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At Columbia River Kayaking, you will find a contagious passion
for learning and having fun! Coaches continue to refine and challenge
their own skills. For us, kayaking is a way of life which share
because we love to. Let us help you reach your goals!
About
the Coaches
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Skill Level Rating
based on new (2008) BCU star awards
Level I programs are generally
scheduled for mornings or days with little tidal movement, or
in protected lakes or creeks. No experience necessary.
BCU One Star - "A Flat water
award that demonstrates an individual has basic boat control and
foundation skills.The one star can be taken in any kind of paddlesport
craft (e.g. sit-on-top, slalom C2, polo boat, sea kayak, racing
canoe etc.)"
Level II tours may experience light
wind (8kts), small waves (1'), or moderate current (1kt).
Level 2 tours build on the basics introduced at level 1. Calm
capsize and reentry experience is required.
BCU Two Star - "An improvement
award that helps paddlers develop fundamental paddlesport skills
on flat water. The emphasis is on gaining a breadth of experience,
creating the desired movement of the boat and developing an understanding
into how the paddle, boat and water interact. This award is significantly
different to the old 2 star, with a change to develop generic
movement skills that can transfer to any discipline .... ie. in
a variety of craft."
Level III programs take advantage
of afternoon wind (15kts, waves 2-3') or greater tidal action
(2kts).
BCU Three Star Sea - "Successful
performance at this level indicates that a candidate can consider
themselves an intermediate paddler rather than a beginner. Unlike
the existing award this will be discipline specific with awards
in Sea, Surf, Canoe, WW Kayak, FW Kayak and some of the competitive
disciplines. The three star paddler will be a competent performer
in sheltered to moderate water environments and have the ability
to paddle unsupervised, with similar standard paddlers on sheltered
water. The new award will look similar in structure to the existing
4 star, but with the skills applicable in an easier environment."
Level IV programs require well-refined
paddling skills as they venture into surf, strong wind, or dramatic
current. They may require or build navigation skills, and
contain strong elements of group interdependence.
Link
to BCU star award syllabi
You do not need to hold BCU certification to participate in Columbia
River Kayaking events, although we highly recommend it
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First-timers, paddlers who have never practiced a capsize or who
want to brush up on basic skills. |
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Quickstart
3-4 hours, $75
Quickstart gets beginners excited about paddling. Covers preparation,
gear, launching, basic boat control, stability, and potential hazards.
Wet exit optional. Quickstart aims to prepare people to safely rent
and paddle kayaks in calm, protected water. Calendar
Special Focus Quickstarts
Family Fun (scheduled by special request, min. 3 people, max
12)
3 hours, $70 adults, $55 kids 12-15
Family Fun gets families and kids excited about paddling, and helps
to raise awareness of kayaking safety. Features basic instruction, games,
and exploration. Lesson/Tour.Calendar
Babes in Boats (Quickstart for Women)
3-4 hours, $75.
Taught by women for women, Babes in Boats aims to provide gals a noncompetitive
learning environment in which to build confidence and get excited about
paddling. Covers the same material as Quickstart, with a slightly different
tone, and the goal of preparing women to safely rent and paddle kayaks
in calm, protected water. Calendar
Full Day Introduction to Kayaking
Immersion!
6 hours, $105
Immersion! gets the beginning kayak enthusiast off to a solid start
with the Quickstart curriculum plus: tidal calculations and chart familiarity,
wet exit and deep water reentry, refining strokes for efficiency and
style, assisting a swimmer back into kayak, and more. Immersion! aims
to increase awareness of hazards while encouraging enthusiasm, learning
and exploration. Prepares paddlers to rent and paddle kayaks in a tidal
environment with mild exposure.Calendar
Intro to Canoeing
6 hours, $105
Whether you're coming from a kayaking background and looking to broaden
your paddling experience, or new to paddlesports and want to start in
an open boat, Intro to Canoeing will set a solid foundation. We cover
seating and paddle grip, stroke basics, stroke finesse, safety basics
including capsize drill, and awareness of the paddling environment including
tides. Canoes are tandem, but do accomodate solo paddlers. Try it both
ways!
Calendar
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These classes are appropriate for any level paddler.
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Square Water Workshop - Roll Class
at the Astoria Aquatic Center or Cathlamet Pool
2 hours, $60. max 3 participants
appropriate to any level
Rolling is fun! It's also an important skill in whitewater, surf,
and sea kayaking. Having a roll increases your safety in capsize
situations. Simply working towards your roll improves your self-awareness
and confidence.
Practice in Astoria's heated pool with a patient, encouraging
coach. You'll refine techniques for keeping and regaining balance,
including bracing. Discover the roll that works best for you,
then add others. You can start from scratch, troubleshoot an almost-roll,
or add new varieties for safety and fun, including sweep, C to
C, storm, extended paddle, back deck roll, various Greenland rolls,
hand roll, Eskimo bow rescue, sculling brace, and balance brace.
Challenge yourself! Calendar
Level
II
Required: a level-headed wet exit and experience of at least
2 day trips; or new BCU 1-star award or ACA Introduction to Kayaking certification. |
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Stroke Refinement
6 hours, $125
Pursue the ultimate in boat control as a foundation for open water
skills. Use wind, waves, and current as teaching tools. Improve
body-boat-blade coordination. Increase efficiency and boat control
through use of edging and technique. Take this class repeatedly
in varying locations and conditions. There is always more to learn!
Calendar
Balance and Bracing
6 hours, $125
Edging is key in maneuvering your kayak, yet comes with certain
risks. This class uses games to practice balance, and studies
how body and paddle work together to keep you upright even while
edging. Calendar
BCU 2-Star Training
5-6 hours, $125
2-days $225
This is an excellent introduction to the British Canoe
Union system for those with experience. 2-Star Training includes drills, practice games, and specific
coaching to further paddler's safety, confidence, and ability.
Learn to apply your core to get the job done with less effort. Refine techniques such
as the bow rudder, sculling draw, hanging draw, and forward stroke
until they are clean and efficient. Then practice until good technique
is automatic. Personal coaching and specific feedback help you
focus your efforts. The great treat of this class is that we also practice in open canoes, exploring the nuances of the single blade. More info on this award can be downloaded
from: BCU
star awards link.
Calendar.
New BCU 2-Star Assessment
3-5 hours, $105
Assessment is an excellent way to check how your kayaking skills
are progressing. Skills include forward stroke with torso rotation,
emergency stop, reverse paddling to a target, moving sideways,
preventing a capsize by bracing, ruddering, edging, a low brace
turn, assisted reentries, and more. After performing these, the
specific individual feedback you receive helps you set a game
plan for continued practice and learning. Candidates should bring
a log book showing their paddling experience. BCU
star awards link.
Calendar
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Level III
Required: BCU 2-star award;
or instructor approval. |
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Moving Water Introduction, a BCU 3*
Sea training
$135 1-day
$250 2-days
$350 3-days
With a foundation of good boat handling skills, explore how you
can use the wind, current, and waves to your advantage instead
of fighting them. The 3-day course also includes basic kayak navigation.
Sample itinerary:
Day 1 Isolate and play with the mechanics of paddling during a
body-boat-blade workshop designed to reveal the how & why
behind boat control techniques. Build a more instinctive mastery
of them. Evening review of BCU system, and personal goals.
Day 2 Games & drills to review boat edging and blade use.
Refine boat handling skills. Individual coaching. Evening Navigation
session and planning final day's journey.
Day 3 A trip down the WA bank to the Astoria Bridge with current,
standing waves, eddies, and afternoon wind. Paddling in such conditions
is a good check of how instinctive those boat handling skills
are dynamic environments. And of course it's lots of fun! Debrief
and action plan before leaving, usually over a beer at the local
pub.
Calendar
Efficiency in Wind & Waves, refinement
of 3* Sea skills
5-6 hours, $150
Have you been working on those boat handling skills in wind? Feel
like you're ready for some challenge and feedback? Head into your
assessment confidently. More importantly, head out into exposed
inland waters with a greater margin of safety.
BCU
star awards link.
Calendar
Safety Weekend
3 days, $350
Combine the programs listed below into a 3-day weekend: Foundation
Safety & Rescue Training, and Coastal Navigation & Tidal
Planning, and a day of practical on-water navigation. This natural
progression reinforces learning in a fun environment. Detailed
descriptions of each are below.
Calendar
BCU Foundation Safety & Rescue Training
6 hours, $150
Risk reduction is what it's all about: personal safety, setting
priorities, avoiding incidents. Learn and practice ways to help
a person in distress while protecting yourself and others. An
excellent training and award for any paddler in a position of
responsibility, or simply wanting to improve safety. This award
is given for the training; there is no separate assessment. It
is a prerequisite for any coaching or leadership training in the
BCU program.
More info on this award can be downloaded from: BCU
awards link. Calendar
BCU Coastal Navigation & Tidal Planning
6-8 hours, $125.
Have you ever looked at a map, or a nautical chart, or photos
of someplace alluring and dreamed of going there? This classroom
course provides a foundation for planning your own trips in a
coastal or tidally influenced environment. It's considered one
of the safety modules in the BCU curriculum. Become aware of the
factors, and use your resources to plan a reasonable trip. Practice
using nautical charts, tide tables, current charts, and compasses.
This course is a prerequisite for BCU 4* Sea Leader training.
Go ahead, dream! More info at BCU
awards link.
Calendar
Practical Navigation
6-8 hours, $125.
A very practical course set among the islands of the tidal lower
Columbia River. Read a nautical chart, and relate it to what you
see while you're paddling. Calculate tides, distance, and speed.
Learn to pilot (follow a shoreline while keeping track of yourself
on a chart) and dead reckon (calculate speed, direction and time).
Locate yourself on a chart using only landmarks, or using a compass.
Locate hidden campsites. Use landmarks around you to check progress
or drift, and create ferry angles to compensate for cross current
or wind. Create strategies for success if lost or stranded. Do
all of this while touring the islands of the Lewis & Clark National
Wildlife Refuge. It's not magic; navigation really is a fundamental
skill for those who paddle unguided in places beyond a corridor
or a lake (even if you have a GPS). And it's fun! Calendar
BCU 3-Star Sea Assessment
6 hours, $150
The new 3-star Sea award entails taking a journey in moving water.
The standard is high. Boat handling must be precise and efficient
in challenging conditions. The new BCU 3* Sea award is similar
to the old 4*. Candidates should also bring a log book showing
their paddling experience. This award is proof that you can comfortably
handle wind to 15knots and seas to 3', including maneuvering and
performing rescues. Three-star Sea award is a prerequisite for
more challenging trips worldwide, including some of CRK and Sea
Kayak Baja's exciting expeditions. More info on this award can
be downloaded from: BCU
star awards link. Calendar
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Level IV
Required: BCU 3-star award, ACA Coastal
Kayak certification, or instructor approval
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Surf Play for Sea kayaks or surf boats
4-5 hours, $150.
Surf is an excellent teacher of bracing and instinctive boat control.
It's also great fun! Practice surf launches and landings. Broach
and side surf. Learn the basics for safety in this extremely dynamic
environment. Ride waves. Get a great workout and that elation
that only a full day of surf brings! Calendar
Leadership Workshop
5-6 hours, $150.
2 days $250 (FSRT & Leadership Workshop)
This class is designed for guides-in-training or anyone who seeks
to improve safety on the water in a group setting. The Leadership
Workshop day builds on the Foundation Safety & Rescue Training
with more practical application of risk management skills. Leaders
plan the day based on tides and weather forecast, then lead it,
taking out up to 6 paddlers per leader. Leaders practice thinking
ahead, preventing issues, managing real situations when they do
come up, and responding to staged scenarios. Whether you're leading
trips or just want to be an asset to your paddling group, this
is a valuable experience. Also available as a custom course for
organizations. Calendar
Night Navigation
4 hours, $85.
Experience the Columbia River at night--the lights of the channel,
the dark quiet bulk of mountains, the movement of invisible water.
This exciting instructional tour is scheduled the day after full
moon, so the almost-full orb will rise about an hour after sunset,
while we're on the water. Calendar
Dynamic Water Workshop
1-day $135
2-days $250
3-days $350
Focus on boat control, safety, and planning in moving water such
as surf, moderate current, wind waves, and clapotis. An excellent
course for those aiming to paddle the open coast. On longer courses,
we use various locations to refine skills in a number of different
conditions.
Sample Itinerary
Day 1. Paddle in tidal current concentrated through narrow areas,
and in expansive waters where the effect can be more deceiving.
Expect wind, wind waves, and the chop of wind against tide. Study
chart and compass, tide tables, and current tables. Plan a journey
in waters with tidal current.
Day 2. Practice boat control in coastal surf. Expand awareness
and comfort. Learn not only entry and exit strategies for launching
and landing through surf, but also how to maneuver and play in
the breakers.
Day 3. Paddle on a coastal journey that seeks to incorporate the
variables studied on the previous days. Depending on ocean conditions
and weather, this will probably be either at the mouth of the
Columbia River or on the north Oregon coast.
New BCU 4-Star Sea Leader Assessment
1 day, $150
Prerequisites: Old BCU 4-star award or New BCU 3-star award; Foundation
Safety & Rescue Training; Coastal Navigation & Tidal Planning;
current first aid; comprehensive BCU membership.
The new BCU 4* Sea Leader award is as much about managing risk
for a group as about personal paddling skills in rough water.
This is an ideal goal for guides, for club leaders, and for paddlers
who like to go challenge themselves with their friends in the
fun water. It's also a prerequisite for CRK and Sea Kayak Baja's
most challenging expeditions.
More info on this award can be downloaded from: BCU
star awards link.
Calendar
Coastal
Journey (listed on Day Tour page)
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The British Canoe Union has offered an internationally respected
standard of kayaking for over 40 years. The program is based on
cycles of training, practice, and assessment. In training, you
are introduced to skills and concepts. Then follows a period of
practice with periodic coaching. Once the skills are mastered
to the level desired, you take an assessment. After passing assessment,
you may train at the next level.
An assessment is like a checkup on your paddling skills. Depending
on the level of the award, you are asked to do specific strokes,
or maneuvers, or demonstrate judgment and boat control in various
conditions. The assessment lets you know where your skills are
against an international standard, and more than that, lets you
know exactly what needs improvement.
Specific Trainings, Workshops, and Assessments are listed above
with each level they pertain to. Also see Lower Columbia River Kayak Roundup which incorporates a spectrum of BCU courses.
Link
to BCU star award syllabi
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CRK coaches hold American Canoe Association and/or British Canoe
Union certification. The American
Canoe Association is the largest US organization for water
sports. The ACA certifies coaches, educates paddlers, promotes
water access, provides insurance, and more. The British
Canoe Union provides the most comprehensive training program
in sea kayaking today. It formed 40 years ago to coach British
olympic athletes and continues to be rigorous because recreational
sea paddlers in Britain face rough and dangerous waters. The Pacific
Northwest can present equally hazardous conditions with surf,
wind, and current.
Environment. The diverse Lower Columbia River region is
a paddler's paradise. From protected sloughs to the coastal surf,
it offers something for everyone. The wildness of this lightly
populated area surrounds paddlers in stunning scenery. The Lewis
& Clark National Wildlife Refuge alone encompasses 35,000 acres
of mid-river islands, which is an ideal classroom for navigation
classes. World-class paddling on the Oregon Coast rewards
the paddler with bold cliffs, offshore rocks, sea caves, and fun
surf rides.
History. The native peoples here before us had a water-based
existence. Canoes were the cars of today, and much more. Water
was the highway, not the divide. Even to the early European-derived
settlers, the river was the central conduit and resource. Although
nature has reclaimed much of the evidence, the stories and the
river itself remain. Paddling is a teriffic way to connect with
history of this place.
Equipment. All scheduled tours and lessons include kayak
and paddling gear: paddle, PFD, skirt, pump, wetsuit & paddle
jacket if necessary (specify size in advance). Available kayaks
include: Wilderness Systems Tempest 165, 170 & 180, Tsunammi 145; Necky Eskia,
Zoar Sport, Looksha 4, Looksha Sport & Amaruk double; Eddyline
Merlin LT.
Guides
& Coaches
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Directions
to launch sites. Calendar
page lists the launch sites of each class.
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