Click on photos to enlarge

Thirty five paddlers joined together to see the collection of tall ships at the embarcadero on September 5th. People came from not only the SDKC, but several from Valley-Wide, the San Diego Meet-Up Group, TRR, and CKF paddled with us. Chris Griffith took point, while Joe Morin brought up the rear as safety.

We had ideal weather and mostly calm waters throughout the 8 mile paddle, and more people joined us for the picnic. Even though Steve Wilson had an injured hand, he still managed to give us one very nice song, and we thank him for that. Many brought group food items, which turned out to be a great time of visiting with old friends, while meeting several new ones. We were even joined by a kayaker from Maine who discovered our website, and has become a fan. She even bought one of our hats, making the state of Maine now the most distant place from San Diego to have our hats worn! How cool is that?

Not only were there several beautiful square riggers, schooners, and yawls on display, but a very interesting outrigger canoe reproduction was of special interest to us, which is based on the original sailing canoes in the Mariana Islands. The person on board the canoe said an augmented version of that design holds the world speed record for vessels under sail.  For more information of all the vessels on display, click on this link, then the participating ships box:

http://sdmaritime.org/visit/public-events/festival-of-sail/

The replica of the San Salvador was also on display, which was recently launched by the Maritime Museum. Everyone who paddled up close was impressed by the craftsmanship of this wood vessel. We not only were viewing the Tall Ships event, we became part of it, as the Union Tribune included a photo they took of us in their write-up. Click on this link to see it:

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/sep/05/festival-of-sail-san-salvador-2015/

To everyone who participated in this fun paddle and picnic, the San Diego Kayak Club thanks you, and we hope to see all of you next year for this wonderful chance to paddle with friends from throughout southern California…and those visiting us from other parts of the country.

Kayaking affords a special view

The “First Annual SDKC Tall Ships Paddle and Picnic” will coincide with the “Tall Ships” event on the “Big Bay” this year. The Liberty Station launch ramp is the ideal place for us to gather, launch our boats, and have a  picnic afterwards. There is plenty of parking, and restrooms are close by, just to the south in the park. The “Tall Ships” will be tied up at the embarcadero area of downtown, and there will be “Gun Fights” on the bay throughout the day for us to view as we paddle.

Date: Saturday, September 5th

Launch Time:  9:00 am

Launch Location: Liberty Station launch ramp (see map below)

Who is Invited: SDKC members, CKF members, Night Herons, Valley-Wide Kayak Club, TRR people, Thursday Night and Meet-Up Paddle Groups, and any guests you want to invite. SOT’s & SUP’s are encouraged to join in on the fun.

Rentals of Boats & Stand-Up Paddle Boards Available:  Aqua Adventures is offering special “overnight rental rates” for boats, paddle boards, and foam car top carriers. You must pick yours up at AA on Sept 4th. Give them a call to reserve yours at (619) 523-9577.

Raffles to help raise money for the SDKC: To raise funds for ongoing expenses of web site fees, Skill Sessions subsidies, and promotion costs, there will be several raffles:

-Club hats ($15 value each)    -Special Kayaking Items from AA   -Two Jen Kleck Instructed SDKC Group Skills Sessions ($20 value each)  -One Jen Kleck Instructed Private 2 Hour Skill Lesson ($150 value)  -A few of Steve Wilson’s Hull Cracker music cd’s ($18 value each)

Picnic Following the Paddle: Around 1 pm…or when we return from the paddle. 

Music: Steve Wilson of “Hull Cracker” fame  will be there to sing some of his great songs, and will bring a few of his albums to the event.

Club Hats: We will have a few hats at the picnic to purchase for $15 (which includes tax).

Duration of the Paddle:  We will be on the water for about 3 to 3 1/2 hours, checking out the Tall Ships and gun battles out on the bay.

SAFETY NOTICE: This is a intermediate-level paddle of at least 7 miles, not intended for beginners. Please read the “Disclaimer” at the end of this announcement.

There will be a lot of power boats, personal watercraft, and sail boats on the bay during this event, so we need to stay close to shore at all times. When we cross the open water between Harbor Island and the B Street Pier, we need to stay in large groups, in order to be more visible to other boaters.

CAUTION: The ramp at our Liberty Station launch site can be very slippery, so be careful when you walk down that concrete ramp.

Our Plotted Course is in Yellow

What to Bring: All safety gear (life jackets must be worn by all paddlers), VHF radio, camera, zinc sunscreen for skin and lips, sun glasses, water and snacks for the paddle, hat (a few of our new club hats will be available to purchase for $15), food and drinks for the picnic (everyone brings their own, and no glass bottles please), and a blanket to sit on. There is a grassy area next to the ramp for cleaning off your boat, so bring water for that.

Directions to Liberty Station Launch Ramp:

From I-5 south and I-8 west, take the Rosecrans exit (which is Hwy 209 on the map). Take Rosecrans to Lytton Street (at the Sail Ho golf course) and turn left. Take the first right, into Liberty Station. Follow the one way street to Sims Road and turn left. Turn left on Historic Decatur, a one-way street which takes you back toward the entrance. You will immediately see another street named Perry on your left. Turn into the parking lot on your right at that juncture. The ramp is at the east end of that lot (LS Launch on the map). There are restrooms just south in the park (follow the sidewalk along the canal/park).

Liberty Station Launch Site

PLEASE NOTE: The announcer of this event is not the leader of such, merely a “coordinator”.

Disclaimer: We will have experienced paddlers on this trip, but they will not be responsible for telling you what is or is not safe for you to do. We watch out for one another and assist one another, but all individuals are responsible for, and manage their own safety. This responsibility includes assessing your gear, skill level, and physical conditioning relative to conditions and location, as well as making decisions about what you will or will not do. Participants acknowledge that kayaking on the open sea or bay is inherently dangerous and can lead to physical injury including death as well as property damage. Participants, on their behalf and on behalf of their heirs and assignees, agree to hold the announcers and other participants blameless in the event of such injury, damage or death. Please join us if you want to mildly stretch your capabilities, but please stay home if you would be wildly stretching them. Participants should have bracing skills, be able to self-rescue and assist in the rescue of others. They should be able to launch and/or land along the rocky bay front.

Colors: Chrome, Black, Kaki

Club hats are now ready for a special initial order at a great price. These are good quality, low profile, 100% cotton washed twill, with hook and loop closures (one size fits all). The colors are chrome with navy blue embroidery, black with grey embroidery, and kaki with black embroidery (that paddle length will be the same as on the other two hats).

Jen at Aqua Adventures will be selling these hats starting later this summer, but we are having an initial “Roll-Out” special-priced offer for prepaid orders starting now for only $12 each, which includes tax. Embroidered hats of this quality typically sell in stores for over $20 + tax. After this initial order, the price will be higher at AA, so now is the time to get a great looking hat at a good price.

Quote from Jen: “I love them!  Yes, please!  I want to sell them.  I think visiting kayakers will like them and maybe some locals who don’t know about the club will find out about it”.

Not a club member? Simply sign up on the website, at no cost to join. But you don’t have to be a club member to buy a hat.

Deadline for placing your order: July 15

Distributing the hats to you: I will bring them to some paddles in August and September (like the San Salvador and SDKC/Tall Ships paddles). In case that does not work out for you, yours can be picked up at AA, but that should be a last resort please.

How to order:  Simply reply to the email sent to the club on 6/26/15 (or the one which will be sent on July 8) , and tell me the color you want. I will then give you an address to send your check to, which must be received by July 15 to get the special price…and, at this price you should consider getting two, or all three colors!

So, get a hat. They not only look cool, but are great advertising for our club and this fun sport!

(Click on photos to enlarge)

To thank those in the medical community for their good help in treating skin cancer (see Safety article on “Protecting Yourself from Overexposure to Sunlight“), we took some paddling on Saturday, May 30th. Jen at Aqua Adventures really stepped up to help on this, and contributed boats and her time for the paddle. Her new helper, Ben, also paddled with us, having just arrived from back east.

Jim Alsup and Joe Morin helped out as safety boats. My thanks to them and Jen for a good morning on the water, while treating medical care-givers to a fun experience of kayaking.

-Contributed by Jay Murdock