Sea Kayakers Gather For Coastbusters

Sea Kayakers Gather For Coastbusters

The tenth Coastbusters Sea Kayak Symposium to be held over the weekend of March 5-7 at Orewa, is expected to attract a large audience, says Vincent Maire of the Kiwi Association of Sea Kayakers (KASK).

“This bi-annual event has always been popular but this year we have world-renowned ocean kayaker John Dowd as key note speaker and workshop leader. Although John has spent most of his life in Canada, he was born in New Zealand and this is where he did his early coastal kayaking.”

John Dowd is the founder of Sea Kayaker magazine and is the author of Sea Kayaking: A Manual for Long-Distance Touring, the top-selling book on the sport of ocean paddling. His journeys include expeditions through the Caribbean and the Indonesian archipelago.

“John has run workshops and demonstrations at most of the top North American sea kayak symposiums. His book is regarded by many as the sea kayakers bible and he is recognised internationally as being a major influence on the development of sea kayaking,” says KASK president Vincent Maire.

American sea kayak instructor Shawn Baker, who is an expert on Greenland style sea kayaks, will also be at the event. His presence has generated a lot of interest among the growing band of DIY sea kayak enthusiasts, many of who will have their boats on display

Other workshops in the programme include navigation, weather, medicine, risk management, paddles, DIY boats and the KASK proficiency award. While Friday evening and Saturday are devoted to presentations and workshops, on Sunday the event will move to Sullivans Bay for a day on the water.

“Places at Coastbusters are limited and this year we are receiving record numbers of registrations. Sea kayakers are advised to book early if they wish to secure a place,” says Vincent Maire.

The programme and registration form can be downloaded from the Events page of the Kiwi Association of Sea Kayakers website at www.kask.co.nz