Another Great lake Anna Event

For those of you who do not know about this, there is an excellent event that the Chesapeake Paddlers Association Club holds every year at Lake Anna, VA. There is a couple in the club who owns a piece of land right on the water of Lake Anna, and they allow the club to come down every spring and hold a 3 day club event. Many thanks again to Dave and Theresa for allowing this to happen every year.

This year about 95 students and over 20 instructors, all club members, showed up and took part in classes covering so many different topics relating to kayaking that it is hard to list them all here. There were stroke clincs, safety and rescue clinics, yoga classes, navigation, cooking, greenland paddle making, rolling, wing paddle stroke improvement, and much, much more. Even though there were great instructors from all over the area, and lots to learn, the best part of the weekend was just meeting people who I only get to see once or twice a year, and just having lots of fun.

Cyndi and I took every boat that we could cram onto one vehicle. Cyndi took her surf ski, her plastic Tempest, and her Whitewater ZG48. She used them all, although the Tempest and the surf ski got the most use. I took my Outer Island, my plastic Tempest, and my ZG54. I used the Tempest for a re-entries and rescues class, and my ZG54 to just mess around in, but I never got into my Outer Island. I wanted to get some practice on my hand roll in that boat, but I just had too much fun messing around in the ZG, and saved no energy to get into the Outer Island. Check out the great photo that Woody caught of me in my ZG as I was throwing ends. Click on it to get to my photo album of the event.

I must say that it was an especially great event this year. It all went too fast, of course. What I was able to get done was awesome. The traffic gettting south on 95 was not very bad this year on Friday afternoon. That was a great start. I had a great re-entries and rescues class with Yvonne on Saturday Morning. Everyone in our class was eager, energetic, and did everthing we layed out in front of them to try, and kept asking for more. In the afternoon on Saturday, I worked with Gar to help 5 people practice a lay-back sweep roll, or Pawlata roll. After Gar and I joined forces, he 'rolled' right into a wonderful on-land introduction of postitioning your body during the roll, and then we all took it to the water. We got at least 4 of the five people doing a successful roll before they began to be exhausted. And I got the chance to work briefly with Tom H., who I paddle with every week. He was doing a very successful pawlata roll after Dave I. helped him out that day too. It will be good to see Tom rolling at our weekly Pirate Paddles during the summer.

On Sunday morning, Cyndi and I 'preformed' a cooking class. I was absorbed in getting the food cooked during the class, as Cyndi talked about recipes, cooking styles, equipment, etc. She claims everyone who attended, had a great time. And I believe they all went away full, as I cooked them blueberry muffins, my special camp chocolate-chip coffe cake, spicy ministrone soup, and peanut-butter coconut energy balls. Lots of fun!

So I close my rant by thanking those in the club who work hard every year at making the Sea Kayaking Skills event at Lake Anna, or as it is called by the regulars 'SK102', possible. Brian and Laura work hard to make this a special time for all, and they succeeded brilliantly again this year. And best of all, they held off the rain on Sunday Morning this year. What a great time. I only wish we can have an event like this every weekend!

Until next season, paddle hard and play harder!