Gig Harbor Kayak Club
Newsletter
May 2000
Paddle & Event Schedule
6/3/00 Gig Harbor Parade. See related article.
Contact: Jenny Berlin
6/9/00 Night paddle in the harbor. Lv GH boat ramp @ 7:30.
Contact: Phil Lynch
6/17&18/00 Camping at the Weathers Property. Lv. GH boat launch
10 am Saturday or 6pm Friday. Contacts: Jim Davis or Oskar Hinz
7/1/00 Fox Island Express to Gig Harbor. 8 am Contacts: Phil Lynch or Paul & Jenny
Berlin
7/7/00 Night paddle around Ketron Island. Meet at boat ramp
by Steilacoom ferry dock at 7:30pm. Contacts: Jim Davis
7/20-23/00 South Gulf Islands. Lv GH after work or earlier on
Thursday & camp near Tsawwassen ferry in BC. We will catch the early am
ferry & walk on with our boats to Swartz Bay. Contact: Oskar Hinz for more
info.
8/5/00 Vaughn Bay. LvGH park & ride at 8am. Contacts:
Jenny Berlin or Nora Miller
8/11/00 Night paddle in the harbor. Lv boat launch at 7:30.
Contact: Mik Mikitik
8/19/00 Scenic Beach State Park on Hood Canal (near Seabeck)
Lv GH park & ride @ 8:00am. Contact: Jim Davis
Remember
to notify the contact person of any paddles you are planning on
participating in.
Future Plans
A future trip is planed for Sept.
29 thru Oct. 2 to Ross Lake. We
will leave after work Thursday the 28th. Contact Oskar Hinz or Thom Davis.
We will also be doing a trip to the Broken Islands in
Barkley sound some time this summer.
Tentatively scheduled for Labor Day Weekend.
Welcome New Members:
Loa Andersen of Fox Island
Doyle & Diane Clouser of Poulsbo
Monica Dorbin of Gig Harbor
Doug Mjorud of Tacoma
Sherry & Noah Halvorsen of Gig Harbor
Remember to check the
club website for updates to paddles and trips. Website address is: www.harbornet.com/kayakclub .
Check out: www.paddling.net www.seakayaker.com
The Locks
Four of us met at the rest
stop by Hwy 18 on the morning of March
4th in the rain and wind. We
drove to Golden Gardens and launched from a sandy beach where miraculously the
rain had stopped, and the skies were somewhat clear, but the wind and waves
were there. We had a little bit dicey launching and three of us got away from shore,
but one kayak dumped in the waves, and fortunately the wet one had dry clothes
to quickly change into before rejoining us. We quickly paddled/blew into the
relative calmness of Shilshole Marina where one kayaker adjusted his footpegs
and got sprayskirted before we paddled
on to the Locks. Coming out of the marina, just west of the locks, the water
was quite choppy and confused with some big waves catching us from behind. And
then we reached the current coming from the spillover at the Locks and we were
quickly warmed up as we paddled harder. We barely had to wait a moment before
we were signaled into the Locks for an uneventful lock through. Then we paddled
on to Fishermens wharf where we looked at ships and had lunch in the shelter of
a huge refrigerated seafood vessel. Too soon we knew we had to return against
the wind and waves. Back in the small lock and we zipped on into the marina
where sailboats were returning from racing, and we hit the wind head on. Again,
beaching the boats was tricky with the waves hitting our boats on an angle, but
no dumps this time. Paddling were Paul & Jenny Berlin, Rick Buell and Scott
Quinn.
Thea Foss Night Paddle
On May 12th a group of paddlers assembled at the park and
put their boats in the Foss waterway for a short paddle to the end of the
waterway and back. Paddling this evening were Jim Davis, Eric Pollack, Jenny
Berlin, Monica Dorbin, Alf Gunn and two of his friends, and Doug Mjorud. It was
nice to have some new members paddling with us for a change. Welcome, and come
out and play again with us!
Dungeness Paddle
Wow! Twelve boats and
paddlers made the trip to Cline Spit. We waited a little while for the Olympic
Kayak members to show up and met Diane & Doyle Clouser who were the leaders
for this trip and will also be joining our club in the near future. We were
also waiting for the fog to lift, which it never did, making paddling
interesting trying to find the lighthouse at the far end of Dungeness. We used
our compasses and changed courses a couple times, always keeping the foghorn
sound ahead and to our left to avoid the off limit sanctuary area. We actually
arrived on the beach directly in front of the lighthouse and 100 feet into the
off limits area. Not bad considering how thick the fog was! Our group actually
left Cline Spit before the OKC group had all arrived so we wouldn’t be so many
boats all paddling together. We ate lunch and waited for them to arrive. The
fog started to dissipate around 12:30-1pm and we toured the lighthouse and the
grounds and figured out where we really were. We left about 2:30 and paddled to
the very end of the Spit where the waves were breaking on the west side of the
beach and stirred up the seals, and a sea lion as well. The return paddle was
uneventful, straight into the sun with the Olympics towering above, all snowy
and beautiful, and we all fried our faces. All together we had 21 boats.
Nisqually Delta
On May 6th, Phil
Lynch led the group on a paddle tour of the delta. We had to leave early in the
morning because the tide was going to be going out all morning. We explored the
far side of the delta and went up Nisqually River for a little ways and
explored some of the side channels and crossed the shallow mudflats before they
became mudflats. Many curious seals joined us and followed our boats. We took a
short shore break and then paddled up McAllister Creek against the current.
Some of us went as far as the freeway overpass where the windy, meandering
creek became surprisingly quite rapid and whitewater-ish as it gained
elevation. It was a quick trip back down the river to the take out and we could
see nothing but mudflats where we had been earlier. Paddling were Phil Lynch,
Jim Davis, Eric Pollack, Dave & Mary Folsom, Debbie & Dave Yando and
Oskar Hinz.
Blake Island Camping Trip
Various groups of paddlers
left Southworth at different times on Saturday, May 20th bound for
Blake Island and that beautiful 70 degree sunshine we were going to have for
the weekend. Jim Davis, Phil Lynch and two friends, and Eric Pollack left just
after 10 am. Marty and Liz Sebren left about 1pm and Paul and Jenny Berlin, and
Monica Dorbin about 1:30. Incidentally, the boy scout troop of Chris and Tom
Miner also paddled to Blake for the weekend. There were more kayaks and
paddlers on the island than I have ever seen. The paddle over was on quite flat
and calm water but the sky was overcast and it was nowhere near the warm sunny
70s. The wind came up in the early evening but our tents were pretty sheltered
under the trees. Phil made his special Peach Cobbler in his outback oven,
though he had to use pears this time and it was just as good. Jenny tried out
her new Dutch oven and made perfect gingerbread, so we had good desserts.
Just before it got dark, Rob
Richardson blew into the beach. He had made record time with the wind and waves
behind him and we all helped him set up his camp before it got too dark. We had
campfires and told tall tales and retired to our tents with the wind blowing
all night. Sunday morning the wind was still at it and we hiked around the
island and then packed up and made a mass exodus from the island as the scouts
and their parents were also leaving. Paddling was definitely a challenge
against wind, waves and current. It took quite a while to make the crossing,
and it was reported that several of the scouts bailed out and pulled off on the
far shore of Blake. Jim, Eric, Phil and friends left a little later after the
beach cleared and ended up towing both of the women back to the ferry landing.
Not a fun thing to do when it was all you could do to just paddle yourself
across. Those guys are superheroes!
Parade “Celebrate Our Youth”
The parade is this weekend,
June 3rd. Everyone who has wheels for their kayaks is invited to
come on down and walk in the parade. If you don’t have wheels, come out and
join us anyway. We will be wearing our paddle gear, prepared for the paddle
back to Mik’s, and tossing out candy for the kids, so be sure to bring lots for
the little beggars. We are number 52 in the lineup and will be somewhere
between Borgens and Puerto Vallarta.
We will begin assembling around 9:15 for the parade’s start at 10:00. Remember
to give yourself extra driving time as a lot of the roads will be closed for
the 5K run and the parade.
For Sale
One year old Chesapeake Light
Craft Patuxent Kayak. Beautifully made
and in excellent condition. The Kayak
come with a rudder and hatches. It
looks very much like the 17.5 footer on the Chesapeake web site:
www.clcboats.com/index.php3.
Excellent kayak for smaller paddler 110-180 pounds. Asking $2000 Contact: Deb/Dave Yando
e-mail: yandos@aol.com
Wanted
Do you have any used kayak
and camping equipment that you are no longer are using and would sell? If you do, let me know and I’ll get it
listed here of all to see. Just e-mail
me: pberlin691@aol.com
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
Regular Club Happenings
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
Membership: Jenny Berlin
bignewf2@aol.com