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Feature of the week!

TrackersNW built and umiak with a group of 30 8th graders from Portland Waldorf School. This is their story as told by Ernie, our giant crazy norwegian sailor who we love.

Small Boat Wandering Excursion
Ages 16-ADULT
Session 1 September 3-6, 2008
Session 2 September 27-28, 2008

The Sea: The Oceans make up nearly 3/4 of our Earth. For centuries the 7 Seas were a mystery. They have always inspired lore and legend! From the great depths to the shoreline and intertidal life, come with us and see all this with new eyes from aboard the traditional and hand built boats of TrackersSF.

We venture out out on Tomales Bay with several small boats, bringing very little modern gear. Wandering from cove to cove at a leisurely pace, on beautiful beaches we hunker down for a longer stay. Using primitive technology for our daily needs, meals are cooked over open fires startedwith no matches, only a bow or a hand drill. Our meals will be supplemented with wild foraged food, and the delicious fish of Tomales bay. Boats are regularly swapped while each participants gets experience in handling different craft: from dories, to umiak, to traditional kayaks. Our boats are mainly powered by oar and paddle*.

Currents and tides become our daily schedule, we spend our days fishing, drifting, paddling and learning. We will track and observe the mammals of both water and land.
Focusing on the language of the birds along the seashore and in the forest, we will learn to discern their song and calls, and the meanings behind them. Awareness exercises, martial arts and movement training keep us healthy, flexible and alert. Stealth games teach us to use the local habitat as cover and camouflage, just like the fox moving silent through the brush.

This is a week of bringing our minds and bodies into a closer connection with the ocean, wind, earth and fire. And extend our awareness of natural and cultural rhythms from within our mobile village atmosphere. Jon Young's 8 Shields Cultural Mentoring Model focuses our vital questions, and hones our cultural map during our wander. The end of our journey becomes a beginning, the model is a method of living and telling rich stories about human relationships with the local flora, fauna, sea, land and weather.

*auxiliary outboard engines are available for needed portions
**fishing license required for participants who want to fish

Small Boat Wandering Includes Trip highlights Visit the Miwok Indian Lodge at Indian Beach Play pirates looking for a decent ship to steal (large boat surveying at Marshall Boatyard) Historical schooner landing wharves at Laird’s Landing, Pierce’s Wharf and Paper Mill Creek. Hike west over land, watching for Tule Elk. Resting at Mclure’s Beach on the Pacific side of Point Reyes. Keep an eye out for whales Some of the most gorgeous beaches in the world A team of expert instructors will accompany students through Primitive Survival Skills Sailing/Rowing Fishing methods Foraging Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants Bird identification and language Basic and intermediate knot tying Awareness of Indigenous Culture and Maritime Lore Safe boating skills instruction Maritime arts Oceanography & Marine Biology Animal Tracking Martial Arts, fitness and movement Awareness Exercises Boats you learn to work with 22’ Umiak 18’ Banks Dory 17’ Umiak 16’ Swamscott Dory 16’ Baidarka 4-day Excursion Sept 4- Sept 7, 2008 Who Ages 16-ADULT Where Tomales bay, CA Fee $520 early registration (register by July 31) $620 late registration, 15% discount given to members of Umiak Building workshop in August Limited to 10 participants Register for 4-day excursion online (below) or by mail Add to cart View Cart 2-day Excursion Sep 27- Sep 28, 2008 Who Ages 16-Adult Fee $190 early registration (register byAugust 27) $250 late registration, 15% discount given to members of Umiak building workshop in August Limited to 10 participants Register for 2-day excursion online (below) or by mail Add to cart View Cart 1-day Excursion Sept 4- Sept 7, 2008 Who Ages 16-ADULT Where Tomales bay, CA Fee $95 early registration (register by July 31) $125 late registration, 15% discount given to members of Umiak Building workshop in August Limited to 10 participants Register for 1-day excursion online (below) or by mail Add to cart View Cart

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Location

Tomales Bay is a sheltered body of water along the eastern edge of Point Reyes, 20 miles North of San Francisco. Mostly a protected wildlife refuge on it’s western shore. A couple small towns and shipyards line the east coast. The bay is home to a large variety of birds, as well as seals and whales. Rays and small leopard sharks swim in the shallows. The bay is well sheltered from the ocean swells, and is a gem for local kayakers.

We launch the boats just outside the little town of Tomales. Half way across the bay is Hog Island where we can stop to observe seals and bird patterns. But we can only make a short stop here because the island is a sanctuary for seals and birds at night.

The next day we will head south with the prevailing winds, using the tide surge to our advantage, so as to keep wandering a more comfortable endeavor. Almost every cove for the next eight miles has an isolated beach we can make camp on. We’ll wander according to our mood, the wind and the tides.

 

Staff The skilled staff of TrackersNW includes experienced regional wilderness educators on the leading edge of place-based education. We are committed to safety and fun in unique outdoor education experiences.