Good evening, Would someone please tell me about these two events? A short synopsis possibly. I'm considering attending. Regards, Jim Fitzgerald *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Jim, There are people better qualified to tell about them, including some of the stars of the events, who are on this list. But generally, the LL Bean event is a general gathering in Castine, ME, one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and home to the Maine Maritime Academy. A general, all-around good time, from what I gather. I'd be aware of the need to make arrangements for accomodations, and I'd be prepared to deal with some traffic problems. The ACK event, if it's the one I'm thinking of, is limited to a certain number of people and is, I think, a relatively advanced event, compared to the LL Bean thing. I think it's held up on the Hudson. That's about all I know. I had planned to attend the LL Bean event, but other things have intervened. Oh well. To me, kayaking is a profoundly individual experience (note I did not say "individualistic", which I think is different <g>), and group activities are something I regarding with a bit of ambivalence anyway. . . Hope this helps. Mark Lane NY > Good evening, > > Would someone please tell me about these two events? A short synopsis > possibly. I'm considering attending. > > Regards, > > Jim Fitzgerald > > > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not > to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission > Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net > Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net > Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ > *************************************************************************** > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Jim - Bean symposium is a three-day event at the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine Maine. There are bascially four components: (1) a huge hall, ordinarily a gymnasium, in which there are dozens of commercial exhibits - everything from boats to paddles to paddling wear to books to paddling organizations like the Maine Island Trail Association..... (2) dozens of actual off-water classes on everything related to kayking and kayking camping, kayak expeditioning - everything from rough water paddling technique to weather prediction to hwo to pack a kayak to kayak cooking to how to pee in a kayak..... you can't think of anything whic isn't covered......(3) on-water classes in paddling technique (at various levels, but really all pretty basic), towing, the use of flares....(4) several outfitters, usually between 6 and 10 different companies, have on-water booths from which you can try out various boats, and of course they'll be delighted to sell you a boat too. The "on-water" part of the Symposium is on a small lake which is about 0.5 miles from the Maritime Academy. Shuttle bus service is available from the Academy to the lake. Food is available from the cafeteria - some of it for extra money. Camping is available. There are a couple of excellent hotels in Castine, and the walk to the Maritime Academy is only a few blocks from any of them. Very casual clothes. Bring a paddle and a spray skirt if you're going to try out boats - for some reason I've never understood, none of the outfitters except Maine Island Kayak has those items at their on-water booths. There are usually a few hundred people who attend. I believe it's the largest paddling sumposium on the East coast, in terms of the number of attendees. Bill Hansen Ithaca NY *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Bill summarizes LL Bean well but I thought I'd add a couple of other things... At 09:51 AM 7/12/00 -0400, Bill Hansen wrote: >Jim - Bean symposium is a three-day event at the Maine Maritime Academy in >Castine Maine. >(3) on-water classes in paddling technique (at various levels, >but really all pretty basic), towing, the use of flares.... Some of these are on water classes while the towing, use of flares, blending strokes items are more demonstrations. It's probably worth mentioning that the towing demonstration was taught by Nigel Foster the past couple of years. Most of the actualy classes are taught by instructors at H2Outfitters but the past couple of years there have been a few classes taught by "celebrity" instructors. Derek Hutchinson, Nigel Foster, and Chris Duff (last year) do a couple classes a day on Saturday and Sunday. If you want to take a class, especially one from one of the "celebrities", register early or arrive before the field house opens on Friday to sign up. They fill up quickly. (4) several >outfitters, usually between 6 and 10 different companies, have on-water >booths from which you can try out various boats, and of course they'll be >delighted to sell you a boat too. I would estimate the number of vendors at more like 10-15. Most of the major vendors are represented and even a few small ones. The last two years Nick Schade has had his personal boats there available for a demo. I've spent quite a bit of time on the beach the past couple of years demoing boats and never felt like any of the vendors were pressuring me as a potential buyer. Almost all seemed happy just to have people trying out their boats. >The "on-water" part of the Symposium is on a small lake which is about 0.5 >miles from the Maritime Academy. Shuttle bus service is available from the >Academy to the lake. (and runs about every 15-20 minutes). >Food is available from the cafeteria - some of it for extra money. The food is quite good, especially the lobster dinner Saturday night. >Camping is available. Most people stay in the dorms at the Maine Maritime Academy. The accommations are very sparse but dirt cheap ($15 a night for a room which sleeps two people). The dorms are right in the middle of where all the action is. >There are a couple of excellent hotels in Castine, and the >walk to the Maritime Academy is only a few blocks from any of them. There are also a couple of *very* good restaurants. Our dinner at the Castine Inn was one of the best I've ever had...anywhere. It's very pricey though. The whole town of Castine is worth a walking tour. There is a lot of history in the area and it is a gorgeous area. >Very >casual clothes. Bring a paddle and a spray skirt if you're going to try out >boats - for some reason I've never understood, none of the outfitters except >Maine Island Kayak has those items at their on-water booths. All the vendors have PFD's but usually fewer in number than boats so bringing your own will get you into a boat quicker. Most had paddles, of varying quality. I didn't bring my paddle last year and when I wanted to paddle a P&H Sirius a couple of boats were available but I had to wait almost an hour before I could find a paddle. Some of the vendors have spray skirts, but again having your own will get into a boat quicker if you've got one that's adjustable. Cold water paddling clothes are also a good idea. The water is a bit chilly. I've worn my wet suit the past couple of years. It's come in real handy when climbing into a bunch of different boats with not-so-dry cockpits. Don't forget to bring water shoes. The "beach" is more rocks and shells, especially at low tide. > >There are usually a few hundred people who attend. I believe it's the >largest paddling sumposium on the East coast, in terms of the number of >attendees. 750 or so last year I think, from quite a few different states. Finally, the URL for the LL Bean Symposium is: http://www.llbean.com/outdoorsOnline/odp/kayak/courses/kayak_sympos.html You can read about what you're going to miss..or make plans for next year. Since this is the first year for the AKT Skills symposium it's hard to comment on what it'll be like. Basically, they're bringing in 10 "world class" instructors (Chris Duff, Nigel Dennis, Mike Devlin, ..) to teach a variety of kayaking skills over three days. The information packet and web site (http://members.aol.com/KayakSymposium/) indicate that a equivalent of a Star 2 level is a prerequisite for attending so I wouldn't say it's for paddlers with a *lot* of experience. They're also doing some pre and post Symposium training (BCU Star and Coach training and assessments). I'll write a trip report after I attend. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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