Page 5 - July_2014

publisher commentary

by Angelo Lynn

F
ewscenes are as serene as a The sport is one of the fastest
sculler skimming the placid growing in the nation among new
waters of a mountain lake. converts and, after a couple of les-
Add the rising morning mist and sons in mid-June by this reporter,
ripples spreading from the stern, and it’s easy to see why.
you can almost hear the whispering The power and speed is exhila-
swish of the oars as they glide into
position and the soft splash and pull rating, it’s not strenuous, and the
gear involved is fairly easy to trans-
as the boat surges ahead.
port and set up. It’s not even all that
The art of sculling is developing a expensive—and you can do it with ease on
graceful, fluid stroke while generating pow- big bodies of water like Lake Champlain.
er and speed — all while maintaining bal- All you need is a steady offshore wind of 15-
ance. Ah, yes, the catch. There’s always a 30 mph, a decent shoreline to launch from
catch in sport.
and land, and a friend to go with you—
Balancing on that 12-inch-wide sliver
of a teeter-totter, while skimming across a with a note of caution: take lessons first.
It is a sport with inherent danger and
lake with refreshingly cold water in early risk, including placing others around you in
summer and fall, is the trial and tribulation danger if you don’t know what you’re do-
of the sport. It can be cold in that water, it’s ing. We visit with Curt and Jerri Benjamin
not that easy to get back into the boat once at North Shore Kite-Sail-Surf at their year-
tipped, and it’s way too easy to tip.
around home on the shores of Lake Cham-
Our reporter, Jenevra Wetmore,
found out as much on her visit to Crafts- plain and learn a few of the ropes. Meet the
bury Outdoor Center where she spent way Benjamins and get introduced to the sport
on pages 8-9. Chances are you’ll be swept
more time getting back in the boat than up by their enthusiasm, just as we were.
she did sitting upright in it. It was all part **********
of reporting on what has been one of the
first rowing camps in North America, how We also preview Stand Up Paddle-
it has become an elite training center for boarding (pages 12-13) with several local
athletes throughout the country as well as outfits on Lake Champlain and Waterbury
eager campers and adults yearning to learn Reservoir, present readers with a dozen fun,
the sport. It’s also a fascinating story of how short hikes throughout the state (pages 14-
15), and challenge the toughest of the tough
the Center, tucked in the hills of Vermont’s to 10 demanding runs from now until Oc-
Northeast Kingdom, has developed over
the past few years under a new non-profit tober (page 17).
management team.
For those readers who love fishing for
It’s worth a read, and a trip there trout, Weyland Joyner explains why fishing
soon, even if you don’t want to risk a dunk- in the heat of summer is best done in the
ing in the cool waters of Big Hosmer Pond.
cooler waters at higher elevations (for the
********** sake of the trout as much as for the success
of the fishermen) on Page 11. We sign off
It is summer, however, and being in the
with a quick hit list of summer festivals not
water is what we live for when the temps
start to climb, and the water warms up a to miss in Vermont—offering music, wine,
tad. With kiteboarding, it doesn’t need to beer, cheese, and other libations and local
warm up much before the obsession takes products in the spirit of good-ole-fashioned
hold, wetsuits are donned, and air-filled entertainment.
Featured in
sails arc into the wind sending kiteboarders It’s a glorious time of year in Vermont Wall Street Journal,
skipping across area lakes.
in sport. Be active. Be social. Enjoy.
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JULY 2014
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