» Photos and Stories » The Dr. Roberta Bondar Aerius II Expedition 520

The Story of a Special Klepper Aerius II Expedition 520
The Dr. Roberta Bondar

Born in Germany, 18 Klepperstrasse, Rosenheim, to be precise, on a cold bavarian winter day, she always knew she was different.  And so did the ladies and gentlemen who sewed her skin and hull by hand and applied varnish to her frame. She is a member of a dynasty. Her ancestors, more than 100 years ago, were the first kayaks ever produced commercially. They participated in Olympics and won several medals. They crossed oceans, circumnavigated large islands and traveled on airplanes, bicycles and trains. Yes, she is a proud member of the Klepper Folding Kayak family.

With her special multi-coloured skin, made of Egyptian cotton hemp, her fine blonde frame carved out of air-dried aged Mountain ash and Baltic birch wood, dipped in three coats of premium marine varnish, her puncture resistant Hypalon hull, it was her destiny to leave Europe and to set a new standard in North America. Fully assembled at the manufacturer's to ensure all parts were in perfect harmony, she shone next to the other Klepper folding kayaks on the assembly line, a queen amongst princesses.

Like most folding kayaks arriving home in the dead of winter in Canada, when it's minus 20C outside and the snow is blowing, the two boxes that started their voyage at the Klepper manufacturer in Germany were quickly torn apart and discarded to clear the space for the living room assembly of this special folding kayak.

Two burgundy bags, one skin neatly folded in six, 20 long wooden parts, 7 wood ribs, two seats and, thank goodness, a set of instructions. Oh, yes, and the S4 upwind sail too... but that's another story!

Assembly was a charm, eased and inspired by the warmth of the wood, the smell of the cotton (or was it the smell of the hemp that went to our heads), and the beauty of the lines. Immediately, we saw in her the qualities of an adventurer: character, strength and uniqueness. Only one name seemed well suited for her: The Dr Roberta Bondar, in admiration and honour of the first Canadian woman in space, the world's first neurologist in space, and an accomplished photographer who captured on film some of the most dramatic scenery on the planet.

After receiving the approval from Dr. Bondar herself, this very special Klepper Aerius II 520 folding kayak was officially christened and received a certificate, signed from the hand of her "father", Dr. Henning Isbruch, CEO of Klepper Folding Kayak AG.

Still a few months before summer, the Dr. Roberta Bondar was packed in her two bags and stored in the closet of our one bedroom condo. OK, I must admit, we got really excited a couple of times and reassembled her in the living room. We sat there, in our kayak, reading a book and dreaming of the maiden voyage. Paddle marks on the wooden floor are the proof!

Finally, the Weather Network was forecasting a warm sunny spring Saturday. 7am, the three bags are packed in the trunk of our VW Jetta: two to carry The Dr Roberta Bondar, and the other, well, it's our lunch... of course!

We were heading to Charleston Lake. This early in the Ontario paddling season, the water is usually a bit warmer than our other favorite spot: Mattawa in the Near North. This was the beginning of an exciting summer: we traveled, folding kayak in the trunk, to Belleterre in Quebec, to the Voyageur, the Bonnechere River and the Samuel de Champlain provincial parks...

When summer leaves started to fall, we wanted to extend the season a bit. We packed the Dr. Roberta Bondar in her two bags, added a bit of extra padding to protect her from the the airline baggage handlers and took a flight to Austria. In the Salzkammergut area, we paddled the Wolfgangsee, the Attersee, the Traunsee, the Mondsee and the small, but exceptionally beautiful Grundlesee. Surrounded by extraordinary scenery, we basked under the warmth of the weak fall sun. On calm waters reflecting the snow peaks, we could hear the distant and distinct sound of bells worn by the alpine cows making their way down from the high pastures to the valley for the winter. On our last day in Austria, we repacked her for the flight back to Canada. She had traveled across the ocean without a scratch or a bruise.

Upon returning to Canada, we stored her back in the closet of our one bedroom condo and started dreaming of next trip, maybe somewhere warm to ease our mid-winter paddling craving... Baja, Costa Rica, Greece... with our Dr. Roberta Bondar, space is the last frontier.