My story…

I was introduced to sea kayaking in July 2016. I was immediately hooked. I learned what I could, bought some gear, and explored the Tacoma Narrows, learning where and when it was safe.

Then, in September of 2018, I was fortunate enough to take a class from Nigel Foster.

By March of 2019 I made the decision to turn my passion into a revenue source, and to do so in a way that would give back. I wanted to help get others on the water safely and with the necessary skills to be able to explore and have their own adventures. I wanted to educate, to provide opportunities, and to inspire.

Before 2019 ended, I made up my mind to earn my instructor certification. Then the pandemic hit. My local kayak club was all but boarded up. There were a few paddles with my friends, but any hope of certification was now gone.

In June (2020), I found the North Sound Sea Kayak Association (NSSKA). The group was active! I joined. My first paddle in July with the group re-opened the door that had slammed shut. I learned there’d be an ACA L2 Assessment and Instructor Certification later in the year.

By the end of 2020, I was a certified sea kayak instructor. I began working with NSSKA as part of their instructor team. I reached out to Rob Casey at Salmon Bay Paddle and was brought onboard as an instructor.

In August of 2021 I received my ACA Advanced Communications Endorsement to work with paddlers having vision, hearing, speech, and other learning or communication impairments. Later that month, I connected with Joey Schott at Turning Point Boatworks and was brought on as an ambassador.

Just after Thanksgiving 2021, I earned my BC Coastal Sea Kayak Award. 

In 2022, I was brought on board with NC Kayaks as a brand advocate, joined the Kitsap Mountaineers with an eye on building their presence and growing sea kayaking on the Kitsap and Olympic Peninsulas, took on the training coordinator role for NSSKA and and furthered my own education with classes from a variety of top-level instructors. In November, my roll as ambassador for Turning Point Boatworks shifted to becoming their PNW dealer.

While I had no intention of getting back into retail, in early 2023 Gearlab Outdoors created a program that would allow me to stock paddles and accessories that I couldn’t turn down. Selling Gearlab paddles was the perfect compliment to my Greenland paddling classes.

In June of 2023 I updated my ACA instructor certification to L3 Coastal Kayaking and added the Coastal Kayaking Trip Leader Endorsement.

My story won’t end here. I will work toward additional certifications from both ACA and BC, covering personal assessments, coaching, and trip leadership, and doing what I can to foster sea kayaking (and specifically safety and education) throughout the PNW.