Lumpy Waters might sound life a bad surf forecast but it is actually the name of a fabulous kayak symposium organised by the great folk at Alder Creek on the Orgeon coast. The event is conveniently headquartered at Cape Kiwanda RV Resort just across the road from the fabulous beach at Pacific City. The opportunities for paddling are many and diverse from pounding surf and dramatic caves and arches to tranquil rivers and back bays.
P&H Team Paddlers Dave White, Chris Lockyer, Matt Nelson, Danny Mongo and Sean Morley were among the coaching staff for the symposium and P&H Sea Kayaks were represented by the Pacific Northwest rep Jamie Klein.
The new Delphin proved once again to be the hit of the weekend with the coaching staff.
Everyone enjoyed the almost perfect weather and some great surf. Some of the caves are HUGE, large enough to take a flotilla of kayaks at one time and the noise from the surging swell combined with almost complete darkness made negotiating the furthest depths of these caverns really exciting. Once turned around, the light entering the caves bounced off boats, paddles and bodies creating quite a display.
Most of the P&H crew stayed on after the symposium to make the most of the ideal conditions for some serious playtime!
Dave White timing the pour-over perfectly in his Capella 163 (yes – it’s a composite not plastic!)
Sean Morley surfing a swell wrapping around the outer reef of Three Arches Rocks in a Capella 166 – photo by Bryant Burkhardt.
Thanks to the staff of Alder Creek for hosting such a great event. Can we come back next year please?
More of Sean’s photos here.