West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium

Jason, Theresa, and I had the pleasure of teaching at the 23rd West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium this last weekend, and as always, there was something for every level of paddler. Participates where able to choose from a variety of on-water classes, classroom presentations, the latest in boat designs, or watching some amazing shows. This year we were treaded to not only Rapid Media’s Film Festival, but also Nigel Dennis’ circumnavigation of South Georgia Island.

For me, one of the treats is reconnecting with all the big names in the industry. All the leading instructors and outfitters were there, and it’s always informative to catch up on the latest from them. Looks like Leone and Shawna of Body, Boat & Blade have some exciting plans coming up, and Steve Scherrer is busy applying his expertise with Confluence. Ecomarine had all thier top instructors there as well. Ginni Callahan did yet another great job of organizing the entire event.

At the Saturday night BBQ, we were lucky to have Dubside join us and share some of this thoughts and insights. If you haven’t had a chance to see him, take a look at his videos over on his website. He brings a whole new dimension to the concept of boat control!

An added bonus was the arrival of The Lady Washington; a replica of the original 1750 brig. She was moored at the public pier in Port Townsend looking graceful and elegant; a beautiful reminder of the glarious days of sail.