above, Tyler in Corsica sporting his new Greenjacket

With the large numbers of paddlers gathered in Corsica it is no wonder the locals and tourism board of Corsica took notice. This year the largest amount of kayakers were recorded paddling on the island in history. To help the cause of introducing more Corsica inhabitants of the value of kayaking tourism the National newspaper COUSE MATIN showcased a very large article in the news print. Of course I managed to claim the front cover of the paper, which impressed my mother as well as all the kayakers gathered on the island and hopefully left a kayaking imprint on Corsica.

Tyler Curtis

check out more photos of Tyler’s trip on the Corsica Gallery

If you are a whitewater paddler and own an Ipod or computer then you should really check out the In Between Swims podcast. This installment dubbed “Back to the Core” features an Interview with Astral’s founder and president Philip Curry, where Philip talks about what it was like to sell Lotus to Patagonia, Coast Guard PFD certification, and the future of PFD’s.  Also on this issue Immersion Research’s John Weld swims The Potomac’s Horseshoe and Shane Benedict joins from Zwick’s on the Green River to talk boofing.

Listen to the BACK TO THE CORE MP3

learn more about this podcast at the In Between Swims Homepage

or get the In Between Swims Itunes Download

If you have had the chance to paddle with the V-Eight then you will undoubtedly know the benefits of this breathable lifejacket. It greatly reduces that clammy feeling you get on a hot day of boating. On top of that its lightweight, low profile, and made from the best raw materials available. The good people of Canoe and Kayak Magazine got their hands on it for the 09 Buyer’s Guide, and selected it as “The Chosen One” for 2009 PFD’s. Here’s a preview (click image for larger photo):

Paddler Magazine’s editorial intern Melina Coogan recently put the V-Eight under her microscope.

Check out this review of the world’s first breathable PFD: The Aerated Lifejacket

This spring Astral has had some lovin’ in a few print publications. With the release of the new V-Eight, the world’s first breathable PFD, we had a spot in the June issue of Popular Science Magazine under the “What’s New” column. We really enjoyed thumbing through this mag and reading about all the new inventions. Check out the cover featuring the “Uno,” a 40 MPH electric Unicylcle!

(Click images below to view larger size)

Next up is this years Colorado Kayak Supply catalog where we collaborated to feature the new “State of the Art” ad. It features Tyler Curtis running a really nice waterfall on the Lower Rauma River in Norway. This one came our really beautiful thanks to the photography of Mariann Saether and the graphic design skills of CKS’ Heather Gorby.

Last up our friends from Canoe and Kayak’s Whitewater Magazine featured a trip report from this fall’s SWA trip to Ecuador. Thanks to Kate Stepan for writing a really good article about the trip and to Chris Menges for providing some great photography of Darcy and Bryan sporting their Aquavest 300′s on the Rio Jondachi.