The annual Door County Sea Kayak Symposium (DCSKS) is always one of my favorite weekends of the year. This year the 15th annual DCSKS — my eighth as an instructor — was once again a sold-out event, with 170 paying participants, 30 instructors, a handful of staff members from Rutabaga Paddlesports, and reps from several paddlesport vendors. People attend from across the Upper Midwest, the U.S. and even internationally. (Two of my newest paddling friends, Sara and Dan, are from the U.K.)
From Thursday through Sunday, July 12-15, we gathered at Rowleys Bay Resort to share and learn kayaking skills while paddling in beautiful Door County, Wisconsin. I’m not sure who coined the phrase, “summer camp for adults,” but that’s what DCSKS is. This year I instructed Advanced Rescues & Towing, three different sessions of a class/tour called Open Water Adventure, Kayak Rolling, and helped out on a group nature tour of the Mink River.
The weather was great all weekend, with only a light rain shower Friday afternoon. In fact we would have preferred to have stronger wind and bigger waves at times for practicing advanced “big water” skills. But, we made do. Sunday’s fog stuck around all day, which provided opportunities to practice compass navigation. Water temperature hovered around 71F on the lake and 80F on the Mink River!
The 15th DCSKS was an opportunity to say “thank you” to Nancy Saulsbury, who in September will retire from Rutabaga after many years as director and chief cat-herder for not only DCSKS but also Canoecopia, the world’s largest paddlesports expo. Thanks, Nancy, for trusting me to be a DCSKS instructor and guide for the past eight years. From you, from fellow instructors, and from the many enthusiastic participants, I’ve learned as much as I’ve taught. Probably more. No, definitely more.
Paddling through the fog toward the mouth of the Mink River
Nice summary and great photos. I especially like the one with the campfire and colorful sunset.
Thanks, Lenore! It was good to work with you at the symposium.