Sea Kayak Trip Leader Development

The goal is for each participant to feel able to plan and lead a multi-day trip in our local waters from Puget Sound to the Gulf Islands.  This will be accomplished by planning and doing a 5 day trip in the San Juans over a long Memorial Day Weekend.  

The course consists of three pre-trip meetings (online) and the 5 day trip itself.  Each meeting has some preparation work and covers one of the significant portions of trip planning.  

Topics covered:  

• Trip planning
• Building a compatible group for the trip
• Weather and tide considerations
• Reading and responding to the paddling environment
• Practical navigation while on a trip
• Group decision making
• Risk management
• Incident Management
• Refinement of camping skills:  how to stay comfortable on longer trips.

Dates

There are three evening pre-trip meetings to cover trip planning

April 25: Creating positive group dynamics
Preparation: Write out your goals, expectations, and style for the trip.
Meeting: Discuss our goals, expectations, and style.  Initiate trip planning.

May 12: Long range trip planning
Preparation: Plan a trip in the San Juan Islands.
Meeting: Discuss trip planning.  What is important to pay attention to.  What works and what may not.  We will select one plan as the trip we will do and an alternate in case of bad weather.

May 27: Short range trip planning, 

Preparation: Gather resources, watch conditions, make adjustments.
Meeting: Make adjustments given anticipated weather

May 27 - May 31:  5 day trip in the San Juans

How to Apply

This course is open to every mountaineer member with the basic sea kayaking badge.  Preference will be given to people who are taking on a trip leader role and ready to expand their capacity to overnight trips.  You do not need to be a Mountaineers sea kayak trip leader nor intend to become one but I’ll also give some preference to people who are likely to contribute to the sea kayaking program through trip leadership.

Read through the trip goals, expectations, and style.  If this seems like an appropriate and exciting learning opportunity for you then I would like you to join.  Apply by requesting leader’s permission and providing answers to these questions.  Answers may be brief.

• Please describe your sea kayak trip leading experience.  
• Briefly describe the overnight kayaking trips you have participated in or lead.  
• If you have done other types of backcountry trips, briefly describe those.
• Do you feel prepared to kayak camp for 4 nights in the San Juans?
• Do you feel prepared to paddle in the stated conditions?

Scholarship:  The Seattle branch will provide full scholarship for current and potential trip leaders who commit to leading one or more overnight trips.  If you are from another branch, let’s talk.

Trip Goals Expectations, and Style

These goals, expectations, and style will help explain the purpose of the course and expectations of participants. 

Goals

• Provide instruction in
  • Trip planning and logistics
  • Forming a compatible and capability team
• On trip planning and execution
• Create opportunity for people to learn through experience
• Create a safe learning environment.
• Improve each leader’s confidence through experience.

Expectations

• Participants hold goals compatible with the class goals
• Participants will attend the pre-trip planning meetings and the whole trip
• Participants will make time to do the pre-trip planning exercises
• Participants will participate in creating a safe learning environment.
• Participants are able to paddle in San Juan conditions (SK III - IV)
• Participants are equipped and able to camp out of their kayak
• Participants have these skills:
  • Can camp and cook, possibly in rainy weather
  • Can paddle in winds to 15kt, waves to 2-3ft, and currents to 4kt.  
  • Can paddle 12nm a day and sustain a steady pace of 3.3kt.
  • Have a foundation in kayak navigation
    • Familiar with nautical charts
    • Can read current tables and calculate speed and distance.
    • Can take bearings

Style

• The class will consist equally of planned curriculum and spontaneous use of conditions we encounter.
• Paddle moderate distances each day, stopping often to discuss
• Meetings in the morning and evening.