1. OC STEERING SERIES #1

Class limit: 24
Cost: $30

DATE: SUNDAY 29 JUNE / 12pm to 1.30pm / Instructor: Erik Ages

LOCATION: Multimedia Room, FGPC Waterfront Fitness

This first session in FGPC's summer 2025 "steering series" will guide participants, from experienced sterns to paddlers who have never steered, through a low-stress and interesting classroom adventure about theory, regulations, technique and tactics. This is a classroom session with video examples and primary source materials for participants to take with them for subsequent review. Participants will leave the session with a better understanding of the 360-degree insights and tips that steerspeople need to assess equipment, conditions, navigation and terrain, paddler performance and tactics for practices, races and everyday paddling fun from seat 6.

Here are the 3 components of this first session in the series:

1. boat and paddle safety: (rigging and quality check; onboard equipment)
2. crew and trip safety: a review of a steersperson's responsibilities, including:
   • navigation, weather, hazards: how to enhance safety, enjoyment and performance before and after a paddling session through easy-to-understand sources, including "tell-tales"
   • intra-crew dynamics: paddler positioning / seat order for conditions and best steering performance
   • inter-crew dynamics: race etiquette and strategy
3. basics of steering technique: how to increase the comfort and enjoyment of your paddlers in seats 1-5 through good steering: which strokes to use, when, on what side/s, and how to do them.

Paddlers who participate in this first class will be eligible to participate in a following on-water steering clinics. Clinic #1 is mandatory for FGPC's on-water Clinics #2, #3, and #4.