Freezing temperatures are finally returning to New England to separate the hardcore from the casual paddlers. And soon millions of turkeys will be sacrificed all across this nation in hopes for perfect waves. Please get ready for the next RISK Session.

Join us for the 2006 RISK Fall Session in Little Compton, RI. Great waves, great food, great folks. It's a one day, non-competitive expression session in the chilly waters of Rhode Island, a chance to meet other hardcore surf kayakers. We will have boats for you to demo (including some brand spanking new designs...) and paddling goodies to give away.

And once again we are using the tried and true invitational format for this Session, which should optimize the chances for great waves.

Here's how it works: This is a one day event, but we have picked a three weekend window. If you are interested in coming to the Session, just sign up for the e-mail updates. We'll send out an e-mail on Tuesdays with the general outlook for surf, so you get an idea whether the Session is likely to be on for the following weekend or not. On Thursdays we'll send out another e-mail with the final call whether the Session is on and which day of the weekend it'll be (we are favoring Saturdays). It's really quite simple.

On the day of the event, we'll meet at Goosewing Beach in Little Compton, RI (click for directions), surf for a few hours, have lunch and surf some more. Even though this is not a competition, we'll have some prizes to raffle off. This will also be a good chance to check out the widest variety of surf kayaks (and kayakers) in New England.

Lunch: This year we are back to a hot lunch right on the beach courtesy of Mike. Details of the menu will follow, but you can count on him to grill us up something delicious. There is a suggested donation for lunch of $8. And we can only provide you food if we know that you are coming. So once we announce that the Session is on, please let us know that you will attend. Also, bring your own beverages, we will not provide anything to drink.

Weather: Average air temperatures in December are around 45 °F and the water temperature will be just slightly below that. This is not quite freezing, but still plenty cold enough for hypothermia. So dress warm on and off the water!!

Safety: Did we mention that there's a good chance that it'll be cold. Hypothermia can happen quickly in these temperatures. It's your responsibility to be prepared. Dress warm on and off the water!! Neoprene, dry tops, and dry suits are wonderful inventions. We may not have a warm place on the beach, so you may have to warm up in your cars. If you don't have a reliable roll, you do not want to be on the water. All boats must have float bags for buoyancy; all boaters must wear life jackets and a helmet. We'll also ask you to use the buddy system when you are on the water, meaning you look out for your buddy and s/he looks out for you, so nobody get's lost.

More Safety: We will have designated safety kayakers that will assist you in the event of a swim. Their responsibilities are: 1) people 2) boats 3) gear. If they can get you back into your kayak, float bags will help. If they have to get you to shore, float bags will make it easier to recover your kayak. Are you sensing a theme here? Float bags.

Can't ever have too much Safety: Please listen to your rescuer! They may be aware of a situation that is not apparent to you. The rescuer is in charge. While any and all surfers are encouraged to help a swimmer, as a rescuer, please be aware of your own skill level. Assist only if you are able.

Surf Etiquette: We will be sharing the breaks with board surfers and we'll try our best to keep ourselves separated, but you have to know proper surf etiquette. It is important for all of us to show our best behavior around the local board surfers. If you are not familiar with the rules in the surf, please take a look at: http://nesurf.com/Articles/Etiquette/etiquette.html. Remember, even if a board surfer does not show you proper respect or courtesy, our surf crafts can do a lot more damage, so err on the side of caution.

Should you require any additional information, don't hesitate to contact us:

Sven Nebelung • sven@pioneerpictures.com • Cell: 917-770-7966
Mike Simpson • sdkec@msn.com • Cell: 508-558-2717