2011 Tidal Race & Rock Garden Workshop Series

Maine Island Kayak Co along with the Fishers Race Team and Kayak Waveology are offering a set of three 2011 Tidal Race & Rock Garden Workshops in CT/RI, Maine and Downeast, ME.

Full Schedule...    |   Download the Registration PDF...


Series I
Done! Was June 10-12 in the waters surrounding Stonington Borough, CT, and focued primarily on the tidal races off Fishers Island, Catumb Rock, Sugar Reef and Napatree Point.


Series II.
July 15-17, Let's travel way Downeast to the lively waters between ME and Canada. Bring your passport. This venue has the wonderful features of the Reversing Falls in Coobscook, the Old Sow off Deer Island, the strong, deep flows around Campobello Island, which housed the summer residence of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the lovely, deep rock gardens along the Bold Coast. This area sits on West side of the Bay of Fundy - home to the largest tides in the world! The environment is home to more eagles, pelagic birds, whales and large sea creatures than humans with moving water galore and remarkably intricate rock gardens to play in!


Series III
(date to be determined) will be held at the mouth of the powerful Kennebec River off of Popham Beach Maine. Popham Beach can offer some of the cleanest, most beautiful waves we've seen; and the mouth of the Kennebec on max ebb can make the mouth an extremely lively experience! We'll be using the flow, eddies and bump as our schoolyard and playground.

Each of the Series is offered at $150/day or $395 for the 3 days. Food and Lodging are NOT provided but we will offer some suggestions/arrangements, will try and have one or more big meals together, and hope to camp together in the ME and DE series. Let us know your interest by emailing tom@maineislandkayak.com .

We all strive to make our oceans more accessible to those seeking to expand their paddling. One of our favorite places to hold intermediate classes is moving tidal water and rock gardens in moderate surf. These ever-changing environments ask us to tune in to the rhythms of the sea. Rock Garden play and practice asks us to effectively blend all our strokes into dynamic boat control and maneuvering skills while evaluating the build up and release of swell energy. Tidal Races are powerful, playful, deep water environs that help us develop our seamanship in a completely different type of moving water, the relatively low speed but high power of our tidal streams as they interact with landforms, wind and water depth. These 2011 Workshop series are sited at some of the stronger tidal waters on the Eastern seaboard.

For each series, we'll be bring in a few visiting coaches. Course numbers will be a total of 24, with teaching ratios of 4 to 1. We will supply our proven training format, top US coaches and instructors, safety support. Multi-day students, will leave with a set of tasks for you to work on in 2011.Limited kayak rentals are available with reservations, as MIKCo maintains a full set of NDK expedition grade sea kayaks, and many VCP models as well. You will provide your lodging and meals, and enthusiasm to enter into these fun and challenging environs.

So make this the summer to paddle new venues, see places you have heard about, as we journey to some of our favorite NE paddling places - hope you can join us.

Download the Registration PDF...

Until we get a paddle wet,
Tom and June for Maine Island Kayak, the Fishers Race Team, and Kayak Waveology