Sea Kayak & Canoe Seminar Course Descriptions
All courses are lectures and classroom-based demonstrations. There are no on-water courses. Courses subject to change. Schedule (Adobe PDF file) now online!
Tides & Currents
Instructor: Tim Walsh
One is a laundry detergent and the other is a small berry… this short, hands on class will take participants through the process of calculating tides and currents and will discuss the merits of understanding the impact of these forces on paddling trips. Prerequisite: Chart Reading
Your Boat, Body and the Blade
Instructor: Wayne Horodowich
Paddling a kayak is more than just taking strokes with your paddle. Kayaking is a true marriage of your body, boat and blade. All three must be working together during all aspects of kayaking. We will discuss body position and movements, boat positions and movements, and closely view how to properly use and manipulate your paddle to get the results you want when kayaking. The class is done in the lecture room so you can see what is happening under the water and inside the kayak when we look at your body, boat and blade working together.
Repair of Fiberglass and Plastic Kayaks
Instructor: Dik Lang
Cosmetic and structural repair of plastic and fiberglass. We will discuss polyethylene repairs as well as glass/Kevlar/carbon repairs to boat and paddles. The class will cover use of epoxy vs. polyester resins, cosmetic gel coat repair through structural repair of hull and deck cracks and holes. Emergency repairs of holes and rudder problems.
Chart Reading
Instructor: Tim Walsh
This workshop is intended to de-mystify some of those funny little marks that you see on navigation charts. The interactive discussion will highlight details that are most important to kayakers and point out information that may not be as relevant. It is highly recommended that
this class be a prerequisite to Tides and Currents.
Weekend Trips on Washington's Water Trails
Instructor: Sarah Krueger
You could spend a lifetime exploring the network of water trails in Washington State. This presentation will highlight one and two-night trips
to destinations on the Cascadia Marine Trail, Northwest Discovery Water
Trail, and Willapa Bay Trail. Learn where to launch and
how to prepare for your weekend getaway.
Sea Canoeing
Instructor: Earl Doan
Canoes are suitable for travel on tidal waters. But can you go where sea kayaks go? See footage of sailing on the west coast
of Vancouver Island and paddling in rough ocean water that
shows some of what is possible in a canoe. Also shots of whales, sea
caves, sea stacks and a Mola Mola. Learn the training, experience, and necessary equipment needed for your own sea canoeing adventures.
Highlights from a Circumnavigation of Haida Gwaii
Instructors: Shawna Franklin & Leon Somme
Shawna and Leon will show slides, a short film, and tell a few stories
about their exciting kayak circumnavigation of the Queen Charlotte
Islands (Haida Gwaii) in the summer of 2007 with adventure
filmmaker, Justine Curgenven.
Paddling In Currents
Instructors: Shawna Franklin & Leon Somme
Currents in the Pacific Northwest can exceed 16 knots! They create
whirlpools, plumes, over falls, tidal races, and standing waves.
Depending on your skills and your understanding of these currents, they
can be the most exciting places to play in the ocean or some of the most
treacherous waters in the area. Come to this workshop to learn about
the features and how they form, strategies to use these areas for fun or
avoid them for safety. This class will include exciting video footage
of some of the best tidal locations in the area.
What Paddle is Best for Me?
Instructor: Andy Bridge
Learn about paddle design and materials and which paddle is most suited for you, your boat, and your budget.
A Sardinan Kayak Odyssey
Instructor: Mick Keenan
Traveling half way around the world with everything necessary for the
trip either in our hands or on our back: a look forward into the
future of kayak expeditions. Follow my daughter Amy and me as we
kayak the waters once plied by the Phoenicians and Carthaginians
around one of the oldest islands on the planet.
The Science of Kayaking
Instructor: Tim Mattson
Science helps you see the world around you in a deeper, more nuanced way. By reducing kayaking to its basic elements, we gain a better understanding of kayaking and demystify kayaking dogma. And we can do this without complicated mathematics using concepts anyone can understand. This is particularly valuable in a coastal environment where the mechanics of paddling meets wave physics and smashes up against geology. It is this dynamic world we will illuminate by bringing science and kayaking together.
Conditioning for Paddlers
Instructor: Suzy Cornell
This class will provide an overview of
exercises that will be useful to the paddler by helping to improve
overall strength, core strength, balance and flexibilty involving the
muscle groups that are key to an efficient paddle stroke. There will be
opportunity for a hands on experience of some of the exercises as time
allows, and a handout will be provided with a description of the
exercises shown. A yoga mat or towel is recommended.
Greenland Style Paddling - A Journey to the Roots of Kayaking
Instructor: Tim Mattson
To the people of Greenland, paddling meant hunting which meant eating. Consequently, they had to paddle ... even in gale force winds and rough seas ... and hence they became some of the finest paddlers in history. In this presentation, we will explore Greenland-style paddling and how it can help you become a better paddler.
Reading Moving Water
Instructor: George Gronseth
George Gronseth of the Kayak Academy will show a video on moving saltwater (tidal currents) and lecture on how to read moving water for sea kayaking.
New paddlers, this would be a good presentation to take after Tides and Currents.
Immersion & Hypothermia
Instructor: Karl Kohegan
Hypothermia presents the greatest risk of death in
our sport, leading cause of drowning. Water conducts heat away from the body
26 times faster than air of the same temperature. Sudden immersion in cold
water may cause hyperventilation, slowing of the heart rate, and a dramatic
change in circulation. Karl will discuss the signs, treatment, and prevention
of hypothermia.
Becoming a More Powerful Kayaker with Applications for Activities of Daily Living
Instructor: Dan Henderson
Kayaking involves the application of power to propel the boat forward. There are many factors that contribute to developing power, not just big muscles. In this discussion, Dan Henderson, President of Cascade Canoe & Kayak Centers, Inc. in Renton, will discuss principals that contribute to a powerful stroke. Dan will also outline ways you can incorporate these factors into your paddling so that you can explore new destinations, have less fatigue and paddle further. These concepts have direct application to activities of daily living, especially as we age. Dan is a Masters Candidate in Exercise Science at Western Washington University, with a focus on kayak forward stroke biomechanics, and co-author of the International Canoe Federation Coaching Manual - the world and Olympic canoe & kayak governing body.
Kayak Fishing
Instructor: Allen Sansaro
The kayak makes a great platform for fishing from, whether your trip is planned solely for fishing, or you hope to add fresh fish to your menu on a multi-day trip. This seminar discusses the history and growth of kayak fishing as well as rigging options for outfitting a kayak for fishing.
Efficient Kayak Forward Stroke
Instructor: Dan Henderson
What really makes a kayak go forward? What's the story on high and low angle? How can I paddle and not get so tired? I want to explore new areas that are farther away. How can I sustain my paddling for longer periods of time? Do my shoulders always have to hurt when I paddle? How do I hold my paddle so my wrist doesn’t hurt? How can I keep up with my buddies without killing myself? These questions and more will be addressed in the presentation, “Efficient Kayak Forward stroke,” By Dan Henderson, President of Cascade Canoe & Kayak Centers, Inc. in Renton, WA.
Why Canoe?
Instructor: Steve Reutebuch and Erich Volkstorf
Paddle Trails Canoe Club members discuss the benefits of open boat paddling. Annually, the Club organizes about 100 trips on local rivers, lakes, and saltwater and conducts three multi-day canoe training classes and a river safety canoe clinic. Presentations will cover the range of canoeing, from flatwater and whitewater day trips in the Pacific Northwest, to expeditions lasting weeks, descending the remote wilderness rivers of North America. Using video and slides, Steve will start by giving an overview of the club’s activities on the Pacific Northwest’s most scenic rivers which offer year-round opportunities for running Class II-IV rapids in an open canoe. Erich describes last summer’s expedition down the Pelly River, one of the Yukon Territory’s most historic waterways.
Kayaking with Kids: Toddlers to Teens
Instructor: Pat Daly
Kayaking with Kids can be a challenge, or a wonderful experience. This presentation will explore techniques, safety concerns, and simple ideas (tricks), to get your kids out with you, plus get older kids to enjoy paddling. From infant to teens, kids can come with us or get hooked on their own!
Kayaking the Upper Columbia and Inland Northwest
Instructor: Pat Daly
Water in the desert?! Absolutely, and beautiful as well. Discover hidden ribbons of blue amongst high cliffs, islands of bird and wildlife, and challenges of long stretches of wilderness. Paddling Hanford Reach (the last free-flowing stretch of the Columbia), the quiet Yakima Delta, or 100 miles of the Upper Missouri River – all offer interesting, and often unusual sights and sounds (or absolute quiet!). Learn about these places through maps, charts and slides – then think about warm-weather paddling from March through October.
Watchable Wildlife On Washington's Waters
Instructor: Greg Whittaker
Washington State is one of the premier destinations in the lower 48 to view wildlife from human powered watercraft. Join us for a discussion and viewing of some of the species you can expect to encounter, proper methods for unobtrusively enjoying them in their own habitat, and some of the issues that species are facing as well as what we can do as paddlers to preserve habitat and diversity.
A Kayak Guides Tips, Tricks & Tours
Instructor: Jason "Kiwi" Goldstein
Get the inside scoop on useful equipment, packing tips, night navigation,and custom charts. Plus, ideas for sharing your adventure on the web, capturing video your trip, and paddling Washington's North Cascades & Olympic National Parks.
Risk Assessment
Instructor: Matt Ross
Risk management is a vital part of every paddler's toolbox whether you are paddling a couple of hours or on a multi-day expedition. This seminar takes a complex process and places into a simple tool that will help every paddler, guaranteed! This assessment "model" will increase your awareness of potential risks involved on any given paddling day - it is only this awareness that allows you to manage the risk accordingly.
Packing Your Kayak
Instructor: Matt Ross
Packing your kayak is an essential skill for any trip or expedition. This seminar aims to provide a framework or system for packing kayaks and can be adapted to all paddling environments and any length of journey. Whether you're an "expert" or just starting out, you will gain plenty of insight to pack for your next trip/expedition or you will leave with some great ideas on how to explain to someone else how to get "all your gear" into their kayak.
Kayak, Camera and Sea
Instructor: Gary Luhm
Gary was shooting from his kayak from his very first trip in 1992. Since then, he has had a dozen magazine covers in publications like Sea Kayaker and Canoe&Kayak, and hundreds of published images. Find out how he does it, see the latest in available options for on-the-water photography, and learn Gary's top ten composition tips. An all-new digital presentation.
Paddling a Double Kayak
Instructors: Jim & Annette Mentzer
Paddling doubles are a joy and a challenge. Paddling a double can save money, allow you to carry amazing creature comforts, and give you a sense of unity with your paddling partner. Doubles are also called divorce boats, with reason. There are special challenges in wrestling with these behemoths of the kayak world. Join us to learn if doubles are for you. We’ll discuss the ergonomics and psychology of enjoying and surviving the world of double paddling.
Sound to Sea
Instructor: Steve Weileman
Highlights some of beautiful paddling spots from the lower south
sound out to Cape Flattery and down the coast
Sea Kayaking in the San Juan Islands
Instructor: Ann Kruse
In August 2007, a group of 8 spent a week kayaking in the San Juans, circumnavigating Orcas Island and camping at Cascadia Marine Trail and other sites on the islands surrounding Orcas. In this presentation, besides showing some scenic trip slides, Ann will cover trip logistics, planning, navigation tips, and some lessons learned. Anyone wanting to do more kayaking in
the San Juans will enjoy this presentation.
Kayak Camping for Beginners
Instructor: Bruce Farrar & Dennis Hartup
Ever wonder why your kayak has all that space fore and aft of the cockpit? It is there to fill up with camping gear and food! Kayak camping is like backpacking but you can carry more stuff and your knees won’t hurt so much. Learn the ins and outs from two old salts that have put in some time on the ole water trail. With some preparation anyone can enjoy the fun of kayak camping.
Applications of Kayaking Science
Instructor: Tim Mattson
Physics, Math, Chemistry ... sounds like hard work in school; not playing in a kayak. But navigation, wildlife experiences, or improving that forward stroke ... it's all applied science. In this talk, I take the foundation established in my talk on "the science of kayaking" and apply it to different aspects of kayaking. I will select topics from navigation, biology, and paddling mechanics to match audience interests. It will be fun, and could = change the way you look at paddling in a marine environment. Pre-requisite: a solid foundation in science or attendance at my talk "The science of kayaking".
The Ins and Outs of the Surf Zone
Instructor: Wayne Horodowich
Going through the surf zone is a necessary part of most sea
kayaking. However, for many people it produces anxiety and for good
reason. Before entering the surf zone there are many questions that
should be asked and answered.
The presentation will focus on the techniques, strategies and
information one should have to make the surf zone a comfortable and even
an enjoyable experience. You will also learn a technique that can be
practiced in clam water that will help you in the surf zone.
Capsize Recoveries & Rescues - Which ones are best for you?
Instructor: Wayne Horodowich
Every sea kayaking book has at least one chapter devoted to rescues.
Which method should you use in which situation? What is the difference
between a capsize recovery and a rescue? How do you get help in an
emergency?
At the end of the presentation you will have the necessary information
to answer these questions for yourself and how to best spend your
practice time in the water.
Learning & Practicing Good Judgement When Kayaking
Instructor: Wayne Horodowich
How do you learn to make a quality decision in a kayaking emergency?
Is your past experience enough to help you when faced with a problem?
Do you have difficulties in making tough decisions?
This presentation will examine the decision making process and the
steps one can follow that will help towards quality decision making in
the future. Part of the presentation is reviewing emergency scenarios.
Kayaking the British Columbia Coast
Instructor: Kirby Stevens
Covers an overview of popular kayaking destinations along the British Columbia coast line including areas like the Broken Islands in Barkley Sound, Johnstone Strait, Queen Charlotte Islands, Gulf Islands and Desolation Sound to mention a few. This presentation will provide information on popular launch sites, camping areas, points of interest and any hazards to watch out for. This is a great opportunity to figure out if you haven’t already decided where you would like to plan your summer trip.
Dressing for Paddlesports: The Dilemma
Instructor: Karl Kohegan
Karl will provide discussion of paddling
apparel from Baja to Alaska, a close look at fabrics, designs, and features of
various clothing systems,comparison of wet suits vs. dry suitsd, coated nylon
vs. waterproof breathables, one-piece vs. two-piece suits, and more. Karl has
been kayaking since 1985, has been an ACA certified coastal kayaking
instructor, actively involved in the development and testing of paddling
garments and is the northwest rep for Kokatat water sports apparel.