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SKOAC 2002 SPRING NEWSLETTER
Superior Kayak and Outdoor Adventure Club
(Formerly the Twin Cities Sea Kayaking
Association)
Note from the Editor:
This spring is
a time of redefinition for our club.
Over the last several years our club has grown and our interests have
evolved. Today, our membership
collectively boasts an amazing depth and breadth of experience, knowledge, and
skills. We have authors of kayaking guidebooks
and Sea Kayaker magazine articles, certified paddling instructors, and veterans
of numerous various crossings and long-range expeditions on Lake Superior and
other exotic locals. We also benefit
from the expertise of members from a variety of professional fields, including
science, engineering, medicine, education, art, business, computers and law, to
name a few. The time has come to
redefine the structure and mission of our club to better utilize our collective
talents and to better lead and serve the Twin Cities paddling community.
After a long
winter of self-examination, discussion and hard work we are excited to announce
the launch of a whole new club. Our new
name, the Superior Kayak & Outdoor Adventure Club ("SKOAC") is
intended to better reflect who we are and what we do. Although primarily a paddling club active on Lake Superior, we
also love winter forays into the snowy silence of the Boundary Waters and other
human-powered outdoor pursuits.
SKOAC is more
than just a new moniker, however. We
are a new club in substance, as well.
We intend SKOAC to operate as a cooperative in which all members agree,
up front, to give back to the club what they take from it. Every member can expect to be welcomed into
a dynamic and diverse paddling community where mentoring and instruction will
be given eagerly and ideas and participation actively sought. In this way, we hope SKOAC will be a
self-perpetuating, ever-evolving organization.
We hope you are
as excited as we are about being "Plank-owners" in this new paddling
club for the new millennium. The
newsletter will give you more details on SKOAC and the busy paddling season we
have planned. See you on the
water!
More than ever,
I welcome feedback, articles, and anything else related to sea kayaking or the
outdoors. Don’t hesitate to call me at
(612) 823-1272 or e-mail me at brock.hunter@justice.com with
any ideas, questions, or concerns.
Brock Hunter
Board
News:
Our March 4 Board meeting was a busy one:
- We
welcomed our new Board member, Lynn Jacobs, and a long time member who
has already rolled up her sleeves and pitched in with the launch of SKOAC. Lynn is interested in expanding the format
of our Wednesday night paddles on Lake Calhoun and helping get the word out
about our new organization. Thankfully,
Lynn is also a psychologist, which will undoubtedly come in handy with this
crowd.
- The
Board spent a great deal of time discussing the results of a member survey conducted by another club
psychologist, Ellen Nacik. The survey boasted a response rate of over
30% of club membership and we hope will be useful in helping the Board better
serve you. Ellen also facilitated some
very useful brainstorming and planning sessions this winter as we struggled to
shape our vision for SKOAC. Many thanks
for her efforts. The results of her survey are published below.
- We
hope to have a new SKOAC brochure
ready for printing by April. Sarah Ohmann and club-member Julie Neubauer have been hard at work
over the winter. They have a draft
version done and are now shopping for printers. We plan to distribute the brochures around to all the local
outdoor retailers.
- Julie Neubauer and club-member Jim Davis are hard at work on an
official SKOAC logo. Julie has generously commissioned an
out-of-state graphic artist to draft a handful of designs. Jim, a graphic artist himself, has also
submitted some nifty designs of his own.
We plan to choose the best of the lot and include it in the new
brochure, along with posting it on the web page and future newsletters
(probably even a tee shirt!).
5.
Speaking of our web page, if
you have not checked it out lately, do so now!
Reading the rest of this newsletter can wait. Our web-master, Chris Wein,
has worked feverishly through the winter expanding our web site in preparation
for the SKOAC launch. The SKOAC site
is a quantum leap ahead in content, with more added daily. Among the new content is the "Been There, Done That"
section, full of gorgeous photos and detailed trip reports from our far-flung
adventures. We are actively seeking
additional photos and reports from our members. Chris prefers you send photos to her in the PNG, JPG, JPEG or GIF
formats. If you have additional
questions, contact Chris directly through her link on the site. For now, the web address will remain www.tcska.org. Many thanks to Chris for all of her hard
work.
6. The
Board heard a report from Bill Newman,
Ellen Nacik and Brock Hunter on a meeting we had in February with Patrick Campion, from REI in Bloomington. We met with Patrick to discuss a
relationship with REI in which we would gain access to their lecture facility
for workshops and slide shows, along with their help in getting the word out
about SKOAC and all it has to offer the local kayaking community. We are still working on the details of what
that relationship will entail.
7.
Finally, the Board adopted a new SKOAC
Mission Statement:
Based
in the Twin Cities, the Superior Kayak & Outdoor Adventure Club is a group
of around 100 paddlers dedicated to fostering a supportive, educational
environment for those interested in sea kayaking and other outdoor endeavors. The club's mission is two-fold:
- To provide low
cost, practical training and experience to members through mentoring, skills
workshops, pool sessions, and club-sponsored trips; and
- To provide area
paddlers with a community in which they can meet and befriend other paddlers
with similar interests.
This
club is a cooperative endeavor. It
will continue to thrive only if all members commit themselves to give back to
the club what they take from it.
Club
News:
- As
promised, SKOAC is hosting a 1st Annual
Spring Fling to compliment our successful series of Fall Balls. Like the Fall Ball, the Spring Fling will be
primarily social in nature. The Fling will be held at the Buffalo Bay
Camp Ground in Red Cliff, Wisconsin on May 10-12. We will base camp at the campground and do day trips of varying
levels of ambition into the Apostles Islands.
The Fling is intended to be an opportunity to rub shoulders with fellow
paddlers and plan adventures for the upcoming season. We will have some of our heated tents along for those curious
about extending their paddling season into the colder months. Check out the calendar for details.
- Check
the calendar for the "Ladies of the
Lake " trip on June 1. This is
a women-only weekend trip in the Apostle Islands, organized by our new Board
member, Lynn Jacobs.
- Our winter camping season was not all that
we hoped because of the unseasonably warm temps. We largely avoided the Boundary Waters after hearing widespread
reports of dangerously thin ice. We did
get a nice trip to Split Rock Lighthouse
State Park. The highlight of the
trip ended up being the creative "disco"
lighting system strung up by Brock
Hunter in his Kifaru tipi. Sarah Ohmann took some great
time-exposure photos and sent them in to Kifaru. The Kifaru folks liked the shots so much; they posted them on
their web site. You can check them out
at www.tipikifaru.com (click on
"Disco Tipi" in the tipi section) or through the link in the winter
camping section of our own web site.
We're famous!
- SKOAC Silly Hat Contest (ongoing) As you can tell from a glance at our web page
photo gallery, SKOAC members have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to
seeking out the most bizarre and appalling sorts of headgear to be found on the
face of the earth (and then fearlessly wearing them *in public*). If you or
someone you know deserves a place in our hall of shame, please send the
incriminating photos or jpegs to: sohmann@earthlink.net.
Membership
Survey Results -
Ellen Nacik writes:
Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey. We had slightly less than 1/3 of club
member respond (considered pretty good in survey-land). No fancy stats were used-- interpretive
limitations abound. Nevertheless, here
are some highlighted results:
Part
I
Many/Most respondents agreed with the following statements:
r Too few people organize events (89%)
·
Many report they have not helped with an event
within the past 2 years (56%)
·
Most are willing to help with an event this year
(94%)
·
Most have a good sense of what the club has to
offer (85%)
·
There has been low turnout at events (59%)
·
Many sense apathy among club members (64%)
·
Most would like their newsletter delivered via
email (68%)
·
Most have attended/will attend a pool session
(83%)
·
Many would prefer more social events (53%)
·
Many would take an ACA fundamentals course from
the club (65%)
·
Most have used the website (94%)
·
Many agree we need a mission statement (78%)
·
Most would co-lead an event with a more
experienced paddler (83%)
·
Most would support fees being paid before an
event (94%)
·
Many felt we need a club brochure (61%)
·
Many want to co-do trips with other clubs (89%)
·
Many think we should have a new member
orientation (94%)
·
Most would participate on a moonlight paddle
(84%)
Part
II
·
Most respondents preferred 1-week notice before
an impromptu day paddle
·
Most of the respondents learned of TCSKA by word
of mouth
·
There was no clear preference for a weekend day
paddle (either Saturday or Sunday worked)
·
Most preferred to travel to Lake Superior (4 or
more hours) to learn skills or go on club trips.
Part III
- Preferred trip
destinations this season (ranked from most wanted to least wanted):
- 3
day holiday weekend paddles of moderate difficulty on Lake Superior
- Overnight
weekend trips to the Apostle Islands
- Overnight
weekend trips on inland lakes/rivers
- Day
paddles on rivers lakes just outside metro
- 7+
day trips to more distant places on Lake Superior (or other Great Lakes)
- Weekend
day paddles in the metro area
- Preferred workshops
respondents rated to attend if offered this season (ranked from most to least)
1. Navigation
and/or Orienteering
2. Coursework
portion of ACA fundamentals workshop
3. Camp
cooking ideas/Testing different types of camp stoves
4. 2
Day ACA fundamentals (at discounted fee)
The SKOAC Board will endeavor to shape our
organization and activities to the interests and opinions of our membership as
represented in these survey results.
Club-Sponsored
Skills Workshops:
1.
Explore the nearly infinite variety of rolls and other techniques made
possible through the use of a traditional Greenland
paddle at the pool session on April 14.
Fellow-SKOACer and Greenland technique guru, Dennis Asmussen, will lead attendees through the basics and show
off some more exotic skills. Bring your
Greenland paddle if you have one. We
will have a couple extra on hand if you don't.
Check the calendar for details.
2. Last
year we offered a weekend ACA
Introduction to Coastal Kayaking course as a low-cost, reliable alternative
to the local for-profit instructional offerings. We had such a great response we have decided to make it an annual
offering. This year's class will be
held on June 8-9 and will once again be lead by Bill Newman. Soon, Bill will no longer be the only ACA
certified instructor in the SKOAC bullpen.
We plan to have an additional five members complete their instructor
certification by June.
3. The Introduction to Lake Superior kayaking in
the Apostle Islands on June 15-16 is the next step beyond the
ACA Introduction to Coastal Kayaking course on June 8-9. This overnight trip to
Basswood Island is geared for those who have taken an introductory class or
have been paddling on inland waters and would like to try paddling on the big
lake. We cover topics like packing your
kayak, weather for kayakers, dealing with boat traffic and basic navigation
with map and compass. You provide a
boat and your own paddling and camping gear.
See the calendar for contact info.
Miscellaneous:
John Amren from
Cascade Kayaks dropped us this line:
I thought I
would give you some news about my business formerly known as Cascade Kayaks.
This fall I have changed the name to Superior Coastal Sports. I have big plans
including the construction of a new 3 story retail store and tour operation
featuring primarily sea kayaks but also other non motorized coastal related
recreation such as Windrider Sailing Trimarans, Open water rowing shells and
more. When my business was for sale for about a year...rumors developed about
Cascade Kayaks going out of business. I feel it newsworthy to mention NOTHING
COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. I leave it at your discretion as to whether
this is the type of news for your website newsletter.
Thanks, John
Amren –
http://www.superiorcoastal.com
Superior
Coastal Sports (formerly Cascade Kayaks)
20 East 1st
Street - Building B
PO Box 215
Grand Marais MN
55604
SKOAC SPRING 2002 CALENDAR
How to sign up for a trip:
v
Check the trip rating system at the end of the
newsletter to see what skills are required for a trip. Please remember to check the trip distances
to see if they are within your range.
If you are unsure about a requirement, please talk to the organizer
about it.
v
Contact the trip organizer to sign up for the
trip and get more specific information about meeting time and place.
v
Official club trips have “SKOAC” next to the
date and generally require participants to be members of SKOAC and are covered
by ACA and club guidelines.
Non-official trips/events are not sanctioned by the ACA or SKOAC, and
membership is not required.
SKOAC
April
13
Backyard cookout/potluck at Sarah’s house. Tired of Kraft dinners and Rice-a-Roni on
your camping trips? Come see what
recipe ideas other club members have cooked up, as well as a food dehydrating
demo and a truly odd collection of different camp stoves in action. Bring a stove if you have one, food to
cook on it, and copies of your favorite recipe to share. To sign up, call Sarah at 612-789-2338.
SKOAC
April
14
Pool Session: Dennis Asmussen will teach Greenland paddling, rolls and
braces. FMI: 651.488.7224.
April
21
Orienteering. Folks have expressed an interest in
navigation and orienteering. Have fun
with fellow ‘yakers on land as we romp in the woods around Lake Elmo Park
Reserve (www.mnoc.org/delmo.html). The Minnesota Orienteering Club (www.mnoc.org) has set up a permanent course
there. We only purchased a few maps,
so spaces are limited. Wear long
sleeves and pants, bring water, snack and most importantly, a compass. Sunday, April 21st at 12:00
p.m. Call Chris Wein at 651-646-5621
or email Ellen Nacik at nacik001@umn.edu
if interested. If there is a high
demand, we will try to do the event again in the fall.
SKOAC
May
10-12
Spring
Fling – Red Cliff/Buffalo Bay Campground. A social weekend with base camping at Red
Cliff and day trips into the Apostle Islands. Kick off your paddling season with us! Potluck dinner on Saturday night. Overnight camping at Buffalo Bay
campground (715) 779-3743. FMI: Contact Brock Hunter at 612.823.1272 / brock.hunter@justicemail.com (Skill Level II).
SKOAC
June
1-2
"Ladies of the Lake" - Women’s Trip: Women’s overnight
trip to York Island. Meet at Little
Sand Bay at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 1.
Camp on your own at Little Sand Bay on Friday night if desired. Start our season walking on the beach,
practicing skills in the bay and socializing. Dry or wet suit required.
Alternate plans if weather is not accommodating. Call Lynn Jacobs @
763.525.1720. (Skill Level II).
SKOAC
June
8-9
ACA Introduction to Coastal Kayaking. This two-day course is perfect for anyone
who is just getting started and covers kayaks, gear, clothing, paddle
strokes, rescue/recovery techniques and other topics important for safe
paddling. Taught by ACA instructor
Bill Newman and other club members.
FMI: 763-585-6191 (Level I)
SKOAC
June
9
(Rain
date June 16):
Mississippi Locks Paddle: Boom Island to Hidden Falls.
Meet Boom Island 9am to arrange shuttles.
Bring lunch, sunscreen, and raingear. Leisurely all day trip. Call Lyn V. (612-789-2713) or Jackie S.
(612-418-3716) for more info and to RSVP.
SKOAC
June
15-16
Introduction to Lake Superior kayaking in the Apostle
Islands.
This overnight trip to Basswood Island is geared for those who have
taken an introductory class or have been paddling on inland waters and would
like to try paddling on the big lake.
We cover topics like packing your kayak, weather for kayakers, dealing
with boat traffic and basic navigation with map and compass. You provide a boat and your own paddling
and camping gear. There is a $10 charge
for this trip to cover camping permits at Buffalo Bay and Basswood Island.
(Skill Level II) FMI: Sarah Ohmann at 612-789-2338.
June
20-23
Inland Sea Kayak Symposium: 13th annual event. Bayfield WI. Contact info:
715.373.0674 or iss@inlandsea.org
or www.inlandsea.org
SKOAC
June
24
Moonlight Paddle: Meet at 6:30 at the north end of Lake
Calhoun. Bring a light supper and
we’ll take out on the grass on the channel for supper and socializing before
we catch the moonrise over Lake Calhoun.
Bring a flashlight or light stick for your boat as we may paddle
around the lake after dark. (Skill
Level II) FMI: Adrienne @
952.955.1897 or kayakinade@aol.com
SKOAC
July
4-7
Sauna Island Tour: The Pie Island area, just outside the
mouth of Thunder Bay, Ontario, offers a great taste of the Canadian north
shore (rugged, mountainous coastline, huge cliffs plunging into the water)
while being surprisingly accessible.
Best yet, two of the neighboring islands have fully functional
saunas. Join us on what has become an
annual 4th of July tradition in our club.
(Skill Level III) FMI: Contact
Bill Newman at 763.585.6191
SKOAC
July
13-21
Silver Islet to Rossport: According to many, this is the best
extended wilderness trip on Lake Superior.
The 75-mile route between Silver Islet and Rossport passes through the
most remote part of the Lake with rugged cliffs and hundreds of uninhabited
islands along the way. Join us if you
are ready to see Lake Superior at it best.
(Skill Level III-IV). FMI: Contact Bill Newman at 763.585.6191 or
Brock Hunter at 612.823.1272.
July
18-21
Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium: Grand Marais, MI
SKOAC
July
26-28
Oak Island: Join us for a long weekend to Oak
Island. Plan to leave from Red Cliff
campground on Friday, July 26 at noon for two nights on Oak Island with a day
trip, weather permitting, to Raspberry Island Lighthouse. The group size is limited to 6 people due
to Apostle Islands National Lakeshore regulations. FMI: Contact Teresa
Medo at 612.728.0436 pr Rich Cook @ 763.493.5585. (Skill Level II).
SKOAC
Aug.
5-15
Quetico: Join Peter Veng-Pedersen on his second
trip to Quetico and the BWCA.
FMI: veng@uiowa.edu
SKOAC
Aug
18-24
(tentative):
Paddle
Voyageurs National Park :
Planning 9 day trip (2 travel/5 paddle days) to Voyageurs National Park.
Launch from Ash River or let us know your ideas.
Call Lyn V. (612-789-2713) or Jackie S.
(612-418-3716) for more info and to RSVP.
SKOAC Guidelines for Official Club
Trips and Activities:
Individual
Equipment Required for Club Trips Rated Level II or higher and Great Lakes or
Ocean Paddling:
r Sea worthy Sea Kayak with floatation bags or
watertight bulkheads – preferably 16 feet or greater in length
r Spray Skirt
r Personal Floatation Device (PFD) with
whistle – PFD’s must be worn at all times on club trips
r Paddle Float
r Bilge Pump
r Map/Chart and Compass – required on Great
Lakes and Ocean Trips
r Wet Suit or Dry Suit for all Superior trips
r Waterproof Flashlight or Headlamp for night
paddling
Recommended Group
and Individual Equipment for Club Trips Rated Level II or Higher and Great
Lakes or Ocean Paddling:
r Water bottle and food within reach of the
cockpit (energy gel, power bars, etc.)
r Tow line for towing tired or injured
paddlers
r First Aid kit
r VHF Radio
r Repair Kit for Kayak and other important
equipment
r Sunscreen
r Sun Glasses
r Extra food to allow for waiting out bad
weather
r Extra clothes, sleeping bag, tent or bivy
sack – even for day trips; in case of bad weather
r Paddle leash and/or spare paddle
r Strobe light and/or reflective tape on PFD
r Flares and signal mirror – required on Great
Lakes and Ocean Trips
r Way-cool dork-hat for shade or warmth
r Helmet for surfing
Skill
Requirements for Club Trips:
Each
club trip differs in the kayak skills that will be required for participants to
have a safe and enjoyable experience. The
trip organizer determines skills required for a club trip and/or the TCSKA
Board using the following lists as a general guide only. Participants are expected to self-assess
their abilities and take responsibility for themselves on club trips. Trip organizers help organize trip logistics
and coordinate club activities – do not expect them to act as guides on
trips! Note also that the focus on the
rating systems requirements is on skills rather than on the number of years of
experience in kayaking. a paddler with
ten years of experience would still be qualified only for SK I trips if they
had not developed, for example, reliable self-rescue skills.
Level I: No
previous paddling experience is required for club trips with a level I
rating. Examples would include
club-sponsored skill sessions on inland lakes and winter pool sessions. Level I trips or skill sessions will be used
to help new paddlers develop the necessary skills to participate in more
advanced trips. Level I trips will be
limited to sheltered waters and short distances with few significant hazards.
Level II:
Level II trips may include less sheltered open water paddles and longer
distances. Participants are expected to
have a working knowledge of kayak paddle strokes and braces. They also must be able to demonstrate a
self-rescue technique such as a paddle-float rescue and have experience using
at least one assisted rescue such as a T-rescue or rafting-up. a trip organizer may require a demonstration
of both a self-rescue and assisted-rescue before allowing a paddler to come on
a Level II or higher rated trip.
Participants are also expected to have a working knowledge of basic
navigational skills such as using a chart and compass, and basic knowledge of
the effects of weather on paddling conditions and how to obtain marine
forecasts prior to starting a trip. It
is assumed that participants can maintain a reasonable pace for trips of up to
ten miles per day in good weather.
Level III: Level III trips may include open water
paddling in challenging conditions and longer trip distances. On Level III trips, participants should have
well developed paddle stroke and bracing skills. Participants should not only have good high and low bracing skills,
but should be working on a strong sculling brace and learning to Eskimo
roll. Paddlers should be comfortable
paddling in higher winds (over 15 knots) and traveling in waves of 2-3
feet. They should be comfortable
launching and landing in moderate surf when breaking waves are 3 feet or
less. Participants in Level III trips
should have a good working knowledge of navigation including strong piloting
and dead reckoning skills. On Level III
trips participants should have the endurance to paddle up to 20 miles per day
in good weather with a fast, efficient forward paddle stroke.
Level IV: Level
IV trips may include open water paddling in very challenging conditions over
long distances. Participants should
have very strong paddling and bracing skills, be comfortable paddling in rough
conditions (waves 4 feet or greater and winds up to 30 knots), have mastered
group and self-rescue techniques, developed a reliable Eskimo roll (preferably
on both sides). Participants should
also be comfortable with landing in larger surf with 3-6 foot waves. As a rule, trip organizers would avoid
setting out to paddle in the above conditions, but, for example, a late-Fall
trip on Lake Superior might be rated a Level III-Level IV rather than a Level
III in recognition of the greater chance of running into sudden Fall storms.
© 2002 SKOAC
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