Last Sunday I got back from the Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium in Grand Maris, Michigan. The event is in its 26th years old but was organized for the first time by Down Wind Sports.

This was the first time that I had been to an American symposium and I got to honest, it really isn’t all that different from those back home. I don’t know what I was expecting but when you get down to it, it’s still groups of people getting out on the water matter what side of the border the event takes place on.

As you know, the kayaking world has some pretty prolific writers and bloggers and for some reason they all seemed to be in attendance at the symposium. It was fun to finally meet all the people I have known online for several years now. Some of the bloggers there included:

Keith Wikle from gokayaknow.com
Derek Mayoleth from kayakquixotica.com
Freya Hoffmeister form qajaqunderground.com
Sharon & Alec Bloyd-Peshkin from Have Kayaks, Will Travel
Dave St Anthony from The Lake is the Boss
Kelly Blades from, well his own site kellyblades.com
Slibs from Slibs says...
Greg Maino from juskuz.com

At one point we were trying to organize a kayak blogger meet-up. In the end we ran out of time to make it happen but it might have been for the best because I’m pretty sure that putting all those super kayak nerds (including myself) in one room might have caused a rift in the spacetime continuum.

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If you are a fan of big ships like I am then you will want to make your way over to Toronto between June 30 and July 4, 2010 to participate in the Toronto Waterfront Festival which will be hosting Tall Ships from around the world.

The Toronto Waterfront Festival is part of a much larger tall ship race across all five great lakes called the Great Lakes United Tall Ships Challenge. Toronto is a special stop as it’s the only Canadian port they are visiting throughout the race. This event is also special as the last time anything like this was held in Toronto was way back in 2004.

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This past weekend was a real highlight for me as it was the first time that I brought along my oldest daughter out to a paddling symposium. She has always been interested in kayaking but I didn’t want her first experience to be frustrating so I had been holding off and waiting for her to get a bit bigger so she could control the boat while in a slight breeze. Also, I was waiting for an event with a strong family focus and a great kids program to get her going and the National Sea Kayak Symposium in Palmers Rapids, Ontario really fit the bill.

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There are only two weeks left until the National Sea Kayak Symposium starts so if you were thinking of going you should get on it before registration closes.

For me, this is one of the more interesting symposiums I attend throughout the year and I really enjoy the location. The camping is excellent and the fact that there is moving water just a 10 minute paddle upstream makes the event very unique.

If you have never paddled your kayak in moving water, this is a great location to get started as the washout is gentle deep so you don’t need to worry about wrapping your kayak around a rock.

For $129 you get:

• Two days of professional kayaking instruction, list of clinics (including kids and women’s clinics)
• Two nights camping at Paddler Co-op Boathouse—Friday and Saturday night
• Saturday night catered BBQ dinner
• Sunday morning breakfast
• Extensive kayak test paddling/demos
• Live music on Saturday evening
• Bst of the Reel Paddling Film Festival World Tour
• Daycare during on-water clinics, so parents can paddle

More info including registration information can be found at: www.adventurekayakmag.com/about-nasks.html

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If you are a Paddle Canada Level 1 Instructor and thinking about moving up the certification ladder, you might be interested to know that White Squall Paddling Centre is going to be running a Level 2 Instructor Course this October. It is being held in conjunction with the Georgian Bay Storm Gathering so it’s more than just the course.

As far as I know, it’s the only one registered in Canada for 2010 so get yourself registered while there is space.

Here are all the details:

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I’m currently on vacation but I couldn’t wait to check in and let you know about the amazing surf kayak lesson I took yesterday through Savannah Canoe & Kayak out of Tybee Island, Georgia.

Though I have surfed quite a bit in regular sea kayaks I had never been in a real surf kayak so I was anxious to give it a spin. If you have never tried a surf kayak before, generally speaking they look similar to a whitewater kayak but with sharper edges as well its designed to go faster. The sharp edges allow the boat to carve on the wave allowing you to move back and forth along the wave with greater precision then long boats.

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If you are interested in learning more about Stand Up Paddling (SUP) we have the event for you. Tim Niemir, founder of Ocean Kayaks is hosting a SUP Paddling Camp at his ultra-remote cabin located on the west side of Vancouver Island.

The fully catered event will feature author and SUP competitor, Rob Casey who will teach you all the ins and outs of paddling and surfing the very remote breaks around the cabin.

No word on dates yet but if you are interested, contact Tim here.

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On Friday night I made my way to the International Centre out by the airport to visit the Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show. I went to see the latest and greatest in outdoor gear and this year I was able to dig up a few interesting gems.

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The Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium in San Francisco is clearly shaping up to be one of the best events this winter season (if not one of the best of 2010).

The speaker/coach list is a massive collection of the biggest movers and shakers of the sea kayaking community today. It includes, Jeff Allen, Rob Avery, Tom Bergh, Kelly Blades, Gordon Brown, Bryant Burkhardt, Kenny Howell, Jen Kleck, Ben Lawry, Christopher Lockyer, Sean Morley, Helen Wilson, Michael Pardy and many, many others.

On top of that, it was just announced that Freya Hoffmeister will be a keynote speaker when she gives a presentation about her epic circumnavigation around Australia back in 2009.

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Toronto and Southern Ontario Paddlers will want to take note that the world(?) premier of the Reel Paddling Film Festival is going to be playing at the Bloor Cinema in Toronto on February 11, 2010 at 6:30pm brought to you by The Complete Paddler.

The Reel Paddling Film Festival has been running for 6 years and celebrates the best canoe and kayak films made over the past year.

Doors open at 6:30pm and tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door. Give The Complete Paddler a call at 416-255-6905 to get your tickets.

All proceeds from the event will be donated to Project C.A.N.O.E. and Kayak for Cure.

More info: completepaddler.ca

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Last week I posted a quick note to let people know that sea kayaking was going to be used as one of the modes of transportation for Canada’s 2010 Winter Olympic torch relay on November 9 in Iqaluit, Nunavut. Sadly, the kayak portion had to be scraped due to ice conditions and darkness.

I got a update by friend of the site and fellow kayak instructor, Alex Stuit who was there and part of the running portion of the relay that day.

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