Gig Harbor Kayak Club
Newsletter
November 1998
Paddle & Events Schedule
December 1998
Dec. 12, 1998. We have been invited to participate in the annual Gig Harbor lighted boat parade. The parade starts at 6:00 PM from the public dock. We will launch from the boat ramp at 5:30. This is a lighted boat parade so you will need some lights besides the normal flashlight. Battery powered lights can be purchased for about $6.00 at Ace Hardware and many other stores that sells Christmas lights. Safety will be stressed and we will be placed between two of the smaller boats. We will also be in radio contact on VHF channel 68. The parade coordinator and all participating boats will be using this channel. We will make three trips around the center of the bay, which will be about 4 to 5 miles. This should be a fun time and a good showing from our club would be great so be there or be square!
Contact: Phil Lynch philip.m.lynch@boeing.com
Dec. 19, 1998. Are we party animals or what? It is our 2nd. Annual Kayak Caroling gig in the GIG. This year we will launch from the boat ramp at 6:00 PM. Sheet music will be provided and Liz has volunteered to lead us with a light stick! Maybe this time we will be a little more in time with each other, I'm sure the in tune part will need more the Liz's help. This was great fun last year, and remember, if you can't sing Hum, the important thing is to come. We need some support out there!
Contact: Liz and Marty Sebren msebren@linknet.kitsap.lib.wa.us
January 1999
New Years Day on what else, American lake. This is a really nice paddle in the winter, lots of water fowl and no ski boats. Lets pack a picnic lunch for this one and spend the afternoon. It is new years day so there isn't any use trying to get an early start. Lets leave the Gig Harbor park and ride at 11:00 AM and meet up with our Tacoma friends at the Park and ride behind McDonalds at the intersection of 512 and I-5 at 11:30.
Contact: Jim Davis jim.davis@weyerhaeuser.com
Jan. 8, 1999. Our standard night paddle, Launch at the Gig Harbor boat ramp at 7:30 and see which way the wind blows and tide flows when we clear the light house.
Contact: Rob Richardson
Jan. 23, 1999. Let's go west to Vaughn Bay. We will leave the Gig Harbor Park and ride at 8:30 and meet at the boat ramp in Vaughn at 9:00. Bring a lunch, finial destination will be determined once we get on the water.
Contact Jenny & Paul Berlin bignewf@juno.com or Nora Miller bumrun@aol.com
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We’re Back
Fellow Kayakers! We have not forgotten you! Your board is alive and well and has undergone some changes since the last newsletter. However, the last couple of months have been difficult for us all to get together and put out a newsletter and paddle schedule. Jim Davis, president, is currently dealing with some family matters and frequently commuting to Campbell River, BC, besides being extremely busy with work, so we recently met without him to put together this brief newsletter and schedule. We hope to have next year’s schedule and a fuller newsletter and perhaps notification of the next potluck/speaker SOON.
Rob Richardson has resigned as membership/treasurer and Jenny and Paul Berlin have accepted that responsibility. Phil Lynch is still paddle schedule coordinator.
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Welcome these new paddlers to the kayak club:
Nora Miller, Tom Roifzen, & Indra Finch all from Lakebay area. Pete Bronger from Federal Way. Tim Doda, from Belfair. Tom & Chris Miner, Barb & Charles Moore, Mark Roberts all from Gig Harbor. And finally Paul Nicholes, from Fircrest.
Paddle Schedule for Olympic Kayak Club
11/14 Sequim Bay Point Lee McKee
11/22 Ballard Locks Kathy Kennedy
12/6 Gig Harbor Pub Paddle
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For Sale:
16’ Destiny FG sea kayak, rudder, high volume, older boat. Pink over White. Berlin
Wanted:
Used Yakama Kayak rack accessories, Hully Rollers, Cradles. Berlin
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Camp Meal Ideas
There are many prepared Pasta with sauce packages on the grocery store shelf these days. A couple of the name brands are Lipton’s and Farmhouse. I have tried several of them and found the Farmhouse brand to be the best. Some of these packages require both milk and water while others just require water. For those that ask for milk you can use dry milk powder but don’t forget to add extra water to make up for the liquid milk.
I dump the contents of the box into a zip lock bag to save room. I add a pinch of spice such as oregano or summer savory and a heaping teaspoon of dried vegetable flakes to the contents. If needed I also add the correct amount of dry milk powder to this collection in the bag. I then add a small slip of paper with what it is, the amount of water required, (including extra for the dry milk if needed) and the cooking time, which is 7 to 10 minutes. Put the paper in the bag in such a way that will allow you to read it through the bag.
In camp, about ¾ the way through the cooking time, I dump in a small can of chicken, ham, turkey, shrimp or crabmeat. The small tuna fish size can, which is 3 to 6 ounces. This will make a tasty dish for two normal people or one hungry piglet such as myself. These are hardy one pot meals that are easy and fast to prepare and are less then half the price of those fancy freeze dried things.
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Uncle Phil’s Camping tips
1. Paint those small tent stakes Day Glow Orange.
2. Learn to tie a few basic knots.
3. You can’t bring too much rope.
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IMPORTANT
Need your e-mail
Again we want to remind you to get your e-mail addresses to us. As you can tell, getting our communications out to you is the toughest task for your board. We tried last spring to form an "e-mail distribution list". It was a disaster -- so many of the e-mail addresses we had were not correct.
If you see an e-mail address written near the mailing label, then check it for correctness. If not there or if wrong, then get on e-mail and send your correct e-mail id to us at pberlin691@aol.com.thanks
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Club Tradition - Blake Island
Well, four hardy souls were determined to maintain our long established "club tradition" -- Blake Island in October. Phil Lynch, Jim & Thom Davis, and Simon visited Blake Island for a weekend camping trip.
After days of planning, we decided to begin the paddle with a full breakfast at the Harvester in Gig Harbor meeting about 8:30am. The paddle to Blake was rigorous -- Southworth to Blake using the shortest route possible because we all wanted to get our tents and tarps up before it rained.
Upon arrival, it took us about 45 minutes to select our camp site -- too many choices. Tent and tarps went up in 15 minutes -- it started to sprinkle.
Then there was time to relax. Thom and Simon went for hikes around the island. Phil fed the deer all his apples. Then Phil joined Jim for afternoon naps.
Dinner was wonderful. Stew for Simon. Phil had leftovers from home. Jim & Thom feasted on MRE(s) -- those MRE "brownies" are something. After dinner we shared a bottle of wine. There were 8 or 9 other kayakers from the area camping on Blake. It was fun visiting with them. I noticed that they didn't come over to sample our dinner entrées this trip.
Phil and Jim were in bed by 8pm. Simon & Thom refused to go to bed that early -- I personally don't know when they came to bed.
Since this was the weekend that Day Light Savings time changed back to Standard Time, we agreed that we could get up early -- we settled on 9am. Breakfast was so so…oatmeal and raisins. I remember the times past when Liz Sebren shared her "special mix" -- where were you Liz when I needed you.
Then the trip got interesting. Thom decided to paddle back to Point Defiance on Sunday -- 16.9 miles. I think he wanted to do it because of the stories Phil and Jim told about the 4-hour trip from Gig Harbor to Blake in "perfect conditions" last year. We tried to talk him out of it -- it was (a) against the tide and (b) against the wind, but he had all this "pent up energy" from the relaxed weekend with Phil and Jim. Off he went. 5 1/2 hours later I picked him up at the Pt Defiance boat launch -- he was a tired boy.
Simon, Phil and Jim paddled around the Island and back to Southworth. Then we were off to McDonald's for lunch -- we were starving.
It was just a great weekend. But I'm a bit worried. Club Tradition -- Blake Island. Simon may think that the rest of the Gig Harbor Kayak Club is just as boring a group as Thom, Phil & Jim. Oh well.
Jim Davis (story teller)
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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
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Regular Club HappeningsClub 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.
Weekend Trips are planned for the 3rd weekend of the month normally.
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Gig Harbor Kayak Club Officers
President: Jim Davis jim.davis@weyerhaeuser.comEvent Coordinators: Phil Lynch philip.m.lynch@boeing.com & Oskar Hinz Oskar.Hinz@PSS.Boeing.com
Treasurer: Paul Berlin 253-851-2968 pberlin691@aol.com
Membership: Jenny Berlin 253-851-2968 bignewf2@aol.com
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