Qajaqs

On March 21, 2009, members of Walden Qajaq Society arrived at the Waltham YMCA with qajaqs, paddles and tuiliks for members of the North Shore Paddlers Network.  Our plan was to teach them some Greenland skills and get them hooked on Greenland-style kayaking.  We think it worked.  Here are some excerpts from attendees along with some pictures.

From Gillian: “I will have to say I haven’t worked that hard at a pool session since I first started paddling and I forgot how fun it was to learn something new. Will – thank you for your teaching skillz – I got in my boat and next thing I knew you had me upside down and figuring out how to feel my body and boat again – I can’t believe I almost got a hand roll!”

From Judy: “A HUGE thank you to the Walden Qajaq Society for one of the best clinics I’ve ever participated in! They arrived en masse — people and boats and gear (enough for all of us) — and proceeded to share their enthusiasm, skills, and teaching ability with us. The photos Nancy posted show a lot of teaching, a lot of learning, and a lot of fun going on. We all received one-on-one intensive coaching — I really appreciate the time that Nancy, Judy and Dan all spent with me, with the result that I accomplished way more than I’d hoped for and gained a better feeling for the relation between body and boat. I’m seriously tempted to do more …”

From Kevin: “I’ll definitely join the chorus of praise on this one. The session was even better than I had hoped. It looked as if every person in the water was having a great time and I definitely learned a lot from a bunch of great people.”

From Tim: “ Thanks for the pics. I had a TON of fun last night with a great group of people. I hope to do another Greenland skills session with everyone.”