Cape Falcon Kayak celebrates another year of remaining financially solvent without having to get a real job….
…which is probably a good thing, because it seems that even ‘real jobs’ were in short supply this year. Like many of you, I was sweating pretty hard this spring when for the first time in five years my classes didn’t fill on the first day of enrollment. Capitalism was always destined to end in a screeching halt, but these days it seems that an especially virulent new breed of avaricious kleptocrats has done their best steer us all over a cliff instead. It’s tempting to blame the conservatives for screwing things up so badly but it bears in mind to consider that much of the deregulation and outsourcing that has fundamentally undermined our ability to create wealth in this country occurred during the Clinton years. Now, with a democratic supermajority our idea of heathcare reform is to fine people for not buying health insurance? The result of which will be a massive profit increase for the health care industry, whom incidentally are still reaping more than their fair share, largely due to an anti-trust law exemption that dates back to world war two! The last nine months have given us a window into how the engines of industry have purchased our democracy and contaminated our basic access to the clean information, the life blood of democracy. With climate change bearing down on us like an unlit barge in the night, it is difficult to see how we can collectively make the neccesary hard choices that will insure our survival, as a species, with these guys at the helm.
I start this years report with this heavy stuff because it needs to be said, because it is the palate upon which we paint our lives, because, despite our best efforts it is often the actions of some scumbag in a high corporate office that determines whether we are truly free to pursue life, liberty, and happieness. It’s important not to forget that in these hard economic times, the money that’s missing from our pockets didn’t dissapear, it was stolen.
It’s easy to feel helpless when some guy halfways across the planet gambles your pension fund and loses, but this is also an important lesson in the dangers of money, whenever we transfer goods and services into currency we lose control over how much value that currency carries. So often we worry about money when what we are really worried about is security. By growing our own food, living in small houses, trading goods and services directly with our neighbors, and recreating efficiently (kayaks?) we insulate ourselves from the wild fluctuations of the almighty dollar.
I used to think that the point of Cape Falcon Kayak was to provide people with the best kayaks you can build or buy, period. To that end I’ve worked hard to make skinboats that paddle every bit as good as their fiberglass progeny, but these days I’m starting to realize that what I am doing out here on the edge of the continent is building a vessel to carry an idea. In a world where more has become an unquestionable maxim, the light wooden skeleton covered with fabric is a structural metaphor. The first stories of Eskimos encountered by europeans were of a bright, happy people, despite their incredible hardships and lack of possesions. Skin-on-frame kayaking speaks to different people in different ways, but for me, this idea of more with less is the enduring legacy.
here is what I’ve been doing with less money and more time this year….
Love is free so I took it upon myself to seek out a soulmate. Whether exploring hidden rocky beaches with tiny whitewater kayaks,
or the deep mysterious canyons of Southwest Utah, Lisa has shown surprising enthusiasm toward my unconventional lifestyle.
At some point I realized that Lisa probably wouldn’t be comfortable on the couch in the house that I share with my farm-mates, so I took it upon myself to procure some free materials to build us our own place to stay on the farm.
Of course logs don’t just tow themselves downriver, so I called on a few friends.
With the help of many kayak students, some of whom I traded a class for, others volunteering a few hours here and there, all of this salvage wood was assembled into a stunning little Japanese timberframe house. There are no photos of the house, nor will there be. Anyone is welcome to come see this very special structure, but you must come see it in person.
Unlike skiing and golfing, surfing can be had at a low price, and with less people employed, that means more time to surf. (and lets face it, if your bank account is headed down the tubes, why not go surfing!)
Unlike skiing and golfing, surfing can be had at a low price, and with less people employed, that means more time to surf. (and lets face it, if your bank account is headed down the tubes, why not go surfing!)
one is left little choice but to raid davy jones locker.
The salmon were plentiful this year,
as were the crabs. The kayaks allow me and Zach to get out through the surf where the big crabs are, it’s not at all easy, but it’s worth it.
Of course the real danger always lies in our own stupidity, as in “dude, zach, take a picture of me pretending this crab is attacking my head!” ….and then the inevitable… “Fuck! get it off, get it off!” Priceless.
I’ve never seen people more excited about boiling helpless animals alive, proving that most people are secretly evil.
There are also terrestrial sources of nutrition. Ostensibly I am deer hunting, but with an extremely sparse blacktail population, I prefer to think of it as mushrooming with a rifle. I sauteed these delicious king boletes with garlic, butter, and heavy cream, and served them over pasta with fresh grated parmesiano reggiano. Mmmmm.
It’s hardly realistic to feed oneself from the wild in a world with too many people and too few wild spaces, which is why we started R-evolution Gardens Organic Farm. Ginger has done an amazing job this year of growing our farm, taking the risk to farm full-time. Even well into the fall we raise a lot of food here. I think my favorite part of teaching is bringing students here for a potluck dinner and showing them how we live, warm and cozy and well fed in our small handcrafted houses.
Mushrooms and salmon do little to satiate my thirst for kayaks though. Even with some people on unconventional payment plans, we built as many boats this year as last.
Designing new kayaks in skin-on-frame is a countinued passion, and while I am sometimes frustrated by some of the shaping challenges, I also enjoy that challenge. This prototype surfboat came tantalizingly close to being one of my new designs, and maybe it should have, but I just can’t release a boat until it’s 100%. The Rhino is a fun little boat that surfed VERY well, but I simply can’t seem to make the last 5% of it right within the confines of a skinboat. I haven’t given up, but I’m really frustrated so I’m taking a break. I learned so much from this project that I am certain I could make a really cool boat in fiberglass, but I own a farm, sheesh! I don’t have time to start building glass boats.
I’m fortunate to meet so many cool people. Every class brings new faces and talents, each of whom add to the experience, for me and each other. No other place could you find an oil tanker captain, an ex-CIA agent, a banker from Dubai, a phsyicist from Germany, a botanist, an ER doctor, an engineer, a professional dancer, a timber framer and his kids, all working together. Mark’s kids were my favorite visitors, but everyone else was a close second!
Each class offers me something unique, this year at Delmarva we built in a large octagonal room, which was a really neat setup and worked better than I would have thought, but the true surprise… a working disko ball on the ceiling! too cool.
Surfing, foraging, farming, teaching, building, meeting people, all these things make life rich and valuable, but laughter, is perhaps the best thing of all. Here the joke was on me, I was wading deep into the water to get that perfect shot when an icy flood signalled that I’d forgotten to zip up my drysuit. Mike laughed so hard he almost capsized.
It’s been a good year, hard, and a little nerve wracking at times, but aren’t all of life’s changes like that? For now the rain has stopped and I’m keen to slip into a whitewater kayak for a few hours. Whether as friends, students, or both, I hope to see you out here this year. Maybe we can go catch some crabs.
-Brian
