[Former Member]

Hey everyone! The sunshine was wonderful yesterday. Deb and I had a super relaxed paddle up to Twin Islands and back to Belcarra. It ended up as a 2-2-2 day. We say 2 other kayakers, 2 canoes of picnickers, and 2 SUPs out on the water. Where was everyone else? C’mon out, the water’s fine.

[caption id="attachment_18114" align="alignnone" width="640"] Belcarra Beach[/caption]

[Former Member]

What is closest for you? Deep Cove, West Van, Jericho?

[Debra Merchant]

Hi Allan,

I’m game also.

Deb

[Former Member]

There’s sunshine forecast for tomorrow! Anyone going paddling? I’m game …

[Former Member]

Happy Valentines Day Everyone! This long weekend will feature sunny breaks around the South Coast. Grab your boat, drysuit, and paddle and get out there.

Two Stewardship/Conservation trips are now posted on the Trips List. Registrations are now open. It is important that we meet the minimum required number of participants as the regional district is sending a parks employee to work with us to ensure invasive plants are removed and these areas restored to a natural state. Contact Katya Yushmanova for more information.

Maureen Benzon will be running 2 “Go With The Flow” trips this year in the Gulf Islands. These are great opportunities for you to practice your moving water skills with a great trip leader. Registrations open March 2 at noon.

We are continuing in 2020 with our club program to mentor and develop aspiring trip leaders. Our senior club members are making room on their trips this season for paddlers ready to upgrade from being a good trip participant to being a good trip leader. Open your horizons to all that paddling has to offer and join our trip leaders team.

[Former Member]

The promised sunshine appeared, and those of us who brought boats had a wonderful afternoon paddling from Ambleside to Lighthouse Park and back. You may need pogies for while yet (we didn’t today!), but the 2020 paddling season is now officially launched. See you out on the water!

l-r: Cynthia Kennedy, Katya Yushmanova, Steve Best, Ted Lam, Kapila Jayaweera

[Kapila Jayaweera]

Allen and I am planning to paddle after trip leader meeting this Sunday Feb 9th.

Please bring your paddling gears if anyone like to join us.
Approximate start time :- 12:30pm
Distance:- Flexible. Will discuss after our meeting.
Please post any comments on this forum.

See below link for more information about trip leader meeting.
https://www.skabc.org/events-2/trip-leader-meeting/

[Former Member]

Hello all – this is late notice and I apologize for that. The Trips Committee (Kapila, George, and myself) will be holding a short meeting next Sunday, Feb 9, 9 am – noon at Hollyburn Sailing Club.

Key items for the agenda:

• Trip Posting & Registration procedures for 2020
• Trip Leader Mentoring, Season 2
• Trips for 2020 Season

This meeting is for:

• Anyone who will be leading club trips in 2020.
• Anyone (Beginner, Intermediate) ready to be mentored by an experienced trip leader as a co-leader on trips this season.

I will be at the club meeting this evening if you have any questions.

Cheers!

[Nick Heath]

There are just a couple of days left to complete a survey on old growth forests.

https://feedback.engage.gov.bc.ca/747451?lang=en

I like them. I still see far too many ancient trees carted off on logging trucks. Please fill it out. It is short and sweet.

[Nick Heath]

Please be aware of some underlying factors here.

1) Within BC, there is a strong lobby for motorized trail use – ATV, dirt bike, 4×4, ORV and to a lesser extent snowmobile. Various of these groups now have access to the approx. $250,000 p.a. to be spent (most likely exclusively) on motorized used trails, derived from the ORV Trail Fund revenue from licence fees. No similar source is available for non-motorized trails. Some trails targeted for ‘improvement,’ including some sections of BCs new rail trails and parts of the Trans Canada Trail (Great Trail) are currently maintained by volunteers and others for cycling/hiking use only.

2) If a trail is supported for “transportation”, please distinguish between “active transportation” and mechanized transportation – the motorized lobby wants use of some walking/cycling trails to get around their area on ATVs etc that are not allow on the roads (although they can surely travel fast enough!).

3) Please treat with caution terms such as “all users”, “diverse users’ needs” -these could include sectors of the public who wish to roar through alpine meadows on dirt bikes…

4) Although SKABC had input to the Trails Strategy at public meetings about 8 years ago, we did not really succeed in getting proper acknowledgement of water trails, so here is another opportunity to correct that.

5) Vision statement
May I suggest something along these lines ? :
Trails on water as well as on land should be acknowledged in the vision.
Trails should neither permit nor encourage motorized use.

6) To the question:Please name one trail or trail network within British Columbia that you think is world class and explain why:

I took the opportunity to blow BCMT’s horn slightly:

Gulf lslands Marine Trail is quite easy, v accessible for paddlers of all ability, relatively safe, yet gives access to beautiful and diverse places with excellent camping or fixed-roof accommodation in a near-unique, relatively natural environment.

You might disagree, and I am by no means trying to put words into anyone’s mouth.

However, this is important stuff and so please spread the word and get others (club members, family etc ) to complete this tedious questionnaire. You can be sure that other groups are getting as many as possible to do so, but their interests are likely different from ours.

The questionnaire is horribly long and quite vague in parts. Just please watch out for  numerous weasel words that  allow it to be interpreted very differently by different people.

Due date is end of February.

[Lynn Malbeuf]

Standard Horizon HX280S parts available for FREE.  If anyone has this radio and would like all of the charging apparatus, please email. I have the Charger cradle; DC cable with cigarette lighter plug, DC cable and the extra alkaline battery case.

Lynn

[Mike Gilbert]

I will be presenting a VHF-DSC (M) Radio Certification course on Saturday, March 7th and Saturday, March 28th.  Each will be a one day course beginning at 9:00 AM and ending at 4:00 PM.  They will be held in Richmond.

With successful completion of the course you will receive your Restricted Radio Operator’s Certificate which is required by law to operate and use a VHF Radio.  This certificate is good for life.

A maximum of 10 students per course.

Price: $145.00.

Price covers:  the material (manual); exams; mail costs; processing fees; and a full day with me.

If you are interested and / or would like to register, please get hold of me at: mgilbert1600@gmail.com

[Mike Gilbert]

Hi everyone.

This is a “once in a lifetime” trip to sea kayak through the beautiful Stockholm Archipelago with me, Mike Gilbert, this August 2nd – 8th.  I will be guiding alongside my good friend, Fabio Tosto (who lives in Sweden) leading a group of 8 enthusiastic paddlers showing them the islands and islets, life within the archipelago and providing some great campsites along with some specially chosen overnight accommodation on some of the islands themselves.

Before putting this out to the general public this trip is being offered to sea kayak clubs within BC that I have worked with in the past.  As of March 1st, when I return from teaching in New Zealand, any remaining spaces will be made available to the general public (of sea kayaker!).

If you are interested in learning more please copy and paste the link that takes you to the info sheet which explains the trip, the route and should answer most of your questions.  I am available to be contacted should you have any inquiries or would like to register for this exciting trip.  Once again, there will only be a maximum of 8 people able to join us for this tour.  Would love to have some SKABC paddlers included.

Info Sheet Link:  http://bckayakcentre.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Stockholm-Archipelago-Info-Sheet.pdf

Cheers,  Mike

 

[Bruce Pickwell]

Wanted Boreal Desiigns Alvik Kevlar

Contact bruce.pickwell@telus.net

[Former Member]

Another up-vote for this post. Please make the time to take the survey. It will take about 30 minutes if you do it thoughtfully.

While there is no guarantee the province will USE the information wisely, there is also NO reason to squander this opportunity to give them reasons to pay attention to paddlers. Our trails are on water, but it is incredibly important to preserve road access to launch/landing sites and water access to sites for safe stops and camping — all of which are land.

[Author]

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