paddling with us this summer. We know there are some awesome kayaker/photographers out there and we want to see!
The winner of the contest gets a choice between a free lesson, a free Skyline Tour, or a free Day of Paddling for the winner. A panel of 5 Charles River Canoe and Kayak Staff, including managers and three professional photographers, will judge all the entries and we will let you know. Deadline for all entries is August 17, 2012.
The Rules for entry:
1. Follow us on twitter: @paddleboston
2. Like us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CharlesRiverCanoeKayak
3. Tag us on BOTH twitter and facebook with the image that you are entering into the contest!
GOOD LUCK!
The Fine Print: The photographer grants us the right to use their submitted image(s) on our web site in perpetuity.
Happy Summer!!!
So we are crazy in the thick of the greatness that is the summer in Boston! Have you been paddling with us yet? We sure hope so!
Women Specific Lifejackets: Stories from the Front Lines
As a female paddler who has put in over 3,000 miles in a kayak so far in my 9 years of paddling, I would go ahead and consider myself someone in the know. I have practical experience when it comes to lifejackets and I want to shed some light on the issue of finding the perfect women’s lifejacket for you.
Women Specific lifejackets are really worth investing in. Now any lifejacket that is made for the sport you are doing and will hold your weight is better than not wearing one at all. That being said, wearing a lifejacket that not only does all of those things but feels comfortable is worth it’s weight in gold. Now without divulging too much for those dude’s who stumbled across this post, it is important for you to know that I’m one of those girls who needs to wear two sports bras when running. You get me? That is why I love women specific lifejackets. They are comfortable, pretty, and do the job that they need to do without ever getting in my way.
I have owned 4 life-jackets in my paddleing career so far; the Lotus Lola and three Astral Wonderjackets. I loved them all and therefore they all wore out. Too much time in the sun, can deteriorate fabric. Once the fabric on your lifejacket fades, it’s a pretty good reminder to go ahead and get a new one. Last year was the final year that Astral made the Wonderjacket, and the Lola is long since gone. This means that I am at that moment where I have to pick a new one out.
So what do I consider when I am choosing a life-jacket?
- Re-entry: If you ever have to do a wet exit from your kayak, for any reason, be it because of rough water or because you needed to pee, it’s critical that you don’t have a bunch of bulk on the front of your life jacket. What I look for is for the life-jacket to be either streamlined on the front OR for the pockets and flotation to fit below my chest. That then creates an even playing field for everyone and everything, so to speak. This is important because when performing a re-entry, bulky life-jackets can get caught and make things a lot more challenging.
- Shoulder Blade/Arm clearance: There is a marked difference in less expensive life-jackets and ones that are made for the more serious paddler. When you buy a life-jacket that I made for someone who is going to be spending more than 1 day a summer in the boat, it will have space for movement in it. There is really no exception in my experience. Try on the $25 model and then the $125 model. You will immediately feel the difference, and it is almost always in the shoulder area. The difference is that your whole arm has space to move. There will be no interference from the jacket and that is what I want.
- Space for “the Ladies”: self-explanatory
- Ride-up Potential: When I sit down, does the life-jacket ride up? If it does, I don’t want it. That just makes the jacket fit incorrectly. No matter how good it feels when I am trying them on, it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t feel good when I am sitting down.
- Pockets: I need lots of things with me when I paddle. I like to keep the really important stuff on my person when I am paddling. That includes rescue and safety gear, as well as a granola bar, chap stick, and sunblock.
- Reflective Tape/Piping: I want to be seen on the water. Everything that I can do to make this easier, I will do. If there is no real reflective elements to the jacket, I wont get it. I like being alive.
- Color: I don’t buy black lifejackets because they are hard to see. Period. As much as I would like to look cool out there like a kayaking ninja, I know that it is truly hard to see kayakers from other boats. I saw a video once about white water rescue and there was a clip of a submerged kayaker with a foot entrapment. He was wearing a black life-jacket and he was barely visible. That will not be me.
A few options that I am considering are the Kokatat MsFit Tour, the Astral Bella, and the Astral Seawolf. The Kokatat is a classic for the seakayaking nerd. It holds all your goodies and has been tested and approved by all the best. The Bella is low profile and really looks like it will check all the boxes of what I am looking for. The Seawolf, although a Uni-Sex model, (aghast!), it really does provide ampleroom where we women need it most. I do have one other option… grab up one of those last Wonderjackets for sale at the boathouse. So many decisions!
My life-jackets have been a long ways with me. I have endless memories and stories from the adventure that they covered my back on. They grow into being prized possessions. I still have all of mine actually. I just can’t part with them. I love the fact that they are faded and show the miles I have put into them. I hope this new one, can life up to it’s older sisters.
Lots of miles and lots of love…
First Beach in Middletown, RI
My first time actually on the water this season was in my surf kayak (a Mega Neutron). Several of us trekked down to First Beach in Middletown, RI to see what we could catch. The water was cold, but the surf forecast was calling for 2 to 3 feet–nothing big–but nice clean waves ideal for honing technique. And the weather forecast was even better: sunny, breezy, and in the 70s. So we figured we could just sit on the beach if the surf turned out to be disappointing, as it sometimes does. But we got lucky: The waves started out small but clean, and between two surf kayaks, two whitewater boats, and a SUP, we managed to catch several good rides. Even better, after an outdoor lunch at a nearby restaurant, the surf picked up considerably. We caught several three-footers, and a few sets came through at four. And they stayed clean–we were able to catch some nice long rides and tweak our surf skills on some real glassy faces. We even switched around the boats and board for a while for variety. As dusk started to roll in and the waves died down with the turn of the tide, we packed up, rinsed off, and headed back North, having gotten our sea legs back in shape for the season. The only thing missing: Flo’s clams!
Ribbon Cutting
Yesterday morning Dan Smith called me and said “Do you have plan for right this minute?” I said no and was then whisked away to a local event in Newton Lower Falls/Wellesley to take a few photos. The old railroad bridge connecting Newton Lower Falls and Wellesley had been in disrepair and thanks to a LOT of local organizations and local and state government, it is now a foot bridge!
Since Dan Cox and I had only moved here a year ago, needless to say I was out of the loop. However, it was so encouraging to see what the local and state governments can do when they pull together. The bridge is beautiful and shows the MA doesn’t want to let their state fall into disrepair either. It made me happy to live here. I was a bit dissapointed that the promised apperance of the governor fell through but I did get to hear the Lt. Gov and the Mayor of Newton speak… so that works for me.
If you have not been over to the bridge yet, you should definitely take a look.
See more photos here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150825792758401.414180.76102633400&type=1
Photo’s by Bethany & Dan Photography
Nantasket Beach April 18, 2012
Kevin Hagen’s take on the day:
Wednesday April 18th.
- 1:30am: Listening to audio book… Trying to get the inside scoop on the next Game Of Thrones episode.
- 5:50am: Still digging wet suit out of storage in the garage. Call Dan to tell him I’m going to be late… Secretly hope he cancels so I can go back to bed. Cold ocean vs. warm bed? He doesn’t cancel.
- 6:30am: Load Jay (my dog) into car and head west on 2. Traffic is thin and moving fast!
- 7am: Meet Dan & Bethany at the boathouse. Load 11′ boards onto 12′ car. Drive to Nantasket Beach.
- 8am: Force body into wet suit. It seems to have shrunk a little since the fall.
- 8:20am: Start SUPpin’! Killer waves, warm sunshine and no wind. Hard to believe it’s April. Jay watches from shore and Bethany snaps some photos. Hope some of Dan’s mad surf skills rub off on me. They don’t. Banzai Pipeline will have to wait. Have some serious fun anyway.
- 10:00am: Load 11′ boards back onto 12′ car.
- 10:15am: Coffee stop at Redeye Roasters. Crazy good!
- 11:15am: Back at the boathouse, unload boards, rinse salt off wetsuit.
- 11:30am: End play start work… Sort of.
Bethany Cox’s take on the day:
I woke up to Dan jumping out of the bed to answer his phone, which rarely rings unless it’s me or his mom. Who the heck is calling him?! Turns out it was Kevin calling to say he was going to be late. That’s right… Dan was planning on going surfing this morning. I considered how awesome it felt to snuggle up in the bed with my puppy and about how nice it would be to have the whole queen bed to myself as soon as Dan left. Then I remembered how amazing the ocean is, even just to stand by the shore. Dan had also asked me if I would go with him the night before, since he loves me and wants me around. Did I really want to say no to that? Nah…. I was going. For sure. We piled into the car and headed to the boathouse to meet Kevin. I sat in the car, shamelessly being lazy as the boys loaded the boards. We headed down the road towards Hull. I had never been there before. It slowly unfolded into a car ride that reminded me of why Dan and I moved to New England. Hull is beautiful. I started crafting ideas of how Dan could still commute to the boathouse if we moved to Hull. It wont happen but it was fun to dream. We got to the beach and I got to watch Kevin and Dan have a morning that energized them both. It was so sweet to see them both so happy. It pays off to just do it you know? Get up. Go to the beach. Live your life. I got to take a lot of photographs that made me happy. We were a trio of happiness that morning. I can’t wait until they ask me again.
Dan Cox’s take on the day:
Thankfully, we finally had some nice clean waves to SUP! When I checked the forecast and saw 5 feet at 12 seconds, and a nice warm day, I new I would have to make the drive to the beach before work. I was able to convince Kevin Hagen to come along even with the early start and we were greeted by perfect waist high waves. It was a great way to start the summer off and hopefully we will have many more days just like it!
Dan Smith’s Paddles in Maine
Staff Member Dan Smith loves to paddle in Maine. Here are the maps of three of this endeavors in the state.
Isle au Haut & Mt. Desert Island Circumnavigation
Map: http://www.paddleboston.com/blogs/paddle/images/Trip_2006_MtDesert.jpg
July, 2006
8 days/7 nights, 120 nautical miles, solo
Highlights: Isle au Haut, Somes Sound, Otter Cliffs, 2-mile crossing in pea soup fog.
Vinalhaven & North Haven Circumnavigation
Map: http://www.paddleboston.com/blogs/paddle/images/Trip_2009_Vinalhaven.jpg
August, 2009
4 days/3 nights, 67 nautical miles, solo
Highlights: The Basin, Little Thorofare Island, 5-mile crossing to and from Owl’s Head.
Pleasant Bay, Englishman Bay & Machias Bay
Map: http://www.paddleboston.com/blogs/paddle/images/Trip_2011_Downeast.jpg
July, 2011
7 days/6 nights, 88 nautical miles, with Kristen
Highlights: Roque Archipelago, Cross Island, constant paddling in totally exposed waters
Have you been paddling in Maine? We would love to hear about it!
2012 Guide Training
It was that time of year again, spring guide and instructor training for CRCK. Even kayak instructors and ocean guides need to refresh our skill set come spring. Of course we have to do this on days where the average person doesn’t want to paddle, days surprisingly easy to find most years in New England mid April. This year proved no different, even in face of the summer like weather we’d been having.
I’m a part-time guide and instructor at CRCK. I learned to paddle sea kayaks with the company 10 years ago, and now I find time after my day job and on weekends to share my love of paddling. I’ve known some of my fellow guides for years longer than I’ve taught at CRCK. We all have different schedules and commitments, so often it’s only this weekend where we all get a chance to paddle together, share experiences and re-unite as a group
With a predicted nor’easter arriving Sunday, our illustrious leader Dan Cox shuffled the scheduled order of activities around. On Saturday we headed down to Sakonnet Point in Little Compton, RI for a series of training scenarios designed to test and extend our skills in waters that we didn’t know like the back of our hands. Ten of us took turns leading in sets of two, while our fearless leader set up our ‘students’ with actions designed to test our leadership, teaching and problem solving skills. Of course, the moderate fog, ocean swell and wind added to the challenge of leading this group of difficult ‘students’. As troublesome students, Christian and I discretely paddled away from the guides, ‘trying to get around a fishing net’ that lead far out into the foggy ocean. In another, a “panicky student” let go of her boat and swam to shore instead of listening to instructions for the rescue. Navigation challenges in the fog, group management issues, medical emergencies, multiple seasick paddlers and a ‘random’ wave that put everyone in the water were all created out of thin air to challenge our leadership and paddling skills. And at least from my perspective, we all relished the challenges. We came home, I believe, having identified skills that we felt great about, and probably a thing or two that felt rusty and needed work. I can’t ask for more from a day of paddling than that.
Sunday involved what was normally day 1 of instructor/guide training, with discussions about our strengths as individuals and as a company, questions we wanted answered, and on the river teaching and demonstration. Of course the nor’easter moved in earlier than forecasted, so much of that was in light to heavy rain, wind and temps falling from close to 60 down to 45 by the time we were done. Issues of group management and hypothermia prevention were easy to come by right next to the Newton boat house. Still we persevered though the weather while playing silly (but educational) kayak games. By the end we were all tired, all wet and all smiling; it was another good day.
-Written by Part Time Guide and Instructor Phil Allen
Paddling the Rocks of Manchester by the Sea
The forecast was for bright sunny skies and light winds with a bit of energy in the water. Perfect day to head up to one of my favorite paddle spots – Manchester by the Sea. CRCK staff member Dan Cox and I met at the Newton boathouse and quickly loaded a Delphin & an Alchemy on top of the car before making the long trek up to the North Shore. Upon arriving at the parking lot, we met up with two very nice gentlemen from the North Shore Paddlers Network. We all got boats and gear ready and headed out to sea: me in the P&H Delphin, Dan in the Dagger Alchemy and our NSPN friends in a NDK Explorer and Valley Nordkapp.
We started out heading up north past “sand-dollar beach” to play in some of the slots at the mouth of the harbor. We all had a blast going in and out of the rocks, getting used to the timing of the swell and occasionally leaving some paint on a rock or two. After a bit we decided to continue north towards Singing Beach. On the way up, we would challenge ourselves and feed our ADD by playing in a slot here and there.
In one area I decided to bring my boat around a large rock in front of a slot and shoot through the other side. As I came around the backside of the rock, a large swell picked the Delphin up and wedged it part way up the slot. As the water pulled back, it left me with the bow and the stern of my boat firmly planted into the rock face of the slot and me in the middle, suspended in mid air! I tried shaking the boat and bouncing up and down to work the boat free, but it would not move. So I thought to myself, just wait for the next wave to come by, pick up the boat and I can just paddle out of the slot. This did not happen. Instead the next wave just forced the boat further into the rock face. At this point I was figuring that I’d have to get out of my boat, jump down into the water and get the boat down by hand. Before I had a chance to do this, Dan Cox came up to the bow of the boat and started trying to get it free. Once he got the bow loose, it dropped down into the 46 degree water and rolled over, leaving me underwater. I immediately rolled to the other side to bring the boat back upright, but I had forgotten that the stern was still firmly planted in the rock, so the boat did not roll with me. Needless to say I rolled right out of the Delphin and found myself swimming next to it. Dan and I quickly got it down from the rocks and he helped me back in. We all agreed that we wished we had brought our cameras, because it would have made for a very good photo.
We continued up the coast to Singing Beach and had a snack before heading back south to Manchester Harbor. We continued to play in the rocks here and there and had a great time with many laughs. We got back to our cars and loaded the boats quickly so we would miss Boston rush-hour traffic. On the way home, Dan and I both agreed that we had a blast paddling in Manchester even with the mishap on the rocks.
Written by Staff Member Kevin Horner | Photo by All Daggett
