Marc Girardin strikes again!...Again.

Marc Girardin from France seems to be loving his C-1 Orbit Fish. He is absolutely annihilating this wave (Hawaii Sur Rhone I do believe) in the boat. Watch the VIDEO . He seems to be getting pretty good at the C-1 with a K-1 paddle thing.

nice VIDEO - Quicktime format (small file) 2.7mb

nice Pics




Notes on the Orbit Fish. If you are interested in this boat you should definitely give it a try. Most people who have been trying it are completely blown away and love its speed and versatility as an all around play boat. It is really fast for its size. I'd say that it is in the running for fastest new play boat out on the market (if there were a contest for that). Meaning fast on a wave. Very fast for its length. It will comfortably fit most tall people, up to around 6'3" 220 lbs and shorties too, down to about 5'5" and 140 lbs (with the seat jacked up for short folks), tons of foot room for a 6'6" boat. I fit nicely with my Keen (hood river model ) sandals on. If you're in the Southeast US and want to try the boat please come paddle the river with us on July 9th at NOC. Chris Stafford and I will be there to paddle with folks from 12-4 PM.

Good day.

Spencer Cooke

Birthday cake

So the Canada trip was quite an experience. I'd love to go back another time. Chris is lucky to spend his summers there. In conclusion of the Canadian adventure Chris flew home for his sister's high school graduation and I drove home, stopping to do a demo for Appomattox River Company in Richmond, Virginia. Later, Chris and I met back in North Carolina and celebrated with a big birthday cake.

Richmond was fun. I got to goof off with some locals down at Z-Dam on the James River for a couple hours. It's a really neat play spot. If you didn't guess already, it's a Z shaped dam that crosses the river's width. Built as a fish ladder, the dam has a thirty foot break with a gentle sloping pourover coming through. I've played here a few times over the past few years. At the right level this place is super fun to loop and cartwheel. Here were a couple decent rides in the Vibe. click here to download. quicktime format.


Thanks to the nice folks at Appomattox River Co.

WOW! HOT DOGS! WORMS! - Canada trip volmue 3

Despite the WOW factor, we didn't eat the hot dogs...or the worms.

Music on the video is by Joan of Arc compliments of Jade Tree

The Ottawa

The Ottawa River... what can be said about the Ottawa that hasn’t already been said? It is quite simply the best playboating river in the world. There is no other place on the planet that can offer the variety, quality, and accessibility of whitewater that the Ottawa does. I took my first paddle strokes in a kayak on this river with my Uncle Derek eight years ago, at the age of eleven, and the river still holds the same thrill and appeal for me now as it did the first time I ferried tentatively across the class I current below Little Picky. It’s been very interesting to watch the progression of freestyle paddling over the past eight years or so, because the Ottawa river has been an integral part in the development of many modern freestyle tricks. Right-side horseshoe at the bottom of McCoy’s was the holy grail for hole tricks in the late 90's. Innovative paddlers such as Ken Whiting, Brendan Mark, and Tyler Curtis dominated the competition at this lefty spot, and moves like the tricky-wu, clean cartwheel, and mobius were conceived soon after the 1997 World Championships.
Modern day:
A kickflip entry into Phil's hole at McCoy's rapid

More recently, as kayaking enters the aireal realm, another Ottawa playspot has been thrust into the mainstream and exploded the popularity of this river. The Bus Eater hole has had a practically mythical reputation through the years, and pictures of huge 12 or more person rafts being flipped end over end by this hole grace the walls of almost every rafting company on the river. Only recently however have paddlers begun to realize the incredible potential that exists in this wave when spring runoff levels hit the Ottawa valley. Between Mini Bus on river left, and Bus Eater in the centre of the river, there’s incredible surfing to be had here from 14 to 21 on the gauge. Talented local paddlers such as the Monkman brothers, Pat Camblin, Chad and Joey Hitchins, and Billy Harris can be found on “Bussy” all spring long, and this wave has also served as a catalyst in the invention of many of todays acrobatic tricks, such as Pat’s Big Gun Show winning “bread and butter.”

Unfortunately, upon arriving at the Ottawa this year, Bussy had spent all of its energy and the water was on its way down.
Here are a few video shots of myself and Chris Stafford last year at Bussy in our Vibes.
click BUS EATER BUS EATER BUS EATER BUS EATER BUS EATER to download quicktime video.
We were sorry to miss surfing this wave in the Orbit Fish as this boat seems to excel on waves like no other boat...another time.
We paddled the river for five days in the 4 to 8.5 foot range. In spite of the fact that most of the classic spots aren’t in at these levels, it was still great showing Spence down my home river. Highlights at this level include entry move sessions at Phil’s hole in McCoy’s...
Macho man sequence on the wave entering Phil's Hole.

...carving around on the very dynamic Corner Wave...

...the very difficult WaiKiKi Wave...



...Butterfly Wave, very fun...


and of course the many available creeky lines at Garvin’s Chutes.


Another nearby stop that we made on the trip was the Chutes de Coulonge, a series of burly drops about 45 minutes away from the Ottawa. This section is most known for it’s large, very dangerous double drop at the top. This waterfall was made famous in the old Driftwood Productions video, Good 2 the Last Drop, in which BJ Johnson logs the first descent and Willie Kern follows with a sweet line. As far as I know it’s only been run once since, by Ottawa local Brad Sutton. Spencer and I took a quick look at it, and the plan was to gather a larger group and sneak in after the park closed the next day. After a session the next day, and after tracking down my good friends Ben Marr and Ashley Courtney, we headed out with big plans. While standing between the two huge drops, getting eaten alive by musquitoes and blackflies, and after spotting a rock in the landing area that we didn’t know about, both Spencer and I decided that we weren’t up for the task at this lower than optimal water level. No worries though, we were still able to paddle some other quality drops, including a very large spillway that would be unbelievable if the rock were a bit less abrasive, and a tight burly rapid that ended in a big drop and a sticky hole. Fun stuff, and with that big one calling to me, I’m sure I’ll be back...
Watch the Chutes de Coulonge video
Some pics from Chutes de Coulonge:
Spence and Ben coming down the slide

Myself on the slide

and the rapid below


That wraps up our trip. A well spent ten days on the road.
Thanks for joining us,
Chris Gragtmans