Ladies of the Lake

This past month Down Wind Sports hosted the ^10th annual Ladies Of The Lake Sea Kayak Symposium on the gorgeous Drummond Island.  Drummond Island is an island located in the warm waters of Lake Huron in eastern Upper Peninsula.  The island is comprised of 87,000 acres, 150 miles of rugged scenic shoreline, 133 square miles of forested landscape, and 34 inland lakes. 

Access to Drummond Island has always been by boat, be it an ancient canoe or the modern ferry, or any of a host of boat possibilities utilized over the years…..this weekend the ferry to the island was loaded with kayaks making their way to our home base the Drummond Island Resort.

This annual gathering of female paddlers was organized to paddle, learn, socialize and celebrate another year of paddling.  Our idea is to provide a quality paddling experience promoting “women kayaking with women for women.” This is also a unique symposium in that it is a “traveling” symposium.  We pick a new location in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula each year that offers diverse paddling opportunities and somewhere new to explore.

Our headquarters for the long weekend was the Drummond Island Resort, built by the former owner of the Detroit Tigers and Domino’s Pizza. The Brooder House ( so named by Tom Monaghan of Domino’s Pizza to help his executives visualize a chicken coop as the place where new ideas are hatched) is where our retail location was set up and all off water activities took place.

On Thursday August 15th the symposium kicked off with Bonnie Perry’s BCU 3 Star training program where 8 eager participants hit the warm waters of Lake Huron to gain the  necessary skills to assess for the BCU 3-star award.  Participants were greeted with beautiful sunny skies, calm water and the opportunity to learn from one of the Midwest’s top coaches!

The Brooder House was transformed into a paddle sports market place with Down Wind Sports displaying the latest boats, kayaking gear, Silverwaves Jewelry and clothing.  As the day wore on, participants weary from the road, stopped in to register themselves and gear up for what would prove to be a great, fun filled  weekend.  The symposium drew participants from as far away as California, Georgia, Kentucky, Florida, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Washington State, North Carolina, Indiana, and Michigan. Some even traveled internationally from Canada!  We are very proud to say that we have some of the most talented coaches in the country joining us, many of whom reside right here in the Midwest. Our featured coaches returned to this event through our Gold Level sponsors- without these sponsors and these talented ladies our event would not have been the same!

Marsha Henson- Werner Paddles

Ginni Callahan- Werner Paddles

Shawna Franklin- Kokatat

Cindy Scherrer- Confluence Water Sports

Two trips also departed the resort for the day to explore Potagannissing Bay and the many different islands in it.  Perfect weather and calm conditions greeted paddlers who enjoyed exploring the diverse shoreline.  During the evening the official symposium welcome greeted over 30 1st time participants to our symposium!

On Friday participants were greeted with another spectacular day of sunshine and warm temperatures!  From forward strokes to rescues participants learned new and exciting techniques to help improve their paddling.  After the morning sessions the ladies could participate in a Lunch Box Lecture and learn while they ate!

The afternoon classes went off in their different pods which made for an amazing view, over 100 kayaks on the water, with lots of laughter echoing off the water and back to the shore.

After cleaning up and finishing dinner, participants headed on over to the headquarters  and enjoyed participating in The Family Feud! (Richard Dawson edition of course) Lots of swag was given out to our lucky contestants and many hilarious moments were provided by “Richard”.

After settling down from the game show participants were treated to a presentation by Ginni Callahan.  From Baja to the south seas, Ginni presented amazing photos which showed just how adventurous this woman is.  Great job Ginni!

On Saturday the weather was again stellar and participants started their morning off with a yoga session thanks to our favorite early morning riser, Patty Boucher!  After stretching out, the ladies hit the water for more in depth instruction and fun.  Bracing, rolling, towing and rescues were all fun…..but the one with the most laughs was the Stand Up Paddling class!

Friday and Saturday saw sessions of boat demos.  Many participants used this great opportunity provided by the symposium to test paddle the latest boats from all of the leading manufacturers. We are proud to say that this allowed some people to find the perfect boat for them, finishing up their time with a shiny new kayak and a smile from ear to ear.

After another long day of paddling the ladies got dressed in their best costume for The Werner Paddles PirateParty! This year we had the most people dressing up and putting a lot of effort into their outfits.  From pirates to parrots, Peter Pan to a whole ship of signing pirates, a great time was had by all!

Sunday after a long night on the dance floor, we were surprised as 18 ladies showed up for the sunrise tour!  Afterwards Bonnie Perry gave a moving talk during her annual Blessing of the Boats.  Sunday was also a great opportunity for participants to hop into one last class and get a little more practice in before packing up for the long drive home.

We have been involved with many sea kayak symposiums around the great lakes and with all honesty this is by far the one that we look forward to every year.  How great is it to see participants so eager to learn, coaches so willing to give so much, and to be surrounded by laughter and smiles all weekend long……can’t wait until next year!  More photos of the 2013 LOL can be found here!

A big thank you goes out our Gold Level Sponsors who work so hard in helping to make our event successful!  Please consider your next purchase from one of these outstanding paddle sports leaders!

Looking for somewhere to eat while attending this years symposium?  We’ve got you covered.   Take a look at our guide to dining on Drummond Island.  It’s not a complete list but it’s a good place to start.  If you want to print off a copy to bring with you you can download a PDF here:

http://downwindsports.com/lol/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/LOLDiningGuide2013.pdf

We are in for a treat with this presentation at this years LOL from featured coach Ginni Callahan!

South Seas Voyage:

Mexico to New Zealand by Sailboat & Kayak

Miraculous it was that two sea kayaks fit on deck, bracketing a hard-shelled rowing dinghy, with an inch on either side. But they did, and that’s how we set out to cross the world’s biggest ocean: two Romanys, “Mutiny” the dinghy, the Good Captain Henrick Lindström, a stuffed moose, a drunk koala, and me, all on the 36’ steel-hulled sailboat “Misty”.

She was double-ended, like a canoe, cutter-rigged with one mast, narrow in the beam, 45 years old, and seaworthy. We hoped. Sailing across an ocean is an act of faith.

There were seabirds and sunsets, atolls and outriggers. There was me trying to tow 10 tons of steel through the doldrums by kayak. There was Henrick dangling off the stern at night in 30kts of wind to fix the wind-steering arm for the 4th time. There were three sharks bumping the kayak in Fakarava Pass. There were the reef lobsters we never found, and the coconut crab we did.

There were single-handed crossings in Tahiti and Tonga, Henrick on “Misty” and me in “Green Flash”. There were ancient non-instrument navigation methods to study. And stars!

And through it all, supporting it all, was the unbelievable electric cobalt of the open sea.

Bio

Though unable to hold down a real job for an entire year, Ginni Callahan has actually survived on sea kayaking for over 15. She is certified BCU 5-star Sea Leader and Level 4 coach, and ACA Level 5 Instructor. She co-owns Columbia River Kayaking, and Sea Kayak Baja Mexico. She travels to coach in such exotic places as Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Chicago, Vancouver Island, and Michigan. Ginni is also the North American importer of Flat Earth Kayak Sails. This past year, she played hooky from it all and sailed across the Pacific Ocean with boyfriend and kayak.

It’s finally here!  The official master schedule.  Take a look and start planning your weekend.

You can download a copy to print here:

http://downwindsports.com/lol/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/LOL-Schedule-pdf-20131.pdf

Bored Spouse?

Man Camp gives those without the proper gender specific equipment needed to attend Ladies of the Lake a way to have some fun on the water and fine-tune their own paddling skills. Join kayak instructor Kelly Blades as he leads a variety of courses based on the needs and suggestions of the group. Topics such as the forward stroke, boat control, open water adventures and rescues will be covered. If you have joined Man’s Camp before we’ll find something new for you to learn or work on. If this is all new to you… don’t miss this opportunity to work on a very personal level with a top-level instructor.

Man’s Camp is $75 and will take place on Saturday from 10:00-2:00pm.

We are looking for a little help with designing our special 10th anniversary Ladies of the Lake Sea Kayak Symposium   t-shirt. From now until July 1st we are having a contest looking for the best t-shirt design. And what’s a contest without a prize? The winner will recieve a $50 gift certificate to Down Wind Sports! So fire up those creative minds, make an awesome design and win a great prize.

Here’s what we had in mind. We are looking for a design that best represents the spirit of the Ladies of the Lake Sea Kayak Symposium:  Fun, Adventurous and Feminine.  Be creative.

If you have any questions give us a call in Houghton at (906) 281-6834

You can submit your entries to:

heidi@downwindsports.com

So here are some quick rules:

1. All entries must be submitted by midnight July 1st
2. All artwork must be original
3. Artwork must be in a high resolution digital format (.jpeg, .pdf, .psd, .ai, etc.)
4. Winner will be chosen by the staff of Down Wind Sports in Houghton

For the first time LOL is offering SUP instruction! Join us and our ACA certified Stand Up Paddleboard instructors for lessons on how to stand up, sit down, and paddle, paddle, paddle!

You might ask: What’s up with all the SUPs?

Well, the truth is: It’s really FUN, it’s a great workout, and it’s can be as easy, or as challenging, as you desire.

INTRO – During this class we start at the beginning by getting familiar with the equipment – boards & paddles… and then we move on to how to get SUP’n. We’ll cover the basics of balance, effective strokes and efficient board control. We do, however, want to warn you to use caution during this class, because gliding on water with a board and paddle is highly addictive!

PART II – Are you wanting to take your SUP-ing to the next level? In Part II of the instruction we will work on two key points of SUP paddling– developing efficient strokes and good board control.

Come join us, and let’s have some fun exploring what’s SUP!

What is the BCU? The British Canoe Union (BCU) is the most recognized International governing body for paddlesports for both coaching and individual awarding systems. The BCU trainings and Star awards give paddlers and coaches a sysetamatic approach to develop and assess paddling skill levels. Instructors, outfitters, and symposium organizers use BCU Star Awards to ensure that paddlers have prerequisite skills for outings and classes.

The BCU 2 Star award represents the point at which a paddler can move their boat not just effectively, but efficiently. It’s a multi-discipline award – meaning we’ll spend time in a variety of boats, which may include sea kayaks, white water kayaks, canoes or SUP’s. It’s also an award meant to be fun – and fun we will have! Come ready to play, and in the process learn a ton and get comfortable in and around your boat and other boats in some new ways.

On the first day of the symposium we’ll go through the skills on the 2* syllabus. If participants are at standard, we will assess the 2* award, and spend the next 2 days building on those skills. If participants are not quite at the 2* standard, we’ll spend the next 2 days working towards that standard, and assess on the last day. Emphasis through the three days will be placed on the foundations of paddling – power transfer, posture, connection to the boat and the kinesthetic feel of the boat and paddling; and on improvement in a specific area identified in partnership with the coach on the first day.

Here’s what the 2 Star syllabus says:

“This is an improvement award that helps paddlers develop fundamental paddlesport skills on flat water. The emphasis is on gaining a breadth of experience, creating the desired movement of the boat and developing an understanding into how the paddle, boat and water interact.”

* There is no extra cost for this course; however if students pass the assessment there is a $10 fee for BCU members and a $15 fee for non-members in order to receive the certificate and officially hold the certification.

Our coach Andrea Knepper will be teaching this awesome course for us! Check it out and call Heidi at 906-482-2500 to save a spot.

If you are already registered for Ladies of the Lake or if you register before May 3rd you can participate in our contest. Get a friend or family member to register before May 3rd and you will be entered into a drawing to win a free entry for next years symposium. It is easy as 1,2,3.   1 – You register, 2 – They register, 3 – They tell us you referred them. Let the contest begin. GOOD LUCK!