Considering joining your local kayak Club?
http://www.nswseakayaker.asn.au
http://www.qldseakayak.canoe.org.au/
http://www.vskc.org.au/
http://www.seakayakwa.org.au/
http://www.kingston.org.au/tscc/

Then, go for it!
It is the smartest investment in 2009 that you could ever make!
Practising and obtaining new kayaking skills in a group, on the water, under the eye of a guide/instructor will make you a better paddler, sooner.

Look at the action from Rob Mercer legendary Tuesday Night Club Paddle.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hybridaustralia
Select the "Events" and use the Slideshow symbol (above the Collection) for viewing.

While you're there, feel free to browse my 'Kayak & Outdoors" folder.
Hope you recognise some of the magic places!
Enjoy!

Andre

Hybrid,I went through your kayak and outdoor pics, twice ,Spectacular,loved it ,well done.

HYBRID,
as QSKC Events Coordinator I have to chime in and say that you probably are right when you say that the best thing you can do is to join a sea kayak club.
Since joining one myself a few years ago I have improved my skills tremendously.
There are other paddling groups in our area however their focus is rather on paddling sheltered waters.
I did not want to limit my ability to tackle only calm days in the bay but I wanted to get as much as possible out of my kayaking.
Joining the Club a few years ago it has allowed me to rapidly advance my skill in a safe environment of structured tuition.
A Club will generally have expert members that can teach you proper technique.
The training days offered to members by certified instructors are invaluable.
While some paddlers will be content to just be on the water a couple of times a year and always trying to get just the perfect conditions (that potentially can rapidly change and become treacherous) I believe that there is no reason not to belong to a Club that pushes your limits and teaches you life saving skills.
The sea is an unforgiving place for an ill prepared paddler, equipment or skill wise.


To view images mostly of Qld Sea Kayak Club outings go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/gnarlydog/ ... 524255302/

Hey gnarlydog,

It was good to catch up on the water yesterday. Thanks for the tips, and positive remarks about my kayak.

I hope to talk more about joining QSKC and get to Coochie next weekend.

Let me know next time you are heading to Karra I might try and organise something!

Karrazy

Hi All,
Im a member of the Viv sea kayak club, and agree with whats been sead, Im in East Gippsland, and in the next cupal of munths im going to push the idear of geting a east Gippsland branch of our club up and fiaring, we already have similer groops fiaring elswhear, so if thers enyone lurking out ther whos interested pleas contact me

Ahoy all paddlers,

For those of you who are reluctant to join any "organisation" - I understand...
For those of you who contemplate re-joining an old "organisation" - I sympathise.
But for the rest of us who what to learn and improve kayaking skils - I highly recommend it

As an added bonus, some Club members are rewarded by printed magazine (on recycled paper).
In the current Jan-March edition of the Club magazine, are some classic reads.
Shoulder dislocation article - by Shaan Gresser
Kayaker salt water distiller - by David Winkworth
How to jazz up a trip by - John Wilde

In fact all of the 57 pages are full of goodies, take your pick...
But to have your own personal copy, delivered 'hot off the press', you need to be a member.

Andre,

Your prodding has worked on me at least. Just renewed my membership - I was vasilating about renewing, as i struggle to gain 'value' up in northern NSW, but I guess its up to me to organise stuff here to make it all worthwhile.

Tom

In the interests of playing Devil's Advocate... what about all the clubbies I meet who tell tales of factions, politics, who's "in" and so on? For all the benefits, I hear an awful lot from people about the negatives.

Keep in mind I have no experience of a club whatsoever, so I'm only raising this based on others, but it's probably a question worth being asked.

Please don't hate me.

Cheers
FP

All clubs experience the sort of sh-t you're describing from time to time, it is just a matter of staying away from it all if you can. You generally only have to wait a year or so & the troublemakers have moved on, leaving you once again with your friendly club. Troublesome people make troubled clubs, and good clubs always recover. I've always been a little suspicious of people who really, really, really want to be on a committee, beware the budding despot. In rugby clubs, cricket clubs, and now kayak clubs the best administrators & committee people have always been the humble ones who are 'taking their turn', rather than being there to revolutionise....
The essence of becoming a member is to be a giver, & not join up to see 'what you can get out of it'. There will always be people with this motivation, but they're not the ones who make clubs strong. My club has trained me up & made me the paddler I am, and my motivation for becoming a Sea Leader & then an instructor was to put back some of the generousity shown me & contribute. I'd recommend joining a sea kayak club even if you've heard stories about the politics.
Regardless of the other benefits, for the Rock & Roll weekend alone membership of the NSWSKC is worthwhile. It's an event no keen sea kayaker in the state should miss, as the aim of the game is to get people out paddling on the sea. I've been to 9 now & it is the best weekend for all things paddling I ever have. You would get a lot out of the instruction, trips, camaraderie & general goodwill on offer at Rock & Roll, and see a club operating in its best light.

Touché! Great response Sundo.

Mark, you speak great words of wisdom!

As past president of the QSKC for two consecutive years, I couldn't agree more. I have known too many people who wait and see what they could get out of the club, rather than see what they can put into the club before joining. I also agree with your comment regarding committee members “taking their turn”, rather than attempting to turn things around... the former are the ones who 'make it happen'.

There will always be a minority of troublemakers in any community but I believe that a great majority of kayakers are ‘good people' and that their positive energies can override the minority.

If I had not been involved in a club I would not be at the level that I'm at now as a kayaker, I wouldn't have learnt nearly as much stuff nor had the pleasure to pass on any of my newly found knowledge. I wouldn't have met most of the great people that make up the sea kayaking community around here, as well as other parts of the country. Most of all, I may have never met the two guys (who are now very dear freinds of mine) that I crossed Bass Strait with exactly one year ago to the day.

The reasons to join a club greatly outweigh the reasons to paddle alone unless your initial reason for getting a kayak is to be alone. If you are a people person you owe it to yourself to join and if you get the opportunity, I suggest that you go one step further and participate.

Cheers,
Silvio

I guess its up to me to organise stuff here to make it all worthwhile.

Tom, I think you mean NSW SKC......you can make a difference. Why not contact the club trips and/or training coordinators with some plans and suggestions for what could happen in your area. Suggest venues, trip routes, training sessions you'd like, give details of how many club paddlers are in the area, be prepared to be the "gopher"....doing local organising, booking campsites etc etc. The coordinators will pass that on to the trip leaders and instructors and, you never know, you make your area sound tempting enough, one just might take the bait and be prepared to travel (just about all the NSW SKC leaders and instructors live in Sydney or close by).

Some years back NSW SKC held events in Mallacoota (in conjunction with VSKC) and near Coffs Harbour (in conjuction with some QLDers)

And if it's not NSW SKC you mean, I imagine the other clubs would be similar.

Mark's words are totally true...

Dee

Its more than time we had another VSKC and NSWSKC weekend at Malacoota, thers probably a lot of newer members who havent experianced the gratnes of east gippsland

Will you be at RnR in Batemans Bay Mick? If so, perhaps we can get some "dialogue happening"!!
Dee

Im looking forword to the RnR , lots of good things hapening this year

[/quote]

Tom, I think you mean NSW SKC......you can make a difference. Why not contact the club trips and/or training coordinators with some plans and suggestions for what could happen in your area. Suggest venues, trip routes, training sessions you'd like, give details of how many club paddlers are in the area, be prepared to be the "gopher"....doing local organising, booking campsites etc etc. The coordinators will pass that on to the trip leaders and instructors and, you never know, you make your area sound tempting enough, one just might take the bait and be prepared to travel (just about all the NSW SKC leaders and instructors live in Sydney or close by).

Some years back NSW SKC held events in Mallacoota (in conjunction with VSKC) and near Coffs Harbour (in conjuction with some QLDers)

And if it's not NSW SKC you mean, I imagine the other clubs would be similar.

Mark's words are totally true...

Dee[/quote]

Dee,

Yup I agree with you and Mark - both spot on but...

I agree I could do all the legwork to ecourage some people to come up and act as a leader, on a pre planned trip, the question really is is that worth it or sustainable? I could probably get one trip organised say every 6 months or so, as we are 6hrs from Sydney. It would need to be a grade 2 paddle as the people I expect who might be here would unlikely be to grade 3 assessed levels (like me - see below)

Surely the best thing to do is find a local trip leader (or become one) so I can organise and lead trips. Then I could foster a local hub of the club, and tie in with the QLD clubs. The other issue is I think there are very few of us up here... I don't know of any other club members north of Port Macquarie... (and thats a 2 hr drive south!)

My problem is that becoming a trip leader is even harder with the addedd distance issues... in my case I am yet to get my grade 3 assessment done through issues relating to distance - there is no one locally to train with, and even if I find someone to train with, I then need to travel to Sydney (or nearby) for the assessment. Once I do that, I can then work on becoming a trip leader to foster a local hub. I have not tried to book in for assessment this RnR (which I have just registered for) as its been a long time since I went through the stuff that would need to be assessed (pretty hard to practiuce an assisted rescue on your own

So perhaps I am being a bit appathetic, but at present its a big hill to climb to get to where I want, which is a bunch of people to go paddling with So far its been easier to just go paddling solo

We'll see, perhaps I'll be spurred into action and organise a bunch of trips folloing discussions at RnR...

(yes jsut to confirm it is NSW SKC)

Tom

I'm in the same boat (pardon the pun) as you Tom about 6 hours south of Sydney but Its worth the small sacrifice to get assessed for grade 3 and why not go all the way to Instructor ,its not that hard and then you can train and run trips encouraging more to paddle

I run at least one trip a year built around the October long weekend and throw another day on as well so we can get too great camp spots that generally others dont get too as its too far to travel just for a weekend

its fun and the trips are great socializing and good paddling

You do have to be more wary of the weather as I had to pre cancel a trip last year as the weather forecast had it as bad and I didn't want people to needlessly travel but the other trips have been excellent

Do it !! and you will be a better paddler for it as well

Tom, I forget how "far away" NSW north coast is from us here in Sydney, and I do confess I travel south a lot more than I travel north and my geography of anything north of Port Stephens is hazy.

Have you heard of these two groups
http://hunterpaddler.ning.com/
http://manningpaddler.ning.com/

Both probably too far south for you but perhaps you could follow their ideas to try to find paddlers local to you.

Cheers
Dee

Tom,

Have at look at the hunter kayak klan website http://hunterpaddler.ning.com/ You might find some members who are willing to do the training for their leadership and half the travel distance. And you might just get some local free accommodation.

Cheers

Bill

Dee and Bill,

I think I need to build a group like that up here. We are some 3 to 4 hrs north of those guys.. closer, but still a treck - in Europe, a almost a country away

Australia is a really big place! Our state based slub setup really is a capital city based setup, and I think there is scope for extending to hubs within states. Perhaps something thats already been considered but might be one for discussion on the weekend.

Tom