29-Dec-10
Kachemak Bay
Immersion Sea Kayaking Skills Symposium
May 26-31, Halibut Cove, Alaska
•Camping • Sea Kayaking Skills • Stunning Scenery •
Enjoy five-Days of camping, learning & practicing Sea Kayaking skills in Kachemak Bay State Park, the scenic crown of jewels of the Alaska State Park system near Homer, Alaska, on the Kenai Peninsula. This is a dynamic and varied venue that provides access to a wide variety of training conditions so you can develop a wide array of skills. What could be better? You get to learn and practice your skills in the environment you will need to use them.
This 5-day event is a comprehensive educational program, based on the syllabi and skills progressions of the American Canoe Association and the British Canoe Union. These programs are designed to provide you skills training, knowledge and experience for developing personal sea kayaking practices, risk management strategies, and trip planning techniques for paddling sea kayaks safely in Alaska.
Cold water and remote paddling venues characterize all paddling in Alaska; safety as an attitude is central to any sea kayak program offered by the Alaska Kayak School.
All about the 2011 Kachemak Bay Immersion Sea Skills Symposium
Item numbers go to link numbers in the document
Plus live email and registration form link in sec 10 registrations, etc.
1. List of Training Courses & Lectures
2. Schedule of Events
3. Why host a sea kayaking skills symposium in Halibut Cove?
4. Thumbnail sketch of the symposium
5. Sea Kayaking skills coaching of all levels, beginners to advanced
6. Symposium Course Descriptions
7. Symposium Lecture Descriptions
8. Skills Progressions for symposium participation
9. Prices, Fees & Discounts
10. Registration, Reservations, Cancellation Policy & Refunds
11. What is your skill level? ; A key to what courses are right for you.
12. Standards of Performance – ACA and BCU syllabi
13. Coaches and Instructors
14. Expected conditions
15. What we provide
16. What you provide – transportation to symposium site & gear
17. Sea Kayaking Equipment List
18. Personal Clothing Lists – sea kayaking and camping
19. Camping Equipment List
20. Getting to Homer, getting around Homer, Halibut Cove Symposium site.
21. Food shopping in Homer and lodging.
1. List of Training Courses & Lectures
1. Kayak Basics – Friday 5/27 & Saturday 5/28, 9 AM–5 PM
2. Propulsion level 2 – Friday 5/27, 9 AM – 1 PM
3. Propulsion level 3 – Friday 5/27, 9 AM – 1 PM
4. Maneuvering level 2 – Friday 5/27, 2-5 PM, Sunday 9 AM-1PM
5. Maneuvering level 3 – Friday 5/27, 2-5 PM
6. Buddy Rescues – Saturday 5/28, 9 AM – 1 PM, Sunday 5/29, 9 AM–1 PM
7. Solo Rescues – Saturday, 5/28, 9 AM – 1 PM
8. Sea Kayak Towing – Saturday, 5/28, 2-5 PM, Sunday, 5/29, 2-5 PM
9. Tack the Wind/Paddle in Tidal Stream – Saturday 5/28, 2-5 PM
10. Coastal Navigation - Sunday, 5/29, 9 AM – 1 PM
11. Balance and Bracing level 2 - Sunday, 5/29, 2-5 PM
12. Balance and Bracing level 3 - Sunday, 5/29, 2-5 PM
13. Level 2 Coastal Exploration with skills refinement, Monday, 5/30, 9 AM–5 PM
14. Level 3 Coastal Exploration with skills refinement, Monday, 5/30, 9 AM–5 PM
15. Skills review: navigation, strokes, rescues, etc. Monday, 5/30, 9 AM–5 PM
16. Idita-paddle Skills Demonstration and Group Event, Tuesday 5/31, 9-11 AM
17. Idita-Paddle Awards and Final Gathering, Tuesday, 5/31/, 1130 AM-1230 PM
Lectures – Nightly on the beach from 8-9 PM
Cold Water Safety (5/27), Joe McCollough & Karl Kohagen
Sea Kayak Design and Function (5/28), Tom Pogson
Social Factors of Sea Kayak Trip Planning (5/29), Group Discussion
Sea Kayak Expedition Planning (5/30), Group Discussion
2. Schedule of Events
2011 Kachemak Bay Immersion Sea Kayaking Skills Symposium, May 26-31Halibut Cove, Alaska
Day 0 / Thursday / 26-May
Staff training day - Halibut Cove
Day 1 / Friday / 27-May
9 AM - 5 PM / Kayak Basics / 8-9 PM / Cold Water
9 AM - 1 PM / Propulsion 2 / 2-5 PM / Maneuvering 2 / Safety
Propulsion 3 / Maneuvering 3
Day 2 / Saturday / 28-May
9 AM - 5 PM / Kayak Basics / 8-9 PM / Sea Kayak Design
9 AM - 1 PM / Buddy Rescues / 2-5 PM / Towing / and Function
Solo Rescues / Tack the Wind
Day 3 / Sunday / 29-May
9 AM - 1 PM / Coastal Navigation / 2-5 PM / Balance & Bracing 1 / 8-9 PM / Social Factors for
Buddy Rescues / Balance and Bracing 2 / Trip Planning
Maneuvering 1 / Towing
Day 4 / Monday / 30-May
9 AM - 5 PM / Coastal Kayak Level 2 Tour with skill refinement and tuning / 8-9 PM / Expedition Planning
Coastal Kayak Level 3 Tour with skill refinement & Tuning
All day rescues, solo, buddy, & towing
Day 5 / Tuesday / 31-May
9-11 AM / Idita Paddle Skills Demonstration / 1130- / IditaPaddle Awards / 1-3 PM / Break Camp
& Team Event. / 1230 PM / 4 PM / Depart
3. Why host a sea kayaking skills symposium in Halibut Cove?– The Alaska Kayak School offers sea kayaking skill training courses in Halibut Cove every weekend in May to take advantage of the scenic camp site and a variety of sea conditions: protected coves, rock gardens, open water, and tidal streams. The 2011 Immersion Skills Symposium will offer all of the advantages of May sessions over a long weekend with better weather, longer daylight hours, and more time for learning more with longer and more detailed skills progressions and tours.
4. Thumbnail sketch of the symposium – Participants and symposium staff will camp and paddle together for 5 days of fun and sea kayaking education. A progression of course offerings offers something for every student of sea kayaking in Alaska, even advanced paddlers. Informal evening lectures on appropriate topics will round out the 5-day event.
5. Sea Kayaking Skills coaching for paddlers of all levels, beginners to advanced. Active on-the-water courses will emphasize strokes and maneuvers, rescues and recoveries, navigation and trip planning for beginner and intermediate paddlers. The programs are designed to provide a comprehensive array of skills for sea kayaking safely in Alaska. Evening lectures on Cold Water Safety, Sea Kayak Design and Function, Social Factors in Trip Plannin,g and Expedition Planning round out the offerings on this fun-filled Memorial Weekend event. More experienced paddlers will also benefit from the comprehensive review and tuning of skills, a perfect preparation for a level 3 sea kayaking skills assessment.
6. Symposium Course Descriptions
0. Staff Training, 26 May – The symposium staff will be spending the day on site making camp, reviewing safety procedures and emergency management details, honing up on rescues and teaching strategies. Staff and coaches will meet you and help you make the transition to the water taxi at the dock Thursday afternoon, May 26th.
1. Kayak Basics (level 1-2 skills) Equipment, cold water awareness, preparing to paddle, sea kayak design and function, carrying and launching, wet exits with and without skirts, paddle design and function, torso rotation and forward paddling, effective use of a paddle, back paddling, spin 360º, turning and steering, sideways and simple rescues. This course will start you out on the right path for your journey into safe sea kayaking. Perfect course if you’ve never had sea kayak instruction outdoors in a cold-water environment before, or if you feel you need to practice capsizing safely. Also a great review if it’s been a while since you worked on your sea kayaking skills. If you’re a novice, this course is a pre-requisite for other symposium courses
When: Friday 27 May & Saturday 28 May, 9 AM – 1 PM
Pre-requisites: can swim, willing to capsize, and follow verbal instructions
2. Propulsion – Level 2. You’ve had some sea kayak training before, and now you get to really work on the details of the forward stroke, stopping and back paddling for the first time. This course is designed to enhance your awareness of the use of the powerful muscle groups for propulsion and to impart the importance of proper technique to minimize over-use injuries.
When: Friday 27 May 9 AM – 1 PM
Pre-requisites: Level 1-2 Coastal Kayaking skills, and a safe wet exit with a skirt
3. Propulsion – Level 3. This course is a dissection of the details of the forward stroke, stopping, and back paddling. Important aspects of the body, boat and blade actions involved in different kinds of propulsion will be reviewed and tested for effectiveness. Expect to discover how to unlock the potential of the large muscles of your body and how to take advantage of your sea kayak’s design to travel at a new pace.
When: Friday 27 May 9 AM – 1 PM
Pre-requisites: Level 2 (or higher) Coastal Kayaking skills, and a safe wet exit with a skirt
4. Maneuvering – Level 2. This course focuses on effective turning, spinning, edging to assist turning, the stern rudder, bow rudder, and the draw stroke. Build effective skills to weave in and out of rock gardens, follow scenic shorelines, and get the most out of your turning while staying in balance. This is a very fun bunch of skills !
When: Friday 27 May 2-5 PM, AND Sunday 9 AM – 1 PM.
Pre-requisites: Level 1-2 Coastal Kayaking skills, and a safe wet exit with a skirt
5. Maneuvering – Level 3. You have learned the draw stroke, stern rudder, bow rudder and edging before, but you want to refine these skills so that you: a) understand the fine points, and b) can dial the details into fine tuning your skills so that they are fluid and effortless, working “with the boat and paddle” not straining.
When: Friday 27 May, 2-5 PM
Pre-requisites: Level 2 (or higher) Coastal Kayaking skills, and a safe wet exit with a skirt.
6. Buddy Rescues – Learn and practice a series of assisted rescues and become competent at rescuing others. Learn a variety of re-entry techniques that can be adapted to your skills, body type & conditions. Learn how to rescue others without putting yourself at risk. T-rescue, scoop rescue, carry a swimmer on your boat, between the boats rescue, super-fast over the side rescue, and get a chance to practice the trapped paddler rescue.
When: Saturday 28 May, 9 AM – 1 PM, AND Sunday 29 May, 9 AM – 1 PM
Pre-requisites: Level 1-2 (or higher) Coastal Kayaking skills.
7. Solo Rescues – Learn and practice a series of self-rescues and become competent at rescuing others. Learn a variety of re-entry techniques that can be adapted to your skills, body type & conditions. Swim to safety with your kayak, Cowboy scramble, paddle-float assisted re-entry, paddle float roll, and if you have a well developed Eskimo roll, we’ll show you the re-enter and roll.
When: Friday 28 May, 9 AM – 1 PM
Pre-requisites: Level 1-2 (or higher) Coastal Kayaking skills.
8. Sea Kayak Towing – Learn and practice a variety of towing techniques with and without towlines. Learn safety and uses of towing and review the advantages of one towing technique over another. In-line tow, contact tow, anchored tow, fan tow, double-in-line tow, solo towing, and group towing. This is a fun time! And you learn the ultimate rescue for tired or sea-sick paddlers.
When: Saturday 28 May, 2-5 PM, Sunday 29 May, 2-5 PM
Pre-requisites: Level 1-2 (or higher) Coastal Kayaking skills.
9. Tack the Wind (Paddle in Current) – Develop the boat control skills to paddle in the wind without the assistance of retractable skeg or rudder. Come to really understand the hydrodynamics of your sea kayak and master the use of your body, boat, and blade to maintain a course in windy conditions without use of your rudder or retractable skeg. This course will be a little weather dependent. If no wind develops, we will apply similar concepts for learning to paddle in tidal stream currents, and do ferries, peel outs, and eddy turns.
When: Saturday 28 May, 2-5 PM
Pre-requisites: Level 1-2 (or higher) Coastal Kayaking skills.
10. Coastal Navigation – This is an introduction and review of sea kayak navigation and trip planning skills. Topics include: simple chart and compass skills, time and distance practice, rules of the road, introduction to tides and currents, and introduction to marine weather, making a simple trip plans, paddling on a bearing, shooting a bearing, transferring bearings from the chart to the ocean and vice versa. Orienting a chart to what you see, group awareness and simple leadership strategies also covered. You will make and execute a trip plan for a quick 45-minute tour of Halibut Cove.
When: Sunday 29 May, 9 AM – 1 PM
Pre-requisites: Level 1-2 (or higher) Coastal Kayaking skills.
11. Balance and Bracing 2. This is a class that introduces the details of how your body can be used safely to stay in balance, and recover from balance during the course of easy paddling conditions up to 10 knots. We use a strong emphasis on the action of the lower body, arm position and blade angle. Our goal is to help you make the low recovery-brace system “functional”. High recovery techniques are introduced with minimal commitment to the “functional” high-brace, rather we focus on safe use of the body in the high recovery position.
When: Sunday 29 May, 2-5 PM
Pre-requisites: Level 1-2 (or higher) Coastal Kayaking skills.
12. Balance and Bracing 3. This is a class that focuses on fine-tuning the mechanics and timing of the low and high recovery-brace system, low and high brace turns, Eskimo rescue, and learning the sculling back brace (torso rotation!). One goal is to learn a safe protected high brace position, where the shoulders are not at risk. Strong emphasis on knee and hip actions, blade angle control, and effective use of the arms-shaft-blade lever. When: Sunday 29 May, 2-5 PM