For beginner buccaneersAhoy! Bring your bandanas and your fearless sense of adventure as we take to the water as a band of scruffy pirates. We begin our adventure at Kroka Village making eye patches, a pirate flag and preparing for our expedition. With all of our provisions, we will head north to the infamous Lake Champlain. Traveling in our handmade voyageur canoes we will create a wilderness outpost for the week. The Champlain Valley holds an immense history, which we’ll learn about as we travel through waters filled with more than 300 shipwrecks. Each day we will embark on a mini-adventure: exploring the coastline by canoe, going for long swims, creating wilderness crafts, scrambling up rocks, fishing from shore, cliff jumping, and sailing the “sea”, weather permitting. We will enjoy magnificent sunrises over the Green Mountains and admire the spectacular skylines of the Adirondacks. Come join our rowdy band!
Steeped in history and culture, the blue-green waters of Lake Champlain offer perfect conditions for a long-distance sea kayak expedition. Stretching south-north from Vermont to Canada, the 125-mile-long lake has more than 500 miles of shoreline and 70 islands with protected coves for camping, high cliffs for jumping, and abundant fish to catch. We begin the week at Kroka Village where we will practice kayaking in the pond and work on the farm to harvest and prepare food for the journey ahead. Once the hatches are full, we load our trailer and depart for Whitehall, NY - the southernmost point of the lake. Each day we make progress Northward in tune with currents and wind while stopping to swim, visit the Lake's many museums and historical sites, and take in the breathtaking views of the Green Mountains and Adirondacks. At night we make camp on the lakeshore or on its islands, cook dinner over the open fire, and take in the starry night skies. We will revel in the joys of expedition life, tell stories of old times, and if the winds are with us - and we can summon the willpower to do so - complete the end-to-end sea kayak expedition all the way to Canada!
A rough, wild line that few sail, and fewer kayak. Dramatic cliffs and prominent tides. Paddling towards Canada, sometimes with the water, and sometimes against it. The name of the coast speaks for itself. After honing our sea kayaking and expedition skills along tamer sections of the Maine coast, we will set off for the easternmost miles of the U.S. coastline, paddling by day and carefully searching for hidden coves to spend the night. We’ll dive into the history of the region, of colonial settlers, of lonely lobstermen and shipwrecked boats, and the indigenous who came first, and take in the pristine beauty and nature of Maine's farthest reaches. Along the way we will visit farms and communities, immersing ourselves in the Downeast culture of Maine. After a brave final crossing we enter the safe waters of the harbor and return to the shore. Come along on an adventurous paddle that is a feather in the cap of any sea kayaker!
For novice - intermediate buccaneersCome one and all for a two-week treasure-hunting adventure! We will form our crew and head to the coast of Maine where we will take to the sea in voyageur canoes modeled after those that have been navigating northern waters for thousands of years. On the first day, we will travel a short distance across a sheltered bay to our first wilderness island home. We will sail from camp to camp, practice fire building, and create wilderness crafts. There will be islands to overtake and explore, coves to brave cold waters in, and tidal pools to investigate. We will forage for mussels, fish for mackerel, and harvest shells and special seaweed. Everyone will come away from this week having witnessed beautiful sunsets and made lasting new friendships. Sign up to uncover some of the mysteries of the sea!