Paddling with a Purpose: Gabriel's Story
calls a smiling figure.
After traveling the world, Gabriel and his wife moved to Finland in search of a place to settle. Together, they established their base in Korpoström, though their job takes them across the region. Their paddling business, Paddling Academy, is complemented by their involvement in performing arts through the Moving Heart initiative.
Gabriel gets back to work – carefully dragging the kayaks to the sandy shore with his wife. Today’s voyage is a two-day trip to the outer archipelago. The preparations started at 8, and the guests will arrive at 10.
A pair of swans and their offspring depart from the docks and swim into the mist.
Gabriel has a dozen kayaks. They are a colorful bunch: reds, blues, yellows. All of them have their personalities – like horses preparing for a race.
Some are slow and steady, some big, some narrow, some even a little unpredictable, wallowing in the waves. During one of their tours last summer, they – the waves – were 150 centimeters high.
Gabriel's kayak is tailor-made to fit him. It’s a pearly white color.
he says when asked what he loves most about his job.
the flowers on the rocky shoreline,
the never-before-seen routes that you can almost get lost in,
the silence,
feeling the vastness of the water when you are in a storm alone, surrounded by 2-meter waves,
He wants everyone to have the opportunity to experience this feeling of peace, even once in their life.
After a long day of the kayaks galloping in the high waves, the traveler's wet hair streaming in the wind, they set camp on a small islet.
As they were watching the sun set behind the stormy sea, the woman said:
“This might be my last time on the water – and I want to remember this moment forever”.
As the kayaks slide into the deep blue water, the journey begins.
