Greenland weekend with Kayak Ways at Loch Eck 2013

As the weather turns and the days grow ever shorter I have been looking back over the summer's events. With only a few pool sessions throughout last winter I hadn't done much rolling at all before setting off for Loch Eck in early June to meet up with Cheri and Turner, and Pam and Alan, for a weekend of Kayak Ways coaching.

 

After the long drive down from Orkney I was rewarded with the sight of bluebell woods and pine forests surrounded a small bay just right for our purposes on the shores of Loch Eck. What a fabulous location! It was lovely to meet Julia and see familiar faces from the Women's Sea Kayak Festival in Bute the year before. Though not quite a Greenland camp or symposium, this weekend has become a time to meet up with other enthusiasts.

 

We started with looking at paddles - its a great opportunity to see the variety and try out different shapes and materials, sharp/weighted/shouldered/non-shouldered/laminated/one piece/3 piece....but the star of the show this time was definitely the carbon 'Razor' by Novorca. This is the carbon version of the paddle Turner makes which many people, including myself, have wanted to own as soon as trying it out. 

Following land drills and thinking about body movement on shore  we watched as Cheri demonstrated and Turner described. ( When Cheri uses my kayak I kind of hope it will develop a memory of its own...) Then it was down to business. As usual I had opted to focus on a couple of specific rolls - forward forward norsaq and reverse sweep norsaq. I can only learn so much over a weekend, so working over a couple of days on a limited number of moves gives me a good foundation to take home for when I am working on my own. Clutching my new norsaq I was ready to go and over the two days  built up lots to take away and practice.

Thanks again to Pam and Alan, and Julia for hosting and the lovely meals.

And thanks to KayakWays for your excellent coaching. Haste ye back!