Trip to Ramsay.

With a day off from Kayaking, myself, Christina and Christian took a trip to Ramsay on the Manx Electric Railway.










It was the first good day of weather for a while and would have been ideal for taking "beginners" out in. Either way we stopped off at Ballaglas for a walk and picnic at Port Cornaa, before continuing to Ramsay.

Windy Day!

Force 5 gusting 6 Northwesterly pushes a Level 3 Sea Kayak coach out of remit. Even if you ignore this will a group of beginners enjoy battling away against the wind on a trip? Mostly they want to look at scenery and wildlife and understandably do not want 3 hours of non stop"skills" in a sheltered spot. The answer is obvious; cancel the session and rebook them! But then I'm not making my living as a kayak coach. When Keirron gets back I'll ask him what he'd have done. Any guesses? I'll let you know.
WELL, HE AGREED WITH WHAT I'D DECIDED!!!

Begginners' trips from Port Erin.

Along with Sam and John I took two groups out from Port Erin. There were stiff Northerly winds creating a challenging swell off Bradda Head. This subsided during the evening allowing the more experienced paddlers to venture beyond the bay mouth. Otherwise it was rock hopping, skills, rolling (coaches only) and even some more "double trouble" from Sam and John.
It's interesting to consider the responsibility taken on by those running these sessions. As a Consultant Anaesthetist I'm used to taking on huge responsibility. In turn I get well paid. I'm not sure that the responsibility running these sessions is any less. It seems a shame that it is so difficult to make a living as a kayaking coach.

Wet and windy Intermediate trip from PEEL to Dalby and Back.

Keirron and I took a bunch of extremely competent Intermediates from Peel to Dalby and back. As you can see from the harbour gate at Peel it had been raining heavily accompanied by force 5 to 6 winds. After lunch at Nyarbyl we returned for "wet skills" in Peel. Rolls, re entry and roll and even a mass roll took place. Finally Keirron demonstrated how to re-entry and roll replacing his spray deck whilst underwater.

Level 3 Coach Assessment.

Janet, Keirron (Venture Centre) and myself have been taking the Coach 3 assessment for the last two days. We've completed a written paper, given a lecture and carried out two on the water assessments. We finished up with some body surfing at Fenella Beach.

Janet Taylor, Keirron Stout and one other passed their Coach 3 assessments.

2007 Isle of Man Kayak Symposium Underway!

Freya, Peter and Trys have arrived in the Isle of Man. Force 6 NW winds straight into Peel provided perfect conditions for 5 Star training and assesments. See www.KAYAK.im for more photographs.

Are the "Horrendous Experiences" back?

On Sunday the original Adventure Club members were re-united at Gansey Beach. The weather was miserable with heavy rain and a force 6 westerly wind. We headed off to the Sound of Man and encountered a heavy swell off the Chasms. The swell dropped off on our return towards Port St Mary denying us the opportunity to surf effortlessly home. Not quite a "horrendous Experience" but a good start marking Keirron's return.