tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39698045537439935172024-03-22T00:56:31.565-04:00KayakerGirlA girl, a kayak and a dream. Can an intermediate level kayaker do a two to three month long expedition trip. This year I gear up, next year I find out.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-75282073554676036762010-03-05T13:26:00.000-05:002010-03-05T13:26:00.719-05:00Baja Day 9, Feb 21<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OzFEXBmhtaBKx4rniJaK8w?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBUs8Jy2ZVZvBmaAkiFKcr7YPivhOXSZJm0tZ9Nhfw4rmkPPk1zsFvH_FrdYaItxo3f5KNjpkuIKPTEnp6gkK5mEkOduqmwz4O3ptiuZchtg0atmbPTvgnx9rPOYlfF20w7vlC5nApEu8/s288/P2211926.JPG" /></a>This morning was a very early morning. Not only did we have to get up early due to rain, but we had an early start to load up the camp for our 7:30 boat ride. The early start was more than worth it as we went out for some whale watching and were about the only people out there. We had the whales and the bay to ourselves. The whales slowly made their way into the bay and we watched then jumping and swimming along. The best was when we had a whale come right up to the boat and we were able to reach out and touch the whale. They are soft and velvety but with a rubbery feel. At first this seemed so special, but we quickly realized that the whales love to come over and socialize with the boats. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/USpY4RVb6z17RzZj9Tg7SA?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAR9SwjheYsFqv6dMSI136phEgqlxv0zGpznUbiOUTspHuBzAeQIuNphyphenhyphen4KIHT6VF9KYAz8Uhmv43e6ZGxz1s8FeDsG2sD1_ruiV3bUQjnmLEmOo_MaY7_UPmW14zgTbLxBtmtOCshyphenhyphenu0/s288/P2211935.JPG" /></a>We spend almost 2 hours out on the boat following the whales around. We had several whales swimming together likely getting to know each other for mating. Some of the whales were quite large, it was hard to judge size when they are under water but the width of their backs as they came up for air gave the impression of size relative to other whales. What a great time we had and thankfully the rain stopped so we could enjoy this opportunity to the fullest. I managed to snap some wonderful pictures and had such a great time. We then spend 3 hours driving back to La Paz, exhausted and amazed. What a magical day. A few of us managed to catch a few z's on the ride back. We are staying the night at a truly lovely bed and breakfast, El Angel Azul, near the waterfront. We repacked our stuff, trying to leave the sand behind and prepare for an long and early day of travel. We all ate out as a group, enjoying some great soft shell tacos at a small restaurant on the waterfront.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-39031150353866811512010-03-04T14:11:00.001-05:002010-03-04T14:11:00.094-05:00Baja Day 8, Feb 20<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jUCKMW4msGgpwBHcRupFvA?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwEr45N-ZGHVjbBwUjSGj4kYPEizLDy4KWqpFSRcZhuRFRj5HKB0ey9fKsLYdY_LQsYvYG2QnQZ8h7ypsLrBFfhyphenhyphenDlpEUGycLg9psIwNNfTyS2UPoyWkR9HpOaArdQaIS0WIIPBSidkC8/s288/P2201898.JPG" /></a>Since we paddled about 12 miles the day before, today was a relatively short day with only about 4 miles. We paddled to the inlet and were out on the Pacific Ocean briefly. While the inlet had been relatively calm, the Pacific Ocean was definitely less calm. The swells were much more noticeable and there would have been some good opportunities for sock gardening had the boats not been loaded and heavy. We were also quite tired from the long day of paddling yesterday and we limped into camp, collapsing gratefully on the beach. The beach we had been planning on camping on already had a group staying there. We had pressed on to the Pacific side in the hopes of a campsite but alas the Pacific side of the island was too rocky, so we backtracked a little. Luckily the beach we finally found, didn't have sand either. This gave us another opportunity to shake out more sand from our gear.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Z4p6kE6riVT63HyfHE21rw?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXbg2mvgOCCyFJ0GSAgU8ZGEwjkZfYbOT8Z_4oLBlXLCwg7stHfzOVmUy4U3sDqq3koH7oJztRb8OMaD6depRIPcuAR6TC8MAXw0ty-Ui3_m1ArNzRZ-sgqJox8Z7XCQGGkG2groPhDo/s288/P2201910.JPG" /></a>After lunch, a few of us went out again to see if we could get close to some whales. We had been seeing the plumbs of water rising from the inlet all day, frustratingly close. Heading out we saw some plumes far away at first, we even saw a whale broach. Too bad no one had a camera at the ready. Some plumes were closer the further out we got until there was a set of whales right in front of us. They were so close it was amazing. I took a bunch of pictures and managed to capture a whale tail on film as well as shoot some video as a couple passed right in front of the kayak. I really can't believe how close we managed to get to the whales. Tomorrow, although we will have an early start, there will be more whale watching from a small skiff. It should be a little easier to catch up to whales rather then padding around in kayaks, but it was a totally awesome experience.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-8346711288180764462010-03-03T15:06:00.000-05:002010-03-03T15:06:00.120-05:00Baja Day 7, Feb 19<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/S7bdQuHlVhI2GS7PlT6dFQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyX7G5Cr_gJHhiYDai-xDbPCTNlvDjN8lyUEN2MqIvXqt8AdLrj4PuYnMPdBx3DIjNhtB5mpOX6GyC8SncbtpExlBPeZanR-RQE_ZT6DcqiIKwxdRCmUt1_rpCJUCeErYkUVXbAGf3ZF0/s288/P2191887.JPG" /></a>We were back on our previous schedule of being up, packed and ready for breakfast by 8:30 this morning. Actually, due to trying to rehydrate the night before, we were up before that to take care of some overflow on the rehydration. Once on the water, we paddled down a little way and enjoyed the small lagoon with the mangrove. The mangrove had quite a few herons of differing varieties. We saw a yellow caped night heron, a blue heron, white egrets and a black caped night heron. Back out on the water, we saw a sting ray. We paddled down passed the fishing village before stopping for lunch. We did about 8 miles at the point. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1-hb11anv_piKdUTjkugzw?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgpskJoXIEx0m-gQZZz98txFRuh-6KeVnHu4yE_7DjdzrjPsPdv7hjNrTUdMUjlUDIKBYn0nvm43SA9ma4RyBav2ZrR_Jemxl0XiDpyvJxt-NRgoXj1njGwmbj7DGc8OxEcRyWS7f64_s/s288/P2201896.JPG" /></a>We opted to continue on in the hopes of getting closer to the inlet giving us a chance to kayak out onto the Pacific to do some whale watching. We did see some whales far out on the horizon and some tails but they were quite far away. It is good to see that they are moving into Magdalena Bay for the annual calving. We are camped on another sandy beach but thankfully the sand isn't nearly as fine as the sand at the last beach. We had sand in everything, even stuff we barely opened. Tonight there was no hike due to the long miles we put in on the bay today, about 10 miles. Hopefully we will have a short paddle tomorrow before setting up camp then a whale watching paddle with empty boats.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-60801393446769876262010-03-02T17:01:00.000-05:002010-03-02T17:01:00.406-05:00Baja Day 6, Feb 18<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WWKXIInGhY_xM7qRtHPfGg?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCpzX3_giaBICWmrJoloIqmyinq_0fx3GiLq1QTpNIPUTwkw18x0cdD-clwdG3WWk9diY49qvnwZCc0wmxJMrzTjX7pJ0emDlurbaa25oNEOQdVFFzSPm8R_baPMZ3Gc3T5aCU3cGRNE/s288/P2181868.JPG" /></a>Today was a fairly easy day. We had an early start from the hotel. We ate breakfast then set about loading up the van with our stuff, again leaving behind things with the hotel for storage. The drive out to the other side of the peninsula took about 3 hours, but the boat ride over to the island was quite fast. We will be on Isla Magdalena for about 3 days padding and whale watching. The island has a long sand bar on one end and a mountainous section on the other end. We are currently on the sand bar, there is not much separating us from the Pacific Ocean.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6zl1wzd_hxXc2Lw6d4cA_w?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioonJg_iF6kNNrY6AZDSbnzmVIq3E9vzBzCufdOJ82AcfrD5b-5CZll7QZkc-Mv-BYm-M5Baw8ZDUCrVf3HvomY8PABgYGU4nKmqPiS9dCVHCEWBSq_3rGjGrNialQQZdniAneNbUX-BY/s288/P2181881.JPG" /></a>Shortly after we arrived and set up camp, a few of us walked over to the Pacific side of the island. The surf was quite big and fun to watch. The beach was littered with sand dollars. We walked back over later in the evening and the surf died down as the was sun setting. We enjoyed a very nice shrimp dinner, the shrimp where huge in size. I ate about 13 of them and I am stuffed. We have been eating very well on this trip. I suspect that I will weigh more coming back then when I left. We are camped out on a fine white sand beach. It is beautiful, but with the wind, there is sand everywhere. I get the feeling we will be finding sand from this trip for years to come in our gear.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-58388970403038541782010-03-01T14:13:00.001-05:002010-03-01T16:53:32.793-05:00Baja Day 5, Feb 17<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ae40cEGSUKKJ3GRovYkllA?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_r2FGblCL3_laXxfvFiDhHQSlwb9PYtt6uMFAXTLXdHeRX5j1o6LEhmhGEDMBAXZpewerEVpV93NzWQis8BLQu0EuMIM1carozmSRuZxMBH8rAWOw3v09WiyHGdGPFIFAtr5_uBvg64/s288/P2171855.JPG" /></a>Today was a short ~2 mile paddle. Because we had paddled a little extra yesterday, we were much closer to our take out point. As such, we just had to paddle over to the next bay for our pickup back to La Paz. The conditions where very calm with barely any swell and hardly a ripple in sight. As such, we had a bit of a chance to explore the tidal zone a bit more. With the tide out some, we got some more glimpses of red crabs on the rocks, as well as fish further under the water. The rock gardens are very nice and with the calm water, getting a tandem kayak up close was no difficulty at all. The next bay over had a semi-permanent camp for tourists as well as a lone island. We enjoyed a nice lunch and piled everything up for travel back to La Paz. One pile to stay with the boats and one to go back to the hotel with us. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pUDTP0lAWc_kGokmV3QptA?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4q33tc-jne0_BimXHBYxvhEU5me20YzycbB7GiGT0f3yIOZhya6LAVvMMWttsAcQ7RzAYP3xkcJS-819cL756enVU0dFLjdLZyN51fQ5PVjZ3-7t9yQ3yjjlR1ujEiKPdb-E48g7y7Y/s288/P2171860.JPG" /></a>Back in La Paz, we unloaded the gear at one hotel then checked into another just down the street. We enjoyed a nice rest and showers at the hotel (Lorimar). Given the limited time, we tried to clean up our clothes a little with some success. Most things dried fairly well overnight. As a group we went to dinner at a restaurant just up the street. It was some nice traditional foods. A nice way to relax after several days worth of paddling. The carnival being mostly over, we hoped for a quieter nights sleep tonight. Tomorrow we head over to Magdalena Bay for the whale watching part of the trip and more kayaking. We are all excited, hoping to see whales. The season runs Jan-Mar with Feb as the calving time. The whales should be close to the bay if not already in the bay.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-43394273153972134862010-02-28T12:56:00.000-05:002010-03-01T13:01:54.798-05:00Baja Day 4, Feb 16<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cvdDAX4zwoA9UgIOaZODTw?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6zMq9GVbLE0cCAiS5qwUDw0RCoSacGCVSatq479ZbXhtXJzM_M85kC4lT19x7FPy-_-EJ6bGLUO9Sd5WtHWcMS7xXO3XtXbmVvg3x5Iz-SIhRyBmvCBUJ0z2f4rXy8tI4V_rVhRGz3Uk/s288/P2151847.JPG" /></a>We started today at 7:30 rather then 8:30 so we could go to a sea lion hangout and a bird rookery. The sea lions, being curious, came up almost immediately, before we even had a chance to tie off the kayaks. We tied the kayaks to a mooring buoy and hopped in to snorkel with them. The island is protected meaning we were not allowed to land nor get within 15 feet of the island. Snorkeling with the sea lions was quite interesting, they are so graceful in the water. They came over and gave us some playful nips, but not any real serious bites. It was disconcerting though. For the most part, it was the smaller females and juveniles that came over to inspect us. The larger males kept away and only came over to investigate later. Getting back into the kayaks was an interesting ordeal. Most of us had on too much gear for long distance paddling, so we had to remove neoprene layers, flippers, paddle jackets and other miscellaneous gear before getting into the kayak again. I had a large pile of wet gear in the cockpit with me as well as some stuff we managed to have shoved into the front hatch. Getting into the tandem was actually quite easy. Those boats, given that it was full of gear and had two people holding it, was quite stable.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/w4pydZHPj1rkOB_ox8HLdA?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRz6yzYCfbSF-lvKF4nkWQeubGnzOuHbjR175GLwY0_ir_KoI5_J5csDuPWFTBb1HUuAVYLbWmxbZpf7a38cun558lsn7XVgZOJNBo3L3vjo-sPwX3eMBnh0u_V6Pgmyk1QNbmsdW7rkM/s288/P2151852.JPG" /></a>We hopped back into the kayaks and finished circumnavigating the smaller of the two islands. On the paddle, we watched an osprey attack a bird about the same size as it, looked like a Frigate bird. It kept chasing it around. We stopped at the gap between the two islands for some lunch. The gap was beautiful and serene, the water so calm. Lunch was a very interesting take on macaroni with cheese having spices in it. We had a choice to stay put at that beach for camping or continue one more beach over. We opted to press on as this beach was more of a mud flat and the next one would afford a better sunset. <br /><br />Tonight is another clear night with good star gazing. The temperatures feel cooler tonight, so I pulled out the silk liner. I also pulled out my jacket for warmth. The paddle was flat and calm through the gap then surprisingly flat and calm back on the ocean. Normally the wind kicks up in the afternoon and causes some wind generated waves. This was not the case this time.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-21766497731329763982010-02-26T13:24:00.000-05:002010-02-26T13:24:00.357-05:00Baja Day 3, Feb 15<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_wEj7j-o1WGW152jJSLW8g?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEkIah7bN7FcY0UzZZFZ3PPca8pNyXtE6IhCSVVfmw1AulTYQICtAg6bcivx_qTzb4EggF1LAb8KBRaiZZykePlKZ4-Di8B-Imdzd_Puvvk-NJ-LRV-SjKhp3Tfo5E3DzKFPWh71R2iU/s288/P2151849.JPG" /></a>Another early start. Last night the skies were clear giving some great star gazing. Today was clear skies with just a touch of wind. The sea was quite calm most of the day with some chop before lunch. We stopped once for a snack and once for lunch before getting to tonight's campsite. We paddled about 6 miles again today. After lunch the wind picked up some as did the ocean swells. We had been seeing a fairly consistent 1-2 foot swell but after lunch it was closer to a 4 foot swell. The wind was in our face as were the swells. It was hard going and each paddle stroke forward was hard won. We were battling the wind, waves and exhaustion as we finally made our way around the headwater into the bay and into camp. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9OX1nz6O55HZP8wFeM2QtA?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1hSy_DYrt_ySIjFbkHAJzfW6jjRuHQwjyUfSqrnCwHBZaaPbvy1kdAysPKdDd8BcksczfAseqxZRlZD6baQb2u0J_pBaxI1eP5rCAU26OlbSqy0H1oRQO5M_FerXJz3KkhujkFxG89pM/s288/P2151846.JPG" /></a>The hike up was quite rocky but not as bad as yesterday's hike. There was a tricky spot but otherwise fairly level over the gain. We climbed up to view the empty inland basin then climbed up further to a plateau to see more. The views were expansive with nothing blocking out views. We headed back down before the sunset this time to avoid navigating the tricky part in the falling darkness. It was a little more difficult coming down the tricky spot then it was going up so the light was good to have. This beach has several pelicans who gave us a show diving for fish. Several even dove together, almost synchronized.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-25437287072554260182010-02-25T15:07:00.002-05:002010-02-26T11:10:43.603-05:00Baja Day 2, Feb 14<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XUcoBZ1cmta4Q5vspUlTEg?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4oxbzgJy5GRFfuqKV5aGlljwnW7sLjRQfNes3kbrFYn0ak3IhDxyE_7jL916olItdzsT-EBHuSxEBmb4rZS07Aoo0zjLqEOPgwO73dGdpfVVOo7v2V9O6_HvDvhYYHZuXh45dIy6GOSM/s288/P2141829.JPG" /></a>Happy Valentine's Day. I received a nice card this morning from my sweetie. At least this morning didn't start too early. Most everyone was up, packed and ready to load the kayaks by about 8:15ish. We enjoyed a nice breakfast of yogurt and granola.<br /><br />Loading the boats is like a Tetris puzzle. Each piece needs to fit in a certain spot and be packed down as tight as possible in order for the rest of the items to fit into their space. I had the front of the tandem kayak to load. I loaded in a small dry bag with the medical kit and Pelican dry case filling in the small spaces, then I had clothing next, pressed to fit the space. The camping gear (down mat, silk liner) went in next to the bulkhead, with the sleeping bag filling in the rest with a duffle on top. After we loaded the boats, we paddled south to the lagoon. It was just as picturesque and quiet as it looked the night before from our vantage point on the headwater. We saw some egrets, herons, and pelicans. The tide was just right (high enough) to allow us to get in and out without a portage. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xuagjAI8k6Z-PEVdhmAKpQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgejDO_DzfoCdU2gb-MMBj1QNQ57ZQvskmWH4m61wy8iNfPberPJnae6i25fstYdE3YuZM7Q6_osy2ram3XM07yZ2W-bgsxTUc-D2JvXSgpaZGe53xJsbd5NRe9eZGM76c_0QqMgZ1jKr0/s288/P2141834.JPG" /></a>Back out on the Sea of Cortez, we turned back to the north and paddled out towards the three islands we had seen from the headwater, Isla Gallina (hen, the smallest and closest), Isla Gallo (rooster, the middle island), and Isla Ballena (whale, the furthest north and whale shaped). By the time we got to camp, we had passed the last island, and had paddled about 6 miles. As expected (from the weather report), the wind picked up in the early afternoon. We made it to our next campsite but the wind was crazy to paddle against. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Akh_3MxeWSb0fKTfouHP9g?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzmmMGFPqnTtaCEc6hPulMFMTOAe55pnIE22MXG1wCrPHotuL5WMNUlfHZiknvrFNYGpXCLuQ8_q6g_3BB48kb24Sa4LsDmXWCLdAb6S8PiUHDDCTwN6QkZ7qfNGMkzsG6BR_qUyWf6zc/s288/P2141833.JPG" /></a>Tonight's campsite is very small. We are all perched on a small shelf just above the tide line which is a very small area. With the tide coming in, it is quickly becoming even smaller. We have been told we will be okay but it looks tight. We did a little snorkeling after setting up camp. A small school of fish swam just ahead of us before darting off into the depths. The hike up to the top was quite a climb but worth the views. We watched the sunset then made our way back down to enjoy supper. We had some very good star gazing with clear skies and very little light pollution.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-74583226284324377252010-02-24T22:27:00.001-05:002010-02-26T11:10:53.170-05:00Baja Day 1, Feb 13<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/VfCc-mcz31bIIAIRdO-KXg?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Fk76NeaFnuOLZW1eIEq_pCpadutj0FGozpbtXg9S_mGAd31bXVBqlAoCgZx2McQwra6ds0xaZWzETIfHEVZSqbawyF9sV2MowEju_QDgFvrqr_42ZH0AZ7d5ilR3OJcXUpyeqxL6ViE/s288/P2131783.JPG" /></a>Today was a long day. We ended up getting in quite late last night by bus from Cabo to La Paz then we found out we had over-packed and had to pare down our pile of gear. We were then up early to repack and finalize the gear. Having been told to expect much cooler weather we packed dry pants and spray tops. We also had limited space in which to pack things. Some of the things we removed where the heavier layers such as my down jacket and I had an extra pair of water shoes I left for this leg of the trip. There also wasn't any room or need for my larger day pack so that plus some food and our street clothes were repacked.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7IFE020yq5vRBXoAkxPeyQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwmdf7Tgd4SPyFv8I9pnPw2-7eO1pGiwMJ4iWQ4dspae1cLXUYegIEiczBmXZSI_67SQikGCA6iRw7t60E-mXavNmqWlP4wCWqUMEsz7Y856xrTwxdkRZQPY5SXTKE0tKTIGV914I3ao/s288/P2131799.JPG" /></a>We loaded all our gear up into the truck and went down to the outfitter to finalize sleeping bags and wet suits as needed. We also had to load up several kayaks. We are using two tandems, and three singles. The singles are from Wilderness Systems and the tandems are Amaruk's A short walk took us down to the beach were we loaded up the small skiff that was to take us over to the islands. The guides already had their kayaks over on the islands so we only had to transport three kayaks. Our group is 5 people plus 2 guides, including professional photographer <a href="http://www.kitsunekeimou.com/">Daniel Fox</a>. The boat ride over was a bit rough but otherwise pretty and scenic. We saw a couple of whales on the boat ride over. We set up camp and enjoyed a nice lunch before splitting up. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Mmwd7bN0-1hBLH5t-3banQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCW-8aReX6G5Z-m8WRX-oxltyiNk7nzxHApU9RGMMDwAHO0OndtuJy-dJ93yF9jaLP488L2SMPZWWWeGyv5XhI3iaNmGtehkUMVN9tNNjxmYtq1EzKYVa8il_NFf9edK0xHebeF5h3Mg/s288/P2131803.JPG" /></a>This leg of the trip was taking place up and around Isla Espirito Santo with a circumnavigation of Isla la Partida. Both islands were acquired through the Mexican government by the Nature Conservancy to protect this biosphere. On this leg of the trip we are to paddle, hike and snorkel around for 5 days. Since this is a delicate desert biosphere, we must reduce our impact. The ocean will be our bide and a bucket our toilet. Urinating is allowed only in the surf zone and solid waste is disposed of further out in the deeper waters. All trash is carried out. Because of the scarcity of water, water is for drinking and cooking only. So the ocean will also be our bathtub as needed. There are very few wells on the islands so water is a previous commodity on our trip.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sZLVqET7Oo3QIgEknAZlEQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDfAkoi_QyTTU8j7YL-GAfKnlrVMa1upOv6bvyGfN5_Dd4Rx9KkCtq26iW1HI2SVtjhHNu7pXdE12sGqCr9rKXtVeIRje52CZ6EbKpQa8hsr3KV3BApyU0BLO9T013Sks9N5d7iW1mBQ/s288/P2131808.JPG" /></a>We broke up into a couple of smaller groups with one person resting at camp. Several people went snorkeling while the rest of us enjoyed a 2+ hour paddle to the south. We passed a nice enclosed lagoon with mangroves. With the tide low, it is hard to gain entry into the lagoon so we continued on to the next point. Low tide had exposed some red crabs on the rocks. <br /><br />Back at camp after the paddle, we rested up before hiking to the top of the headwater to get a view of the lagoon and to watch the sunset. The lagoon had clear turquoise waters surrounded by vibrant green mangroves. We hiked down in the gathering darkness and enjoyed a nice but later supper. The skies were cloudy that night so not much start gazing was done. We had a new moon recently so not even the moon was visible. We had a little rain sprinkle down on us just after laying down to sleep so there was a flurry of activity as everyone jumped up to close up the tents, then we were down for the night, enjoying the silent calm.<br /><br />This trip was made possible by both <a href="http://www.aquapac.net/">Aquapac</a> and <a href="http://www.alaskamountainguides.com/">Alaska Mountain Guides</a>. I am grateful to Aquapac for this opportunity and Alaska Mountain Guides for a wonderful experience. Stay tuned for more posts on this trip.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-39429808992609155642010-01-29T11:25:00.004-05:002010-02-04T18:38:55.429-05:00Planning for BajaLast year in July I won a drawing for a trip for two to Baja to kayak with the whales for 6 days. I was totally excited about this because I had heard very good things about kayaking in Baja at a festival I had gone to. So now it was my turn to live the adventure and I am totally psyched. I put off the dates until this year in the hopes of using the trip as a mid-winter get away. Which means that my travel dates are fast approaching and it is now time to prepare in earnest.<br /><br />Having had time to think about the time off and the scope of the trip, KayakerBoy and myself decided to upgrade to the 10 day trip to get more out of the adventure and the time off. This does require a little more planning to make sure we have the right gear and enough of it. So far from what I have read, the day time temperatures will be warm, but the evening temperatures will be colder. It was recommended to bring a 20 F sleeping bag. It is entirely possible to go swimming during the day or enjoy a nice sunny hike, while at night wearing fleece and wind shells will probably be required. Especially for me since I get cold easily.<br /><br />The kayaking trip will be taking place on the ocean with beach side camping. While some gear will be provided, for the most part, we will have to provide our own sleeping bags, clothing, and paddling gear. A ground sheet is also highly recommended to keep the sand off the gear. Somehow I doubt that will be possible as sand has the uncanny ability to get everywhere no matter how careful I am. Case in point, I dumped out a ton of sand from my duffel, I think the only stuff in there was from pool sessions or stuff I had cleaned up from the Assateague trip. Oh well.<br /><br />As it stands, I have semi dry pants (which might be over kill), a spray jacket, neoprene top, sun top and woolen layers for layering underneath. I will have to find some hiking pants and track down a swim suit of some sort as well as figure out what sleeping bag to bring. KayakerBoy has rain pants, and a spray jacket as well as polypro layers and hiking gear. I think we will both bring our Exped Down mat simply because the Neo Air is very delicate and we would rather not pop an expensive mattress because of beach sand. Plus the kayaks should be able to handle the extra weight. Best to save the ultralight items for backpacking where the weight savings is better appreciated.<br /><br />I'll be posting a bit more detail on how we are packing and planning for this trip in a later post. Especially once we manage to hammer down what it is we really need. Stay tuned for that and a post trip summary of what worked, what didn't and what we did.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-63752528437241460062010-01-07T13:21:00.002-05:002010-01-07T13:26:38.862-05:00New Year UpdateI haven't had much of a chance to post lately. This has had a lot to due with two moves in two months, but also from the lack of time to kayak recently. I moved out to Utah and with the onset of winter and lack of paddling partners (plus not knowing the area), has lead to a lack of paddling. I hope that once the weather starts warming up that I will again be able to get out and start kayaking again. I had hopped to kayak further into the season this year having finally acquired dry pants, but alas the move put an end to that. I have been able to get in the occasional pool session and there is a wave pool in the area that I am hoping to hit at some point soon.<br /><br />I wish everyone a happy new year and hope the new year brings new challenges to keep the paddling fun and exciting. I am looking forward to going to Baja and enjoying some whale watching next month. I will definitely be posted about that trip and how it went. So stay tuned for that adventure.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-18287630917500481942009-10-04T17:18:00.001-04:002009-12-09T17:33:24.787-05:00ACA L4 Certification: Day 5<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImo9gJ8267U9lpHcQtZFvWWrrFEgLplf7EdKLQaUETDfG0pD-tvBbX0eMWzKM7LF5ag3EbhPkMf8Y6ozXgFDpoexaIy6C0ILnPJ4iTD9taEw479nBE792NMtdZlLjiPAnJeZRMQM4ETI/s1600-h/ICE-10-09-1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImo9gJ8267U9lpHcQtZFvWWrrFEgLplf7EdKLQaUETDfG0pD-tvBbX0eMWzKM7LF5ag3EbhPkMf8Y6ozXgFDpoexaIy6C0ILnPJ4iTD9taEw479nBE792NMtdZlLjiPAnJeZRMQM4ETI/s320/ICE-10-09-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413367913069496706" /></a>Today was the last day of the certification. Pretty much at this point we had demonstrated our teaching abilities and so we now had to demonstrate we could perform in the conditions. We didn't do much teaching today, in fact, it felt more like we just performed a list of tasks in various conditions. We played in the current as we were leaving the sheltered inlet then we were out on the ocean. Today was not nearly as rough or big as yesterday but we still had enough of a swell coming in creating some surfing conditions along the sea wall. <br /><br />With the sea wall giving us a hard challenge to avoid, we did some group management while doing surf landings and launching. We also had to catch a wave in and surf it. I failed horribly the first time as I thought I was supposed to surf it sideways. I did eventually catch a wave in a nice surf, but I was rather timid about it. We then did some more 360 degree turns in the surf zone. I thought I had some trouble doing this as about halfway through the turn the surf turned me back to the starting position. So I started over not even realizing it had turned me in the direction I wanted to travel, so I did two 360 degree turns in a row. Everyone thought I was showing off, I wasn't. It was scary enough doing one turn.<br /><br />We ended up portaging our kayaks back to the inlet side due to the outrushing current being so strong. Once back on the inlet side, we went back to the eddy and did some towing into the current. The fun part of this was we had to tow someone out into the current and once they hit the current, the tow-er had to capsize, release the tow and roll back up. I decided my roll wasn't confident enough so I did the extended paddle roll guaranteeing that I came back up. I had never done one before but it was nice. I have seen people using them as crutches to avoiding learning a real roll, but since I was having trouble I decided to use it. I also watched one of the guys on this event use the roll and break his paddle, I definitely didn't want to break my paddle.<br /><br />After all this, we congregated on the beach and decided to get our feedback as a group. The person receiving the feedback stood up on a cinder block and everyone said whether they were at an L4 level or not. Everyone who was there to re-certify at the L4 level got their level. A few people who were at the L3 and wanted the L4 got their L4 level. Then there were 3 of us who had no level to begin with. Of the three of us, the first guy received an L2 with distinction. In a way I was glad to see him only get the L2 as he had some problems with teaching and performing certain strokes. The other guy received an L3 with a continuation for the L4, so with a little work, he should be able to get his L4 no problem. I received my L3 with distinction and with some work should have no problems receiving my L4. I really just need to get out in big conditions a few more times to get comfortable with them. I think I also need a boat I can control better so I will feel more comfortable. <br /><br />All in all it was a great event and I feel I learned a lot from it. Someone said they tend to learn more from the certification events then they do from classes. I can see why. These are pretty intense ways to learn something and generally it is trial by fire. It was safe but definitely a learning curve.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-55583614112984960922009-10-03T19:06:00.002-04:002009-10-21T15:36:07.584-04:00ACA L4 Certification: Day 4<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIkzBeYmSHedliUqfkfzsk0fbUAB1s85IlLmVqfB7xJlS8Hi0tta29g0KR4XKqG7cVAZOFctQyhp5DHAmZO7nIsDScRtq-GzqwNKdTEp0KfFwUsjtVD4XmaQxCK-7Wi7woC2aOssiROE/s1600-h/PA031606.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIkzBeYmSHedliUqfkfzsk0fbUAB1s85IlLmVqfB7xJlS8Hi0tta29g0KR4XKqG7cVAZOFctQyhp5DHAmZO7nIsDScRtq-GzqwNKdTEp0KfFwUsjtVD4XmaQxCK-7Wi7woC2aOssiROE/s320/PA031606.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395138977112411410" /></a>Day four of five sees us gathering up at a public launch point near Assateague Island in Ocean City. I wasn't really sure what to expect and we started off the day with a little quiz. Of course I had written down the tides several days ago in pre-planning then forgot to recheck the numbers. Missed that question. I did know this was a full moon having camped out under the spot light of its glow. The launch point was relatively calm being part of the enclosed harbor. He paddled out a little ways and found a nice little area off Assateague for some on land talks. We hear about tides and how they are formed as well as an idea of what we would expect today. This talk was a very scaled down version of the one from the tides and currents class I had taken while in Maine. We walked over to the ocean side of the island to check out the surf and conditions, they were looking gnarlier then I had ever been out in. We did a warm up and stretching before hopping back in our boats.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Teaching Stokes</span><br />We broke up into two groups to teach the strokes. This worked out well for two reasons, first being that we were actually a large group today with a total of 13 people, 11 of which were instructor candidates. The second reason was to prevent bias. While I had paddled with Tom before I had never paddled with Mitch before. So he could better evaluate my skills then someone who has seen me doing better and worse. The certification only represents what you show on the certification day. I was given the task of teaching the sculling draw as the current was pushing us up against a rocky sea wall. Then as we were heading back I was given the task to teach the hanging draw. I do find that I need to do turn more when doing a full sweep to prevent getting my hand behind my shoulder.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Working with Current</span><br />It seems strange to work with current in a sea kayak, even though I know it is possible to deal with current, I have only had to deal with it in either a sluggish form, or in my whitewater boat. Today we actually had currents and eddies that were easily visible and workable. We first worked on peeling in and out of the eddy into the current. The same principle applies in the sea kayak as the white water boat, lean away from the current when peeling. We also worked on ferrying across the current and paddling up against the current. We then worked our way around the inlet moving from eddy to eddy. On the other side of the inlet we found some standing waves forming and played in them. We worked on surfing and paddling backwards. I think that paddling backwards is the bane of my sea kayaking. I can fight the boat into a semblance of control when paddling forward but because I don't sink the boat enough, I have less control when going backwards. I did manage to brute force the kayak into control but it wasn't pleasant. We then moved out across the channel and set up for lunch at the small beach.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLnvoIqNETb14BeSJO0ySPgfKG1lCzCR_XuX6YAylZDUmiBln9iAQhhkyhuHnBnxFWzRphyA3bk5vfHOGnXMkKhonGFiPr6g_wA6mg0CG5Y4yuPMwCIwNDZOHa5UEI_Y7BGgjZE9tog8/s1600-h/PA031600.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLnvoIqNETb14BeSJO0ySPgfKG1lCzCR_XuX6YAylZDUmiBln9iAQhhkyhuHnBnxFWzRphyA3bk5vfHOGnXMkKhonGFiPr6g_wA6mg0CG5Y4yuPMwCIwNDZOHa5UEI_Y7BGgjZE9tog8/s320/PA031600.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395139210649842114" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">Working with waves</span><br />With the current work out of the way we then turned our sights to the ocean. From the ocean we had about 6-8 foot ocean swells combined with the shoals and beach to give 4-6 foot waves. I had never been out in such conditions before. We paddled out to the shoals and tried to cross them. I ended up being window shaded by a particularly large wave but manage to roll back up, thankfully. Of our group, one person needed a rescue, one person did a re-entry & roll, and the last guy tried the re-entry & roll, then a cowboy entry and finally got back in unaided with a paddle float re-entry. We regrouped and left the weaker person behind, then crossed the shoals. I think this was just to see what we could do as we didn't do much except turn around and surf our way back to the guy we had left. Back in closer to shore, we worked on a checklist of items, we rolled in surf, turned our boats in circles, and did re-entries and rescues. It was a very long and extremely tiring day.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Swells</span><br />While waves are a challenge to paddle in because they can break over you and roll you, tossing you around. ocean swells are just plain tiring. The swells we encountered were quite large and were moving through the rocky sea wall, not around it. We made our way back to the inlet opening and held position while waiting for a break in the boat traffic to head back in. Paddling with the swells is tiring as it really feels like paddling up hills then kind of sliding down hill. The down hill slide being not nearly as long as the up hill slog. We held position at the mouth of the inlet when one person went over and had to bail from the kayak. A few people went to the rescue but due to our location the instructors stepped in and set up a town and we all paddled hard to get into the inlet. A brief window had opened up in the boat traffic and we took it.<br /><br />At first I was nervous about the conditions but once we got out there, I felt that they were big but I was able to handle them. I worked really hard today as my arms feel like lead and so to do my legs. I even felt I was having a good time on the way back with the ocean swells. I find that by the end of a long day like this I am extremely hungry. Due to the conditions, it is hard to eat on the go especially when being asked to tow or pivot your kayak. I think my problem is that I am not that hungry at lunch and while I try to eat enough, it seems like it never is. I might have to find a more energy dense food that doesn't fill me up. Lunch is so short we really don't have much time to digest and a full stomach isn't that comfortable for me. All in all a good day but I am left wondering if I will be too sore tomorrow to do anything.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-8572660969103274062009-10-02T18:07:00.001-04:002009-10-16T16:38:48.537-04:00ACA L4 Certification: Day 3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQPGoykNFbk43OkFL2wi0zRMqQ39TNrPoamRXMeA6Sva71LBvSp4L19YZzFoX1QkeOuFri7IHFCHyIUKVrXlNFqoDIJMsExwxY92DPRFEq2MinNc-s0X-GbLTMwhRtuD3FbqZFVg73TE/s1600-h/PA031597.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQPGoykNFbk43OkFL2wi0zRMqQ39TNrPoamRXMeA6Sva71LBvSp4L19YZzFoX1QkeOuFri7IHFCHyIUKVrXlNFqoDIJMsExwxY92DPRFEq2MinNc-s0X-GbLTMwhRtuD3FbqZFVg73TE/s320/PA031597.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393299159527581426" /></a>Today was day three of the Certification training. It was more of a assessment of skills and teaching then a training per se. We had learned all the skills on the first two days and just had to demonstrate we could do the same things on moving water. The expected conditions were about 10 kt winds, about 2-4 kts of current, or 1-2 foot breaking waves. We pretty much had all those conditions at Chesapeake Bay where we had launched. Before we launched we had a few talks that each candidate was required to give. Each talk was about 10 minutes long and had to introduce a topic, go over the basics of the topic, wrap up the topic with a summary, then challenge the listen with a little quiz. We were critiqued on how well we could teach the topic we had been given as well as how well we kept the listener engaged on the topic.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">History of Sea Kayaking</span><br />My topic was to cover the history of sea kayaking. I didn't find a ton of information on the internet and I don't own any kayaking boats so I had to get what I could from the internet. I had found that kayaking was first used by the northern native populations and was mostly or entirely used for hunting. In fact, qajaq means "hunters boat". I briefly touched on the different regions that had developed kayaking, discussing the types of materials those cultures would have on hand, mostly bone, drift wood, and skins. The kayaks were also sealed with whale fat to keep them water tight. I moved into how kayaking came to the rest of the world and the materials that it started with and how it has evolved. Kayaking is no longer just a kayak for hunting or fishing with but has been used for racing, slalom, whitewater, and freestyle to name a few. And while kayaking has become a very popular sport, being part of the olympics since the 30's, it is still in fact used to this day for transportation, farming and hunting as a way of life still. It was actually quite interesting to read up on the history of kayaking both as a sport and as a way of life.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWTcm-hfGmfrPauGNj4nqm25f1NfkqM4pXcAWQ1nnlicCx03FGByd7QljrUy6kKZLUB72JcUKTADDSkzB3umQjrnv6LqsXq1OUphdDwL3dwJUXkxW1GZSRmBic1L7IoXcwzLbgyKS0qc/s1600-h/PA021585.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWTcm-hfGmfrPauGNj4nqm25f1NfkqM4pXcAWQ1nnlicCx03FGByd7QljrUy6kKZLUB72JcUKTADDSkzB3umQjrnv6LqsXq1OUphdDwL3dwJUXkxW1GZSRmBic1L7IoXcwzLbgyKS0qc/s320/PA021585.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393298989998743650" /></a>We also heard talks about clothing to wear when on the water, which ranged from t-shirt and shorts all the way up to dry suits. We had a navigation talk as well as a talk about signaling devices. The last talk just before we got on the water was a talk about group dynamics and staying together from someone from Florida, so we heard his talk which included stuff about native Floridian animals to not worry about. It was rather humorous. <br /><br />Out on the water we mostly just did a skills check off. We moved around in boxes against, with and broach to the wind to show we would turn and handle out boats in the wind and with wind generated waves. I actually over committed to one of my strokes (the bow rudder) and went over right in front of the instructor. Luckily I rolled back up. I really have to work on my roll and outfitting as I find that I tend to fall out of the boat.<br /><br />After we were finished today we all drove over to Assateague to meet up with part of the group that was only doing the re-certification. Everyone from my group either had no certification or was going from an L3 level to an L4 level. Today was part of the instructor development workshop as well as seeing if we could perform and teach in the L3 conditions. We moved on without getting any idea if we were certified at the L3 level. A little scary when I think about the conditions we are supposed to be encountering tomorrow. They sound big.<br /><br />Today I was the only female of the group. I know there are women out there who instruct but I guess there are still fewer women going up through the ranks then men. I noticed the same thing when I was getting my 3 star sea kayaking award. I wonder how well a women's only class would work at a kayak school?Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-36085300906589826302009-10-01T18:38:00.001-04:002009-10-09T16:01:47.501-04:00ACA L4 Certification: Day 2Today was once again at Widewater and was relatively easy. This was now our turn to teach the "class" strokes with the assumption that the "class" had never learned how to paddle before. We were scored on how well we could teach the stroke, how well we could model the stroke properly and how well we could give feedback. <br /><br />Teaching<br />The teaching paradigm that we were using was a sell, show, do model. First we have to sell the stroke to the students, why do they need to learn this other then just because. Then we show then what they will be learning. After the show, we teach them how to do the stroke modeling again as needed with pointers to focus on. The goal is to try to keep that all as short as possible so they can be trying it themselves as quickly as possible. This way the people with short attention spans are working on the stroke shortly after learning it.<br /><br />Modeling<br />It is really important to be able to model the strokes accurately even when slowing them down. If you can do the stroke correctly at normally speed but incorrectly when slowing it down, it doesn't do any good to the student. Modeling isn't just a temporary situation. As long as you are in the teaching role, you are constantly modeling perfect strokes. It is very bad to give mixed messages and slumping in the kayak after telling everyone to sit up isn't very good.<br /><br />Feedback<br />The instructor had some very interesting names for the feedback sandwich. Basically you can't simply tell someone they are doing something wrong as it is frustrating and counter-productive. Rather, the best model is to praise something they are doing well, then give them some criticism and how to correct it, then more feedback on how well they are doing. By starting and ending the criticism with good stuff, they fell better about how they are progressing. <br /><br />Feedback to us<br />Some things I noticed about the other instructor candidates was one person was very verbose and actually lost me part of the way through his teaching. I hate giving feedback of that nature but it had to be said. One girl was too quick in her feedback and didn't wait to see if I was doing it correctly. In order for us to test the candidates, at one point, one person in the group would model a stroke incorrectly to see if they could pick up on it. I think this was the Instructor Trainers idea of fun and we all got into it trying to come up with good ways to screw up the stroke. Beginners are forever creative in how to do a paddle stroke once taught. Many students will turn the paddle backwards, or even hold the paddle upside down. Some will shift their hand positions making it difficult to teach them correct blade placement. It is hard to tell someone to cock their wrist when the paddle is already lined up correctly.<br /><br />Videotaping<br />One way for us to see how we are doing is through the video. We were taped today modeling the strokes we had learned plus a few others we hadn't yet learned but should know how to do, this was mostly for the three of us that where moving on to the L4 training. We also had our roll filmed as well. We watched them back at the shop. I had gone first and one of the first comments was that I not be allowed to go first again. I have been told many times that I model my strokes very nicely and the Instructor Trainer was quick to point this out, many times to everyone dismay. It was a bit embarrassing after a while. My roll was actually quite nice this time. The only comment was that I could bring the paddle in a little tighter in the sculling draw, which I thought I normally did but apparently not in this case.<br /><br />At the end of the day normally everyone has a private conference with the Instructor Trainer to learn whether they were now certified to teach and at what level. Since most of us where continuing on we didn't have the conference, just the two who were only going for the L2. Tomorrow will be out on the Chesapeake Bay in some conditions.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-61901537379690791262009-09-30T19:06:00.002-04:002009-10-09T15:38:16.269-04:00ACA L4 Certification: Day 1I ended up missing about half of the day. I was actually unable to get the full day off due to some work but I really didn't miss too much. The first part of the day was similar to the first part of the Whitewater training, basically going over how the ACA works and what they can give me as an instructor. I manage to catch up with the group at lunch time and we paddled around Widewater learning how to teach the various strokes. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Introductory Kayaker (L2)</span><br />The 6 day course is designed to take students through the various levels building up a foundation. As I have no certification in sea kayaking I need to go through the whole course. So today we started with the Instructor Development Workshop (IDW). This is where we learn how to teach, how people learn and how to teach the strokes in an effective manner. We also learn how to give effective and useful feedback. We learned how to teach the forward stroke, forward and reverse sweeps, reverse stroke, pivot maneuver and stopping.<br /><br />We were five in the class. There were two people from out of town going for their L2 certification and three people going as far as we could. We were aiming for an L4 but that isn't guaranteed. We get the award for the level we are capable of comfortably teaching and the conditions we are comfortable in. So it is possible to go through the entire training and come out with nothing, or only an L2 or go all the way and get an L4.<br /><br />Tomorrow the two going for L2 get assessed for the L2 certification and the rest of us will move on into the L3 development and certification. I was a little bored with the learning today as most of it wasn't new. Tomorrow will be a big day with some video taping as well as immersion.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-7945677212962717292009-09-14T20:00:00.003-04:002009-10-07T14:49:09.148-04:00BCU 3 Star Sea Kayak Assessment<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5YwQwRKlfZ6qmI8EcUSdYWR45GMNe4DJsrW0pMHtGk5rfSaLmhTjvJa4FzzLpKSVQFD8Wc3mXu65Ajr4rdnAoUa_G0fCUNfQQ_WVrIOmlMqVCpPZom-CNjdI6ilwsnM2qG7x-4QLxWI/s1600-h/P9141548.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5YwQwRKlfZ6qmI8EcUSdYWR45GMNe4DJsrW0pMHtGk5rfSaLmhTjvJa4FzzLpKSVQFD8Wc3mXu65Ajr4rdnAoUa_G0fCUNfQQ_WVrIOmlMqVCpPZom-CNjdI6ilwsnM2qG7x-4QLxWI/s320/P9141548.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389931685898820450" /></a>Today was the big day. After all that training and paddling I moved on to the assessment to see if I was able to paddle at a 3 star sea kayak level. Today was actually fairly calm compared to the last two days. We actually had to go out of our way to find conditions that would meet with the minimum requirements. We ended up doing a lot of rock gardens. In Maine, with the high tidal difference, there didn't really seem to be many beaches and more there were rocky outcroppings and cliff faces. With the ocean swells we worked our way in as close to the rocky walls as possible even moving through some of the rocky gaps as the swells would allow. It was quite a bit of fun. I had never had a chance to go rock gardening as there are none down here that I am aware of. With the swells moving in, the boats would get pushed close to the rocks and as the swell receded, we would move away. This turned out to be an excellent time to really work on doing hanging draws. A hanging draw is a static stroke taken to help move the kayak sideways while on the move. It really is a very cool stroke when mastered. I feel I have mastered it both in forward and reverse. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34siUKh2dOgnnRSMvi6zja8RGI7JeXWDI3GEvviyHR3t3mPGV8axR9VFw5VSR7hc1jWla3fVIfHhbArPUCmBwpgPSDFZIZNhj0QBexlj8AMDAPvyBnMIClmRJVeky6Yv993F5cV4g9so/s1600-h/P9141551.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34siUKh2dOgnnRSMvi6zja8RGI7JeXWDI3GEvviyHR3t3mPGV8axR9VFw5VSR7hc1jWla3fVIfHhbArPUCmBwpgPSDFZIZNhj0QBexlj8AMDAPvyBnMIClmRJVeky6Yv993F5cV4g9so/s320/P9141551.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389931804372380370" /></a>Today I was the only girl moving forward into the assessment. We were a group of 6 people with 3 of us having gone through the training together. It was nice to move into the assessment as a group and know we were in it together. For the most part we all did well. At one point, just to make things more challenging, I was asked to trade boats with someone who also had a Force 4. The catch was we were not allowed to get wet. Since the other guy was a little shaky on his skills, I ended up taking over. I grabbed another kayaker to help and we rafted up creating a nice stable platform allowing me to get out of my boat and him to get in before I crawled over all three boats and hopped into his. It was a pretty cool feat to do on a dynamic surface. His outfitting was a little odd with a higher seat. A few minutes later we traded back in a similar manner on as part of a tow.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXXT28rNgZIEirlmlu2xNXXByPHLadtwFv7ygj0_nhf8zEb8J7mLJUeiaLebJvVsI5D-H0vYTPoae2DLEi-Y-pYUlyP9CBvGHYfU3crPyVS-WDtXw66gDAsxgwHQujl9RPtN1s6a09O4k/s1600-h/P9141558.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXXT28rNgZIEirlmlu2xNXXByPHLadtwFv7ygj0_nhf8zEb8J7mLJUeiaLebJvVsI5D-H0vYTPoae2DLEi-Y-pYUlyP9CBvGHYfU3crPyVS-WDtXw66gDAsxgwHQujl9RPtN1s6a09O4k/s320/P9141558.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389931962886336098" /></a>Towards the end of the day, we were goofing off and playing in the rock gardens again. I went through a small gap in the rocks with no problems. The next guy through also had no problems. When I turned around to go back, the water lifted me up, turned me then drained out leaving my bow and stern up on the rocks while I was hanging head down in the water. I ended up having to exit the boat and came up laughing. I had just been part of a controlled rescue a few minutes ago and had just warmed up then here I was back in the water trying to push my boat off the rocks for another rescue. Everyone thought it was funny too, I am just sad that no one managed to get a picture.<br /><br />After all was done, we got back to Bar Harbor safely and exhausted. We opted to get our assessment as a group and 5 of us passed. We later found out that the one guy who didn't pass, had known ahead of time that he likely wouldn't and wanted to come for the training and practice. He realized after seeing us paddle that he really did need more work to get up to that skill level. The rest of us went back to the symposium site and partied a bit to celebrate. My individual comments were that I needed to pay more attention to surroundings when doing rescues (or at least designate a looker), and try to keep myself tucked in more to prevent shoulder injuries. The one piece of praise I received which was the same as yesterday was that my finesse strokes are beautiful and well done, but the strength strokes require a bit more work with timing.<br /><br />I ended up going out for supper that night with a bunch of the instructors who were still in town one more night. I knew two of the instructors from before, Alison Sigethy and Kevin Black, and had kayaked with Russell Farrow at the Mid-Atlantic Kayak Festival as well as saw his talk both at MAKF and ECCKF in the spring so it was cool to actually talk with him. I hadn't met Any Sparks before but he was pretty cool to kayak with and I feel I learned a lot with him over the two day training. The people who run the Carpe Diem Symposium, Mel and Mark, are great people and I hope I can get out there again next time. They let me shower in the bunkhouse. Nothing like a hot shower to feel human again. I hate campgrounds that have coin-operated showers.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-21158808071538669912009-09-13T20:22:00.005-04:002009-10-07T14:45:43.399-04:00BCU 3 Star Training, Day 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIxbYAEjmH55eTUi9_b9qoY0aGqUyVJW-BloEO7hfVm0DZEcMmeDqYvtkoxtij7p56l2Pbvi38sqhPdngUx3z-NGIGZWGdyrMjSCJb5pK6Lt0HH7mno2NiIqietdm-D3fCpG1nFgRysY/s1600-h/P9131538.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIxbYAEjmH55eTUi9_b9qoY0aGqUyVJW-BloEO7hfVm0DZEcMmeDqYvtkoxtij7p56l2Pbvi38sqhPdngUx3z-NGIGZWGdyrMjSCJb5pK6Lt0HH7mno2NiIqietdm-D3fCpG1nFgRysY/s320/P9131538.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389931086336199922" /></a>After a very intense day one training I think we were all expecting another heavy day of training. Today wasn't nearly as intense but we did still go over a lot of drills. This time we were able to focus a little more on navigation as we ran into some fog that lingered into the late morning. Navigation is an interesting challenge on the water. <br /><br />First, it is hard to plan a bearing and course on the fly because looking down onto a map is a really great way to wind up sea sick and sometimes even dizzy. There are devices, like the Nav-aid that are supposed to make it easier to get a bearing quickly so as to spend less time looking down. I don't have one. I think some preplanning and rafting of boats together went a long way to getting a bearing quickly and relatively accurately. Having the chart folded out to show the interested areas also helps.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLKkIYRPjTn8kGZeG-j6hyFuJztL6RgYYzf8h6wIoZgncjTKXlgPaBkVPOcg_WAHFzY3T4maIuwIwq7Tm9RPRG477pDCl-JnudkBQIKVF-aAJC24o-XCAFE-o-B2Zz1ODo1mzH-vfZbtw/s1600-h/P9131541.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLKkIYRPjTn8kGZeG-j6hyFuJztL6RgYYzf8h6wIoZgncjTKXlgPaBkVPOcg_WAHFzY3T4maIuwIwq7Tm9RPRG477pDCl-JnudkBQIKVF-aAJC24o-XCAFE-o-B2Zz1ODo1mzH-vfZbtw/s320/P9131541.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389929960799295346" /></a>Second, once we managed to plan out our route (straight line across a channel), we found that we hadn't taken the current into account. Our destination was the lower point of a small island. In order to make sure we didn't miss the island altogether, we aimed for the center of the island. This makes it easier to correctly reach our destination. The problem was we didn't account for the current in the channel, which was actually moving quite quickly and we ended up getting pushed quite badly. If the fog had been thicker, we would not have seen the island materializing in front of us. With the current in the channel, it would have been quite possible for us to be pushed right past the other end of the island. As it was, the fog was lifting as we made our way across the channel and I could see how skewed our course had become. We corrected on the fly as we could start to see where we were going.<br /><br />Lunch was a much more relaxing affair, at first. We landed on a small fishing island and enjoyed a nice lunch. We did have some fun trying to land on the extra high docks. The instructor chose the slightly lower dock and I opted to go that route too. I had some trouble levering myself up off the boat to a standing position. My knees just didn't seem to have enough strength to get me up from a seated position. Once I managed to get my butt up onto my back deck I had an easier time of it. We basically got out, walked the boats to the other side then hopped back in. The lunch spot was a rocky beach and nicely enough a picnic table. We did have to determine our precise coordinates for an "emergency" call. Our coordinates right down to the decimal seconds. Luckily we had a good chart to read off of. And at least one person who knew were to find the decimal second readings.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0WRyrrVImcDRZr0d67WUTRsyM7WzsakVuBlWyLpZCYjtVIJ8MpYxTYfcSu1Cp8J1OhPnX05pLPrtdWqYYdGeHpSl8HWhw9F3B0rmDdG1R8XgEJBtfkFTUGz266SZSGilz8wGGYWUAJE/s1600-h/P9131536.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0WRyrrVImcDRZr0d67WUTRsyM7WzsakVuBlWyLpZCYjtVIJ8MpYxTYfcSu1Cp8J1OhPnX05pLPrtdWqYYdGeHpSl8HWhw9F3B0rmDdG1R8XgEJBtfkFTUGz266SZSGilz8wGGYWUAJE/s320/P9131536.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389929437250797186" /></a>This day seemed to focus more on paddling as a whole, we did work on some skills and some rescues but I feel like we actually went somewhere today rather then paddling in small circles. The small circles were nice yesterday and I like the fact that each day was entirely different while still covering about the same material. I'm just glad I didn't have to tow as the tows were for long distances not quick little tows. Although that is likely a great way to get in shape.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-51679561557058625112009-09-12T20:43:00.005-04:002009-10-07T14:38:35.009-04:00BCU 3 Star Training, Day 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUEqGxb3URV9OGJjtKNinHlEPxVGGkRBUpf2vHzoYoCK5TsQEavI0o7ukIWUSdIy1sVkQtPZZfEG4b9u6WsecDyeUEnItn95gsvaZoSzFinh0E9fnysBC02Ty7UPzl3KiW3jbXnl-a5dE/s1600-h/P9121532.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUEqGxb3URV9OGJjtKNinHlEPxVGGkRBUpf2vHzoYoCK5TsQEavI0o7ukIWUSdIy1sVkQtPZZfEG4b9u6WsecDyeUEnItn95gsvaZoSzFinh0E9fnysBC02Ty7UPzl3KiW3jbXnl-a5dE/s320/P9121532.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389927857927682546" /></a>I wasn't sure what to expect on my first day of training for the 3 Star Sea Kayak Award. I had read that conditions needed to be at about 10-15 knots of wind, 3-5 foot seas and at least a couple of knots of current. So in my mind, I was picturing big waves, big winds AND big current. My imagination got the better of me and worked me up into a worried state. Turns out it should be at least one of those conditions and not necessarily all those conditions. Once out on the water, I realized the conditions really were not so bad. In fact I didn't think them bad at all, which is a good thing. This means I was ready for this type of water and comfortable with it. I did figure out I wasn't in very good shape in spite of all the whitewater paddling I have been doing. Time to start working on attaining so get in shape.<br /><br />I already have a membership for my whitewater L3 certification and an L3 personal achievement award through the ACA, the American Canoe Association. I wasn't sure why I wanted to get another membership and personal achievement award in the BCU system (British Canoe Union). After looking at the levels of the two systems, I realized that there are advantages to training in both systems. The ACA L3 is not quite equivalent to the 3 Star. In fact the 3 Star is a bit of a step up and is a great stepping stone in bettering myself. This way it looks like I can take smaller steps and bounce between the two systems. I had not taken any ACA training with my L3 assessment, rather I got the 3 Star training but with no conditions. My understanding is that the BCU system is focusing on the journey and leadership where the ACA system focuses on the skills to do the trip.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin8rPMuZdO572cp7jOY-Qzlwpn0H6Fs957CXFAh1V0r830bZ47TbxYEshMEQvZg8dYh1ff87Uhm0kT_Dkw4LCg0m5P3cD2W-_Wkjmbd7ZvjOZozyn3n-t5NK8qVSy0sWTH9GxqDs4w40w/s1600-h/P9121531.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin8rPMuZdO572cp7jOY-Qzlwpn0H6Fs957CXFAh1V0r830bZ47TbxYEshMEQvZg8dYh1ff87Uhm0kT_Dkw4LCg0m5P3cD2W-_Wkjmbd7ZvjOZozyn3n-t5NK8qVSy0sWTH9GxqDs4w40w/s320/P9121531.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389929217917519138" /></a>We started out with a foggy and overcast day. Temperatures were not too bad but the water was definitely on the colder side of things. I had chosen to wear my light-weight wool thermals over my mid-weight wool thermals. I had an extra top layer just in case. We started off with a very long and winding back paddle through the ships and various ship buoys littering the harbor. I thought my arms were going to fall off. I don't think I have ever paddled that far backwards before, ever! Definitely worked out some muscles. We moved on through the morning, paddling around to the various small islands, landing on one and "saving" our paddle from hypothermia. Of course it is a good idea to save someone above the high water line. I didn't realize we didn't have to actually open up the space blanket, those things are like a can of worms. Once I got it out of the bag, it expanded beyond belief. I ended up shoving it into my dry bag to fold up later.<br /><br />We had a working lunch. There were so many things to go over from navigation, to tides, then strokes and concepts. We worked on some navigation and tide work over lunch as time seemed to be in short supply. After lunch we took some time to surf the wave that forms over the little rock shelf. This was lots of fun. I hadn't had a chance to surf in quite a while. I had some control over my boat but I could still tell the wave was pushing me along to surfer's left. Not a good place to be as it was shallow there. One guy managed to do a bow stall with his 18 foot sea kayak, quite impressive. We also had a bit of a traffic jam, one boat plowing over another.<br /><br />In the afternoon we worked on rescues and boat repair. I found out that my light-weight wool thermals were not going to keep me warm for prolonged sitting or immersion. Good thing for the borrowed dry suit but damn it was cold. Various rescues then on to boat repair. My partner for the training got out of his boat and sat on my deck while we pulled his boat up between us and tried to "repair" it. We found that the Gorilla Tape he had didn't stick to it, neither did the Hippo Tape I had. I found out afterwards that the Hippo Tape really needs to be applied to a dry surface. I might have to try it again some other time. In the meantime, we found out that Duct Tape seemed to be the winner. Window flashing is also supposed to be a great item which I have seen in use before and really should go out and buy.<br /><br />We were supposed to be on the water until about 4:30. Our trainer asked if we were okay with staying out later. For extra training we were happy to but we were getting tired. I finally asked if this was a two day class or if I was mistaken. He thought I meant is this normally a two day class to which his response was that this could take up to six months in England. I restated that I meant this weekend, and after a show of (tired) hands, we headed back. He was a little apologetic yet happy to keep working on us tomorrow. So we headed back exhausted but feeling good. Almost all of us were signed up for the class tomorrow and only a small few were signed for the assessment on the Monday.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-30798769390416797842009-09-11T18:06:00.000-04:002009-09-18T16:56:12.003-04:00Coastal Navigation and Tidal PlanningIn an effort to continue my training and increase my abilities, I registered for a symposium in Maine with the hopes of getting more on the water experience and learn how to better handle myself, my boat and deal with tides, and navigation. When I saw the Coastal Navigation and Tidal Planning course listed on the curriculum I thought I had found the perfect class. The class is part of the new BCU 4 Star Sea Kayak Leader Award. Although I was not yet heading towards that award level, I thought it would still come in handy. I was more then a little surprised and slightly disappointed to discover (after showing up) that the class was not an on water class. It was actually a classroom class. But it was still well worth it. I feel that I got a lot out of the class and I just have to remember how to use what I learned. The class was broken down into four major topics. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Tides</span><br />We learned about tides and the various types. There are spring tides which are the biggest and neap tides which are the smallest. Spring tides occur when the moon and sun line up, so basically at new moon and full moon. Neap tides occur when the moon is halfway through waxing or waning. Spring tides can be affected even more in the spring when the earth is closer to the sun causing an even stronger gravitational pull. Tides are caused by the water sliding across the surface of the earth. Water is not lifted, it is moved. Based on the continental shelf, tides may be only a few feet in height or they may be tens of feet in height. Charts with depths marked show lowest mean depth. As this is a mean average, it is possible to have a negative tidal difference. Recently, the UK switched over to lowest astronomical depth meaning that when everything is in alignment, that is the lowest possible depth. While it is still possible for a negative tide, the tidal difference is almost trivial.<br /><br />The period of the tide is just over 6 hours from low to high or high to low. The moon travels around the earth in the same direction that the earth is spinning. The moon has a 28 day orbit. Over the 24 hour rotation of the earth, the moon has moved 1/28th of an orbit. So the earth is constantly playing catch up with the moon. This causes the tides to slowly move forward each day.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Wind and Waves</span><br />Wind causes waves but where does the wind come from? Wind is caused by changing temperatures in the air. The air near the equator heats up and rises heading towards the cooler air at the poles. The cold air at the poles, moves down towards the equator to head up. This circular motion of air moves both on a grand scale and at smaller scales. As the air moves towards the poles, some of the air loses it heat and sinks back down to the equator causing smaller circular currents. All this is what happens in an ideal world. But once land is involved, air heats up faster over land during the day and cools off faster in the night. Water is a great temperature regulator. The air over land will shift with day and night causing on-shore and off-shore breezes. Add in the rotation of the earth and the wind now twists around. <br /><br />Waves are formed by off-shore weather patterns. The wind from the weather patterns stirs up the water and the waves travel out from that point until they meet the shore. Waves can be generated miles away from the shore. There tends to be a period or pattern to the waves. While no two waves are the same, there is a period to the wave sets. Watching waves on shore, waves will start small, then build up to larger waves then decrease back down to small waves again. The breaking of waves occurs when the water has no where to go but up, generally caused by the beach shelf, sand bars, reefs and other obstacles on the ocean floor.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Currents</span><br />Just as air can be heated and moved, so to can water. The ocean is similarly heated at the equator and travels up to the poles in a great heat exchange. The continents provide some resistance as well as more water from rivers. As water flows between islands, stronger currents are formed as water is pinched and forced through narrower gaps. With the tide and movement of the water, there is various types of current. A slack current is when the tide is at its slowest, typically at the high or low portion of the tide, just before it changes direction. The current can ebb or flow, ebb meaning it is going out and flow meaning it is coming in. The fun part about currents is the cool things that are created that make for great play spots. Swells and waves moving along rocky shores are fun to paddle around and through. Swells moving over ledges create waves which can be surfed. Tidal races are standing waves formed when water moves through a constriction.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Weather</span><br />Weather affects the tides and even affects the tide height. With a high pressure system, the pressure of the air pushing down on the water causes the tide height to diminish. The opposite is true with a low pressure system, less pressure allows the tide to become higher. High pressure systems do not have fronts associated with them while low pressure systems do. The clashing of fronts causes weather changes either in the form of thunderstorms, or rain.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Navigation</span><br />This can be broken down into three sections; bearings, courses, and headings. Bearing are the straight line direction to any object whether you intend to travel there or not. Bearings can be used to triangulate a position in the ocean when several markers or land features can be seen. Headings are the direction of travel, whether that takes current and wind into account or not. Courses are the path actually taken, as in how the wind and current actually affected the path of travel. Bearings, courses, and headings can all be the same or they can all be different. Knowing how strong the current or wind is in a particular area can allow for compensation. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">So much more</span><br />This is really only the barest amount that I learned from the class. There was so much more. It was a very good class and I found it useful. We actually walked down to the beach and took a few bearings and discussed how to triangulate and plan a trip. We learned how to read charts and obtain locations from a chart. Most charts are in both true north and magnetic north so we learned how to correct between the two. The rule of thumb was when going from the small world (chart or map) to the big world (real world) you add the deviation. When going from the real world to the small world, the deviation is subtracted. The compass rose has all the needed information about deviations and annual change.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-65287596658465385412009-08-24T10:55:00.004-04:002009-08-25T11:29:15.888-04:00Lower Yough Trip<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDgb6GUU4-mkpTAe9c3viuzMKR_zN1fwyDPIVxZ3_xI6soirI52d_sJDQ8xMIM_9TdwO-eJUxhXjAnb6SKPLVvzxEku9kpzWNBiy6xlryssDNZYt-PimyiiEa_FNZgbDFAkfFPkMJ1Ug/s1600-h/P8231513.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDgb6GUU4-mkpTAe9c3viuzMKR_zN1fwyDPIVxZ3_xI6soirI52d_sJDQ8xMIM_9TdwO-eJUxhXjAnb6SKPLVvzxEku9kpzWNBiy6xlryssDNZYt-PimyiiEa_FNZgbDFAkfFPkMJ1Ug/s320/P8231513.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373923727060633138" /></a><br />The Youghigeny river is located in Pennsylvania, about 3 and a half hours from DC. It was quite the drive and while I wish I had been able to go for the entire weekend, at least I has the time and chance to make it for one day. I arrived the night before for a little car camping and we headed out for an early morning launch of 9:00. Basically we had one hour to get to the launch point after setting up shuttles. We were actually on the river just after 10:00 once all was said and done. It was almost a comedy of errors. First I forgot my prescription sunglasses and I don't have a backup strap for my regular glasses, so I had to go back for them after my trip saturday morning with another group. Once I got to the campgrounds I realized I forgot my tent pegs at home with my hammock. I found out that one of the other people's car had a dead battery so the morning of the run, we had to jump her car which she then got promptly locked out of while it was running. She had to wait for AAA to come and help her while we set up shuttle. She showed up just before 10:00 and we were able to get her set up and on the water. After that we all had a good run.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Entrance</span><br />I have never run any other river but the Potomac. The Lower Yough is rather pushy and I wasn't quite sure what to expect considering all the not so pleasnat things I had heard about it from other people. Entrance was my first experience with the Lower Yough. It wasn't so bad but I did flip my edge and had to roll. I ended up being the first roll of the day. We all had done practice rolls earlier but I was the first in current. The water was quite cold. I wasn't sure what to wear but after talking to everyone and seeing what they were wearing, I decided on the semi-dry top, as that was what I had with me, and a mid-weight wool base layer. Good thing too as I think if I had been wearing less I would have been cold. The day was overcast and a bit on the cool side which was nice. At one point I did start warming up but a quick roll fixed that problem.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Cucumber</span><br />So at this point I have had a relatively good beginning. And then I found out that Cucumber was the next set of rapids. I have not heard anything good about this rapid. In fact, most people tell me they have taken nasty swims here. So I was not looking forward to the rapid, but after we passed through I started to wonder two things. First, it was easier then expected so I wonder if they had a higher water level. Second, how on earth do rapids get their names. Cucumber?!? At least Entrance made sense.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Dimple</span><br />This one was going to be a tough one. I didn't remember hearing anything about it, but the large warning sign near it and the serious talk was enough for me. It wasn't that bad but it was big and pushy. I made it through then found out the rock was so badly undercut that people get sucked in and don't come out. It is a really bad place to fall in. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Swimmers</span><br />This one I was waiting for. Not only were we going to stop for lunch but this was a nice play and surfing spot. As I was coming down I decided to hit the wave and see if I could catch a surf. I started down backwards and slowly tried to line myself up. I managed to catch the wave but lost the surf and flipped over. I held the position waiting for the water to level out a bit but it never did so I rolled and found out the wave had held me in an upside down surf. I was back on the wave and surfing again until I got flipped again. I rolled back up more quickly this time and found I had been ejected. I managed to get in a couple of good surfs and I also managed to forget my nose plugs once, hit my shoulder on a rock because it was shallow, and lose the grip on my paddle but luckily I managed to keep one hand hold and roll back up. All in all it was lots of fun to surf and watch the surfing. This was were I had to swim when I ran into a friend's boat, wedged my paddle and flipped in shallow water. Oh well. Not too bad of a place to have to swim.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Bottle of Wine</span><br />I think this was the easy rapid that we were supposed to eddy hop at. I caught the first eddy then I didn't fight the current enough and it pushed me downstream. I really have to work more on strength and boat control. I really shouldn't let the water push me around so much. I also had trouble boofing, mostly because I wasn't sure what I was doing but I also wasn't lining up the last stroke correctly. I need to have a last stroke on the side further away from the rock and I have to push my butt over so I hand flat. I tried twice but missed each time. There was no harm in missing but I should work on that too as it is another way to control the boat.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Double Hydraulics</span><br />I actually missed this one almost completely. The safe line is down on river right, and I was following someone and didn't realize I had taken the easier line. Likely a good thing as I was having boat control issues. I didn't really have a chance to see the hydraulics though, but the map made them out to be bad. Maybe next time I can get into them a little more.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Bruner Run</span><br />The last rapid before the take out and almost the only rapid I was able to catch the last eddy perfectly on. I could see a really nice eddy immediately at the bottom of the rapid so I aimed for it and caught it perfectly. Now if only I can do that more often and on demand.<br /><br />There were more rapids then this, but these were the more memorable ones. The entire run was lots of fun and well worth doing. I really wish I had been able to do the run both days as I think I would have learned more. I do think this helped me learn some, more to do with river reading. I have to pay more attention and get more control over my boat. I was able to lift my head up from my bow but I don't think I looked where I was going enough. So there is still lots of room for improvement.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-81696747314829830182009-08-17T11:29:00.003-04:002009-08-17T11:53:52.393-04:00Sea KayakingI haven't had many chances to get my sea kayak out onto the water and I feel pretty bad about that. I really need to improve my comfort level and ability in kayaking if I want to do such a huge paddle as I have planned. As such I was pleasantly surprised to discover that one of the outfitters in the area had a social paddle session that I could join. At the same time, since I wanted to go through the instructor training, I joined the group as an instructor helper. I will eventually be taking my training and certification with the same outfitter so this is a great way to improve my teaching ability as well as get my boat back on the water.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Teaching Flat Water</span><br />As I knew the instructor, it was fairly easy to join up and paddle with the group. I wasn't sure what to expect at the first paddle and thought I would be following around another instructor to watch and learn. What actually happened was I was given a few students to work with for rolling practice, then I was put on the spot to teach a small group of students how to do a sculling draw. The instructor who suggested I teach this stroke will also be my instructor for the certification. So it was time to put on the instructor face and paddle at the best level I could. By the end of the two hours, I was exhausted from teaching, and the double portage. But after talking with the instructor, it looks like I am on track to have at least an L3 certification to teach. I would like to see if I can get a higher level. If nothing else, going through the training will help me improve my abilities even if I don't get the certification. <br /><br />On one of the next paddles I helped with, I was filmed. Mostly for some basic strokes to demonstrate ability. This is supposed to be a good teaching aide as well, but I dislike watching myself. I do manage to see what I am doing wrong though which does help. It seems each time I go out with this group I get put on the spot, which is nice. It challenges me to be on top of my game. It is interesting that the more I work with the instructor the more he tries to convince me to come work for them. He is trying to steal me away from the competition. I have been invited to join then on their saturday Potomac tours to show off the beauty of the Potomac to new paddlers. I wasn't able to go this time, but I should be able to go next time if I am not teaching.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Back on the Ocean</span><br />I was out with a small group on the weekend and finally managed to get my boat out on the Chesapeake Bay. While the pace was quite relaxed, it was nice to get back into proper torso rotation and even surfing a few waves. It was a very hot day though and I managed to get a fairly nasty burn on my shoulders. My kayak handled quite nicely and I can't wait to get it out again. I really do miss the feel of the boat, even though whitewater is fun for playing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Maine Rough Water</span><br />In order to improve my abilities, I just registered for a rough water symposium that is set to occur the beginning of September in Maine. The symposium is over 4 days and it will take me two days to travel there and back. I am looking forward to it with a slight level of dread. I registered to go through the BCU 3 star sea training and assessment. This will be in rough water with big winds. I am not sure I am in shape enough for that but I guess I will find out shortly. I am also not sure about my abilities out on the ocean in rough water. I simply have not had any major opportunities to get out in such conditions recently. I have been doing a lot of whitewater kayaking which I hope will help my abilities. They do suggest that cross training in another discipline like whitewater or canoeing is a good idea.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-16576235575956427072009-08-16T19:54:00.000-04:002009-08-17T12:10:36.459-04:00Little Falls to Lower YoughI have been invited to do a river run of the Lower Youghigeny (known as the Yough to paddlers). I have been very apprehensive about going as I have really only experienced one river in a kayak, the Potomac. I was on the Upper Gauley in a raft and that would have been way to much for me in a kayak. So I was apprehensive of going to the Yough. I have run the Potomac Gorge at least 3-4 times this season and in high water but I have no idea what the Yough is like other then the stories I have been hearing. In order to get an idea of what to expect, it was recommended to run Little Falls. So today I ran Little Falls, and was nervous about that too. I had, again, heard stories that made this out to be a horrible section. Once we got to Little Fall, we beached the kayaks and walked over to scout the falls.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Little Falls</span><br />There are two ways to get through Little Falls, the Maryland side or the Virginia side. As we were coming down the Potomac, we were eddy hopping for practice as well as to let our guide know how comfortable we would be as the water became progressively faster and bigger. Once we got to the rapid, the guide suggested that we would be good to take on the more challenging Virginia side which is a far better indicator of what running the Yough would be like. <br /><br />The line through Little Falls was pretty simple. The water flow would push you where you needed to go and it was a matter of maintaining boat control just to avoid the rock, affectionately known as meat cleaver. The current flows between cleaver and the island creating a drop into a hole followed by another drop then you are through. The first time, I ran through following someone and once I passed the first wave and was heading between the rocks, I lost focus on looking ahead and focused on the hole I was about to fall into. As such I ended up upside down. I rolled back up, forgot to paddle and went over again. Once I was back up I was off to the eddy to wait for the others. I wasn't the only one to flip but we all made it safely.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Again?!?</span><br />Once at the bottom, we went around the island and decided to run it again. I wanted to run it again as I wanted to go through without flipping this time. We had to portage our kayaks up over some nasty and very hot rocks to get back to the top of the rapid. I ran again, following someone again and was successful this time. I managed to keep my focus ahead and kept paddling as needed. The water was quite pushy and bit but I just paddled and kept going. The other new guy flipped again and was actually dragged up onto the rock before he managed to get back up.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Lower Yough</span><br />So after that, while I can't make it to the Yough for the Saturday run, I will be able to make it for the Sunday run. I am still a little apprehensive but I think I can handle it now. This will be a good way to better my abilities which I sorely need. I can't just be a Potomac whitewater paddler. This is going to be a great trip as we have a mix of the experienced and the inexperienced. <br /><br />Turns out this will be a great weekend to go to the Lower Yough too as there will be a Falls Festival. I haven't been to it before but whitewater people know how to party. I might have to clean out a keg and bring some of the homebrew. It will be easier to keg it then trying to find time to bottle it.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-52328988235164141772009-08-08T19:10:00.001-04:002009-08-17T11:29:41.758-04:00Teaching others to kayakSince I have received my certification to teach whitewater kayaking, I have taught five classes. It has been pretty good and I feel I am improving in both my delivery and my skill. I do know that I have a weak point in not being able to do a hand of God rescue, but as long as the person can T-rescue themselves, I am okay. We get all levels of kayaking ability in the classes. More so in the second level class then the intro class. But even in the intro class, there is a fairly large dichotomy of paddling ability. Some people seem to get things right away, and others have trouble working out how to best balance the boat. Many people, after taking the first class, then take advantage of the social paddles and really improve their abilities. Some people come out with rolls after a few socials and are ready to tackle more. It is great to see people improving over each class and social paddle. People I taught just a few weeks ago are now rolling and playing in the current. I remember I was there just a year ago.<br /><br />Teaching is both harder and easier then I thought. It is harder to organize my thoughts in a cohesive flow to best describe a technique or drill. I also have to be careful to not over explain or simply bore people as they are trying to learn something. Some people require less instruction then others so I try to teach to them then give more individual help to those that require more help and explanations.<br /><br />At the same time, I have fun doing it and seeing people understanding and applying the concepts and drills that it is easy to teach something to someone. Some people actually will self-discover something and I just have to guide them to improvements rather then teach the entire concept.<br /><br />I have been enjoying helping with the flat water instruction as well and am looking forward to certifying in that soon too. I am not quite sure what I prefer teaching. Each sport has its perks. The whitewater play boats turn so easily and are fun to paddle, yet the sea kayaks require more technical skill and track nicely through the water. In either case, improving my teaching abilities and skills in both sports is well worth the effort.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3969804553743993517.post-76697636218205288582009-06-19T20:20:00.008-04:002009-07-08T13:53:44.600-04:00White Water Certification Training, day 5The last day where we see how we've progressed and what level we are now qualified to teach at. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">More Teaching</span><br />We were again given out topics to teach today. Many of us received two topics to work on and most of them were group teaching topics. While everything we have learned is possible to teach alone, it is also possible that most classes will have more then one instructor so team teaching is valuable to learn as well. Most people didn't initially fair well with the team teaching but we are all improving. Most team talking is occurring before the "lesson" and everyone seems to be getting smoother in their teaching style. Most of us are still a little rough around the edges.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Getting to the Gorge</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRq0AsT4d3vhSdmtJ_3SeqrSdgv68-qU-J7b8Lo3kFu50h98V3VGwCzs0040Ux2C6ZdtyZdmf_2MYsR8qbkBfi6bQB4Kn7wwlpQk-R-j-06aSM6-UzOY57LSYKBEJ_gCJa92JkyWJMfDA/s1600-h/P6191189.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRq0AsT4d3vhSdmtJ_3SeqrSdgv68-qU-J7b8Lo3kFu50h98V3VGwCzs0040Ux2C6ZdtyZdmf_2MYsR8qbkBfi6bQB4Kn7wwlpQk-R-j-06aSM6-UzOY57LSYKBEJ_gCJa92JkyWJMfDA/s320/P6191189.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356147698412557666" /></a><br />As our final test (which I thought was going to be written, hah), we did a gorge run. We started at Angler's Inn and paddled up along the canal to Sandy Beach, our put in. Most of the flat water aspects of the teaching took place along the canal. We then stopped to jump off canal falls, a small spill over along the canal leading to an eight foot drop. I wasn't too sure about going over but figured why not. I watched a few times then I took the plunge, literally. I never had my stomach greet my tonsils before now. Hope they enjoyed the party. It really was fun to do though. The long schlep to get to the put in wasn't fun. We walked about a quarter mile with the boats over the C&O towpath. My boat kept getting heavier. Plus I was really hungry.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Back Channel</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1IPcix2UIjySufLKWgVMrxWYQgYBZ6eRgVaBniIGIbAOhHQ98mIXx9KfllS-9jmaDbcbQB_QjIE-PsIUhfnn0the4n-VE_Smiwwi1Dmw3qrsks4fvFg28klg0np3vBSzGGufCwHWB1BM/s1600-h/P6191200.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:10px 10px 0 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1IPcix2UIjySufLKWgVMrxWYQgYBZ6eRgVaBniIGIbAOhHQ98mIXx9KfllS-9jmaDbcbQB_QjIE-PsIUhfnn0the4n-VE_Smiwwi1Dmw3qrsks4fvFg28klg0np3vBSzGGufCwHWB1BM/s320/P6191200.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356146326466014498" /></a><br /><br />I think I have seen the back channel that high before, but I had never kayaked it before. In fact, I don't think I have solo kayaked the Potomac this high up before when the water was over 5.5 feet. We had two of the students acting as instructors for this portion of the river run. They did a great job. We all paired off and worked together as some people were not quite as sure of the level of current then others. I was nervous but did well. We did get out and scout the last larger rapid. Not everyone wanted to get out but I think it was a good drill and we learned from it. The instructor show a picture of us before we ran it, we have the happy faces and scared faces photo. What a group.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Rocky</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNsOAxi0fJvgFko5DuTdHvDFnA9YYzz3EeKAwfepuB8qAxwyYED4Cxu8P5mXTluvcy4hlxI4RzsLUqX_ZQ0RmDsWD32LjKW1P4juPkVP6GZ8xFZ86M6OIpjdDWndaPCSxld45xf0s5gU/s1600-h/P6191199.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNsOAxi0fJvgFko5DuTdHvDFnA9YYzz3EeKAwfepuB8qAxwyYED4Cxu8P5mXTluvcy4hlxI4RzsLUqX_ZQ0RmDsWD32LjKW1P4juPkVP6GZ8xFZ86M6OIpjdDWndaPCSxld45xf0s5gU/s320/P6191199.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356146456986268930" /></a><br />I have been to rocky before when the water was higher then this but I was in a tandem kayak. This was definitely bigger in a solo boat. I didn't have to ferry across but the instructor set us a drill and I wanted to see if I could do it, so I ferried across. Then I had to ferry back. I was able to stay upright but I wasn't that comfortable in the boat. I think this was technically only class II current as well, maybe a II+. I need to get more comfortable in bigger water.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Center Chutes</span><br />We continued down past Wet Bottom and through the gorge. I rolled just to say I did and could. We goofed off a little as it was moving but flat. Center chutes afforded some surfing opportunities for us. The instructor had someone try to give a surfing talk but he wasn't sure about the concept himself. We did get to go out and play. There were two waves, and they were long enough that someone more experienced could get out into the center of the wave and the lesser experienced people could surf the side of the wave and still get back out to the safety of the eddy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The talk</span><br />After scarfing a quick lunch I wasn't sure what to expect next. We were back at the camp and the instructor was talking to all of us one on one. I figured this was the test part. I was still waiting for some really big paper based test, but to no avail. This was just a talk after everything was over telling us how we did and what level we achieved. I found out that I was almost an L4. Had I been more comfortable on the gorge run in the big water, and if I had tightened up my strokes I would have been up there. As it was, I have a few bad habits. But having the sea kayaking experience really helped me to hammer down some of the strokes and concepts as I had previously learned them in sea kayaking. This means if I certify for sea kayaking in the fall I should do quite well. In the end I got an L3.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Let the teaching begin</span><br />Before I went in to talk to the instructor, I was talking to the guy who got me into the class, looks like I will be teaching two classes this weekend, which is great. I will be able to but my newly developed skills to work. I do know that the place I am teaching through teaches a little differently from the ACA style. I will have to go and watch the Jackson DVD that explains the other teaching style to more conform with the teaching style of the kayak school.<br /><br />After 5 days of non-stop classroom and on-water instruction, I haven't had enough water as I then went out afterwards to join in with the social paddle. And start teaching what I have just learned how to teach.Canadian Looniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08023206688088512801noreply@blogger.com0