Chloe Sow | Jul 31, 2021 | 2 min read

Recreational Experiences in the Maritime Industry

On July 30th, I went on my first in-person experimental field trip for the Youth Maritime Collaborative! After the group got together at the Seattle Goodwill Training Center, we rode a bus (a 45-minute trip) to the Tacoma Youth Marine Center, where we had lunch and played some games. Later, we were hosted by the Executive Director at the Tacoma Youth Marine Center, Monique Valenzuela, where we began setting up to start kayaking. She told us that we could potentially see some animals in the bay, like seals or ducks! I had kayaked before, but it had been years.

After putting on our life jackets, we took a group photo and headed out to the dock. The dock was filled with boats, and next to them were the 1-2 person kayaks in all sorts of colors — orange, blue, pink, etc.! As I waited for the rest of the team to arrive, being in the dock, the kayak instructor headed towards one of the kayaks.

Once everyone arrived, the kayak instructor started to show us how to get into the kayak and the actions we needed to do with the paddles to move. The most important points to remember were: while getting on the kayak, always keep three points of contact; to go left, paddle right; to go right, paddle left; and to go straight, paddle left and then right.

The instructor was very informative and once he finished showing us how to kayak, we began to get into single-person kayaks with the help of Monique, the sea scouts, and the instructor. After everyone got in their kayaks, we started to figure out how to paddle — some people got the hang of it really quick and they were super fast! We took some group photos, and the fresh breeze paired with the view was amazing. By the time we went out into the bay, under the bridge, and back it was already time to go back — time flew by so fast! Throughout the whole experience, it made me think about potentially kayaking again.

Although it was very tiring going upstream, one of my favorite parts was actually being on the water and feeling the breeze, especially under the bridge (a really big one)! It was about 10 degrees less under the bridge (according to the instructor) — which made it super comfortable to stay under there. Honestly, I’ve never been very familiar with recreational maritime (where kayaking falls into), but by the end of the day, I learned a lot of new things, and it was such a memorable experience!

Special thanks to the Tacoma Youth Marine Center for helping us put this together!

Connect with the Tacoma Youth Marine Center

Instagram: @tacyouthmarinecenter
Facebook: @tacomayouthmarinecenter · Nonprofit Organization

#maritimemovement #jointhemovement

Contact

Email: info@maritimeblue.org

Youth Maritime Collaborative

Where Opportunity Sets Afloat

Guiding youth toward adventurous careers in the maritime industry through paid internships, experiential learning events, and thoughtful career exploration with a specific focus on equity and inclusivity.

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