Beginners Course Day 1

In the run up to the course the weather in the UK has been great and looks set to continue, which is great news for us first time sea kayakers. The morning was spent kitting the group out and selecting different kayaks for each member. As well as the two of us on the beginners’ course there are four others on an intermediate course. We are told by Willie that if all goes well we can join the intermediates on a two day expedition tomorrow. Anyway back to the kayaks, Tina chooses a Valley Avocet in plastic construction and I choose a Tiderace Xplore, constructed from fibreglass. All kitted up and we head off the short distance to the head of Loch Duich for our first lesson. We are shown and practice the forward paddle and sweep strokes to turn the kayak. During the lesson we are joined by a loan seal and a couple of porpoise, looks like a mother and young. I have driven along the road next to Loch Duich a number of times and never seen anything in the water before, looks like this is going to be a great way to see wildlife. At the end of the lesson there is a discussion on peer rescue and Tina, having never been in a kayak before let alone been capsized before, volunteers to be the victim (sorry the rescuee). Having agreed that the best way is to be caught off guard Willie promptly pushes Tina over in the kayak. She manages to pop the spray deck and emerge from under the water. We are then instructed on how to conduct a peer rescue and Tina manages safely to re-enter the kayak.