Villages Recreation Department Supervisor Nadia Krashefsky was away from her usual digs at Bradenton Recreation Center Tuesday morning, assisting Ryan Toler launch Camp Villages teens and their kayaks onto calm Lake Mira Mar waters. Toler, with Discovery Kayak Tours, enjoys working with Camp Villages kids each summer. “I like that this outdoor sport can be enjoyed by young and old alike, and creates long lasting memories for everyone. Sometimes it can be difficult for sixty-something grandparents and teenagers to find things in common to talk about. This experience can provide a good starting point.”
Toler made sure all the participants had their life jackets on and went over a list of safety tips. “He gave them the complete ‘411’ about kayaking,” Krashefsky said. “He told them how to paddle, balance their craft and navigate safely; not to make sudden stops or try sharp turns, and to be watchful for other nearby kayakers.”
Village of Buttonwood resident, Jerry Bullen, and his grandson, James Murphy, 5, from Staten Island, New York, watched James’ older twin brothers, John and Robert, 13, paddle their kayaks under the Lake Mira Mar bridge. “James is a little too small to be in a kayak on his own,” Jerry said, hugging his grandson, “but in a year or two, we’ll have him out there too. John asked me before if there were alligators in this water,” Jerry recalled with a laugh. “I told him probably not, but just to be sure, don’t put your fingers in the water!”
Discovery Kayak Tours arranges kayak instruction and paddling 3-6 days a week on central Florida lakes and rivers. “No matter where we are, in The Villages or not, close to 98 percent of our participants come from The Villages,” Toler said. “This little lake is a good place for beginning kayakers to ‘get their feet and paddles wet,’ and get comfortable with the sport, because these are calm, protected waters. We take the more experienced kayakers down to the Dead River, through the Dora Canal and out on Crystal River — pretty much wherever they want to go.”
The hour-long orientation and paddling session was fun for both the kayakers and observers. The onlookers watched from shady spots and the kayakers emerged from the cool water refreshed and happy.
