H e r e h o m e b i o s i t i n e r a r yNEW r e c e n t l y o n g o i n g b u i l d i n g f i t t i n g S O F W o r k s h o p sNEW v i d e o Q A J A Q P I X Y O G A P I X 2 0 0 7 g r e e t i n g ! O f S p e c i a l N o t e Q a a n n a t K a t t u f f i a t Q a j a q U S A H a r v e y G o l d e n ' s T r a d i t i o n a l A r c t i c S k i n b o a t s W a l d e n Q a j a q S o c i e t y S e n d T h e m T o G r e e n l a n d

B I O S Photo by John Madere, © 2005 We, Cheri and Turner, are sole partners in Kayak Ways llc, a venture based on the notion that the traditional kayaking skills and tools of the Inuit seal catchers offer valuable lessons for the modern day recreational kayaker. And that the best way to develop effective means of teaching these techniques is to do it, as opposed to talking about doing it! In the last three years, we have traveled far and wide, as far away as New Zealand, sharing what we know with other paddlers of widely differing backgrounds, and we have grown as mentors through these many experiences. A paddler for 18 years, Cheri has taught Greenland-style kayaking for four years at several national kayaking symposia, including Sea Kayak Georgia BCU Week, Sweetwater BCU Week, RI Rough Water Symposium, Delmarva Paddlers Retreat, TAKS Traditional Watercraft Symposium, Hudson River Greenland Festival, Michigan Training Camp, Mystic Seaport Arctic Boat Weekend, Barrier Island Sea Kayak Symposium, and Vermont BCU Week. Cheri competed in the Greenland National Kayaking Championships in both 2004 and 2005, in events ranging from rolling to individual and relay races, winning a dozen gold medals. She has won several rolling competitions in the United States and is widely regarded as one of the best Greenland-style kayak rollers in the world. She has offered demonstrations of Greenlandic kayaking techniques to many groups across the country, and she has given many presentations relating to Greenlandic kayak technique and Greenlandic culture. Cheri is the founder of Send Them to Greenland, a non-profit organization established to support cross-cultural ties between North Americans and Greenlanders interested in the preservation of Greenlandic kayaking skills. Cheri is an active member of QajaqUSA, the USA chapter of Qaannat Kattuffiat, Qajaq Sisimiut, a Greenland chapter of the same organization, Walden Qajaq Society, as well as an active member of Connyak, a large New England kayaking club. She holds a 4 star British Canoe Union award. She is also a talented yoga instructor, offering targeted yoga for paddlers sessions, both private, and at several kayaking events a year. She is also sole proprietor of a small business in Wallingford, CT. A skinny sticker for 10 years, and one of those rare paddlers outside of Greenland who began paddling with same, Turner Wilson has taught Greenland-style kayaking for 6 years, at several national kayaking symposia, including Sea Kayak Georgia BCU Week, Sweetwater BCU Week, RI Rough Water Symposium, Delmarva Paddlers Retreat, TAKS Traditional Watercraft Symposium, Hudson River Greenland Festival, Michigan Training Camp, Mystic Seaport Arctic Boat Weekend, Barrier Island Sea Kayak Symposium, the Wooden Boat Show, Vermont BCU Week, and SSTIKS. Turner competed in the Greenland National Kayaking Championships in July of 2005, in events ranging from rolling to individual and relay races, winning 6 gold medals. He has demonstrated Greenlandic kayaking techniques from Maine to California to New Zealand. Turner has also judged several rolling competitions, always with the idea that spectators can learn just as much as the participants. He has presented several talks relating to Greenlandic kayak technique and Greenlandic culture, as well as skin on frame kayak construction, to particpants of events across the country and beyond. With previous careers in art, woodworking, and design/build residential architecture as background, Turner now builds custom to you Greenland-style skin on frame qajaq, paatit (greenland paddles), and norsaq (rolling sticks), to order, and provides workshops for the same purpose to individuals and groups. Turner is co-founder of the notorious Walden Qajaq Society, otherwise known as Pond Scum. He is a member QajaqUSA, the USA chapter of Qaannat Kattuffiat. He is also a proud club member of Qajaq Sisimiut, a Greenlandic chapter of Qaannat Kattuffiat, He serves on the board of Send Them to Greenland, and is also a member of Connyak. In his sleepless moments, Turner is the webmaster of this website, the Send Them to Greenland Website, and the Walden Qajaq Society website. Cheri and Turner rejoice in the successes of their respective children. Cheri's Josh, 21, is poised to finish at Baran Institute this March, not a moment too soon. Cheri's nephew Noah is one of the youngest Greenland Style kayakers, age 6, in the USA. Turner beams at the mere mention of Rachel, who is graduating from Georgetown Law School in April, and Ely, working as a programmer for Dana Farber Cancer Institute, as well as this Spring finishing his dual BA in Computer Science and Economics. In what little spare time we have, we are both always looking for the next good book, both have active yoga practices, and we paddle and surf the New England coast, and beyond, as often as our days permit. ALL material on this site © Kayak Ways, LLC, 2005-2008 unless otherwise noted. ALL rights reserved. Comments? Questions? Send mail to: h2o@kayakways.net G o T o p !