Greetings all,

A lot has transpired since my last update, and I apologize for my lengthy absence from the world of blogging. Things are great in beautiful Dartmouth, and there are a lot of exciting things to write about.

The first thing to let you in on, was the wonderful wedding of Tamas Buday Jr. and Stephanie Bettez. It was a blast and I was so happy to have been invited and enjoy the event. Here are a few shots from the wedding.

Needless to say the wedding was a great time, and easily in the top ten nights I can recount... for sure!

Next came a wonderful outing to Hawaii. Where teamed with my fellow NT members, and the one and only Aaron Napoleon, and coach Derek Scrotter... we challenged the 72 km crossing from the island of Molokai to Waikiki. It was a challenging crossing, and we tipped a few time

s, but for the second year in a row, I wasn't shark bait. I was one of the seasick victims however.

Here are a few picks from the week in paradise.

We are now back on the water here on Lake Banook, with a great training group, and I am excited to put in some hard work. This fall I'll be looking forward to putting in some solid kilometres, and in lieu of the likely changes to the schedule for sprint canoeing, really concentrating on maintaining connection over longer periods of time. Let's call it technical endurance. I think that is likely a one of my weakest links in performance, and I am hoping to make some gains there.

Okay, without any further adieu, here is the tops of 2009 once more...

Top Performances:

1) Ladies Kayak K-4 performances at the world cups and the 4 by 200m relay team at the worlds

2) Resurgence of Dober and Willows in K-2 200m at the worlds

3) The baron Adam van Koeverden steps it up despite injury, and manages the triple crown for the first time!

4) Mark Oldershaw displays incredible depth as a threat in all distances in C-1.

5) Ladies in Canoe do amazing things at the world championships, sweeping the gold medals!

6) Young Nova Scotians make their debuts on the national team; Jason McCoombs, Adam Tenwolde, Michelle Russell and Alexa Irvin impress this season.

7) Richard Dalton continues a dominant streak in men's C-1 200m distance.

8) Bernard Irvin is brilliant in an incredible 8 thousand metre race card in Sherbrooke.

9) C4C coxes Oldershaw and Mortimer do incredible jobs in the backs of their respective war canoes.

10) Baby brother and the Prince Aaron Rublee make their debuts in Dartmouth.

Best Racing Spots in 2009:

1) Racing at home in Dartmouth

2) Molokai Hoe 2009 (team Red Snapper)

3) Sherbrooke... great venue, and fun racing

1) The Connie Lee specials... need I say more, life was great at the Pines this year.

2) The Baron boosts his "eHarmony profile" compatibility with amazing meals in Hawaii... the man is phenom in the kitchen.

3) Can never get tired of a Doner Kebab in Europe...

More lists to come with a little more thought. Thanks for reading, hope all is well in your neck of the woods, and as always keep it real.

Cheers,

Andrew

ps. the Chargers will rebound, In River I Trust!