Showing posts with label 5 star leader refresher course. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 5 star leader refresher course. Show all posts

Tuesday, 9 February 2016

Storms and Winter Sea Kayaking, a Reflection ...

Nine Storms have impacted the UK this Winter, with three of those in 2016 - Gertrude, Henry and Imogen.  Yet in between these storms theres been time and space for some super Winter Sea Kayaking this January 2016.

The course I want to draw attention to is the Advanced course and this one in particular was the 2nd, 5* Leader preparation course I had run over the Winter.  The course was aimed at those who had done the 5* Leader training and wanted to work in 5* assessment conditions.  This was in a work shop format on specific skills and tasks or areas each person felt supported their individual action plan.  

From the forecast we had the perfect weekend with Penrhyn Mawr working for some tide race action, some swell, wind picking up from the NW for the night navigation in Trearddur Bay and then a Skerries open water crossing on the Sunday with remnants of the wind.  It had been a long weekend with conformations, further learning and further action plans created ...

A Leadership model I have used over the years which I feel really works and may help to provide a useful structure is by John Adair and is called Action Centred Leadership (ACL) and works around three circles - Task, Team and Individual.  You may have a main Task for example of leading an Advanced journey involving a couple of tide races and then sub tasks.  A sub task could be getting the team of the beach, through the surf at the start of the day.  If we consider the Task: Whats the strategy to achieve the task most effectively? How are you going to work the team, team functions, giving purpose, buddy system, sub leader/No2?  and do any of the individuals need specific attention, encouragement, how can I use individuals so there work contributes over all to the team objective?  

Generally its difficult, if not imposable to manage all three areas at once, so time is given to one of the three areas and once thats been achieved, attention needs to be given to the other areas.  If for example only the Task is focused on, one can probably see the job gets down, at the expense of the Team and the Individual!

So why not explore and experiment using the model below and enhance your leadership abilities and skills, as well as surfing that tide race wave!


Action Centred Leadership - John Adair



Tavi getting a good hit and looking solid ...

Zoe working with Debs in Buddy Leadership
The main race, with Zoe up flow, Julie centre and just the head of Debs (on the right)

Leaving The Skerries on a flood tide

Thanks to Tavi Murray for originally contacting me about the weekends and the idea.  And Julie Jones, Debs Heldon and Zoe Robinson for making the weekend work.  As for me, my personal learning was when you get a new paddle, remember to put reflective tape on it, just like you have on the other one.  So if you ever loose a black paddle at night it may then just have a greater chance of seeing it!!


Roger

PS:  Thanks to Zoe for finding my paddle, some 30+ minutes later!

www.coastalspirit.com
info@coastalspirit.com
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Sunday, 6 July 2014

5 Star Leader Training - South Devon

A couple of months back, I had an invite to provide and work with Lee Pooley, providing a 5 star leader training and open water navigation and tidal planning course.  This was down in South Devon and the Salcombe area.  Its an area I know fairly well and have paddled a lot, but never worked in - I was looking forward to it.  We just needed the right conditions...

The first day was out to Start Point a race that flows at about 4knots.  It was a calm wind forecast and to be honest, it was ideal for the group to get a feel for conditions and learning new skills.





It was a beautiful location, with a beach close by and some super rock hoping, which provided great leadership sections.

Some fun and balance below and eddying into the flow .... before a self rescue ..
 

The second day was out form South Sands, with a good F4/5 wind.  Focus was on longer leadership sections, scenarios and putting into place, previous learnt skills.  A lot of time was also spent on incident management and gully/rock rescues and rocky landings ... Derrick below being a super active swimmer ...






We chose a super sheltered beach to cook up our food, had a snooze ... ;) ... in preparation for the night navigation ...


All in all it was a super course, with up for it students, some super sunshine, appropriate conditions and in a new location for me.

Im running two further 5 star leader training courses later in the year - Anglesey based and currently places are available.  Email me for further information at info@coastalspirit.com

Roger

5 star leader training
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sea kayaking courses uk

Friday, 4 October 2013

Bespoke Sea Kayaking Anglesey - Introductory to Advanced

Monday and Tuesday saw me out with Christine and John, who had only done a couple of days sea kayaking before but had done a fair amount of cycling.  The forecast was from the SE so we headed to Trearddur Bay and paddle to Porh Dafach and back.  There still was some swell about and misty drizzle start to the day, but otherwise calm and smooth ... 






Day two:  Having bagged an entrance to a cave and a couple of gullies, it was now time to see if i could get them some seals!!  Newbrough and out to Llanddwyn Island was a possible  option and one of the calmer locations, and with the wind from the SE all looked good ..




The wind picked up after lunch so we had a section of aqua rambling, before we could go through an introduction to surfing ... a big well done ...



Wednesday and Thursday was a 5 star leader sea refresher course.  With The Stacks looking good and building towards a spring tide we headed off to North Stack ... Steve, Bent and Michael from Denmark ...made up the first day and it was mainly directed by what they wanted to go through ... so rescues, leadership sections, rolling and self rescues ....





Lunch time with so many seals hauled out, we decided to look for a rocky landing ...


And then out to South stack race ....



Thursday and Nigel joined the group and incident management with rock hoping was worked on.  A fab location just close to the get in was working really well.



Then out to North Stack, to work the race again ...





A great week of variety ....

Roger

north wales sea kayaking
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sea kayak anglesey