Last week I hopped in the car to make the long trek to BCUNA Week, hosted by Alder Creek. The event headquarters were Ft. Steven’s State Park, which is located at the northwestern tip of Oregon. Classes took place at Coffenbury Lake and surrounding coastal waters.

Despite heavy rain and strong wind, the weekend seemed well attended. Candidates for BCU awards huddled around tables in the group shelter diligently discussing the best paddling location given the somewhat wild marine forecast.

A class gathers on the shore of Coffenbury Lake.

Kayaks and canoes spotted the lake, and in the group shelter people warmed up by a blazing fire. The group shelter also served as a classroom for the BCU Coastal Navigation and Tidal Planning class.

Playing with balance.

Throughout the weekend I instructed Fun, Balance and Games and two rolling classes. We played around with skin-on-frame rescues, harpoons and, of course, rolling. Evenings were spent socializing and catching up with coaches and participants.

A class takes advantage of the fire during an on-land discussion.

The event will continue to run throughout the week and it serves as a precursor to the Lumpy Waters Symposium, which takes place next weekend. Sunday night however, I made my way back down the coast to hop on a plane to warm and sunny Israel for the Optimist Symposium.