Every year, kayak enthusiasts from all over come together at Bluff Point State Park in Groton, Connecticut, for a free and open event. It’s a great place to learn about different kayak designs and techniques, and it’s perfect for beginners and even those who are just starting to paddle.
Events
Upcoming Events
Fine Strip Planked Boats Class @WoodenBoat School
Jun 8, 2025Nick Schade’s course teaches strip-planked boatbuilding, creating two designs: the Adirondack Guide Boat and the microBootlegger Sport sea kayak.-
Elements of Coastal Kayaking II @WoodenBoat School
Jun 15, 2025Sea kayaking course covers strokes, braces, maneuvering, safety, navigation, and more. Students can bring their own kayaks or try Nick’s high-performance designs. -
The WoodenBoat Show at Mystic Seaport
Jun 27, 2025Guillemot Kayaks joins Chesapeake Light Craft in the WoodenBoat Show in Mystic, CT, showcasing boats and providing demonstrations on construction techniques. The show features over 100 wooden boats, maritime art, antiques, tools, books, and nautical gear.
Events You Missed
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Fine Strip-Planked Boat Building Class at WoodenBoat School
Jun 14, 2020Canceled Due to COVID-19
Better Luck in 2021If you want to build a lightweight, rugged, and beautiful small boat, combining thin strips of wood with epoxy and fiberglass will make a cartoppable, low-maintenance, and gorgeous vessel. Nick Schade has been building strip-built boats for over 30 years. He has written two of the standard texts on the subject, Building Strip-Planked Boats and The Strip-Built Sea Kayak, and his efforts have guided thousands of people through building their own boats using the popular strip-planked method.
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Big Little Boat Festival
May 23, 2020Canceled Due to COVID
Better luck in 2021Join me with Chesapeake Light Craft as OkoumeFest morphs into a full-on two-day waterfront celebration of small boat culture that will:
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Canoecopia - Madison, WI
Mar 13, 2020I will once again be attending Canoecopia supporting Chesapeake Light Craft. Said to be the largest paddlesports show in North America, it is a great event to see what is going on in
2019 Schoodic Sea Kayak Retreat
Sep 15, 2019This is the page for the 2019 Event
For information on the 2022 Schoodic Retreat, Please Visit this Page.
The 2nd Annual Schoodic RetreatThis five day event features the East Coast's finest sea kayaking and highlights a chance to try the amazing wooden kayaks by Nick Schade in the conditions they were designed for.
We had a great time in 2018 so we are doing it again in 2019.
