http://www.rei.com Katie, an...

http://www.rei.com Katie, an REI Outdoor School instructor, shows you how to get in and out of your kayak in this video—both launching from a dock and from a beach. From a dock: keep your center of gravity low, put your feet into the cockpit while holding onto the dock, and slide your feet into the cockpit, then slowly push yourself away from the dock and into the boat. To get out, do the same thing in reverse: Come up to the dock, lean up against it, pull your knees out of the cockpit, slide your legs out, and sit on the dock. To launch from a beach with a partner: Slide boat in so the cockpit's at the edge of the water, step in while your partner holds the back of the boat steady and then pushes your boat out into the water. To launch from a beach by yourself, pull boat in so the cockpit is at the water's edge, hold the paddle behind your back, bracing it between the back of the cockpit combing and the beach. Sit on the paddle shaft, keeping your body weight low while you then slide your feet into the cockpit. Put the spray skirt on. Place your paddle vertically in one hand and make a fist with the other. Push yourself off the beach using the paddle and your fist; it helps to use your hips. If you have a composite boat, do the same thing, but start with the boat out in the water so as to protect the bottom of the boat from rocks.

Added: June 19, 2009
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