PORT ANGELES — Registration is being accepted now for classes at the 11th annual Port Angeles Kayak Symposium in mid-April.
More than 300 sea kayakers, standup paddleboarders and those who want to try out the sports are expected at the symposium on Hollywood Beach and the Red Lion Hotel, 221 N. Lincoln St., from April 15-17.
Kayaking enthusiasts will be able to try out the newest in kayaks and paddleboards.
“Some people come for the sale prices,” said Dave King of Olympic Raft and Kayak of Port Angeles — which is hosting the event — “but most come for the chance to try all the coolest gear on the water.”
For $5 or a food bank donation, guests can spend the day chatting with the sport’s experts and learning which boats might be the right one for them.
The symposium will be from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, April 15; from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 16; and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 17.
Free for browsers
The event is free to those who want to browse and talk to exhibitors, $5 to try out kayaks and paddleboards, and between $5 and $35 per session for classes.
Beginner-friendly paddling clinics and intense advanced-level courses will go on all weekend, both on the water and on land.
The Red Lion Hotel’s Peninsula Room will host 17 sessions of classroom instruction and entertainment.
Keynote speakers will talk from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. both April 15 and 16 in the Peninsula Room at the Red Lion Hotel. Admission is $5.
On April 15, Shane Robinson of the Kamchatka Project will talk about an expedition to explore Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula last summer.
The next night, Don Keisling of the Tsunami Rangers will speak.
Instructors
King estimated that a third or more of the attendees will be from outside the Clallam County area, including paddlers looking for a scenic weekend of instruction, as well as such instructors as Wayne Horodowich of the University of Sea Kayaking and Chris Mitchell of Secondwind Sports.
But several instructors will be from here.
“We have more than our share of top paddling teachers right here on the North Olympic Peninsula, like Deb Volturno, Rob Casey and Gary Korb,” King said.
Volturno will lead a clinic on “Debacle Deterrence,” her title for a two-hour risk-management clinic, and host a show featuring the exploits of the Tsunami Rangers, of which she is a long-standing member.
Volturno and Korb will teach experienced paddlers how to build their skills in the surf.
Standup Paddleboard instructor Casey will lead three clinics for beginner paddlers and one for more experienced sport practitioners in the surf.
New this year will be a rescue skills contest, a kayak polo tourney, clinics on racing skills for those who want to join the growing paddlesports competition circuit and, on both weekend mornings, an hour of movement with the Feldenkrais method titled “Whole Body Kayaking” and led by Peninsula local Jory Kahn.
To register for classes, visit http://tinyurl.com/y3phqu9.
For more information, phone Bill Walker at 206-940-6269 or email rubycreekboathouse@gmail.com.
