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Sound Kayakers Club

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2012-2013 Schedule - Updated December 31, 2012 - Follow links to course descriptions and book recommendations below the calendar.

How to Register: E-mail us with the course title & date, your name, home address & cell or home phone number. If this link doesn't work, send to kayak-adventure symbol for "at" att.net, or text/call our iPhone at 203-247-1390. To rent a kayak, please include your height & weight. If you don't see a date that works, let us know your availability and/or ask to get on our trip notification e-mail list.

JANUARY 2012
1 - Sound Kayakers' Eighth Annual New Year's Day Paddle, 1-4 pm, Sasco Hill Beach, CT.
24 - Winter Tuesday tour, 10 am - 12 pm, $40, Saugatuck River, Westport.

FEBRUARY
25 - Book Talk with Joe Glickman, Author of Fearless: One Woman, One Kayak, One Continent, 6-8 pm.

MARCH
24 - Sound Kayakers to Jersey Paddlesports Show, 9 am - 4 pm.
25 - Sound Kayakers' Training paddle, 2:30 -3:45 pm.
28 - Sound Kayakers' Training paddle, 1:30 -3:30 pm.

APRIL
7 - Sound Kayakers' Coastal Tour, 11 am - 2 pm. Launch: Saugatuck R boat ramp
20 - Sound Kayakers' Coastal Tour, 1 - 4 pm. Launch: Bayley Beach, Rowayton.
28 - Introduction to Kayaking - Cold Water, 11 - 5 pm, $115.
29 - Sound Kayakers' Coastal Tour, 2 - 5 pm. Launch: Compo Beach, Westport.

MAY
7 - Sound Kayakers' Coastal Tour, 11:30 am - 2:30 pm. Launch: Pear Tree Pt, Darien, CT.
12 - ACA Essentials of Kayak Touring (Level 2)/Cross Sound Prep, 9 am - 5 pm, $150.
19 - Sound Kayakers' Coastal Tour, 11:30 am - 2:30 pm. Launch: Orchard Beach, Bronx, NY
20 - ACA Introduction to Kayak, 8:30 am - 2:30 pm, $115, $147 with rental.
26 - ACA Introduction to Kayak, 11 am - 5pm, $115.
27 - ACA Essentials of Kayak Touring (Level 2)/Cross Sound Prep, 9:30 am - 5:30 pm, $150.

JUNE
2 - Sound Kayakers' Wooden Boat meetup, Bluff Pt S.P.at 10 am.
3 - ACA Introduction to Kayak, 8 am - 2 pm, $115, $152 with rental kayak.
5 - ACA Coastal Kayak Level 3, 9 am -5 pm, $150, launch: 4 mile River, Old Lyme, CT.
11 - ACA Introduction to Kayak, 12 - 6 pm, $115, $152 with rental kayak.
16 - Sound Kayakers' Paddle, Rescue Practice, Picnic, 9 am - 3 pm, Saug River, Westport, CT.
17 -Coaching Tour for beginners, 9 am -12 pm, $60, launch Saugatuck R state boat launch, CT.
29 - ACA Introduction to Kayak, 12 - 6 pm, $115, $152 with rental kayak.
30 - Sound Kayakers' Esker Point to Wooden Boat Show, leave the beach at 10 am.

JULY
1 - Sound Kayakers' Kayak Trip from Rowayton, 10 am - 3 pm. Free to members.
2 - ACA Essentials of Kayak Touring (Level 2)/Cross Sound Prep, 7 am - 3 pm, $150.
3 - Sound Kayakers' Kayak to the Westport Fireworks, 6 pm - 10 pm. Free to members.
8-13 - Camping LI Sound - no classes or tours.
18 - Sound Kayakers' Thimble Islands Trip, 10 am - 4 pm. Free to members.
20 - ACA Introduction to Kayak, 9 am - 3 pm, $115, $152 with kayak rental.
22 - Sound Kayakers' Norwalk Islands Tour, 9:30 am - 2 pm. Free to members, 15 went!
22 - Ready to Roll class, 2-3:30 pm, $80. Learn or practice all re-entry techniques.
24 - Ready to Roll class, 2:30-4 pm, $80.
25 - Ready to Roll class, 3:30-5 pm, $80.
29 - Cross-Sound Kayak, 6:45 am - 3:30 pm, fee $60. Pre-reqs: prior trip or ACA level 2.

AUGUST
1 - Sound Kayakers' Full Moon Paddle & Picnic, 6 - 9:30 pm. 2 went - gorgeous sunset!
2 - Sound Kayakers' Tour, 11 am - 2 pm. 3 went off Old Mill Beach - lovely.
7 - ACA Introduction to Kayak, 11 am - 5 pm, $115, $157.50 with kayak rental.
8 - Sound Kayakers' Beginners Tour, 2 - 4 pm. Free to members, 3 went.
19 - ACA Introduction to Kayak, 9:30 - 3:30 pm, $115, $157.50 with kayak rental - waitlist.
25- Sound Kayakers' Mamaroneck Hbr to Rye, 9:15 am - 1:15 pm. Meet Harbor Is Park.
29 - ACA Introduction to Kayak, for women, 7 - 11:45 am, $115, 157.50 with kayak rental.
31 - Sound Kayakers' Blue Moon Paddle & Picnic, 6 - 10 pm. 14 went! Launch: Calf Pasture beach, Norwalk, $5 after 5 pm every day.

SEPTEMBER.
1 - ACA Introduction to Kayak, 9 am - 3 pm, $115, $157.50 with kayak rental.
7 - Sound Kayakers' Friday paddle, 6-8 pm. Launch: Rowayton Comm beach.
9 - ACA Coastal Kayak Level 2/3, 9 am - 5 pm, $150.
15 - Sound Kayakers' at Lighthouse to Lighthouse Race, 8 am - 2 pm.
16 - ACA Introduction to Kayak, 9 am- 3 pm, $115, $157.50 with kayak rental.
21 - ACA Introduction to Kayak, on water portion only, 2-5 pm, $60, $97 with kayak rental.

OCTOBER
6 - Beginners' Tour, 12:30-3:30 pm, $50, $82.50 with kayak rental.
7 - Sound Kayakers' Sunday Level 2-3 Tour, 10 am - 2 pm. Launch: Cove Is Park. Free to members. Destination: Greenwich Pt Park.
24 - Fall Foliage Tour, 9:30 am -12:30 pm, $50, $82.50 with kayak rental.
27 - Introduction to Kayaking - Cold Water, 9 am - 3 pm, $115.
31 - Sound Kayakers' Dawn Patrol, 7:10 - 10 am. Launch: Second St, Norwalk.

NOVEMBER
3 - Sound Kayakers' Coastal Tour, 1- 4 pm. Free to members. Launch: Stamford Hbr.
10 - Sound Kayakers' Coastal Tour, 9 am - 12 pm. Free to members. Launch Rowayton.
17 - Sound Kayakers' Vikings Tour, 10:15 am - 3:15 pm. Free to members. Launch: Byram, CT.
24 - Sound Kayakers' Coastal Tour, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm. Free to members. Launch: Westport.

DECEMBER
1 - Sound Kayakers' City Island Brunch Tour, 10 am - 2 pm. Free to members. Launch: Glen Island.

2013
JANUARY
1 - Sound Kayakers' Ninth Annual New Year's Day Paddle, 11 am - 1 pm, Greenwich Pt.

JUNE
11-16 - ACA Instructor Certification Workshop L1-L4 with Riverwind Kayak.

JULY
16-21 - ACA Instructor Certification Workshop L1-L4

AUGUST
20-25 - ACA Instructor Certification Workshop L1-L4

See Detailed Information on Rates & Terms at this link. Note: prices above do NOT include kayak rentals, unless specifically stated.

SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION
Beginners: Our learn to kayak program starts with ACA Introduction to Kayak, a six hour course. We usually have 3-4 students/class. Follow this with regular, short practice sessions close to shore off a beach where there are plenty of people. After that, youll be ready to handle paddling within swimming distance of shore on days with winds no more than 10 knots at times with little current (within 1.5 hrs of high or low tide). Choose our beginner or two-hour tours for practice. Joining our Sound Kayakers club is a great way to meet trained kayakers to paddle with.

Intermediate & Advanced Paddlers: Continue to Level 2 instruction with Essentials of Kayak Touring for in-depth navigation, tidal current and trip planning skills. Continue to Level 3 Basic Coastal Kayak Strokes & Rescues for stroke refinement and advanced rescue & recovery skills. Our Level 2-3 classes give you the skills to paddle up to a mile from shore on days with winds up to 15-20 knots, and with current up to one-1.5 knots. Choose our Coastal Tours or Island/Offshore/Expedition tours for more challenge.

ACA Introduction to Kayak - Level 1
Our six hour American Canoe Association Intro course is designed to give a sit-inside kayaker the information and skills to paddle safely along the coast of Long Island Sound. Half of the class will be on-water and half will be land-based. Sea kayaking is a sport with significant risk. Previous experience on the sea is helpful, but not required (swimming, sailing, power boating, snorkeling, etc). You should know how to swim, and be comfortable in and on the water. With a maximum of five students, there is plenty of individual attention. We understand and help you overcome the instinctive fear of capsizing and being underwater. Our class includes use of a sprayskirt, wet exit instruction in waist-deep water, re-entry practice in shallow water, and optionally in deeper water (you decide what you're ready for). We launch five minutes from our home base onto an estuary (river mouth), where we are relatively sheltered from wind and waves.
Recommended Book: The Complete Sea Kayakers Handbook, Second Edition

Essentials of Kayak Touring (EKT) - Level 2
is the ideal follow-up to Level 1 ACA instruction. On land we show you how to read nautical charts, how to use them to make a trip plan, and to keep track of time, distance and speed while on water, using compass and chart. We discuss how to make and file a float plan, and how to communicate with on-shore support. You will learn how to find and interpret tidal current information and use it for trip planning. On the water we coach you to paddle in a straight line (without a rudder), and to develop an efficient forward stroke. We explain nautical "rules of the road," and demonstrate how to share the water with powered vessels. We practice 180 degree turns, and maneuvers to avoid collision. We teach low braces to recover from a near-capsize, and make sure your re-entry methods get you back in your kayak quickly in deep water. We'll show you how to pack your kayak for an extended tour, how to keep your kayak skeg trouble-free, and how to prevent typical on-water emergencies. Sound Kayakers club members with Level 2 skills paddle free on all our summer coastal trips.
Recommended Book: Simple Kayak Navigation: Practical Piloting for the Passionate Paddler

Coastal Kayak Basic Strokes & Rescues (CKBSR) - Level 3
Once you're comfortable on protected water along the coast, learn to handle your kayak in a variety of sea conditions up to a mile from shore (within a half mile of islands). You'll learn how to launch and land in waves. We'll teach how to paddle effectively in a group, taking advantage of drafting and rafting up when needed. We'll work on forward stroke to increase power and efficiency so you can make good headway against tidal currents, and get to shelter/shore fast if the weather changes. To handle power boat chop, going downwind and paddling in a crosswind, we'll teach edging, ruddering (bow & stern pries and draws), and how to modify sweeps & draws to incorporate bracing. You'll learn how to use the wind to effectively turn your kayak with minimal effort. In our rescues segment you'll learn how to assist other paddlers who've capsized, using several techniques. We'll teach you why and how to tow, and you'll learn or fine-tune solo back-up re-entry methods. To increase your safety offshore, we'll suggest gear that increases visibility and endurance; we'll play games to enhance balance; and rehearse one or more incident scenarios.
Recommended Book: Sea Kayak Rescue, 2nd: The Definitive Guide to Modern Reentry and Recovery Techniques (How to Paddle Series)