Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (Sep 12/01) - Music lovers weren't the only folks in Rankin Inlet having a good time this past Labour Day weekend.

Local kayakers were also in their element.

Dyan Gray formed the Rankin Inlet Kayak Club about three years ago, and she managed to get highly regarded instructor Jason Tisi into the hamlet to deliver a kayaking course.

Tisi is a Canadian Recreational Canoe Association (CRCA) instructor-trainer, and a master guide with the Association of Eastern Canadian Sea Kayak Outfitters.

The course was held at Itivia, with a number of clinics also being held throughout the week.

Gray says the courses helped increase the level of safety with paddlers in Rankin.

"There were 10 people involved with the courses and we had a great, six-students-per-instructor ratio during the weekend," says Gray.

"We couldn't have done this without the help of Tommy Bruce at Community Government and Transportation, the Nunavut Paddling Association, Canadian North, the Siniktarvik Hotel, Hydra Corp., Tumi Tours, Nunavut Tourism and a number of local kayakers who lent us equipment and boats."

Tisa conducted a CRCA flat-water course and a sea kayaking Level 1 course in Rankin.

Gray says both self-rescue and group-rescue skills are part of the Level 1 course.

She says knowing rescue skills help kayakers feel more confident with their paddling skills.

The program's skills development aspect was also utilized by a number of people new to kayaking.

"We were practising different strokes and, to learn some of these strokes, you have to learn where your limits are.

"In order to do that, it's best to end up upside down so you know what you did wrong and how to do it right.

"The first lady to go upside down remarked the water was really salty.

"Everyone felt a lot better over the fact she found the water more salty than cold."