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The Seattle Sea Kayak Club is the place where novices and experts swap stories, share kayaking info, and have fun doing it. The club has an informal social atmosphere which fosters opportunities to meet other paddlers. The club offers a regular monthly newsletter, monthly meetings, and trips.

We are not a large club. We don't even have business meetings or elections. We seek to maintain a friendly, personal type of atmosphere where club members can get acquainted easily.

Meetings at REI

Meetings cover a variety of topics and frequently include slides, videos, guest speakers, and story exchanges. Meetings are typically at the REI Flagship store in Seattle on the last Tuesday of each month at 7 pm. There's no meeting in December. June is an outdoor potluck, and July and August we're all gone paddling. Please feel free to bring guests.

Svalbard, a territory of Norway located some 400 miles north of the mainland, has the most northerly regular airline service in the world. After a visit to Longyearben, its largest town, SSKC members Gerry Bashein and Diane Reeves paddled for 5 days and camped 4 nights in this arctic desert. Trip highlights included a visit to an abandoned Russian mining town, staying in an established camp with research scientists, visiting 3 remote trapper cabins, paddling along a huge tidewater glacier, and standing 2-hour polar bear watches while the sun shone all night.

Membership

Dues for joining the Seattle Sea Kayak Club and becoming part of this enthusiastic and creative organization of kayakers are only $15 per year - single, couple, or family. You may join at the club meeting or by mailing in an application form.

If you join between October 1 and December 31, pay $18 for a 15-month membership (that is, through the end of the following year).

Newsletter

The newsletter contains a broad variety of information related to sea kayaking, from updates on gear and environmental issues to events around Puget Sound, and reports from club members on trips and kayaking experiences. The newsletter also prints requests for people seeking paddling partners, ads for used boats, etc. We welcome (ok, beg for) contributions from members.

Trips

The kayak club offers trips which range from short evening paddles to long weekends and week-long trips. The2011 trip schedule has 50 trips and events. The trips are open to SSKC members and their guests. The club also assists members in getting paddlers together who want to do longer expeditions.

We have an annual Trip Planning Party for all members, this year on January 22, 2011. You need not be an expert kayaker to offer a trip, but you should select a trip that is comfortable for your skill level. You may come prepared with ideas for trips or get advice at the planning party from other, more experienced members. Trip schedules usually come out in late February. We mail them with the newsletter, or upon joining the club, and keep the schedule up to date on the website (for members only) with additions and corrections.

UPDATE 5/31/11: New Orca Approach Regs in Effect and San Juan County Park Permits

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has issued new regulations to protect Southern Resident killer whales (orcas). These regs change the approach limit from 100 yards to 200 yards, and prohibit boats from intercepting a whale or stationing a boat in the path of a whale. The so-called "no-go zone" along the west coast of San Juan Island was dropped from the proposed regulation, largely due to political pressure. In commenting on the original proposal,  SSKC had recommended a kayaker education program funded by permits issued at San Juan County Park. The county put this in effect last year for all launches at that park. For more info, visit the county's website.