Adventure Kayak's National Sea Kayak Symposium (NaSKS) is a gathering of sea kayak and kayak touring paddlers, run in combination with Palmer Fest. NaSKS is an on-water instruction-based weekend of teaching and sharing skills, knowledge, experiences and good times on the water.

It's a weekend of on-water clinics, demonstrations and general camaraderie for sea kayakers of all abilities. NaSKS was inspired by the West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium held every year in Port Townsend, Washington. Using the proven Palmer Fest event model to focus on beginner, intermediate and advanced skill development we've taken everything we've learned from 12 years of traveling to festivals and symposiums and put it all together.

NaSKS is presented by Adventure Kayak and Rapid Media and hosted at the Paddler Co-op Boathouse.

When is NaSKS

• Two nights camping at Paddler Co-op Boathouse—Friday and Saturday night (see registration fees for this option, limited space, register now)
• Saturday night catered BBQ dinner
• Sunday morning breakfast
• Two days of professional instruction in National Sea Kayak Symposium clinics
• Extensive kayak test paddling/demos from top sea kayak manufacturers and venders in our HUGE Exhibitor Alley
• Daycare services during the Saturday and Sunday clinics
• An evening of the best paddling films of the year from the 2009 Reel Paddling Film Festival World Tour
• Live Concert—featuring the Rapid Media house band, the Rapid Palmers.

Wristband Policy: You will receive a wristband that acts as your ticket for the weekend. Your wristband will be required for all clinics, test paddling, dinner, breakfast, films, bands and shuttles.

NaSKS offers more variety of on-water clinics than any other sea kayak symposium in the world. Plus we offer progressive introductory and intermediate clinics that build upon themselves throughout the weekend—allowing absolute beginners a place to start from scratch and build a skill base.

The intermediate progressive courses are idea for those who have taken their first course and want to build on basic skills. Click here for more information about the clinics and full clinic descriptions.

Locating on the Madawaska River has three major benefits... Location. Location. Location.

• Palmer Rapids is ideally located between Southern Ontario, New England states and Ottawa and western Quebec.
• The Madawaska River offers enough lakewater and touring opporunites as anywhere else in the province.
• The Madawaska River offers deep and attainable current, surf and boils ideal for intermediate and advanced clinics similulating ocean conditions.
• It's fun!

NaSKS is a family friendly event with onsite camping. Arrive, park and spend the weekend, – no more driving required. Daycare will be offered so that sea kayaking parents can escape to the water for the clinics.

On Saturday evening there will be a special NaSKS gathering lead by Scott MacGregor, Publisher of Adventure Kayak magazine. This gathering of professionals and enthusiasts is a celebration of the growth of the sport and a look forward at the future – how can be encourage more to join us on the water. Followed by a paddlers’ social including catered barbecue, Reel Paddling Film Festival, boat and vendor exhibits, music and much dancing.

NaSKS is a celebration of sea kayak culture – past, present and future!

Itinerary at a Glance