EM Sea Kayak members meeting for May 2025

May meeting of the Everett Mountaineers Sea Kayaking group.

 From 7pm to 8:30pm on Zoom

See the agenda below for more info. Scroll to bottom for Zoom link.

• ITEM 1 Leadership designations

  We’ll review and clarify the different types of “leadership” that have been under discussion.

  Proposed:

  The person posting the trip and is the main leader shows up on the website as the PRIMARY LEADER

  Someone helping AND who has a leadership badge is an ASSISTANT LEADER

  Someone helping and who does NOT have a leadership badge is an INSTRUCTOR

  New this year:

  A person going through the trip leader development process and is planning one of their two required mentored paddles to get their badge is to be shown as the PRIMARY LEADER on the website. This is a new decision made at the 2025 SK leadership council. The person mentoring them is listed as the MENTOR.

• ITEM 2 Body Boat Blade Incident Management Training schedule for May 31. Paddlers and instructors who are considering eventually becoming a Trip Leader should let me know, to register.

  Registration will done in the following priority: potential trip leaders, people currently working on becoming a trip leader, newer trip leaders with badge, leaders with more than two years of leading experience.

  This training is paid for by the Mountaineers.

  ITEM 3 July Campout July 18-20.

  This is our annual Shindig camping and paddling trip. This year we will be camping at Newhalem Creek and paddling at Lake Diablo. Campsite registrations are full but some site holders have offered to have others pitch a tent on their site. Official park regulations allow up to 8 people  on a site and two cars. Check with me if you’re willing to share an existing booked site, or if you need a place to pitch your tent.

   

  ITEM 4 Skills practice sessions.

  We had been discussing offering so-called Wet Wednesday skill sessions but that name is in use by the Seattle Branch and means something different from what we have in mind. Other nearby clubs also offer many activities on Wednesdays that would overlap.

  Given that, we’ll be offering a clinic called “Kayak Tuesdays – Lake Goodwin” instead, to be offered in the summer months at Lake Goodwin. These will be held weekly (yup, on Tuesdays!) from June ideally through September, with a 5 pm launch, and an 8 pm adjournment.

  June 3 is now posted and this is the description:

  “This is an informal practice session with participants and leaders helping each other. Depending on attendance, you could work on your rescues, practice basic and more advanced strokes, learn about towing, work on your roll.

  This can also be a fitness paddle with two laps around the lake equaling 7 nautical miles or so. 

  SK badge or SK student badge is required to attend.”

   

  We’ll need Trip Leaders and Instructors to commit to certain dates to help. For now, we’ll be posting June dates and see how it goes.

   

  ITEM 5 - Basic Course status update

  Discussion of student progress and student paddles. Will also talk about the proposed structure for our 2026 Basic Course.

   

  ITEM 6 – Kayaking Keynote Speaker

  The Everett Mountaineers Annual Awards Banquet on November 1 will have a kayak focused keynote speaker; Rob Casey, author of an indispensable book on trip planning in the Puget Sound area called “Paddling the Salish Sea.” Save the date!    

   

   

   

Please plan to attend! RSVP here to let us know you’re coming!! And let Michele know if you are interested in one of the EMSK officer positions or if you have any suggestions for the meeting agenda.

ZOOM INFO:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89047393832?pwd=b29TSlJJMTFMVGpKZkJKa2NyRDBrZz09

If needed: 

Meeting ID: 890 4739 3832

Passcode: 402839