Crete - Sea Skills

This week is specially designed for people looking to improve their sea kayaking skills under the guidance of an experience coach in a warm and beautiful environment. We welcome all paddlers as the trip offers something for everyone according to their experience and skill level. We will work with everyone in groups and individually to make this week a great opportunity to improve and develop your sea kayaking skills.
Everyday we will have coaching sessions on land as well as on the water and during our journeys from one camp to another.
You will train in areas such as:
Packing & managing your kayak
General kayak handling
Control, turns and direction
Edging your boat
Forward paddling efficiently
Navigation
Reading your environment
More experienced paddlers will have the opportunity to work on rolling a sea kayak and developing leadership skills.
You will also learn expeditions skills such as:
Planning and packing for a sea kayak camping holiday/expedition
Packing a sea kayak for best performance
Camping from a sea kayak
Planning, shopping and preparing your meals
Making and taking down camp
There will be opportunity to do BC assessments if the conditions are right.
This coached week is suitable for paddlers that have already had experience kayaking in the sea either in the UK or abroad. We will be wild camping all nights except for the first one which we will spend in Chania. Therefore, it is recommended that participants have experience of camping and are happy not having basic facilities at all times.
The sea will be at about 22C and we will also spend time swimming, snorkelling and relaxing in the beach. We are a very social group and our camping overnights are planned close to tavernas so we can enjoy traditional dinners and evening drinks.
The average temperature during the day is 25C and at night 19C.
A few weeks before the trip, we will organise a packing workshop in a pub in London to show the kit we recommend taking and how to pack a sea kayak efficiently. This will also be a great opportunity to meet your fellow paddlers over dinner. If you cannot attend, we will send you a packing list and further information on the code of conduct and on to manage hygiene and environmental issues during the trip.

Day 1

Arrive in Chania, transfer to our hotel and explore the beautiful Venetian city of Chania.

Day 2

Transfer to the southern villaage of Sfakia. Get our kayaks, buy some provisions and water, pack and set off exploring the coastline and working on our skills with coach Owen Burson. During our first paddling day, we will reach Glika Nera which is a beautiful beach with a taverna built in a rock over the water. We will stay in this beach for the night, but we will have the opportunity to work on skills during the afternoon. The beach here is ideal for rolling coaching.

Day 3

After breakfast, we will set off and arrive to stunning village of Loutro. We will stop here to enjoy the tiny village and have a coffee. We will then continue to Marmakas which is a large rock with the best taverna in the world on top of it. The waters are crystal clear and it provides a gorgeous coastline to explore small caves and work on skills. We will camp next to the taverna.

Day 4

After breakfast - which can be had in the taverna - we will paddle onwards to the village of Agia Roumeli and find a good spot for camping on arrival. During our paddle we will continue to work on sea skills. We will have dinner in one of the tavernas of the village. If we are lucky, Antonis and his lyre will be there and we will have a chance to listen to him play over a coffee and a chat.

Day 5

After our stop in Agia Roumeli we will continue paddling west. If the weather is good, we will stop at one of the most beautiful beaches in southern Crete for the night and to work on skills. Camping night with no taverna.

Day 6

On our 6th day, we will reach the village of Sougia. This beach has a stunning camping spot which is very private and in walking distance of the village tavernas that we will use of dinner. There will be plenty of time to swim and snorkel around the rocks and the beach to spot some sea life.

Day 7

We will set off from Sougia to Paliochora. On route we will pass beautiful coves and an ancient church. We will camp some way from Paliochora but we do have the option of walking to enjoy a meal at a taverna. Camping.

Day 8

In the morning we will paddle into Paliochora and take the ferry back to Sfakia to return our equipment. We will chose a waterside taverna for a long, relaxed lunch before getting our transfer back to the airport and flying back home.