I wasn't able to make the Chesapeake Paddlers Association (CPA) SK102 skills weekend this year. But here is the best of the best photos and the best of the best trip reports. The photos are by Gina Cicotello posted on webshots. Gina is also a skin-on-frame baidarka owner. The photos of the clear coated baidarka in the album are of her boat. Notice how you can see the ribs when the sun hits the kayak. This is the effect I'm going to try to achieve in my SOF. The best trip report, of course, was posted by my racing friend Susan. You can read it here.

Susan also attended a racing clinic prior to SK102. The clinic was conducted by Holm Schmidt , who was a member of the 1988 East German Olympic Team. Holm and his wife Melissa were kind enough to offer this racing clinic to a few of us recreational racers (myself included) at Lake Anna. Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend that either. But it sounded like a great weekend. You can read Susan's report on the racing clinic here.

-Susanita