A Mid-Winter Hoot & Holler

Wandering the hallways of big city boat & sport shows is a fine late-winter thing to do. Wafts of hot popcorn with make-believe butter, bright lights and shiny new boats with new things ’round every corner. A getaway from everyday life, stealing time to just walk and wander. In your dreamwalks, I was wondering if you could spare a quick thought before you slap your cash on the counter for that beauty boat catching your eye. There is a wee chance we might have the same boat or piece of gear sitting right here. Why give us the business? Well…we try hard, smell ok and offer competitive pricing. Our after-sale care and service has not wavered for 38 years. We do all it takes to make things right, including our 30 day no-guff return for full refund if it’s not your cup of tea. We’ll look after your boat til springtime, and get it to your doorstep for a small charge. We have top-notch paddling and camping equipment along with some of the best boats in the business – many of them Canadian built: https://www.whitesquall.com/kayak-canoe-sup/ Feel free to call anytime…705-746-4936.

All in support of Global Medic (globalmedic.ca) at the Stockey Centre in Parry Sound – tickets: https://stockeycentre.com/events/buy-tickets/ A family-friendly night away from the TV (and the Leafs) with cold beer, gourmet popcorn, homemade desserts, great films & local music. The auction and kayak give-away deserve more space, pls see below. The whole shootin’ match is for Global Medic – focussed on Turkey and Syria, along with the aftermath of widespread flooding in Pakistan and the destruction of Fiona. They truly are our conscience on the world stage while we sleep easy, tucked tight in our warm beds… Doors open at 5:30 for happy hour with films at 7pm. Sure hope you can support this annual hoot for spring sun, camping, paddling and most importantly…GLOBAL MEDIC!

ps-renting the Stockey ain’t cheap, but we’ve kept the ticket price low, hoping you’ll help us fill the joint to the rafters!

Still looking for donations for our Giant Silent Auction in support of Global Medic. You can drop off at our town shop or just tell us what it is. Could be anything – any service (well, almost!). We’ll keep adding as we go but for now, if you want to get in on the action – please check out our Facebook Event page: Paddling Film Festival & Auction in Support of Global Medic  to get your bids in.  You’ll find the items on the “discussion” tab.   Bidding will end during intermission on the evening of March 25th. It’s fun, easy and when it comes time to square up, you simply donate the amount to Global Medic, tell us and bingo bango, done deal! A time-honoured honour system that works and gets to GM directly!

Delta Kayak Giveaway:)

The great West Coast folk at Delta are hugely supporting our Film Festival fundraising this year with a $1700 Delta 12S kayak with cockpit cover (https://www.deltakayaks.com/delta-12s/) So… we’re going to give it away March 25 at the Festival and here’s the simple way you might walk away with this sports car kayak. For every $20 you donate to Global Medic (https://globalmedic.ca/donate/) tell us – [email protected] – we’ll toss your name in the hat. For eg. $60 gets your name in 3 times!

Spring boat orders are roaring in like jack the bear. See our current fleet at: https://www.whitesquall.com/kayak-canoe-sup/ and you can make an appt to have a look: [email protected] Our little town shop at 19 James in the heart of the hoot is bursting with outdoor gear and clothing and we’re open year round. I would wager we have the most stuff in the smallest space than any other outdoor shop this side of the north pole. If I’m wrong, that’s ok – been there before. Here is just a smattering of the companies we represent – Darn Tough, Outdoor Research, Marmot, North Face, MSR, Keen, Smartwool, Royal Robbins, Gear Lab, Werner, Salus, Aquabound, Grey Owl and there’s way more. [email protected] 705-746-4936

Parting Thoughts…

Time waits for no one…you’ve just given us some of yours, so thank you, we appreciate it. I’ll leave you with the last verse of words that are considered some of the finest in the world – without googling, if you can tell us the author or title, we’ll put your name in the ol’ wool toque for a pair of smartwool socks…

It matters not how strait the gate
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my soul.