... now this is a messabout if there ever was one.

I'm sending you this conversation I had with Axel Schmid about some of the boating he does to show how an exotic paddling trip to us is probably just a normal outing to him - Kind of like me going to Cedar Key or St Michaels. Hell it's only about 250 miles from Switzerland to Venice and the giant mountains all have tunnels through them don't they? Hugh Horton is going to love seeing these pictures of his Bufflehead canoe. It can even be seen in some of the youtube videos listed down below. Axle considers this to be just about the perfect all round sailing canoe, he's probably right. I've also added a link to his web site, check it out for some interesting browsing. I can just hear Helen now after she sees this one; "why don't you ever take me to places like this?" - sorry guys. We really appreciate you sending these Axel, I don't think I've ever seen real people in real boats doing this. In fact I just sort of assumed that you had to have a half naked girl in a Riva to even be allowed in the canals of Venice.

Thanks.

Dave

This is the link to Axel's web site.

Hi Dave

This is just to give something back to you for receiving such wonderful updates.

The Swiss Garfield-Paddlers went paddling in the lagoon and canals of Venice. The group calls themself "Garfield-Paddlers", because they like to eat, to relax and paddle a little. I do like them, some of them have vast nautical experience and can build terrific boats. They make no difference between sailboats, paddling or rowing crafts, traditional or modern ones, and like to live outdoors.

We had a base camp on a camping ground near one of the boccas, the mouths into the Med. The whole lagoon spreads about 45 km and has abundant tiny and bigger islands. Some of them are partly flooded during high tide, some of them are just high enough to be inhabited. Each one was used for different purposes: a cemetery island, some monastery islands, the fishing island Burano (I really do not know where they get these colors for painting their houses from), the glass manufacturers at Murano, two agricultural islands, and Venice itself. All of them are interstratified by small channels. Most of transport is done by boat. You can cruise for a week and always find new interesting spots. We also hassled the gondoliers in the rotten canals of Venice.

On my last day, I had just rounded the Lido island by sail and was on my way back to the camping ground, in the evening, near the mouth to the Med. I looked back and a skyscraper appeared in the channel which I had used ten minutes ago. It was a cruising ship with several thousand passengers, hooting for departure and slowly finding its way out into the Med.

Well, we have the first snow here in Switzerland. Building the Artemis sailing canoe (which might be distributed as a kit once the prototype is ready and tested extensively) in the unheated garage has been slowing me down. I will now take a break and travel three weeks with Carmen in Sri Lanka. Should be an easy country if you are prepared to use public transport and travel with pigs and chicken.

All the best,

Axel

I'm not sure Axel would be the best ambassador to sell the treasures of these places; rotten canals and pigs and chickens. Maybe this will get Helen off my back; "sorry Dear but we'll have to ride on the roof" yea that'll do it.

The Bufflehead picture is only attached because your eternal quest for the perfect boat.

I've added this picture of Museum John out for the first time in the boat we're calling the "Everglades Challenge Boat" to compare to the Bufflehead canoe that Axel's in. Notice the striking resemblance. If you took Hugh Horton's design and added four feet to the middle, six inches to the beam and four inches to the sides you'd get what John considers to be the perfect expedition boat. These are the diminutions of a very successful racing canoe from over a hundred years ago.

Axel,

The guys want to know about the canals through Venice. Are they clean or big open sewers or what? How safe is it being all mixed in with all the commercial boats? You've opened up a whole new realm of boating that none of us have any concept of.

Dave

Hi Dave

Sorry for my late reply. I just spent three weeks in Sri Lanka.

The Venice canals are totally open to the lagoon, which has three big open connections to the Med. The tide in the Med is moderate, about 60cm maximum. The Venice island is a sandy mudbank. All palazzos are built on lots of oak logs, rammed into the ground... and yes, this is why the whole island is sinking slowly. Once or twice a year, some pathways in Venice town are flooded, causing some grief. This is the reason why the EU is spending some billions at the moment to install giant metal/concrete flaps on the sea ground along the two mouths into the Med. These should close the mouths during high tide. I am not sure whether that will work. And the lagoon, the islands, the canals need to be ventilated by the tide, or Venice will be very soon a stinking moskito swamp.

Yes, it is easy to go out of the way of the big cruising ships. There are lots of medium-sized coastal freight vessels in the mouths and in some big channels in the west, so keep out of the fairway. The gondolas in the small Venice channels are carrying paying guests, they usually take right of way. There are lots of fast water taxis in the canals, and you have to be very aware of them. Around the island, they use canals at high speed, and the waves made by them can be quite chaotic. Our paddling canoes, kayaks and outrigger canoes can cruise the flats in between. If we had to cross a canal, we were waiting like a hoard of sheep before we cross the canal alltogether.

Here are links to the videos of the Segel-Kriterium 2014 in Bremen, Gemany! It is more a fun regatta than anything else, but you will find some competitive racing on the first places.

The "silent version" emphasizes the traditional character of that event event. The KCH club is about 100 years old, one of the first that fostered canoeing and canoe sailing in Germany. For sure, this is the event with more sailing canoes in Europe (except England) than anywhere else. Some of these canoes which were still sailed in the regatta were 80 years old, and their owners dress appropriately. Others (like Stefans Solway Dory and my Bufflehead) are brand new. Overall, the pictures give a good impression how much fun we had. Sorry - it's in German.

Fliegend Kanus:

Teil 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaxO0kVaJKo

Teil 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWjPd3AH9XM

Teil 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s87kEvCVA2A 

Silent Canoes:

Teil 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1YTe0raWm0

Teil 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVmPRtxGKbw

Teil 3:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8AuF9BzAGI

All the best, Axel