1/1/01  Annual American Lake Paddle.  Leave the Gig Harbor Park & Ride at 10:30 am, or the 512 and I-5 P&R at 11:00; then caravan to American Lake.  Bring a lunch.  Contact: Jenny Berlin

1/12/01  Friday night paddle, Tacoma Tideflats.   Leave the Gig Harbor Park & Ride at 7:00 pm, or the Emerald Queen parking lot at 7:20 pm.  Launch at 7:30.  Contact:  Phil Lynch

1/20/01  Nisqually Delta.  Leave the Gig Harbor Park & Ride at 10:15 am, or the 512 and I-5 P&R at 10:45.  Launch at 11:30.  Bring a lunch.  Contact: Jenny Berlin

1/27/01  Eagle watching float trip, Skagit River.  Contact:  Oskar Hinz.  More info in the newsletter. 

1/28/01  Peninsula Pool, 2:30-5:30 pm.  Contact:  Jenny Berlin

February

2/3/01 Ketron Island. Launch from Steilacoom at 10 am. Contact: Marty Olson

2/9/01 Night Paddle. Launch from Gig Harbor boat launch at 7:30 pm. Contact: Mik Mikitik

2/17/01 Seattle Waterfront. Leave the Gig Harbor Park & Ride at 9:00 am. Contact: Oskar Hinz.

March

3/3/01 Purdy to Raft Island. Leave the Gig Harbor Park & Ride at 7:45 am. Contact: Phil Lynch

3/9/01 Night Paddle. Launch from Gig Harbor boat launch at 7:30 pm. Contact: Jim Davis

3/17-18/01 Willapa Bay and Long Island camp trip. More info in the newsletter. Contact: Oskar Hinz

3/18/01 Ruston Way, Tacoma Waterfront. Launch from Thea Foss Park at 9:30 am. Contact: Marty Olson

April

4/7/01 TBA paddle. Contact: Marty and Liz Sebren

4/8-15/01 Baja trip. Contact: Jenny Berlin

4/13/01 Friday night paddle. Contact: Oskar Hinz

4/14-15/01 Alder Lake and Little Nisqually River camping trip. Contact: Marty Olson (more information to follow or call Marty directly.)

4/28-29/01 Blake Island camping trip. Contact: Jim Davis

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Long Island/Willapa Bay.  Oskar Hinz is guiding a camping trip to Long Island over the weekend of March 17-18. Long Island and Willapa Bay are located just east o fLong Beach Peninsula. The launch will be at 9 am at the Willapa National Wildlife Refuze Headquarters. Approximately 5 miles from Hwy 101 and Hwy 4 intersect. He plans to camp at Smoky Hollow which is about a 4-5 mile paddle from the launch site and do some hiking through a giant cedar grove and wildlife watching. Oskar is going down on Friday evening and plans to camp at Fort Canby State Park and from there it is just a short drive to the launch site. If you are interested, give Oskar a call ahead of time so you know where to go and what to take, etc. Contact Oskar.Hinz@PSS.boeing.com

Skagit River Eagle Float.  On January 27^th, Oskar has invited our group on his Boeing-organized (BEWET club) raft trip down the Skagit to view the eagles. There is a slide presentation before loading into the guided rafts for a 2 to 2 ½ hour drift down the river. Checks for $40 per person need to be made out to BEWET and Oskar needs to have them in hand by 1/19. More info contact Oskar.

Upcoming Pool Time.  The Peninsula High School pool will be open and available to kayak club members on Sunday, the 28^th of January from 2:30-5:30. Bring your (clean) boats and come practice your capsize and recovery skills and your rolls. Call Jenny (bignewf2@aol.com) if you want to go.

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Welcome New Members:

John & Lori Meisburger of Gig Harbor

Debbie Bailey of Gig Harbor

Thom Davis of Tacoma

Dan Hudson of Greenwater

Betty Westby of Spanaway

It was a dark and stormy night and Friday the 13^th to boot but that didn’t stop 5 brave paddlers from the scheduled Friday night paddle. (Don’t forget, it is the first Friday after the first Sunday of the month.) Oskar, Betty, and Phil were joined by a new couple to the club Sally (Sal) and Marty. It was the first night paddle for Betty, Sal and Marty. The weather cooperated wonderfully with just a slight breeze from the south and no rain. A full moon was just rising somewhere behind the clouds.

After checking out a really big yacht that was anchored in the harbor we silently slid out of the mouth of the bay into the sound. Just as we rounded the sand spit the moon came out from behind a low cloud and left a highway of light to Vashon Island.

We decided to go north and let the breeze and out going tide help us along so we could enjoy the distant lights of Tacoma and the moon. Along the way Betty pointed out there was a small amount of phosphorescent in the water. We splashed and trailed our fingers leaving sparkling trails. We covered the two miles up to the large house on point whatever it is in what seemed only a few minutes. The breeze and tide had pushed us right along.

We turned around, cut into shore to reduce the effect of the current, and headed back. It really was a beautiful night for a paddle, we arrived back at the boat ramp at 9:30.

The plan was to meet Oskar Hinz, trip leader, at Colonial Creek campground which is located at the south end of Diablo Lake on Thursday night, September 28. Friday morning, we would leave the Colonial Creek boat launch at 9:00 am, paddle along the east shore and take out by the dock just before Ross Dam. We would call for the portaging truck to take us and our kayaks up the mountain and down into Ross Lake. We would spend Saturday and Sunday paddling and camping on the lake and then head home Monday morning. It was a very good plan; too bad the weather didn’t cooperate.

Oskar Hinz, Phil Lynch and Don Lahr did meet and camp at the Colonial Creek campground Thursday night. Debbie Yando and Betty Westby decided that they would tough it out (heavy rain was predicted) in a motel nearby. Friday morning, in the pouring rain, the campers packed up and headed out. Debbie and Betty packed up and headed toward the campground. We met in the middle and decided to have breakfast and discuss what to do next.

The decision was to give the weather one more day and we headed up to Baker Lake and set up camp in the still pouring rain. We put up a tarp (it was a fine tarp hanging job), built a warming fire, cooked and shared our dinners and then sat around the fire telling stories. We wished we had brought marshmallows! We went to sleep with the sound of rain falling on our tents – except for Don, who slept in the "RITZ " (his SUV). Smart man there, didn’t have a muddy, wet tent to dry out when he got home.

Well, the rain won -- Saturday morning we decided that it was time to give up and head for home. This was the first kayak-camping trip of the year 2000 where the kayaks did not leave the top of the cars. But we had a good time and were already talking about and looking forward to our next trip.

On December 9^th, seven of us paddled in our lighted finery around the harbor a couple of times. We circled the yacht clubbers and dressed up fishing boats. It was a very pleasant evening, the big boats were done up well, and our little group of lit up paddlers was much appreciated and praised by the onlookers. Paddlers were Debbie Yando, Betty Westby, Rick & Denise Buell, Paul & Jenny Berline and Oskar Hinz.

This was the day of the fierce winds and waves. Needless to say, our group did not paddle. However, several members of the BEWET club, Boeing’s paddlesport club, did do the paddle, and several capsized between the end of Fox Island and the bridge. They all lived to tell about it at the potluck held at Oskar & Cindy Hinz’ home. The potluck did take place and Oskar showed slides from the Belize trip in between power outages.

In the late afternoon of the 17^th, nine of us launched our decorated and lit up boats. We started caroling at the north end of the harbor at some of the waterfront homes and continued along by the Shoreline, and sang to Mik and Matt as they carried boats up the ramp, found the mayor, and around to the public boat dock and the Tides’. We didn’t get to sing to as many folks and parties as we had on other occasions - maybe Sundays aren’t the best days and it was a pretty chilly evening. The Minors’ double kayak was just outstanding with all their lights (powered by a 12 volt battery in the back hatch) and will be a hard act to keep up with next year. Debbie Bailey and son Ryan, also in their double were well lit. And the rest of us (Marty & Liz Sebren, Paul & Jenny Berlin, and a friend of the Minors and Baileys) just had our measley battery powered light strings.

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Do you have any used kayak and camping equipment that you are no longer are using and would sell? If you do, let us know and we’ll get it listed here of all to see. Just e-mail me: pberlin691@aol.com

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Membership/Treasury Note:

New members and renewing members may now make their $20.00 annual membership checks out to "Gig Harbor Kayak Club." We have a savings account and a post office box. If your address label is highlighted in pink it means that your membership is due within the next quarter. Please mail your check for $20 to:

Gig Harbor Kayak Club

P.O. Box 2264

Gig Harbor, WA 98335

www.harbornet.com/kayakclub

Club meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30 pm at Mik’s shop. All members are welcome.

Paddles are usually held locally the first Saturday or Sunday of the month.

Night paddle is Friday evening following the first Sunday of the month at 7:30pm.

On the third weekend we plan an overnight trip or a longer, out-of-the-local area paddle.

Gig Harbor Kayak Club Officers

President: Jim Davis jim.davis@weyerhaeuser.com

Event Coordinators: Phil Lynch philip.m.lynch@boeing.com

& Oskar Hinz Oskar.Hinz@PSS.Boeing.com

Treasurer: Paul Berlin pberlin691@aol.com

Newsletter: Paul Berlin pberlin691@aol.com

Membership: Jenny Berlin bignewf2@aol.com

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