"MAGGOTS!!!" Thus spoke Dave Kennar, calling to order the 1999 Novice clinic. The Pacifica pool was soon filled with a BASK armada, from Capt. Kennar’s gleaming Kevlar Meridian to Ken Kelton’s river boat, repaired to hide the signs of being used as a chew toy by a Great White. The pool sessions were a great opportunity to learn and practice in a warm, non-threatening situation.

The weekend in China Camp began with fitting boats, taping down rudders and group stretching lead by Leslie Goss. Once on the water Penny Wells capsized an extraordinary number of times. Fortunately there was always a novice handy to help her out. A spirited game of kayak ultimate Frisbee was marred by an injury to Kristi Dommen’s shoulder. The weekend closed with Paul Kuhn’s instructive attempt at undressing for immersion while perched upon his kayak.

Despite a concerted focus on safety, Kristi’s other shoulder was broken during the Bolinas surf launch and landing practice by "a big gnarly wave with huge teeth." True to form, she gamely found a silver lining in her injury. We all wish her a speedy recovery and look forward to paddling with her real soon!

The waves became "confused" when we headed back across the mouth of Bolinas Lagoon. At least four of us capsized (it’s hard to count accurately with your head underwater). It powerfully demonstrated to me the difference between practicing rescues in controlled situations and performing them under rougher conditions. Kudos to Eric Lee, Jan Sommer and Mike Higgins for calmly showing how it is done and to John Dixon for leading a discussion on shore analyzing what had happened.

The weather was spectacular once again for the final weekend in Tomales Bay. We settled into our campsite early enough allow for some lounging, exploring and even some surfing for adventuresome souls. That evening we celebrated Halloween with another wonderful feast, gathering around blazing duralogs to enjoy tall tales and a touch of the fire from Court Leve’s flask. On the paddle back we were treated with majestic silhouettes of several Tule Elk high up on a western ridge.

As someone who was not accepted the first time I applied to the clinic, I can honestly say that it was well worth the wait. It was a ton of fun and incredibly informative. I can only imagine the amount of dedication, planning and work required to put it together and pull it off. A giant maggot thank you to all the instructors!

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Text copyright © 2000 by Rob Rich.

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