Re: [Paddlewise] Taking some kayaking lessons

A couple of comments from the perspective of someone who was not long ago in
exactly the same situation.  Forgive the rambling. . . hopefully there might
be at least something worth reading. . .

First, about the SO.  At the risk of sounding a bit too . . . paternal
(apologies), I have found that the relationship between SO's and boats can
be highly problematic <g>.  This is especially true when couples "take
lessons" together.  I know sailing instructors who will not take couples,
period. I had three successive SO's who couldn't deal with my love of boats.
Perhaps it's a sign of my own mental defectiveness, but for each of them the
boats won out.

When my present (and very wonderful) SO decided to take sailing lessons (I
never pressured her, she made the decision herself), I declined her
invitation to come along.  (She had a blast and couldn't stop talking about
it for weeks.)  I think it's really really important that each person have a
personal involvement in the sport, whatever it is.  Luckily, my SO and I
became interested in kayaking at the same time (about three years ago, while
vacationing on MDI, in ME).  However, I have gone way beyond her in terms of
learning, gear, boats, etc.  I recently bought her a new boat (a WS Alto --
not the best boat in the world, but an improvement over what she was
paddling, and frankly I find it quite nice to paddle).  Still, I have
refused to take her more than a few hundred feet from shore, and have
refused to take her out in anything other than the calmest conditions,
because she doesn't want to invest in immersion clothing, and has not
demonstrated any interest in learning rescue techniques (despite my repeated
playing of videos showing the need for same).  She will have to advance at
her own rate, by her own choice, or not at all.  Conclusion?  Beats me.
Just some thoughts. . . .  I guess what I'm getting at is that relationships
can easily become the victim of a love of boating. . .

If my experience is any indicator, the instructors will spend a great deal
of time focusing on safety issues and safety gear.  When I first took
lessons, this bored me to death, and I thought they were jerks.  Now, I
realize that they were balancing an awareness that I (and others) would feel
that way against a very real -- and very valid -- concern.  It took me about
two years of "casual paddling" before I really began to explore my limits a
little bit, and realized how important were the things the instructors had
been saying.  In short: kayaking can be very dangerous.  I would be patient
and listen through all this.  If they don't say much, I would ask.  It may
be that they fear the students will not like the course if the overstress
safety, and they may welcome a bit of inquiry.  If they're too cavalier
about safety, I'd consider leaving.

On a related note, in the beginning, I just wanted to get out on the water
in the boat.  Anything that delayed that was just an annoyance.  Messing
with gear, or clothing, or PFD's or spray skirts or radios or whatever. . .
all that was just a big pain in the ass, and I hated it.  At this point in
my paddling life, I find the safety preparations an almost ritualistic
pleasure.  When I go paddling, I am aware that if I have six hours to
devote, probably three will be spent paddling.  There will be one and a half
spent getting everything properly offloaded and set up, and studying the
location, the conditions, the tides, the winds etc.  And there will be
another hour and a half spent getting everything back in order at the end.
I now enjoy these processes.  In the beginning, I didn't.  This surely will
sound elementary to many. . . as I said, this is the perspective of an
almost beginner.

Also, I would try to be aware of the clothing and other gear you are using,
especially if rented or provided by the instructors.  My paddling life
changed dramatically when I finally invested in good gear.  I have seen
people here say that one should spend at least as much on gear as on the
boat, and that makes sense to me.  Apart from the safety issues, bad gear
can be uncomfortable and make the whole experience very unpleasant.  Even
something as simple as a cheap or wrongly sized or fitted PFD can ruin the
whole experience.  I recently ditched a very expensive PFD in favor of
another one simply because they other one was more appropriate to my body
size and shape and the boat I paddle.  (The first one was very carefully
fitted and recommended at the store, by someone who reall y didn't know what
he was doing.)  I was very much happier paddling with the new PFD.  This can
be a problem for SO's, too, as they tend to somehow end up with the cheap
gear. . . It's like giving a kid a plastic recorder as her first
introduction to music lessons -- a beautiful, ebony model would so much more
encourage the interest. . .

Beyond that, the things that I found most fascinating as I began to really
learn the boat were things like leaning and turning, paddle strokes, and
rescue techniques.  I still need lots of learning in the latter category --
well, in all of them.  But it's really fun to begin to realize what a kayak
can do with a little hip movement and use of the paddle.  I now love going
out and finding a quiet spot and just doing circles, leaning the boat, doing
sweeps and backstrokes and so forth.  (I especially love this since I bought
my CD Caribou, which, with its hard chine, is a blast to lean and turn.)
The wet exit and re-entry exercise is also tons of fun if done in a nice,
warm, quiet, shallow cove on a warm day, and provides a context and meaning
for an afternoon that can really be loads of fun.

Another area that I found I needed some help in pretty early on was dealing
with waves.  I had this idea that paddling into them would be the hard part,
but as it turned out, for me at least, paddling down them (surfing) was far
more scary and far more difficult.  My SO has developed more slowly here,
and on a recent trip in (for us) relatively difficult conditions, she lagged
behind, not knowing what to do about the following seas, and was scared to
death.  I found it difficult to "slow down" to her pace (she was resisting
the waves, at her great risk), and tried to turn around to go back to her,
and found that very difficult, too.  I managed to back-paddle enough to let
her catch up, but she was quite shaken, I think.  I would focus very closely
on any instruction about surfing.  It's so easy to broach, and once
broached, it is so easy to go over. . .  We went over repeatedly in the
Caribbean recently, fortunately in rented (plastic) boats on a sandy
coastline. . . .

Wind was also a great shock to me.  For 25 plus years, as a sailor, the wind
has been my great friend.  A good "fresh breeze" just means an invigorating
sail, perhaps with a reef or two and a storm jib, and a toast to the gods of
somethingorother.  In the kayak, it means a real pain in the ass.
Weathercocking was an interesting thing to discovery.  Although I don't like
rudders, my skeg on my Caribou has made life much more pleasant in cross
winds.

Finally, I would just add that, of the several times I have gone out with
groups for lessons or guided day trips, I have found the instructors of very
mixed quality.  It's sometimes hard to properly judge when they are good.  I
had one guy, very nice, who on learning what my profession was, spent a
great deal of time asking me questions that related to a side business of
his.  He did less instructing as a result.  I enjoyed the conversation, but
I think others in the group resented it.  I would be aware of the fact that
not everyone who gets a job as an instructor deserves it, and not let faults
or limitations from the course interfere with my interest in the sport.

Finally, if they don't say anything about low-impact use of the waters and
shores, I'd ask.  I think this should be a part of every kayak course.

So. . . there's the ramblings of someone who is very close in level and
experience to the person asking the question.  Worth what you paid for it. .
.

Mark L


> I've signed up for an all day sea kayaking lesson with my significant
> other for Sunday May 21. I have some very basic paddling experience
> (slow, flatwater in canoe and recreational kayak) while she has never
> paddled before. I expect the class to be very informative. We'll learn
> paddling strokes, bracing, rolls, etc.
>
> What things did my fellow readers find difficult to learn initially?
> What things should we absolutely make sure we learn in our lesson? Any
> other tips?


***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not
to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************