Northwest paddlers still mourning the loss of the West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium—the Port Townsend, Washington, event that evaporated in 2010 after a 26-year run—take heart. This April 12-13, 2014, the nearby community of Port Angeles will host the inaugeral Port Angeles Kayak & Film Festival.
“We are so pleased to bring an event of this caliber to Port Angeles,” says Tammi Hinkle, owner of Adventures Through Kayaking, one of three local businesses that are sponsoring the festival. “We hope to introduce a lot of new paddlers to the sport, to help seasoned paddlers learn new skills, to entertain, and to come back and do it all again next year!”
Nine experts specializing in all genres of kayaking and SUP will gather in Port Angeles to offer two days of on-the-water instruction. “It’s one-of-a-kind,” continues Hinkle, “no other event in the country highlights and promotes all classes of paddling.” Designed for novice to expert level paddlers, classes ranging from introductory sea kayaking and SUP to rolling to debacle deterrent and much more will be offered at Hollywood Beach, Crescent Beach, Freshwater Bay, and the Feiro Marine Life Center on Saturday April 12 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and on Sunday April 13 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Advance registration is highly recommended.
Experienced paddlers can test their sea kayaking finesse during a Skills and Obstacle Race at Hollywood Beach. Balance and rescue techniques will be equally challenged, and efforts rewarded with a $100 prize package for the winner. The fun begins at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday April 12.
All festival-goers can also test drive various kayaks at the Demo Beach on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Learn firsthand about all the different designs and materials, and make the most of this opportunity to demo many different kayaks and accessories in one place. Special pricing will be available throughout the festival.
A corresponding outdoor film festival featuring adventure kayaking expeditions in scenic locations around the world will take place on Saturday, April 12 from 4:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Studio Bob’s in Port Angeles. Titles to be screened include Bhutan: The Last Shangri-La; the Of Souls+Water series; Wildwater; and Mountain Mind Collective, which was filmed on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.
Followin the film festival, paddlers can enjoy keynote speaker and Port Angeles resident Chris Duff’s presentation on his many adventure kayaking expeditions, including an 8,000-mile solo trip around the eastern third of the US and Canada, as well as solo circumnavigations of Great Britain, Ireland and New Zealand. Duff presents Saturday April 12 from 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. at Port Angeles’ Red Lion Hotel.
Event Registration is available online, by phone or in person. Visit www.portangeleskayakandfilm.com to learn more and register. Beach, race entry and festival passes are just $10 each. Or get an all-inclusive pass, good for an unlimited number of classes and entry to the film festival, keynote presentation and Demo Beach, for $100.00.
The inaugural Port Angeles Kayak & Film Festival is made possible through the collaborative efforts of Adventures Through Kayaking, Sound Bikes & Kayaks, and Olympic Raft & Kayak.
