Home ] [ Meetings ] [ Trips ] [ Documents ] [ Links ] [ Contacts ]

 
Meetings are held the last Tuesday of the month, 7:00 p.m. at the Seattle R.E.I. flagship store.


2008-2009 Meeting Schedule
If you have any ideas for programs please contact
Judy Blake or Linda Roubik

  • September 30, 2008 - Better Movement for More Efficient Paddling
    Kayakers always want to improve their stroke, for speed or efficiency. Did you know the secret may be in your hips?

    Peggy Protz specializes in helping people with their movement in various sports. She has taught a number of seminars for kayakers.

    We'll get a chance to try some simple exercises while sitting in our chairs. Different than traditional stretching, these body-mind exercises are designed to increase awareness of how you use your body. Best of all, what you learn can be applied once you are in your boat and out on the water.

    Peggy is certified in a technique called Feldenkrais and also has an extensive background in dance and pilates exercise.

  • October 28, 2008 - Kayaking Alaska�s Stunning Prince William Sound
    The spectacular scenery of Alaska's Prince William Sound was a key draw for Gerry Bashein, Diane Reeves and four other paddlers when they kayaked there for 10 days last May, camping four nights and staying the other five in public cabins.

    You'll see the stunning setting and learn how to reserve cabins when Bashein and Reeves present a talk and digital slide show on this memorable trip to a realm of rugged mountains and even more glaciers than in Alaska�s Glacier Bay.

  • November 25, 2008 - Paddling B.C.�s Lovely Broken Group Islands
    The jewel-like islands of British Columbia�s Broken Group in Barkley Sound are often cited by kayakers who�ve been there as among their favorite destinations. You�ll see why at the November SSKC meeting when a group of club members present a digital slide show of their week in the islands last July.

    As the friends rediscovered - most having kayaked there before - the Broken Group offers a dream combination: a chance to paddle in protected waters between islands or to venture to the wilder "outside," or Pacific side, where ocean swells provide added thrills.

    Sea caves that you can paddle into when conditions are right, lagoon-like passages between islands and a backdrop of distant snow-capped mountains are among the scenes you�ll see from this trip, which was led by Martin Malkin and photographed largely by Carole Trout.

    You�ll also get info on how to get there - whether by driving directly to the launch site or climbing aboard a passenger boat running between Port Alberni and the island

  • December 30, 2008 - No Meeting

    Happy Holidays!

  • January 27, 2009 - Alone by Kayak from Seattle to Glacier Bay: The second half
    On June 18, 2005, a lone kayaker set out to paddle the length of the Inside Passage, 1,500 nautical miles from Seattle to Glacier Bay, Alaska. Three and a half months later, on October 1, as the first snows fell in Southeast Alaska, Bill Bailey arrived in Glacier Bay.

    Bailey�s kayak had been punctured by rocks three times and had nearly broken in half. Great storms had descended on his kayak, winds so violent they ripped paddle from hands and glasses from face and blinded him with spray. He was sucked into boiling tidal rapids with whirlpools the size of houses, stranded twice on islands, rescued by the coast guard once, suffered a back injury that left one leg completely paralyzed for two days, became possibly the only man alive ever treed by a sea lion, and in general had a wholly good time.

    Bailey, a Seattle Sea Kayak Club member, recounted the first half of his adventure at an earlier meeting of the club. Come see and hear the rest of the story - the exciting second half of his two-part presentation.

  • February 24, 2009 - Kayaking in the Greek Islands
    Ann Kruse and Curt Mobley, along with 6 friends and 2 guides, spent 8 days last September kayaking in the Dodecanese Islands, a small group of islands in Greece just off the coast of Turkey. Were they up for the challenge? Could they handle the tough tasks of kayaking in 80-degree turquoise water, sleeping in guest houses in fishing villages, and feasting each night in a taverna on the local beach? Find out the answers at our Feb. 24 meeting, when Ann and Curt will show us their photos and share stories from this delightful trip.

  • March 31, 2009 - Paddling in the Wind
    Wind is the wild card that can change an "easy" paddle into a difficult one. Learn techniques to help you paddle in winds coming at you from all quadrants.

    Who better to tell us these secrets than George Gronseth, well-respected and longtime local instructor, the founder of Issaquah-based Kayak Academy. George also writes safety articles for Sea Kayaker Magazine, and is co-author of the book "Sea Kayaker Deep Trouble".

    George is one of our favorite speakers, having previously covered topics such as gear, hazards, and judgment. He's great at answering questions, and telling stories, on just about any kayaking subject. So come prepared for a lively discussion session, too!

  • April 28, 2009 - Getting Up-close and Personal with Shoreline Creatures
    Among the fascinations of Northwest kayaking are the myriad beach creatures that paddlers can observe along our shorelines -- everything from brilliantly colored sea anemones to hermit crabs, sun stars, moon snails, oysters, mussels, sea cucumbers and countless others.

    At our April SSKC meeting, we�ll get a close look at many of these animals - and at how our lives intersect with theirs.

    Sharing his knowledge of our hugely varied shore life will be Alan Rammer, marine community outreach and environmental education specialist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

    A past president of the Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators Association, Rammer has honed his marine-life expertise through 32 years with the Fish and Wildlife Department. He has also expanded that knowledge through travels to the Galapagos Islands, Costa Rica, Australia, China and other far-flung places.

  • May 26, 2009 - Alone and Boatless in Seattle
    Don't have your own boat? Taking friends out who are boatless? Interested in reducing your carbon footprint and paddling locally?

    Everyone can benefit from the tips we'll get from Barb Sherill. And she knows her subject. She's been teaching kayaking and running various rental shops since the 90's, and now she is known to many as the "better half" over at George Gronseth's local Kayak Academy.

    Her presentation will include ideas for paddling in the greater Seattle/Puget Sound area. We'll hear about scenic one-hour trips and day trips, and even a little bit about using a folding kayak without needing a vehicle.

    As an extra added attraction, Ruth Windhover will also give a short presentation from her trip to Peru last summer, where she photographed a demonstration on the construction of balsa boats.

  • June 30, 2009 - OUR ANNUAL PICNIC
    The Social Event of the season is on Tuesday, June 30. 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.

  •  Jul-Aug, 2010 - Gone Paddling!!!! See you in September.

Previous Years' Programs

2007 - 2008
2006 - 2007
2005 - 2006
2004 - 2005
2003 - 2004
2001 - 2002
2000 - 2001
1999 - 2000
1998 - 1999
1997 - 1998