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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 Mercer Island Community Center.

2016-2017 Meeting Schedule

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September 27, 2016 - Fog Winds in Kyuquot and the Bunsbys

"It looks like you're going to have fog winds" said Leo, our First Nations taxi operator from Kyuquot as he ferried our group from Fair Harbor to the Bunsby Islands. What exactly did that mean? Come hear SSKC co-Speaker of the Fleet, Bob Ernst, and find out!

October 25, 2016 - The Bay of Exploits in Northern Newfoundland

Get 'Screeched In' as we travel through Gut Tickle, around Cranky Point and along Dildo Run while kayaking the Bay of Exploits in northern Newfoundland. Explore Tuckamore Forests, the red ocher pits of the original "Red Indians," and giant ice bergs visiting from West Greenland. Learn the best way to clean 40 Tinkers and how to hypnotize a lobster with 'Back-eddy' Jim Corson, Gerry 'The-Curmudgeon-of-the-North' Bashein, and our speaker, 'Tag-along' Travis Keay.

November 29, 2016 - Gordon Brown's Award-Winning Video, Sea Kayak

Come watch and discuss Gordon Brown's award-winning video on Sea Kayak handling. With the stunning west coast of the Isle of Skye in northwest Scotland as his backdrop, Brown provides instruction on all aspects of paddling, from posture, edging, and forward paddling to eddy line races and rock hopping.

Join us to learn new tricks, refresh your existing knowledge, and discuss questions and techniques with colleagues. Matt Broze will help guide the discussion and answer questions from his depth of experience.

December 2016 - No Meeting

February 4 2017 - The Annual Trip-Planning Party

No, it's not a meeting as such - but it is probably the club's most important event of the year: our annual trip planning party. Know of a spectacular vista? Have an idea for a fun, community-oriented paddle? Want to share your favorite rock garden? Just want to learn more about what's involved in leading a trip? Come! Have pizza with us! Urban Duwamish explorer, Olympic Peninsula surfer, Friday Harbor daytripper, or hardcore WWTA trekker - it doesn't matter. We need all levels of participation, and would love for you to come.

February 28 2017 - When Waves and Currents Meet: A Safety Discussion Led by Curt Mobley

We all know that a strong wind can cause breaking waves, and that waves break when entering shallow water at a shoal or beach. However, there is another situation that is less familiar but equally dangerous: waves traveling against a current. Curt will start by explaining how waves and currents interact and, in particular, how the wave behavior depends strongly on whether the waves are traveling with or against the current. After his overview, he will open up the meeting for war stories and a general discussion about wind, waves, and currents.

March 28 2017 - Campfire Tales of the Cascadia Marine Trail

Sea serpents! Rum-runners! Fish traps! The colorful history of Cascadia Marine Trail will come alive at our March 28 meeting. Each site has its own unique history, going back to the earliest explorers and settlers. Karen Borell of the Washington Water Trails Association will entertain us with stories to share around the campfire and to help us appreciate this gem we have in our own backyard.

April 25 2017 - Kuiu Redux

Three years ago Jim Corson reported on his circumnavigation of Kuiu Island, Alaska (Feb. 2014). Last year he and fellow adventurers Gerry Bashein, Dick D'Archangel, Rick Lee, and Tom Krause returned to explore some of the deep bays along the west side of the island. That was not quite how it worked out with broken down ferries and a water taxi with a one-day window. They did explore the bays, but it also meant a little land travel too. Get the details during another of their excellent and inspirational presentations.

May 30, 2017 - Raja Ampat: An Unparalleled Tropical Kayak Adventure

The BBC Scotland science production, Earth's Natural Wonders (Season 1, Episode 2) has this to say about this amazing place, "[O]ff the coast of New Guinea, in the Pacific, is a flow of water so powerful it makes the Amazon pale into insignificance, water flows from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean, equivalent of 100 Amazons a day, richest reefs on earth, more species here than the Great Barrier Reef and the Bahamas together, some of the most ferocious currents in the world."

Come share in the adventures of SSKC member Marlla Mhoon as we paddle across the equator and immerse ourselves in the spectacular beauty of this remote archipelago.

June 27, 2017 - OUR ANNUAL PICNIC

The Social Event of the season is on Tuesday, June 28. 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, 2017 - Gone Paddling!!!! See you in September.