Danny Mongno, Wener Paddles regional sales manager and field marketing coordinator, paddling past sailboats in the Grand Marais harbor. The Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium (GLSKS) is a venerable event. It’s the longest-running sea kayak symposium in the midwest, held annually in Grand Marais, MI, a tiny town (population about 300) that just won $40,000 in the We Hear You America contest to help rebuild its harbor breakwall. When GLSKS comes to town, Grand Marais explodes with activity. Woodland Park Campground is awash in tents and trailers, the beach is covered in kayaks, and Lake Superior Brewing Company is packed every evening.  The symposium offers three days of tours along with two and a half days of instruction, both on and off the water. Coaches from around the midwest and far beyond come to teach, present, socialize and compete in the manic kayak race to win rights to wear the ceremonial paisley vest. An ominous designation for a paddling destination. We don’t mind driving long distances for a good symposium, but we took advantage of the opportunity by adding a visit to Whitefish Point, the “Graveyard of the Great Lakes” and home to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.  With Keith Wilke, we learned about some of the famous and not-so-famous wrecks that lie just offshore–some under just 20 feet of water. Interestingly, wrecks in this area were not solely caused by storms and shoals, as they were in the Sleeping Bear Dunes area. Here, many were caused by collisions as shipping traffic converged to move through the relatively narrow channel between Lake Huron and Lake Superior. We couldn’t resist getting on the water, of course. Sharon and Keith prepare to paddle around the tip of Whitefish Point. The beach, too, looked like a graveyard–of driftwood, not ships. From there, we drove to Grand Marais. The next day, we led a group on an 18-mile trip along the west side of Grand Island, which is accessible only by ferry or boat. We paddled along the coast, beneath waterfalls and through arches, admiring the clear water and stunning painted cliffs. A calm day on the west side of Grand Island. Then the symposium began in earnest, with nonstop classes and activities. For students, this is an opportunity to learn from a variety of coaches; for instructors, it’s a chance to work together and learn from each other. For everyone, it’s time on the water, which is always good. Steve Scherrer teaching a course on boat control for wind and waves.  Each symposium has its own personality. This one’s character is highly influenced by Bill Thompson of Downwind Sports, whose enthusiasm, energy and openness make everyone–instructors and students alike–feel welcome and appreciated; and by Kelly Blades, who possesses a...

   We just returned from the 26th annual Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium (GLSKS) in Grand Marais, Michigan–a tiny town on the southern shore of Lake Superior. This is the oldest of the Great Lakes symposia, and it has a storied past. It was begun by Stan Chladek, founder of Great River Outfitters (GRO), who ran it for many years before handing it off to Riverside Kayak Connection. This year, Downwind Sports (which began and still runs the annual Ladies of the Lake symposium) picked it up. Bill Thompson, co-owner of Downwind Sports, organized the event, recruited the sponsors and vendors, and kept the coaches fed and watered. Kelly Blades, force of nature, recruited the coaches, restructured the courses and ensured the proper balance of safety and mayhem as well as plenty of laughs. Bill Thompson and Kelly Blades model good communication skills.    This year, the symposium offered three days of guided tours along the scenic coastline and islands of the area. Participants could choose to paddle anywhere from 8 to 18 miles, past the colorful limestone bluffs and dramatic sand dunes of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. They got to try some rock hopping, poke into sea caves, and paddle under waterfalls and through arches.   The cliffs on the west side of Grand Island. An arch on the north side of Grand Island, below the light house.    On Friday, when the symposium officially began, students chose classes with unconventional names but very practical purposes: Going Forward (forward stroke), Not Going Forward (turning and draw strokes), Staying Dry (bracing), Getting Wet (rescues), and so on. On day two, the wind kicked up in time for Bumpy Water Boat Control, Rough Water Play and Surfing. The onshore waves built to about three feet, creating surf on the beach and clapotis near the break wall.    That day ended with the traditional Pasty Dinner (an Upper Peninsula delicacy) and Freya Hoffmeister’s “Race Around Australia” presentation. The final day featured a Blessing of the Boats by the paddling pastor, Doug Van Doren, and a wacky race past squirt-gun toting kids and insult-hurling spectators.    Racers survive the Tunnel of Doom en route to the Valley of Insults.    Every symposium has its own personality, and its character changes over time. The GLSKS began with an emphasis on providing BCU training and certification for American paddlers and evolved into a tour-and-classes symposium that offered more courses for higher-level students. Under Downwind Sports’ management, it continues that tradition while adding a sense of humor and a stronger presence by sponsors and vendors. And the kids’ program was bigger, better and free with adult registration. (A shout-out to our daughter, Hannah, who ran...