Wednesday, May 13, 2015

May's Newsletter

JUNGLES • LAGOONS • OCEANS • SEAS • NORDIC TOUR

For us here at Greenland or Bust, kayaking season is in full swing, and the year ahead looks awesome! Helen is currently in Bacalar, Mexico, at the Paddle Marathon Laguna Bacalar 2015, and Mark is currently running a five day BCU 4 Star Training in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

We were in Wales and England for a large part of April, and enjoyed running Simplifying the Roll, Combat Rolling and a week long BCU 4 Star Sea Training on Anglesey. We also squeezed in time for some personal paddling and adventure. After that, Helen flew across "the pond" to be a presenter at the East Coast Paddlesports and Outdoor Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. Meanwhile, Mark stuck around Wales for the Kayak Essentials Festival on Anglesey, followed by a BCU 4 Star Sea Assessment with candidates from Finland, Germany and Canada. Helen then headed to California to run classes during the Explore North Coast Kayaking Social. As mentioned, Mark is currently in Pembrokeshire, Wales running a BCU 4 Star training week, and Helen is enjoying the jungle and lagoon while teaching and presenting at the Paddle Marathon Laguna Bacalar 2015 in Bacalar, Mexico.

Coming up in May Mark will be running a BCU 4 Star Sea Training and a BCU 4 Star Sea Assessment on Anglesey in Wales, and Helen will be running Simplifying the Roll and Simplifying the Rescue in Lodi, California. After all of that our Rebel Kayaks supported Nordic Tour begins. This year's tour is bigger and better than ever, and we have classes scheduled in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. We are very excited to be back for another tour, and look forward to seeing all of our Scandinavian friends again. Click HERE for our 2015 tour schedule. With the success of this year's Storm Gathering USA, we've had lots of inquiries about future events, and it's always good to plan ahead :-) The next UK Storm Gathering takes place February 20 to 22, 2016 on Anglesey in Wales, and the next Storm Gathering USA takes place March 3 to 5, 2017 in Trinidad, California.

As usual, visit www.greenlandorbust.org for more information and our current Events calendar and Blog postings. You can also follow us on Twitter. For questions, comments or to schedule us in your neighborhood, e-mail: info@greenlandorbust.org.

Happy paddling!

Helen and Mark
Helen's Mentoring Madness

When performing a rescue, give loud and clear directions to the rescuee, and be ready to modify your rescue if necessary. Remember that the purpose of a rescue is to get the rescuee back in their kayak as quickly as possible. This might require modification of a "textbook rescue." It is very important to keep yourself (the rescuer) safe. If the rescuer is not safe, then the rescuer could become another rescuee. As the rescuer, you should take care of yourself. Be ready to abandon the rescue and start again if the rescuee puts you in danger. When a rescuee re-enters their kayak, there can be a lot of strain put on the rescuer. When the kayaks are rafted together, lean into the center as much as possible, this helps to distribute the pressure of the rescue throughout your core, instead of putting all of the pressure on your shoulder(s). Keeping your elbows bent also reduces pressure on the shoulder(s), which can reduce the possibility of shoulder injury.

Program Schedule

BCU 4 Star Training Week: April 27 to May 1, Pembrokeshire, Wales
Paddle Marathon Laguna Bacalar 2015: May 1 to 3, Bacalar, Mexico
BCU 4 Star Sea Training: May 5 to 6, Anglesey, Wales
BCU 4 Star Sea Assessment: May 7 to 8, Anglesey, Wales
BCU 4 Star Sea Training: May 13 to 14, Anglesey, Wales
Simplifying the Roll: May 16 and 17, Lodi, California
Simplifying the Rescue: May 16, Lodi, California

Nordic Tour

May 23 to August 30, Norway, Denmark and Sweden
May 23 to 24 Asker, Norway
May 29 to 31 Oslo, Norway
June 6 to 7 Fitjar, Norway
June 9 to 11 Bergen, Norway
June 13 to 14 Bekkjarvik, Norway
June 20 to 21 Stavanger, Norway
June 26 to 29 Copenhagen, Denmark
July 3 to 4 Grebbestad, Sweden
July 9 to 12 Stockholm, Sweden
July 16 to 18 Mora, Sweden
July 22 to 26 Nynashamn, Sweden
July 28 to 30 Sandhamn, Sweden
August 1 to 3 Karlstad, Sweden
August 8 to 9 Helsingborg, Sweden
August 11 to 12 Rungsted, Denmark
August 15 to 16 Frederiksværk, Denmark
August 22 to 23 Svendborg, Denmark
August 29 Malmo, Sweden
August 30 Karlshamn, Sweden

 …And Finally
Working on your roll and need a little help? Simplifying the Roll with Helen Wilson and Yoga for Outdoor People are available from our on-line store HERE

Yoga for Outdoor People can also be purchased as a download from the Digital Goods Store.
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Copyright © 2015 Greenland or Bust, All rights reserved.
Helen Wilson and Mark Tozer • (707) 834-5501
info@greenlandorbust.org