Lucky Number 7

Well, it's July (finally) all over the world and it seems as though Summer is here and here to stay. It is a month of kayak symposia, BBQ's, and long days here in the Midwest. Emerging from the winter around here you get the feeling that, due to the short days, you can only get one good thing done in a 24 hour period. Now that we have sun for most of the solor cycle we can plan so much more. So, let's all here it for after work paddling!

Here are some tips to make the most of a 2 hour kayak session to keep your skills sharp and still have some fun doing it;

1) Remember why you came out! So many of us get caught up with gear, boats, and weather conditions that we forget to do that whole paddling thing. My advice is to plan a distance that you can easily obtain in about 2/3 your overall paddle time and get some saddle time.

2) Use your cruising time to get a little work done. Pick on element of your forward stroke and keep it in the back of your mind while you paddle. By the end of the session you may not feel as though you haven't done much but you skill level will increase slowly and surely. On the next paddle you can work on another element. Then, once you have been through all of the points you want to work on, start the process over again. By the end of the season you will feel and see an improvement.

3) Take some time (either before or after) to play around in your boat with some skills that go often overlooked. My favorite is doing recues. A good round-robin of rescues should take no more than a few minutes and it not only gets you better at the task but also cools you down after a good paddle and gets you more comfortable in you boat.

4) Remember to do some rolls or braces. These are skills we all get comfortable with and then seem to walk away from. If you are not comfortable with them, do them in shallow water so you can either do a "sand brace" is you fail or have the bottom to let you know that your paddle is going too deep.

5) Do a gear check and dig in the nooks and crannies of your kit to see how things are fairing. Some times (if you are anything like me) you keep things in your boat and after a long season of teaching and paddling, you find you haven't had an incident to warrent using any of the gear. Make sure you know what you are carrying and that it is still functional. And this is a good time to swap notes with you fellow paddlers and see where you stand. Remember, it's not what you carry with you, it's how effective it is when it is time to use it!

Hope these tips helped you in your short sessions out on the water and makes the most of your paddling moments.

From the desk of Kelly Blades