NEWSLETTER
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| June 2017 |
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| Check out our Kayaking Resources tab: One stop for all the information you need to go paddling! |
From the Prez
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| By Mike Germani |
Hey all,
Welcome to summer! Thanks to all the rain this spring - we have no shortage of water to play on! Join us this month for one of the many Weekly Skills Nights/Coaching Sessions/Play Clinics, or work on that After Work Roll with Shanna Gachen at Powerhouse! Then take it on the road with Bill Petty to Kootney for a week long trip. Lots to do!
SAVE THE DATE! WKC Luau at Hobuck Beach: August 11 - 13. We are gearing-up for another weekend filled with clinics and a roasted pig!
The Hobuck training courses are on the calendar now. Sign up early to reserve your space:
- Rhonda Schwab will lead WKC Coastal Clinic - August 10 - 13
- Deb Volturno teaches Rock Gardens / Ocean Whitewater Course - August 12
- Hamp All instructs Surf Zone Mini Clinics - August 12 - 13
We need more SK TRIP LEADERS! As an incentive, we are offering a GearLab carbon fiber Greenland paddle to one lucky leader this August at the WKC Luau (Details Here)!
See you onthe water!
Mike
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Featured Trip
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Crescent Bay Beach Play Day: June 24
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Day trip from Freshwater Bay to Crescent Bay. Freshwater Bay Parking Area at 9am We'll play along the cliffs, enjoy the fantastic weather. Don't forget sun screen it will be HOT! The Freshwater Bay/Crescent trip is only 4 miles but it's a great stretch to play along the rocks and improve you handling skills so we'll take our time.
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| See our Events Calendar for more upcoming trips! |
Training
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WKC Coastal Clinic: August 10 - 13
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Photo credit to Gary Luhm
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WKC is pleased to offer a very special Sea Kayaking Clinic being led by Rhonda Schwab, Chris Smith, and Mike Germani:
This is a 4-day Coastal Kayaking Clinic, Thursday through Sunday. It introduces the skills required to experience the beautiful, remote, and challenging waters of Washington State and Vancouver Island’s open coastline. The clinic is atNeah/Makah Bay and is designed to improve sea kayaking skills and confidence, which will lead to increased enjoyment of your sea kayaking experience.
When: August 10 - 13
Where: Neah Bay / Makah Bay
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WKC Surf Zone Mini Clinics: August 12 - 13
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Photo credit to Sean Watson |
The surf zone is an amazing environment for developing many kayaking skills at once and it can be a fun place to learn! Improve bracing, balance and edging skills and progress in stroke proficiency. You will learn new techniques for reading moving water and have opportunities to practice the skills in a supportive environment. For more advanced paddlers, begin to learn, improve or refine surfing maneuvers and skills.
When: August 12 -13
Where: Hobuck Beach, Neah Bay
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Rock Gardens / Ocean Whitewater Class: August 12
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Photo credit to Gary Luhm |
Rock Gardens / Ocean Whitewater class will teach skills to safely maneuver a kayak through play, transition, and hazard zones.Learn how to read the water, develop skills to maneuver your kayak through some surf, and in moving water in rocky environments.
When: August 12
Where: Hobuck Beach, Neah Bay
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News and Events
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Congratulations 2017 WKC Basic SK Course Graduates!
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By Rhonda Schwab
We had 29 students and 18 instructors. The weekend went great weather and currents were just what we needed. We were lucky again this year to get all the gear for the students from Kayak Academy and we had a great new chef who make a splash with his cooking skills, Josh Phelps. He had two adult helpers plus this year we had 3 teenagers helping in the kitchen who did an awesome job...
Read More
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SAVE THE DATE: 2017 WKC Luau at Hobuck Beach August 11 - 13
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DON'T MISS the annual WKC Luau at Hobuck Beach- August 11 to 13 - and all this FUN:
- Tomas Tabisola will roast another pig- Caribbean style this year - PLUS a brisket!
- A 4 Day Coastal Clinic with Rhonda Schwab will teach skills required to experience remote challenging waters of Washington State and Vancouver Island.
- Surf Zone Clinics with Hamp All for surf, whitewater, and SOT kayaks will teach techniques for edging, stroke proficiency, and techniques for reading moving water.
- Rock Gardens / Ocean Whitewater Class with Deb Volturno will teach skills to maneuver a kayak through safety, play, transition, and hazard zones.
REGISTER EARLY for these clinics, as they fill every year!
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Come for the day or stay for the weekend. Hope to see you there! It could be the most fun weekend of your life... |
Following Freya on Her 10 Year Journey Around North America
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Freya Hoffmeister has made it 70 days into her journey from Seattle and was recently in Sitka, AK to re-supply.
She plans to paddle as far as Homer or Kodiak this summer, then return to Seattle next spring and begin paddling south. After three months, she’ll fly up to Kodiak or Homer and resume her trip northward in summer 2018 - then repeat yearly, until she arrives in New York.
Latest News - Sitka
Freya on Facebook |
Bon voyage, Freya! |
2017 NW Whitewater Slalom Cup Dates Now Available
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The NW Whitewater Slalom Cup continues with highly valuable points awarded at each race and the best 8 out of 10 race results are totaled for fabulous awards in each.Come out and compete or just learn some slalom moves and have some fun!
Upcoming Slalom Events:
July 15 - 16: Chilliwack
Aug 19 - 20:Payette Slalom Races
Aug 26 - 27:Roaring River Slalom
Race Calendar
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WKC San Juan Seven Challenge
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| We love circumnavigating islands and want to encourage more paddlers to join the fun, so we have launched the San Juan Seven Challenge.
The seven islands selected for the San Juan Seven challenge are San Juan, Orcas, Lopez, Cypress, Guemes, Lummi, and Stuart.
You can circumnavigate the islands in any order that you like and can take as much time as you need or want to circumnavigate each island. To qualify for badges you need to circumnavigate the island during a WKC trip that has been announced on the WKC website.
Upcoming WKC Trips:
July: Orcas Island
October: Cypress Island
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WKC Seven Rivers Challenge
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WKC members who participate in club trips to the seven designated rivers will receive collective paddle/boat stickers designed by a whitewater kayaker and artist Zeus Rudner.
Challenge yourself to get all seven stickers! When a member completes all seven rivers, he/she will receive a finisher’s sticker. To make it easy to keep track, participants must register for the club trip online.
The designated rivers and in Seven Rivers challenge are: Nisqually, Nooksack, Sauk, Sol Duc, Stillaguamish, Wenatchee, and White Salmon
Upcoming WKC Trips:
August 5/8: White Salmon III+
September 23: Sauk River III
Contact new Whitewater Trip Chair
or 7RC Cheerleader
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Looking to Buy/Sell Used Paddling Gear?
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Maybe kayaking isn't your sport.Need to sell some gently used gear? Looking to purchase some paddling treasure? Check out the WKC Classifieds Forum to list your items or to purchase kayaking gear from fellow paddlers.Easy to follow instructions for posting items included below:
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Schedule for ACA and PNA (formerly BCU) Paddler Certifications
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| Thinking of taking your paddling skills to the next level?Become ACA or PNA (formerly BCU) certified this season. Special awards signify specific paddling, safety and leadership skills at different levels and in various craft. These awards provide a way to track your own progress as a paddler, and give others a reliable indication of your preparedness for trips and further trainings. Improve your skills or become a certified coach and lead others on the water: |
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ACA Certification
Founded in 1880, The American Canoe Association (ACA) is a national nonprofit organization serving the broader paddling public by providing education related to all aspects of paddling.River, coastal, and surf kayaking certifications offered.
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PNA Certification
Paddlesports North America (PNA) was formed in 2013 to provide access to British Canoeing (formerly known as the British Canoe Union or BCU) paddler awards and coaching certifications in North America, including canoe, kayak and stand up paddleboard.
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Recent Trip Reports
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Check out the Trip Reports tab to see more WKC kayaking adventures.
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2017 Memorial Day Weekend at Solduc (Part 1)
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By Joyce Stuart
The 2017 Memorial Day Weekend Solduc paddle, was a complete success. Sunshine and enough water to paddle! From Friday to Monday, there were 51 people paddling various watercraft: tandem canoes, solo canoes, hard shell whitewater kayaks, a double IK, a Packraft, a small R2 raft, and two Fishing cats. The largest group, all paddling the same river reach, was 38 on Saturday, paddling from Klahowya Campground to Hillstrom Road.
Read More |
Shenanigans on the Solduc (Part 2)
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By Bob Menard
I was getting out of my boat after fetching someone's paddle following a swim at ledge drop [I will let that individual confess for them self]. As I was getting out, some nearby campers excitedly ran down to the river, and asked how far we were going. Not really understanding the nature of the question, I asked why. "We lost a cooler." I inquired further "how did you lose a cooler?" ..."our canoe flipped" ..."where is your canoe?" ..."it's also downstream" ...
Read More |
Vancouver Island Whitewater Road Trip
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By Kanako Iwata-Eng
Jennie, Bill, and I packed Jennie’s van “Morris” and left for the Vancouver Island on Thursday, April 13 to join the Vancouver Kayak Club’s annual trip to the island. Despite the holiday weekend (Easter Monday is a federal holiday in Canada), the 10:45 p.m. ferry was fairly empty. We checked in a hotel a little after 1 a.m., went to bed by 2 a.m. and got ready for the four-day weekend.
Read More |
Team Petty Adventure - Dungeness
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By Kanako Iwata-Eng
After heavy mid-week rain, the Dungeness was higher than we liked on Friday, February 17, 2017. Changing plans, Bill, Doug, Pete, John T from Canada, and I ran the Park to Riverside section of the Sol Duc. John had to leave, but the rest of us camped there and drove back to the Dungeness on Saturday, February 18. Claire, Lora, and Josh from Poulsbo joined us at the Dungeness Hatchery.
Read More |
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Copyright 2014 Washington Kayak Club
President: Mike Germani president@washingtonkayakclub.org
Secretary: Bill Porter
Treasurer: Jackie Brown
Editor: Brenna McVety newsletter@washingtonkayakclub.org |