New to kayaking?

Want to fine tune or refresh skills you’ve already learned?
Waterwings Kayak School is in session and we’ve saved you a seat!
Taughannock Falls State Park, Rt. 89, south shore, 6:15 pm
Tuesdays and Thursdays, July and August,
Each two-session class $40/person
For “sea worthy” kayaks only. (See below.)
Don’t have one? Rent HERE.
Please pre-register.

• Paddle Strokes…for efficiency, allows you to stay out longer with less effort.
• Capsize Practice…so you’ll know what to do when the real thing happens.
• Rescue Skills…useful when paddling alone or with others, could save your life.
• Kayak Gymnastics…fun and games to enhance boat handling skills.

Paddle with Grace, Ease and Confidence!

Your instructor: Louise Adie,
BCU certified (British Canoe Union), Star 2
Kayak Master for Quark Expeditions, Antarctica
Twelve-year veteran sea kayak touring

Is my boat “sea worthy?” Click HERE to find out.
What gear do I need? Look in HERE.
Additional info HERE.

IS MY BOAT “SEA WORTHY?
For safe sea/tour kayaking, your personal boat should meet the following criteria:

• Length: 14’ or longer (kids' kayaks can be shorter if they have proper flotation).
• Flotation: Watertight bulkheads or secured full-size airbags in both bow and stern. A foam pillar is not enough flotation for safety.
• Cockpit: 36" or less in length

All boats have characteristics that make them ideal for certain conditions, and unsuitable for others. Generally, recreational boats are short and wide, with flat-bottom hulls. These features make them very stable in calm conditions, and easy to turn in the meandering channels of a marsh. Their hull shape makes them slow, but why paddle fast in a marsh? On the other hand, that wide flat bottom will be pitched and thrown by waves generated by wind, waves or motorboat wakes. The slow hull shape that is so great for "gunkholing" makes for an exhausting day of touring. The short, flat hull that makes these boats so easy to turn also makes them very difficult to keep on course in a stiff breeze or stronger wind. It’s called “tracking” (going in a straight line) and these boats don’t do it well.

How well will a boat stay afloat if it is overturned or swamped? Some manufacturers may claim that their plastic boats won't sink, even without flotation bags or sealed compartments. While it is technically true that these boats won't sink to the bottom, they will float just at or below the surface and they will be next to impossible to empty and resume paddling, or to rescue, if they capsize. There are two reliable ways of providing enough flotation to enable a practical rescue: air-filled flotation bags, and watertight bulkheads.

When we consider boats, we think of performance characteristics and flotation as matters of safety. A boat that is difficult to control in wind, waves and current is not safe for those conditions. A boat that cannot be rescued is unsafe in almost all settings. Most recreational boats don't meet safety or performance standards for our sea kayaking classes, which encounter a wide variety of conditions.

WHAT GEAR DO I NEED?
“Sea worthy” kayak, with secured flotation bags or sealed compartments, fore and aft.
Paddle
PFD (personal flotation device/life jacket)
Spray skirt
Bilge pump
Paddle float
Whistle
Optional: Nose plugs (Smileys are great), ear plugs, goggles

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Pay for your class ahead of time or on the first night.
Classes may be delayed to wait out a passing thunderstorm, though never cancelled due to rain!

Rent sea kayaks here:
Cornell Outdoor Ed…low cost rentals…607-254-8264
Puddledockers…pricier rentals: 607-273-0096
Or from Fiddlehead Fitness: 607-387-9753

What to wear:
Dress for immersion. That is, wear poly pro or other tech fabric top and pants over top of a bathing suit. If you’re in the water for a bit you may chill down, much more so with no tech fabrics. COE has Farmer John wet suits and dry tops for rent, these are great together.
Bring water bottle and a towel.
A change of clothes is a good idea. Change into dry clothes in the bath house for the ride home.

Timing:
Please be on time at 6:15. This gives you 15 minutes to get your boat off loaded and yourself into your kayak. We start promptly at 6:30. You may wish to come earlier to paddle some for a warm up but the park charges $7 for parking until 6:00 pm.