The last trip of the semester was the Kayak Course from Tuesday 5^th till Friday 8^th of June. On Tuesday and Wednesday we stayed in Kristiansand to learn the basic techniques by paddling along the Odra River and around Odderoaya. From Thursday to Friday we then went on a paddle trip staying one night bivouacking on an island.

We met Tuesday 9.15 at the rowing club of Kristiansand which is right next to the river. After unloading the boats we got some basic kayaking introduction from Evan. He told us how to hold the paddle: tight in the dominant hand and loose in the other hand. The blades are usually in a 45° angle to each other so the wind doesn’t hit the blade that much. But it’s also possible to have the blades in one line. This depends on personal preference and the amount of wind. Sea kayaks and river kayaks are a bit different. We had sea kayaks. They are a bit longer, which makes them more stable on the water. The foot-pedals should be tight enough, so your body movements are almost directly transferred to the kayak. Kayaks also have some straps on top and boxes to put luggage in. Besides the kayak itself and the paddle you need a spray deck and a life jacket. For wild water rafting it’s also recommend to wear a helmet. In addition to the above you should also bring the following items if going on a tour: water, snacks, map and compass, first aid kit, sunglasses and sunscreen if sunny, a knife and spare and warm clothes. As a leader it’s also recommend to bring a group shelter, spare paddle and some lines, e.g. for pulling or rescuing people. When it comes to techniques it’s important to use the whole core and not just the arms as the big core muscles are stronger. There are three phases when forwards or backwards paddling: catch, power and rest. After practicing paddling and getting out of the kayak on land we went on the water. The best and most stable way to get into the kayak from a jetty is to put the kayak sideways to the jetty and the paddle from the jetty over onto the kayak right behind the seat. Then you put your hands on the paddle and slide sideward into the kayak. In the water we first did some forwards paddling, backwards paddling and turning. When turning it helps to lean a bit towards the side you are putting the paddle in. By pushing your feet against the pedal (opposite or same side) you can increase the power you put in the stroke. Then we started paddling upstream. The river was pretty wide, so we tried to stay on one side, to make sure boats can pass by. While still in Kristiansand there were quite a few boats on the sides but once outside of town the shore was made up mainly by trees, bushes and some rocks. The river was rather deep most of the time, but with some flat parts in between where you could see the ground and sea weed was rising up to the surface. While paddling along Evan gave us more techniques to try out, such as edging and stern rudder. Edging you can use to assist your paddling and get more speed. Therefore you always lean on the side you’re paddling at. But you can also use it to make corrections on your course. Therefore you lean on the opposite side you want to steer to. This allows the water to go under the boat easier. After a bit of practice while paddling along I felt quite comfortable using those techniques and it worked pretty well. Once we made some turning exercises by navigating through a channel and around an island. Around 12.30 we had a lunch break on the shore and then headed back again. Back at the row club we learned some rescue and emergency techniques. If you capsize and can’t do an Eskimo roll you just pull the loop of the spray deck and slide back and out. To turn the boat you then use the X-rescue. We practiced this in pairs of three. One capsized and the other two rescued this person. Therefore person A pulls the boat in a 90°angle onto the own boat, while person B stabilizes the kayak of person A from the other side. Once all the water is out they can turn it over and slide it in the water on the side of person B, so that the front tip of the boat shows to the back. The one to be rescued should stay at the rescuers boat tip all the time and then climb in the kayak from the back once the boat is ready. The rescuers can help by stabilizing the kayak while doing so. I experienced the kayaks to be quite heavy when they are full with water, so it was really useful to be in pairs for the X-rescue. I can imagine that you might capsize as well when trying to do it alone. I also learned that the most important thing is to first look for the capsized person and keep him/her at sight all the time. In the end I tried the Eskimo roll again. And this time I finally managed to do it which I was super happy about. I always let myself fall in on the opposite side of where I held my paddle and this time I did it on the same side. So this must have been the reason why my paddle pull didn’t do anything effective the other times. It felt so easy once it worked.

On Wednesday we were rowing from the rowing club downstream towards the sea and around Odderoya. It’s a lot more difficult to keep a straight line on the open water when there is wind. I had to correct my course a lot more than on the river by using the stern rudder or edging. At Odderoya we went into a bay to do some more exercises. We learned the back stroke for turning. Therefor you lean towards the side you want to turn to (the further the better) and put your paddle in the water as far behind you as possible. Then you pull it forward. I got more and more courage to lean further to the side after a while. As the water was quite shallow you could just put the paddle down on the ground if you were leaning too far to the side. So this bay was a really good spot to practice the back stroke. Another useful technique we learned is the low brace. “If you have lost your balance slightly and are about to fall over, the low brace is the way to recover without even getting yourself wet” (kayakpaddling.net). Therefore you hit the blade on the surface of water to prevent you from falling in. From Odderoya we then paddled to another island called Bragdoya, where we had lunch. I had some fruit salad and nuts. On the way back we went through Fiskebrygga, which was really nice. Back at the row-club some of us kept on practicing the Eskimo roll a bit longer. In the beginning I managed to do it a couple of times in a row, but then I struggled again. I don’t know what I changed and why it didn’t work anymore, though. As it’s been quite windy I was pretty cold by the time I got out of the water.

On Thursday we met at 10am at Paradisbukta for the overnight kayaking. After unloading the kayaks we put our equipment in the kayaks. To make sure they don’t get wet I’ve put my sleeping bag, mattress and food in a plastic bag and my clothes and electronic devices in a dry bag. As there was no fresh water on the island I brought four litres of water for the two days. Once we were all ready we started paddling. In pairs each of us had to lead a leg. We paddled along Heroya, around Hellesund, Skarpoya and Langoya and finally to Kapelloya where we stayed for the night. It was a warm sunny day with a nice breeze, so it was perfect for paddling. I experienced paddling to be easier closer to the shore, as the water is calmer than on the open sea. With the waves and the wind it’s a lot harder to keep a straight line and I had to correct my course more often, especially if the wind was coming from the side. Around 1.30 we stopped for lunch. We climbed up on some rocks and had a nice view over a bay. We also did some cliff jumping. Around 4 o’clock we reached Kapelloya and were surprised by Maike, Jed, Sam and Johanna. They came to stay the night with us and celebrate Zoe’s and my birthday. After having a quick look around the island some of the boys went cliff jumping and Sarah and I gave each other a massage. Then it was dinner time. Theresa and I had millet with vegetables, which we already cooked the evening before. So we didn’t have to take any cooking equipment this time. There was a picnic-table on the island and a big grassy area to sit.  There even was a toilet-hut and we had a nice sandy beach, I used to go for a swim after dinner. After dinner we were all sitting in the grass together talking and enjoying the evening sun.

For the sunset we climbed up on some rocks, from where we had a great view all over the coast. It looked really beautiful with all the small islands and the orange sky. Sam was playing his guitar, so we stayed there until it got dark and it was time to go to bed. I slept on the grass with my air-mattress and my spring sleeping bag, which was very comfortable and warm throughout the whole night.

The next morning I went for a quick swim in the ocean before having breakfast and packing my things. We left around 10 o’clock and it was Theresa’s and my go to lead the group this morning. From Kapelloya we paddled along Helgoya and over the open water to Ydre. We told the group where to paddle to and told them to try to stay close together. Most of the time we were paddling in the front leading, but I was turning around a lot to see if everyone is still there and catching up. Once I was waiting for Sam while Theresa slowly kept on paddling with the rest. We had two short stops, to wait until everyone was there and to tell the group where to head to next. The sea was slightly rough this day due to the wind. We saw a lot of birds while paddling along the islands. The islands were mainly made up by rocks. The bigger ones also had some grass or even trees on them. On the shore I saw a lot of mussels and sea weed. Around 1 o’clock we made it back to Paradisbukta and loaded the kayaks back on the trailer.

This trip was a perfect ending of the semester. I really enjoyed the paddling along the islands and the coastline. It’s very peaceful and relaxing and you get to see a lot of birds, algae and flora on the islands. I’ve only done a little bit of paddling on a calm river back home, so I’ve improved my kayaking skills a lot throughout these four days. We all got along really well and enjoyed each other’s company a lot. Watching the sunset together and listening to Sam playing the Ukulele was one of my highlights. Instead of having two days in Kristiansand and just one night on an island, I would have preferred to be away the whole four days. Either staying on the same island and doing day trips from there or paddling from island to island.

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