The 1-Star Kayaking Course is a course which aims to provide cadets with a basic understanding as well as techniques of kayaking, so as to enable them to survive even in marine conditions. Several NCC (Air) cadets participated in the course, and a personalised report follows.
Day 1
On the first day, all of us were excited to start kayaking; have fun and all that, but to our dismay, the fun could only be had later. We were taught the structure of the kayak, the anatomy of the paddles, and also the buoyancy vest. We were also told what to take note of; like the brief checks on our equipment, or if there was a hole in the kayak, if the buoyancy vest was safe for usage etc. But all that stuff was boring me.
Finally, the fun part arrived. We were told to gather in a circle and proceed into the cold seawater; this was the buoyancy vest test. Most people would have been familiar with this as this was what we had done during canoeing contact time in secondary one. Then we were taught the procedure of launching and also CAPSIZING! This was what I had dreaded at first, but when it was my turn and all had been done, I actually found it quite fun, you know, when water go into your ears and then you shout for help and stuff like that.
Then we had our lunch at the hawker centre. That was one of the times where we bonded not only with our part but also with the Part Bs (next year); although there were only two of them. Later, we kayaked in a small area, more like a canal, where Kevin was the first one to capsize, it may seem easy to maneuver it, but it actually takes a lot of skill; at the beginning, I too also almost capsized. Then were taught the different strokes which really helped during the period.
When we reached Changi, we retrieved our equipment, carried the kayaks to the beach and waited for further instructions. Then we were taught the deep water TX rescue, it a kind of recue whereby if one guy capsized in the deep water, this would be really useful. Then, were we told to break into groups to carry out our own practice. In my group was Kevin, John and myself. It’s kind of scary as you could not feel the ground beneath your feet, and your life now depends on the rescuer and the assistant. It was really fun though. After our practice, we were told to gather, and we were taught more strokes to aid in our controlling of the kayak.
Sadly, right after we were told to break raft, I CAPSIZED! The worst was yet to come; less than 5 minutes after I had been rescued, I capsized (yet) again. How sad can that be? I was trying out the J draw, but I was too slow, causing me to capsize. So that was the third time I capsized that day. Then we also began riding the waves as there were many boats passing by, causing waves.
On that day, it was really choppy, so my cockpit was flooded. Notwithstanding, we had a present for NCC land; we were to capsize and they would save us. Haha [sic] , that was really fun.
By the time we reached the shore however, our legs were aching, but there was no time to rest, as we had to return all our kayaks. Then the instructor showed us the Eskimo roll and some other complex moves. So we brought the kayak back to the club, and had it washed before storing it. After washing up, we had our certificate presentation, and we were really proud of it, and I received the altogether unglamourous moniker, the “capsizer” (having capsized the most number of times).
Sadly, right after we were told to break raft, I CAPSIZED! The worst was yet to come; less than 5 minutes after I had been rescued, I capsized (yet) again. How sad can that be? I was trying out the J draw, but I was too slow, causing me to capsize. So that was the third time I capsized that day. Then we also began riding the waves as there were many boats passing by, causing waves.
On that day, it was really choppy, so my cockpit was flooded. Notwithstanding, we had a present for NCC land; we were to capsize and they would save us. Haha [sic] , that was really fun.
By the time we reached the shore however, our legs were aching, but there was no time to rest, as we had to return all our kayaks. Then the instructor showed us the Eskimo roll and some other complex moves. So we brought the kayak back to the club, and had it washed before storing it. After washing up, we had our certificate presentation, and we were really proud of it, and I received the altogether unglamourous moniker, the “capsizer” (having capsized the most number of times).
Written by: CPL Shayne Yang
