[Maureen Benzon]

I love the idea of yoga for kayakers. A couple of years ago, we ran a weekend trip focused on yoga on the beach but we had a qualified instructor (who also happened to be a member). Do we have any yoga instructors in the club? I will lead the weekend, if you can lead the yoga.

[Former Member]

Hi Everyone,

SKABC relies on its members to offer courses to our membership. All our internal courses are taught by volunteers who are members of SKABC; some may be certified, many are not. Keeping this in mind, we are looking for someone who would like to volunteer to lead interested members in Yoga (for Kayakers) sessions.

If you practice yoga and feel you could engage a group of SKABC members in a yoga and mindfulness journey, please contact me at chantalethier@msn.com. You are not required to be certified, simply willing to share your knowledge with the group.  Thank you!

Namaste!

Chantal

[Former Member]

I have in past years publicly offered my InReach Navigator to anyone in the club.  The only taker from the club was Harald, whom of course I could trust implicitly.  He borrowed it for several months while out cruising in his sailboat and he left a breadcrumb trail we could all follow.  He reimbursed me for the cost of the device for that period he had it.

In addition, I lent it to some UBC students who called me to ask for beta for a trip to a remote part of Vancouver’s Islands west coast.  I lent it to them for free for three weeks, just to keep them safe.

I could not agree more that the sticker price (high as it is at $300-400) is a small part of the actual cost.  I am on a US “Freedom Plan” that charges me USD $18 per month essentially for emergency use only and is the minimum possible monthly charge.  If I want to send more than 10 messages per month or not pay 10 cents per uploaded waypoint, then the price jumps to $40 a month for unlimited waypoint tracking and up to 40 messages at no additional cost per message.

The InReach can have multiple different profiles for different users, so is very easy to share.  They are hard pieces of equipment to break, and so sharing makes a lot of sense.

[Former Member]

I have a Garmin (Delorme) Inreach Explorer which seems to have a very flexible fee structure in that you can go into dormant mode in the winter dropping the charges to $5 per month then increase for the summer season or really crank up the options for major trips etc. Month to month. Might be cheaper than what you describe but of  course there is the up front cost of the device.

[Former Member]

Yes the ACC alpine club of Canada is well organized and rents sat phones as well. Great idea but a huge logistical nightmare that only a dedicated person could over see. As for lending or renting out your own personal unit. That’s very generous but what happens if the unit gets lost or damaged?

I believe a web page exists that you can rent gear out and it has a insurance policy. I can’t find the web page but it would have been perfect perfection.

 

[Former Member]

The following info copied from the ACC Vancouver Section web page on Gear Rental might be useful:

Rentals are to ACC Vancouver Section members only. Please include your Alpine Club member number in email correspondence with gear custodians.

 *New Policy*  All gear is now available free of charge for Vancouver Section trips and events. Basic rental charges and deposits are waived for all trips and events posted on the Calendar. Any additional charges, e.g. satellite phone air time are still applicable.

SPOT and Delorme InReach

One SPOT Gen3 and one Delorme InReach SE satellite communicator units are now available for rent to ACC Vancouver Section members. These devices provide a position reporting, text messaging and distress alerting capability as a lower-cost alternative to the satellite phone where voice communication is not needed. Cost is $5 per weekend or $10 per week, with a $100 deposit. Note: These devices provide the capability to initiate a search-and-rescue at the push of a button. The renter must agree to the detailed terms and conditions and are responsible for all charges and any damage or loss. For more information and to book one of these devices, [email contact]

Jacquie

[Nick Heath]

As Susan Conrad passed around her trusted old SPOT satellite tracker at our last general meeting, I was reminded that sitting in my pack at my feet was my own trusty (so far) SPOT that sees use about twice a year but otherwise sits dormant, as I’m sure do many others belonging to other members. (I include all varieties of trackers such as InReach etc.)

These things are not so expensive to buy but have a heavy monthly/annual cost for service. The cheapest service for my SPOT is $200USD or $249CAD. You have to by year-round service although they cunningly claim that there is a monthly subscription rate – which is a sham. The thing costs more than my smart phone!

It is easy to reconfigure the cloud software to change the basic personal information – this is done, I guess, at the insistence of rescue authorities who want to know exactly who who set off the SOS alert, not who bought the thing. They anticipate that folks lend them to each other – e.g. to my daughter for her weekend hiking trip.

So, would it work for SKABC to have a loaner program? Many years ago, I suggested that SKABC buy some of these devices as loaners, but the club’s history with shared equipment (radios) was not good, so the idea was dropped quickly. Instead, what I propose is a loan of one’s personal tracker – or is this too risky to contemplate?  I’d just like to see mine get more than minimal use. Maybe others feel the same way or I am missing some vital point?

[Former Member]

Registration for the PPS is now closed!

I hope that everyone who wanted to register was able to do so successfully prior to closing.  I’ll see the lucky ones at the Symposium.😊

Congratulations!

[Admin S. Jensen]

From Hollyburn Sailing Club :

We hope you are all enjoying the start to the new year!  Join us for a Winter Hot Wine Paddle:

January 14th (Sunday) at 10 am in the Club (1326 Argyle Ave, West Vancouver)
Kayak launch at 10.15 am

Target destination: either West Bay or Sandy Cove
Hot wine with spices will be served from the thermos (we may stop on the beach or simply have a sip on the water)
Please take mugs or cups

Estimated return between 1 and 2 pm.
RSVP to kayak@hollyburnsailingclub.ca

[Stephanie Ratzlaff]

Sold! Thanks!

 

[Former Member]

Hi Everyone,

I purchased a dehydrator at Cabelas this past summer, I like it and use it a lot.  I was at Cabelas this weekend and noticed the same dehydrator is on sale from $249.99 to $119.99, in case anyone might be in the market for a dehydrator.  It’s a great sale and clearly they have these sales regularly, although this one is slightly better than when I purchased mine.  The sale is on until January 10th.

Quick comments – I am happy with mine and at the same time, I have no frame of reference as I haven’t owned one before.  I will say this, if I’m in the same room, I can hear it run, however if I am in a different room, even an adjacent room with the door closed, I can’t hear it.  I find the trays easy to clean; when reading reviews before buying mine, some people mentioned that their trays were getting warped, I haven’t had this issue, then again, I wash my trays by hand.

I hope this is helpful.

Cheers,

Chantal

[Former Member]

Susan & Richard Jensen and I are planning to paddle tomorrow. We plan to launch at 10:30 from Blackie Spit (White Rock/South Surrey), we’ll paddle to the pier in White Rock, have a little lunch and eventually paddle back. The duration of the paddle is dependent on the weather and the group. Please send me a note if you’d like to join us just so we don’t leave anyone behind.

Chantal

chantalethier@msn.com

604.787.7574

[Admin S. Jensen]

Tickets go on sale Jan 13 at 9am for the Pacific Paddling Symposium May 25-27 in Victoria. I hear they sell out in 5 minutes. Here’s a link — good luck!

http://pacificpaddlingsymposium.ca/index

[Stephanie Ratzlaff]

My neighbour is selling a Kevlar Current Design Solstice GT. Please see details and contact information below. Thanks.

FOR SALE $2800.00
KAYAK
2010 KEVLAR CURRENT DESIGN SOLSTICE GT
YELLOW AND BLACK
PADDLE, PFD, PADDLE FLOAT AND PUMP
VERY GOOD CONDITION
Stored in Vancouver – used very little – 2 hatch clips need replacing

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[Admin S. Jensen]

Join us for our traditional paddle and Xmas party on Saturday, December 23rd. Feel free to come to either or both the night paddle to Dundarave and Potluck in the clubhouse afterwards (and if you have kids – bring them early to the party for Santa’s gift-giving):

Paddle/Row/Sail (wind permitting) to the Dunarave Festival of Light Bonfire:
3:30pm gather and prepare boats
4:30pm on the water
Bring christmas lights and head lamps
Dress for the cold/wet weather
Return to HSC about 6:30pm

Contact Rueben at rueben.schulz@hollyburnsailingclub.ca about any
questions you have about the paddle or if you are interested in manning the safety zodiac.

Potluck party:

6:00pm Santa visits Hollyburn SC – with GIFTS for every kid who can say “Hollyburn”

7:00pm Pot Luck (by then kayakers have returned)
Soft drinks, juice, hot chocolate and mulled cider provided
Hot Chili and Soup available
Potluck – please bring a label and indicate key ingredients

7:30pm Christmas music – carols & folk

8:00 DJ – rock – dance your Xmas sox off.

Ho Ho Ho
(& BYO for Mo Ho Ho …)

[Author]

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