KASK Forum Report
KASK Forum at Anakiwa, Marlborough Sounds- 23rd –28th February 2007
Jacqui & Tim spent 5 days at Anakiwa Outward Bound Headquaters at the blunt end of Queen Charlotte Sound ,along with Stephen Counsell, representing The Southern Network at the annual KASK forum.
We were very glad we attended this great kayak get-together in warm weather, on & under warm water with 120 other lovely paddlers from all over NZ & the world. We really enjoyed that sea kayakers often come in couples so the male/ female ratio was almost even & on top of that they were all about our age!
Over the weekend there were 49 short sessions to choose from on a diverse range of topics, held on land & in the water- paddle & rolling technique, outdoor first aid, fitting out your boat for comfort, weather, navigation, surfing, rescues, trip planning & more. Instruction was to a high level- thanks to all those experienced paddlers who shared their skills. Evenings were filled with interesting presentations. One detailing the state of NZ sea birds & a fascinating report by Nigel Foster & wife Kristen of their month long expedition along the Labrador Coast punctuated by 16 close encounters with polar bears.
50 or so kayakers packed & podded up on Sunday afternoon & paddled to Mistletoe Bay about 10 km away for a camp out, returning the next morning. This was our first experience of being pod mother & father & we were pleased to have time to get to know a smaller group really well.
We stayed on for a further 2 days expert instruction with Nigel & Kristen who emphasized finesse with a light & gentle touch on the paddle. This will take a while to master after years of forcing it & falling in!
We were pleased that there was a tribute to Andrew McCauley with some words of admiration from Paul Caffyn & a poem & a ‘demystification’ talk by friend & former paddle companion, David Winkworth from Australia.
Another workshop featured tips on customizing a kayak for a disabled paddler & there were several motions put to the AGM to encourage us to make KASK a welcoming organization for all- a message we could adopt in our own Southland Network as well. As someone pointed out, how would you feel if an injury or illness threatened your enjoyment of your favourite sport.
Another highlight was the Greenland Paddling workshop by Ben (one of the few under 40) sharing some history of the original equipment used by the Greenlanders, accompanied by a video, & then a demonstration of 28 different rolls – just a few examples of the specialized techniques developed to right the paddler in any situation including entanglement in harpoon ropes. Just amazing!
A memorable week.
Jacqui & Tim spent 5 days at Anakiwa Outward Bound Headquaters at the blunt end of Queen Charlotte Sound ,along with Stephen Counsell, representing The Southern Network at the annual KASK forum.
We were very glad we attended this great kayak get-together in warm weather, on & under warm water with 120 other lovely paddlers from all over NZ & the world. We really enjoyed that sea kayakers often come in couples so the male/ female ratio was almost even & on top of that they were all about our age!
Over the weekend there were 49 short sessions to choose from on a diverse range of topics, held on land & in the water- paddle & rolling technique, outdoor first aid, fitting out your boat for comfort, weather, navigation, surfing, rescues, trip planning & more. Instruction was to a high level- thanks to all those experienced paddlers who shared their skills. Evenings were filled with interesting presentations. One detailing the state of NZ sea birds & a fascinating report by Nigel Foster & wife Kristen of their month long expedition along the Labrador Coast punctuated by 16 close encounters with polar bears.
50 or so kayakers packed & podded up on Sunday afternoon & paddled to Mistletoe Bay about 10 km away for a camp out, returning the next morning. This was our first experience of being pod mother & father & we were pleased to have time to get to know a smaller group really well.
We stayed on for a further 2 days expert instruction with Nigel & Kristen who emphasized finesse with a light & gentle touch on the paddle. This will take a while to master after years of forcing it & falling in!
We were pleased that there was a tribute to Andrew McCauley with some words of admiration from Paul Caffyn & a poem & a ‘demystification’ talk by friend & former paddle companion, David Winkworth from Australia.
Another workshop featured tips on customizing a kayak for a disabled paddler & there were several motions put to the AGM to encourage us to make KASK a welcoming organization for all- a message we could adopt in our own Southland Network as well. As someone pointed out, how would you feel if an injury or illness threatened your enjoyment of your favourite sport.
Another highlight was the Greenland Paddling workshop by Ben (one of the few under 40) sharing some history of the original equipment used by the Greenlanders, accompanied by a video, & then a demonstration of 28 different rolls – just a few examples of the specialized techniques developed to right the paddler in any situation including entanglement in harpoon ropes. Just amazing!
A memorable week.