The Brahmaputra enters India in the far eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh after traveling hundreds of miles across Tibet as the Tsangpo from its birthplace near the holy lake of Mansarovar. It is one of the world's largest, on a scale with the Indus, Mississippi, and the Nile.
One of the great rivers of Asia, the Brahmaputra commences its 3,000-km journey to the Bay of Bengal from the slopes of Kailash in western Tibet. As Tibet's great river, the Tsangpo, transverses east across the high-altitude Tibetan plateau north of the Great Himalayan Range, carving out myriad channels and sandbanks on its way. As it tumbles from the Himalayan heights towards the plains of the subcontinent it twists back on itself, cutting a deep and still unnavigated gorge, until finally turning south it emerges in Arunachal Pradesh as the Dihong. Just beyond Pasighat, it meets the Dibang and Lohit where it finally becomes the Brahmaputra.
It runs through dense forests and tribal settlements. Rafting trips starts in a place called Tuting, so remote that we have to reach there via helicopter ride! A seldom-run river, the Brahmputra offers beautiful scenery, excellent big white water and great wild life in a less-visited corner of the sub-continent. After having big fun and adventure, you finish our rafting at Passighat. The Brahamputra has its source at holy Mount Kailash Mansarover in Tibet, traverses the entire Tibetan plateau, and then makes its great bend into India, cutting into the Himalaya the deepest gorge in the world, a canyon which has as yet eluded all attempts at exploration.
The various adventurous sports held in the Bharmaputra river has helped the India's poor high-end adventure reputation to be changed. The experienced crew of rafters and kayakers have put together a rafting expedition down the mighty Brahmaputra. Aimed at putting India on the international white water map, 180-km stretch of the Brahmaputra will mark the first non-military expedition on the river and the first commercial foray in the politically sensitive region.
Read more...
Sep 15, 2008
Brahmaputra River Puts India On The International White Water Map
Jul 11, 2008
Home To India’s First National Sailing Club: Bhopal, The City Of Lakes!
Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, is a fascinating amalgam of scenic beauty, old historic culture and modern urban planning.
If you are exploring boating destinations within the country, make sure you hit bullseye Bhopal! 
Famous for its lakes, in-fact christened as "Lake City", it has a number of lakes but is basically famous for its lower lake and upper lake. The two lakes of Bhopal still dominate the city, and are indeed its nucleus.
Bordered along their shores stand silent sentinels that testify to the growth of the city. Bhopal today presents a multi-faceted profile; the old city with its marketplaces and fine old mosques and palaces still bears the aristocratic imprint of its former rulers, among them the succession of powerful Begums who ruled Bhopal from 1819 to 1926.
Equally impressive is the new city with its verdant, exquisitely laid out parks and gardens, broad avenues and streamlined modern edifices. It is greener and cleaner than most cities in the country.
Having so many lakes, Bhopal naturally posses one of the best boating facilities in the country, Boat Clubs at both lower and upper lake are the centre of attraction and one can easily take a pleasure ride in cool cozy environs. In the vicinity of the Upper Lake, is the boat club run by MP Tourism with a large fleet of boats –Cruise Boats, rowboats, pedal boats, sailboats and motorboats. So take your pick and spend a while boating on the placid waters of the lake. 
Bhopal is also coming up as a center of adventure sports. Trekking camps are being organized by Youth Hostels and other private. The government has also established India's first National Sailing Club at the Boat Club, in the Upper Lake. This club offers various water sports such as kayaking, canoeing, rafting, water skiing, parasailing etc. Since its inception, it has hosted Canoeing and Kayaking Championships at national as well as international levels. Other adventure sports include parasailing, paragliding, hot air ballooning etc.
June, July and August are the best months to visit Bhopal. With the monsoons setting in, the light drizzles and the greenery make for a perfect scenic journey.
May 19, 2008
Set Sail To Narnia : Yachting In Neverland!
'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian' was shot in various locations, out of which one happens to be New Zealand. If you are wondering the exact spot of Narnia, it was at the Cathedral Cove.
This summer… the time has come … to journey back … to Narnia!
Accessible only on foot or by boat, famous Cathedral Cove is one of the “must visit” sites on the Coromandel Peninsula. Cathedral Cove Marine Reserve, covers 9 square kilometres and is New Zealand’s sixth marine reserve. It is administered by the Department of Conservation. This site was chosen for a marine reserve because of the rich and varied habitats associated with the coastline and outlying islands.
Reefs of hard rock, soft sediments, intricate caves and underwater arches provide homes for complex communities of plants, crustaceans, molluscs and fish. Sheltered from the worst of the southerly winds, it gives visitors an opportunity to learn from and enjoy an un-spoilt marine environment.
Kayaking is backpacking on the sea. No rush, no noise, just you and nature at its best. Paddle through amazing sea caves, explore offshore islands, snorkel the marine reserve & enjoy a cappuccino at exclusive Cathedral Cove beachfront cafés.
When conditions & tides allow, have the option of paddling spectacular volcanic remains rarely seen by other travelers. Littered with caves, tunnels & blowholes, be are amazed every time you kayak this stretch of coast... And find yourself exploring Neverland!
Read more...
Apr 30, 2008
Airborne ! Make Your Boat Fly On Water
What if your boat could ride the waves... and ride the winds too? A Hydrofoil is a boat with wing-like foils mounted on struts below the hull. As the craft increases its speed the hydrofoils develop enough lift for the boat to become foilborne - i.e. to raise the hull up and out of the water. Purpose Of The Hydrofoil
There are many purposes for hydrofoils. The main reason people install hydrofoils onto their watercraft is to decrease the drag of the boat as it travels through the water. By decreasing the drag, the watercraft is able to travel at higher speeds while burning less fuel. This makes use of the watercraft much more economical and provides a smoother, more comfortable ride because the watercraft rides above the reach of most of the waves. ig
Another reason to use hydrofoils is because they are fun. When used on sail boats, hydrofoils can increase the top speed by quite a bit. Once the hull of the sail boat is out the the water the drag from the water is much less. Simply explained, there is less surface area "rubbing" on the water to slow the boat down. This means that even with gentle winds, a small boat can really get moving.
How Do Hydrofoils Work?
Most hydrofoils lift the watercraft that they are supporting in the same way that airplane wings keep the plane supported in the air. With enough lift on the water foils, the hull of the watercraft is lifted out of the water. Foils create lift when the water traveling over the top surface of the foil goes faster than the water traveling over the bottom.
Most foils are positioned from parallel to the hull to 5 degrees up. They are angled from side to side to allow a portion of the foil to come out of the water as the boat rises, thus allowing the boat to maintain stability by keeping a portion of the foils in submerged in the water.
The main reason that hydrofoils work is because of Newton's Third Law:
for every action force there is an equal and opposite reaction force.
In layman's terms, this means that for every unit of force that the hydrofoil is pushing down on the water, the water is pushing back with the same force. This resistive force is what supports the weight of the watercraft on the hydrofoil.
Hydrofoils are now being applied in multiple marine applications. Surfers have Surfboards with hydrofoils, better suited for big waves further out to sea, so do Sailboats, Kayaks, Aqua-scooters and lots more.
To understand this better follow the links below. These will lead you to videos of how a hydrofoil works on a sailboat, surfboard, aqua-scooty and kayaks. Hope you enjoy... as you watch them fly!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQbECYuCzWs&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FXuBkAVU6g&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvFkqs-saB8
Mar 13, 2008
The Award Winning NAPALI Kayaks: Designing Adventure !
Clarity is its core, intelligent design its gift. It is not without a cause that the Museum of Modern Art in NYC decided to feature the Napali Kayak as a permanent piece of exhibition. The Napali is supported by a high-tech, durable and corrosion-resistant internal Carbon Kevlar frame system that comes equipped with a transparent military-grade Urethane skin, keeping the weight at a minimum. The leading-edge innovation allows the kayak to fold up small enough to fit into a hiking backpack, yet still offer the endless possibilities for discovery that transparent kayaks give. This makes the Napali the ideal kayak for long-distance touring, backcountry kayaking and vacational travels that require easy transport. AWARDS The Napali is an unrivaled blend of function and style. Voted by Fortune magazine as the top outdoor product of the year 2003 and by Time magazine as one of the coolest inventions of 2003, it was also nominated for the prestigious SGMA award ‘Sports Product of the Year 2004’, the Academy Award of the sporting goods industry. The STATISTICS: Length Width Weight Capacity Material 4 m 56 cm 12 kg 136 kg PVC And in case you were wondering how the Napali is built here are the pieces. It takes around 30 to 40 minutes to put together and fits into a biggish suitcase. Let the Adventure begin!
Come experience a new exhilarating way of kayaking – endorphines guaranteed. The Napali is not only the sole transparent foldable kayak in the world; it is also among the very lightest… 
Feb 28, 2008
Clear Blue Hawaii Kayaks : Pure Elegance !
Imagine a Kayak built out of durable polycarbonate material used in the production of bulletproof glass and fighter jet canopies! Sounds insane?
The Molokini is an all-transparent two-passenger kayak. Paddling a Clear Blue Hawaii kayak is unlike anything you've ever imagined. Whether you're in search of the pink dolphins in the Amazon Basin or exploring the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, now see the world from a different view! Catch this beauty on display at the Samira Mumbai International Boat Show, 2008 at the BKC…
The simple purity of the Molokini's powerful transparent hull has an irresistible beauty. The Aluminum internal frame and the timeless, no-frills shapes of the Molokini accessories create a sportive and modern effect. Classical exclusivity is conveyed by the sleek curves and brilliant transparency. Sportive seats designed for comfort not only make for a pleasant trip, but also meet your demands for quality and style.
This model is recommend for areas that experience calm ocean conditions. New retractable skeg system included in the standard version improves tracking, a feature especially convenient for long distance paddling. If purchased additionally, the new optional outrigger system improves stability when in choppier waters and renders flipping practically impossible.
Unparalleled material durability, weather ability and impact resistance are among the Molokini's advantages. Impact resistancy tests have included intense crashing against rocky shorelines, 20 ft drops, hammer blows and an ejection from a vehicle at 70mph. 
Tests performed on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, have proven that the visibility on a sunny day and during non-turbulent water conditions can yield views to depths of 75 ft plus for the exploration of new worlds waiting to be discovered.
Tests have included encounters with pods of dolphins, coral farms and nocturnal underwater sea life.
The Molokini, with it's dynamic design and removable frame makes stacking easy. This feature allows the user to minimize space consumption, thus making transporting and storage of multiple units easy and convenient.
WARNING - For use in calm water this is not a white water or surf kayak.
Read more...
Jan 29, 2008
Water Sports making a big Splash in India !
INDIA!! What comes in your mind when u hear it? Yes food, beauty & adventure. There is a lot to explore. On land adventure sports like cycling, rock climbing, trekking are well developed. But in the past few months it’s seen that people have started gaining interest in water sports too. There is a increase in the demand of water sport products as the number of buyers who can afford it has increased. Fiber-glass boats, scuba diving equipment, outboard engines and kayaks are flooding the Indian adventure sports market.
Yaka which is a Mumbai-based adventure sports company says it is 'working to transform access to leading brands of kayaks, kite boards and other extreme sporting equipment for a new generation of adrenaline junkies in India'. Yaka stocks the legendary Peter Lynn kites and benchmark kite boards from Underground & the world's leading kayaks from Perception and Mission which are manufactured in New Zealand. Special range of surfboards, clothing and buoyancy aids are also offered by Yaka.
Mr. Guido Bothe who is a native of Berlin & runs a company called Chinkara motors with his Indian wife Mrs. Shama Bothe. The company manufactures sport vehicles & boats. When asked about his company and the future of water sports in India this is what he had to say. ‘I've had staff with me for 10 years. We are able to manufacture products of as good a quality as abroad and we price our products from Rs.600,000 to Rs.35 million. Similar vessels made abroad cost double the amount.’
‘Much of our work goes to the minor ports coming up. Lots of people in India are also taking to water sports as a hobby. Now it is still not significant. But it will take five to 10 years for water sports to arrive in India in a big way.’
Here is what few of the firms have to offer:-
- Polycoat Electra in Ahmedabad offers outboard and diesel engines and low-cost aluminum 5 meter x 3 meter speedboats.
Ferretti Yachts offers flybridge-type fiberglass yachts with an open upper deck. Offering luxury boats, it puts on offer choice cherry heartwood, leather and wood-coating material, tilting widows and wear-proof exterior material.
- Aquasail of Mumbai produces sailing dinghies, kayaks, windsurfers, powerboats and leisure yachts & the low price tag makes it easy for everyone and anyone to own a watercraft.
- The representatives of Gulf Craft Inc. in Mumbai have been producing hand-laid fiberglass boats for 25 years.
- Other firms from Mumbai, Goa, Kerala, Chennai and elsewhere offer a range of products like rescue boats, pleasure vehicles, oil spill equipment, diving equipment, yachts, cruisers, ship-repairs, fast-attack crafts and outboard motors.
'Boating and yachting has become an industry in itself. Goa has a truly international flavour. So I thought why not organise something here,' said Mumbai-based Joseph Dias, who organised the fourth Goa International Boat Show here a week ago. Dias has been keeping up at this venture and points out that places like Miami in the US have boat shows '50 times the size of the Goa show'.
'In the next five to 10 years, we can build Goa into a hub for boat shows and the trade in India,' he said.
