Author Archives: ChrisGriffith

Safety Paddlers Needed!

helpingourwoundedvets-300x57

TeamRiver Runner needs safety paddlers for their fundraiser next month. TRR’s second fundraiser, “Pints and Paddles for a Cause“, will be on Sunday November 15.  Again it will be held at the Barefoot Bar and Grill and part of San Diego Beer Week.  We expect it to be a bigger event than last year with additional sponsors, including Jackson Kayak.

 It will start off with “Pro” kayak races at 9am, Amateur Races at 10am, a recreational paddle from 11-1, beer, food and music at the Barefoot Bar and Grill from 10-2.  Jackson Kayaks will provide all personnel for the races but we will need 16-20 safety paddlers for the recreational paddle around Vacation Island.  All racers, regardless of how they do, will receive a drawing ticket and chances to win lots of great prizes.

Novice sit-on-top surf contest!

September 12 at N.Torrey Pines Beach from 10am-4pm

This is truly beginner friendly! ONLY sit-on-top kayaks with no fins are permitted! Kayaks can be provided if you don’t have your own. There is a tandem division too!

This event benefits Wild Coast which has been protecting Southern CA and Baja coastlines for many years!

Cost to enter the contest is only $20!

There is also food and prizes and is a great family event even if you don’t compete!

Skill Practice

IMG_9350-L[1]

Let’s tune up our skills before the water cools off. We’ll use the usual format – buddy up and work on whatever suits you. Generally the veterans join in to help coach, so novice paddlers are welcome to get wet with us, and be prepared for plenty of laughs.

DATE: Saturday, September 12
RALLY TIME: 8:30 am
LAUNCH TIME: 9:00 am
DURATION: 1 – 2 hours
LAUNCH SITE: Aqua Adventures Dock
VENUE: Mariner’s Cove, where there’s a nice beach and bathrooms
OPTIONAL: Getting wet, or not
RECOMMENDED: Warm paddling clothes or a dry top/dry suit

PLEASE NOTE:
These paddles are not sanctioned San Diego Kayak Club or Aqua Adventures events. 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 in small surf.

Moloka’i Solo showing tomorrow night!

unnamed

Moloka’i Solo is a documentary about Jock’s adventurous mother, Audrey Sutherland. Audrey was an educator and author who spent summers solo kayaking all over the world: Norway, Greece, Samoa, Palau, and, in her 80s, Alaska. Her first book, Paddling My Own Canoe, was published in 1978 and her final book, Paddling North, in 2012.

Moloka’i Solo, written and produced by creative architect and entrepreneur Bob Liljestrand, follows mid-60-year-old Audrey Sutherland as she recreates her 1960s circumnavigation of Moloka’i’s rugged coastline, and is filled with breath-taking visuals and slack-key guitar music by Kapono Beamer. The film was made over a period of three years in the mid-1980s but never released to the public.

Paddlers and ocean lovers alike will enjoy this truly inspirational documentary. Moloka’i Solo debuted at the Hawaiian International Film Festival in Honolulu in 1987 to excellent reviews, but has never been shown on the Mainland.

Wednesday, August 12
California Surf Museum
312 Pier View Way
Oceanside, California 92054
~ doors open at 6:30 pm ~

Admission at the door is $5 for card-carrying CSM members, and $10 to the general public. Seating is limited. RSVP to 760-721-6876.

Todos Santos islands clean-up

Todos Santos islands

Victor Leon (of Baja Aquatics) and Jen Kleck are finally making their dream of taking all the trash off Todos Santos islands a reality!

The Mexican Navy is going above and beyond the call of duty to help them out with boats and people-power, but they still have expenses. Please help them raise funds to make this incredible place even more beautiful!  Their crowdfunding campaign here:  http://www.gofundme.com/vb4vd4

Tragedy in Washington

You might have not seen this tragic news. Two kayakers died and another was critically injured while paddling back from a day outing in Dungeness Bay in northwest Washington state on Saturday. Our hearts break when tragedies like this happen. Even is ‘warm’ San Diego, we need to be cautious when paddling our bays and ocean. Always dress for immersion, and wear your life jacket. Get more paddling safety tips here: www.americancanoe.org/Top10

Island Hopping in the Aleutians – 2500km by Kayak!

11150672_10205349785476569_6832118312173593767_n

Come and hear award winning filmmaker and expedition sea kayaker Justine Curgenven talk about the highlights and challenges of her world first kayaking journey along the Aleutian islands and Alaskan peninsula, described as “the greatest technical sea kayak expedition in the world”. With round-the-world adventurer Sarah Outen, she set out to paddle 2,500km along the archipelago confronting more than 20 long crossings which separate the tiny unpopulated islands. Alone for 101 days in one of the windiest, roughest places on earth, these two women are swept away from land by unknown currents, pounded by rough seas and approached by bears. Experiencing an edge-of-your-seat journey, they gain a rare insight into themselves, the rich wildlife and the lives of the few people who live in this harsh yet beautiful landscape. Justine will show video clips from the highly-anticipated film and tell behind the scenes stories.

The presentation will be held in a beautiful venue in La Jolla, (generously provided by www.belowthesurface.org) that gives us the opportunity to socialize, eat, drink, and relax! We will be providing burgers and the fixings (veggie burgers too!) on the deck accompanied by soda and beer, so come right after work and enjoy the evening overlooking the Pacific! This is a free event, but we suggest a $10 donation to Below The Surface – a non-profit organization dedicated to clean and sustainable waterways coast to coast.

Burgers and socializing 5pm-7:30pm
Presentation 7:30-8:30pm

Martin Johnson House – Scripps
8840 Biological Grade, La Jolla, California 92037