Skills Session #4, Saturday 8/5/23, Moving Water Practice

Skills Practice Session #4 will take place Saturday 8/5/23 at Cedar Point Parking Area (West Bound) in Durham NH (https://goo.gl/maps/yNj3YYBwNqPjsqqz5), on inner waters of the Piscataqua River.  Please arrive at 10:00 am (or sooner if you need more time to be ready), with a launch by 10:30 am. We will be off the water by 4:00. 

This session will focus on skills for paddling in tidal current, in a location which is perfect for a gentle introduction to this topic and can serve up challenges if desired! There will be a range of conditions available at different times and in varying locations on the upper reaches of the Piscataqua. We will also land on Goat Island, a small public island that is a great place to take a break and have lunch.

The flood current will slowly build over the course of the afternoon. Some of the things we may practice include:

• understanding currents, eddies and eddy lines
• reading the water surface to recognize what is happening
• entering and leaving bodies of water that are moving relative to each other (crossing eddy lines)
• maintaining a ferry angle when crossing current
• maintaining position and/or doing rescues in current
• advanced: playing in faster current under the SR 16 bridge

Parking: There are twin parking lots in this location, directly across from each other on US Route 4. We will be launching from the lot accessed from the westbound side of the highway (i.e. on your right if you are coming from I-95 and SR 16). If this lot starts to fill up we will ask you to drop your boat & gear in this lot and park across the street on the eastbound side. There is no fee for parking in either lot.

What You Need to Bring:  Kayak with bulk heads and a spray skirt, PFD, paddles, helmet required (if you don't have one pls PM Sue H), dress for immersion, sunscreen, lunch, snacks, and water.

Arrive:   10:00 am, Beach Briefing at 10:20 am (personal gear on, boat unloaded and packed with kit for the day) and launch at 10:30 am. 

Return:  by 4:00 pm

We use ACA insurance for skills sessions.  You need to either be an ACA member (join here for $40/year) or pay a $10 event fee here.  The annual membership is a better deal, as it covers all our skills sessions and pool sessions for a year.

You also need to sign the ACA waiver at our special NSPN link here, once a year if you're an ACA member, or for each session if you're paying the event fee.

Registration: To register for this event please clink this link and follow the instructions.   https://forms.gle/QdzQ81ZSzNax6Usa6