FTV February 11

Today will be our last day in Colombia before departing for Miami. Early this morning before liberty was granted we had to move to a different pier because of scheduling conflicts with the terminal. I do not have much planned for my last day in Colombia, I think that I will do a little shopping and try to find some good food to eat.

Kayaking trips have been popular with the Cadets while we have been in Cartagena. Two kayak trips that leave from the city are to the Mangroves and the other to Rosario Island.

Wooden canoes (kayaks) take you through the Mangroves, where you can see many of the of the plants and animals that live in the Mangrove ecosystem. Kayakers can paddle through Cartagena’s beautiful Swamp of the Virgin’s many mangrove tunnels to see some of the magnificent bird populations, fish life, iguanas, and colorful crabs that reside there.

 Another kayaking trip takes you to the Rosario Islands, which are a group of private islands off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia. Because of its beautifully intact ecosystem, the archipelago was declared a national park in 1977. The beautiful array of natural flora and fauna is very impressive.

Technology Tuesday:
How Technology has changed Kayaking

The best material for whitewater kayaking, recreational kayaking, is simply plastic. Plastic kayaks are more durable and less expensive than their composite counterparts. In many of these genres the only option to buy is a plastic boat.  For sea kayaking or kayak touring there are different material options at such as fiberglass, carbon fiber, Kevlar, and even wood kayaks. All of these will be more expensive, more delicate, lighter, faster, and less durable than a plastic kayak of the same size. Kayaks made of these materials will also feel lighter and more graceful.

The importance of plastic to the paddling and specifically kayaking industry cannot be overstated. While there have been many innovations in kayak design over the years, there has been perhaps no greater advancement in the paddling industry than the introduction of plastic rotational molded kayaks. Kayaking would not be what it is today without plastic. Indeed whole segments of the paddling market owe their existence to advent of plastic made kayaks.

Before plastic was used in boat manufacture, when people heard of paddling they thought of canoes. That were made of aluminum, plastic changed all of that.

Work in teams to design and build a canoe model out of everyday items, then test their canoe, evaluate their own results and those of other students, and present their findings to the class.