http://www.rubyriver.org Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:30:30 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Rowing is a fine, simple, and economical way to get afloat and enjoy the water. You are often able to use areas not well suited to sailing or even power craft. Long forgotten as a sport by most, rowing once again seems to stir the interest of many people. ... http://www.rubyriver.org/2008/04/02/pleasures-of-rowing/ Kayaking for sport developed in southern Germany around the turn of the century. Lured by the whitewater rivers rising high in the nearby Alps, people began to experiment with wood-framed, fabric-covered boats based on the Eskimo kayak. Out of the experimentation came the collapsible kayak-das Faltboot. The frame was ... http://www.rubyriver.org/2008/04/02/kayaking-as-a-sport/ Let’s look at the evolution of the kayak and its cousin, the closed-deck canoe, describe the modern kayaks, and offer pointers on how to choose the right boat for you. From Nanook to the Olympics The native North Americans developed three unique species of boat: the dugout canoe used in the ... http://www.rubyriver.org/2008/04/02/the-boats/ Water is a fascinating thing. Next to the air we breathe it is probably the most significant thing on this planet. Certainly there is more of it around than any other material, for three fourths of the earth's surface is covered with it, and over 80 percent of the ... http://www.rubyriver.org/2008/04/02/lure-of-whitewater/ The romance of the canoe does not just stem from the era of exploration. The incredible journeys of the voyageurs add immensely to the history of canoe travel. These adventurers were divided into two groups: the Porkeaters or Comers and Goers, and the North Men or Winterers. The Porkeaters paddled ... http://www.rubyriver.org/2008/04/02/the-voyageurs/ The first European explorer to use and write about the birchbark canoe was Samuel de Champlain. He was quick to admit that it was a far better craft for Canadian exploration than the skiff in which he had traveled to reach what is now known as the Lachine Rapids. "With ... http://www.rubyriver.org/2008/04/02/the-canoe-and-exploration/ We in North America tend to view the canoe as "our" invention, an invention of the North American Indian. This is not so. The canoe was "invented" by many peoples in many parts of the world - Africa, Asia, South America, and the islands of the South Pacific, the ... http://www.rubyriver.org/2008/04/02/the-indian-canoe/ The canoe is a symbol of wilderness - of rivers running free. It is an ideal craft with which to penetrate the wilderness; an ideal craft with which to run wild rivers. The early canoeists were unfettered people - full of independence, self reliance, adventure, and courage. They were ... http://www.rubyriver.org/2008/04/02/romance-of-the-canoe/ It is difficult to completely comprehend the historical significance of the canoe. Without it, it is unlikely that La Salle would ever have made his epic journey down the Mississippi to claim what was later termed the "Louisiana Purchase" for the King of France. It is unlikely that the ... http://www.rubyriver.org/2008/04/02/canoe-significance/