Peninsula water sports enthusiasts, rejoice.

The 10th Port Angeles Kayak Symposium is April 16-18 at the Red Lion Hotel and Hollywood Beach at the downtown waterfront.

The event features clinics, demonstrations, speakers, races and beach parties on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Clinics are held throughout the three days about kayaking techniques, safety, etc. Instructors will share beginning through advanced skills and techniques as well as slide shows and other on-land informative talks.

The beach is open for demonstrations of watercraft from 1-5 p.m. Friday,

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m-3 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 or free with a donation to the Port Angeles Food Bank. Life jackets and paddles are provided.

Friday night’s guest speaker is Northwest kayaker and author Ken Campbell, who presents “Wild Island Shorelines” – stories and images from beautiful paddling destinations in North America. Campbell showcases the best of Vancouver Island, the Pacific Northwest, the Santa Barbara Channel Islands and Newfoundland.

On Saturday at 7 p.m., Brent Sund, president of the Washington Kayak Club, presents “Paddling Wales.” In April 2009, Sund led eight members on the club’s first international expedition to Anglesey, Wales, known for having some of the most difficult conditions to sea kayak in the world. Sund and Bill McKenzie share photos and stories of this adventure.

Companies showing gear at the symposium include: Eddyline Kayaks, P&H Kayaks, Emotion Kayaks, Venture Kayaks, Redfish Kayaks, Werner Paddles, Swift Paddles, Naish Stand Up Paddleboards and Pacific Paddleboards.

The fifth-annual Coho Dodge and Dash Kayak Race is set for a 9 a.m. start on Sunday. Participants need to be at the beach by 8:30 a.m. The race features a 3.6-nautical mile course with eight different competitor categories. Prizes include free nights at the Red Lion, gift certificates from Olympic Raft & Kayak and a free one-year membership to Olympic Peninsula Paddlers Club.