I attended my first Southwest Kayak Symposium in San Diego over the weekend. All in all, a very fun time! Some confusion finding my campsite Friday night, as event registration had closed and CampLand has an abysmal wayfinding system, but with help from others I got settled in. Thanks you guys! The next morning I attended two tent talks and learned about wind and waves from Ken Fink, who could have spent half a day going over all he knows on this subject. Later that afternoon I really enjoyed the Women's Forum hosted by Jen Kleck; some great discussions about women and kayaking, and it was fun to see the men wandering by looking timidly into the tent and wondering what we were all laughing about. We all exchanged emails, and I hope there will be some women-specific discussions and paddles forthcoming. Nothing against you guys, but it just lends another dimension to enjoying the sport.

The highlight for me was taking a rolling class from Greg Knight. Didn't make a roll, but now I know what all the fuss is about. I'll be agressively pursuing this skill from now on. Note to self: why didn't I buy noseplugs sooner? Makes hanging around upside down in your cockpit quite enjoyable. Of course, the warm water helped!

The dinner Sat night was a bit disappointing...seems like we could have gotten a bit more for our $15, but the food (once it was finally served!) was pretty good, and the wait in line gave me a chance to talk to more people. The campfire and entertainment that followed were very fun...note to Steve "Hullcracker" Wilson...I can't get that "Kayak Symposium" song out of my head!!! And for those of you who didn't know it, Duane Strosaker is actually a stand-up comic, and will be taking over the Tonight Show from Jay Leno, despite what you may have heard about Conan O'Brian getting that gig.

Another highlight was taking the capsize and recovery class from Wayne Horodowich on Sunday (hope I got that spelling right, or at least close!). Most of it was review, but good to practice all of it in my new boat. Also, I insisited to Wayne that I was incapable of performing a cowboy scramble rescue. I'd practiced and practiced this skill, and have never been able to do it. At the end of class, near shore (with everyone on the beach watching!!) Wayne talked me through it, and dontcha know, I was back in my boat within a few minutes. Many kudos to Wayne, who is an excellent instructor.

Of course, huge thanks go to Jen and Greg and all their staff at Aqua Adventures for putting on a great weekend. Not to mention all the vendors and exhibitors, who offered up some awesome raffle prizes (of course, I didn't win any!) I could have spent a whole other day demo-ing boats and paddles (something I didn't have time for), doing a pleasure paddle of Mission Bay (something else I didn't have time for) and taking more classes. I had to force myself to go home! Looking forward to doing it all again next year.

I agree, I had a great time out there. I could only spend Saturday, but was there for the whole day. I had hoped to hit a couple more of the tent talks, but ended up only attending the second winds and waves class, and catching a few highlights while we wandered about. All of the plans I had vaporized as soon as I started playing with the demo boats and paddles. The vendors were great, and the folks were also. Looking forward to attending the next one. I guess I'll have to camp next time. I'm still amazed at how fast the day passed.

I spent a few hours Sunday afternoon at the Southwest Kayak Symposium. Took a few boats out for demos, and thoroughly enjoyed sprinting, carving turns, and rolling them. One of the manufacturers reps sort of cracked me up, though.

The kayaking business seems to be at the level where cycling was 25 to 30 years ago. There isn't really big money to be made, so the folks in the business are there because they are very enthusiastic. So, the reps were delighted to talk about surfing and touring and all the pleasure they have paddling. That level of enthusiasm sometimes spills into the sales pitch.

I was talking to one rep about a tandem. I explained that my family already has a kevlar Current Designs Libra and are considering getting a second double to accomodate our two kids. So, the rep launches into his spiel, "There are many differences between this boat and a Libra. First of all, this boat isn't a barge..." LOL! How tactful!! At least he didn't call my kids ugly (grin).

The Southwest Symposium has always been awesome, but each year just keeps getting better and better. Bunches of our friends from SoCalKayaking and CKF showed up, making it hard for any of us to walk more the 50 feet before having to stop and talk with old friends. A lot of people new to kayaking showed up too, and many of them became friends, which is a good thing, because we are always in need for fresh blood to share in our carnage and eventually replace the aging Tilley population.

Speaking of Tilleys, Steve "Hull Cracker" Wilson turned 50 during the symposium, and as a result, he was presented with a Tilley hat during a birthday party on Friday night.

Earlier that Friday night, Nigel Foster did a great slide show about a trip he did far up north, during which he had multiple close encounters with polar bears.

Saturday was a day of classes on the water from a lot of the great kayak instructors from near and far. My 13 year old daughter, Nicole, and I took a Nigel Foster class on discovery learning, which we both enjoyed. There were a lot of kayaks to demo too.

Saturday night was the big party, with Greg Knight, Nigel Foster, and Steve Wilson entertaining us all on vocals and guitar. Brent Reitz jammed on harmonica and vocals too. One guy amazed us all with his native Australian instrument, which made those cool sounds. Jen Kleck presented special carnage T-shirts to those who had badly damaged their kayaks in recent years. I'll get to work on another stand up comic routine for next year too.

Nicole and I left the party at 11:00 p.m., but the next morning I heard stories about what happened later. Like Dublin Dave said, "What happens at the symposium should stay at the symposium."

On Sunday my daughter, Nicole, took a precision control class from Eric Giddens. She really enjoyed it and said her arms were tired afterwards.

During her class, I was paddling around in the bay and came upon a woman who had tipped over and couldn't get back in her kayak. She was already exhausted from trying to swim the kayak back to shore and still had a long way to go. I helped her and found it interesting talking someone who never did a rescue before through the whole T-rescue process. Because she was exhausted, I had her rest between each step and had to pull her up on the back deck by grabbing her life jacket. She was really cooperative, calm and appreciative, which helped a lot. She thanked me, but I thanked her for letting me practice a situation I hadn't experienced before.

Nicole had a such a great time, she wants to come back next year too. She also said we have to make her mother (my wife, Susan) come next year. You can bet we will be there.

There are way too many people to thank for the symposium, so I won't mention any names, but they all did a great job. It really is an event not to miss, whether you are a beginner or expert, want to take classes, demo kayaks or even just hang out and talk.

By the way, those symposium T-shirts looked awesome. There shouldn't be any problems selling them out at Aqua Adventures this year. I do have to brag that I designed the symposium logo on the T-shirts. It will be a tough one to beat for next year.

A similar incident occurred during a class I was taking on Sunday morning. During the class a woman capsized and her husband asked to rescue her because they had just completed Wayne H's class on recoveries. After the husband successfully got his wife back in the boat, another paddler - this time a man- capsized.

While he was in the water, Greg asked if anybody else had taken the class and needed to practice. Since nobody else even knew how to do a rescue, I proceeded to do a T rescue with him.

He had not practiced this and I had to coach him through most of it and help pull him up onto his back deck too.

The worst part was that I was having a great deal of trouble dragging his boat across my cockpit and then trying to empty it. I had never had so much difficulty. His boat was the heaviest one I have ever seen.

After he was back in the boat, he told me that he had added 50 pounds of lead to the boat (25 lb in the bow and 25 in the stern), to make the boat less tippy.

Greg suggested that he start removing it a little at a time as he paddles the boat and gets more comfortable with it.

In the future, I guess I'll have to ask people if they have added any lead to their boats before I try to lift them.

Friday Night:
Kayak cup cakes, Nigel's adventures with Polar Bears up close and personal. We had cake and beer after Nigel's talk to celebrate my birthday. Duane and Dave gave me a Tilley hat. My son Cody, Nigel, Brent, Greg, and I all jammed until Mr. Ranger told us to stop. Thanks to all for a warm welcome into the fifties.

Saturday:
Too much to do, learn, touch, test, visit. It's like an amusement park that you can't cover in a day. So many good classes, tent talks, booths, demos, and people. The day was over in a wink with so many things I didn't get to.

Saturday Night:
Jen started the beach party off with the Hull Cracker T-shirt award presentation. Thanks Jen, once again you have gone out of your way to do something cool. Brent and I started the music off with "Pink Kayak". Cody kicked in the electric guitar on the next tune "Kayak Symposium on Mission Bay". Greg sang one of his tunes, then we got Nigel up to do an English folk song he had converted into a blues tune. Now Duane came up for some comedy relief. Then a fellow played the Didjeridoo. By this time we are trading songs between Greg, Brent, and I. Cody and Brent trading leads on guitar and Harmonica. My favorite part was when several people got up to do the twist during a La Bamba/Twist and Shout Medley. Things happened later that need to be put in a song. Perhaps Greg and I can get together to collaborate on this one.

Sunday Morning:
"Sunday morning sun is in your eyes. You look like a homeless man" From the song "Kayak Symposium on Mission Bay". We (Alice, Cody, & I) had to pack up and go home to soon.

I am driving back. Left camp and started on Sunday afternoon to gain time since it takes me three driving days to get home. I'm now in Hermosillo (close to Bahma de Kino), happy and proud. Happy for what I saw and learned. Proud to be part of such a great group of people; the CKF and the California sea kayaking community.

The Symposium was a great success. Figuring out what it takes to have the most renown personalities of Sea Kayaking come to teach from all over the world and to have here the kayak and gear manufacturers with the latest and best models, ready to allow anybody to test them, is considered a great achievement. Achievement that can only take form from proactive, friendly, nice and very professional organizers. Jen Kleck, Gregg Knight and team, my sincere congratulations to you all. You have done a great job for several years. This has grown roots already and hopefully will remain for many years to come.

I was so pleased to say hello to a few of the many CKF and San Diego kayakers that I have met in the past. Jim, Scott, John, Dave O'Connor, Dave Houser, Paul Jonason, Steve Holtzman, Steve Wilson, Len Goodman and wife, John Petersen and wife, Duane Strosaker and daughter Nicole, Mike Brown, Steve our campsite neighbor, Carol and others that I don't remember right now. Missed George, Patrick and would have liked to meet Steve Brown, Kevin Montgomery and Peter O'Sullivan, who were there but I do not recognize.

Instruction by the pros was outstanding. It is a package of 90 minutes lecture and 12 months practice to master the learnings. Nigel, Derek and Erick drills are really very effective, at least as done by them. They seem so natural. Will be useful when I get a good feeling for them.

Their teaching was excellent. I only have some comments and suggestions to make, not in order of importance.

1. Brent Reitz forward stroke is so effective that he could even move forward when sitting on a couple of buckets and wooden board, over a table, swinging the paddle in the air, while lecturing.

2. Nigel Foster and Cristine still had a pale look and were carrying shotguns. It was barely a week from their close encounter with white polar bears.

3. Statistics showed that on Gregg Knight rolling class, 100% of the students got at least half the roll.

4. Ken Fink seemed confused looking for the restroom after his navigation class.

5. Eric Giddens was very precise and controlled in his Precision Control class.

6. Derek Hutchinson insisted he was standing when addressed at the fireplace and Wayne Hodorowich insisted he was sitting.

7. Duane Strosaker stood all along the Symposium. I was wondering if his lower back was still burnt.

8. Aqua Adventures should enhance its business by buying the adjacent pub and having instructors Brent Reitz, Gregg Knight and Steve Wilson, together with Cody perform in the evenings. That would make a morning kayak guiding and teaching and an evening amusement, a full satisfaction day package.

9. Doug van Doren defeated my theory about Greenland rolls. I always thought that the roll was a spasm response to the feel of freezing water. My theory relied on a muscular contraction, at the moment of immersion, that created opening big eyes, instant suspension of respiration and a hip twist, bringing the boater upwards regardless of paddle position. But watching the rolls on warm waters proved otherwise. He is good.

Find a few pictures of the Symposium at community.webshots.com/user/cayucochief look in the Mission Bay album.

Of course anyone that has been to a Symposium would know the great people and interest in kayaking that it draws. In particular some of the best Kayakers in the world come to teach and be part of the whole scene.

It was great seeing all the regular group from up north and south, but taking classes from these professionals is a special thing. I was took 2 classes from Doug Van Doren who is a Greenland paddle style expert. Doug displayed his many rolls in a demonstration where he rolled with a paddle, one hand on the paddle, no paddle, static brace, and a roll with one hand on his paddle and the other hand holding a 12 pound bowling ball on his spray skirt. There were more but I lost count.

Of course I could not miss a Directional Control in Wind class with Nigel Foster. He easily applies his techniques into use by starting out with mild edging with a brace and ending up with hard edging with a bow rudder which can radically turn your boat any direction in rough conditions.

Along with all the great manufacturers there were also some hand built traditional Greenland style Qayaks and Baidarkas by John Peterson. Hard to hide on of those babies on my back patio!

All in all there was more than anyone could take in with only 2 short days, that is if you are interested in kayaking!

Thanks to Aqua Adventures for putting it on as it has to be a lot of hard work to gather all the great people in one place.

Click on picture to see larger image

Van Doren Brace	Van Doren Roll	Baidarka	Qajak

It was my first time at the Symposium as well. I agree that Campland was confusing and the dinner disappointing. I didn't attend the women's talk, but I would be interested in future women specific discussions and / or paddles.

I enjoyed the fact that I knew so many people and that I can now put faces to email names My 11 yr old son was with me and his favorite part was the campfire entertainment - although I hope he doesn't repeat everything at our next Scout campout!

My schedule of classes differed from my registration choices and I was a bit overwhelmed I started out with Brent's class and the Forward Stroke seemed so easy on dry land. I didn't get to practice it though since my next class was Capsize Recovery. I skipped the part about standing up to take off one's wetsuit as I fall over on solid ground, but my recoveries went well enough - except I use a different method. I thought I'd get to try the forward stroke in the next couple of classes, but Nigel had us going around in circles. Finally, in Doug's class, we didn't even use paddles! Well, I now have along list of exercises tp practice for next year!

I hope to attend the Northern Ca Symposium in a couple of weeks as well.