Worldly kayakers meet in Wahkiakum

Participants in the 2008 LoCo Round Up practiced the differences between

paddling canoes and kayaks at a weeklong conference last week. Photo by

Sunny Manary. The second annual Lower Columbia Kayak Round up, or as it is affectionately called by participants, “LoCo Round-Up,” wrapped up last Sunday. Visitors from as far away as the Netherlands come to Wahkiakum County to take part.

The round up is the brainchild of local farmer, kayak enthusiast and founder of Columbia River Kayaking, Ginni Callahan of Puget Island.

“Kayak symposiums are getting more popular as kayaking increases,” Callahan said. Symposiums can vary. Some are more about instruction while others are more like tradeshows.

Callahan said she noticed a trend of people wanting more instruction and thought that she could run her own symposium. So after volunteering for a number of years, she made the contacts necessary to start the festivities.

The event itself is all about locality. Callahan purchased a 21 acre farm on Puget Island in 2005. She sells produce and thought it would work well as an area for camping, kayak instruction and could be incorporated with local food. “This event does all of that,” she said.

Last Friday, when the group finished with their classes, they paddled to the farmers market on Puget Island to take in some of the locally grown produce and meats. That night, they grilled the foods they purchased.

“We try to make it a community event as much as a kayaking event,” Callahan said.

This year is a historic year. The British Canoe Union has updated a program used since the 1940’s. The BCU is the international standard for kayak training and instructor certification, Callahan explained. It was originally designated to put athletes in the Olympic Games in paddle sports.

The LoCo Round Up is the event for the West Coast. The BCU is bringing new programs to the United States. In the kayaking world, this event puts Cathlamet and Skamokawa on the map.

Callahan grew up near water, which sparked her interest in kayaking. While in college, she took junior high and high school girls on overnight canoe trips. “I was like the camp counselor who did the canoes,” she said.

In 1991, Callahan moved to Seaside and bought a canoe. She took it into the Pacific Ocean and had to swim back. “I realized it was a bad combination,” she said. From canoes to surf boards to kayaks, Callahan has developed more experience on the water.

When the paddle center in Skamokawa opened, she became an instructor. In 1993, Callahan started Columbia River Kayaking. Last fall, the company expanded to include all of the Wahkiakum County guides. They are now all co-owners.

They contract through Skamokawa Center which gives members a little more creative control of their futures. Callahan said it works because if the guides want to cut back on their pay for more training or spend more on publicity, they can.

“Skamokawa Center likes it because they will call us up and say ‘we need three guides on Thursday’ and we just send them a bill. We don’t have to do all that payroll stuff,” she said.

Paddle sports have expanded over the years, Callahan explained. There is more to it than just kayaking. Put a kayaker in a canoe and they feel like beginners again, but what they may learn in a canoe can be transferred to what they know about kayaking.

“You only have one blade, so you have to refine your technique a little bit better in the canoe,” she said. “Then you take it back to the kayak and you are that better (of a) paddler.”

Another part of the round up is the coaching class.

“They are trying to make the BCU really accessible in this country,” Callahan said.

“There really isn’t other really good instruction at the higher levels of kayaking, but there had been instruction at the lower levels.”

In Britain, the BCU is intended for kids in school on up. The BCU teaches more than just sea kayaking; they teach water sports.

“You can show up with anything with a paddle and learn the basics, and have fun,” she said.

Depending on the desire of the learner, they can find their own interest. “They learn some safety and some skills and go out and enjoy and have a good time,” she said.

Paddle Center Manager Mark Whitaker said participants can take classes in either coaching or skills. BCU’s involvement this year teaches new standards and updated kayak curriculum.

“We are the event that introduces those new standards on the West Coast of North America,” he said.