I’ll see you this afternoon at the YWCA on Second Street in Bangor at the fifth annual free Paddle Smart from the Start Safety Symposium. We’ll watch safety and rescue demonstrations, hear from others on how to plan and execute a safe, low impact paddling excursion and see what we should have on our boats when we hit the water.

There’ll be lots of fun and door prizes. The only thing you can leave to chance is your luck at winning one or more of the neat raffle prizes. The doors open at 1 p.m. and the activities will wrap up around 5 p.m. Come on down and try out a kayak in the Means Pool, or learn something about GPS or communications from your boat. There will be Coast Guard, Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and Marine Patrol folks there to answer questions.

Exhibitors include the Friends of Maine Seabirds, Maine Association of Sea Kayak Guides and Instructors, Maine Island Trail, Maine Outdoor Adventure Club, Penobscot Paddle and Chowder Club, the Forest Society of Maine and others. There will be mini-presentations in the gym to show you how to pack a boat, what essential equipment you need, clothing for paddling, boat lifting and car bopping and knot tying.

Ask yourself these questions: What do I do if my paddling partner capsizes? How do I plan a safe trip? How do I avoid the wind? How to I get help if I need it? What gear do I really need? What clothing will keep me most comfortable and possibly even save my life?

If you have any doubts, come on down and get some answers. If you have other questions, ditto. This is a great opportunity to get answers and learn what you should do before the paddling season gets underway.

We’ve already lost several folks this year on our waters and we’ve had a few near misses, all because people in paddle craft were not wearing life jackets. Come on down and learn why wearing a life jacket makes sense. You’ll even have a chance on winning one.

Major sponsors for the event are Epic Sports, Castine Kayak Adventures, the Coast Guard and the National Safe Boating Council.

Canoe symposium set

Speaking of opportunities to learn about paddling and getting in some first-hand experience and knowledge, check out the 20th anniversary Maine Canoe Symposium June 10-12 at Winona Camps on Moose Pond in Bridgton.

There will be more than 40 workshops where you can learn from Maine Guides and canoeing professionals. On-water workshops feature paddling styles ranging from the classic solo, Northwoods, and sit and switch to double-blades, freestyle and whitewater.

Flat water and whitewater rescue techniques will be taught by New Brunswick guides and rescue experts Kevin Silliker and Rory Matchett. If poling is your cup of tea, Harry Rock, ACA national champion, will be on hand to teach you.

Other workshops include wilderness tripping, camp cooking, weather reading, first aid, portage and selecting and repairing a canoe. Author and Maine Guide Gil Gilpatrick will offer time-proven tips on equipment for extended trips. Tom Clemenow will teach the art of traveling light and Buzz Butler will introduce the sport of orienteering.

There’s even a full menu of activities for children.

Saturday night the Peake Brothers from Hide-A-Way Canoe Club will reveal the triumphs and tangles that characterize their many trips along Canada’s historic canoe routes. (I’m told the Upside Down Canoe Club of Camden, whose charter member is BDN columnist Emmet Meara, is not going to be there. The snub dates back a decade or more and involves a major dumping and state of undress that left a bad image burned in the minds of many of the organizers.)

If canoeing is in your blood, this is the symposium to attend. You’ll come away with a new appreciation for the art. Registration for the weekend events is $65 postmarked by Sunday, May 15, and $80 thereafter. Children age 12 and under charged $35 up until Sunday and $40 afterward. Additional children are $20 and $25, respectively.

There are also various meal and accommodation plans available, from camping to cabins, one to three meals per day. Call 647-3721 to register or check out the symposium’s Web site at www.mainecanoesymposium.org. For answers to questions, call 892-3121.

Paddle with a purpose

Looking for an excuse to get out on the water and help out a good cause at the same time? On June 4 kayakers and canoeists will be on Swan Lake in Belfast for the annual Paddle for Pine Tree Camp to raise money to benefit the summer camp for Maine Children and adults with disabilities.

After several hours of paddling fun, participants will be served a barbecue at the state park shelter with access to volleyball, horseshoes and swimming.

Over the years the Paddle for Pine Tree Camp has involved hundreds of participants, volunteers, and other contributors, raising more than $78,000 since it began in 1997. Participants raise money for Pine Tree Camp by collecting pledges per mile or accepting straight contributions.

To register or for more information, checkout the Pine Tree Society’s Web site, www.pinetreesociety.rg, or call 934-7962 or e-mail at kdorer@pinetreesociety.org.

Pine Tree Camp, a program of Pine Tree Society, was established in 1945 as a summer therapy outlet for children with disabilities. Over the years, it has evolved into an innovative barrier-free environment offering fully-accessible recreation to Maine people with disabilities.

The Paddle for Pine Tree Camp is a statewide event with trips throughout Maine including: the Kennebec River, Saco River with SacoBound, Androscoggin River with Sun Valley Sports and Maine Handicapped Skiing, Swan Lake in Belfast and sea kayaking in Brunswick with Seaspray Kayaking (sea kayaking will take place on Sun., June 5).

For more information, contact Erin Rice, marketing and communications director Pine Tree Society, 443-3341, extension 117

Jeff Strout can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net