Non-members are welcome to
come along on trips. We hope you will enjoy the group enough to join.
WARNING: The outings
listed here are NOT guided trips or lessons. Our volunteer coordinators
do not necessarily have training
in water safety, first aid or any other outdoor or boating skills. They
do not necessarily
carry any emergency equipment. Boating
and other outdoor activities always involve serious risk. All participants are responsible
for assessing the appropriateness of their physical condition, skills and
equipment for a particular trip and using their own judgment about potentially dangerous
situations. If you are not sure that your skills or equipment are adequate, discuss this with
the coordinator before the trip date. Participate at your own risk.
See
About our Trips for more information.
Want to sign up for a trip; Contact the Trip Coordinator at least a couple
days prior to trip for details. Before puting on the water you will be asked to sign a
liability waver. Each
participant must have a properly fitting PFD with them and
should be wearing it under most circumstances.
Have a
favorite trip you'd like to coordinate for the club? Contact Justin Morse to schedule it.
JuMorse@Comcast.net
This page last updated
08/17/2015
2015 Schedule
Check close to the scheduled date for changes.
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***
Kidd Lake Campout 2015 ***
Friday, June 26 thru Friday, July 3
See Trip Report Below
An annual event since the 1960s, we rent a
entire campground on a small lake in the Sierras for 7 days. Stay as many nights as
you want. Swimming, canoeing, hiking, happy hour and fun in general. Great for kids. Sign up early.
For details contact Dee Simmons
deesimmons@sbcglobal.net.
2015 Photo Album
2014 Photos
More Photos
MCKC and MeetUp
MCKC members have started a MeetUp group called Canoe and Kayak Paddlers. We
hope to meet new paddlers and attract some of them to the club. It should
also create more paddling opportunities for our members. Some MCKC events will
be published via the MeetUp group in addition to our MCKC mailing list.
Canoe and Kayak
Paddlers
__________________________________________________________
Saturday
February 14, Gallinas Creek - San Rafael
We will launch from the
kayak dock at McInnis County Park on Smith Ranch Road in San Rafael. We will
paddle through the creeks to Santa Margareta Island and back. This is a
short easy warm up for the new season paddle, about 2 miles each way.
Arrive by 9am,
on the water by 9:30. This paddle is tide dependant, we must leave on
time.
Location:
John McInnis County Park at the end of Smith Ranch Road, San Rafael.
Trip
Report: We had a large group to kick off our paddling year and
the new MeetUp group. Some organization was requried to get everyone
launched off the small dock but soon we were all paddling up Gallinas Creek.
When we reached Santa Margarita Island it seemed questionable if there was
enough water to go around it. Only one paddler tried and he made it but it
was touch and go in places. We had the current in our favor heading back.
Once back at McInnis we had a great lunch on the picnic tables by the dock.
We met lots of new paddlers from MeetUp.
Saturday,
February 21, Napa River
Kennedy Park
to Napa Wine Train Depot - lunch downtown
Launch from Kennedy Park
boat launch. We will paddle north past downtown Napa to the Napa Wine Train
depot. On the way back we will put in at the Riverfront Wharf - designed low
for canoes and kayaks. After a quick lunch at one of the many shops we will
paddle back to Kennedy. Total distance is about 6 miles.
Trip
Report: Another large group, mostly due to MeetUp folks. We
headed upriver from JFK Park beyond downtown Napa. The main
group turned around at the Wine Train Depot and a few went farther up the
river. We all met back at the downtown dock. Some of us stayed on the dock
for lunch and others explored Napa for a good place to eat. We found a place
with a great view of the river. Back at the dock after lunch we chatted with
some fokes who are restoring an old military tug boat resued from the
Mothball Fleet near Benicia. They were out crusing in it. We paddled back to
JFK park against a little wind.
Saturday,
March 14, Cosumnes River Preserve
In the
Central Valley between Sacramento and Lodi
Visit their website
Some of the last of the
original Central Valley riparian habitat is preserved in this lovely area.
Paddle through narrow, quiet tree lined channels. Otters and beavers are
often seen along with Sand Hill Cranes and lots of other birds. This will be
a slow paced paddle around 6 miles round trip. Lunch stop requires clamoring
up a bank.
Trip
Report: A beautiful day in the valley. A variety of boats and
paddlers showed up for the tour de Cosumnes, visiting the confluence with
the Mocolume, the big side slough, Bear Slough and the slipery take out at
the Tall Trees, where we had lunch. There was an exciting little maneuver in
Bear Slough where we tried to get around a little dam and go black berry
thorns for our trouble. Not as many birds as we sometimes see be it was fun
anyway.
Saturday, April 4, China Camp
to McInnis and return San Rafael
China Camp State Park in
San Rafael is a great place for easy paddles into San Pablo Bay. This
area is better protected from wind and waves than most parts of the Bay.
We will launch from a beach. We will paddle north, past Rat Rock, and up
Gallinas Creek to McInnis Park kayak dock where we will have lunch on
picnic tables before paddling back to China Camp. Bring lunch and
drinks. After lunch we will paddle back to China Camp.
Trip coordinator: Bob
Skapura
Trip
Report: An interesting trip all right. We headed to China Camp
SP to find a marathon going on and the park closed. Bob brilliantly
redirected everyone to Buck's Landing, which was full of bicyclers, but
we managed to launch okay. We replanned our route, heading to Rat Rock,
then to McInnis Park and finally back to Buck's. There was a steady
breeze but it was coming from our side most of the way so not too bad.
Pretty nice day on the water.
Sunday, April 19, Estero
Americano West Marin/Sonoma
This is one of the
most beautiful paddling spots in the Bay Area. Paddle through
pasture land, hills and wild marshes to a gorgeous little beach on
the Pacific that can only be reached by small boat. Lunch on the
beach - bring something to sit on. Optional dinner at fabulous
Dinnunci's Italian Dinner after the paddl
Coordinators: Alan and Roberta Dunham
Trip Report: The weather was
overcast with high fog in which the sun only broke through for a moment.
There were light head winds on the way to the beach which were welcomed on
our return.
There were 3 canoes, 5 kayaks and 12 paddlers; a nice
number. The group was composed of Marin Canoe and Kayak Club and the Meetup
Canoe and Kayak Paddlers members.
The scenery was, as always, very beautiful as the
fields were green with grazing cattle and sheep and the trees were all
showing their spring foliage. The quantity of fowl observed was less than
previous years, however we did see pelicans, egrets, sandpipers, black
birds, mallards, hawks, cormorants and others. An otter was spotted by
one couple.
We had our favorite sheltered picnic area at the
beach for lunch and conversation. The cliffs, rocks in the ocean and surf
were all very dramatic plus there were numerous wildflowers and grasses on
the beach, including a groundcover with beautiful pink flowers. As always,
the drama of the paddle is extraordinary; starting from under the bridge,
then winding thru the pastures and hills until turning the final bend and
having the view of the sand dunes of the ocean and beyond open up.
As a finale, many of us
stopped at Dinucci’s Italian Restaruant and shared stories over refreshments
and a delicious family style Italian dinner.
- Alan and Roberta
Saturday,
May 2, Tomales Bay Nick's
Cove
Nick’s Cove (officially Miller Boat Launch) is a very popular four acre site
on the east side of Tomales Bay, between the little towns of Tomales to the
north and Marshall to the south. It provides good access to the northern
part of Tomales Bay. It has a paved launch ramp. Depending on the weather
(mostly wind), we could paddle across Tomales Bay and lunch on one of the
beaches on the west side of the bay. Or we could paddle north or south on
the east side of the bay. Bring lunch and drinks.
Organized by Bob Skapura.
Trip Report: We had 10 boats including Cliff's Hobie
tri-hull outriger peddle powered sailing some kind of boat, which looked
like a lot of fun as he zipped around the bay. We got off pretty much on
time and paddled from Nick's Cove to White Gulch where some of us checked
out the sea caves on the north side. Regrouping we headed south along the Pt
Reyes shore for a couple of miles. We had lunch at Tomales Beach - we there
the only ones there which is unusual. We had a picnic table to eat on. The
wind was picking up as we crossed back to the east side of the bay, with
enough wave action to be either fun or worrisome. It was a tail wind though
so we were moving along.
The whole paddle was around 6 miles. Back at Nick's we had
drinks and snacks at the restaurant and everyone said they'd had a good day
on the water.
Saturday,
May 2, Oakland Estuary/Arrowhead Marsh
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