Green Paddler

This book on paddlesports details using kayaks and other small boats with an eye to environmental sensibility and affordable recreation. In Green Paddler, author Paula Johanson reprises her short articles from Kayak Yak website and brings new insights & humour to the time she spends on the water.

"Superb! What a fantastic read for a Monday morning." -Pearly on AdvancedElements kayaking forum

As a teenager, Paula learned kayaking and canoeing. After a sudden hearing loss took her sense of balance, she returned to paddling for fitness and vestibular improvement. Finding a calming oasis of nature in cities is a bonus! Whether she's at home on a west coast island or travelling in Canada to promote her writing, her kayaks make it possible for this stocky little woman to haul her own gear so she can paddle in harbours, lakes, and rivers. Though she doesn't own a car or a couch, her "Affordable Fleet" of kayaks includes folding inflatable kayaks from AdvancedElements, as well as wheels for a Necky Eliza sea kayak and an old Pamlico to loan to beginners. "With the finely-honed body of a freelance writer, I turn heads as I bring my inflatable kayaks on buses, trains, and airplanes, or wheel my sea kayak along a road," she says. "…but it's the kayaks that get all the attention."

Doublejoy Books is thrilled to release this practical discussion of using small boats. The enjoyment of kayaking shows on every page as paddler Paula Johanson talks about how it feels to get out on the water, even when one is not a hard-body Olympian. Green Paddler is the author's forty-fourth nonfiction book, and her confidence is clear whether she welcomes the reader to paddlesports or environmental concerns.

"Paula's experience as a professional writer shows when writing about her prime leisure time activity, kayaking. I find myself smiling at Paula's clever descriptions of the places that she's paddled and her humorous observations about the people around her. Paula's words paint a clear picture of the places she's paddling so I can imagine being there alongside her." - Justine Curgenven, award-winning adventure filmmaker and expedition kayaker

"Great posts! It makes me want to get out on the water." -Lakejumper on AdvancedElements kayaking forum