NSSKA

Four NSSKA Paddlers paddled from Wildcat Cove to the north end of Chuckanut Bay and back. We saw Harbor Seals, Buffleheads, Cormorants, Dungeness Crabs, Starfish, Leather Stars, Sun Stars, Bald Eagles, Great Blue Heron, Kingfishers, and various ducks and seagulls. It was a foggy, but beautiful, day. Pictures   by Bill Brackin

In the finest of Sea Kayaking conditions this years Quad/Tri Club picnic was a success. There was wind for sure and the choppy waters to go with them, no rain. The sun came out to see what was going on a couple times that day. Kudo's to HITW for another fine job of hosting this annual event. Members from HITW, WAKE, and NSSKA appreciate all your hard work and dedication. Here are a couple of pics from play time in the Pass.

Four NSSKA kayakers paddled south from Camano Island State Park on a beautiful day to explore the southwest coast of Camano Island, including Elger Bay and the small settlement of Manana.  Lunch was had on a sandy beach about a mile north of Camano Head.  A stiff breeze made the homecoming stretch slow, but good times were had by all.

Great trip in perfect conditions to Jetty Island.  Good times had by all! Here’s an excellent trip report with pictures by Seattle Bike Gurl:   Getting Out On the Water Photos   by Tim Hallmark

Eight paddlers launched from Cavalero County Park and paddled north to Iverson Spit and back in moderately challenging conditions. We made a short detour into the rapidly draining Triangle Cove, and Ed checked his crab trap, but it didn't turn up any keepers.

Good times had by all nine NSSKA paddlers riding the tide from Oak Bay Marina, Shelton, out to Hope Island and back.   There was plenty of wildlife sighted along the way including deer with their fawns, seals, bald eagles, ducks and ducklings, raccoons and countless gulls and jellyfish.  Hope Island was nice and provided a great halfway point lunch and resting place.  Multiple eddylines along the way provided plenty of opportunities for playing and exercising skills. Pictures   and a short   video   by James Rose. More pictures   by Katie Level.

It was another of those typical days in Seattle; about 85 degrees and nary a cloud in the sky… We had 9 NSSKA club members turn out for this 10ish mile paddle around Burrows and Allen Islands. The weather was perfect if not a little on the warm side. We first made our way to the lighthouse on Burrows for lunch and a walk-a-bout. Then we headed south to Allen Island for a bit more rock exploring. On the south end of Allen Island we decided to take a detour out to Williamson Rocks to see the seals and the Marine Sanctuary sign. After a brief stop on the beach of our old buddy Paul’s island we made our way back to Burrows Island with a stop at the State Marine Park and WWTA camp site. I was a bit surprised to see no one camping there. At the put in that morning we saw off a group from WAKE who were off to James Island and vicinity for the weekend. A fog set in on the channel after they were well on their way. Along our way we saw dolphins, seals, eagles, one otter, cormorants, gull

Six NSSKA Paddlers paddled about 30 miles in 4 days through the Southern Gulf Islands of British Columbia. We camped on Sidney, D'Arcy, and Portland Islands. The campsites were excellent, and the scenery was superb. Check out Bill Bracken’s   excellent photos !

Rogue Wave Adventures did an amazing job this weekend with our club training at Bowman Bay! We learned a little about Risk Assessment, developed Leadership Skills, worked on paddling control of our boats, learned some simple navigation skills, took a navigation tour to see how they worked, and spent much of an afternoon working on self-rescues and assisted rescues. 15 NSSKA Members attended, and I think all of us really enjoyed the classes. Let's do more of this in the future! Lots of pictures here on   RWA’s Facebook   page.

Eight kayakers paddled about 5 miles around Big Lake under cloudy skies.

About a dozen paddlers with their boats turned out for the pool session.  Experienced paddlers demonstrated skills and assisted novice paddlers with the basics.  Expert paddlers honed their skills.  Good times had by all!

Another in the “Lakes of Snohomish County” series of paddles is in the books.  Seven kayakers paddled around Lake Goodwin, with a short side trip into Lake Shoecraft, followed by an impromptu cold-water rescue drill.

Another in the “Lakes of Snohomish County” series of paddles is in the books.  Five paddlers showed up for a quiet, relaxed Sunday morning paddle on a small lake. We spotted various waterfowl and one bald eagle.  If you have Google Earth, you may download our tracks here:   Lake Roesiger Paddle . Thanks for the   pictures   Don Erickson!

Werner Furrer Sr. presented the Werner Paddle Story.pdf at February’s club meeting.  We had a great turnout and Werner and his son, Bruce, answered many paddle related questions.  It is so nice to see a small, local family run business successfully producing the worlds best paddles. Check out some   Werner videos here . Credits: Werner Furrer Sr., Kayaking Made Easy Roger Rosenblatt, Kayak Morning

 Four crazy kayakers braved the winter elements on Port Susan to find 36 degrees F, 10 knot winds out of the South, light drizzle, and 1’ quartering seas on the way out. We paddled out of Cavalero Beach up to Iverson Spit, it was high tide so we tucked into Triangle cove along the way. We were head into the wind and waves on the way back. For another side trip we went down to the Camano Island Country Club to check out their beach. A kind lady with exquisite taste recognized us as kayakers and had to share a map of the island showing the public access beaches with us. She also mentioned that we were on private property and probably shouldn’t be there. Later Don commented that was the sweetest bum’s rush he’s ever experienced. With the quartering seas the paddle was slightly more challenging than with calm seas. The bigger challenge was trying to find reason to cheer this year’s Super Bowl. Pictures by   Harry Marx .

We spotted 31 eagles and heard 1 scream. That makes 32. It was a lovely if not frigid day on the Skagit River. 5 of us braved the cold. We covered 16.1 miles in 3 hours. Hauling ash you might say. We had an assisted rescue demonstration after I zigged when I should have zagged in some boils. Check out some   pictures here . Picture credits go to Bruce Farrar and Katie Level. 

20 paddlers in 18 boats braved the cold air and calm waters of Ballard’s ship canal.  We paddled up close to vessels much larger than ours - steel beasts of commercial fishing. Thankfully we did not become their “deadliest catch”. Check out some   pictures here . Picture credits go to Bruce Farrar and Katie Level.