Calendar of Events for 2008

April 5 – at Boulder REI - Cold Weather Paddling:How to Eliminate Your Off-Season What to wear & what to bring to be comfortable on (and in!) the water year-round. Tips & tricks for fall/winter/spring paddling. Followed by a slide show presentation: Kayaking Along the North Carolina Coast by Brian Curtiss.  Come and see just how spectacular this area is for paddling. The Boulder REI address is 1789 28th St Boulder, CO 80301, (303) 583-9970. No charge.

April 9 - 7:00 pm at REI, Denver Flagship Store - Cold Weather Paddling:How to Eliminate Your Off-Season What to wear & what to bring to be comfortable on (and in!) the water year-round. Tips & tricks for fall/winter/spring paddling. Followed by a slide show presentation: A Naturalist’s Kayaking Journey to the Sea of Cortez by Dr. Roy Dawson and Kathleen Lameiro-Dawson. Cockpit views of Bahia de Los Angeles, Bahia Conception and Isla Espiritu Santos. The Flagship store address is 1416 Platte Street, Denver, CO 303-756-3100.

May 17 - 10:00 am at Union Reservoir - Meet on the kayak/canoe beach and have your boats in the water and ready to paddle at 10:00 am for an easy paddle around the lake. Then we will start the grills and have a potluck lunch as we get to know each other. After lunch, our instructors with give us an advanced class and teach us what we want to learn at no charge. The club will provide hamburgers/vegieburgers, buns, condiments and chips. You bring a potluck dish to go with this. (Fruit, beans, salads, taters, veggies, deserts, etc.) For more info, contact Jud (970-532-0178) or Barb (303-278-9561) Just show up.

May 26 - 10:00 am at Gross Reservoir - Join the club for opening day on Gross Reservoir. Gross Reservoir is located in the foothills above Boulder, Colorado on the South Boulder Creek Drainage and is open to car-top non-motorized boats (no trailers). The paddling season runs from Memorial Day through September 30. The water will be cold (below 50 degrees), so cold water apparel are required (farmer john wetsuit and appropriate top as a minimum). Contact the trip leader, Matt Lutkus at (720-480-2719 or mattlutkus @hotmail.com). You can visit the web site for more detailed info on Gross Reservoir.

May 31 - REI Demo Day at Bear Creek State Park. Bring your PFD and paddle and try out the latest 2007 boats and accessories that REI has to offer. Unfortunately, most of their boats are not true sea kayaks. Event is free but park fees apply. If you would like to staff a booth and pass out flyers for our club, contact Matt (720-480-2719).

May 31 & June 1 - North Platte River in Saratoga, WY to I-80 This is an overnight trip on the North Platte in Wyoming. We'll put-in at Saratoga and take-out at Fort Steele (just north of I-80) for a 44 mile paddle. We'll be carrying our gear in our boats and camping on the river on Saturday night. Highlights include a stop at the Overland Trail Crossing where settlers crossed the river in the 1800s. Anyone having questions or wanting to participate in this club trip should contact the trip leader, Brian Curtiss. (303-581- 9045 or bc@asdi.com). Let Brian know if you are interested so he can make a go/no go decision in early May. Once he has an idea who is interested in going, he will schedule a training day trip on the South Platte for those that have never done a river trip before or would like a refresher in river paddling.

June 7 - at 8:30 to 4:00 - BASIC SKILLS CLASS - at Macintosh Lake in Longmont - Class will consist of instruction regarding equipment, paddling skills and safety practices. For a detailed description of the class see this website: http://www.acanet.org/PDF/intro-kayak-basic-outline.pdf . COST: A fee of $50 will be charged to cover costs. Members must sign up in advance for classes so instructors we can allocate one instructor per 4-5 paddlers. Contact Gary Mcintosh (303-234-9907) for more information and to sign up.

June 14 - PADDLEFEST - 9:00 am at Chatfield Reservoir at sailboat lagoon near the Marina.  Join the club on the Slalom course, 4K race, Casual paddle, Skills demo by our instructors, Wooden boat show, potluck bar-b-q and gear swap. We need volunteers to help put up and take down the shelters, man the registration table, organize the food and cook the hamburgers. To volunteer or to get more information, contact Matt at: 720-480-2719 or mattlutkus@hotmail.com.

June 29 -RMSKC Refresher Class -- We will be having a refresher class on self and assisted recoveries and bracing. The class will be held on Sunday, June 29^th at 9:30am. E-mail Gary at garymcin@yahoo.com for more information and location of the class.

The recoveries to be covered will be the paddle float reentry, the T-rescue, and the use of a floating rope for both of these recoveries. We will also demonstrate the paddle float reentry and roll. This technique is by far less energy-intensive than the paddle float reentry.

If you paddle alone or even in a group, you should know the solo recoveries. A common misbelief by kayakers is that being in group means there will always be someone to help you if you capsize. If the conditions get rough or you get behind or ahead, you could easily be on your own.

The class will also cover the low brace and high brace. Bracing is a very important tool that every kayaker should know to help prevent capsizing. It can be the difference between needing a recovery and remaining air-side-up in your boat.

Prerequisite for the class is completion of the RMSKC basic class.

June 21 - Overnight or 10:00 pm -Moonlight paddle at Union Res. - The full moon is on June 18th so we'll have plenty of light. I'll have a few 'glow' sticks left over from the last time we did this.  You don't have to be camping to attend the paddle. Union Reservoir has a nice, sandy beach for swimming, full facilities for camping, and the entire lake is designated 'wakeless.' Also, the fishing seems pretty good. If folks are interested in camping on Saturday night, we'll reserve several spots (each can hold 2-3 tents). Please let me know if you are interested in camping by May 1 so that I can reserve the right number of spaces. Contact: Brian Curtiss (303-581-9045) (evenings) BC@ASDI.com

July 12 - at 8:30 to 4:00 - BASIC SKILLS CLASS - at Chatfield (Eagle Cove) - Class will consist of instruction regarding equipment, paddling skills and safety practices. For a detailed description of the class see this website: http://www.acanet.org/PDF/intro-kayak-basic-outline.pdf . COST: A fee of $50 will be charged to cover costs. Members must sign up in advance for classes so instructors we can allocate one instructor per 4-5 paddlers. Contact Gary Mcintosh (303-234-9907) for more information and to sign up.

July 26 - 9:30 at Dillon Reservoir - Meet Michael Anson at the marina for a paddle around the lake. Then you are invited to a BBQ after the paddle at their townhouse, which they will have directions for any paddlers that attend. The town of Dillon also sponsors a free concert at the Dillon Amphitheater every Saturday evening during the summer, around 7:00 PM if anyone wants to stay for that. Call Mike (303-404-0062) with any questions or just show up.

August 9 - 10:00 at Boulder Reservoir - ADVANCED SKILLS CLASS - Our instructors are offering this free class and opportunity to learn and practice any skills you want. Contact Gary Mcintosh (303-234-9907) for more info or to sign up.