Modern sea kayaks are based on water craft that evolved in the north over thousands of years. While they come in several varieties, one built for touring can generally handle some fairly rough water. The weak point is usually the paddler. This is why is it a very good idea to take a kayaking course. In Canada, the Canadian Recreational Canoeing Association (CRCA) has a tiered system rangeing from Flatwater to Level 4. This weekend I became Level 1 certified by the Newfoundland Kayak Company.
Friday evening I arrived at the Aquarena in St. John's. I was a few minutes late because I was over an hour late leaving Lewisporte. It seems like there are always things that come up to delay me when I have to travel anywhere. This meant I didn't have time to stop along the way, do the shopping I needed to do, or get more than a quick bite for supper.
Ian met me at the door. I knew him from when he led our group at the kayaking retreat a couple weeks previous. The class was forced to relocate, so he guided me through some twists and turns and eventually to where my 13 other classmate were. Justin had already gone over some things, and people were introducing themselves. I just got the tail end, so names are still fuzzy.
Following some general instruction on kayaking safety, coastal navigation, and so on, it was time to get changed and hit the pool. Once on the water, it looked like just about everyone else was as apprehensive about inverting their kayak as I was. We had to force the kayak upside down, pound on the hull 3 times to attract attention, wave our arms back and forth as long as we could, grab the pull strap on the spray skirt to release it, and then tumble foreward out of the kayak and come to the surface still holding the paddle and the kayak - no problem.
Actually, it wasn't that bad. I watched the instructors do it, and some of the other students, to program the moves into my brain. I took some deep breaths and threw myself to one side to force a normally stable kayak to roll over. I did each of the steps, and the next thing I knew my head was out of the water with kayak and paddle close at hand. Nothing to be scared of at all. For the rest of the night we performed various rescues as victim and saviour. At about 11:30 I was loading my kayak back on the car and heading to my brother-in-law's place for a few hours of sleep.
On a cool, windy, and rainy Saturday morning we met at Long Pond just north of the university. Here were were going to learn boat control. We paddled forward, stopped, paddled backwards, and then sideways. Next we turned and pivoted. In the afternoon we covered bracing - the art of righting yourself before you tip over. Some people didn't quite get the hang of it until they did go completely over. That gave us opportunities to practice our resuces again. During the day we did some navigaton and planned our trip for Sunday, so the night session was cancelled. (I'm sure it had nothing to do with the big hockey game on that night...)
Sunday morning we all gathered at the Village Mall parking lot with plans to get underway for Cape Broyle by 0800. That meant another night with not enough sleep, but we needed an early start, if people like me could get away before supper. So, a convoy of kayak topped vehicles set forth down Highway 10. We stopped at a convenience store to grab some extra grub and change into our paddling gear, and then headed for the local beach to load up and do some paddling.
2004-06-06
2004-05-24
2004 Kayakers' Retreat Weekend Report
I checked in and confirmed my attendance on Friday evening before going to find a place to stay. Wound up at White Sails Cabins in Eastport. It was close to 20 minutes drive from the center of activity, but much cheaper.
0845 Saturday morning we gathered at Pinetree Lodge and got the lowdown on the day's events. It was about 1100 before we got on the water, launching from a beach at Burnside. There were close to 50 kayaks travelling from there to the place we stopped for lunch. At that time we split up, with the "advanced" paddlers heading out first to their more distant destination, and the remaining "intermediate" kayakers breaking into two groups.
John Knight's bunch took the counter-clockwise direction around the islands, and we went clockwise under the leadership of Ian Fong. Our heading was more protected from the wind, which was higher and from a different direction than forecasted, so we only had a couple rough passages. We stayed on the sheltered sides and returned the same route we had travelled out. The other groups experienced a bit tougher time of it. Around 1800, people began landing back at Burnside, and I was one of the first half dozen in. I was surprised by my speed compared to most others all day, especially since I have a relatively short, wide and heavy, and thus slow, kayak. Now I need some skills to go with that.
Saturday night we had a social at Pinetree Lodge. There were kayaking videos and photographs on a screen, plus some live entertainment by a paddling guitar player of great talent, Eric West. The bar was open, and snacks filled the tables, but many people, including us, were heading to bed by 2230.
I arrived at the Sunday morning meeting only to be told that winds were going to be too high, and the official paddle was cancelled. At this point, smaller groups of people got together and did their own thing. Not knowing many there, or the area, I hung out until I heard that St. Chad's was the place to go. This was close to where we were were staying, so I went back to the cabin to let Roxanne know what was up, and changed into my wetsuit. I managed to find the beach, with 5 kayaks already in the water, and 4 more arriving while I was setting up.
This whole section of coast was well protected from the winds by the high hills, and there were no significant waves until a couple hundered meters out. This gave us lots of room to play. There were several NDKs, two wooden kayaks, and one Sea Knife, with plastics being in the minority. During lunch, both of the women practiced rolling, which they made look very easy in the NDKs. While paddlers came and went, I stayed and practiced in the shallow waters for over 4 hours.
Sunday night we gathered for the big meal, door prize draws, and presentions. Gift certificates from The Outfitters and MEC were what I most wanted, but alas, my number was not drawn. Following the turkey dinner, the tables were removed and Ruth Gordon, of the Canadian Freestyle Kayak team, showed photos and gave a talk about some of the interesting places they have visited in the world. She and fellow teammate, Tyler Curtis, received the honor of being screeched in as well.
Monday morning started with packing and loading up the car. This took longer than I hoped, and it was after 0930 by the time I arrived at breakfast. The KNL executive were put to work cooking up a fine meal of pancakes, and other goodies for the hungry paddlers. This was the best social time of the weekend, and I got to talk to a few people I had only met in passing previously. Once again I passed up a chance to buy an autographed copy of Ken Campbell's book, Around The Rock.
At 1030 Ruth and Tyler put on a short demonstration of freestyle whitewater kayaking skills at The Ruins in Glovertown. This was very interesting, but I think I will stick with sea kayaking for a while yet. By 1130 we were heading back home having experienced a full and interesting few days, and hopefully, having started some new friendships.
0845 Saturday morning we gathered at Pinetree Lodge and got the lowdown on the day's events. It was about 1100 before we got on the water, launching from a beach at Burnside. There were close to 50 kayaks travelling from there to the place we stopped for lunch. At that time we split up, with the "advanced" paddlers heading out first to their more distant destination, and the remaining "intermediate" kayakers breaking into two groups.
John Knight's bunch took the counter-clockwise direction around the islands, and we went clockwise under the leadership of Ian Fong. Our heading was more protected from the wind, which was higher and from a different direction than forecasted, so we only had a couple rough passages. We stayed on the sheltered sides and returned the same route we had travelled out. The other groups experienced a bit tougher time of it. Around 1800, people began landing back at Burnside, and I was one of the first half dozen in. I was surprised by my speed compared to most others all day, especially since I have a relatively short, wide and heavy, and thus slow, kayak. Now I need some skills to go with that.
Saturday night we had a social at Pinetree Lodge. There were kayaking videos and photographs on a screen, plus some live entertainment by a paddling guitar player of great talent, Eric West. The bar was open, and snacks filled the tables, but many people, including us, were heading to bed by 2230.
I arrived at the Sunday morning meeting only to be told that winds were going to be too high, and the official paddle was cancelled. At this point, smaller groups of people got together and did their own thing. Not knowing many there, or the area, I hung out until I heard that St. Chad's was the place to go. This was close to where we were were staying, so I went back to the cabin to let Roxanne know what was up, and changed into my wetsuit. I managed to find the beach, with 5 kayaks already in the water, and 4 more arriving while I was setting up.
This whole section of coast was well protected from the winds by the high hills, and there were no significant waves until a couple hundered meters out. This gave us lots of room to play. There were several NDKs, two wooden kayaks, and one Sea Knife, with plastics being in the minority. During lunch, both of the women practiced rolling, which they made look very easy in the NDKs. While paddlers came and went, I stayed and practiced in the shallow waters for over 4 hours.
Sunday night we gathered for the big meal, door prize draws, and presentions. Gift certificates from The Outfitters and MEC were what I most wanted, but alas, my number was not drawn. Following the turkey dinner, the tables were removed and Ruth Gordon, of the Canadian Freestyle Kayak team, showed photos and gave a talk about some of the interesting places they have visited in the world. She and fellow teammate, Tyler Curtis, received the honor of being screeched in as well.
Monday morning started with packing and loading up the car. This took longer than I hoped, and it was after 0930 by the time I arrived at breakfast. The KNL executive were put to work cooking up a fine meal of pancakes, and other goodies for the hungry paddlers. This was the best social time of the weekend, and I got to talk to a few people I had only met in passing previously. Once again I passed up a chance to buy an autographed copy of Ken Campbell's book, Around The Rock.
At 1030 Ruth and Tyler put on a short demonstration of freestyle whitewater kayaking skills at The Ruins in Glovertown. This was very interesting, but I think I will stick with sea kayaking for a while yet. By 1130 we were heading back home having experienced a full and interesting few days, and hopefully, having started some new friendships.
2004-05-01
Let the Kayaking Begin
May 1 marks my first kayaking trip of the season. Randolph came from Fogo for the weekend and we paddled from Lewisporte to Jobs Cove to see the remains of the HMS Briton (Calypso). On the way there we passed over the mussel bed, so a shopping bag was filled for a snack that evening. Winds were light and out of the NE. An excellent first trip.
2004-04-11
Changing of the Seasons
The time has come to put away the skis and get out the bicycle. Well, I did have the bike out in February for the Raid Avalon, but that just left it dirty and rusty. It is in the process of being cleaned and oiled, and may get out for a test drive today - if the wind drops out.
2004-04-02
Final Ski
Since I figured this would be my last chance to get out skiing before the snow disappeared (a couple days of rain in the forecast), I decided to make it a good one. The dog and I skied all the way to the end of Scissors Pond, a distance of about 7km each way. There were a number of snowmobiles, but most past at some distance. We past a hole in the snow that looked like it had been made by a beaver. On the way back I went exploring and gathering GPS trails to plot on the mapping software. I now have a fairly large network of trails to use next winter, and a few places yet to explore
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