Kodiak Summer Fest 2009
Sea Kayaking Skills Symposium
July 18, 19, 20th& 21st, Kodiak

Click to download as a MS Word File

Alaska Kayak School, PO Box 3547, Homer, Alaska 99603, (907) 235-2090, info@alaskakayakschool.com, www.alaskakayakschool.com, Co-sponsored by the Island Trails Network, (907) 539-1979, www.islandtrails.org

Course Schedule
Kayaking education with Immersion
Pricing and Fees
Cold Water Protective gear and other supplies needed to participate
Have your own gear?
Course Descriptions

The Kodiak Island Archipelago is one of the hotbeds of the Alaskan Kayak Culture that dominated the north Gulf of Alaska in pre-Caucasian history. Spend a long weekend in July on Kodiak learning, practicing, and developing your personal sea kayaking skills with local experts, Andy Schroeder/Laura Slater and the British Canoe Union coach and American Canoe Association instructor, Tom Pogson, from the Alaska Kayak School in Homer. 2009 is the Alaska Kayak School’s 10th Anniversary, and we’re delighted to be able to come to Kodiak in on our 10-year anniversary and celebrate with our first multi-day instructional event on Kodiak – which is closer to Homer than either Whittier or Anchorage. Tom is a level 4 BCU sea kayak coach and assessor, as well as an ACA open water instructor.

The 2009 Kodiak Summer Fest will be held on Kodiak Island, and although it is difficult to plan the venues we will use too far in advance because it will be weather dependent, the flat water instruction on 18 and 19 July may be held on Island Lake or on the ocean, if it’s calm, possibly at the Ram site beach access to Monashka Bay from Abercrombie State Park. Although it requires more of a drive, Anton Larsen Bay may be fun for one (or both) of the flat-water days. The venues for the open water and surf days may include Mission Beach and a paddle around Woody & Long Islands, the Ram site and paddle around the North side, or the Coast Guard Base and a paddle south around Cliff Point, or even out of town around Chiniak or Pasagshak, and would require about an hour drive.

Courses Schedule

Saturday 18 July
Fundamental Sea Kayaking Skills & Silent Auction/Cookout

Sunday 19 July
Sea Kayaking Skills Refinement with Rescues

Monday, 20 July
Open Water Sea Kayaking Skills and Rescues

Tuesday 21 July
Introduction to Sea Kayaking in the Surf Zone

 

Kayaking Education with Immersion. All participants will wear full dry suits and other cold-water protective gear to facilitate carefree learning and fun that is free of the detrimental effects of cold shock, swimming failure and hypothermia. All equipment can be provided, but you’d save $$ if you have your own equipment. Please contact us for a full equipment list. The kayak schools philosophy and practice is to get comfortable being in the water as a way of increasing your skills, knowledge and practical experience.

Advance registration is recommended.  The courses on 18 and 19 July will be limited to 12 students each, while the open-water course will be limited to 10 students and the surf training will be limited to 6 students. See the course descriptions for registration information – below.

Pricing and Fees
Daily Instruction - $125/day/person; $120/day/person check/mo;
4 days $450; $425 w/ check/mo
Kayak and Gear Rental -$40/day/person; $35/day/person check/mo;
4 days $140; $130 w/check/mo
Kayak Rental only - $30/day/kayak; $25/day/kayak check/mo;
4 days $110/kayak; $105/kayak check/mo
Dry suit Rental only - $25/day/person; $20/day/suit w/ check/mo;
4 days $90/suit; $85/suit w/ check/mo

Cold Water Protective gear and other supplies needed to participate: single sea kayak w/ watertight compartments in each end (preferably with deck lines and handles on the end), spray skirt, paddle, bilge pump, paddle float, helmet, cold water paddling gloves, helmet liner, drysuit and warm layers, neoprene booties (or water shoes), extra clothing in a dry bag, personal first aid supplies (drybag), warm clothing for when off the water, eyeglass retainer (if you wear eyeglasses), extra glasses, sunglasses, sunscreen, etc. You will get a complete list upon registration.

Have your own gear? If you have your own kayak, paddle, skirt, dry suit, paddle float and bilge pump, but no gloves, helmet, helmet liner, bilge pump, or quick-release towline, we can provide them FREE of charge. Please ask when you register, and if you don’t we’ll ask.

Course Descriptions

Fundamental Sea Kayaking Skills
Sea Kayaking Skills Refinement with Rescues
Open Water Sea Kayaking Skills and Rescues
Introduction to Sea Kayaking in the Surf Zone

Fundamental Sea Kayaking Skills
Learn and practice effective skills for safe sea kayaking in an outdoors setting under the guidance of American Canoe Association instructors and British Canoe Union coaches: sea kayak and equipment design and safety, risk management for cold water paddling, essential equipment, launching and landing, wet exit, forward and back paddling under control (without your rudder), stopping, balance and bracing, spin the kayak 360º, turn and steer, move the kayak sideways, introduction to edging, communication and group awareness, and rescue others and yourself. All equipment can be provided: sea kayak, paddle, skirt, dry suit, helmet, booties, gloves, helmet liners, towlines and bilge-pumps.
When: Saturday, 18 July, 830 AM-5 PM
Where: Kodiak, venue to be announced
Pre-requisites: can swim and follow verbal instructions
Fees: Call the kayak school, (907) 235-2090
Registration: Alaska Kayak School, PO Box 3547, Homer, Alaska 99603, (907) 235-2090, e-email: alaskakayakschool@gmail.com (online  registration)

Sea Kayaking Skills Refinement with Rescues
This course seeks to help you expand and enhance your boat control skills and develop the skills for a variety of assisted and solo rescues. Refine your fundamental sea kayaking skills and expand your comfort on the water by learning and practicing variations in forward paddling, maneuvering while back paddling, edging for enhanced turning and maneuvering, sculling draw and sculling for support, enhanced balance and bracing. Also included are a variety of assisted and solo rescues: t-rescue, yank rescue, inside and outside scoop rescues, trapped paddler rescue, Eskimo rescues, towing, cowboy scramble, paddle-float rescue, paddle float roll, and with enough time, Cleopatra’s needle (the magic sinking kayak act reversed). All equipment can be provided: sea kayak, paddle, skirt, dry suit, helmet, booties, gloves, helmet liners, towlines and bilge-pumps.
When: Sunday, 19 July, 830 AM-5 PM
Where: Kodiak, venue to be announced
Pre-requisites: A confident wet exit (retaining kayak, paddle and all your gear) and Fundamental Kayaking skills.
Fees: Call the kayak school, (907) 235-2090
Registration: Alaska Kayak School, PO Box 3547, Homer, Alaska 99603, (907) 235-2090, e-email: alaskakayakschool@gmail.com (online  registration)

Open Water Sea Kayaking Skills and Rescues
Outfit your sea kayak for open water paddling and apply your sea kayaking skills to paddle in wind and waves. Learn and practice paddling into wind and waves, and in following and beam seas. Practice and tune your boat handling skills for group awareness and rescues, as well as practice and tune your towing and rescues in open water. Our goal is to run this program in open water (with easy bail outs) where you could paddle in winds force 2-3 and sea state 2-3 (waves to 3’). All equipment can be provided: sea kayak, paddle, skirt, dry suit, helmet, booties, gloves, helmet liners, towlines and bilge-pumps.
When: Monday, 20 July, 830 AM-5 PM
Where: Kodiak, venue to be announced
Pre-requisites: A confident wet exit (retaining kayak, paddle and all your gear) and Fundamental Kayaking skills.
Fees: Call the kayak school, (907) 235-2090
Registration: Alaska Kayak School, PO Box 3547, Homer, Alaska 99603, (907) 235-2090, e-email: alaskakayakschool@gmail.com (online  registration)

Introduction to Sea Kayaking in the Surf Zone
Develop an understanding of the dynamics of the surf zone from a sea kayaker’s point of view. Learn group awareness and safety in the surf zone, and develop your ability to launch and land through moderate surf (up to 3’). Practice controlled surf landings, letting the waves pass beneath you, and increase your skill and comfort for paddling a sea kayak in surf. All equipment can be provided.
When: Tuesday, 21 July, 830 AM-5 PM
Where: Kodiak, venue to be announced
Pre-requisites: Open Water Sea Kayaking skills and rescues, or permission of the instructors.
Fees: Call the kayak school, (907) 235-2090
Registration: Alaska Kayak School, PO Box 3547, Homer, Alaska 99603, (907) 235-2090, e-email: alaskakayakschool@gmail.com (online  registration)