Just A Paddler: Sweetwater versus L3 IDW, choices, choices

Once again I find myself falling behind with the blogging. I guess this means I do not have much to say? (ha ha ha...) Yeah right.

Just as I was getting ready to send my money to Sweetwater Kayaks for this https://sweetwaterkayaks.wordpress.com/symposium/symposium-details/

I received an email from Dale Williams telling me his planned ACA L3 IDW has moved to the very same dates as the Sweetwater Symposium. I enjoy and respect Dale. His classes are always challenging and rewarding. But I also LOVE Nigel Foster, love like a moon-struck teenager. I would fly to Seattle to take a private lesson with him, and probably will at some point if the fates grant me the chance. I really really want to go to Sweetwater.

So Sweetwater gets my time and money, right? Or do I do the L3 IDW with Dale Williams? I actually NEED the IDW, I do not NEED to go to Sweetwater. But the first would be infinitely less Foster-filled than the second.

Dilemmas, oh the dilemmas.

I just came off an L4-5 training session with Dale and Tom Noffsinger. This was an immensely productive session for me. I can not say enough good things about Dale and Tom. They do not have the same instructional style and therefore compliment each other. Maybe they are the peanut butter and celery of the coastal kayaking instructional world?

Some pictures of St Augustine for my dear reader. My reader will note the lack of on-water photos. My Nikon CoolPix once again let me down and I found not many usable photos in it. However, with some time spent editing I may be able to salvage a few. I will post those later, but here are some from my phone in the meantime: