Sea Kayak Leader Training

By John Lane

One of my pet projects as boating chair has been to start a Sea Kayak Program for COP. It's been three short years since we bought our first boats, and I've learned a lot about getting a project off the ground in a non-profit organization. Trying to conceptualize the idea and sell it to the COP Board was hard. Finding a manufacturer who would work with us and set up a credit line took time and help from Ann Gerckens. Dealing with the ordering of kayaks and accessories as well as registering, storing, transporting and inventorying the equipment was a challenge. Studying the various concepts taught by the major sea kayak providers and distilling down a large chunk of data into a useable format for a basic sea kayak class was a bunch of work. Selling off our first order of boats and ordering new ones along with the study of depreciation of assets was a pain only a bean counter could love.

If it weren't for the positive review of our Sea Kayak I class from our students and seeing budding paddlers grow stronger, the work would have been much more onerous. With the equipment and curriculum basics covered, it's now time to move into a leader training phase. We have a dozen folks who took a sea kayak class from the Institute of the Great Outdoors, a Cleveland Metroparks division. We shivered in the mid-May waters of Pymatuning Lake and learned some new trips, tips and techniques. Beyond this, we plan to work on developing some American Canoe Association certified basic sea kayak instructors and eventually advanced level instructors as well. The COP Board has seen fit to supply some additional training monies for this year to put some of our leaders through a Basic ACA Certification class. Hopefully, this will translate into teaching a few more classes for next year, since our bi-annual Sea Kayak I classes have been full, and we've turned away many students. I'd like to add a half-day class for the less serious and keep our Sea Kayak I class as the standard for those who have the idea that sea kayaking is something they've gotta do. With Walter Taylor as the new boating chair, we may even be developing a Kids' Kayak program.

So, stick around and see what happens. It'll be fun. Enjoy the photos of our instructors practicing solo and assisted paddle float rescues!

Dave Savage successfully back in the boat
after a solo paddle float rescue.

John Markiel and Les Gorby
working on an assisted paddle float rescue.

All Photos courtesy of John Markiel.

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