Ireland | Ocean Skills

by | Oct 5, 2022 | Uncategorized

IRELAND

Build your skills in real-life conditions with multiple days of low-ratio coaching. Donegal has something for everyone, 1,800 foot high cliffs, sea caves, arches, mile-long surfing beaches, protected bays and coastlines exposed to the full effect of the North Atlantic.

Aug. 22nd – 29th

Register

Aug. 29th – Sept. 5th

Register

SKILL DEVELOPMENT

Our low student-coach ratios allow us to embrace the environment offering challenges that are accessible and fun. Some skills we might focus on include, rough water boat handling, rock gardening, sea cave paddling, surfing, core stroke refinement,  leadership, and rescues.

florida sea kayaking

Aug. 22 – 29 or Aug. 29 – Sept 5| $2,700

Come with us to County Donegal in the Northwest of the Republic of Ireland for a week of unsurpassed sea kayaking. Donegal has something for everyone, 1,800 foot high cliffs, sea caves, arches, mile-long surfing beaches, protected bays, and coastlines exposed to the full effect of the North Atlantic.

Double occupancy lodging, breakfast, lunches, and some dinners will be provided.  Ground transportation and kayak rentals are also included.

Register: Aug. 22 – 29 or

Register: Aug. 29 – Sep. 5

What to Expect

Day 1: Dublin airport pickup and travel to Dunfanaghy, lunch on the road is not included, dinner at the house is provided
Day 2 – 7: Paddling and developing skills along the varied coastline
Day 8: Travel back to Dublin Airport or your airport hotel

The itinerary is reflective of conditions and group goals. The vast and dynamic environments in Donegal offer something for everyone. Some areas of learning and growth may include rock gardening, rough water boat handling, rescues, navigation, stroke refinement, and open water crossings.

What’s included?  Low-ratio professional coaching, double occupancy lodging in a house, ground transportation, kayak rentals, breakfast, lunches, and most dinners will be provided. Meals that are eaten out or on the road are at your own expense.

As the trip gets closer keep an eye out for an email with more specifics and a waiver. We will also host an optional Zoom meeting prior to our departure. Any questions can be sent to info@thepowerofwater.net.

Cost: $2,700.00. Paid in full or  50% deposit before March 1, balance due by May 1.

Check our our  Youtube channel for videos from previous years.

 

"10/10 would highly recommend! The experience will leave you in AWE! "

-Cung

"This trip offered variety in venue, skill development and experiences. The cliffs and stunningly clear water are truly unmatched. "

– Tara

The Power of Water has been successful at developing the feeling of a welcoming, accepting, community over and over again! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! It’s a great place to learn and grow!

  • Deb

"The Power of Water has been successful at developing the feeling of a welcoming, accepting, community over and over again! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! It’s a great place to learn and grow!"

– Deb

The Beaufort Scale of Windspeed

by | Sep 2, 2020 | Uncategorized

The Beaufort Scale is a great way to estimate wind speed by visual observation of the sea surface or land features.  The following chart shows the general descriptions for land and sea observations for Beaufort Foce 0 to Force 12.

ForceSpeedDescriptionSpecifications for use at sea
(mph)(knots)Specifications for use on land
00-10-1CalmSea like a mirror.
Calm; smoke rises vertically.
11-31-3Light AirRipples with the appearance of scales are formed, but without foam crests.
Direction of wind shown by smoke drift, but not by wind vanes.
24-74-6Light BreezeSmall wavelets, still short, but more pronounced. Crests have a glassy appearance and do not break.
Wind felt on face; leaves rustle; ordinary vanes moved by wind.
38-127-10Gentle BreezeLarge wavelets. Crests begin to break. Foam of glassy appearance. Perhaps scattered white horses.
Leaves and small twigs in constant motion; wind extends light flag.
413-1811-16Moderate BreezeSmall waves, becoming larger; fairly frequent white horses.
Raises dust and loose paper; small branches are moved.
519-2417-21Fresh BreezeModerate waves, taking a more pronounced long form; many white horses are formed.
Small trees in leaf begin to sway; crested wavelets form on inland waters.
625-3122-27Strong BreezeLarge waves begin to form; the white foam crests are more extensive everywhere.
Large branches in motion; whistling heard in telegraph wires; umbrellas used with difficulty.
732-3828-33Near GaleSea heaps up and white foam from breaking waves begins to be blown in streaks along the direction of the wind.
Whole trees in motion; inconvenience felt when walking against the wind.
839-4634-40GaleModerately high waves of greater length; edges of crests begin to break into spindrift. The foam is blown in well-marked streaks along the direction of the wind.
Breaks twigs off trees; generally impedes progress.
947-5441-47Severe GaleHigh waves. Dense streaks of foam along the direction of the wind. Crests of waves begin to topple, tumble and roll over. Spray may affect visibility
Slight structural damage occurs (chimney-pots and slates removed)
1055-6348-55StormVery high waves with long overhanging crests. The resulting foam, in great patches, is blown in dense white streaks along the direction of the wind. On the whole the surface of the sea takes on a white appearance. The tumbling of the sea becomes heavy and shock-like. Visibility affected.
Seldom experienced inland; trees uprooted; considerable structural damage occurs.
1164-7256-63Violent StormExceptionally high waves (small and medium-size ships might be for a time lost to view behind the waves). The sea is completely covered with long white patches of foam lying along the direction of the wind. Everywhere the edges of the wave crests are blown into froth. Visibility affected.
Very rarely experienced; accompanied by wide-spread damage.
1272-8364-71HurricaneThe air is filled with foam and spray. Sea completely white with driving spray; visibility very seriously affected.

Covid-19 Statement

by | May 7, 2020 | News

COVID-19 RESPONSE AND PLAN

Currently we require participants to either be fully vaccinated or have a negative Covid test within 48 hours of the event

Skegs vs Rudders

Skegs vs Rudders

by | Sep 4, 2019 | Tips

Here’s an Xtranormal video with a not too serious look at the whole skegs vs rudders debate:

Skegs vs Rudders

The best answer to the entire skeg or rudder question should be “neither”.  If you learn how to paddle then you don’t need a skeg or a rudder!  Having said that, there are certainly times when  a skeg or rudder can make your life easier.

Both skegs and rudders serve the purpose of helping the boat go straight.  Neither is designed to steer a boat but to offset the turning forces on it.

You should certainly be able to control your boat in all conditions into which you venture, even if your craft has a skeg or a rudder.  Anything mechanical can break and it’s not as likely to break in the dead calm of the local pond as it is to break under rougher more challenging conditions when its failure can have more significant consequences.

Skegs are notorious for getting pebbles stuck in the skeg box, keeping the skeg from dropping down.  If you’re with a group this isn’t usually a big problem as a friend can reach under and help the skeg release but if you’re by yourself, there’s no way to fix the problem without going to shore.

Rudders always seem to have cable issues.  There are a lot of mechanical parts in a rudder and things do wear out.  There are not many rudder mechanical failures that can realistically be fixed on the water.

Every time you paddle in conditions that make you feel like you want to deploy your skeg or rudder, postpone using it as long as possible to gain experience using the boat in conditions as if you were unable to use the skeg or rudder.

While it’s occasionally “nice” to have use of a skeg or rudder, if you find yourself consistently relying on it, why not let The Power Of Water help you free yourself from the need.  We can give you the skill and confidence to be in complete control of you craft!