Sweden, the Nordic Tour Continues
We are now 12 weeks into this year’s Rebel Kayaks supported Nordic Tour, and having an absolute blast! Since my last BLOG we have had classes in Nynashamn, Sandhamn, Karlstad and Helsingborg (all in Sweden) and Rungsted and Frederiksværk (both in Denmark – and both will be covered in the next blog).
After leaving Mora, we made our way to Nynashamn, which is located on the east coast of Sweden, about an hour’s drive south of Stockholm. It’s always wonderful to catch up with Pelle and Carina of Nynas Kajak & Upplevelse. During the five days that we were there, I ran several sessions of Yoga for Paddlers and Simplifying the Roll, while Mark ran a BCU 3 Star Sea Training, a BCU 3 Star Sea Assessment and a BCU 4 Star Sea Training.
Stunning scenery and Yoga for Paddlers, is there a better way to start a day?
At this point in the tour, the water had heated to a nice, comfortable temperature. Perfect for rolling classes.
The BCU 4 Star Sea Training class worked on navigation.
A gorgeous day to be on the water.
Rescue scenarios are great way to cool off on a hot day.
We had our own private brewery tour at Nynäshamns Ångbryggeri, which including a tasting of the brewery’s award winning beers.
The owner of the brewery did a fantastic job of telling us about all of the different types of beers.
After leaving Nynashamn, we were picked up by a boat and taken to an island off the coast of Stockholm to run a guide training program for Sandhamns Kajakskola. Sandhamn is a beautiful island, consisting entirely of sand. It has a relaxed feel, and it was great to circumnavigate the island and see its beautiful shoreline.
Kayaks were secured on a boat, which took us to the island.
Participants learn how to teach rolling during “The Art of Teaching Rolling.”
Guides had a first hand opportunity to teach rolling.
Participants also learned how to repair a kayak in an emergency situation.
Just one way to tow a kayak…
We tried out a couple of stand up paddleboards.
And seven-year-old Noah taught Mark how to sword fight.
It was nice to walk into town for dinner at a tasty restaurant on the harbor.
Sandhamn has some of the biggest toads that I’ve ever seen.
It also has some of the prettiest sunsets.
After leaving Sandhamn, we headed to Karlstad to run classes for Vanerkajak during the Varmlands Paddelfestival.
Lake Vanern was warm and sandy. The perfect venue for a festival and classes.
I taught two days of rolling classes in the warm lake.
During the rolling classes we worked on all types of rolls. Here a Chest Scull is born.
Others worked on a first roll.
A few people tried out Rebel Kayak’s newest kayak, The Husky, which is one of the kayaks that we’re using during the tour.
Mark ran a BCU Coastal Navigation and Tidal Planning class.
After the festival, we stuck around for a great paddle.
After leaving Karlstad, we made our way to Helsingborg, which is on the west coast of Sweden, where we ran two sessions of Simplifying the Roll and an instructor development day for Helsingborgs Kanotisterna. It was great to be back, and the weather was spectacular!
The rolling classes took place on a very popular beach across the street from the kayak club.
A Balance Brace is born.
On Saturday evening, the Club hosted a crayfish party, which is a common celebration in Sweden during the month of August. The party included team games (shown here).
Each “team” got extra points for every team member that could get to the top of this structure. I might not have done it the intended way, but I got up 🙂
The tasty crayfish.
As part of the Instructor Development Workshop, I ran Yoga for Paddlers.
Team building games are always good too.
More team building.
Instructors worked on maneuvering strokes and how to teach them.
Happy instructors.
Special thanks to Pelle, Carina, John, Mans, Bjorn, Jakob, Ronny, Lars and Anneka for taking such good care of us!
