THE SCENE AT NETARTS BAY. PHOTO: PAUL KUTHE
If this special Greenland-style issue in- SAFETY BY VIRGINIA MARSHALL Symposium Scare
A ROUGH WATER WEEKEND BECOMES A RESCUE MISSION Struggling to perform a head count, Whitak-
Last October, the sea kayak community was reminded of just how marginal our control of the elements is, when a surf clinic turned into a chaotic rescue mission at the Lumpy Waters Symposium in Pacific City, Oregon. The third annual symposium had attract-
ed nearly 30 top-level coaches and some 90 participants with the promise, according to the event website, of “interesting conditions, but not to the point of being harried.” The incident occurred during the first ses-
sion of the weekend, when 12 students and four instructors convoyed 45 minutes up the coast from the event headquarters for an af- ternoon surf clinic at the mouth of Netarts Bay. Here, a wave-washed sand spit thrusts north into the mouth, creating a constricted aperture through which the bay’s waters surge in and out with the tides. Fine weather, no wind and a six-foot swell
held promise of long, smooth surfs for the intermediate Long Boat Surfing class. Still, Mark Whitaker, part owner of Columbia River Kayaking and class co-leader, was ner- vous about the location. “The tide was ebbing,” Whitaker recounts
on his blog (
RedAlderRanch.com), “[and] the mouth of a river or bay is a dangerous place to be on a strong ebb.” Having never been to Netarts before, and
feeling himself the least experienced of the four instructors, Whitaker says he deferred to the expertise of his co-leader, world-class surf and expedition kayaker Sean Morley, and what he assumed was local knowledge among the other coaches. Once positioned toward the inside of the
spit, Whitaker realized that the trashy waves and strong, offshore current of the ebbing tide were going to make it very difficult for him and fellow instructor Richard Davis to manage their five students. Meanwhile, Morley and assistant instruc-
tor Jamie Klein had led their students into the larger surf on the outside of the spit.
er states, “I turned around to see…a much larger set of waves come through and capsize multiple students from both classes all at once.” The total number of swimmers was later confirmed to be nine—over half of those on the water. Thus began a nearly two-hour effort to re-
cover swimmers and bring everyone back to shore. During the ordeal, Whitaker would be capsized by crashing waves a dozen times and both end toggles ripped from his boat while towing. Morley would be forced to wet exit and lose his boat while assisting a swimmer, but manage to re-enter a stray kayak to con- tinue the rescue effort. The incident eventually concluded with
everyone safely back on terra firma, but only after Morley asked a participant to call for help, initiating a multi-agency response from the Coast Guard, Tillamook County Sheriff and Netarts-Oceanside Fire & Rescue. Two Fire & Rescue jet skis brought the last swim- mer—mildly hypothermic but still clinging to Morley’s kayak—to a waiting ambulance. Following the incident, the response from
the Pacific Northwest sea kayak community was largely humility and support, rather than finger pointing. Nevertheless, an apologetic Morley stated, “Clearly, my reputation will take a big hit as a result of this incident, but I really don’t care…I know I will be a better and safer coach and leader as a result.” Looking forward, event coordinator Paul
Kuthe of Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe says lead coaches at this year’s Lumpy Waters Symposium will need to be “intimately famil- iar with the area.” He also plans to reexamine the venue selection process. “The number one mistake…was that we
placed the enjoyment of students before safe- ty,” Kuthe says, acknowledging that at rough water gatherings, “the tendency is to go too big, too soon.” For more insight on how we manage risk—and why we seek it—turn to Rock the Boat on page 26.
Touring Whitewater Recreational Not So Scary
The best praise often comes from where it’s least expected. Such was the case when surf champion and Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium organizer,Sean Morley, wrote to thank us for covering an incident that occurred during a class at Oregon’s Lumpy Waters Symposium last fall (“Symposium Scare,” Spring 2012,
www.adventurekay-
akmag.com/0046). Morley, who was co- leading the class, thanked editor Virginia Marshall for “the fair, balanced and educa- tional approach to the article.” Oregon local, symposium attendee and Adventure Kayak contributor, Neil Schulman, wrote, “The piece on the Lumpy rescue was very good treatment of a potentially touchy and diffi- cult subject. Thanks for covering it so well.” Meanwhile, on Facebook, Kathleen Mur- phy enjoyed both Marshall’s article and Schulman’s piece (Rock the Boat, Spring 2012) on the following page, “Great article and follow up on understanding risk.”
Events
Early summer is a terrific time to get on the water with friends and stretch out those paddling muscles. Get started with the 5th annual Atlantic Paddle Symposium in lovely Liscombe Mills, Nova Scotia, May 11–14 (
www.atlanticpaddlesymposium. com). Celebrate Memorial Day weekend at the 23rd annual West Michigan Coastal Kayaking Symposium in Muskegon County, Michigan (
www.wmcka.org), or pack your drysuit and head to Homer, Alaska, for the five-day Immersion Sea Kayaking Skills Symposium (
www.alas-
kakayakschool.com).
spires you to try traditional, don’t miss the South Sound Traditional Inuit Kayak Symposium (SSTIKS) in Union, Wash- ington, June 15–17 (
www.qajaqpnw.org). East Coasters can head to the Hudson River Greenland Festival in Croton- on-the-Hudson, New York, June 22–24 (
www.hrgf.org). Fun for any age or interest, the Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium descends on Grand Marais, Michigan, July 18–22 (
www.downwindsports.com/ glsks/). Also in June and early July, MEC Paddlefest enlivens lakefronts and ocean- fronts across Canada—visit
www.mec.ca for dates. Far off and far flung, the Gales Storm Gathering October 5–8 in Wawa, Ontario (
www.galesstormgathering.com) is worth planning ahead for, bringing to- gether top British, U.S. and Canadian coaches in a world-class venue.
INCIDENT REPORT: SYMPOSIUM SCARE
THE KAYAK TOURING MAGAZINE SKILLS
DON’T GET LOST: PADDLING IN FOG
KAYAK TESTS
ELIE STRAIT 140 XE, FEATHERCRAFT HERON
PEER REVIEW TURN FASTER, WORK LESS
FOOD
5-MINUTE LUNCHES MIKEY WILL LOVE
7
DESIGN TRENDS HERE TO STAY
LONGER, FASTER TOURING HULLS
SHORTER, LIVELIER PLAYBOATS
COMPOSITE TRADITIONAL KAYAKS pg 42
DISPLAY UNTIL MAY 15, 2012 $5.95 VOL 12 ISSUE 1 SPRING 2012
JON TURK & ERIK BOOMER TELL ALL EXCLUSIVE:
ARCTIC ADVENTURERS
AROUND ELLESMERE
www.adventurekayakmag.com
D Passeception Cover Story
The Spring 2012 cover (
www.adventu-
rekayakmag.com/0047) depicting a kayak- er carving a playful foam pile earned praise from
PaddlingInstructor.com blogger and frequent contributor, David Johnston. “It got me thinking how the image of sea kayaking in the media has changed over the years,” Johnston writes on his blog, citing six covers from Adventure Kayak’s early days a decade ago and the six most recent covers. “I think sea kayaking looks a lot more fun and personal now,” concludes Johnston. See 10 years of covers—and the issues behind them—at
www.adventurekayakmag.com/ digital-magazines.html.
FIND US:
editor@adventurekayakmag.com,
www.adventurekayakmag.com,
www.facebook.com/adventurekayakmagazine,
www.twitter.com/advkayakmag,
www.adventurekayaktv.com Touring Whitewater Recreational
THE TWO-DAY OCEAN CURRENTS CLASS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE p.46
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