Although it’s been a month or so, I wanted to give you a report on the kayak training I took down in Oregon this October! There are a couple of organizations in North America that do paddling certifications, both for paddling skill and instructor/coach: the American Canoe Association, and the British Canoe Union (North America). There’s a great kayak shop down in Portland called Alder Creek, and they hosted the 1st Annual BCU Week in Astoria, OR. BCU coaches from around the US and the UK all converged and conducted a number of training classes and certification assessments. In the BCU scheme, for paddling skills there are 1 through 5 stars. This class I was taking was for the 3-star. But there were also people there taking more advanced paddling and coaching classes, so it was great to be around so many experienced paddlers.

I *totally* enjoyed the class: the material, the coaches (Jeff from Liquid Fusion Kayaking and Malcolm from AlderCreek), the other students, and heck even the weather! We had a lot to cover. Here are some of the highlights and things I learned.

• On Day 1 probably the biggest factor was weather! Even though we were only on a lake, we were at the upper limit of what a 3-star paddler would be expected to perform in. We’re talking heavy [side-ways] rain and winds at 20+ mph and  higher gusts. And we were doing exercises  in the wind!
• As I eluded, we did a lot of different types of tows and rescues. A lot of Eskimo rescues.
• For strokes that day, the big new one for me was a much improved sculling draw stroke! And we had some fun in the wind with a surfing (turning) stroke. Worked on high brace too.
• Got to finish the day by swimming and towing my kayak the last ~100 yards to shore.
• Day 2 was on the mighty Columbia near the town of Hammond, OR. And it was sunny, by the way.
• A lot of this day was focused on navigation, collision avoidance, using a radio / contacting the Coast Guard, paddling as a group.
• Ever try to paddle in a straight line backwards using a transit/range? A good challenge!
• We ended the day practicing turns in current and combination turns, good stuff!
• Day 3, our last day, was in the harbor at Hammond doing more rescues  (which I enjoy), like solo/cowboy and assisted rescues.
• To build on the Eskimo rescue in day 1, we worked a lot on how to come in as the rescuing boat as well as the best way as the “victim” to find the rescuer’s boat from underwater.
• We also worked on sculling for support, where you’re basically keeping yourself parallel to the water by sculling. Funny story on this: when we were practicing, my job was to keep my partner Andrew’s boat from rolling over while he practiced sculling. He’s a big, tall Rugby-player kind of guy, and I wasn’t able to adequately counter-balance. But I wasn’t going to let go! He pulled me and my boat completely out of the water, momentarily. Fortunately our coaches were nearby to assist.
• And finally, some balance games like kiss your bow (I can) and spin in your seat (I can). There’s a couple I can’t do yet like standing on your back deck and standing on your head. Someday I will!

I just got back from a 5-day kayak class in the San Juan Islands by Body Boat Blade International. WOW! I absolutely loved it. The instructors are world-class, fun-loving and great people. I had a blast and learned a *ton*. On the ferry ride home yesterday I started writing down all the firsts from the trip and thought I would share them with you. Here goes: this week was my first…

• Quick launch! from shore and from dock
• Eating kelp! (crunchy delicious)
• Standing on my back deck and other kayak games like kiss the bow, sit on stern, spin in seat, spin on back deck
• Roll (back deck roll via static brace)!!! It needs some work, I rolled twice but I think they were fortunate accidents. Many (many) more failed attempts, fortunately with Matt and/or Shawna standing close by.
• Static brace
• High brace
• Circumnavigation of Obstruction Island (check it off!)
• Bow rudder stroke
• Cross-deck bow rudder stroke
• Cross-desk bow pinch stroke
• Forward stroke ‘cycling’ motion AKA power transfer
• On-water navigation using time/bearings and fixes
• Using tow-belt
• Conducting multi-factor risk assessment process prior to each trip
• Paddling all kinds of different boats: 1) Nigel Dennis Kayaks (NDK) Romany kayak, 2) homemade (by Shawna) skin-on-frame traditional Greenland-style kayak and paddle, 3) Valley Rapier 20′ racing kayak and 4) Matt’s Pyranha Burn creek boat. But NOT the canoe (whah)