Yesterday I joined ACA/BCU seakayaking coach John Browning at the REI paddlesports demo day on Pewaukee Lake in . . . You guessed it, Pewaukee, Wisconsin. The local REI brought about 20 kayaks (mostly of the recreational variety) & a lone rotomolded canoe over to the well developed public beach. After signing a waiver, folks were pretty much free to get out and paddle. REI staff was on hand to answer questions as well as patrol the paddling area in case anyone came to trouble. John and I roamed around the water on and off offering tips mostly of the “your paddle goes this way, not that way” variety. Hey, we all had to learn that at one time or another!

The day started out promisingly warm and sunny but quickly deteriorated as the wind out of the west-north-west picked up and had the full length of the lake to build waves into a small but steady chop. Clouds filled in soon after. Surprisingly there seemed to be a good crowd most of the day in spite of the inclement weather. John Browning gave short presentations at intervals covering the most basic level of kayaking information as the wind and cold wrestled him for the attention of the audience. We both attempted to do some basic stroke demos as well, however the conditions made it a bit difficult at times to perform “demonstration level” moves. (As an example a simple sweep without edging will not turn your boat in waves.)

Over the course of the day I noticed a small island maybe a couple hundred yards from shore and when curiosity got the best of me I jumped in the warhorse and worked out against the wind to explore the island. It was a nice escape to come upon nesting Canada Geese and gulls in the middle of this urban lake. I took a few quiet minutes to just bounce in the water and let my mind take in the island before heading back to look in on John’s last presentation of the day. Then like a rocket, we were off to get into warmer gear!

The REI paddlsports demo day is certainly a fun event for first time kayakers in the Milwaukee area. Hopefully in the future the weather will be more cooperative. You can head over to the Photo Gallery page for pictures from the event. I’ve also added Pewaukee Lake to the “destinations list“.

- dm