Sea Kayaking • Courses

• Sea Kayaking

Revised April 9, 2013

Course code: None
Class size minimum: 10
Class size maximum: 20
Non-members allowed enrollment: No
Member cost: $225.00

If visiting some of the most dynamic places on the planet, bird watching or just slipping onto a lake after work with new friends interests you, then the Everett Mountaineers Sea Kayaking Basics Course is for you.

To participate in Mountaineers-sponsored kayak trips, you must be a graduate or continuing student of this course or have received equivalency. However, no prior sea kayaking knowledge or experience is required to participate in this course.

Sea Kayaking Basics - Course Overview:

The Sea Kayaking Basics course is offered once each year by the Everett Mountaineers. All instruction is offered in single sea kayaks. Most of the instruction in this course is based on the principles developed by the American Canoe Association, and an increasing number of our instructors are certified by that nationally acclaimed organization. Throughout a series of lectures and on-water instruction, the following topics are covered:

• Equipment used in coastal kayaking
• Cold water - and how to dress for it
• Knowledge of the sea: weather, waves, tides and currents
• Rescues and the importance of teamwork
• Safety at sea: charts, navigation, buoyage, communication, and marine rules of the road
• Paddling and maneuvering skills - the effects of wind, waves and current
• Physical conditioning
• Protection of the marine environment

This course consists of four classroom sessions, one 4-hour pool session, and an all-day open-water session. To graduate, students must also complete two qualifying paddles, with one paddle being on salt water by September 30.

Sea Kayaking Basics - Course Registration:

To register, you must be a current member of the Mountaineers.

Online Registration begins January 1 at www.mountaineers.org/. Enrollment is limited to 20. This course typically fills promptly, so please register early.

Please review the course dates carefully and confirm that your schedule will permit you to attend all activities. Make-ups are not possible. No refunds will be made after the course starts.

Additional Mountaineers Qualifying Paddle:

To be completed by September 30.
Qualifying paddles are at least 4 hours in duration, or about 8 nautical miles.
Qualifying paddles will be posted on the Mountaineers website.

Course Fees:

$225 payable upon registration.
The course fee covers boat and equipment rental for the pool session, guest lecturers during the classroom session and some classroom materials. No refunds will be made after the course starts.

Additional Costs:

For the open-water session, each student is required to have a drysuit and a single sea kayak with bulkheads or approved flotation. For those needing to rent a drysuit and/or boat, arrangements will be made to have kayaks brought to the open-water sessions. Students will be required to pay for rental equipment separately from the course fee. Daily rental fees will be approximately $65 for kayaks and $45 for drysuits plus tax.
For the two qualifying paddles, students will be responsible for providing their own kayak. Those who do not own or have access to a single kayak with bulkheads or approved flotation will need to rent one. Single kayaks are required throughout the course, because kayak skills are best learned in singles.
While the club will schedule some qualifying paddles at locations where rentals are available, it will be the student's responsibility to arrange for a rental for each trip. Students will also be responsible for transporting boats to and from the launch site if rentals are not available there.
Immersion gear, typically a dry suit or a wetsuit with paddle jacket (at the trip leader’s discretion), is also required for Mountaineers paddles.

• Kayak rental (including PFD, paddle, spray skirt, bilge pump and paddle float) is approximately $65/day + tax.
• Dry suit rental is approximately $45/day + tax.
• Wet suits may be acceptable for some warm weather paddles. Rental cost is approximately $15/day + tax.

Any questions concerning the course should be directed to Bill Coady coadybill@gmail.com

COURSE SCHEDULE: