CKC Weekend Paddling and Skills Building

Carolina Kayak Club presents Ocean ’14, a coastal paddling and skills-building event.  This event will provide multiple paddling opportunities for paddlers of varying skill levels and interest – flatwater paddles, ocean paddles, and surf play.

Paddlers with ocean-going long boats who have open/rough water, and surf experience can refine kayaking skills.

Paddlers with short surfing boats can develop ocean surfing skills. Instructors include Carolina Canoe Club members Paul Scrutton and Jon Godwin.

Paddlers wanting to get more open-water experience with appropriately skilled groups can develop their open-water skills.

Paddlers wanting flatwater paddles in protected coastal rivers and waters will have the opportunity.

Location:   Huntington Beach State Park

                  16148 Ocean Hwy

                  Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

                  (843) 237-4440

For more information contact:   Christopher M Rezac

                                                    (910) 709-8154

                                                    chrisrezac@hotmail.com

The registration fee includes group camping Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights and the cost of instruction from talented and experienced American Canoe Association instructors for workshops on Saturday and Sunday.

This is a beautiful campground. It is located in the maritime forest along a sweeping Grand Strand beach that is pristine and wide open – unencumbered by sea walls or other manmade structures. There is ample paved parking adjacent to the camping area and men’s and women’s bathrooms with flush toilets (not pit toilets), sinks with running water, and outdoor shower/rinse stations at the beach access.  Below are Google maps screenshots of Huntington Beach State Parkand a zoomed shot of the maritime forest and parking area of the group campsites. 

The entire group campsite area has been reserved so the whole area will be available for workshop attendees and any friends and family who may accompany them. In the camping area there will be campfires in the firepits in the evenings.

There is a huge benefit of being right next to the ocean. If the ocean is calm, the introductory ocean paddling instruction and paddles can take place on the ocean. If the ocean is stirred up, introductory classes will be done in more sheltered areas.  The locations of more advanced instruction will be chosen based on the desired conditions for each workshop and the conditions at various locations that day.

Paddling workshops will be provided by American Canoe Associationcertified instructors. A skill-level survey will be emailed to participants determine what needs are and develop a plan that offers different options, and matches participants to the appropriate workshop based on skill level. You can avoid surf and stick to flatwater activities, you can go advanced, or other options in between.

Some of our in-house CKC instructors wish to specifically provide an ACA Level 3 Coastal Kayak Basic Skills & Rescues course, if there is enough interest. Availability is limited, so it will be first come, first served.  The link above takes you to an ACA webpage that will give you some idea of the content of this type of course. Plenty of other paddling and instruction opportunities will also be available.

For friends and family who are not doing workshops there is plenty to do. Within Huntington Beach State Park is Atalaya, the picturesque, Moorish-style winter home of Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington, philanthropist and sculptor, respectively, who left the park and adjacent Brookgreen Gardens as their legacy. The park also offers a nature center, interpretive trails, various guided tours, ocean swimming, bird watching, geocaching, biking, hiking trails, surf fishing and fishing from the jetty. Or one may want to just lie out on the beach listening to the soothing waves and feeling the dual sensations of warm sun and cool breeze on the skin.

Just across Ocean Highway from Huntington Beach State Park is beautiful Brookgreen Gardens. Activities include a zoo featuring native animals, pontoon boat rides along historic rice fields, gardens with 300 year old live oak trees, and sculpture exhibitions. 

The weekend paddling workshop fees are needed in advance to reserve the camping area, to plan for the number of instructors to maintain appropriate instructor/student ratios and to insure the necessary funds are available to meet those commitments. The registration fee is not refundable for those same reasons – the funds are already committed. If you find another person who would like to go in your place, your registration can be transferred to that person.

Registration fee covering camping and instruction               $120

When you consider what you would pay per hour for kayaking instruction from certified instructors, this is a real bargain for a weekend of instruction and camping with fellow paddlers.

One must be a Carolina Kayak Club member to register. Individual and family one year and two year memberships are available. There are many other opportunities for instruction and trips of various levels during the year.  Join here.