Golden Gate Sea Kayaking Symposium 2011

At this time next week I’ll be setting up to speak at the GGSKS on the shores of San Francisco Bay.  I’ll be giving a multimedia show titled Tsunami Rangers Retrospective. It will cover 25 years of our adventures exploring the microcosms of surf zones, ocean rock gardens, and sea caves.  There should be thrills, chills, and a fair number of spills.  Go to www.ggsks.com to get the full scoop.

The symposium starts off with a bang.  Tsunami Ranger John Lull and his sharp dressed cohort of musicians called the South City Blues Band will get everyone dancing on Friday evening, February 18^th (www.southcityblues.com).  I have heard these guys numerous times and guarantee their tight “jump blues” will move your rhythm section.

On Saturday and Sunday, fortunate students will get top notch on-water learning by selecting useful and interesting classes from an array of world class instructors.  Here’s a sampling of coaches and classes:

>Nigel Dennis will lead several BCU classes

>Helen Wilson and Duane Strosaker will coach you on Greenland Skills

>Roger Schumann and friends will teach Rock Garden Safety and Rescue

>Rob Avery and Tom Bergh will impart knowledge on Coastal Navigation

On Sunday the 20th, I’ll join Gregg Berman, Jeff Laxier, and Tsunami Rangers Deb Volturno and John Lull to coach a class listed as Advanced Rock Gardening.  Assuming good conditions, the class will be held at Rodeo Beach and Point Bonita, where I learned 25 years ago at the school of hard rocks.  Students will practice scouting, positioning, swimming in rock gardens, surfing, and having some good kayaking fun at a number of play spots which feature cascades, slots, churns, suck zones, boomers, and sea caves.

If I were an intermediate or advanced student interested in learning how to rip it up in rock gardens, I would attend Friday’s Rock Garden Safety and Rescue class, then Saturday’s Advanced Rock Gardening class, then Sunday’s Advanced Rock Gardening class.  Yes, I’d take that class twice, to benefit from the knowledge of different instructors while I had the chance.

If I wanted to paddle faster and more efficiently, I’d opt for Kenny Howell’s and Sean Morley’s Forward Stroke Clinic.  To become more self-sufficient on the water, I’d complete Leon Somme’s Combat Rescues class.   As a beginner, I’d lean toward Bryant Burkhardt’s and Brian Day’s Beginner Day Trip.

There is something for every paddler at this year’s GGSKS.  It may still be possible to register.  Go to the website at www.ggsks.com to see what I’m talking about.  This is a golden opportunity.

Please feel free to add to what I’ve written by pushing the “comment” button below this post. 

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