Leaves are changing, the days are growing dark, which means the busy season is coming to a close (almost). It also means time for us at the Paddle Sports Center to double down on our coaching and personal education, and have some wild off-season adventures! I am personally kicking off my off season with a trip to Nova Scotia to continue my education with the British Canoe Union (BCU) and help out at the Bay of Fundy Sea Kayak Symposium. Plus, I've never been to Nova Scotia, the Bay of Fundy with it's crazy tides, or even paddled in the Atlantic Ocean. Needless to say, I am stoked!

For those curious, I am participating in the BCU 5* Sea Leader Training and Open Navigation Course, which to oversimplify, you could equate to a Masters-PhD in Sea Kayak skills. Major generalization, but it helps paint the picture. I began my BCU track prior to teaming up with Next while I was living in the San Juans, have continued my journey since becoming a BCU Coach, and achieving my 4* Sea Leader (in addition to also becoming an American Canoe Association instructor). If you're ever bored and want to hear my philosophy on paddle sports coaching, come on over and I'll passionately fill your ear with why I believe and love that Next Adventure has coaches certified in both organizations, and how blending the methodology with Next's swagger and fun creates a holistic teaching experience. To learn more about the BCU, head on over to our home nation website here.

In addition to that, I will be helping out local paddling guru and international coach Chris Lockyer with the 2nd Annual Bay of Fundy Sea Kayak Symposium, and doing other cool things like surfing on a tidal bore! If you are unfamiliar with Nova Scotia and the Bay of Fundy, good ol' wikipedia and youtube should help. That and Blue Planet: Seas of Life (my favorite series). The Bay of Fundy has the greatest tidal range in the world, draining a ridiculous volume of water and creating currents exceeding well over 6 knots (most paddlers paddle between 2-3 knots, 4 knots in beast mode). All of this creates an incredible venue, having sheltered areas for beginners to complex tidal streams for more advance paddlers.

Basically, I am in for a legendary trip. I will do my best to keep on sharing it with everyone, so keep checking back here for updates along the way.

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Day 1: Portland - Newark - Montreal - Halifax - Argyle - Yarmouth or a Day of Sitting in Airports/planes

Today has been a day of sitting in uncomfortable positions most of the day, but I was eager to get going (photo 1). And a pint of Laurlehurst with a $3.00 shot of Bullit Bourbon always helps smooth the redeyes over (photo 2 on instagram).

Leg one red eye to Newark, which gifted me a spectacular sunrise over Lower Manhattan. Also, a kind woman wanted to trade my middle seat for her isle for the longest leg of my journey (score!).

Next leg was to Montreal, where I had to sprint to clear customs, claim my baggage, recheck my baggage and go through security and reach my gate in 35 minutes. That dream you have where you come to class in just you underpants? I had that moment hearing my name called over the loud speaker for final boarding call, with a full terminal to run through. But here I am now, safely in Halifax, answering emails while I still have the ability and time to support my team from afar. And here I will be until Chris comes to rescue me this evening with a few other coaches in true Nova Scotia Hospitality style. What a guy!

I cannot begin to thank my team enough for being so dialed and cohesive that I can step away for several days to further my own skill development without worrying too much about the daily state of affairs. And a huge thank you to my reps Karl from Kokatat and Next Adventure Alum Dave from Confluence with helping send me to Nova Scotia with a fancy new drysuit and paddle. Most importantly, a sincere and heartfelt thanks to Deek, Bryan, and Mike for supporting me in my passion.

Happy Paddling,

Michael.

P.S. A preview of tomorrow: Paddling a Tidal Bore on the Shubenacadie River (Shubie for short):