Special Guests

 Greenland Qajaq Mentor

Greg Stamer is the founder and past-president of Qajaq USA. Greg has over twenty five years  of experience using Greenland-style paddles and equipment. He credits John Heath and Greenland Champion Maligiaq Padilla as his primary mentors.

In 2000, when the Greenland Championships were offered to foreign kayakers for the first time, I jumped at the chance." Greg was invited in 2000 to attend a week-long Qaannat Kattuffiat training camp in Greenland to prepare for competition and has participated in two Greenland National Kayaking Championships, in 2000 and in 2002, winning two gold and two bronze medals. In both events Greg earned the most points in the individual rolling event for his age group and was the overall champion for his age group in 2000.

He is an annual participant in the grueling Evergreen Challenge which is a testament to the efficiency of his forward stroke 

Greg has decades of experience and knowledge which he brings to TRAQS

Greenland Qajaq Mentor

Alison is one of the most accomplished Greenland paddling mentors in the US. She successfully competed in the Greenland National Kayaking Championship in 2006. When she's not helping someone learn the joy of Greenland paddling and rolling, she is an incredible sculptor of beautiful glass artwork. 

 Greenland Qajaq Mentor 

 Tim began his kayaking career as a guide and ACA instructor at Woods & Water Ecotours in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan  when he was in college. He cut his rough water teeth on the rocky shores of Lake Superior and Lake Huron and quickly  took to Greenland style paddling. After teaching himself a majority of the traditional rolling list he was bitten by the  Greenland Rope Gymnastics bug and is now one of Qajaq USA‘s ropes gurus. In the summer of 2018 Tim traveled to  Greenland to compete in the National Qajaq Championships and has a completed vlog series about his travels. In 2021 he  completed a personal goal of a paddling expedition along the Michigan shoreline of Lake Superior and Lake Huron and  has his sights on bigger expeditions in the next few years.

 Greenland Qajaq Mentor 

Dorsey is an ACA Level 2 Instructor, She is President of the Florida Paddling Trails Association and the first female veteran and the 34th person to complete the 1,515 mile Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Trail. 

 Greenland Qajaq Mentor 

Pete Hohmann is an ACA kayak instructor and British Canoeing coach.   He has merged his experience with FreeStyle canoeing with his passion for Greenland kayaking.  He is also a rolling instructor and enjoys Greenland rolling in his Rebel Illaga kayak.   Pete lives in Cape Coral, Florida, and is active in building the Greenland kayaking community in Southwest Florida.  He is the founder and organizer of Calusa Sea Kayaker Meetup Group. He taught most of the paddlesports programs for Prince William County Parks and Recreation in Northern Virginia for 7 years, until he moved to Florida in 2019. Ask Pete about some of hid challenging kayaking trips like the length of the Chesapeake Bay or the tidal whitewater in the Bay of Fundy

  Greenland Qajaq Mentor

Ed held an L4 ACA Open Water Instructor Certification and an ACA Traditional Skills Endorsement.  Simply stated, he is a passionate Greenland kayaking devotee.  Before moving to Florida, he was the President of the Jersey Shore Sea Kayak Association, a principal kayak instructor for the Jersey Paddler, and instructor of rolling at the inaugural Garden State Sea Kayak Symposium. He has mentored at other Greenlandic events, including the Delmarva Paddlers Retreat, Hudson River Greenland Festival and TIPS. When he's not teaching, he is usually upside down in his kayak watching Manatees while he rolls. 

Power Squadron Instructor

Jim Greenhalgh is a life member and instructor with America's Boating Club (U.S. Power Squadrons) and has taught boating safety and navigation courses since 1991. He is a lifelong boater with vast experience in both sail and powerboating and is an avid sea kayaker. Jim is also a USCG-approved vessel examiner and provides courtesy vessel safety checks and education to owner/operators of vessels up to 65 ft. He is one of the original members and a past president of Tampa Bay Sea Kayakers and is a co-founder of the Kayak Adventure Group, a sea kayaking club based on Florida's west coast. Jim wrote Navigation Rules for Paddlecraft, a free booklet, and currently writes a quarterly paddling safety column called Paddle Smarts for The Ensign magazine.

Greenland Qajaq Mentor

Mike is the owner of Paradise Kayak Tours & Lessons. This includes private tours in Naples, Florida based on an adventure in the 10,000 Islands and private Kayak Lessons specializing in instructing the novice kayaker/roller. 

He has hosted and MC’d many festivals. He speaks publicly about kayaking with hopefully a bit of humor. Sometimes referred to as the “PFD Police” as he stresses the extreme  importance of life jackets, even for those who excel at paddling and swimming.

Mike is the Founder/ President Emeritus of the Paradise Coast Paddlers Club He was also a member Diana Nyad Xtreme Dream Team. His duties were to keep sharks away and ensure Diana’s safety during her swim from Havana,Cuba to Key West.  Being 50 miles out in the Florida Straits during thunderstorms at midnight with 7’to 8‘ confused seas along with 30 mph wind gusts plus lightning and his Greenland Stick!