We had a sunny, breezy day for our paddling practice at Mine Lake. Jill, with help from Charlie, led a great session. After a short talk on the beach, the eight of us kayaked over to a more sheltered bay in the southwest corner of the lake. On the way over we practiced strokes and bracing. Everyone did at least one successful dump and re-entry, but each person chose what they wanted to do and how much. The water temperature was fine. We paddled through the narrows to Village Bay, practicing rafting up and getting an unconscious person back into a kayak along the way. Then we paddled back to the boat launch with the rising northwest wind at our back. We had drinks and snack on Les’ tailgate before packing up and leaving. Thanks very much to Jill and Charlie for their tremendous help on this.
Some take-away ideas: Practice bracing so you don’t end up dumping. Stay with the group, it’s easier to rescue if you have help. Don’t let go of your paddle or your boat.
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- strokes
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- Jill
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Quadra Island Outdoor Club 