The American Canoe Association recently unveiled a new resource for instructors called the Journal of Paddlesports Education or JPE for short. Aimed towards certified instructors, the JPE is filled with a wide variety of articles related to sea kayaking, whitewater, and canoeing instruction.

So far the collection is pretty decent. I really liked the article, Teaching and Learning Paddle Sports by Mike Aronoff which is filled with a hodge podge collection of thoughts and ideas around what makes an effective instructor.

Even thought some of the articles could be edited down for length (heaven knows I ramble!), the JPE is off to a great start in producing a list of technical, “how to” industry resources.

Also, I do appreciate that they have applied an Attribution Creative Commons license to everything on the site which means you can use the resources for anything you want as long as you give proper credit to the original author. You can even use the material for your commercial use which is very generous indeed!

Check out the Journal of Paddlesports Education.

I recently stumbled upon what looks like a good navigation resource that just came out and wanted to pass along.

Amazon is selling a brand new book called Understanding a Nautical Chart: A Practical Guide to Safe Navigation by Paul Boissier.

Here is the book description on the site:

[blockquote]Whether they are paper or electronic, charts are the most fundamental navigational tool. Making the best use of them requires a great understanding of symbols and abbreviations, as well as an awareness of the limits of accuracy in positions and soundings. Understanding a Nautical Chart not only helps you to read a chart, it allows you to understand that information and use it to navigate safely. Learning the abbreviations and symbols are critical to anybody using a chart and before you can use one, you must know them or at have easy access to the definitions, all of which are included in a full copy of the key to UKHO charts (Chart 5011).[/blockquote]

The book is written a former Royal Navy Deputy Commander in Chief, Paul Boissier and is 200 pages long.

It also covers the following topics:

General
Chart Number, Title, Marginal Notes, Positions, Distances, Directions, Compass

Topography
Natural Features, Cultural Features, Landmarks, Ports, Topographic Terms

Hydrography
Tides, Currents, Depths, Nature of the Seabed, Rocks, Wrecks, Obstructions, Offshore Installations, Tracks, Routes Areas, Limits, Hydrographic Terms

Aids and Services
Lights, Buoys, Beacons, Fog Signals, Radar, Radio, Electronic Position-Fixing Systems, Services, Small Craft Facilities

Alphabetical Index
Index of Abbreviations, International Abbreviations, List of Descriptors, IALA Maritime Buoyage System

Chart 5011

Understanding a Nautical Chart: A Practical Guide to Safe Navigation should be avilable at your local bookstore, sailing shop or online. Its published by Wiley and sells for around $25.

GeoGarage is an awesome online nautical chart/Google Maps mash-up that I wrote about a couple of months ago. They offer free nautical charts layered on top of the Google Maps interface.

I’m happy to announce that GeoGarage has been upgraded and made available Canadian Nautical charts for the first time. With a paid subscription of 9.95 EUR (around $12CAD) you can access both the complete collection of Canadian nautical charts provided by the Canadian Hydrographic Service as well as a full set of charts from the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office.

Wavelength Magazine has always been a great magazine to read over the years. It’s been free forever and I love the fact that I can download the pdf and read it when I get a chance.

They recently rolled out a new version of their site and it’s a huge improvement to that last version. They have added a bunch of new resources to the Planet Kayak section of the website including a custom built Google Map which lists campsites, canoe/kayak launches, paddle shops and interesting places to paddle around the world. A great tie in to their magazine is the map markers highlighting past articles about specific travel destinations. Click on the marker and you can get a summary of the article with a link to the complete version. You can also easily download the complete backissue of the magazine for further research.

I recently stumbled upon what is looking like a new really cool Canadian service. Map Sherpa allows you create and customize and print Canadian topographic and urban Canadian maps. Of course this type of service has been available to the US market for a while but up until now, nothing has been available with Canadian Maps aimed at the recreational outdoor market.

Anybody who has gone hiking or paddling will know that your chosen route always ends up going off the map forcing you to purchase another one (which you only end up needing 10% of). With Map Sherpa, create your own custom map and move the center of the map around to maximize as much of your route as possible on one page. It’s perfect for weekend adventures.