Rescue practice, real sea kayaks (!), and intense sun in Wachtebeke, Belgium

A wall painted with cows - just another Belgian kayaking attraction.

In October we're going to Vancouver! Henk, Sara, and I are headed there to do some sea kayaking around Bowen Island and in Deep Cove. We established our own prerequisite of getting up-to-snuff with kayak rescues before we arrive, since the water temperature will be in the low 50s (F, ~10C) and the weather unpredictable. Sara and I practiced some rescues when we paddled in WA, but it's been a couple years, so she's signed up for a rescue class in North Carolina. Since Henk is still pretty new to kayaking, I saw this as a perfect opportunity to get him a free lesson by brushing up on my teaching skillz.

Step 1: Watch a bunch of YouTube videos about kayak rescues. We spent an afternoon watching wet exists, T-rescues, bow rescues, hip snaps, sweep rolls, C-to-C rolls, and more from the comfort of my mosquito-netted bed (those bugs are everywhere in Belgium!). I attempted to demo a roll using the little rocking chair in the living room. Funnier than effective. 

Step 2: Find someone who will rent us sea kayaks. (Read on!)

Real sea kayak rental outfitters are few and far between here. I guess it makes sense given that there aren't any breathtaking sea kayaking destinations nearby -- it's not the kind of environment that inspires people to pay extra $$ to sit in a fancier boat. However, I managed to find one rental shop (surprisingly, only a 40 minute drive away!) with sea kayaks available: Kano & Kajak Center in Wachtebeke. I've kayaked there once before with my younger cousin, but we rented a tandem recreational kayak. I contacted the Kajak Center through their website. The manager, Koen, responded promptly asking what kayak trainings I had followed, and when/where I wanted to paddle. I responded with an (overly detailed) summary of my kayaking experience, and he seemed satisfied. Our kayaks were booked!

Henk and his first sea kayak!

Practicing the hip snap everywhere we could.

Henk and I arrived on Saturday morning dressed to impress in our wetsuits and PFDs. My wetsuit was pretty excited since she hasn't been used yet in Europe (as far as I can remember...). When we arrived, Koen showed us the kayaks and then let us do our thing. The accompanying paddles had nice and light carbon blades/shafts (a brand I'm not familiar with - anyone recognize the logo above?). We asked for suggestions for good rescue practice locations, and Koen recommended we paddle toward Sinaai, where there was supposed to be a dock we could practice off of. We had paddled to Sinaai from downtown Lokeren earlier in the summer, and I'd paddled in the opposite direction with my cousin a year earlier, so I was immediately set on filling the gap! However, the round trip paddle would be 20 km, which was more than we had anticipated given that our main goal was to practice rescues. But we had 7 hours before closing, so plenty of time to do both! Off we went. 

One of the many bridges along the Moervaart

After a couple of blissful kilometers, I was getting pretty toasty. The weather forecast had been cloudy/possibly rainy, but the sun was out in full force. I rolled to refresh, and it felt fantastic! So I did a couple more, including a hand roll on the first try. I guess it's like riding a bike! We paddled a couple more kilometers before it was Henk's turn. I demo'ed a wet exit and then explained to him how to rescue me from the water. Since we'd watched the videos a day before, I was back in my boat in no time.

​Your turn, Henk! Once he decided what he wanted to do with his paddle (he decided to stick it in his armpit), over he went! Three bangs on the bottom of his boat, grab loop released, and out he came in perfectly calm fashion. He attributes his comfort under water to extreme swimmer rescue courses he followed when he was younger, in which he had to practice escaping a fake helicopter under water (they had to wait until it was full of water before exiting!). 

Awwww - sea kayaks!! Look at that bilge pump. Complete happiness.

We practiced a couple more assisted rescues before continuing on, refreshed. After a couple hours we reached Sinaai, where we practiced some bow rescues and hip snaps. We discovered a weird pump/cleaning station during our lunch break:

Pumphouse that regularly pumps water from the right into the Moervaart on the left. The machine you see intermittently combs up debris onto the adjacent conveyor belt, which then transports it into a smelly hole in the ground.

The paddling route was really nice. I'm not sure if it's because of the nice kayaks, beautiful weather, or more interesting scenery, but I enjoyed it more than my first paddle in Wachtebeke. The only sticking point was that I stupidly trusted the weather forecast and didn't bring a sunhat or sunscreen, and I spent the entire day worrying about my colossal sunburn. I paid for my mistake with a lovely migraine the next day. 

​We took full advantage of our time on the water, arriving back at the kayaking shop just minutes before it closed at 6pm. 

Awesome green caterpillar.

So many blackberries along the sides of the channel. A passerby managed to ruin my happiness by telling me I should wash them before eating... Hey, I'm still alive 2 weeks later!

Apologies for the not-so-detailed post. I'm running a bit behind since I have two more posts in the pipeline and lots of other summery things going on! Sneak peak into the future: I volunteered to organize a kayaking trip during my company's picnic at the end of August, and we'll be paddling in Wachtebeke again. Also, there are at least 5 more paddling trips on the calendar for the next couple months, so stay tuned :D

More pictures from our trip on the Moervaart in Wachtebeke:

Date: Sunday, July 31st, 2016
Distance: 20 km (12.4 miles)
Duration: 6 hours (including lunch + rescue practice)
Weather: Started cloudy, moved to super sunny and warm. Breezy.