NEWSLETTER
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| July 2017 |
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From the Prez
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| By Mike Germani |
Hey all,
Hope you are all out on the water enjoying the sunshine! Join us this month and work on a new skill on one of our Coaching Sessions, or visit several of Washington's many islands by sea kayak - Blake, Vashon, James, Decatur, Blakely,and Stuart are all on the list!If you prefer rivers, then don't miss a weekend on the White Salmon!
Then get ready to party! The 4th ANNUAL WKC Beach Party at Hobuck Beach is August 11 - 13. We are gearing-up for another weekend filled with camaraderie, kayak clinics, and a roasted pig! Sign-up for Saturday's Luau in advance here, so we know how many to cook for. And bring your favorite potluck dish to share with the group!
The Hobuck training courses for that weekend 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 Garden/Ocean Whitewater - August 12
- Hamp All instructs Surf Zone Mini Clinics- August 12 - 13
See you on the water!
Mike
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Featured Trip
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4th Annual WKC Hobuck Beach Party: August 11 to 13
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Photo credit to Gary Luhm
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We are gearing-up to celebrate at the 4th Annual WKC Hobuck Beach Party! Four years of kayaking camaraderie, skills training, and a roasted pig luau!Come on out to party and have fun playing in the ocean with boats at Hobuck Beach (Makah Bay).
If you have never been here, Hobuck is fabulously beautiful and good for the soul. The beach is soft and flat, perfect for exploring ocean conditions. If you come out of your boat, simply walk back to shore.
Paddling opportunities will be available for all club members, including; Surf Zone Clinics, WKC Coastal Clinic, and Rock Gardens / Ocean Whitewater Class.
See details and make sure to REGISTER FOR CLASSES in Training section below.
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Enjoy the Luau on Saturday night.This is a potluck event so plan to bring your favorite island-themed dish.
Tomas Tabisola will be roasting a pig so please register ahead of time, so he knows how many to expect.
Where: Hobuck Beach (Makah Bay)
Come for the day or stay for the weekend.Hope to see you there! It could be the most fun weekend of your life...
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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 at Neah/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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WKC 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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WKC Luau at Hobuck Beach: August 12
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DON'T MISS the annual WKC Luau at Hobuck Beach - August 12- and all this FUN:
- Tomas Tabisola will roast another pig- Caribbean style this year - PLUS a brisket! Register ahead of time so he knows how many to cook for. And bring your favorite potluck dish to share!
Register for LUAU Here
- 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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For those of you following, Freya Hoffmeister has made it from Seattle to Seward, Alaska! She recently met-up with Josh Thomas, photographer - and kayaker from the 2009 video, Paddle to Seattle.You can see more images from this leg of her trip on Freya's Facebook page.
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 & 11-13: 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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Fall in the Wall for First Timers
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By Shanna Gachen
Shout-out to one of our lifetime members, Jon Almquist, who never stops volunteering his time to help others adventure and experience our beautiful rivers. Whether it's helping out with the whitewater class, heading up skill builder trips right after class, leading adventure trips to the beautiful Olympic Peninsula or pushing any level paddler to their next level - he's always game!
Thanks Jon for all your guidance!
Read More |
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 |