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The Seventh Scottish Sea Kayaking Symposium
27th
30th May 2005 Sleat Isle of Skye
Almost
overwhelming, was the first reaction of many delegates arriving at the
Gaelic College, Sabhal Mor Ostaig on Skye. Not only because of the sheer number of sea kayakers
assembled in one place, but also because of the range of sessions on
offer. Is it possible to have
too much choice?
Almost overwhelming choice I was
taught that lists are lazy journalism, but just listen to the selection which
faced delegates on the first session of day one; Reflections slide show
with Franco Fererro or two seminars; Introduction to Tides with Paul Mills;
or Science of Maps & Charts with Donald Thomson. These could be followed by either
Channel Island & Near Coasts of France slide show with Kevin Mansell;
Gathering Tidal Information with Paul Mills; or Making a Map or Chart
with Donald Thomson. It sounds a
full morning, but wait a moment thats just for those who wanted to stay
dry! Those who fancied a
practical morning, there was even greater choice; Global Positioning
Systems with Andy Stamp; Introduction to Folding Kayaks with Mike McClure
and Brian Wilson; Foundation Skills with Jas Hepburn and George Reid;
Forward Paddling with Sean Morley and Nigel Robinson; or Greenland Skills
with Soren Rasmussen. And still
were not finished. Delegates
who wanted to explore some of the spectacular Skye coastline (there were
visitors from Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands) could choose between three
separate full day paddles. By
any-ones standards, that was a lot of choice. And bear in mind, this was just the selection for the
first morning of the first day - there were three days like that, morning and
afternoon! You see what I mean
by this event being almost overwhelming?
Sean Morley slide-show Look at the names in that list and youll see some you know. The contributors hosting the sessions were all top notch. Of the twenty-six Level Five sea coaches in the UK, only three were not present, according to the organisers. This symposium has a reputation for attracting the best, which perhaps explains why the one hundred and sixty delegate places sold out months ahead of time. Thats a lot of sea-kayakers, and when the exhibitors were included, plus all the partners, relatives and children who tagged along, it added up to two hundred and sixty people in one place, all focused on sea kayaking. Rarely have I been among so many friendly, like-minded people. It says a lot that we all could leave wet kit out overnight, hanging from roof racks, and not a thing went missing.
Gaelic
College The Gaelic College proved once again to be an excellent venue, providing hearty meals for hungry paddlers, and excellent learning facilities. More on-site accommodation would have been nice, but the campsite or swamp as it became known, was not as bad as it sounds. The beach access was awkward, down a steep track that became churned, slippery mud. And there was the inevitable delay when fifty sea kayakers attempt to launch from the same, small rocky beach at the same time. But no one to whom I spoke felt these minor complaints detracted from the overall success of the weekend.
Organisers Gordon & Morag
Brown, Ken Nichol & Duncan Winning
OBE Experts
always make it look easy, and by now the organisers of this event really are
experts. Somehow they manage to
create an informal, casual atmosphere, and yet keep events running to a
complex time-table. Dont
underestimate this. If things
were too laid back, then nothing would ever happen: People who had to spend a long time hanging about, waiting
for sessions to start, would grumble and push off to do their own thing. Alternatively, had the organisers
gone around with blowing whistles and ringing bells, demanding people went to
their session NOW, then the result would probably have been the same -
delegates would have grumbled, pushed off and gone paddling. Achieving this balance is the hidden,
yet fundamental success of the whole event.
Discovery Learning with Andy Stamp Whats
more, they created an environment in which everyone could learn
something. For some people it
was rolling; others picked up subtle boat handling skills; but best of all
were the absolutely priceless nuggets of knowledge you could pick up almost
without trying. Ill give you an
example. On a multi-day trip
many people take a frozen dinner for the first day or two. Howard Jeffs just happened to mention
he froze his meals in a poly bag, packed inside the pan in which theyll be
used. So they fit the pan
perfectly. He stores them in an
insulated tube, shaped around the pan from a roll of sleeping mat to which
ends have been attached. A
simple and effective expedition technique.
A busy, rocky launch site The
highlight of my weekend was having a re-entry roll demonstrated to me for the
first time, by Franco Ferrero, and then after several attempts, succeeding in
performing the manoeuvre.
Probably even more useful was learning his absolutely bomb proof way
of getting himself back in his kayak, using a water-bag (or inflatable
paddle-float). This he slipped
onto his split paddle which he wedged under deck-lines just behind the
cockpit, where it sat at right-angles to the boat as an outrigger. The water bag, slightly inflated,
provided buoyancy and a counterbalance weight. Now that is something Im going to go away and practice.
Franco Ferreros absolutely bomb proof way of getting himself back in his kayak The other
aspect I enjoyed was meeting so many people who share the same interest. We drive past each other, and we know
folk in clubs, but with more than two hundred sea kayakers in one place
youre bound to make friends.
Chances are, youll bump into old friends too, and I shared my first
practical session with four people I hadnt seen for more than a year.
Sea kayaks everywhere! Families were well provided for, with a floating crche run by the team from White Wave. On the first day they looked after seventeen youngsters, whose ages ranged from five to twelve, taking them open boating on a sheltered loch, and bringing them back soaked but deliriously happy.
Blow-football with kayakers The
weekend was rounded off with a chance to experience the scenario we all hope
will never happen, firing a flare and having the coast-guard helicopter swoop
down and hover overhead. This
was a chance for the brave to experience the full force of a downdraft from
rotor blades, and the opportunity for the pilot to play blow-football with
kayakers. In short, it was a
great weekend. |
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