Brooklyn Paddle is duly named because I live in Brooklyn, and I paddle. So, my custom 3D print paddles may be justifiably named Brooklyn Paddle. While Brooklyn may be the butt of jokes about artisanal goods, I do indeed live in walking distance to the headquarters of Makerbot, the 3D printing mecca, and the New York harbor, where I first learned to paddle.
I recently returned from Woo Downwind Outrigger Camp in Guadeloupe, a French territory in the Caribbean. I had been hoping to try out my first 3D print paddle prototype there, but due to some bizarre winter weather, my fabricator partner found it too cold to print! My blade arrived just after my return to New York City.
I am naming this blade The Brooklyn Bridge. Not only do I paddle in the East River, I have read the colossal history of the bridge by David McCullough, aptly named The Great Bridge, and I'm inspired by the engineering feats behind the famous landmark.
Paddling is a bridge between cultures, a sport that brings us together across our bodies of water. This paddle will be in the water soon. Stay tuned.