Sea Paddler Training December 2014

Alba, Mario, Monica, and Morgan joined us from various parts of Baja and New York City for a Sea Paddler Training a couple weeks ago. Maddie, Yuri, and Patty all came to observe and help coach, and Marcos and I ran the show. A great fiesta it was!

Like most of our Sea Paddler Trainings, we started in the Sea of Cortez with some safety training, and playing with various different paddlecraft. Then we migrated to the Pacific to play with some surf. As usual, this was the most popular day.  We also had a successful afternoon of one-on-one roll coaching.

Happy holidays to all!!

Kayak Sailing on the Sea of Cortez

I was blown away by our first official kayak-sailing trip, in a wonderful way. A custom group came from Washington state, organized by Jim & Mary who’ve paddled with us almost annually since our very first trip in 2007.  The wind actually cooperated often, for a gentle introduction to kayak sailing for the first-timers, and then gave us some exciting action later in the week.

Stars punctuated our nights.  Fresh fish flavored our dinners, thanks to Ramon’s dedicated efforts. Music inspired our spirits.  Harmonica and flute duets were often heard on local, very low wattage “stations” of KARM Carmen and KDNZ Danzante.  Morning and evening “broadcasts” included weather forecasts and wildlife reports, messages from sponsors, and of course a fine blend of music and humor.

The weather began to cool off, and snorkeling was followed by lounging around on warm rocks. Our route took us around Carmen Island, a little more quickly than planned, inspired by the forecast of strong wind. When the wind hit, we were in a prime location to enjoy a relaxed basecamp experience for a few days, with playtime in the waves in unloaded kayaks.

On Danzante Island we were treated to the show of a rattlesnake eating an improbably large rat. After a couple of hours, the hind feet and tail were yet to be ingested.

A windy forecast greets the next trip, which will give us some fine opportunities for skill-building, as well as hiking in the mountains.  Tune in next week for a report!

Anglesey Sea Kayak Symposium

Ginni Callahan recently checked in from the field as she attended the 2014 Anglesey Sea Kayak Symposium hosted by Sea Kayaking UK and Celtic Paddles.  From April 28th - May 11th, some of the worlds best paddle sport coaches and brightest students gather for beginner through advanced courses in the world's second best sea kayaking playground (Baja is the first!).

Over a dozen countries were represented at the event this year and a cacophony of languages filled the dining room at mealtime.  One can learn to say 'Thank you Nigel' in many different tongues just by attending the traditional curry dinner.

A very strong group of BCU 4-star sea leader candidates took their assessment with 11 of the 13 passing!  A group of Dutch club leaders all passed and returned home with big smiles.

Between catching up with old friends and meeting new ones, Ginni had the chance to give a presentation on Baja paddling as well as her Pacific crossing via sailboat and kayak.  If you aren't familiar with that trip, ask her about it on your next SKBM Expedition with her.

SKBM attends Baja Kayak Festival

Over 1,000km north of Loreto is a wonderful Baja paddling destination on the Pacific Coast called Punta Banda.  Situated just south of the point is La Bufadora, a small coastal village that boasts one of the largest marine geysers in North America.  Being close to Ensenada, it's popular among tourists and becoming more and more popular with paddlers each season thanks to its incredible rocky coastline, caves, arches, waves, pocket beaches and marine life.

Victor Leon runs a paddling company called Baja Aquatics out of La Bufadora and together with Jen Kleck of Aqua Adventures in San Diego, they organize the Baja Kayak Festival.  Baja Kayak Fest joined the West Coast symposium trifecta in 2013 with Lumpy Waters on the Oregon Coast and the Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium in San Francisco.  The three events share characteristics encouraging rough water play, safe exploration and leadership.  You'll run into many of the same faces at each event and all three are leading the way for sea kayaking on the West Coast.  As a company, Sea Kayak Baja Mexico tries to attend these events as much as possible to coach new students and further train current staff.

This year Ramon Arce & Marcos Simental attended Baja Kayak Festival for Sea Kayak Baja Mexico and had a great experience.  Marcos passed his British Canoe Union Four Star Sea Leader assessment with flying colors and became one of very few Mexican 4* sea leaders.  That is a very worthy accomplishment for any paddler and should be a goal for many.  Congratulations Marcos!

Ramon furthered his leadership training and is ready for BCU four star assessment soon.  Great job Ramon!  Marcos & Ramon round out the SKBM expedition guides with Ginni Callahan & Santiago Berrueta.

4 Star Sea Leader and Sea Kayak Baja Mexico Guide Marcos Simental 

Women's Retreat March 18th-22nd

As a company, Sea Kayak Baja Mexico operates about a dozen trips per year.  Each trip is a different experience and becomes influenced by the unique participants involved.  From March 18th through the 22nd, Ginni Callahan and Bonnie Perry had the pleasure of leading a trip of women by sea kayak for an experience complete with a ukelele band and sing-alongs under palm trees and starry skies. 

Ginni writes about the wildlife, "Dolphins visited often, sometimes leaping to great heights. They passed our campsite chasing fish, an opportunity of which the birds took great advantage. I have no idea how the word got out—faster than texting—but they flocked in from distant parts to converge on the fish.

After the feeding, there were more birds lounging and digesting around Punta Baja, the southern tip of Carmen Island, than I've ever seen. Over a hundred Blue Footed Boobies, several dozen Magnificent Frigates, Royal Terns, Brants and Double Crested Cormorants, Brown Pelicans, Yellow Footed Gulls, Hermans Gulls."

The group were enthusiastic to learn more about paddling so they worked on rolling, bow rudders among the rocks, edging & bracing and forward stroke technique.  Inspired by this trip, a "Women's Retreat 2" is now on the schedule April 8-13, 2015.  In addition to the pure joy of spending time in a magical & spectacular place with wonderful people, the trip will focus on skill development.  What better place to relax, let go, better your paddling skills and create lifelong memories?