Update for 2016
It seems that the original Assistant's Life blog has become a bit of an introduction manual for those aspiring to the role, so here are a few changes that bring it up to date with current practice:
Once the boats are off the trailer, the assistant is responsible for extracting and stacking the paddles (leaning against the trailer) before attending to their own kit. Beware the left-hand control paddles which need to be kept separate and are usually best left in the trailer. If you stack all the paddles the same way round, it is easy to spot a lefty that has tried to infiltrate. Rod does not find it particularly funny if he ends up demonstrating how to feather with a paddle that does not really work in that context - I am sure you get the idea.
As a general rule the assistant will be the last to leave the beach. This makes sure that all the customers are safely on the water, and gives an opportunity to have a look round for kit that may have been left behind.
General rules are of course ones that don't apply in all situations, and the most likely reason you will have to leave the beach rather earlier is when an offshore wind is blowing your group steadily or even rapidly out to sea. If you have not noticed, you can expect to here the dulcet tones of the boss as he gently suggests that you might care to go and herd them back towards the beach.
I have the alarm set for 07.30, so of course wake up naturally
sometime between 06.00 and 07.00. Doze until 07.00 then make a cup of
tea and relax reading or just chilling - maybe have a look at the
forecast to see what the wind is doing - not that it is my problem, I am
only the assistant - and outside to see my bit of the world.
 |
| The view from my balcony |
Duties continue pretty heavily as I
usually have a coffee about now before getting my kit ready at about
08.00. Put on sun screen, find a bottle of water, bring any drying in
from outside, and then head down to the
kafeneio for breakfast at about 8.30 - it's all go.
 |
| Kafeneio Perros |
Breakfast - mainly bread and jam in my
case, and lots of coffee, is a time to chat to the '6 day' paddlers who
are staying in Rod's accommodation. Typically they have been to Milos
before, and paddle at about 3 star standard, but can be complete
beginners. During breakfast, Rod usually gives a quick briefing (is
there any other sort) on the day and checks whether anyone needs
additional equipment or maybe wants to try a different boat.
About
09:00 it is down to the yard with Rod to sort out which boats are going
on the trailer, then back here to collect my own kit. This is here by
the way:
 |
| My Room |
Wander up the road to collect the car ready for 09:25, and most importantly, the towels:
 |
| Don't forget the towels |
Bum's on seats are a good thing, wet bums on seats
are not one of Petrinela's favourite things, and it is her car that I am
driving.
The paddlers are pretty good at being ready
on time, though some take rather longer than others to actually get into
the vehicles, then it is off to the 'put in' beach. Usually this just
amounts to following the trailer, but sometimes there are some rather
more complicated pick-up arrangements for 'day trip' paddlers staying
elsewhere on the island.
When we get to the put in beach, my tasks are as follows:
Get
all the boats off the trailer and lined up on the beach ready to go.
The clients are usually pretty enthusiastic helpers, but we try and keep
the less sturdy individuals away from the heavier ends, and of course
any doubles (tandems) that may going out that day.
Next,
I sort my own kit - spray deck, PFD and paddle and make sure my own
boat is setup ready to go. I usually take charge of the morning break
snack bag - someone has to - and maybe take an extra stick or a split.
During this time, Rod will be handing out decks PFDs and paddles to the
rest of the group.
By
the time they have collected everything they need, and got to their
boat, I will be there to adjust footrests, explain the rudder if there
is one, and maybe give them their first paddling lesson (which way up).
Newby paddlers tend to need convincing that they are probably best off
in bare feet, to sit up straight while footrests are sorted, and that
the spray deck will come off if they capsize.
I had delayed a little before writing about a typical day until I had
accumulated enough days, and now I can tell you that there is no such
thing. Yes, there are similarities between bits of individual days, but
even what appears to be an identical trip on paper, will inevitably be
very different in practice. This makes it all the more interesting, of
course, and a useful motto would be 'expect the unexpected' - actually
it is not all that useful - maybe just don't expect the day to go as
planned.
 |
| Put in at Voudia Bay |
So, we are on the beach checking that everyone is
ready to launch and knows roughly what to do once they are on the water.
Nearly everyone struggles with spraydecks on the first day, so I
usually help with some as part of launching, and try to get some idea of
their paddling experience:
'Have you kayaked before?'
'Once or twice'
This
response from a Brit probably means that he has circumnavigated
Ireland, or holds the current record for Devises to Westminster, but for
everyone else it means twice.
Once
on the water, it is a case of keeping the group together initially
(especially if the wind is offshore) as they come to grips with handling
their boats, and trying to spot individuals having problems - not
feathering the paddle for the stroke on the left hand side is common. My
favourite quote about Greenland paddles is 'they have their
limitations, but these are only in the minds of paddlers who don't use
them', but they are not that good for demonstrating the required wrist
action. Mind you I am not that much help with a euro paddle either as I
use left hand control.
If
Dave is with the group rather than with Sue, leading the round island
expedition, he will be in his ever patient coaching mode having picked
out the weakest paddler.
By now, Rod has launched and
we are off - so I revert to tail-end Charlie mode and counting people in
and out of caves and through arches. On a typical day we are 10 or 12
or maybe 18 - well it was hard to turn down the young family who were
waiting for the wind to drop. Eyes in the back of your head are a
prerequisite and don't expect to get anywhere fast when there are lots
of caves and lots of customers.
 |
| Mid morning snack |
After about an hours paddling, it will be time for
the morning stop at some idyllic beach or other with about a half-hour
break and snacks. Always a good bet that the snacks bag will be found in
my boat - I like to know where it is, and Rod likes it to be dry.
Bananas, biscuits (cookies) and dried fruit.
Sometimes, before we even get to the snacks, Rod will decide that the
day has been too sedate and declare 'rescue practice' and yes, this
means assistants as well (once they have emptied their boats of
perishables) or wants to demonstrate that two guides can roll a double,
roll a double without spraydecks, roll a double full of water, paddle a
double full of water around a figure of eight course - well you get the
picture.
Some join in enthusiastically while others hide far up
the beach. Rod is generally encouraging, but if people really don't want
to try something, they normally get away with it - anyone would think
they were on holiday and here to enjoy themselves.
 |
| Rescue practice at morning stop |
After morning break, it is back to paddling - unless
there is much wave action, most of the group will manage to launch
themselves. Maybe we will have moved from a relatively sheltered cave
strewn section of coast to something more exposed and perhaps more
challenging. Wind on the stern quarter might lead to a rapid deployment
of rudders and skegs for those that have them, and advice on sweep
strokes for those without, though most of the boats track pretty well.
Some groups go a bit quiet at this stage as they knuckle down to a bit
of work and maybe have to concentrate a little more on what they are
doing with the paddle. Others really get in to the paddling and become
animated and chatty.
If
the group is going well, I can roam about and talk to various people -
what kayaking they do at home, how long they are on Milos (day
trippers), what they do for a living, etc - hard to believe that you are
hearing this from me I know. If there are stragglers, I have to take my
tail-end Charlie duties more seriously and make sure we really do get
everyone to the lunch spot.
The
lunch spot will naturally be another idyllic beach or remote rocky
outcrop, but the landings are not always straightforward. Some of the
beaches have steep shingle and some, of course, have surf. Some, well
you are way ahead of me I am sure. The assistants dilemma surrounds
whether to wait at sea until everyone is safely on the beach, or run
ashore and help people land. For some locations - mainly the rocky
landings - there is a well practiced routine, but for others it is a
case of how much surf, how competent are the paddlers, etc.
 |
| Rocky landing at Kleftico |
Lunchtime is usually pretty leisurely with about an
hour and a half of swimming, snorkeling, stone balancing, juggling,
sunbathing or just plain chilling, broken up by the food - bread,
cheese, ham, tuna, onions, tomatoes, cucumber from Rod's
'father-in-law's yard', followed by melon, grapes or cherries - life is
hard out here.
 |
| Happy eaters |
After lunch there is often a more concerted paddling effort that
brings us in time back to our starting point, or round a spectacular
headland to some small harbour ready for a vehicle shuffle. One way
trips are good for customers provided they end somewhere comfortable -
you can't really beat an ice-cream at Pollonia or the shear beauty of
landing at Firapotomas - but more hassle obviously for staff who work an
extra hour, and miss out on the ice-cream.
At
the end of the day (not a phrase I thought I would ever use in a blog)
there are always happy smiling faces, but they tend to fall into two
groups - the animated happy faces that are already talking about
tomorrow, and the very tired happy faces who are looking forward to a
shower, food and bed.
Some of the '6 day' paddlers will
have discovered something new, with a trip offshore or maybe an
exciting ride in the front of a double.
Day
trippers are very thankful (I think for the experience, rather than
just to be alive) for what has usually been at least a good days
paddling, and is sometimes a great day's paddling and a real eye-opener
as to what you can do in a sea kayak. The great days are usually the
result of lots of wind or lots of waves or both, and it may be that
there is a certain relief in coming through the experience that
heightens their overall enjoyment.
I can say that the
thanks are gratifying, but it is tough being kissed by so many young
women - I suppose I will just have to put up with it for a few more
days.
Basic rules - level 1 zen
The trailer is simple enough - just two bars each side, each end:
 |
| Kayak trailer |
So loading the trailer must also be simple, and we
can start with a few basic rules that allow the boats to sit on the
trailer securely, and limit the amount of crushing that occurs when they
are tied on:
- Doubles (tandem kayaks) on top, cockpit facing out
- If only one double, you can have a single beside it, cockpit out
- Singles two per side = first boat cockpit out, second boat cockpit
in and reversed end for end. Bow and stern tucked under the inside boat.
Advanced rules - level 2 zen
- Doubles can go on the bottom rack if they are beneath a double on
the same side of the trailer (if not, they prevent a single from sitting
properly above them because of the curvature of the hull)
- Singles three per side (probably one full volume boat, and two
smaller boats) = first boat cockpit in, second boat cockpit out, third
boat cockpit in and reversed. Bow and stern tucked under the inside
boat.
- More than 12 single kayaks = 2 to 4 boats riding on 'top' of the
others. Bowlines through toggle and decklines and thrown up onto the
stack. At the launch site, it is the assistant's job to catch these
boats as they rattle down the side of the trailer.
 |
| Trailer with 14 single kayaks |
End of day loading for tomorrow - zen mastery
- Try to group boats going out the next day (same paddlers or staff)
together, and on the left (facing car) side of the trailer so that the
right side is empty ready for the 'new' boats that will be loaded
tomorrow morning in the 'yard'.
- On beaches with fine sand, time loading carefully such that boats go
straight onto the trailer as they are brought up from the sea and thus
avoid taking even more of the beach back with them.
Few candidates reach the level of Zen Master though many
(alright, not that many) aspire to it - if you have tried, but failed so
far, take comfort in the knowledge that the kayaks will be on the
trailer for but a short time, and you can try again tomorrow:
