(Formerly the Twin Cities Sea Kayaking
Association)
Minneapolis, MN 55458-1792
Note from the Editor:
Wow! In the few short months since the birth of
SKOAC, we have come a long way. We
worked hard to get the word out about our new club and plan a packed summer
calendar. Paddling season is finally
in full-swing and we can now enjoy the fruits of our labors.
Check out the
rest of the newsletter to bring yourself up to date on all that SKOAC has been
up to this spring and what we have laid on for summer. We hope you are as excited as we are about
the full calendar of trips catering to all skill levels. You will find numerous social events and day
trips close to the Twin Cities in addition to our unmatched multi-day
big-water/wilderness trips.
As always, 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:
1. The SKOAC Board meeting in
May was held in the REI lecture hall.
Present were Board members Brock Hunter, Lynn Jacobs, Al Kasinskas,
Adrienne Madson, and Bill Newman.
2. The Board spent most of the meeting
reviewing the success of SKOAC's launch this
spring, including the printing and distribution of brochures, our booth at Midwest Mountaineering's Canoe Event,
inclusion of SKOAC events in HUT!
(the Minnesota Canoe Association newsletter), and ongoing upgrades to our
website.
3. Board member, Lynn Jacobs, addressed the
issue of Wednesday night paddle sessions. She emphasized the need for consistent presence to attract and
meet new members, assess the skills of those planning to participate in club
trips, and improve on skills that have fallen out of practice. The rest of the Board agreed and resolved to
schedule sessions every Wednesday through the paddling season and to focus each
session on a specific skill or topic.
Check out the calendar for specifics.
4. The Board also discussed the importance of
compiling a complete list of club members' e-mail addresses to more effectively
and efficiently inform our membership of last minute trips and other info. So far we have current e-mail addresses for
approximately half of our members. Bill
Newman, SKOAC's membership director, will be sending out a member information form
with all renewal notices. Please be
sure to fill it out, especially the e-mail line and send it back with your
membership fee. If we compile enough
addresses we may someday switch to an all-digital, e-mailed newsletter to cut
the cost, effort and paper consumed in sending the letter to every member by
snail mail. Don't worry, if you don't
have e-mail we will always be willing to mail you a hard copy. See the member phone/e-mail list attached to
the newsletter to see if we have your current address.
Club News:
1.
SKOAC firmly established its presence in the local paddling community
with our booth at Midwest
Mountaineering's Spring Canoe Event.
We were lucky to get a last
minute booth opening and threw everything together in just a few days. Jim
Davis came through for us once again, delivering a slick SKOAC poster and
banner for the booth just in time for the event. Bill Newman set up an
impressive slide show depicting SKOAC's far-flung adventures. We also displayed copies of Bill Newman and
Sarah Ohmann's kayaking guide books,
along with Sarah Ohmann and Rick
Wright's Sea Kayaker article on
kayaking the Apostle Islands. Many
members generously donated their time and effort in setting up and manning the
booth. Over the course of the three day
event we distributed over 300 of our new SKOAC brochures. Thanks again to all SKOAC members who
donated their time, effort and creativity.
We had a lot of fun and look
forward to participating in the event in years
to come.
2. Chris Wein, our webmistress, continues to cram the SKOAC web-site with new content.
She also tracks site visits and provides statistics to the Board on a
month-by-month basis. Over 1,500 individuals visited SKOAC.org in
May. Among the visitors were
paddlers from the Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Great Britain, Spain, Germany,
Portugal, Hong Kong, Belgium, Australia, Argentina, Sweden, Singapore, Hungary,
Poland, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, South Africa, France, Ireland, Norway,
Costa Rica, Italy, Israel, the Slovak Republic, Samoa and, of course, the U.S.
and Canada. Many of the visitors went
straight to the "Gear for
Sale" section of the page, so keep that in mind if you have stuff to
sell.
3. The first annual SKOAC Spring Fling suffered rather low attendance because of
forecast rain and cold. A few hearty SKOACers took advantage of clear weather
early in the weekend and paddled Squaw
Bay Sea Caves. The weather turned
nasty later with pouring rain and temps in the thirties and forties so we
retired to the Disco Teepee for
Brock Hunter's ever-expanding laser
light show. Undeterred by the
weather, Bill Newman grilled two
whole chickens in the pouring rain, using a new (and dubious) cooking method
which involved shoving a open-but-full can of beer where the sun don't shine before placing each
bird on the grill. Bill reports he is
happy with the new recipe, though he is still
walking a little funny.
4. East-side Kayak Queen and active SKOAC
member, Stellar Sager, has upped the
ante on our Summer calendar. She has
ambitiously organized a number of day
trips over the course of the summer.
Check out the calendar.
5. Rick
Wright (a.k.a. Little Richard, a.k.a. The Short Hairy One) has generously
volunteered to organize this year's Fall
Ball. We know the end of the season
is still, thankfully, a long way off, but mark your calendar for this one. This year's Ball will be of the Costume variety. That's right. Bring an outfit, the
wackier, the better. The Ball will
be held on Sand Island the weekend after Labor Day. See the calendar for details.
Rick is spending his
summer living on a sailboat in Cornicopia, WI and guiding for a local kayaking
outfitter. He has offered to lead club
members to the sea caves for weekend trips.
Call him on his cell phone (612.926.4076) at least one week in advance.
6. SKOAC t-shirts are here
and you want one. Once again, Jim Davis, SKOAC's resident design guru, has generously donated his time and industry contacts to hook us up. The shirts are gray with the full-color SKOAC
logo centered on the chest. They are
high quality 100% cotton with double-stitched seams. Our initial batch are all size XL. (We may order more in different sizes in the future if we sense
enough interest.) The shirts are $15
apiece. Contact Bill Newman at
763.585.6191.
Club-Sponsored Skills Workshops:
1.
Several SKOAC members have spent the spring working toward their ACA Kayak Instructor certification. For some time, Bill Newman has been our
club's sole certified instructor. He
has shouldered the job admirably, but we have always longed for a deeper bench
(so to speak). Ellen Nacik, Sarah Ohmann, Rick Wright and Brock Hunter stepped up
to the proverbial bat in May, each participating in a three-day Instructor Development Workshop ("IDW"),
taught by internationally-renown Instructor-Educator, guide and kayaking rock
star, Gail Green. Gail and her husband run a guide operation
called Adventures in Perspective and
have recently set up shop on Lake Superior between Bayfield and Redcliff in the
Apostle Islands. They plan to run trips
and train instructors from all over the
world out of this ideal location.
Check out their web site at www.livingadventure.com.
The IDW is the first of two, three-day, courses
required to achieve certification.
Gail and fellow Instructor-Educator, Lissa Flemming, put on a fantastic workshop. Bill
Newman also participated as an assistant instructor, part of maintaining
his certification. The days were long
and tiring, but we had fun, learned a bunch and made many new friends. In September, we will return for the second
half of the certification process, the Instructor
Certification Exam ("ICE"), having spent the summer working on
all the tips and tricks we picked up from Gail and Lisa at the IDW.
We hope
SKOAC will not stop at just five certified instructors. We encourage any member who has gained a few
years of paddling experience and wants to round out their skills and take it to
the next level to pursue certification, as well. Doing so will add even more depth to SKOAC's already outstanding
experience base.
2. SKOAC
has already sponsored two new-paddler instruction weekends in June. The first, held on June 8-9, was the ACA Introduction to Coastal Kayaking
course and was taught by Bill Newman
with help from instructors-in-training,
Sarah Ohmann and Ellen Nacik. The
class was attended by 8 students/new SKOAC members. We welcome them into the fold.
The second instruction weekend, Introduction to Superior Kayaking in the
Apostle Islands, on June 15-16 is about to get underway as this newsletter
goes to print. As of this writing, if
appears we will have great weather and a sizeable turnout.
3. As
indicated in the Board News section, we hope to make Wednesday night paddles a bit more organized this year. We plan to focus on different skills each Wednesday, with our instructors-in-training and other senior members leading
the sessions. Participation in the
drills will not be mandatory. Members
will be free to work on their own if they prefer. The only thing mandatory is that all have fun. Check the calendar for dates and topics.
SKOAC SPRING 2002 CALENDAR:
|
|
June
19 |
Wednesday Night Paddle: Meet at 6:30 at the north end of Lake
Calhoun for practicing skills and general evening paddling. FMI:
Bill Newman @ 763-585-6191 or Adrienne Madson @ 952-955-1897 |
|
|
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 |
|
|
June
21,22,23 |
7th Annual Rossport Sea Kayak Symposium: To
register, contact Superior Outfitters at dtamblyn@nwconx.net
or 807-824-3314 |
|
|
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. FMI: Adrienne @ 952-955-1897 or kayakinade@aol.com |
|
|
June
26 |
Wednesday Night Paddle: Meet at 6:30 at the north end of Lake
Calhoun for practicing skills and general evening paddling. FMI:
Bill Newman @ 763-585-6191 or Adrienne Madson @ 952-955-1897 |
|
SKOAC |
June
30 |
Forest Lake: Meet at put in at 2:00 p.m. Take I35 north to Forest Lake exit
131. Go east on Broadway Ave. one
mile to the “T.” Go left on 1st
St. NE one block to the boat access on your right. Dinner after paddle at Upperdeck Grill and Bar (Broadway and
Hwy 61). Level II. Contact Stellar Sager @ 651-237-1003 |
|
SKOAC |
July
4 thru 7 |
Sauna Island Tour: Full! |
|
|
July
10 |
Wednesday Night Paddle: Meet at 6:30 at the north end of Lake
Calhoun for practicing skills and general evening paddling. FMI:
Bill Newman @ 763-585-6191 or Adrienne Madson @ 952-955-1897 |
|
SKOAC |
July
13 to 21 |
Silver Islet to Rossport: Full! |
|
|
July
17 |
Wednesday Night Paddle: Meet at 6:30 at the north end of Lake
Calhoun for practicing skills and general evening paddling. FMI:
Bill Newman @ 763-585-6191 or Adrienne Madson @ 952-955-1897 |
|
|
July
18-21 |
Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium: Grand Marais, MI FMI: Larry Merx @ lmerx@nkfm.org |
|
SKOAC |
July
21 |
Carlos Avery/Sunrise River: Meet at put in noon. Paddle the South Sunrise Pool in the
Carlos Avery Wildlife Mgmt. Area.
Take I35 north to Stacy. Take
exit 139 and go east on Co. 19 for 1.7 miles to an unmarked dirt road on your
right. Turn right on dirt road and go
3/10 of a mile (stay on your left) to the put in on your right just before
the bridge. Backyard BBQ at Stellar’s
after the paddle. Bring a dish to
share. FMI and directions to
Stellar’s: Stellar Sager @
651-237-1003 |
|
|
July
24 |
Wednesday Night Paddle: Practical Greenland Style Paddling with Dennis Asmussen. Meet at
6:30 at the north end of Lake Calhoun. Paddle with Dennis as he introduces
you to the ease of using a Greenland paddle.
Learn new skills or work on existing ones. Dennis will cover the forward stroke, drills on bracing and
open water rolling. Join him for a
great evening. FMI: Contact Dennis Asmussen at 651-488-7224 |
|
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 Terese
Medo at 612.728.0436 pr Rich Cook @ 763.493.5585. Level II. |
|
|
July
31 |
Wednesday Night Paddle: Meet at 6:30 at the north end of Lake
Calhoun for practicing skills and general evening paddling. FMI:
Bill Newman @ 763-585-6191 or Adrienne Madson @ 952-955-1897 |
|
|
Aug.
2-4 |
5th Annual Two Harbors Kayak Festival: Races,
coastal kayak tours, stroke clinics, gear swap, banquet, fun. For more information and pre-registration,
visit www.kayakfestival.org or call 218-834-9449. |
|
SKOAC |
Aug.
5 - 15 |
Quetico: Join Peter Veng-Pedersen on his second
trip to Quetico and the BWCA.
FMI: veng@uiowa.edu |
|
|
Aug.
7 |
Wednesday Night Paddle: Meet at 6:30 at the north end of Lake
Calhoun for practicing skills and general evening paddling. FMI:
Bill Newman @ 763-585-6191 or Adrienne Madson @ 952-955-1897 |
|
SKOAC |
Aug.
14 |
Gervais Lake / Keller Lake: Meet at 6:00 p.m. Take 35E north from St. Paul to Hwy. 36
exit. Go east on 36 but stay in the
right lane to exit immediately on Edgerton.
Go left (north) on Edgerton over bridge. Follow Edgerton one block to Co. Rd. B2 and go right. Follow Co. Rd. B2 to the “T” in the road
and go left on Arcade St. The Spoon
Lake boat launch will be on your right.
Level I. FMI Arne Stefferud @
651-772-4367. |
|
|
Aug. Check
website for date. |
White Bear Lake: Take
694 to Hwy. 61 and go north 2.6 miles to White Bear Ave. Take a right on White Bear and get into
the left lane. Follow White Bear ½
block. Take the first left and then
take an immediate right. Go ½ block
to Lions parking lot on your left.
Paddle over to Ruperts’ for a bonfire, night paddle back to put
in. Bring lightstick or flashlight
for boat. Contact John or Jan Rupert
@ 651-426-7631. |
|
SKOAC |
Aug.
17 |
Bald Eagle Lake: Meet at put in at 2:00 p.m. Take 694 to Hwy. 61. Go north on Hwy. 61 exactly 6.5 miles to
Co. J/120th St. and take a left.
Go over the RR tracks and take an immediate left onto Falcon Ave. Go ½ mile south to park entrance/boat
access on your right. Dinner at
Decoys Grill & Bar after the paddle.
Level II. FMI: Stellar Sager @ 651-237-1003. |
|
SKOAC |
Aug.
18 to 24 Tentative
date |
Paddle Voyageurs National Park: Planning 9 day trip (2
travel days and 5 paddling days) to Voyageurs National Park. Launch from Ash River or let us know your
ideas. FMI: Lyn V.
612-789-2713 or Jackie S. 612-418-3716 |
|
|
Aug.21 |
Wednesday Night Paddle: Meet at 6:30 at the north end of Lake
Calhoun for practicing skills and general evening paddling. FMI:
Bill Newman @ 763-585-6191 or Adrienne Madson @ 952-955-1897 |
|
SKOAC |
Aug.
24 |
Lake St. Croix to Prescott: Meet at 8:00 a.m. sharp. This is a 6 to 8 hour paddle for advanced
paddlers. Possible 20 to 25 mph winds
and waves. Take 94 east to
Hudson. Take exit #1 just after you
pass over the MN/WI bridge. Follow
exit lane north into Hudson. Take a
left on Buckeye at stoplight. Go one
block to First St. and take a right.
Follow First St. for approx. ½ mile to swimming beach parking lot on
left. Hamburgers in Afton after the
paddle. Level III. You must RSVP to participate. No
exceptions. Contact Lisa Dau @ 651-407-8201. |
|
|
Aug.
28 |
Wednesday Night Paddle: Meet at 6:30 at the north end of Lake
Calhoun for practicing skills and general evening paddling. FMI:
Bill Newman @ 763-585-6191 or Adrienne Madson @ 952-955-1897 |
|
SKOAC |
Sept.
2 - 7 |
Voyageurs National Park: For
more information, contact Scott Bemis @ sebemis@self-serv.net
or by phone. Home: 952-895-8982. Work: 612-672-8059. Level II - III |
|
SKOAC |
Sept.
6, 7 & 8 |
Annual Fall Ball:
Held on Sand Island, as usual. This year will be a costume ball, so bring
an outrageous outfit. Contact Rick
Wright FMI @ 612-926-4076 or 612-824-7768. |
BE
SURE TO CHECK OUT www.SKOAC.org FOR CONTINUOUS
UPDATES TO THE CALENDAR.
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
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.
Skills required for a club trip are determined by the trip organizer
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.