We’ve refined this program that has been popular for more than 10 years as a great way for people to explore kayaking or to refine current skills. Enjoy a weekend spent at our home on 40 acres of hardwoods along the beautiful Betsie River. This long weekend retreat will give you enough time to explore a number of our better local paddling opportunities. Each trip is a bit different and built around your interests and goals with built in flexibility.
We can mix and match some open water paddling instruction along the bluffs and dunes with some river paddling if that is what you are after. Eagles, Osprey, mink, trout and bass are all resident members of the local wildlife population that we get to share our trips with. We can also see incredible dune faces, cruising fish and possibly even some shipwrecks that can be seen from our kayaks on calm days.
Kayaking is one way to interact with water. There are a lot of different disciplines…whitewater, simple small lake and river recreational kayaking, sea kayaking, surf kayaking, Olympic slalom, Greenland style traditional; hard to know what direction to go you have a better idea of what kind of kayaking you develop an interest in. You yourself probably won’t know until you get some time on the water. It’s a llfesport that can evolve as you do. We urge you not to invest too much in any sort of kayaking gear until you get some instructional time and you have a better sense of what style of paddling and venue you have available to you. You’ll make better purchase decisions. In addition to the beautiful scenery, this program will introduce all styles and the commonalities between them, but we do use primarily touring/sea kayaks in our programs.
Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive after dinner between 7-8 PM. We’ll get acquainted, settled and provide an orientation for the rest of the weekend.
Day 2
Get fitted for kayaks and gear and head to our inland lake training site for some hands-on skills. Learn forward, back, turning and sideways strokes as well as what to do when you capsize. Dinner BBQ here at Casa de Kayak followed by kayak videos, tall tales and good night’s sleep.
Day 3
Depending on weather, we’ll head north for a longer paddle to enjoy some dune and island views, maybe a shipwreck and a swim. We’ll gather for dinner at a local restaurant/pub after we get off the water. Whether we’re in soggy sandals or wetsuits, we’ll be welcome for some great food and drink after a good day of paddling.
Day 4
After a fine brunch, we’ll gear up for a sweet little river trip through the backyard to give you a little moving water experience and balance out a weekend of grand vistas. We’ll turn you loose for home or other adventures at about 2 PM
Dates for 2024
May 23 – 26
June 1 – 4
June 20 – 23
What’s Included:
- ACA Qualified Instructors
- Quality on and off-water instruction
- Kayak, sprayskirts, paddle, and PFD (unless you choose to bring your own
- Rustic river home accommodations or camping site (depending on registration)
- Three breakfasts
- Two dinners (Plan to eat out at a local establishment one night)
What’s Not Included and What You Should Bring:
- Transportation to the site
- Farmer John/Jane style wetsuit: for May/June/September/October, can be rented from us for a flat rate of $20. Drysuit if you have one.
- Synthetic or wool long underwear: polypropylene, polyester, coolmax, etc….anything but cotton, both tops and bottoms, can be worn under shorts too for a very comfortable if not very stylish ensemble.
- Fleece jacket
- Paddling jacket or rain parka.
- Neoprene boots: We try to discourage sandals because they can get tangled in footrests….and that’s bad if you’re upside down.
- Sunscreen
- Sunhat
- Reusable water bottle — please DO NOT bring single use plastic water bottles.
- Lunch supplies (refrigerator available)
- Snacks
- Alcohol or preferred adult beverages
- One dinner at a local establishment
- Guide Gratuity (Suggested 5-10% of trip cost)
NOTE: If a booking date shows on the calendar below, there is space available but always feel free to call or email with specific questions. If the trip is full and you’d like to be waitlisted, give us a call.
Reservations are held with a $300 deposit. The price below reflects the full amount, including service fees; However, your initial payment will be a $300 deposit (assuming you book 30+ days prior to the course).
The remaining amount due will be automatically charged to your credit card 30 days before the trip.
NOTE: You must choose the date of the trip you want before clicking on BOOK NOW. Be sure you are on the right month!
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