Sea Kayak & Canoe Winter Seminar Instructor Bios
Andy Bridge
Werner Paddles
Andy Bridge is Director of Research and Development at Werner Paddles where he has worked for the past six years. Some of his designs include the Kalliste, Ikelos, Shuna, Skagit, and Werner's Neutral Bent Shaft for touring. He also designed their patented Adjustable Ferrule System. Andy has been paddling all types of boats for over 30 years and is a 9 time U.S. Whitewater Team member and 1992 World Cup Champion. More recently he has been sea kayaking Canada's West Coast and testing paddle ideas.
Suzy Cornell
Suzy was born and raised in Seattle, WA and received her B.A. in
Physical Education from Western Washington University in 1985.
She has 20 years of experience in the field of Adult Fitness, and has
spent 10 years teaching yoga. She received her certification from
Pacific Yoga at The Yoga Tree in Seattle, and has attended numerous
trainings through YogaFit, Inc. Suzy maintains the following
certifications and continues to build on her education:
ACE Personal Trainer,
AFFA Aerobics Instructor,
AAHFP Post-Rehab Conditioning Specialist,
Certified Yoga Instructor,
Certified Pilates Instructor.
Pat Daly
Columbia Kayak Adventures
Pat began kayaking in 2000 and opened CKA in 2004 to promote sea kayaking
on the Upper Columbia River and Inland Northwest. She is and ACA Open
Coastal Instructor and BCU 4-Star. She taught and guided part-time for
three years, then went full-time with a retail shop and rentals. She is
passionate about getting all ages and all skill levels to discover the fun
of kayaking, how to do it safely and efficiently, finding the right boat
and equipment for them, and to discover nearby places to paddle. She has
paddled in Scotland, southern Chile and all around the Northwest.
Earl Doan
Earl is a Canoe and kayak builder with 30 years sea canoeing experience in Puget Sound, Straits, Ocean, West
coast Vancouver Island, and more than 20 years sea kayaking experience. Earl and his wife Tena published Island Canoe current and tide tables and current guides for 17
years.
Bruce Farrar & Dennis Hartup
Dennis and Bruce have been sea kayaking for nearly two decades. They and their sons built their fiberglass kayaks as a Boy Scout Troop project that yielded 21 boats. They have paddled many Northwest waters from Oregon to Vancouver Island. They like to paddle year round and enjoy the camaraderie of multi-day trips to wilderness locations. Each experiment with various menu items and cooking techniques to the delight of their well-fed paddling buddies.
Body Boat Blade International
Shawna Franklin and Leon Sommé are the co-owners of the kayak school Body Boat Blade International, home based on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands, WA.
Aside from their passion for coaching paddle sports, they love expedition paddling! In 2003 they circumnavigated Iceland with Chris Duff, and in the summer of 2007 they circumnavigated The Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii) with adventure filmmaker Justine Curgenven. In 1998, Leon circumnavigated Vancouver Island. They have paddled extensively in the Pacific Northwest, which is so far their favorite
place to paddle in the world.
George Gronseth
Kayak Academy
George Gronseth is the founder of Issaquah WA based Kayak Academy, “the elite school for kayakers”. He writes safety articles for Sea Kayaker Magazine and is co-author of Sea Kayaker Deep trouble.
Jason "Kiwi" Goldstein
Global Adventure Guides
Jason “Kiwi” Goldstein is Owner of Global Adventure Guides (GA Guides) LLC, based in Olympia WA. GA Guides specializes in private kayak instruction and small group guided trips to more remote locations in the Pacific Northwest. Additionally, in the winter months trips to Fiji & New Zealand are offered at www.GAguides.net. Kiwi is also a professional cartographer and has designed some new custom kayak charts of Deception Pass, Cape Flattery, Cape Disappointment, & the north San Juans.
Dan Henderson
Cascade Canoe & Kayak Centers, Inc.
For more than 35 years Dan Henderson, president of Cascade Canoe & Kayak Centers, Inc. in Renton, has immersed himself in paddling, explored wonderful places, viewed wildlife, made great friends and exercised a competitive spirit. As the co-author of the International Canoe Federation Coaching Manual (the world and Olympic governing body for kayak and canoe racing) and many articles on paddling technique, as well as being a Master’s candidate in Biomechanics with a focus on the kayak forward stroke, Dan is a world leader in writing, research and understanding of kayak forward stroke efficiency.
Wayne Horodowich
University of Sea Kayaking (USK)
Wayne Horodowich is an experienced paddler, educator and adventurer. He directed the Adventure Programs at the University of California at Santa Barbara for twenty-five years and was their head kayak instructor. Wayne has filmed and produced the popular USK “In Depth” Instructional video series specifically for sea kayaking. He is very active in teaching instructor development clinics around North America and was a former captain of the U.S. Surf Kayak Team. He is the founder of the University of Sea Kayaking, an organization for the promotion of sea kayaking education, which hosts an incredible web site (www.useakayak.org) providing an educational resource to sea kayakers.
Mick Keenan
Mick switched from "Deliverence" style canoeing to river kayaking in 1974. His first trip was down the Middle Fork of the Salmon. In the 1980’s, he began sea kayaking - making multiple trips to Glacier Bay and Admiralty Island, Baranof Island, and Chichagof. Mick taught "Light Line Fishing from the Kayak" for Pacific Water Sports through the 80's and 90's. In the late 90's began logistics planning for a 1200 km circumnavigation of the Island of Sardinia off the coast of Italy. In April 2006, Mick attempted this difficult trip with his 21-year-old daughter, Amy.
Sarah Krueger
Washington Water Trails Association
Sarah delights in exploring Washington's waters and sharing her passion for shoreline preservation. As WWTA's Outreach Director, she handles publications, events, and volunteer coordination. Sarah received the highest level of Leave No Trace training during a five-day Master Educator course in June 2006. She co-facilitates WWTA's weekend Leave No Trace Trainer workshops and helps coordinate the Sound Education and Action (SEA) Kayaker program which reaches hundreds of people on Puget Sound shorelines with the Leave No Trace message each summer.
Ann Kruse
Ann has been hiking, climbing, and skiing in the Cascades for 30 years. She began kayaking 15 years ago and quickly got hooked. She has kayaked
in the San Juans, Alaska, New Zealand, and Greenland. She leads kayaking
and white water rafting trips for the Sierra Club.
Dik Lang
REI
Dik has been building and repairing glass and wood boats since the 1970's and has worked at Portland REI as the master technician until 1995, and the Seattle store at present, again as the master technician covering boat, ski, and bike repairs. The fix it guy.
Karl Kohegan
Kokatat
Bio coming soon
Gary Luhm
www.garyluhm.com
Gary is an outdoor and nature photographer specializing in sea kayaking. He has photographed from his kayak extensively throughout North America for 15 years. His images and articles on kayaking, photography, and birding have appeared in Sea Kayaker, Canoe & Kayak, Paddler, Outside, various books and calendars, and online at Wetdawg and Mariner Kayaks. Other business clients include Kokatat, Necky, Werner, Seals Sprayskirts, Ursa Major, Home Shore, and the National Audubon Society.
Tim Mattson
Quajaq Instruction
Tim is a "born-again paddler" and instructor with ACA certification in"advanced open water coastal", "white water", and traditional kayaking.
He is passionate about touring, white water paddling, surfing, and just
about anything legal that can be done in a kayak. Tim is also a
professional scientist with a background in parallel computing,
molecular physics and computational chemistry.
Jim & Annette Mentzer
Jim and Annette have been paddling doubles since 1988. They have volunteered, organized and taught at various events in the paddling community for 20 years.. They are currently active members and trip leaders for the Seattle Sea Kayak Club. Their favorite paddle grounds are the inland coastal waters of Washington and British Columbia.
Matthew Ross
Sea Kayak Shop/Island Outfitters
Matthew Ross is the "new" owner of the Sea Kayak Shop in Anacortes, WA
(formerly Island Outfitters/Eddyline Watersports Center). In March/April
2006, Matthew solo-circumnavigated Vancouver Island. He claims to have
more time in a sleeping bag and around a one-burner stove than most
people have in their own bed and kitchen - he lives and guides his life
by an expedition model, loves to teach paddling skills and is a
professional student of paddlesports. Matthew Ross has certifications
with the American Canoe Association and British Canoe Union and is a
senior instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School.
Steve Reutebuch
Paddle Trails Canoe Club
Steve Reutebuch was born and raised on the Tippecanoe River where he learned from an early age to canoe and kayak on moving water. He is Outreach Coordinator for the Paddle Trails Canoe Club (www.paddletrails.org). He is an avid whitewater canoeist and has paddled many of the rivers in the region.
Allen Sansaro
Northwest Kayak Anglers
Bio coming soon
Leon Somme
Body Boat Blade International
Shawna Franklin and Leon Sommé are the co-owners of the kayak school
Body Boat Blade International, home based on Orcas Island in the San
Juan Islands, WA.
Aside from their passion for coaching paddle sports, they love
expedition paddling! In 2003 they circumnavigated Iceland with Chris
Duff, and in the summer of 2007 they circumnavigated The Queen Charlotte
Islands (Haida Gwaii) with adventure filmmaker Justine Curgenven. In
1998, Leon circumnavigated Vancouver Island. They have paddled
extensively in the Pacific Northwest, which is so far their favorite
place to paddle in the world.
Kirby Stevens
Coastal Waters Recreation Maps
An avid sea kayaker for over 25 years, Kirby's company Coastal Waters Recreation publishes and designs and series of sea kayaking maps. He has extensively paddled throughout the coast of British Columbia and Baja along with parts of south east Alaska and Florida. When not in his office, he is often found out kayaking somewhere. In the past he has served on the executive level of local and national paddling associations. Since starting his company, Kirby has become a familiar personality at kayak symposiums and lecturing at various kayaking clubs up and down the west coast. Prior to starting Coastal Waters Recreation Maps, Kirby and his wife were instrumental in teaching parents and children family kayaking and taught at this subject at the West Coast Symposium for 8 years.
Erich Volkstorf
Paddle Trails Canoe Club
Erich Volkstorf began canoe tripping as a sixteen year old, paddling the famed Bowron
Lake circuit in the interior of British Columbia. After a hiatus during which he spent most of his
free time climbing and sailing, Volkstorf returned to canoeing. Every summer he travels to
Canada’s north to paddle, hike and write about some of the last great wildlands of our
planet. His work has been published in Canoe & Kayak Magazine and Paddler Magazine.
Tim Walsh
Paddlers Supply
Tim Walsh has been an avid kayaker since 1990. His paddling adventures
have
included Scotland, Queen Charlotte Islands and Katmai National Park. He
is an ACA Coastal Kayak instructor who has taught for REI and voluntarily for local kayak clubs. Tim is the owner/operator of Paddlers Supply, a wholesale kayak accessory company located in Seattle.
Reed Waite
Washington Water Trails Association
Reed Waite is Washington Water Trails Association's Executive Director and a lifelong water lover. He has sailed Massachusetts' Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, canoed Belize's Makal River, and kayaked off New Zealand's North Island in addition to boating local waters. He is a Leave No Trace Master Educator, serves as Treasurer for the Washington State Trails Coalition, and can't wait for the next opportunity to get outside.
Steve Weileman
Essex Explorations
Steve Weileman, the founder of Essex Explorations, continues to guide
clients professionally as well as instruct classes. Steve is certified
with the American Canoe Association as an ACA Open Coastal Instructor,
the BCU (British Canoe Union) as a 5 Star Sea- Kayaker trainee, the WMI
(Wilderness Medical Institute) as a Wilderness First Responder, and LNT
(Leave No Trace) as a LNT Trainer. Obviously the outdoors are Steve's
passion. Steve's explorations have taken him to the Queen Charlotte
Islands, Vancouver Islands, Washington's coast and Newfoundland waters.
Greg Whittaker
Alki Kayak Tours
Greg began Alki Kayak Tours in 2005 to provide residents and visitors access to paddle-powered exploration of Elliott Bay, the Alki Peninsula, and the Duwamish River. Alki Kayak Tours is committed to the conservation of Puget Sound as a sustainable working marine ecosystem that supports the resident wildlife as well as the industries of Seattle that rely on these waters for their livelihood.