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Meetings are held the last Tuesday of the month
(except June, July, August, and December)
7:00 p.m. at the Seattle R.E.I. flagship store.

2012-2013 Meeting Schedule
If you have any ideas for programs please contact
Garrett Filemyr or Linda Roubik

From Dan's introduction to a canoe paddling lesson in 1972 to his current endeavor as US Team Leader at the Olympic Hopes Regatta in Szeged, Hungary his legacy is paddling. As maestro with a paddle, he conducts and conveys his students to reach a higher level of skill proficiency. His CCKC students have ranged from 250+ Groupon members this summer to three participants in the Olympic Games. Dan is also the author of the sea kayak book "Sea Kayaking: Basic Skills, Paddling Techniques, and Expedition Planning". This 2 year adventure in writing is now available in 2012 by Mountaineer Books and is a comprehensive compilation of Dan's extensive knowledge of kayaking.

Dan is both a student of the mechanics of paddling and renowned as a coach for sharing his knowledge. As a medalist in the Pan American Games, his accomplishments bring an air of authenticity to his teaching. He blends together a bow & arrow, a waltz, and a passion of efficiency to form the perfect paddle stroke. Please join us for a fabulous presentation by Dan, a true winner!

October 30, 2012 - Bahamas: Great Exuma Out-Islands

In March 2012, five SSKC'rs (Diane Civic, Sharon O'Grady, Kathy Pendras, Linda Roubik, and Pete Weiner) got a taste of paradise while paddling for a week up a string of out-islands to the north of Great Exuma Island in the Bahamas. They self-guided, with rented kayaks and much helpful advice from Out Island Explorers, www.outislandexplorers.com, located in Georgetown on Great Exuma.

Come see photos of the rare great iguanas that got up close and personal at camp dinner on the beach . . . and the sting rays, live conch and other abundant underwater life. Hear tales of the attack of the swimming pigs, and of almost getting into Thunderball Grotto of James Bond 007 fame.

November 27, 2012 - Red Sky at Morn? Weather Planning for Kayakers

In 1593, Shakespeare wrote:

Like a red morn that ever yet betokened,
Wreck to the seaman, tempest to the field

Should a kayaker take warning of a red morning? Find out on November 27th as we feature Steve Jones, meteorologist and fellow kayaker at the monthly meeting. Steve is well grounded in the science of weather; he earned his undergraduate degree in Meteorology and Atmospheric Chemistry at UW. Steve grew up on the pacific coast in California and his introduction to the water was guided by his grandfather, a diver. To complement his appreciation of the water, this San Diego native learned to kayak at a Navy Recreation Center in Puget Sound. A veteran of the US Navy, he served aboard a 54,000 ton ship nicknamed the Golden Bear. From this ship, Steve witnessed a typhoon that produced waves reaching the height of the fantail of the vessel, some 60 feet above the waterline. In a higher perch, he's now a member of the Air National Guard.

Learn from Steve as he brings a new perspective to understanding the risk management evaluation of weather, as related to both trip planning and also while underway in the middle of a trip. He is the head sea kayak instructor at Cascade Kayaking in Renton and is certified as coach as a Level 5 ACA Open Coastal Instructor as well as a surf kayak instructor. Steve is well versed in recreational and competitive kayaking. He believes in the understanding of fundamentals and the thorough application of them. Become aware of the wind, both where it's coming from and what it can do.

Please join us for an evening where the forecast is predicting fine conversation.

January 29, 2013 - Sitka to Hoonah - West Coast of Chichagof Island

Join 'Back-eddy' Jim Corson, Gerry 'The-Curmudgeon-of-the-North' Bashein, and Travis 'Tag-Along' Keay for photos and discussion of their trip from Sitka to Hoonah along the west coast of Chichagof Island, SE Alaska. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

• An unlikely place for a potato farm - a brief history of early potatoes in North-North America.
• Exploring ruins of the mining town of Chichagof.
• The drudgery of being weathered in at White Sulfur Hot Springs Cabin.
• A burger, a beer and advice un heeded – discrepancies amongst current charts
• The serenade of the squeaky whale – Pt Adolphus

February 26, 2013 - Bella Bella On Our Mind

Guide books give us the informtion we need to plan a trip: when to go, how to get there, things to see and do, and places to stay. Local knowledge, however, gives us the ability to take advantage of circumstances and enjoy ourselves in comfort and safety. It is this kind of local knowledge of Bella Bella that Phil Hulse will share with us at the February meeting. He has been going to Bella Bella and the Hakai Recreation Area (halfway between the top of Vancouver Island, and the Queen Charlotte Islands, along the Inside Passage of BC); every few years since 1999 and has done it solo and with groups up to 6 for as long as 13 days at a time. He will review the basic trip planning information but emphasize how to get the most out of the time and effort you put into a trip to this sea kayaker's paradise just 24 hours travel time from Seattle.

March 26, 2013 - Kayaking and Houseboating in the Canyons of Utah's Lake Powell

The canyon is narrow and winding, walled in by towering sandstone cliffs of red and gold and vermilion, the sky just a slit of cobalt blue far above. On quiet water between the canyon walls, kayakers paddle past an erosion-formed arch in the sandstone and glide by an immense cave made by centuries of weathering.

This is kayaking in the Escalante side canyon of Lake Powell, Utah, the vast reservoir formed by the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River, upstream from the Grand Canyon. Nine Seattle Sea Kayak Club members made the trip last October – and made it easy on themselves by renting a houseboat for sleeping, cooking and traveling down the open lake and into the side canyons with their kayaks aboard.

One of them, Carole Trout, a frequent and popular presenter of SSKC programs, will show striking photos of kayaking, houseboating and hiking in those awesome canyons, in a digital slide show at SSKC's March 26 meeting at REI.

April 30, 2013 - Willamette River Water Trail

How does a Keeper share? By offering blackberry cobbler ala mode! The Willamette Riverkeepers have been advocates since 1996 of the river flowing through the Willamette Valley of Oregon. They raise funds and awareness by leading "Paddle Oregon", a 5-day trip that typically explores 100+ miles of the Willamette Water Trail.

Think of a cruise by kayak, where your accommodations are planned for you and your dining experiences border on luxury. You and 150 other paddlers will experience nano breweries and catered meals, all the while your gear is ported by a shuttle.

Please join Dede Chinlund as you vicariously take in the wonderful days of August as the cruise begins and the learning starts. You'll not want to miss the stories and the insight of an organization dedicated to keeping clean the waters we paddle upon.

May 28, 2013 - Ikkatsu: Kayaking and Tsunami Science on the Wild Olympic Coast

With the debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami drifting on ocean currents toward the coast of North America, a small group of skilled sea-kayakers set out to document the flotsam as it began to come ashore in 2012 along the remote and roadless Washington coast. Between Neah Bay, at the tip of the peninsula, and Ruby Beach, at the southern end of the roadless section, lies approximately 70 miles of pristine Olympic coastline, much of it inaccessible to foot travel. It is here, on secluded pocket beaches surrounded by soaring sea stacks and intricate rock gardens, that the debris is making landfall.

Ikkatsu is a Japanese word that means "united as one," a concept that the tsunami debris illustrates in a powerful way. One society is connected to another. The vast expanse of the oceans doesn't keep us apart; it is what joins us together.

Tacoma-based paddling guide Ken Campbell is both a veteran of major international trips such a circumnavigation of Newfoundland, and the author of a great series of local guidebooks on Puget Sound paddling. His team is now busy preparing for their next tsunami-debris expedition this summer (to Augustine Island in Alaska). But Ken has invited us to show the award-winning documentary movie made of their Olympic Coast journey. Expect popcorn to be served, at our first-ever SSKC movie night!

June 25, 2013 - OUR ANNUAL PICNIC

The Social Event of the season is on Tuesday, June 25. We gather between 5:00 and 6:00 P.M. and the pizza arrives at 6:30 P.M. (Hint: don't be too late or it will be all gone). Come to Magnuson Park on Lake Washington and look for shelter #1. Some of us will be coming early to hold the table.

 July - August, 2013 - Gone Paddling!!!! See you in September.