INUVIK - Vibrant red, blue, yellow and white kayaks plied the water of Boot Lake Aug. 14 during the Inuvik Kayak Club's first workshop.

"It's a great opportunity to get out in the lake, definitely fun and exciting. But I was really wondering how cold the water was going to be," said participant Chris Hunter.

Dan Frandsen holds his breath as he rolls himself in his kayak. - Maung Tin/NNSL photos

Club president Kevin Floyd and Janet Boxwell, who is also the secretary of the club, took turns explaining the specifics before students headed out into the tranquil water with their full kayaking gear.

The program emphasized a mixture of traditional and contemporary sea kayaking skills.

"Kayaking is part of my culture and a lot of the sports that we have here in the North are very kayak-specific, like kayak racing, harpoon throwing from kayak for distance and accuracy," said Floyd, who is also the co-ordinator for the Arctic Youth program for Inuvialuit Development Corporation. "It is a way of life and I want to teach youth and adults what I know best."

The students were first taught about safety and awareness in the water. After several hours of training they became more comfortable being in the water and focus of training shifted towards learning to paddle properly.

By the afternoon, the students were rolling in the water with their kayaks.

"I learned the basics of safety requirements, technical aspects of different types of kayaks and most importantly falling into the water and recovering, which allowed me to get over that basic fear most people have about kayaking," said Annika Trimble.

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