Great Lakes Storm Gathering
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Adventure Kayak Magazine Features Great Lakes Paddlers

Posted by kwikle in event news - (2 Comments)

Ok. We all know that the Great Lakes has some of the most skilled paddlers and coaches in the world. The hard part has been in proving that to the rest of the world. I find it fascinating to see the rise of some very talented coaches that have been nurtured over the years, me included (keith wikle) by our freshwater seas, and some very good mentors.

This month’s Adventure Kayak Magazine, features, articles, pictures from some of my favorite people in the whole world. And I would like to point out that each of these people is in their own way connected with Go Kayak Now!, the Gales, Geneva Kayak, Naturally Superior, which I think is kinda cool. Here’s the list, see if you can spot them in the mag.

    1. Ray Boucher of Wawa Ontario had a feature article written about surfing the Michipicoten River mouth on Lake Superior. This is where the Gales will be held in 2012, and it is a very cool spot indeed, probably my favorite place to play in surf in my sea kayak. Ray is a favorite at NSA and my favorite Canadian surfing buddy eh!
    2. Megan Gamble from NSA. The brains and nerve center of the coolest paddling center in Canada. Got a photo of owner/proprietor David Wells.
    3. David Wells as mentioned above Owner and Proprietor of Naturally Superior and Rock Island Lodge, snuck his photo in the mag. He is pulling the Derek Hutchinson, and looking suave.
    4. Reverend Doug Van Doren one of my favorite mentors doing his rolling schtick from his Betsie Bay Valkyrie in Wawa, made the mag as well.
    5. Greg Maino formerly of Downwind Sports got a stunning photo of a great swing spot on Lake Superior near Grand Island. I won’t tell you where, you’re just going to have to do the trip. Greg who is moving to Maine, takes awesome photos.
    6. David Johnston Mr. Kayak Instructor and my brother from another mother got his photo of paddling some very challenging seas on Lake Ontario into the mag.
    7. Ryan Rushton owner and proprietor of Geneva Kayak made it into the featured coaches section of Alec and Sharon Bloyd-peshkin’s article on coaches PFD’s. Ryan also happens to be the IT who assessed me and one of the very very best paddler’s/coaches in the midwest anywhere
    8. Alec and Sharon Bloyd-Peshkin These two, who are the crown jewels of the midwest, from Oak Park Illinois got a featured article not only on what coache’s carry in their PFDs, but the cover shot of Shawna Franklin Hoola-hooping in/on her kayak.

Consider this your notice that the Gales is featuring some of the best talent in the paddling world are coming to share their passion for the sport with you. We think it is very cool that our Great Lakes folks are getting some much deserved media coverage.
Oh and in case you didn’t know this,

Shawna and Leon started paddling in Minnesota, so we’re kinda claiming them too.

Harlow Lake Cabins – Spaces Running Low!

Posted by rrushton in Symposium News - (0 Comments)

Economical, but beautiful and rustic, accommodations are running low for the symposium. While you can make your accommodation for the symposium at a plethora of other lodging choices around the area, we are offering bunks in the rustic cabins at $20 per bunk, per night. Heated by wood burning stoves, these idyllic cabins are located minutes from the symposium site on beautiful Harlow Lake. Be sure to register for the symposium soon to take advantage of this lodging choice!

What we love to teach – Body Trim in your kayak

Posted by kwikle in Sea Kayak Courses - (0 Comments)

Each coach has a particular schtick, or thing that they like to teach students. Sometimes it is just a subtle approach to a common topic, like t-rescues, or positioning strokes, something that they were probably given by another really good coach.

This series What We Love to teach from the Gales coaches will outline what each coach loves to teach. Often there are things that coaches have to teach to make students effective. And then there are things they love to give students because it is what makes us love this sport. This is what we hope will make the Gales special, we will be teaching the sport of kayaking, not the past-time of kayaking. We hope the enthusiasm for the topics will shine through.

So in order to kick things off properly I thought I would kick things off with one of my favorite topics.

Body Trim in the Kayak
I love this topic because once you’ve got textured water you can really demonstrate to students how important their weight, posture, and seating position affect how the boat performs when it is planing over water rather than displacing water. This is actually true for both sea kayaking and surf kayaking, which is pretty cool. To be fair, it is also about how you position yourself in your boat to get it to plane, especially in smaller waves. This lesson applies primarily to moving ocean waves, or waves on the Great Lakes.

Catching Waves
The first exercise for catching waves somewhere between three-five feet in height, (waist to shoulder high) is to try to position yourself in a non-critical part of the break,( but still where it is breaking) and stay leaning forward the whole time, and paddle for waves. Next lean back and try paddling for waves. And last, try pivoting between upright, back as the wave picks up the stern, and forward as the kayak begins to plane. What most students will observe is that they felt that the tail of the kayak caught the wave better leaning back, but stalled out while planing downwave. Leaning forward made it harder to catch initially, but planing downwave was much more effective.  The most effective should be leaning back to weight the stern, and once the kayak starts downwave, leaning forward to drive speed forward.

We all do this instinctively while surfing sea kayaks when we lean back to stall the kayak, and stop it from pearling, and thus endoing. This is especially fun in surf kayaks that require you to lean forward once the stern has caught. Driving your head forward drives speed over the hull, and allows the kayak to really begin planing.

Your mileage may vary based on how your kayak fit. For instance, a high volume sea kayak with a small person in it, will have difficulty leaning back to weight the stern.

This is a small example of what I really love to teach, and what I would have students do to try and work on surfing waves on Lake Superior.

Course In Focus: Rock Gardens

Posted by rrushton in Sea Kayak Courses | Symposium News - (1 Comments)

One look at symposium site on Google Maps will tell you there are rocks!

From the Course Description:

“Rock Gardening – When swell meets rock, the fun begins! “Keep one eye to the sea”, choose your wave, time it up and surf on through that slot! Coaches will work with paddlers on “reading water”, acceleration and boat control in the gardens.”

Rocks, plus fiberglass sea kayaks, plus people, usually does not equal a happy ending! So why head to the rocks for a play? First, being able to read water and control your boat in the rocks may allow you to travel in areas where you get reprieve from wind or tide. Second, learning to handle your boat in tight spaces is not an arbitrary exercise in steering, you really get to put your skills to use! Third, it’s fun and exciting! Waves stack up, bounce off cliffs and break on reefs. Progressing from simple survival, to control and utilization of these conditions, gives the paddler real flexibility as to where they can paddle in conditions.

So what does this course actually look like?  Of course it all depends on conditions, but coaches will work with small groups of paddlers in some of the rocky offshore islands surrounding Middle Bay or along the shore on the north and east sides of Presque Isle point.  The first step is reading the water in the area you’d like to paddle through. Judging waves size, where it’s breaking or staying green, and “keeping an eye to the sea” are all parts of reading water. We’ll look at wave selection as well as combining acceleration strokes and timing on your take off.  Edging your boat, body positioning and using a range of strokes will help us excel in the gardens.

What’s In A Name?

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The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald inspired Gordon Lightfoot's song about the Gales of November

How did we (the event organizers) come up with the name “The Gales Storm Gathering”? Did we spend tens of thousand of dollars on a publicist and focus groups to come up with the formula that made advanced paddlers excited about “looping” their kayaks in gnarly surf, intimidates “beginner paddlers”, and doesn’t offend any particular niche of a niche sport (skegged  v. ruddered boat paddlers, bearded v. non-bearded paddlers, shovel v. stick paddlers)?!? Tempting..but the budget didn’t allow it.

First dilemna….symposium or storm gathering? While sea kayakers are used to the term symposium, “storm gathering” may not be so familiar. Storm Gathering is used internationally for more advanced sea kayaking events and we felt the word “gathering” encompassed our community approach (incorporating multiple clubs, kayak companies and organizations) to the event.

Second, what to call OUR storm gathering? “The Gales” is an homage to a sea kayaking event of yesteryear, the  “Gales of November Rendezvous”. The Gales of November Rendezvous was started in the 90′s by Stan Chladek, the founder of Great River Outfitters (GRO).  While this event may not be in the consciousness of many kayakers today, this was the first rough water sea kayaking event in the country and many of the first BCU programs that were run in the US took place at the event. Held annually at Lake Superior Provincial Park’s Agawa Bay, many top UK paddlers were invited over, including Nigel Dennis. The only 5* Assessment that was ever run on the Great Lakes took place at one year’s Gales of November Rendezvous.

While some remember the rendezvous with fondness, one past participant referred to it as a “a bunch of men sittting around shivering and drinking beer”. Our current organizers just “may have” some different aims for the event, but also want to recognize those who paved the way for what modern sea kayaking has and is becoming. If it weren’t for the Chladeks and Nigels of the world, we may all be in ruddered boats with 25″ beams, high decks and large cockpits seeking shelter from the storm!

Online References to the Gales of November Rendezvous:

http://www.skoac.org/famous_authors.shtml; http://www.glskc.org/tftext.html; http://www.wmcka.org/history.php; http://bigwatersmallboat.wordpress.com/welcome/aboutbrianday/; http://www.nswseakayaker.asn.au/magazine/29/ozvsntham.htm

 

 

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Photo from Gales’ Venue

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Menominee River (Current Venue) in early October.

Sea Kayak Rescues DVD Trailer from Body Boat Blade

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Sea Kayak Rescues Trailer from Bryan Smith on Vimeo.

So in case you haven’t heard, Shawna and Leon are planning on coming to our Gales Storm Gathering event as guest coaches. Want to know why? Check out this video shot by the very talented Mr. Bryan Smith.

Simply put, Shawna and Leon put a lot of thought into rescues and have developed a lot of new thinking on rescues, and safety that they love to share with students. Rescues always sounds simple until you add wind, waves, or current. This is what the Gales is focused on, and what Shawna and Leon want to share with you in October. Plus we want to buy the DVD too!

Check it.

 

 

Courses – How It Works!

Posted by rrushton in event news - (0 Comments)

After reviewing this site, you may ask yourself “What course are being offered on Saturday?” or “Where is the schedule of courses?” or “How do I know who is teaching a course I’d like to take?”. The Gales Storm Gathering is different from many other events you may have attended in the past. Each evening, we’ll take a look at the forecast and anticipated conditions for the next day. We’ll take a look at how factors such as wind direction and swell height will effect the myriad of cool spots we have available to us in the Marquette area. After considering these factors, we’ll set the courses (and who is coaching them) for the next day and participants can sign up! The conditions will dictate the best possible learning experiences for gathering participants!

2012 Location and Sponsor NSA-Rock Island Lodge

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While we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves in any sense. We do have a long term plan to move the Gales around various Great Lakes locations each year. One of the locations I had in mind was Wawa. Naturally Superior Adventures, cited as the best guide business by Sea Kayaker magazine  and the National Geographic Adventure is one of my favorite places in the world. When David Wells agreed to host the 2012 symposium, I was really excited about the future of our fledgling sea kayaking event.

Rock Island Lodge and Naturally Superior Adventures have one of the most idyllic locations on the Great Lakes. A remote spot on the rugged coast of Lake Superior at the mouth of the might Michipicoten river.

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West Michigan Coastal Kayakers’ Announced as 2011 Club Sponsor

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WMCKA LOGO

The  West Michigan Coastal Kayakers’ have graciously stepped forward to help sponsor our first annual Gales Storm Gathering Sea Kayaking/Surf Kayaking Event in Marquette Michigan 2011.

WMCKA is a great club in Michigan that has supported paddling, the Great Lakes, and produced a number of fine paddlers including, Reverend Doug Van Doren.  We look forward to seeing the club membership up in Marquette for the first annual Gales Storm Gathering.

WMCKA has been hosting their West Michigan Coastal Kayakers’ Association Symposium at Camp Pendalouan on Memorial Day Weekend for 22 years. That’s like forever.

Check out their WMCKA Symposium Page for details.