Five star sea training was held at the Northern California BCU Skills Symposium in the San Francisco area Wednesday through Friday, October 27-29, 2004. The coaches were Nigel Dennis, Rowland Woolven, and Trys Morris. Of the twelve students, half of them were from Southern California, including Peggy Peattie, Cate Thero, Hugh Keegan, Hawk Martin, Jack Brisley, and myself.

On the first day, after a lecture on leadership and some rescue and towing practice, we paddled around Bodega Head to Horseshoe Cove, which is about one-quarter of a mile behind Nigel in this photo. With a thirteen-foot-swell, we decided not to land there and went back to practice emergency landings in more protected water.

On this rock Nigel (at the top of the rock and in a T-shirt) demonstrated landing by swimming onto the rock with the kayak attached to him with a towline. Trys (in the foreground) also had a towline attached to the kayak to prevent it from washing up on the rock while Nigel swam. Rob Gibbert was the only student to give this rock a try in a similar manner, and he can be seen pulling his kayak out of the water. Just a second before this photo was taken, Rob's bow was wedged between two tall rocks as a wave swept the stern to the side. Fortunately, he was able to pull the bow up from between the rocks just in time to avoid snapping off the front three feet of his kayak.

The rest of us opted for some easier rocks to land on.

On the second day, we heard lectures on navigation and tidal currents, and then we practiced those subjects in San Francisco Bay. In the photo Rob is heading to Alcatraz Island. On the south side of the island, we played and practiced towing in a rip during the ebb.

Late in the afternoon, we played and practiced rolls, re-enter and rolls, rescues and towing in the rip at Yellow Bluff during max ebb. In the photo Hugh is helping another paddler re-enter in the rip. That night we also practiced night navigation in the bay.

On the third day, we went under the Golden Gate Bridge and out of the bay during the flood. We didn't have to fight the current, because we hopped eddies all the way out.

Once out of the bay, we headed up the coast. There were some nice arches to paddle through along the way. Hawk is in the foreground. Turns were taken leading the group, and there were discussions about problems that could occur and how to best prevent and solve them.

The coast was beautiful. With the swell down to 4-6 feet, we did some light rock gardening along the way.

We landed at Rodeo Beach, which is a former military facility and is now a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. In the photo Hawk is timing the waves as he is about to land.

Nigel, Rowland and Trys were impressive coaches and the training was fun. Unlike many stories I heard, the training was not grueling or risky. Instead, it was about leading a group safely. I learned a lot of new things, and it was helpful to hear many of the things I already knew articulated. I highly recommend the training for anyone who wants to have fun and improve their sea kayaking skills.