With the approaching paddling season, despite the firm grip of winter, pool sessions and classes are being held in Marquette. They are both set at Northern Michigan University’s pool in the PEIF. Click here for more information.
sam
Archive for the ‘Classes/Workshops’ Category
Pool sessions & classes
Thursday, February 19th, 20092009 Classes
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008
- First ice foot and ice pack at Middle Bay.
Winter has come to Marquette and nationwide as well given the headlines. We are working on our 2009 class schedule, click here to check out what is scheduled so far. More to come!
Nancy and I have our xc-skis out, hitting the trails in the Marquette area. After a busy and successful 2008 season, we are enjoying the great snow that falls here in the UP.
The Lake continues to be fascinating, as always. The ice you see in the photo is gone, the next storm a few days later took it out. With the water temp still around 38 degrees F, it will be a while before the waves and currents allow the local ice to stay for the season.
sam
Advanced Open Water
Friday, October 24th, 2008LAKE SUPERIOR WEST OF LINE FROM MANITOU ISLAND TO MARQUETTE MI BEYOND 5NM FROM SHORE- 930 AM EDT FRI OCT 24 2008 ...GALE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON... .SATURDAY...SOUTHWEST WINDS 10 TO 20 KNOTS INCREASING TO 15 TO 25 KNOTS BY MID AFTERNOON. A CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS. WAVES SUBSIDING TO CALM TO 2 FEET...THEN BUILDING TO 1 TO 3 FEET. .SATURDAY NIGHT...SOUTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 25 KNOTS BECOMING WEST GALES TO 35 KNOTS AFTER MIDNIGHT. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS THROUGH MIDNIGHT...THEN RAIN SHOWERS LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT. WAVES BUILDING TO 4 TO 7 FEET. .SUNDAY...WEST GALES TO 40 KNOTS VEERING NORTHWEST BY MID AFTERNOON. A CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON... THEN RAIN SHOWERS LIKELY BY MID AFTERNOON. WAVES BUILDING TO 9 TO 12 FEET. .SUNDAY NIGHT...NORTHWEST GALES TO 35 KNOTS. RAIN SHOWERS LIKELY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT. WAVES SUBSIDING TO 8 TO 11 FEET. .MONDAY...NORTHWEST GALES TO 35 KNOTS DIMINISHING TO 30 KNOTS. A CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS. WAVES SUBSIDING TO 5 TO 8 FEET.
A great forecast for the top level instructor workshop offering by the American Canoe Association, the Level 5 Advanced Open Water. This workshop focuses on being able to teach in conditions up to a small craft advisory. So not only do these instructors need to handle the conditions, they need to be able to instruct, do rescues, towing, manage students and everything else involved in running a class. Yes, the forecast exceeds the recommended conditions but in Marquette you can find places that either reduce or intensify the wind/waves making it a great location for this workshop.
Three high level Great lakes paddlers are coming in for the workshop. This is the first time for me running this workshop and believe it is one of the few ever run on the Great Lakes.
sam
Michigan in May
Tuesday, May 20th, 2008
Here is the crew from the Big Bay IDW (instructor development workshop), a hardworking dedicated one. Having the workshop in May once again helped to produce great teaching conditions that they were able to experience and the staff could teach in. Having it in May had every person there being a professional as all were working either for outfitters to guide trips and/or teach classes. Needless to say, after three days of long hours and work in taking advantage of teaching moments offered by the weather and other events, I am still pretty worn out.
One of the participants related how he told friends he was going to Michigan in May to do a kayaking workshop. Why don’t you go to Florida where it is warmer they asked. He laughed and said Lake Superior is the place for him.
Thinking about that comment, it made me realize how much kayaking on the Great Lakes is different. Hypothermia from immersion in the cold water is the biggest danger in northern climates, yet many people don’t know how to safely address that risk.
A New Years Day paddle downstate ended with an ambulance ride to the hospital because of a capsize and a botched rescue. Instead of getting the paddler back into their boat, the rescuer towed her through the water for 20+ minutes to reach shore. Even with a drysuit, she became hypothermic enough to go to the hospital.
Teaching an instructor workshop on an inland lake in June down south, people said the water was cold (it was hard not to laugh). Despite this nobody wore a wetsuit. Nobody was in a hurry either when doing a rescue.
An expedition to Alaska by two drysuit wearing southerners nearly turns fatal as hypothermia induced by the cold environment slowly clouds their judgment. They paddle into a significant tidal race and get separated. One of them ends up rolling 6-8 times. It takes 12+ hours before they meet up with each other.
Cold water is not pleasant but it is a reality Great Lake paddlers face if we capsize. Doing rescues during the summer reminds me of that. But what is the purpose of the gear so many obsess over? Having the right gear, using it properly and knowing how it works is a key piece to being safe. Doing a quick rescue is also key. I learned that while wearing a 3 mil neoprene wetsuit in my IDW in Bayfield in May ’95, a week after the ice went out.
The best thing in all of this was the people in this weeks IDW. They came away with a first hand experience of cold water, how their gear works in it and why it is important to quickly do a rescue.
Who would you want to learn from, one of them or some Floridian?
sam
Big Bay IDW
Wednesday, May 14th, 2008This is something we’ve been planning and thinking about for a while. No its not a mis-typing of DWI, but IDW is Instructor Development Workshop, a training for people wanting to become an American Canoe Association certified instructor. Held the weekend before Memorial Day at Bay Cliff Health Camp, this workshop gives professional guides and instructors a chance to receive some high level training.
Looks like we got some good conditions coming in for it as well. Here is an excerpt from the wednesday off shore forecast:
.FRIDAY...NORTHWEST WINDS 5 TO 15 KNOTS BECOMING EAST LESS THAN 10 KNOTS IN THE AFTERNOON. A CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS. WAVES CALM TO 2 FEET. .FRIDAY NIGHT...SOUTHWEST WINDS 5 TO 15 KNOTS BECOMING WEST 10 TO 20 KNOTS AFTER MIDNIGHT. A CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS. WAVES BUILDING TO 1 TO 3 FEET. .SATURDAY...NORTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 25 KNOTS. A CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS. WAVES BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FEET. .SUNDAY...NORTHWEST WINDS 10 TO 20 KNOTS. WAVES SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 4 FEET.
Good stuff given the protected harbor in Big Bay we can pick and chose when to be in those conditions. It is a level 1-4 workshop with level 4 being able to instruct in winds to 15 knots, seas to 3-5′ and surf to 3′. The photo thumb to the right is a surf session from a few years ago in Big Bay during another IDW.
We’ve got folks from several outfitters in the UP, three in Minnesota and one from Wisconsin. Additionally, there are two instructor trainer candidates assisting me as they work towards becoming Instructor Trainers.
Fun stuff to be hanging out with all these paddling people!
sam
