Kayaking classes and tours spike during pandemic

Silent Wake in Fredonia is seeing a spike in kayakers who want to be on the water while maintaining social distancing.

“There’s definitely been a rise in the amount of people who are looking to get out and do things away from a lot of people,” owner Daren Barrett said. “Mainly, it’s people living in the city who want to be in nature and be by themselves. I guess they want a moment of clarity during the pandemic.”

Barrett was previously in the military and later became a nurse. Since last year, he and his business partner Kristin Vogel have been offering kayak lessons and tours.

The company is located at W4615 Hwy. H, but lessons are held along dedicated stretches on the Milwaukee River from West Bend to Grafton and in Thiensville. They also go out on Little Cedar Lake, Big Cedar Lake, Pike Lake, Long Lake, Random Lake and Lake Michigan. 

“That’s why we set up shop here. There’s a lot of water and rivers nearby,” Barrett said.

Typically there is one instructor per five students, with a maximum of 10 people in a class. Because of the pandemic, classes are currently limited to eight and extra precautions are put into place such as no sharing equipment. 

“With kayaking alone, there are risk factors out there even without the pandemic. We wanted to come up with precautions and other ways to minimize the risk. We implemented a lot of precautions with disinfecting and cleaning. We had to adjust and adapt,” he said. “The pandemic wasn’t a deal-breaker for us. It was just thinking outside of the box. Like every business, we had to adapt.” 

Barrett said kayak rolling and rescue classes have been put on the back burner for the time being to maintain social distancing of up to six feet. 

“Part of the fun of kayaking is falling into the water and learning how to react and be safe. It’s kind of like jet skiing,” he said. “We want to instruct those lessons, but for now we would be in their personal space. The principle for why we set up is we want to educate people to be safe on the water. That’s our main goal.”

Barrett said kayaking season usually lasts from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but die-hard enthusiasts can paddle year-round with the proper equipment. 

He said he tailors each lesson to the students’ experience level and capability. 

“We don’t offer cookie-cutter classes, and everything we teach is individualized,” Barrett said.

Barrett said he is grateful that people want to take advantage of all the rivers and lakes that Wisconsin has to offer during a time of uncertainty.

“Hopefully, the coronavirus passes soon, but in the meantime there are a lot of ways to get outside, be safe and enjoy Mother Nature,” he said.