Water Activities & Fidalgo Paddlesports: Coastal Kayaking Mastery

Duration

7 Hours

About

Our Essentials of Coastal Kayaking I, II & II series is built upon laying a foundation for new and developing sea kayakers to gain the technical knowledge, rescue skills, strokes, boat handling and judgement in order to safely and effectively begin kayaking in open water coastal environments.

In this second class of our series for sea kayakers who possess the fundamental skill set covered in our Essentials of Coastal Kayaking class, we will continue building upon our rescue, stroke and balance skills as we leave protected waters for some coastal exploration exposing students to wind, waves and currents. Our morning will consist of learning different forms of static strokes, exploring the connection between trimming our boat, pitch of our blade and body position for an increased level of responsiveness and efficiency in our kayaking. Blade awareness will be an underlying fundamental of this class, which we will explore in detail on our coastal paddle. Balance and edging are fundamental skills explored in this class in greater detail as well. Along the way, we will take the opportunity to learn more about self and assisted rescues, with an emphasis on different types of towing techniques and incident management.

By course end students should feel they have the skills necessary to make informed decisions about sea kayaking in near shore waters in light seas, with an increased level of boat performance and rescue skills. Helmets will be introduced in this class along with towing systems. There will be plenty of skills for students to practice long after this class, and opportunities for feedback and tailored coaching will be ample.

A sampling of the course content includes:

• Contact towing with and without a tow strap
• Towing with a tow belt/in-line and V
• Edge awareness and performance
• Low brace turns
• Bow rudder, side slip and blending of strokes
• Assisted swimmer rescues (bow & stern carry)
• Sculling brace
• Creating blade awareness
• Performative skills in rough water

Ages: 18 and up