Red Cross Canoe Clinic

This weekend, Mason attended a Canoe Clinic put on by the Red Cross. He received his certification that is good for life with no renewal. He also received the Boy Scout Canoeing Merit Badge.

The weekend started off with rescue breathing training. I was quite glad that he and Justin were in the first group after I saw the abundance of saliva when they were finished!

The next element of the training was the swim test.

They had to demonstrate that they could put on and secure a PFD in deep water. (You guys probably call them "life jackets." We trained professionals call them PFDs for "Personal Flotation Device.")

Knot tying was a significant element of the training. They had to demonstrate 10 different knots to two different instructors and get them signed off.

Mason and Justin in the tent.

Yes - it was still dark when we got up each morning.

It turned out that Crocs were not a good choice for water shoes. He had to get them duct taped to his feet. It actually hurt quite a bit.

I thought that you just got in the canoe and started paddling. Wrong. There are so many different techniques and strokes. And......did you know that you are supposed to paddle on your knees? You can lean back on the seat, but your feet are to be under it and you are to balance on your knees. Mason moved up from where he is in this picture and put his knees on the pad in the bottom of the boat.

This was a pretty neat drill. They learned how to help another canoe that is filled with water by bringing it up onto their boat.

For those of you who know and love Mr. John, I'll put one picture of him on here. John was paired up with a nice gentleman who - how shall I say this - was constantly giving John directions, but really had no idea what he was doing himself. There were moments while I was watching that I thought I might wet my pants laughing so hard. At one point, I was actually standing on the shore talking to John while his buddy was giving him some tips. He started his sentences with, "John, you see, your problem is..." John was so incredibly kind to this man. John did not care a thing about the certification, but his partner did. Luckily, they passed the water test and this nice man has his lifetime certification.

In this picture, they are still in their canoe. This was the "get to the shore in your sunken canoe by paddling with your hands" drill.