ECCKF Trip: Day Four

Today I checked out of the hotel to fully immerse myself in the kayak festival. It was a quick and easy drive from Mt. Pleasant over to James Island Park (I had done the drive the day before to participate in the Nigel Foster Master Class). I registered, put the boat I’m trying to sell in the “Used Boat” area, then headed over to the put-in to unload my kayak. There I ran into Dan and Kathryn, two friends who I knew were going to be attending. They in turn introduced me to two other people I knew were going to be attending, but who I hadn’t met before (they live near Baltimore, the upper reaches of the Chesapeake Paddler’s Assn, and so our paths hadn’t crossed before). We helped each other unload, then I headed over to the Master Class area for my 10 AM class, which was Forward Stroke with master kayak racer Ben Lawry. Ben is the antithesis of Nigel Foster. Where Foster is laid back and teaches by having you experiment, Lawry has the intensity of a racer. He puts you through the paces, he directs you what to do, and you had better do what he says! Well, maybe I’m being too negative – the class, after all, was great! I learned a lot that will improve my stroke. I also bumped into Alison Sigethy. Alison is a world-class Greenland style paddler and an acquaintance of mine. She was teaching a master class on Greenland style paddling.

Next came a lunch break and a chance to wander through the vendor area – kayak manufacturers, gear makers, etc. I controlled myself and didn’t buy anything. I also scooted over to the campground to check in and set up my tent. My instructional day finished up with a Boat Control class taught by Steve Scherer. It repeated a lot of material I had covered in Foster’s class, so it gave me a chance to practice those skills, as well as to pick up a few extra tips.

I had barely gotten off the water when it was time for the happy hour & then the group dinner, which led straight into an evening presentation by a guy who had made films about paddling in the Pacific Northwest and an amazing kayak trip through Peru. I ate dinner with a mix of people I had met during the day, and people I know from back home. It’s nice how people begin to mingle as the weekend wears on.

By the time I got back to may campsite at about 9:30 I was tired! I knew I had to get up early Saturday, so I finished setting up camp then headed to bed.