Werner Blog

Collinsville Canoe and Kayak's, "Paddle University" kicks off Werner's NE Events

 
There was a time when scenes like this, photo of Trish Walter, taken on the "T-Ville" section of the Farmington River, CT, were shared by "Experts Only."  However with advancements in gear and better instruction more readily available, paddling earlier or deeper into the shoulder seasons, or all winter long for that matter, is becoming more and more accesible to the everyday paddler.  It is the love of the peace and quiet, the solitude of off season paddling that spawned Collinsville Canoe and Kayak's, "Paddle University."  Join the staff of CCK, paddling instructors and industry experts as they kick off their 20 Year Anniversary on March 6th with this great new event. 

 
Throughout the day attend classes on the challenges associated with cold water paddling and how to dress and plan for it, on land stroke and skill work, choosing the best gear for you and individual segments looking at canoeing, white water boating, kayak fishing, recreational and touring kayaking and the exciting new sport of stand up paddling.   In between classes get your first look at all the new 2010 boats and gear as they continue to roll off the trucks and onto the shelves.  Werner Paddles will be represented by paddling instructor Danny Mongno, taking you through a variety of topics through out the day including  more efficient paddling by using the proper fitting paddle and better stroke work.  Be sure to call the shop (860) 693-6977 for more details or check out the web site for a class schedule.  Centrally located to so many paddlers, set in the beautiful Famington River valley, Paddle University is a must attend event for north east paddlers looking to meet up with friends, take some classes, check out some gear and kick off the spring paddling season.  See you there!

ARE YOU READY!! Werner Paddles announces it's 2010 Event schedule.

Stand Up Paddlers sea kayakers, White Water boaters, Canoeists, Recreational Paddlers, Rafters and KayakFisher People, this is your call to action.  On behalf of the entire team at Werner Paddles we invite you to join us around the world at the multitude of great paddling events we are supporting in 2010. 

 
 Check out our Events page at Go Paddling for a complete list of all the events we will be attending in 2010.  Getting it kicked off on February 8th will be our South East rep, Mette Mosquera, as the guest of honor at the Tampa Bay Sea Kayakers "Paddle Prescription Party," hosted by Bill Jacksons in Florida. 

Along with Go Paddling, keep up with the Werner Paddles Blog as we give you information and updates on events coming to your town each week.  We have a highly respected group of paddlers on our staff, whether it be our reps, tech reps, or team paddlers you will be sure to have a great time and learn something new when you stop by the Werner booth to say hello. 

So no matter what you paddle or where you paddle it, we look forward to seeing you on the water in 2010.
 

Werner Paddles: Voted 2nd Best Company To Do Business With For The Second Year In A Row

Werner Paddles     was voted the second best company to do business in the Outdoor Industry, in the 2009 SNEWS Outdoor Retailer Dealer Survey.  The survey appears in the Winter 2010 issue of SNEWS magazine and full results will be posted on line February 1, 2010.

Werner captured the number two position for the second year in a row after moving up two places, from number four, in the same survey in 2007.  “It is such a great honor to be named in top positions three years in a row.  This is especially important to us, in that it is our dealers who cast the votes.  It takes our entire team; great product design, quality production, on time delivery, and our sales, service and marketing teams focusing on helping our dealers sell through.  These seem like basic concepts, but it is our area of focus”, says Jim Miller    , Werner’s Marketing Manager.

The SNEWS full survey lists the best and worst vendors to do business with.  Werner landed right behind The North Face who took the number one "Best Supplier To Do Business With" position.

"We look forward to working in partnership with our dealers in the coming season. Our service really is a margin builder and a reason we repeatedly get recognized by our dealers,” says Miller.

To get the full results you will need to be an All Access SNEWS subscriber. You can login to view the results or subscribe by visiting the SNEWS site.

Part Two. 3 Werner-migos Stand Up in Puerto Rico

It has been a crazy two weeks for the team at Werner Paddles and it created a slow down in getting all the photos from the 3 Werner-migos stand up trip to Puerto Rico.  Fresh off the plane we met up with the crew for the Surf Expo show in Orlando and it has just been go, go, go.  Here are some more pics we just pulled together from Bruce's camera.

Jobos is reef break but plenty deep with plenty of  sand mixed in, real mellow.  There are so many places to take off you can leave the main point the "heavies" and still get tons of waves.  Hard to tell from the deck but it was chest to head high this day, you can see how clean it was!

 This rental car was SO bad!  So we just beat it down, the roof was just a bit tweaked.  (If any of you work for a rental car place keep it zipped!)

Jim was so afraid we were gonna ditch his ass , he stayed close to the boards at all times.

Jet Blue was so SICK!  Best airline I ever flew, way easy and cheap to fly with boards.  Thanks to Dakine for making killer SUP bags. 

It's hard to shoot surf unless you have the killer lens, plus we were having to much fun to even take the cameras out.  One of two shots of us paddling, Danny heading back out at Little Malibus.  The board is a Surftech, Gerry Lopex "Surf Music" and it was the goods!  78" Werner Nitro paddle.

Hope you all enjoyed, now get out there and have your own tropical stand up adventure.

3 Werner-migos Stand up in Puerto Rico.

(words by Danny Mongno. Photos by Jim Miller.)

Far and away the best part of my job is that I work with my friends and that says a lot considering how many great things there are about working at Werner Paddles.  So when the plans to stand up paddle in Puerto Rico this winter with Bruce Furrer and Jim Miller were finally laid down, when the boards were loaded on the plane and the first cocktail was ordered, I knew it was going to be a great trip.

We certainly wanted some good surf, no doubt, but the last thing we wanted was to be stressing on vacation.  One of the Atlantic's surf meccas, the North Coast of PR can dish up whatever you are looking for, need a gut check they got plenty of that trust me.  Luckily with the help of the best surf/SUP shops on the Island, Beach Cats, Aquatica Dive and Surf and Mar Azul, we found what we wanted, perfect stomach to head high glass.  We stayed at The Ocean Front at Jobos Beach and surfed some there and depending on the wind and swell directions also travelled to Wilderness, about 15 minutes and down to Little Malibus in Rincon, about 45.  (Check out the map provided by Mar Azul to get a lay of the land.)

 
We all agreed the key to good SUP surf trip is to avoid the heavily surfed, localized spots and Jobos is great for that and really consistent.  The folks at the Ocean Front were awesome, the rooms were clean and affordable and the food was authentic.  Thank you to all the friendly staff, especially Javier and Leo, our drinking and life advisors at the open air bar.  Now if you want to be closer to the surf city of Rincon, Bunger Surf Shop on Long Island NY has a sick hotel walking distance to Sandy Beach, Antonios and Marias and a short drive to Tres Palmas and our favorite Little Malibus.  A right hand point break with an easy paddle out through the harbor it was a great place to hide from the wind and catch some killer waves.  The water was crystal clear and super warm, however we all at one time or another had wished there was a bit more of it between our fins and the razor sharp reef.

If you are just looking to get some sun and see the gorgeous coral reefs and abundant aquatic life from your stand up board, both Bobby at Mar Azul and Jose at Aquatica had some killer touring options as well.  In the end we all felt Puerto Rico was a really easy, laid back winter vacation spot.  You know we have Dan Gavere, Nikki Gregg and Kainoa Beaupre on our team to charge the big stuff.  The 3 Werner-migos however were just looking to take in the Island vibe, catch some fun waves and enjoy stand up for what it is.  So if you are looking to get out of the cold for a bit there are plenty of SUP opportunities with the dealers we mentioned, from San Juan to Rincon and some great places to paddle.  Sadly I will report the rum reserves took a serious hit but I am sure they will be back at full strength when you arrive! 

 

Please send a comment to this Blog, attention Jim, and tell him why you should be our staff photographer on our next trip, we had too much fun to even take the cameras out!

Werner Paddles Gets Kudos at Surf Expo

Here is a link to a great post from Kevin O’Brien at Kalavida Sports in BC’s Okanagan. They have a really cool site that explains the basics of SUPing.  They are off to a great start at creating a community for SUP in BC. 

Kevin outlines some of the "Best In Show" from last weeks Surf Expo trade show in Orlando Florida, with kudos to Werner Paddles for best use of the new demo pool and most innovative paddle (3-piece Adjustable).  Dan Gavere and Danny Mongno rocked the microphone, while team athletes Nikki Gregg, Kainoa Beaupre were joined by first time paddlers in the demo pool.

Werner Paddles At Surf Expo

The Werner Paddles Sales and Marketing team are at Surf Expo this week in Orlando Florida. This is a great gathering of manufacturers and retailers for the surf industry on the east coast.  SUPing continues to draw interest.

Dan Gavere and Kainoa Beaupre are hereto share their stoke.
 

Palapas Ventana to Host SUP Paddle Royal Race

Palapas Ventana is the newest and most unique resort in La Ventana Bay in the Sea of Cortez, Baja Mexico. Located just 35 minutes southeast of La Paz between La Ventana and El Sargento you will find why Tim and Karon Hatler, the owners, chose this beautiful spot with incredible turquoise water, amazing sunrises and sunsets, and perfect temperatures. Join them to experience the natural beauty of the Sea of Cortez, friendly Mexican culture, foods with unforgettable flavors, and a time to just “be in the moment”.

Palapas Ventana is hosting the Paddle Royale Race January 17-24, 2010. It is part of a larger event called the La Ventana Kite & SUP Expo. With a chance to win a new 10'10" GMAC SUP board from Isle Surfboards. The SUP race consists of an island crossing; 11 miles on stock boards 12'6" or less - all competitors must ride race pangas with their one board of choice to Cerralvo Island - no rudders or keels, or dagger boards, kites, sails or motors.  Or you can choose the 2 mile race classes for under 12'6" inches and over 12'6"  or the 1 mile race classes for under 12'6" inches and over 12'6." Register now for this great event.

Happy Holidays From Werner Paddles

I want to take this opportunity to say Happy Holidays from everyone that brings you Werner Paddles.  We are happy to be producing the best paddles in the world from our factory in Sultan Washington, USA. We have closed down the factory until January 04, 2010. So please be patient if you are trying to contact us.  We are likely to be ending this year and starting the new one by paddling.

What are your holiday paddling plans? 

Polar Bear Paddle Benefits Toys For Tots

Just got an email from Cory Davis of the WATERMAN Gulf Coast Club.  He wants a big turn out for this benefit SUP event. Check it out....

This will be a fun event. The SUP relay will definitely be something to witness. There will also be a SUP trick competition, prizes for best SUP trick, and best wipeout!

Event is December 12th from noon to 3:00. Harry T's in Destin Florida is our check in point. The event is free, if you bring a toy for a boy and a girl, you will get a raffle ticket with a chance to win a SUP paddle, and the 2009 Polar Bear Paddle T-shirt. Tons of other prizes during all the events. Bring the family and friends, the colder the weather the better!

We will event have Santa Claus during the Post PBP Party upstairs at Harry T's! Raffle and prizes awarded at the post paddle party after the event.

Spread the word, and get out there and get your toys and get ready to paddle!