Paddlepalooza 2020

Ontario’s favorite Sea Kayaking festival is back for its 8th consecutive year. We thought that this might be the first year we had to miss, but we have found a way to make it happen! We have rescheduled the event from this spring into the fall. The event has been split into three weekends, each with its own theme.

Thank you to all of our past and present clients of Ontario Sea Kayak Centre for your patience, understanding, and support this year. Wow, what a year full of adjustments for all of us.

We’ve had so many emails and Facebook messages asking us if we are running Paddlepalooza and we couldn’t answer them until we came up with a solution that OSKC, our coaches, and Camp Tapawingo, our hosting venue, are comfortable with.

At Ontario Sea Kayak Centre safety is our profession. We have embraced making changes to adapt for COVID-19 and these new times. Our top-level sea kayak instructors have adapted our training programs to allow for social distancing on and off the water.

Camp Tapawingo is a YWCA camp and must meet the strict health and safety regulations that they are mandated to follow. Together, we’ve now figured out how to run Paddlepalooza and we are super excited about it.

Camp Tapawingo has strict numbers of people allowed on-site and in the main dining hall along with strict regulations on how many people they can seat and how many they can serve.

We are allowed 25 students with six instructors. We have booked three weekends in a row at the camp and come up with three different themed weekends for you to choose from.

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Weekend #1 – Parry Sound, Ontario – SOLD OUT

Theme: Refining Core skills and Greenland weekend

This weekend will be all about getting your kayak to do what you want it to do. This could mean maneuvering skills and precision boat control learned over a day of paddling on Georgian Bay with James, Dympna, and Heather.  Our aim is to work with our students on a repertoire of more advanced strokes and boat maneuvers that can be applied to dynamic water. Want to get more comfortable in rough water? Get back to the foundations of how to put your boat where you want it! This class is all about performing hard moves on easy water. This class will be offered on Saturday and Sunday.

Your other day will be spent learning to roll, re-enter and roll,  or picking up a new Greenland roll with James Manke, Nathan Bonselaar, and Scott Rosborough back at Camp offered on both days as well. Basically, give us your wish list of skills you want to master and we will help tick them off.

Dates: September 18-20, 2020

Price: $369+hst

Optional extra Friday 18th session

Join us on Friday for an extra day of rolling coaching from James Manke, Nathan Bonselaar, Dympna Hayes, and James Roberts. You have the option to arrive on Thursday and stay at camp for an extra night. Bring your own breakfast and lunch but dinner is included Friday night. We will be working at Camp Tapawingo all day in the shallow water for beginners and paddling away from camp for more advanced rollers. PLEASE NOTE: This is for Paddlepalooza weekend participants only, this is an add-on not a stand-alone single day of training.

Price: $149+hst

Weekend Details

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Weekend #2 – Parry Sound, Ontario – SOLD OUT

Weekend 2 Theme: Surf Safari, journeying to find play on the Bay

The theme of this weekend is going to be journeying to find play, this means we will be hunting down surf opportunities around our area and also keeping an eye on the river levels at the Moon River. Closer to the date we will make our plans to get people to the area that has the most chance of some fun conditions. There are many possible launch spots to give us potential surf, rock gardening, or river current. There will also be a class on Navigation on Georgian Bay, that may travel through dynamic water as well.

Students should be able to paddle comfortably out on open water at the intermediate level in moderate conditions. Sustained paddling at 3 knots should be well within your comfort level. Comfort performing assisted re-entries while in conditions is also required.

You must have passed your level one skill or have equivalent skills and be working on or beyond level two skills for this weekend to be a fun challenge for you.

Dates: September 25-27, 2020

Price: $369+hst

Optional extra Friday 25th session

Arrive early and spend an extra day with Greg Mason and James Roberts paddling on Georgian Bay in a location that will give us the best conditions to learn in. We will be focusing on taking our level 1 skills onto Georgian Bay and coaching level 2 skills. Maneuvering in winds and waves will be the main focus with rescue practice for those who choose to join in. Add Thursday night accommodation at camp if you want it, bring your own breakfast and lunch, but Friday dinner is included. PLEASE NOTE: This is for Paddlepalooza weekend participants only, this is an add-on not a stand-alone single day of training.

Price: $149+hst

Weekend Details

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Weekend #3 – Parry Sound, Ontario – SOLD OUT

Weekend 3 Theme: Pushing Your limits, Level 3 Skills Prep

This weekend is for those who already have their Level 2 skills or equivalent and are looking to start making them work in bumpier conditions and working toward level 3 skills. We will be traveling to launch sites on Georgian Bay and starting to learn skills like extraction tows, rolling in conditions, sculling for support, landing in difficult areas, and having fun playing in the waves. Don’t be nervous of this weekend. If you have level 2 skills we will help you start to safely push your boundaries. Everything is a challenge by choice. The other sessions will be a Group Leadership and Incident Management class, this will help you to help others transition technical areas and be prepared when things go wrong.

Solid rescue skills and rough water paddling comfort. Students will be able to perform a myriad of rescues, we will also practice solo re-entries and various towing techniques that work well in dynamic open water.

Dates: October 2-4, 2020

Price: $369+hst

Optional extra Friday 2nd session

Join us early, stay at camp Thursday night if you choose and then head out on Georgian Bay with Erik Ogaard and James Roberts, both are Paddle Canada Level Four instructors.  The session will be about Group Leadership and Incident Management. Many of our past students lead others on the water and this is a way to refine those peer leadership skills and to know what to do when things don’t go as planned. We will choose a location that gives us the best access to some fun learning conditions. If you have a VHF radio and Tow system bring it to this session! We have multiple options within a 35 min drive. Provide your own breakfast and lunch for this day but dinner Friday night is included. PLEASE NOTE: This is for Paddlepalooza weekend participants only, this is an add-on not a stand-alone single day of training.

Price: $149+hst

Weekend Details