BY DIMITRI VANDEPOELE
Photos: Dimitri & Sylvie Vandepoele
NORTHSEAKAYAK
CK/Mer Symposium 2024
Background information
CK/Mer is the French Federation ‘Conaissance du Kayak de Mer’, established in 1981 to unite sea kayakers and share information. Every two years, they organise their symposium in the Bréhat Archipelago. This is one of the most rugged areas in the region of Brittany regarding sea kayaking. We know the area from previous trips, certainly the Bréhat island itself, read our report in the November 2023 issue of the Paddler (https://paddlerezine.com/ile-de-brehat/).
During our last paddle on the famous Raz de Sein tide race past year, we got together with a few people from CK/Mer, including Jérôme, the president. The seed was planted, and sometime later, we got a formal invite to join the team of instructors for this symposium. We felt honoured to join, as this is one of the largest symposiums in the world, and we wanted to see for ourselves how they manage such an event from our point of view.
The CK/Mer hosts no less than 200 participants from all over the world during the event. The main base is a lovely campsite near the water, with central access and limited distance from the various put-ins. To manage a group this size, they rely on 38 instructors for the workshops and the tours. Let us not forget that this is backed up by a small but effective CK/Mer support team, which comprises all volunteers working hard behind the scenes to make this a success. Half of the instructors are French; the others come from worldwide. This makes for a perfect mix of different approaches and people familiar with the area and its characteristics.
The Bréhat Archipelago offers good opportunities for different weather conditions and paddlers of various levels. It’s a splendid playground, with the tides moving up and down the numerous rocky islets. The dates are also perfect. The end of April makes its temperatures not too hot and certainly not too cold. The water temperature was around 11°C, and the air temperature moved around 15°C the whole week.
Let us dive into the action!
After driving the entire day, we finally arrived at Cruckin campsite, where the CK/Mer team received us. After a warm welcome and greeting of familiar faces, we were assigned to a spot with a view over the bay. There were kayaks everywhere around, as friendly paddlers. Very soon, we had a briefing with the other instructors. Since everyone comes from a different area and has a different approach, we could register for what we wanted to give during the coming workshops. Since you know that we spend more time in the water than in our boats, you can guess what we signed up for – haha!
Day 1: Workshop on incident management!
On the first day, we got to work with Simone Arras, Salzwasser Union from Germany, for a workshop on incident management. We were assigned a crew of 13 and launched from Launay Beach near L’Arcouest Point – our playing ground: the canal between the mainland and Bréhat island, with many rock formations. Conditions were sunny, with a Force 4 wind and spring tide. First, we had a safety briefing where we also asked about the team’s specific wishes: after this, we set off to Bréhat Island.
We already knew we wouldn’t make it there; only the team didn’t know it. Only 10 minutes away, half of the group capsized, and the pace was set. Everybody performed quick recoveries of their teammates, and we landed on the nearest rock formation. During lunch, we took a few paddlers apart for a separate briefing. After that, we set off. When the group rounded the small island, they were immediately immersed in an incident.
Two of the group capsized, and one panicked but stayed in her boat. One of the two swimmers had a major leak in his drysuit and got hypothermic fast. He was given instruction not to cooperate in any way but to stay conscious. The other swimmer let go of his kayak, which drifted away fast, and he also started to panic. He was instructed to pull in his rescuer if they did not first calm him down from a safe distance. The remaining team was tasked with rescuing them, containing the situation, and finding shelter on the nearest beach. No other information was given.
The team split up and rushed to the rescue, with only a limited time as the swimmers were pushed toward a rugged beach. Time was of the essence. The panicked swimmer was calmed down first, immediately followed by a swift assisted rescue. The hypothermic swimmer was another story. The team had a little trouble getting him back in his boat; too many paddlers tried to get involved, resulting in an uncoordinated rescue. With the rocks slowly closing in, one of the towlines snapped for real. The team already had the non-ambulatory casualty back in his boat with a raft set up, and they needed to switch towlines.
Right before Simone and I would intervene, the raft could be towed to safe waters, and they were making their way to the designated exit point. The casualty was brought into an emergency shelter at the exit point to warm up. Before ending the exercise, I asked the designated team leader if the situation was under control. He said yes. I asked if his whole team was accounted for. After a quick headcount, the team noticed that they were one person short! The panicked lady in her kayak had not been taken care of! She paddled in the other direction without anybody seeing her.
It was a relief for the whole team as she sat with a big smile a bit further away, but at the same time, it was a wake-up call to keep an oversight during incidents. To cool the team down, we returned to the water for some demos: self-rescue, explained all the possible details and pitfalls, learned how to tow quickly and effectively, scoop rescue, etc. After that, their turn, of course! They split up into trios, one being the casualty and the other needing to scoop and tow to the nearest beach. A success, we must say, as everyone was at the top of their game!
We ended with a combined scenario where the whole group needed to help. One of the team was swept up onto some rocks by the waves. The kayak was gone, but the casualty remained on the rocks with a leg injury. No one was allowed to get close to the rocks with their kayaks, and the casualty needed to be extracted and brought to the exit point in Launay Bay for a medical check-up. So, exit the kayak and tethered with a long tow line, we swam towards the rocks. The team returned the swept-away kayak and cared for the rescue swimmer’s boat.
Back in the water with the casualty, the team pulled away from the danger near the rocks and scooped him back into his kayak. The team rafted up and efficiently towed the whole set-up to the exfil point. During this, the whole team stayed together. Far-fetched? But we have never heard of an ‘over-prepared’ team, and this definitely counts as team building and learning how to solve problems together. At the end of day one, the paddlers were very satisfied and smiling!
Day 2: Workshop on incident management!
If people thought we would do the same as yesterday, reconsider! Different locations and a smaller group.
I was a single instructor and was assigned to five paddlers. We started from the small port at Loguivy de la Mer, with a beautiful view over the bay between the mainland and Bréhat isle. We started with dry demos of different rescue and towing set-ups on the nearby beach. It is perfect to show all the details, answer all questions correctly and get to know each other better.
After that, we hit the water. Main goal: reach La Croix lighthouse! It would be a crusade to get there, although it is only a few kilometres. Some easy-to-perform assisted rescues further got us in more trouble! My kayak started to sink! The best way to show people how to avoid panic is to perform a rescue and an emergency repair without too much fuss. I got the whole team’s attention, and they were enthusiastic about the next step.
Letting your kayak sink (partially) always gives a strange, oppressive feeling since it is unnatural. But this problem was only just solved, and another problem presented itself. Near some solitary rocks, a team member capsized and dislocated his shoulder.
To the rescue!
The scoop went considerably fast, but the towing proved more difficult. Due to the stress of such an exercise, the two towers clipped on the wrong side of the raft, hindering each other. After a quick verbal intervention, they got it right. Once into safe water, the comms specialist needed to perform a distress call by VHF radio (obviously not for real) before proceeding. The Mayday call was given clearly, with no remarks there. They got a message from the Coast Guard telling them to evacuate to the nearest islet with a tiny beach awaiting rescue. Helicopter inbound, but it would take more than one hour.
The reflex was splendid! They towed the raft with the casualty to the exfil point and immediately divided tasks, taking care of both casualty and boats/ equipment. The casualty was put into an emergency shelter to avoid further hypothermia. End of exercise! From dead serious faces to happy faces in no time! They did it, and it felt so rewarding. By this time, it seemed we would never reach the lighthouse, so I needed to come up with something else. So, next objective! In case of emergency, one must know how to perform a technical landing. Not every exit point is a lovely, clean beach. So, the team needed to paddle to the lighthouse on a rugged rock formation.
There are no waves, but a relentless current flows around the lighthouse. They were only allowed to swim from a certain distance and help each other, so the team was on the rock fast! They did some recon first, checked the exfil point from afar and made arrangements. Everybody helped each other with tethering their long tow lines to the bow or stern of their boats. It was great to see how people worked so efficiently; one by one, they swam in, everyone helping the next to arrive and carry away their boats to a higher place as the tide was running in fast. Once on the rock, we could enjoy the view over the whole area! So, back home. A part of the team went in their kayaks, while some of us jumped off the rocks in deep water. They were helped and put back in their boats quickly. What a nice ending!
Day 3: Workshop on tide-race/moving water paddling
I worked with Simon Osbourne from Online Sea Kayaking, UK, on the final day of the workshops – the downside of that particular day was almost no wind. So, despite spring tide, there wouldn’t be many waves. No bummer at all; we adapted along the way. We started with our group at Launay Beach again, where we, immediately after the briefing, paddled towards Bréhat island. We aimed to the Eastern side, gliding with the current and arrived there amazingly fast. We could play around the rocks and learn how to efficiently move our boat from the eddy into the current and back.
Everyone performed smaller exercises, like turning your boat on the eddyline. Ferry gliding between rock formations proved no problem to our enthusiast group. We played until the current dropped and took a break on one of the nearby beaches. It is perfect to chat with the participants and closely examine their boats and equipment. Since there were no waves at all, we suggested a plan B: do the circumnavigation around the whole island. This way, we could do some rock gardening along the island’s northern side, which is more exposed. Nobody argued, and Plan B became Plan A! The sun was shining all day, the warmest day of the week. The first part of the symposium ended with some festivities in the main tent. An even better way to meet each other without PFD and drysuit!
Remaining days: touring
The neat thing about this symposium is that after three days of intense workshops, there are tours! The instructors guide the participants safely through some of the most beautiful and interesting areas nearby.
We skipped one tour and assembled with a core team from CK/Mer to do one more exercise! We moved via Silon de Talbert up to Les Héaux with a small team. Between those two locations are many hiding places, meaning small islets and rock formations. Somewhere in between, we split up. Our team went on one of the islets, seeking the highest point. The other team stayed in their kayaks and moved at least one kilometre further.
At a set time, a helicopter from the local Coast Guard would fly by and set a search pattern to find us. It’s not easy since we are only tiny targets in a rugged area of rocks. It was up to the crew from the Coast Guard to pinpoint our location as fast as possible and up to us to make that happen. The main goal for us was to make ourselves as visible as possible. Once we heard the incoming helicopter, the team on the water started to disperse the fluorescent liquid. That makes a bright colour on the surface of the water.
Our team reached the highest point on our islet and deployed the electronic ODEO distress flare. Since it was very, very clouded, this was our best option. The helicopter found us first. They continued their search pattern until they found the other team five minutes later. The helicopter hovered at a safe distance to let us know we were spotted and confirmed this via VHF radio. After this Search and Rescue exercise, we moved further offshore to Les Héaux lighthouse, where we had lunch. We walked around the ruins of the lighthouse itself before returning.
On the last day, we guided a group around the bay with Kai Urban (Salzwasser Union, Germany) and Jon Hynes (Sustainable Sea Kayaking, Ireland). The main goal was to spend quality time with our group on the water. This was playing in small currents and performing one last landing on La Croix lighthouse.
We gathered again in the tent for our final evening. That evening, or the morning after, we said our goodbyes to everyone from participants to fellow instructors and the people from CK/Mer. We went home again by car, blabbering the entire day about the memories we had made, the people we had met and the things we had done together. We wish to thank Jérôme and his fantastic CK/Mer crew for their impeccable organisation of this event and for letting us make part of it. Many thanks to the instructors we have worked together with; you rock! And let us not forget my wife and teammate Sylvie for being everywhere at the right time with her camera and drone. You must have done more miles than the others to move around the whole time. It was an honour and pleasure to the people we have paddled and trained with! Until next time!
