Fellow paddle explorers,
Last month I had the pleasure of flying to Alaska to fish with a buddy of mine from Talkeetna. On the way up we overflew Prince of Wales Island and the pilot was explaining how it was seldom visited, yet the 3rd largest island in North America. I could see long passes of sheltered waterways, a lumpy landscape and noted that is was just north of the Queen Charlottes, but still in Alaska waters….got me to thinking, you know? My paddle glands started to water. Since then, I’ve done lots of homework and a new trip was born that you are cordially invited to be a part of. I’m only going to take 6, so if you are interested, jump on it. No one has done a trip like this on Prince of Wales island, so you will be pioneers to a new trip, yet we are being co-led by a local guide who knows her backyard very well and is looking forward to this as much as we are! Spread the word amongst paddlers that you know…we’re trying to build an awesome group that’ll have a blast paddling together. More to come….
check out www.uncommonadv.com/kayaking/alaska/prince_of_wales.html for more….
We have a wealth of very good paddlers and talented instructors here in the Great Lakes. I’ve been so luck to come up through the ranks with the likes of Rob Taylor, Laurie Levknecht, Lori Stegmeir, Jon Holmes, Denny, Bonnie, Robin, Wendy, Patty, the B-P clan….these are literally dozens of the finest people I’ve ever met. There’s always been a big exodus of folks schooling to Georgia in the fall. As I sneak up on age 50, I’ve been giving some thought to the next generation of fine paddlers/instructors and think it is past time for our own home-grown fall event, with a bit of an Uncommon/ACA flavor. Not favoring ACA over BCU, but we’ll be teaching the same skills, just measuring with a slightly different ruler. We have a good venue and its time to start planting seeds. Late September in Michigan can be pretty darn pleasant and it can also give us “conditions” to play in…so let’s give the next generation a leg up in our own back-yard with a bit more depth than most symposiums. Let’s see what we can grow together and here is the start….
ACA (American Canoe Association) Level 3 Training and Assessment
This 16 hour course combines Coastal Kayak Basic Strokes and Rescues along with Strokes and Maneuver’s refinement. Dry land portions include very basic navigation, radio use, rules of the navigable road and emergency equipment. In the water, we’ll cover a variety of group and solo rescues, bracing, boat handling and towing scenarios.
Prerequisites: Basic forward strokes and wet exits as well as ACA membership
September 28-30 $350/person includes meals and two nights camping
ACA Level 4 Surf Zone Training
This 7-8 hour class precedes our Surfest 2010 to lay groundwork for being better able to handle coastal kayaks in moving water in waves up to 3 feet.
Oct 1: $150/person including a night’s camping
Kayak Skills Camp 2010 (AKA ACA week)
Here’s your opportunity to work on your open water skills without driving all the way to Georgia to do it. Held in the fall when our waters have had all summer to warm, we combine and ACA Level 3 Training and Assessment with Level 4 Surfzone training and morph into our Surfestival on the weekend for you to put it all together to finish off your summer with new skills and a great bunch of friends! As our numbers grow, we’ll bring in some of the tremendous wealth of talented instructors that we have in the Great Lakes.
September 28-Oct 3 $550/person for instruction, 5 nights luxury camping (ie, hot showers) breakfasts, a few dinners and the use of our outdoor kitchen.
Time’s a ticking on the early booking incentive for our Reef Padding trips…save $200 if you book by Dec 15!
Gazing into my crystal ball trying to predict what programs will be able to sell next season is a game I play every fall. I must admit that I do enjoy program planning…especially the research for new programs. Pouring over maps and charts…drooling over the nooks and crannies, thinking about planes that land in water, waves breaking over the deck, great wines in great places with great people….man, I have the best job in the whole wide world!
A new Alaska program, Expedition School, The North Channel, New Long Play Water to Wine tour….its going to be grand!
Alaska