Formal Teaching at California Canoe & Kayak

I got a chance to teach a beginner SUP class at California Canoe & Kayak in Oakland (at Jack London Square) on Sunday morning.  Let's just say that events did not unfold like I had imagined they would.  Unlike other times I had helped teach there, there's already a crowd in the square as this was the 2nd day of a HUGE food festival.  I got there very early, introduced myself to the shop manager and changed into my paddling clothes, got my class folder and waited for the students to arrive.  The roster only showed three students but I found out there 2 more people were coming (though I didn't have their names).  To make things confusing, there were already walk-in customers coming into the shop standing around, Ben was preparing for his Intro to Sea Kayaking class and working with getting his students changed and geared up.  I was starting to become confused about which students were in which class.  Once we get that worked out, people are lining up for the 2 available changing rooms.  It was mayhem in there!

Once I get my guys out of the shop and headed to the dock, I breathe a sigh of relief and can feel the stress start to disappear.  Ha!, as soon as I look down at the dock I can tell that things are going to be very tricky indeed!  Ben has his kayaking group down there already AND there are other people launching kayaks from the dock.  Well, they are not really launching, they are just standing there next to their boats which happen to be sitting broadside on the dock right in front of the SUP board stand.  So now, there's no room to do the dryland presentation and all of my gear (paddles and leashes) are over on the other side of Ben's class!  Adapt and overcome...

Once I cover some basics, it's time to get in the water.  This is where things get tricky.  By now, Ben's class is starting to get in the water, I have to get six board off the rack, show them how to attach leashes and demonstrate how to launch off the dock.  I finally get a little clear area so I stuff all the boards on this tiny floating platform.  My students are helping too and someone barely bumps  the tail of this soft board into the kayak that is hogging the dock.  The kayaker acted like someone had just banged their door into her new Porsche.  It's a plastic kayak lady, relax.  To make matters worse, she stood there right next to her craft refusing to leave it's side even though she was RIGHT IN OUR WAY.  So, after dodging her and her precious kayak, we finally get everyone in the water.  I breathe another sigh of relief...

Quickly, I start to see that that this is going to be an interesting group!  We had a few early falls and some wandering off, lots of paddles facing the wrong direction, a yacht, a ferry, more wandering off, someone stopping and sitting on the dock during the lesson, more falling, lots of inattention and chitchat (between the couple and between the three friends) with a focus on playing around.  I felt like a substitute teacher in May. 

Within the span of five minutes, a yacht comes in the marina, the ferry comes, someone falls and nearly hits her head on the dock, I hear "Why do I need to turn my paddle around, it works just fine like this" and from someone else "I don't understand why we're doing this." all this right before I have to chase down Mr. Cowboy and have him come back and join the group.  For a moment I thought to myself "well this didn't work out, I'm not doing this anymore, its no fun."  I wouldn't say I gave up but I resigned myself to meet them where they were and just have fun as safely as possible and hope that they learn something by accident.  I dug way down in my bag of tricks to think of something to keep them interested (the finer points of the reverse sweep were not quite enough).  I started covering how to move around on the board and how to self-rescue (they LOVED watching me fall off the board).  I then showed them how to pivot turn while seated on the board.  This was a big crowd pleaser and everyone was laughing and splashing each other.  By the end of the class, their skills had improved tremendously.  They were even walking back and forth on the board!  With about 30 minutes remaining in the class,  I had Mr. Cowboy lead the group back to the dock after convincing him that we are NOT going to paddle through the channel and the boat traffic!

After quickly dealing with gear and changing, I discover there's no where to sit to complete the evaluations and go over the debriefing.  On top of that, they are all ready to leave!  Yikes, what have I done to these people?  They completed their evaluations, and each one told me that I was a fantastic instructor.  A couple of them said "Jeff should teach ALL SUP classes" and "I wish we had more time".  One student even gave me a tip.  They all gave me glowing reviews and left with big smiles on their faces.

You really do have to adapt, stay positive and meet people "where they are".  They obviously didn't have the same amount of respect for the lesson plan as I had but they did learn something, they all improved greatly and most importantly, they had a GREAT time on the water on a beautiful day and that's the whole point isn't it?  To have fun on the water.  My instructor manual has a quote about teaching the students not the curriculum.  Lesson learned.

Angulo Shaka Review

I recently had the opportunity to try out the new Angulo Shaka XLT in Santa Cruz harbor and would like to give you my impressions of it here.  I found out about the Shaka on the standupzone.com forums where owners always had good things to say.  I also read Gary Niblock's blog and watched all of his downwinder videos over and over and over.  You have to check out his blog, he's a long-time surfer and is super stoked on SUP and in particular downwind runs with his Santa Cruz buddies.  You can find his blog here:  http://srfnff.blogspot.com/

A facebook buddy hooked me up with Kyle Wade at Angulo Designs and Kyle was nice enough to meet me at the harbor last Saturday AFTER finishing a 16 mile ocean paddle!  This guy loves to SUP.  He brought a few boards for me to try out:  Shaka XLT, Tiger Shaka 14, and the top secret skunk works "double shaka".  I got on the Shaka right away and as soon as I stood up on the board and put my paddle in the water, I got a big smile on my face and goosebumps up my arms.  This board felt great from the start.  Though really designed as a downwind board, this board felt pretty fast on flat water.  It has some nose rocker so it's not trying to be as fast as a flatwater race board but it didn't feel slow either.  At 230 pounds, it also felt like it was sitting properly in the water.  I also really liked how it turned.  It felt light (at about 30 pounds) and because the nose is not in the water, it turns really quickly when you want it to.  I want this board.  I think this will be a great downwind and touring board for me.  I'm also going to go out on a limb here and say that this would even be a good race board for bigger guys in rough conditions.  This could be the ideal rough-water race board.

Be sure to check out Gary Niblock's videos:

Conditions

Before venturing out on the water, it's important to have a good idea of the conditions you will face.  In particular, water temp, water conditions, tides, wind, etc.  Wind can either be your best friend or worst enemy (depending on what you're doing).  Generally, it's best to avoid the wind UNLESS you are doing a downwinder.  I want to learn more about this aspect of the sport as it has really captured my interest lately.  I think during certain times of the year, Tomales Bay would be a great place to downwind on an SUP.  A launch from Nick's Cove (Miller Park) to Chicken Ranch Beach is a run of about seven miles.  The wind usually comes straight down the bay from the mouth.  I hope to give this a go within the next few weeks if we get a windy weekend.

I found a nice widget for the blog on the right hand side near the bottom.  To learn more about wind forecasts, take a look at windalert and iwindsurf.

Jellyfish Stings

Well, Saturday they finally got me.  I've swam many miles in this body of water over the past 5 years and nothing.  I've put my hands through them while swimming, and...nothing.  This time, I fall off the board and I'm in the water for maybe 10 seconds and bam, they light me up.  Some might say "well, he had it comin'" and they're probably right.  As of today though, I'm paid in full.

They got me on the lower back, left arm and left chest.  Funny thing is, I didn't realize I was stung.  While driving home, my back really started to itch.  I figured I just scraped it on my board or paddle when I fell.  Sunday night, I'm a little worried because I still don't know what's wrong: my skin hurts, my muscles hurt and I'm having stomach cramps.  Monday night, I realized I had been victimized by a gang of gelatinous fauna.

I spent some time last night reading about how to treat the stings.  Here are the steps for treating a jellyfish sting:

1. Get out of the water (goes without saying).
2. Flush the area with sea water (fresh water can activate the nematocysts).
3. Scrape off tentacles if they are attached to the skin (they can continue to sting even after the tentacle tears away from the jellyfish) with a stick, shell or anything other than a bare hand.
4. At any sign of anaphylaxis, call 911.
5. Apply vinegar to the wound (not everyone agrees that this is effective).
6. Some people recommend applying shaving cream to the area and removing it with a credit card to scrape off the barbs.
7. Ibuprofen can help reduce pain and swelling.  Anti-itch ointment to the wound provides some relief.
8. If stung repeatedly on the body, on the eyes, or if having a reaction, seek medical care.

Here's a picture of my lower back Monday night.

EDIT:  A sincere apology to all jellyfish.  Turns out, it was Shingles!  Awful stuff.  Talk to your doctor about the getting shot so you don't have to suffer through this.

Pivot Turn

For getting around buoys during a race or just for turning your board quickly in a tight space, practice the pivot turn.  It's a really valuable skill to have for surfing too as it allows you to quickly turn the board 180 degrees to catch a wave or to orient your board (nose facing the waves) after you take a ride to the beach.  It's a fairly advanced move and you will have to practice a bit to really get it down but once you do, you'll be happy. You can have a lot of fun practicing this turn.  If you really want to get wild, move way to the back of the board, really sink that tail and get the board spinning.  It's a great way to learn how to maintain stability on your board as the more weight you move to the back of the board, the more unstable the board will become.

When I was first learning this, I would always try to keep both feet on the center-line of the board.  It's possible to do it this way, but you will have much more control if you keep some weight on the rails.  When you start learning this, find some deep water away from obstacles (and other people) and prepare to get wet!

 

Monster Paint Traction Review

Chris Brackett from South Tahoe Standup Paddle recommended this product to me so I thought Iwould give it a shot.  I wanted to apply some traction to the front of my board and also to my paddle so that it's not so slippery when I have sunscreen on my hands.

Very impressed with this stuff.  It's barely visible, even up close yet provides really good traction on the board.  It's easy to apply as well and dries really fast.  I think the can says 5 minutes between coats and that was about right.  I put two coats on the front of my board and two coats on part of my paddle shaft and handle.  I paddled all day on Sunday, applied sunscreen 4 times and never had a problem with my hands slipping.  A lighter grip on the paddle is always better.  I even have about 1/4 of the can left so I have enough to do another paddle.

Make sure you clear the valve by inverting the can and spraying until only propellant comes out.  I did this after each coat and did not have a problem.  It's good stuff.

You can order it directly here.

8/20/2013 - I'm still on my original can and I've sprayed 1 board, and 4 paddles and still have enough left for one more coat.  One can goes a long way.

Werner Nitro Carbon 1 Piece SUP Paddle Long Term Review

Werner Nitro Carbon 1 Piece SUP Paddle Long Term Review

Look at this review from CKS, good honest review and not a sales pitch for Werner.  I have a two piece adjustable Nitro.  There are only two things I dislike about this paddle:

1. Like other carbon fiber shafts, this thing is slick as grease.  If you have sunscreen on your hands, forget about getting a good, light grip.  You have to add some wax, tape or something to hold on to.  I'm going to try some Monster Paint Traction that I recently picked up from my new friends at South Tahoe Standup Paddle.
2. One section of the paddle is a bit sharp.  When the adjustment piece is in the lowest position, there's no problem but once it is extended, there is a 90 degree ridge between the top layer and the part that inserts into the receiving end of the paddle.  It's small, just a few millimeters, but you really feel it when sliding your hands quickly up the shaft.  A little bit of that sharp edge should be taken off.

I love my Nitro paddle though, it is a work of art.  Werner knows how to make paddles.  If you want to experience something magical find a shop that carries the new Werner Grand Prix one piece.  It's incredibly, amazingly light.

Edit:  I taped off my paddle and added 2 coats of Monster Paint Traction.  I think it's going to be great.  You can't really see it and it gives you some texture without being too rough.  I also taped up my board and sprayed  coats on the nose.  I have not tried the board or paddle in the water yet but I think it's going to work well!  Be warned, the stuff is expensive.  It retails for $24.99 for one spray paint sized can.  Make sure you read the instructions on the can before using it.

1/7/2014 UPDATE - A little follow-up on this Nitro review.  First thing, I don't know how I missed this initially but my paddle is a two piece and NOT a one piece.  I've bought two paddles since this one: a Ke Nalu Molokai and a Werner Spanker.  Both of these blades are pretty big compared to the Nitro.  The Nitro is my go-to paddle for surfing, it just allows me to take quicker strokes and feels really nice.  I like the Ke Nalu better for downwinders.

The monster traction is fantastic.  It's a little hard on my hands at first but after a few sessions, some of it wears off and it feels much better.  After a few months, you have to re-apply it.  I'm still on my original can though.  I've done my board with it and my two Werner paddles twice and STILL have some left.  It's really good stuff.